Chapter 120. Truth

The Alliance Leader's room was dark.

It had been quite some time since he had tried to sleep; the oil had cooled and hardened.

Yet within the darkness, his gaze was sharp. Staring at the ceiling, the Alliance Leader rose from his seat.

He gathered his long, graying hair and tied it neatly, then draped his folded robe over his shoulders.

Step.

The closer he walked to the door, the fainter his footsteps became, drowned out by the noise outside.

"What in the world is happening here! To impersonate a direct descendant of an Alliance member! And within the headquarters of the Murim Alliance itself, no less!"

"Hall Lord! Speak! What exactly is going on here?"

The roar of an elder from another sect thundered through the air. The expressions of those who remained silent were equally grim. The young martial artists, unsure of themselves, looked no better.

The Blood Sect had infiltrated the Alliance. Worse, they had impersonated an Alliance member—everyone was terrified. Who could guarantee that the person beside them was not a Blood Sect member? Conversely, who could say that the person beside them was not already suspecting them?

In order to cast off their unease, they were pressing the Four Seasons Hall Lord, shifting the burden of this unpleasantness onto him.

The accusations grew increasingly heated. They seemed more concerned with how the Hall Lord would take responsibility than with the whereabouts of the missing Young Lady Tang.

The Tang Clan, standing at the center of the uproar, said nothing. They had already reached their decision.

The Alliance Leader swallowed a bitter sigh at the scene.

‘Did I foolishly show kindness to the Master of Ten Thousand Poisons?’

He had been unable to turn away, seeing his distant past reflected in her—but in the end, it had led to regret.

This was a situation he had never faced before. Thus, he could not know what outcome it would bring.

At that moment, someone sensed the Alliance Leader's presence and turned their gaze—the Black Sky Demon.

Though his appearance was that of a youth, the old man's eyes pierced painfully into him.

As the Alliance Leader faltered, the Black Sky Demon clasped his hands together. The Tang Clan's Mad Green Hound, who knew nothing of courtesy, dipped his head slightly with an expressionless face.

"Alliance Leader."

The Black Sky Demon lowered his clasped hands and went straight to the point.

"May we take this man with us?"

Only then did the others realize the Alliance Leader was present, and silence fell.

The Alliance Leader's eyes swept over the small back of the Hall Lord and the many faces before him. After much thought, he finally spoke.

"I understand the Tang Clan's feelings. However, this matter seems too grave for the Tang Clan to bear alone."

The Alliance Leader called to the one person who stood with his back turned to him.

"Four Seasons Hall Lord."

"Yes, Alliance Leader. Give your command."

Zhuge In-hwi asked for orders in a calm voice. His unmoving face loosened as though in submission. Watching such a Hall Lord, the gaze of the Zhuge Clan Head grew dark.

The Alliance Leader swallowed a sigh.

This was the flaw of peace: too much needless emotion seeped into a single matter.

The Alliance Leader could not account for all of it.

For this was not truly an age of peace.

They were only playing along with a peace someone had carefully combed into place; the old war had never ceased, not for a single moment.

The Alliance Leader had returned once more to the battlefield of the Blood Demon.

He stifled a hollow laugh. Whether he liked it or not, the fury and fear that twisted his heart were far more familiar to him.

Strength entered the once gentle and indolent old man's voice.

"Prepare the Murim Alliance Assembly. The matter is urgent, so omit all formalities and arrange it within two quarters of an hour."

"Yes."

Zhuge In-hwi cupped his fists to the Alliance Leader.

The moment the Hall Lord vanished from sight, the Alliance Leader turned his gaze. The Blood Sect member was crouching, clutching his torn mask. The Alliance Leader looked at him with icy eyes and gave an order to the martial artists of the headquarters.

"Throw this one into the prison."

Just as the Black Sky Demon—who had requested the Blood Sect member be handed over—frowned, the Alliance Leader spoke again.

"Black Sky Demon, you too shall attend the Assembly. Should you still wish to take him after it concludes, I will yield him to you."

Without waiting for an answer, the Alliance Leader turned his eyes to the others.

"Sect Leaders and Clan Heads, bring more representatives who can make decisions. I cannot grant you time to return to your sects for discussion, so it would be best if more decision-makers were present."

A martial artist of the Four Seasons Hall came running from afar. He saluted before the Alliance Leader and asked at once.

"Alliance Leader, may we use the prepared stage in the training ground as the conference hall? It will take time to move the chairs back into the pavilion."

The Alliance Leader nodded.

"Very well. Since the place is already prepared, all the better. Open the training ground and prepare it for the Assembly at once."

At his permission, the martial artist hurried away.

The Alliance Leader's gaze slid to the side and met that of the Tang Clan Head, who had been staring at him all along.

"Tang Clan Head, you too shall attend. I will give you a conclusion without delay."

The Tang Clan Head had wielded force at will within the headquarters. Moreover, he had harmed the very Hall Lord, who was a core figure of the Alliance. He ought to be held immediately accountable, and the Tang Clan's continued standing in the Alliance should be discussed—but instead, the Alliance Leader covered it all and merely urged him to attend the Assembly.

Even with this clear favor shown, the hostility in the Tang Clan Head's eyes did not fade. He even seemed to be contemplating. The Alliance Leader now fully understood from whom the Master of Ten Thousand Poison had inherited her brazen nature.

"Clan Head. Attend, for now."

The Black Sky Demon advised him.

When the Tang Clan Head reluctantly nodded, the Alliance Leader turned away at once. Since he would come anyway, there was no need to persuade him further.

The Alliance Leader stepped forward, suppressing his unease. Yet the unease did not fade—instead, it only grew heavier.

Unable to foresee what was to come, the Alliance Leader walked on with a darkened heart.

***

Since each sect had dispatched three or four representatives, the training ground was filled.

Even though it was an abruptly convened Murim Alliance Assembly, the number of attendees was large. Because of the shocking news, they had all rushed over quickly. Everyone regarded the current situation as grave.

Yet the Alliance Leader showed no signs of being flustered. He even organized the situation in a calm voice.

"The Martial Arts Tournament is the Murim Alliance's greatest event. Yet at this very time, a Blood Sect member infiltrated the headquarters."

The hall had been quiet from the beginning. The longer the Alliance Leader spoke, the deeper the silence became.

"The Blood Sect member perfectly imitated a direct descendant of the Tang Clan. Judging from the level of dark arts, it is difficult to know how many more Blood Cultists have infiltrated the headquarters. It may even be that some are sitting here among us."

The Alliance Leader's gaze swept across those seated. Because a few had lost control of their breathing, a faint noise stirred through the hall.

Suppressing that small noise, the Alliance Leader notified them in a low voice.

"From this moment, all gates of the headquarters will be sealed in order to root out the Blood Sect members."

It was a shocking declaration.

The Tang Clan Head turned his gaze toward the Alliance Leader. Even knowing that venomous eyes were fixed on him, the Alliance Leader continued with an unshaken face.

"As an exception, I intend to send out search parties to look for Young Lady Tang So-hwa. The Tang Clan may go in search of her as soon as this Assembly concludes."

Just as the Tang Clan Head's expression began to loosen—

"Alliance Leader, I have an objection."

The Zhuge Clan Head cut in, interrupting.

"The Blood Sect member was wearing Young Lady Tang So-hwa's human-skin mask. Such masks are made of actual human skin. What reason do you have to believe that Young Lady Tang So-hwa is still alive after having her facial skin torn away?"

"Ahem."

Someone gave a dry cough. The murderous intent filling the air made it hard to breathe.

Yet the Zhuge Clan Head, his expression unchanging, calmly continued.

"Furthermore, that Blood Sect member impersonated a direct descendant of the Tang Clan. Allowing the Tang Clan to leave the headquarters seems dangerous. If spies of the Blood Sect still remain, since they came targeting Young Lady Tang So-hwa, isn't it highly likely they have infiltrated the Tang Clan itself?"

The Alliance Leader cut off the Zhuge Clan Head's words.

"To begin with, that mask was not made from Young Lady Tang So-hwa's skin. In fact, it was not human skin at all."

"And how can you be so certain of that?"

Before the Zhuge Clan Head, another answered.

"The Alliance Leader's words are correct."

The Zhuge Clan Head slowly turned his gaze. Looking at his third son standing behind the Alliance Leader, the Zhuge Clan Head asked softly.

"In-hwi, is there something known only to you and the Alliance Leader?"

Though the Zhuge Clan Head addressed the Hall Lord with a gentle tone, the Hall Lord gave no answer—instead, he raised what he held in his hand.

"As you were present at the scene, you know. This is the mask I myself tore from the Blood Sect member."

Zhuge In-hwi took down the lantern hanging from a pillar. He held the mask he carried over the flame. Then the "skin" began to melt.

Drip, drip.

If it were real flesh, it should have burned and shriveled, but instead the material melted like water and dripped onto the floor.

The calm voice of the Four Seasons Hall Lord pierced the silence.

"As you can see, this is not flesh. It is something that imitates human skin."

He continued in an even tone.

"Last winter, someone anonymously delivered a peculiar book to Summer Pavilion. Among its contents was a method of mixing stone powder and tree sap to create a substance resembling human skin. It became a flawless mask—one that would not spoil in water, and when cut by a blade would tear together with flesh and even bleed. But it had one weakness."

He looked up from the remaining piece of false skin.

"It was vulnerable to heat—when touched by fire, it would melt away like water. That was the warning written."

Zhuge In-hwi retrieved the fragment of the mask melting in the lantern's flame. For a brief moment, his gaze shifted toward the Zhuge Clan's side. The Young Lord of the Zhuge Clan, standing by his father, entered his eyes. That gaze, which had rested on his elder brother, only lingered for the span of an instant before it slid away. With pale-blue eyes fixed forward, the Hall Lord continued.

"Searching for Blood Sect members wearing such skin will not be difficult. As you see, with just fire, they can be easily identified. Furthermore, since this was not Young Lady Tang So-hwa's skin, we cannot conclude that she is dead. And, Zhuge Clan Head—"

Zhuge In-hwi added in a calm voice.

"Since this is an Alliance Assembly, please be mindful of your forms of address."

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