Chapter 17
##17fury. suspects
On the way back from visiting the Gangseo branch of the Murim League.
“What a magician…….”
Ak Yeon-ho still looked dazed, as if the shock of what he had heard from Go Ju-yeol earlier had not subsided..
“older brother. If it's true, this isn't really a big deal.?
“I said it might not be true. And even if it's true, it's no big deal.”
“Why is it no big deal! In a place right next to the Murim League branch, a crazy person was doing something… … It means you've mastered the ball..”
Perhaps because he was concerned that his voice was raised while he was talking, Ak Yeon-ho came close to me and whispered something in my ear..
“It's hot. Go away.”
I pushed Ak Yeon-ho aside, who smelled sweet as if he had been sprayed with perfume, and said indifferently:.
“Is magic a big deal?.”
Magic (魔功) refers to martial arts that use unusual training methods that put a strain on the body or mind (usually both) for quick achievement..
Demonic craftsmanship is not limited to having an insidious-looking black energy flowing from the entire body..
‘……There has to be something like that, but.’
In fact, the Yeokcheonshingong that I learned is also a magic attack by the standards of the righteous school..
However, the reason why magic techniques are dangerous is because most people cannot endure it and go crazy after learning them, and later, when those side effects are removed, they are called magical techniques..
In the end, the results speak for themselves.
‘There were quite a few in the blood religion as well. People who do various things because they want to become stronger and become crippled or go crazy..’
Among them, there were some who did really crazy things, such as saying that they had to suck and drink the blood of their neighbors, or absorbing poison from corpses..
But I was confident that the culprit in this case was not like that..
Ak Yeon-ho, who is following me with an anxious expression, doesn't seem to be like that..
“Brother, aren’t you worried? Maybe I will have to fight with a Sapa expert who is skilled in magic.…….”
I looked back at Yeonho Akh with an expression of bewilderment..
I heard it was Kang Ho’s first appearance. This guy had no idea what level he was in martial arts..
“If he's stronger than you, it means he's a peak expert. What is so regrettable about the peak expert of Sapa that he would tear an old man to death?.”
“That's the evil madhu?”
As someone who was once a member of the evil Madou group, I wanted to clear up this innocent misunderstanding..
“I guess I've watched too many martial arts magazines, but when I reach the peak level in Sapa, I rarely do things like that because it's annoying. Let the little guys do it.”
“Oh, I see.…….”
“And if the situation is that serious, the Murim Alliance won't even entrust us with the work. It might not be a magic attack to begin with, and even if it were, it would still be a piece of crap..”
I thought back to the conversation I had with Go Ju-yeol earlier..
-It might be magic... … . Can you tell me this story??
-Of course not officially.
Go Joo-yeol smiled slightly and continued..
- But these days, the manpower shortage is so severe. When it was time to enter Cheongryong Academy, there were many incidents and accidents due to the influx of military personnel... … . There are some other reasons I can't talk about..
Go Joo-yeol drew a line, saying he couldn't talk in detail about the circumstances he couldn't talk about..
-Didn’t you recognize Sapa’s martial arts skills at once before??
Jinmugwan Incident.
Go Ju-yeol remembered that the Sapa men were caught by me while trying to teach martial arts by impersonating the name of the Namgung family..
I'm definitely an expert when it comes to magic..
- I'm still not sure if it's magic or not. I am suspicious because the hand of the evil beast is too cruel and the body is badly damaged.…….
-So, all I have to do is check if it's magic??
Go Ju-yeol widened his eyes at my words, then smiled and said,.
-It would be better if the culprit was also caught. If you help solve the case, they will make you a thank you plaque..
Murim League Appreciation Plaque.
It will definitely be of great help to me, who has no background or experience..
-How do you feel? Would you like to check it out? If you want to do it, let's put a flue in the government office..
-yes. Let's try it.
- Well thought out. Even if you can't find the culprit, helping with the investigation will be enough to add a line to your resume..
“Just one line on my resume…….”
Anyway, we were on our way to the government office where the old man's body was located..
“But you don’t have to follow me, right??”
I asked Ak Yeon-ho, who was still following me..
“It's me?”
Unlike me, Yeonho was a son of a Shandong musician..
Moreover, even his own inaction is masterful..
With that background and that level of skill, there was almost no chance of failing the interview unless you beat up the interviewer..
Ak Yeon-ho laughed at my words..
“Anyway, I have quite a bit of time until the entrance exam. I'm going to follow my brother around as a pastime..”
“He had a scared face while saying something about Sapa cilantro.?”
“Hey. As expected, I'm not bored because I go around with my brother..”
“Perhaps because he comes from a prestigious family, he received a very good home education. When the odds are against you, you pretend not to hear..”
“Hey! They say that building over there is five stories high.?”
We arrived at the government office having a long conversation..
Perhaps a connection had been made to Jeonseo-gu in advance, and when we mentioned Go Joo-yeol's name, a blunt-looking young Podu came to greet us..
“These are people from the Murim Alliance. My name is Podu Cheongcheon and I am in charge of this case..”
“This is Baek Su-ryong. Since this is my first time at Moorim, I don’t have any special nicknames yet..”
“This is Ak Yeon-ho! i look forward to!”
Cheongcheon Podu looked at us with a suspicious expression for a moment, but quickly returned to his expressionless expression..
“Would you like to see the body first??”
* * *
The political factions, the Murim League and the government, are largely cooperative..
When it comes to stabbings that occur on a daily basis in martial arts and their consequences, the official does not interfere in any way..
Instead, when civilians are injured or killed due to martial arts, the government cooperates with the Murim Alliance to find the beast..
This is also the case now..
“The condition of the body is not very good..”
When Cheongcheon Podu raided the ruins, the body of an old man, almost disintegrated like meat in a butcher's shop, appeared..
“Ugh…….”
Ak Yeon-ho frowned and took a step back at the sight of the uninhabited island, which was quite familiar with corpses, and it made him feel sick..
Of course, it had nothing to do with me..
“Can I take a closer look at your wound??”
“……Please do so.”
As I approached the corpse without hesitation, Cheongcheon Podu looked a little surprised..
After receiving Podu's permission, I put on gloves and carefully inspected the old man's wounds..
‘It's natural to think it's magic..’
A corpse so dismembered that it is difficult to recognize any traces of being human..
I don't know who the evil beast was, but I felt a keen sense of resentment and anger towards this old man..
‘But this…….’
As I examined the corpse, I frowned and got lost in thought..
‘no way?’
As I looked at the scars on my body, I felt that they were similar to those of a certain martial artist I know..
……It's not the same herbivore.
However, I couldn't help but feel uneasy because there were many similar parts..
‘I guess I'll have to find out exactly when I catch the cyst..’
After organizing my thoughts, I took off my gloves and looked back at Cheongcheon Podu..
“I saw it all.”
“Did you notice something special??”
I shook my head..
It's true that they found something on the body, but it wasn't something they could tell anyone about..
“Sorry, but I'm not sure about this..”
“Is that so?.”
“I heard that Go Ju-yeol Daehyeop came to see it a few days ago. What did you say??”
“You said something similar.”
The old man's body was put back in the storage room..
Ak Yeon-ho, who was sitting back with a pale expression, came next to me and poked my side..
“Brother, you look like a white girl. What kind of body are you so good at touching? Goosebumps.”
“Should I touch you too with the same hands that touched this corpse??”
“Hehehe!”
Ak Yeon-ho was horrified by my prank and retreated..
Cheongcheon Podu, with no expression on his face, stared at us..
Huh, I cleared my throat and asked him..
“Could you tell me more about the murder case??”
“That's right.”
The outline of the incident told by Cheongcheon Podu is as follows..
A few days ago, old man Heo, who was known as a major player in the usury industry in Nanchang, was found murdered in his mansion..
The estimated time of crime is between Hash (9 p.m.) and Insh (5 a.m.)..
It is said that when old man Heo did not come down even when it was meal time, the husband who prepared meals for him every day went to call him and found the dismembered body and immediately reported it to the government office..
“Are there any suspects??”
“There are three suspicious people due to the circumstances. Old man Heo’s son. A middle-aged woman named Mrs. Son who runs the Giru owned by Old Man Heo. And this is his bodyguard..”
According to Cheongcheon Podu, among the people who can freely enter and leave Old Man Heo's home, those three had the greatest motive for the crime..
“It is said that Mrs. Son has an affair with Old Man Heo, and recently had a big fight with Old Man Heo over the management of the stoma. He and his son have been on bad terms for a long time, but it is said that he disowned him some time ago, and the guard warrior is from a Ronin background and has a messy past..”
He said that the deceased old man Heo was a usurer, so there may be other grudges, but as of now, those three are the most likely suspects..
I asked Cheongcheon Podu.
“Those three people. Can I meet them one by one? I think you can find out what kind of martial arts you have learned by seeing it in person..”
“yes. I will guide you.”
After a while, we followed the expressionless Cheongcheon Podu and went to meet the first suspect..
* * *
“I feel so wronged.”
Mrs. Son was a beautiful middle-aged woman..
On the outside, he looked like he was in his forties, but Cheongcheon Podu told me in advance that he was actually well over fifty..
“It's true that I argued with that person that night. But that kind of thing has happened a long time ago..”
We met Mrs. Son and listened to her story in the special room of Jeokhwaru, a gilt tower owned by old man Heo..
There was so much food and alcohol laid out in front of us that our legs were wide open..
But Cheongcheon Podu sat expressionlessly in a stiff posture, and I barely touched the food..
Ak Yeon-ho was busy peeking around inside the base next to me..
‘Is this your first time here??’
The more I look at this guy who is said to be the son of a famous family, why does he look like such a country bumpkin?…….
In any case, Mrs. Son continued to maintain her innocence..
“To begin with, I didn't even learn anything like martial arts. They say they can't even catch chickens because they're scared. Things like killing people…….”
If this continues, I feel like I'll just keep hearing excuses, so I cut her off and asked,.
“I heard you had a relationship like that with the dead old man Heo.?”
“…….”
Mrs. Thorn's face turned red as she was speechless, perhaps angry or embarrassed by my blunt words..
But she soon snorted and looked straight at me..
“is it so. There was nothing to be ashamed of because everyone knew about it. By the way, do you find it fun to molest an old woman??”
“I'm sorry if you thought that way. I just want to check the facts properly..”
It depends on the martial arts you have learned, but there are cases where physical changes are revealed when you are angry..
“Excuse me, but I said you often quarreled with old man Heo. Can I ask why??”
Mrs. Son grumbled, wondering if she had to say all this, but when she saw Cheongcheon Podu's expressionless face, she slowly opened her mouth..
“…… I was going to leave this stoma to another bitch. He told me to go to the back room. I said absolutely no. He is the one who gave the money, but I am the one who raised Jeokhwaru to this level..”
Mrs. Son seemed to have a very strong attachment to Jeokhwaru..
This place was definitely big enough to be in the top ten even in Namchang..
Of course, the money that was given must have been considerable..
“I loved that person. The world pointed fingers at him as a moneylender, but he had a surprisingly kind side.…….”
At some point, we were listening to Mrs. Son's complaints..
“…….”
I'll stop him, but Cheongcheon Podu just listened as if he was going to leave me to take care of everything..
“Yeah yeah. I heard the story well.”
This was enough to hear Mrs. Son's story and to 'see' it with my own eyes..
She didn't learn martial arts.
In other words, it meant that he did not kill Old Man Heo directly..
It may be indirectly related.
“Then meet the next person.…….”
We got up from our seats and went outside. Mrs. Son came out to see us off..
It was then.
wajangchang!
“Get out of the way, you bastards! you guys know who i am!”
Along with the sound of something breaking and breaking, the voice of a very drunk man was heard..
“Tell the old lady to come out right away.!”
Mrs. Son's expression distorted..
And Cheongcheon Podu, who had been quiet until then, opened his mouth..
“There's no need to go see the second suspect..”
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