Trash of the Count's Family - TCF Part 2 - Chapter 86

Correction:
The Sword Saint is the PREVIOUS head, and not the current head of the Namgung Clan.
Terms used in this chapter:
Green Forest – A union of 72 bandit groups that lives in forests. They belong to the Evil Faction.
Beggars’ Sect – An intelligence organization made up of beggars and belongs to the Good Faction.
Hao Sect – Aka Ignoble Clan. Literally means ‘lowly dirt sect.’ An intelligence organization of the Evil Faction made up of the lowest-ranking members of society, the filth or dregs of society, such as prostitutes, thieves, etc.
***
Chief Eunuch Wi spread out a map he received from the eunuch next to him. He marked their current place as Beijing where the imperial palace stood. He then pointed to the Anhui Province on the map, describing it as a rich province blessed in agriculture. The excited Raon asked if the Namgung Clan was rich.
Wi thought that this mysterious being was cute, what with Raon’s tightly clenched paws, chubby cheeks, and round belly. He replied that the Namgung Clan was indeed the richest among the Five Great Clans. With sparkling eyes, Raon enthusiastically relayed that to his human, and Cale wondered if Raon wanted to rob the Namgung Clan.
One could not carelessly rob the clans in the murim world as your life might end. Wi changed the topic and in a friendly manner, complimented Cale’s outfit and appearance. They then heard the sound of rowdy laughter. Toonka and CH were sparring at a training hall that they could see outside the window. Toonka kept getting knocked down, but he just laughed and continued to stand up.
Wi remarked that Toonka looked very reliable, but Cale disagreed, saying that Toonka had an appearance that would make the leader of the Green Forest bow their head. Raon asked what the Green Forest was, and Cale explained that they were bandits. They were bandit groups that united and were under the Evil Faction.
Wi agreed with Cale’s words, adding that there were 72 bandit groups in the Green Forest. Ron filled Cale’s teacup and commented that his young master knew a lot. Cale flinched, and stuttered as he tried to explain. Ron added that it was amazing and asked how he knew so well. Cale silently avoided Ron’s gaze, and awkwardly smoothened the end of his long sleeves.
He changed the topic and said that it was the first time he wore clothes like this, so he felt strange. It was true since with his small physique, the clothes with wide sleeves were unfamiliar to him. Wi insisted that it looked quite good on him, and complimented Ron for having a good eye in choosing that. Cale saw Ron flash a slightly vicious smile, so he quickly shouted his agreement, praising Ron for having a very good eye and that Ron always prepared his wardrobe.
Wi flattered Cale, saying that blue really suited him, and Raon exclaimed that it was the same color as his eyes. Cale was currently dressed in blue silken clothes that was close to indigo. It did not have any special embroidery, but one could easily tell that it was made of the finest silk. Wi asked Cale if he should prepare a carriage for their trip to the Anhui Province.
Cale refused it as he patted Jungwon’s head and asked affectionately if Jungwon knew the coordinates of the Anhui Province. Jungwon spiritedly answered that he knew. Cale told Wi that he wanted the Fist King to accompany them. Wi was confused, and Cale explained that he knew of Grandpa’s true identity as he glanced at the grinning Jungwon.
Wi hesitated, answering that the Fist King was not someone one could easily order around. Cale insisted to just ask, and Wi questioned if there was anything else he needed. Cale handed him a letter to give to the ED, and invited Chief Eunuch Wi himself to accompany them too. Wi was surprised again, and Cale said that he heard that Wi was one of the highly skilled members of the Eastern Bureau.
The chief eunuch gulped and came up with the excuse that he had to stay by the ED’s side. Cale told him to just go, and Wi lowered his head, replying that he would relay Cale’s words to the ED (he had to ask the ED for permission first before going). Wi was someone who quickly noticed things, had extensive knowledge, and was swift in his work, so Cale wanted someone like him to accompany them.
Cale had been thinking on how to contact the intelligence organizations in this world. There was the Beggars’ Sect, one of the Nine Great Schools in the Good Faction. Its members were all beggars and could be found everywhere in the Central Plains. Another was the Hao Sect, an intelligence organization rivaling the Beggars’ Sect.
Cale wanted to contact the two organizations, and recalled that he had the imperial family’s side. Those two organizations would give him information if he used the name of the imperial family. They would not have a choice as they could not go against the imperial family. Cale muttered that it would be easy, and Chief Eunuch Wi got the chills for some reason.
Wi tried to leave immediately, but Cale informed him that they would be leaving tonight. Wi was shocked, but quickly lowered his head in understanding and left the room with the eunuch next to him. Sui praised Wi as a good employee, and Ron agreed. Sui leaned against the windowsill and asked if Cale really believed that CJS was in the Anhui Province.
Everyone except Cale were wearing black clothes. Their sash belts and sleeves were of different shades of blue though. Cale glanced at Jungwon who was munching on sweets. Jungwon shouted that the information from the imperial family was really accurate since they received it from the Murim Alliance. But Jungwon added that he was a little worried.
Raon asked why as he munched on sweets too. Jungwon replied that the Sword Saint held a lot of grudge from being beaten by CJS. The Sword Saint was the previous head of the Namgung Clan who retired and passed the leadership of the clan to his son. Cale questioned why CJS became a Murim Public Enemy.
Jungwon answered that the publicly declared reason was that the Sword Demon attacked the members of the Murim Alliance and stole their treasure before escaping. Of course, no one believed that. Cale and Sui neither believed that CJS would attack people for treasure and then escape, but Ron was staring at Cale at that moment (Ron must be thinking that the description perfectly fit Cale, haha).
Cale questioned Jungwon on where the Blood Cult was and why the Great War was around the corner. He felt like he had to know since it was not often that the Good Faction, the Evil Faction, and the Demon Sect collided. As if it was a question he was waiting for, Jungwon swallowed the sweet and reminded Cale of the existence of Living Jiangshi.
The Living Jiangshi were zombies that looked like normal alive humans. But as Jungwon was about to continue, Raon shouted that he was turning into stone. Starting from Jungwon’s feet, his lower body was gradually turning into stone. Cale was surprised, and Jungwon hurriedly replied that the God of Balance must have noticed.
But he continued that the Good Faction, the Evil Faction, and the Demon Sect all had Living Jiangshi. There was even a Living Jiangshi that thought that they were still alive, unaware that they were a puppet of the Blood Cult. Jungwon’s lower body was now stone. Cale urgently asked who that Living Jiangshi was.
At that moment, Jungwon’s neck had turned into stone. Cale grabbed Jungwon’s shoulder, and Jungwon muttered “Murim Alliance.” He lost his voice afterwards, but with his lips spelled the next words ‘Jegal.’ Raon exclaimed that Jungwon had completely turned to stone. Cale took his hands off Jungwon’s shoulder and frowned.
Smoke rose from Jungwon and when the smoke cleared, he had become smaller. What appeared was a small stone statue of a young monk with a calm and bright smile as he sat on a chair. Perhaps it was the original appearance of Jungwon’s stone statue. Beacrox took out a handkerchief and began to wipe it clean. 1
Sui said that the Jegal Clan (aka the Zhuge Clan) was one of the Five Great Clans. Ron deduced that one of the Jegal Clan members was a Living Jiangshi. Sui asked Cale if they could narrow the scope. Cale answered that it must be a person who could provide a clue on what caused the Great War. In that case, that person must have an executive position in the Murim Alliance.
Cale explained that the Jegal Clan was famous for their brains. So it was highly probable that they had a military, strategic, or advisory role in the Murim Alliance. The group decided to look into that. Cale sat down as CH and Toonka entered the room. Durst was currently guarding Number Seven, and said to be busy sorting out something while next to the unconscious captive.
Unlike the well-groomed CH, Toonka was as dirty as a beggar even though he wore expensive clothes. Cale announced to his group about what they should do in Anhui. He gripped the golden plaque, saying that everything would go well if they did their best. He asked Raon if he knew of the coordinates, and Raon answered that Jungwon taught him how to calculate the coordinates while they were looking at the map.
There was not a lot of mana here, but it was okay since Raon brought a large box filled with the highest-grade magic stones. Cale grinned as it was one of the many things he brought. Sui sat down across Cale and informed them with a rare serious face about one more important thing they had to do. Cale was curious what it was since he thought that their preparations were complete as long as they had the chief eunuch with them.
Sui shrugged and replied that the people here had a hard time pronouncing their names. He grinned and Cale saw CH turn around to hide his face. Cale mentally cursed at their reactions. Sui said that there might come a time when they had to introduce themselves, so they needed suitable aliases. Raon approached Cale and said that he disliked the name “Gale,” rendering Cale speechless.