Chapter 388
"No changing your story later."
Shin Gi-su-sa looked at Wei Yan-ho with vacant eyes.
That damned lazy bastard had been repeating those same words the entire journey here.
He was Shin Gi-su-sa.
The world praised him as one who could see a thousand li while sitting still, and feared that he held all under Heaven within his mind.
But Shin Gi-su-sa knew better.
The position of strategist was, in the end, merely a supporting role. People didn't like it when strategists received excessive praise.
When someone who used their brains gained a certain level of fame, people would inevitably slander them as scheming, or claim that since they were so clever, they were naturally plotting something.
Shin Gi-su-sa couldn't possibly be unaware of this fact. That's why throughout his entire life, he had lived without forgetting a single belief.
Trust.
He had never once in his life broken a word that came from his mouth. The most difficult thing about living as a strategist wasn't creating schemes to defeat enemies, but giving up the benefits he could gain by breaking his word.
Everyone in the martial world knew this fact well, which is why they trusted Shin Gi-su-sa's words absolutely.
Except for one bastard.
"You're not going to change your tune later, right?"
"Kaak!"
At the strange cry that burst out despite his efforts to contain it, Wei Yan-ho startled and stepped back.
"Why are you suddenly getting angry?"
"Before I smack that mouth of yours, sit down! You damned fool!"
"You're getting worked up for no reason."
Shin Gi-su-sa closed his eyes and traced the character for 'patience' about a hundred times. If enduring three times could save a person's life, by now he would have saved an entire village. No, not just him—everyone around Wei Yan-ho would have done the same.
"Kkeuung."
Shin Gi-su-sa shook his head in defeat.
'Why did that bastard have to grow up with Wei San-ho of all people.'
In this current situation, that one bastard would be the only person under Heaven who would step forward saying he'd rescue Wei San-ho. The others who knew Wei San-ho at least had common sense, but only that bastard lacked any sense of judgment.
'No, perhaps… '
Shin Gi-su-sa made a bitter expression.
'Maybe he's the only one with courage.'
The Wei Yan-ho he knew wasn't a fool. He couldn't possibly be a fool.
Martial arts was a type of learning. While you might initially learn by rolling around with your body, once you passed a certain level, basic comprehension was required.
A stupid person could never learn advanced martial arts.
Especially to reach such a sublime realm at Wei Yan-ho's young age required frightening comprehension. Even with an excellent master, it would be the same. No matter how great a master, they couldn't turn a monkey into a human.
A great master needed a great disciple.
From that perspective, what Wei Yan-ho was doing now couldn't simply be stubborn insistence.
'Either he truly thought there was no way other than charging into the Demonic Cult… '
Or he had manipulated the atmosphere to make Shin Gi-su-sa step forward like this. Maybe it was both.
Thinking this made his mood sour.
Here he was, the renowned Shin Gi-su-sa Jo Hyeon, being played in the palm of that young bastard's hand.
As Shin Gi-su-sa's face flushed red, Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.
"Did you eat something wrong? Your complexion…"
"Kkeueueung."
No matter what he said, that bastard always managed to pick exactly the words that would irritate people most. If he was doing it on purpose, he was truly a troublemaker, and if he wasn't doing it on purpose, he was even worse.
"Fine, so sit down."
"Yes."
As Wei Yan-ho took his seat, Shin Gi-su-sa let out a sigh. At the same time, Gwon Geuk and the others also sat down.
"Strategist, do you really have a plan?"
"…It's not that there isn't one. But it's extremely difficult."
"Difficult?"
"Yes. It's impossible right now, but there's absolutely no way to infiltrate the Demonic Cult."
"Infiltration would be possible. We're somehow managing to slip agents into the Demonic Cult too."
"That's exactly it."
Shin Gi-su-sa nodded.
"Charging into the Demonic Cult head-on is impossible. But infiltration could be done easily enough."
"It's not that I haven't thought about it, but…"
Gwon Geuk looked at Wei Yan-ho with deeply suspicious eyes.
"Him?"
"..."
"You want to infiltrate him?"
"..."
"Strategist."
Shin Gi-su-sa subtly avoided Gwon Geuk's gaze.
He knew full well how absurd this plan was.
Infiltration required tremendous tension and delicacy. You had to endure the pressure that if you were discovered, your head would fly off immediately.
'He doesn't seem to have much sense of pressure… '
But every other aspect was problematic.
"Are you calling that a plan right now?"
"…There's no other way."
"No other way, so you make a plan like that? I could make one too then. Want me to tell you the best method? Right now, lead all of the Righteous Alliance to charge into the Demonic Cult, chop off all their heads thwack thwack, then bring Wei San-ho back! That would do it! I can make as many plans as you want, all with no possibility of success! Do you think we're paying a strategist to make plans like that?"
Shin Gi-su-sa felt a surge of emotion.
Did he think Shin Gi-su-sa didn't know this plan was flimsy? He was suggesting they try this because there was no other way!
If someone else had said such things, he might understand, but for someone who had just tried to throw punches to stop Wei Yan-ho from saying this…
"Alliance Leader, I am Shin Gi-su-sa!"
"So what about it?"
"Would I really say such things without any plan whatsoever! I'm doing this because I have my own methods!"
"What methods, damn it! Rather than finding a way to safely send that bastard into the Demonic Cult, it would be better for me to dress as a woman and infiltrate!"
"With that build?"
"With that personality?"
Wei Jeong-han looked at the two men with vacant eyes.
He had known these two for over twenty years. But he swore this was the first time he'd seen them fight.
'What a terrifying fellow.'
Without really doing anything, just by being there, he had made those two fight. Even though he was his son, Wei Yan-ho was truly an amazing guy.
"Still, shouldn't we at least hear it out?"
When that amazing guy opened his mouth, both Shin Gi-su-sa and Gwon Geuk clicked their tongues simultaneously.
"So there's a way for me to infiltrate without much trouble?"
"It's not without problems, but it would be a hundred times better than you charging in alone."
"That's good enough. So what's this method?"
"I can't tell you."
"Huh?"
As Wei Yan-ho was about to cock his head sideways, Shin Gi-su-sa clicked his tongue.
"You fool, there's such a thing as timing in worldly affairs. Now is not the time."
Wei Yan-ho acknowledged this fact too.
They would also be on high alert right now. Just in case someone might come to rescue Wei San-ho, their vigilance would be heightened, and methods that would normally work couldn't be used now.
"But you could at least tell me the method in advance."
"No."
Shin Gi-su-sa said firmly.
"Once words leave your mouth, they cannot be taken back. No matter that only we are here, a secret that has leaked once is no longer a secret."
"Don't you trust us?"
"No. I don't trust myself."
"Huh?"
Shin Gi-su-sa said with a stern face.
"A secret that only I know and a secret that several others know have different levels of importance. No matter how much I try to watch my words, if I let my guard down even a little, the words might slip out."
"That's true, but…"
Wei Yan-ho said with a distinctly unsatisfied expression.
"But that… can I really trust it? Right now there's no particular method available, so you're not just trying to keep me tied down, are you? I'm getting a whiff of that 'sa' character smell."
"Damn it, you rotten bastard!"
In the end, Shin Gi-su-sa threw the fan he was holding at Wei Yan-ho.
"What would I gain by deceiving you!"
"Well, you could use me for plenty of things. Honestly, I'm pretty valuable human resources."
"That damned mouth of yours!"
This time, Shin Gi-su-sa raised his voice as if he wouldn't back down.
"Hey, you fool! Would I be able to sleep peacefully after deceiving a crazy bastard like you! Even if it came out later, you'd go wild trying to skin me alive!"
"…That's true."
"Kkeueueung."
You shouldn't agree with that, you rotten bastard!
His blood pressure rising so much that the back of his neck was tense, Shin Gi-su-sa glared not at Wei Yan-ho but at Wei Jeong-han. However, Wei Jeong-han was thoroughly turning his head away, avoiding Shin Gi-su-sa's gaze.
"You raised your son rea~lly well! Just rea~lly well!"
"Hehehehe."
Wei Jeong-han laughed slyly.
'They're so alike.'
Seeing this scene, he felt rueful that he hadn't noticed why only Wei San-ho didn't fit in with the Guangdong Wei Family all this time. There was no way such an upright child could come from such a rotten father.
Shin Gi-su-sa, who had been sighing deeply, looked at Wei Yan-ho again.
"So for now, you'll have to do some other work until things quiet down."
"Work?"
"Did you think I was going to use people for free? To do what you want, we might have to abandon all the secret channels the Righteous Alliance has worked so hard to build. If you're human, you should pay a price."
Wei Yan-ho made a circle with his thumb and index finger.
"Couldn't that price be paid in money? Hehe."
"…The only place with more money than the Righteous Alliance is the Imperial Palace."
"Tsk."
Wei Yan-ho pouted.
"I won't accept any payment other than physical labor, so know that."
"Cheapskate."
"Yes, I'm a cheapskate. Thanks to that, hasn't the Righteous Alliance become the wealthiest place under Heaven?"
Wei Yan-ho pouted, but Shin Gi-su-sa didn't bat an eye.
"So what work do I have to do?"
"Hooo, agreeing to follow along obediently… that's not like you."
"I'm being lazy. I'll end up doing what you tell me to anyway, so saving energy by keeping my mouth shut one less time is the way to preserve stamina."
"I can't tell if that's wise or lazy…"
Shin Gi-su-sa shook his head and said,
"For you, it won't be particularly difficult work. I'll tell you the details again tomorrow. You might need about two or three people, so pick them appropriately."
"What's there to pick? The beggar, the monk, the Sword Ghost… just those three will do."
"…Do as you wish."
Normally, to deploy disciples from prestigious families on missions, one had to obtain consent from each sect, but since this time it wasn't him directly deploying them but Wei Yan-ho dragging them along, it seemed like he could save face.
'Those old men won't try to confront Wei Yan-ho directly either.'
The rumor that if you wanted to spend your later years peacefully, you shouldn't get entangled with that bastard had already spread far and wide.
"Then go and rest."
"Feels like it's ending somewhat anticlimactically?"
"I don't have time to argue with you. Hurry up!"
At Shin Gi-su-sa's roar, Wei Yan-ho bolted up from his seat.
"I'm going, I'm going."
As Wei Yan-ho shuffled out, Shin Gi-su-sa let out a deep sigh.
"That damn fool."
Still, it seemed like he had calmed him down for now, so Shin Gi-su-sa felt his tension release.