Chapter 112: Are You Any Good at Swimming?
Chapter 112: Are You Any Good at Swimming?
Bi Sa-in was seething.
I knew exactly where that rage was coming from.
It was likely because of what the 6th Wolf had said earlier—about spending one’s life as a mere lackey just to protect a single First Young Master.
Naturally, it had soured his mood; he undoubtedly felt looked down upon.
If it had been a problem unique to the 6th Wolf, Bi Sa-in might have found closure by simply killing him. But here was the real issue: the seed of doubt. The suspicion that the rest of the 13 Wolves of the Unorthodox Path might harbor the same resentment would haunt him for a very long time.
Of course, I had no intention of offering comfort. He was fundamentally my enemy, and I planned to exploit the rift between them, preying on Bi Sa-in’s clouded judgment.
Just then, the 1st Wolf stepped forward.
“Should we not have kept the 6th Wolf alive to serve as a witness?”
His voice was strained. He, too, was inevitably shaken by his comrade’s betrayal and sudden death.
Bi Sa-in didn’t offer a word in response. I could guess why. To his ears, the 1st Wolf’s words probably sounded like this:
He was like a brother to me. How could you just kill him like that?
Bi Sa-in’s gaze shifted to the rest of the 13 Wolves standing behind the 1st Wolf. Their expressions were as stoic as ever. Yet, in this moment, they must have felt like total strangers to him.
That was when I intervened.
“Are you not all witnesses? Even excluding Young Master Bi, the party involved, are there not six of you here who saw the 6th Wolf’s betrayal with your own eyes?”
The 1st Wolf voiced his concern. “If they brand us all as accomplices, our testimony will mean nothing.”
“Are you suggesting the word of six of the 13 Wolves, who represent the pride of the Unorthodox Path Alliance, carries no weight? If that is the case, is there even any point in you all living as martial artists of the Alliance?”
The 1st Wolf and the rest of the 13 Wolves fell silent. When they actually thought about it, it was a miserable realization.
Bi Sa-in, who had been listening quietly, suddenly barked, “Stop talking nonsense!”
It was only natural for him to be irritable. “Who is the mastermind?”
“I cannot say here.” I poured oil onto the smoldering fire. “Are you certain there was only one traitor?”
The 13 Wolves simultaneously directed icy glares at me.
In truth, Bi Sa-in should have been the first to react that way. But he was the slowest to respond. It was because he was harboring the exact same suspicion.
“Wouldn’t it be wise to be cautious until everything is brought to light? Let us discuss this matter privately.”
I was driving a wedge between Bi Sa-in and the 13 Wolves while simultaneously cornering him. In this affair, I had to grab Bi Sa-in by the scruff of the neck and drag him along. I intended to keep the upper hand until the very final move of the game.
Before taking Bi Sa-in aside, I shared a brief exchange with the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon via voice transmission.
— I plan to separate Bi Sa-in from the 13 Wolves for a while.
— I assume you have something in mind.
— I need some time alone with him if I’m to move him as I wish.
There was actually another reason, but it was one I couldn’t disclose to the Smiling Demon.
The quick-witted Smiling Demon asked abruptly.
— Is that truly the only reason?
— No.
When I answered honestly, the Smiling Demon’s eyes crinkled in a smile.
— As I thought, the Second Young Master wears the same mask as I do.
— You’re right. No one believes me when I say I’m not that nice of a person, but I knew you’d recognize it, Lord Smiling Demon. I’ll see you later at a safe house near the Unorthodox Path Alliance headquarters.
Given the gravity of the situation, the Smiling Demon accepted my request. When it came to official business, at least, he was more efficient than anyone else.
*
I stood side-by-side with Bi Sa-in on a hill to the east of White Night Valley.
“Who is the mastermind?”
“What will you do for me if I tell you? Surely you didn’t think you’d get such vital information for free?”
Bi Sa-in’s expression stiffened. “Dammit! Why is it so hard to get a single name out of you? Speak up like a man!”
“That isn’t being manly; it’s being a fool who accepts a loss just for a moment’s vanity. I am a man who believes a deal must involve an exchange of equal value. Problems in a deal always arise when one side is dissatisfied. Let’s try to keep the scales balanced.”
“What is it you want?”
There was something I wanted from him. There were several fated encounters I had resolved to claim if the opportunity arose after my regression. What I was about to ask for was one of them.
“Let me into the Ten Thousand Evils Cave.”
The Ten Thousand Evils Cave.
It was a sacred site of the Unorthodox Path Alliance, a place only the Alliance Leader and his successor were permitted to enter.
Three hundred years ago, the Mansa Sect Leader, the absolute master of the Unorthodox Path, had treated his injuries there following a fierce battle with the Heavenly Demon of that era. Since then, the Alliance had revered it as holy ground.
Bi Sa-in was stunned. “Why do you want to go in there?”
“I’ve wanted to enter that place for a long time.”
“Then you must know that outsiders are strictly forbidden.”
“Which is why I am demanding it now. With your life as the price.”
“Don’t exaggerate. I would have stayed alive even if I didn’t know who the mastermind was. Don’t act like you hold something so grand.”
“You might have stayed alive, but your position was precarious indeed. Especially with a traitor at your back. If you hadn’t met me, that traitor would still be sharing your table and your camp.”
Unable to refute that, Bi Sa-in remained silent for a moment before asking, “Do you even know what kind of place the Ten Thousand Evils Cave is?”
He asked because there wasn’t actually much inside. It was essentially a commemorative site where the Mansa Sect Leader had recovered; it wasn’t much different from a pavilion built at a scenic spot.
“I heard that the Heavenly Demon and the Mansa Sect Leader fought three hundred years ago, and that the details of that battle were recorded in the Ten Thousand Evils Cave. As the man who will become the next Heavenly Demon, I wish to study that fight in detail. Unfortunately, those records don’t remain within our Cult.”
Bi Sa-in’s concern was simple. “Letting you in isn’t the big problem. But if this fact is ever revealed, it could become a massive issue.”
“You needn’t worry about that. I will never breathe a word about entering the cave. And even if I did, couldn’t you just flatly deny it? Who would believe my word over yours?”
He would eventually accept. Compared to what he stood to gain, the Ten Thousand Evils Cave was nothing. Even if it was designated a sacred site, it was merely a memorial hall of sorts.
The secret of the Ten Thousand Evils Cave wouldn’t be revealed for another ten years or so—long after the Bi Sa-in standing before me had already died.
“If you don’t want to, then don’t. I’m not so desperate that I’ll beg. Let’s just forget it.”
“Young Master Lee, don’t be petty.”
“Young Master Bi, don’t be petty with your own life.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that while others might hesitate, you, of all people, shouldn’t. Nothing in this world is more important than your life. Especially a precious life that will ascend to the position of Alliance Leader once this hurdle is cleared. Throw everything else away and think of only one thing: your life!”
Finally, Bi Sa-in let out a long sigh and accepted the proposal.
“Fine. I will let you into the Ten Thousand Evils Cave.”
He was in a position where he had to discover the mastermind at any cost.
“In exchange, I have two conditions.”
“Speak.”
“First, you must reveal the mastermind first.”
I had expected this demand. “I will tell you at the entrance of the cave.”
“Fine.”
We readily accepted each other’s first terms.
“Second, you only have one double-hour.”
“That’s too short. Give me three.”
“Two double-hours. No more.”
“Fine.”
Bi Sa-in drew his sword. I drew the Black Demonic Sword and clashed it against his. Clang! The clear ring echoed as a seal of our promise.
“Is the Ten Thousand Evils Cave on the way back to the Alliance headquarters from here?”
“It is.”
“Then let the two of us depart immediately.”
Bi Sa-in was startled by the unexpected suggestion. “You mean we should leave the 13 Wolves behind?”
“Yes. Let’s leave the 13 Wolves and the Smiling Demon behind.”
Bi Sa-in started to say something but stopped. He couldn’t bring himself to ask if it would be dangerous. His pride had already been wounded by seeing me move alone until now. He couldn’t very well act like a coward and ask if it was safe.
“Moving as a pair is the safest way right now.”
“Why is that?”
“Because your martial arts and those of the 13 Wolves are so high, it isn’t easy to keep you under surveillance. That’s likely why they recruited the 6th Wolf.”
Bi Sa-in nodded in agreement.
“Now that the 6th Wolf is dead, there is a gap in their surveillance. But they will soon discover his death and send a new master as a watcher. If we are to leave, it must be now. Come with me to the Ten Thousand Evils Cave this instant. Leave the Smiling Demon and the 13 Wolves. Not moving as the enemy expects is the way to defeat them.”
Despite this, Bi Sa-in couldn’t make a decision easily. Finally, he revealed his honest feelings.
“But if we die, it’s all for nothing.”
His conflicted face looked even more distorted. A face that failed to convey his emotions correctly. Perhaps a sense of pity for that was one of the reasons I wanted to keep him alive.
“There’s no telling whether having the 13 Wolves with us would increase our chances of survival or our chances of dying. As I said before, can you be certain there isn’t another spy among the remaining Wolves?”
Bi Sa-in couldn’t answer with confidence. There was no guarantee they hadn’t planted double or triple layers of spies. The only one he could truly trust was the 1st Wolf, Baek Cheol-gi.
“Besides, if you’re going to let me into the cave, shouldn’t it just be the two of us? Would it be alright if they knew? That you let me into the Ten Thousand Evils Cave? Not just them, but the Smiling Demon as well?”
That was the clincher.
“Fine. Let’s go, just the two of us.”
“A wise decision.”
Bi Sa-in’s face was filled with resolve.
Normally, one shouldn’t make a decision like this. One shouldn’t move so easily according to an opponent’s intentions. If the opponent were truly evil, he would already be ruined.
But Bi Sa-in, you did well this time.
I don’t know how your fate will unfold, but joining hands with me is the only way to turn the wheel of your tragic destiny. Pull the reins harder to change your course.
“I will help you become the Alliance Leader.”
“The world will laugh. If I become the Alliance Leader with your help.”
“The world will never know. One day, when I have become the Heavenly Demon and you the Alliance Leader, let’s meet and share a handshake in memory of this day.”
Bi Sa-in stared at me as if trying to pierce through me. How could I truly know a person’s heart? Whether he would try to kill me because he hated this moment so much, or whether he would truly be grateful and take my hand.
“Let’s go.”
I began to run first, and he followed behind me. In an instant, we vanished from White Night Valley.
*
Ten days later, after traveling only through deserted paths, we arrived at the top of a cliff. Having realized there was no surveillance or tailing throughout the journey, Bi Sa-in admitted my judgment had been correct.
Shhhhhhh—
Looking down at the cascading waterfall, Bi Sa-in asked, “Are you any good at swimming?”
“I can finish a full meal underwater while fending off Yangtze River Water Ghosts.”
“Then follow me.”
Bi Sa-in leapt down the waterfall first, and I followed right after him.
The entrance to the Ten Thousand Evils Cave was in a place that could never be found without knowing its exact location. We swam through a narrow opening situated beneath the waterfall.
Located where the current was strongest, it was barely visible to begin with, and the hole was so narrow it felt as though one might get stuck and never come out.
After passing through that entrance, we swam through a cramped tunnel. We had to go so deep that the fear of drowning began to set in before we finally emerged from the water.
The waterway connected to a pond located inside a cavern.
“They say the Mansa Sect Leader drifted in here after being injured in his battle with the Heavenly Demon.”
“To think that narrow passage leads here… heaven truly saved him.”
“That is why we made this place a sanctuary.”
We stood together before the cave. Originally, it had been a cave that stretched deep inside, but the entrance had been blocked off with a door.
“This door can only be opened by injecting internal energy in a specific manner. If you try to force it, the whole place will collapse. Now, tell me. Who is the mastermind?”
I revealed the name to him immediately.
“It is the Grand Elder of the Unorthodox Path Alliance, Seok Gwan-chu.”
Bi Sa-in was stunned. It was a name he truly hadn't expected.
“That’s impossible. Elder Seok retired long ago and joined the Council of Elders. Do you have proof it’s him?”
“The Black Murder Lord confessed.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
Bi Sa-in’s expression hardened. “Are you naming Elder Seok as the mastermind without any evidence?”
“Why is there no evidence? I, the second son of the Heavenly Demon, am telling you as a witness.”
“...!”
“If you didn’t trust me, you shouldn’t have been standing here in the first place. What are you doing?”
At my rebuke, Bi Sa-in let out a deep lament.
“No… I trust you. I came because I trust you. It’s just that the fact it’s Elder Seok is so hard to believe.”
That was how much Seok Gwan-chu was respected by the martial artists of the Alliance.
“Elder Seok is trying to make his grandson the successor.”
Only then did Bi Sa-in understand the situation.
“Ah! So that was it. Elder Seok was always so proud of his grandson. He bragged about him to me many times. Back then… I just thought his affection for his grandson was excessive, but it seems that wasn't all there was to it.”
A cold killing intent flickered in Bi Sa-in’s eyes. The various words and events involving Seok Gwan-chu and his grandson that he had overlooked until now were taking on new meaning, freezing his heart.
“Now, it’s your turn to keep your promise.”
Bi Sa-in kept his word like a man. He placed his palm against the wall and injected his internal energy, and the door groaned open.
“Your entry here remains a secret until the day you die. And you have exactly two double-hours. If you aren’t out by then, I’m coming in.”
Leaving him behind, I walked slowly into the Ten Thousand Evils Cave.