Chapter 104: Even if it’s a bit silly.
Chapter 104: Even if it’s a bit silly.
I didn’t try to stop the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
“Do as your heart desires.”
When anger boils over, it needs an outlet. As long as he wasn’t rushing off to slaughter someone this very second, there was no reason to restrain him.
In my experience, most mistakes are born of haste. This was no different. If I stepped in to stop him when there was no immediate urgency, it would only be because my heart was racing, not his.
In times like this, you simply leave them be until the surging rage subsides. Don’t judge, don’t persuade—just remain still.
While Lee An and Blue Face, who had emerged a moment late, examined the corpses, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master stood before the Smiling Demon. Bloodstains still flecked her face.
“Elder.”
The title she used had shifted from ‘Brother’ to ‘Elder.’
“What is it?”
“Please, avenge me properly,” she said.
Words I hadn’t expected fell from her lips.
“Make it so I can sleep soundly with my legs stretched out from now on.”
“Very well. I shall show the Murim what happens when one touches the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master.”
The Pavilion Master bowed deeply. I knew she was no ordinary woman, but I hadn’t realized she was the type to say such things in a situation like this.
I didn’t mean that in a negative way. In fact, I admired her. It occurred to me that she might be using the most effective method possible to calm the Smiling Demon’s rage.
If she had stepped forward and said something like, ‘I’m worried you’ll be in danger because of me, Brother,’ she would have wounded his pride, and the Smiling Demon would have gone even more berserk.
Those two really are a perfect match.
Just then, Blue Face discovered something on one of the corpses.
“I found this in their robes.”
Blue Face held out a palm-sized Willow Leaf Flying Dagger.
“It’s a dagger used by the Unorthodox Path Alliance’s Guizhou Branch. If you look here, it bears their unique mark.”
“The Guizhou Branch bastards did this?” the Smiling Demon growled.
“No. Those of their level couldn’t possibly have infiltrated this place.”
Blue Face looked at me, seeking confirmation. I nodded, agreeing with his assessment.
“He’s right. They were certainly more skilled than the warriors guarding the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.”
Hearing my answer, Blue Face cautiously offered a deduction.
“I suspect they intended to assassinate the Pavilion Master and leave this Willow Leaf Flying Dagger at the scene.”
“To frame the Unorthodox Path Alliance? Do they take me for a fool? Did they think such a shallow trick would work?”
As the annoyance of being underestimated piled onto his original fury, the surrounding air grew even heavier.
“Perhaps that trick would have been effective,” I interjected.
The Smiling Demon’s gaze turned cold at my words, but I continued calmly.
“The Pavilion Master is alive. But if you had found this next to her corpse, your state of mind would be completely different. Wouldn’t you have rushed straight to the Unorthodox Path Alliance’s Guizhou Branch to hunt down the owner of this dagger first?”
The Smiling Demon couldn’t refute that.
“They likely had something prepared on that end as well. Perhaps the owner of this dagger would have provoked you, Lord Smiling Demon, or maybe something else entirely was waiting in ambush.”
It only takes a moment for a person to lose their mind. One must never underestimate the agitation and rage brought about by the death of someone they cherish.
“If it wasn’t the Unorthodox Path Alliance, then who are these people?”
At the Smiling Demon’s question, Blue Face turned to me.
“What kind of martial arts did they use?”
Blue Face was a clever man, well-known even in Villain Valley. Not only was he quick with calculations and able to manage ledgers, but he also possessed extensive knowledge of martial artists, techniques, and the general state of the Murim.
“The first one to reveal himself used a dagger.”
I explained while recreating the movements of the first masked man as he lunged at the Pavilion Master.
“And these men were masters of stealth. I didn’t even sense his presence until he revealed himself to attack.”
With that, Blue Face deduced their identity.
“Based on the stance the Second Young Master showed and the fact that they were masters of stealth—and that there were five of them—these men must be the Blood Hand Five Shadows.”
“The Blood Hand Five Shadows? I’ve heard of them.”
Blue Face answered the Smiling Demon’s query.
“They are experts belonging to White Night Valley.”
White Night Valley was a sect of the Unorthodox Faction that was quite infamous in the Murim. They were known for committing all sorts of atrocities, even taking contracts to kill for money. The Blood Hand Five Shadows were their representative experts.
“They likely accepted the contract without knowing the relationship between the Heavenly Flower Pavilion and us,” Blue Face added.
He saw it accurately. Even in my life before the regression, the Blood Hand Five Shadows were deeply connected to the Smiling Demon. In the end, they had died by his hand.
However, in that timeline, they hadn't attacked the Pavilion Master here today. In other words, their fate had changed because the Smiling Demon was moving with me. Though they couldn't escape the result of death, the time and place had shifted.
The Smiling Demon did not hesitate.
“We’re going to White Night Valley.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Blue Face hurried to prepare for departure without a second thought. The Smiling Demon even looked after the Pavilion Master’s safety.
“You should move with me for the time being.”
Once she had become a target, it was a wise choice to stay together until this matter was resolved.
“I will follow your wishes, Elder Brother.”
The Pavilion Master obediently followed the Smiling Demon’s lead. She glanced at me briefly, and I could feel the silent plea in her gaze: I’ll leave the task of stopping him to you.
Once the preparations were finished, everyone boarded the carriage. Seeing that I was the last one left outside, the Smiling Demon asked from within.
“Are you not getting in?”
“I was contemplating how I might get you to step out of the carriage, Lord Smiling Demon.”
“Let’s hear your reason for trying to stop me.”
“The incident has already happened, and we know who did it. If we charge in now, the only result will be a bloodbath. If you and I join forces, we could probably massacre them all. You might even get a new title: the Smiling Demon of Massacres.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“No. I dislike White Night Valley. They are people who do all sorts of filthy things and kill for money; they deserve to die. However, there is a better way than staining our own hands with blood.”
“And what is that?”
“Leaving the task to someone else.”
“Who are you suggesting we leave it to?”
“In your agitation, Lord Smiling Demon, you are forgetting one fact. We made a promise to Bi Sa-in. We said that if we provided a clue regarding the mastermind, they would withdraw from Guizhou and compensate for the losses over the past two years. We have that clue right now.”
Despite it being advice for his sake, the Smiling Demon mocked me.
“To be clicking away at an abacus even in a situation like this... our Second Young Master truly is extraordinary. Extraordinary indeed.”
I didn’t get angry; I calmly persuaded him.
“If I were truly extraordinary, I would be able to stop you somehow. Will you give me just a little more of a chance to try?”
“Go ahead.”
Looking at his gaze that challenged me to do my best, I began my persuasion.
“No matter how much you pressure him, the Master of White Night Valley will never reveal who commissioned the job. No, he can’t reveal it. The moment he reveals a client, no one will ever pay White Night Valley to do a job again.”
The Smiling Demon surely knew this as well. He was someone who knew more about villains than I did.
“Crucially, massacring White Night Valley will cause more problems than massacring the Unorthodox Path Alliance’s Guizhou Branch.”
“And why is that?”
“Three years ago, the daughter of the Master of White Night Valley and the son of the Vice Leader of the Unorthodox Path Alliance were wed. The two families are in-laws.”
The Smiling Demon, who hadn't known that fact, was startled. He turned to Blue Face.
“Is this true?”
From the driver’s seat, Blue Face answered loudly.
“It is correct.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I only just remembered it myself.”
The Smiling Demon looked at me with surprise. “How did you know that, Second Young Master?”
“There are many assassin organizations in the Jianghu. While I was wondering why they specifically commissioned White Night Valley, I recalled that fact.”
The Smiling Demon had experienced my sharp mind several times already, so he didn't find it strange that I remembered such a detail.
The crucial point to persuade him was this:
“It’s a double-layered scheme.”
“What do you mean?”
“The mastermind behind this arranged for both possibilities. If the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger was left behind and the Guizhou Branch took the fall, that would be fine. If the ambush failed like it did now and White Night Valley took the blame, that would also be fine. The scheme to cause a clash between you and the Unorthodox Path Alliance is guaranteed to succeed either way.”
The Smiling Demon’s gaze grew cold and settled. The fact that the mirth had vanished from his eyes meant his anger had subsided to some extent.
“Is there any need to move exactly as that fellow intended? Please leave this matter to me.”
The Pavilion Master sitting beside him, and Lee An and Blue Face on the driver’s seat, all listened to our conversation in silence. Fortunately, the Smiling Demon was not a foolish man who would stubbornly cling to a decision just because others were watching.
“Then won’t I look like a rather silly man? I acted as if I were going to show you a world turned into a sea of blood.”
I smiled at his words, which already contained the intent to yield.
“No one would think you silly, but even if they did, what’s wrong with being a bit silly?”
The Smiling Demon laughed. It was his habitual laugh, but it carried a hint of genuine amusement.
“Neither I nor anyone else here wants to see a sea of blood. Especially our Pavilion Master, who has already been drenched in a bucketful of it.”
The Smiling Demon looked at the Pavilion Master. She spoke as if she had been waiting.
“Avenge me! Go and kill them all!”
The Smiling Demon laughed again. “You’re saying things you don’t mean.”
Only then did the Pavilion Master reveal her true feelings.
“Yes. You’re right. I’m tired today and just want to rest. By your side, Brother.”
The title had returned to ‘Brother.’ She, too, felt that the Smiling Demon’s rage had fully dissipated.
The Smiling Demon’s deliberation didn’t last long. He spoke to Blue Face.
“Go and tell Bi Sa-in that I wish to meet.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Leaping from the carriage, Blue Face vanished in a flash. The Smiling Demon and the Pavilion Master stepped down from the carriage.
I said to the Pavilion Master, “You must be tired, but please stay close to Lord Smiling Demon until this matter is concluded. It is the safest place in the world.”
I looked after her safety and the Smiling Demon’s mood, but the Smiling Demon didn’t let it slide.
“I believe the Second Young Master’s Flattery Divine Art is unrivaled across all time.”
It was an exclamation that wasn't quite an exclamation, half-mixed with mockery and half with sincerity.
“It is the most powerful technique I’ve been using frequently lately,” I replied boldly. “However, it isn’t ordinary flattery. It’s a Flattery Divine Art that is persistent, involves trying to understand the opponent, and is performed while risking one’s life. Besides, the opponent is you, Lord Smiling Demon—what’s wrong with a little flattery?”
At my boldness, the Pavilion Master couldn't help but burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry for laughing. I just think it really does deserve to be called a ‘Divine Art’ at this point.”
The Pavilion Master’s gaze toward me held a favor that went beyond mere gratitude. The woman I knew was one who clearly distinguished between gratitude and grudges, and I was certain that saving her today would be a great help on my path ahead.
As the two went inside, Lee An, who had been sitting on the driver’s seat like a stone statue, let out a long-held sigh.
“How on earth do you endure such pressure?”
She was now asking the same question Seo Dae-ryong had asked before.
“If I don’t? I came out here having promised to take responsibility for any trouble the Smiling Demon causes, didn’t I?”
“Having to persuade a Smiling Demon who’s enraged to the tip of his head? I would have run away without looking back.”
“You would have persuaded him even better than I did.”
“You’re overestimating me.”
“It’s not my overestimation.”
“Then whose?”
“The Pavilion Master said so. That you seem like someone who will do great things.”
“Not someone who will cause great trouble? She probably just said that because it sounds good to you, Young Master.”
“If she wanted it to sound good to me, she would have said I was the one who would do such great things.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Lee An stepped down from the carriage. “You feel like a drink, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go back in and have one more. We’ll ask them to sing that song we were going to listen to earlier.”
“They’re all gone. Do you think those ladies would still be waiting?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Lee An paused. “...Should I sing for you instead?”
“I’ll pass. I’ve had a hard enough time as it is.”
“I’m a good singer. You’ve never even heard me sing once, have you?”
“One doesn't need to see an opponent draw their sword to know they're a master.”
“There you go again, failing to recognize a hidden master. Just don’t be surprised when you hear me later.”
I was about to follow Lee An into the building when I suddenly looked up at the night sky.
Looking at the cluster of stars, I suddenly missed my people back at the Main Cult. I wanted to use the Space-Time Displacement Technique to lie alone on a beach and soak up the warm sunlight. I wanted to hear Lee An’s song.