Chapter 144: You’re More Handsome Even with a Mask
Chapter 144: You’re More Handsome Even with a Mask
“That’s him! That’s the man!”
Chu Saeng shrieked. The moment he laid eyes on that white mask, he looked like he’d lost his mind.
“Run! No, we have to get out of here right now!”
Seeing me remain still, Chu Saeng shouted as if having a fit, likely assuming I was paralyzed with fear.
“Even you can’t handle that man! Let’s go, quickly!”
When I still didn’t budge, Chu Saeng grimaced and drew his sword.
“Damn it! Fine, let’s attack him together!”
“You really are a member of the Orthodox Faction at heart, aren't you?”
“Are you crazy? What kind of nonsense is that at a time like this!”
I could see why his father had left a will telling him not to trust people. Even in a situation like this, he was the kind of person who wouldn't run away; instead, he looked out for my safety.
Before we knew it, the man in the white mask had reached our table. He stared at us in chilling silence.
Chu Saeng trembled violently. Though he had sworn revenge, it seemed his body refused to move now that he was actually facing his opponent.
I was the one who broke the heavy silence hanging over the room.
“Why didn’t you show me this dangerous side of the world before?”
Surprisingly, he was the real Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
When I first saw him, I naturally assumed he was the fake Smiling Demon who had visited the Wolpung Sect. However, as I watched him walk toward us, I realized he was the real deal. He possessed an aura that only the true Smiling Demon could project.
“What on earth are you doing here?” I asked.
“And what is the Second Young Master doing here?”
At our exchange, Chu Saeng’s eyes widened in shock. He must have been utterly confused—wondering if the real one had arrived, or if I had been in league with the fake one all along.
I turned to Chu Saeng and asked, “Look closely. Is this the same man from back then?”
Chu Saeng stared at the Smiling Demon while trembling. After a moment, he shouted.
“Ah! He’s different. He’s definitely different. He’s much more handsome than that guy!”
“He’s wearing a mask, though?”
“That’s right. He’s definitely more handsome.”
I looked at the Smiling Demon with a smirk.
“It seems this man can see right through your mask, Lord Smiling Demon.”
“Or perhaps my mask is simply more handsome.”
I understood what Chu Saeng meant. Not just anyone can give off the presence of the Smiling Demon just by putting on a mask. The aura, the weight of his steps, the atmosphere—there was a unique vibe that belonged only to him. Chu Saeng had simply expressed that overwhelming presence as being 'handsome.'
“So, this person is the real Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.”
“Didn’t I tell you? That other guy was a fake. Come, pay your respects. This is Lord Smiling Demon, a Demon Lord of our Cult.”
Chu Saeng froze as if struck by lightning. He didn't know what to say. He stared at the Smiling Demon and me with a mix of shock and fear. But the real shock for Chu Saeng was only beginning.
“I went to see you at Villain Valley before leaving the Cult, but you had already departed,” I said.
“I heard rumors that someone was going around impersonating me.”
Given the Smiling Demon’s personality, there was no way he would leave such a person alive.
“But how did you know I would be here?”
“I didn’t know the Second Young Master was coming.”
A surprising answer flowed from the Smiling Demon’s mouth.
“I came here today to collect a Gratitude and Grudge Token.”
I was stunned. In fact, I was more surprised than Chu Saeng.
“You are the owner of the Gratitude and Grudge Token, Lord Smiling Demon?”
The Smiling Demon opened his hand, revealing a coin cut in half resting on his palm. At that sight, Chu Saeng pulled out the necklace he wore around his neck.
“Huh? Uh...?”
The coin at the end of the necklace and Chu Saeng himself were suddenly pulled forward through the air. The Smiling Demon had used Telekinesis to draw him in.
The coin that had been in the Smiling Demon’s palm also rose, meeting the coin hanging from the necklace in mid-air. The two halves joined perfectly.
Pulled right in front of the Smiling Demon, Chu Saeng stared back and forth between the joined Gratitude and Grudge Token and the Demon Lord in utter shock. He could never have imagined that the person his father had saved was the Smiling Demon. Neither could I.
Snap.
With a nonchalant movement, the Smiling Demon broke the necklace string and reclaimed the other half of the token.
I spoke to the Smiling Demon on behalf of the dazed Chu Saeng.
“I truly never imagined you were the owner of that token.”
“It was a very long time ago.”
The fact that the Smiling Demon once had such a clear debt of gratitude felt new to me. Furthermore, it was even more surprising that he had come here today to keep his promise.
“It’s good to see you, Lord Smiling Demon, but this place feels like a trap.”
Indeed, even before the Smiling Demon appeared, all the customers had left, and even the innkeeper had vanished. There wasn't even anyone passing by the front of the inn anymore.
“And the fact that that man disguised himself as you doesn't seem like a coincidence either.”
I didn't think he had impersonated the Smiling Demon just because he was a masked figure; I felt it was a deliberate act targeting the Smiling Demon from the start. If so, did that mean the Heavenly Mandate Society was after him?
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
After a moment of thought, the Smiling Demon spoke with a troubled expression.
“Could it be just one person? There are about fifty people who just came to mind.”
As I laughed in disbelief, the Smiling Demon laughed along. Chu Saeng was still silently listening to our conversation, seemingly unable to adapt to the shocking situation.
“Is there anyone else who uses the Blood Calamity Finger besides you, Lord Smiling Demon?”
“!”
I felt the Smiling Demon flinch for a moment.
“Why do you ask that?”
“The marks the fake left on the walls of the Wolpung Sect were very similar to your Blood Calamity Finger. It was a technique so profound that one could almost say you left it yourself.”
After a brief pause, the Smiling Demon answered.
“There is one other.”
I didn't ask further. I knew he had given me that answer specifically because it was me asking.
“Perhaps the enemy we’re about to face is no ordinary foe.”
The Smiling Demon nodded at my words. He clearly seemed to have an inkling of who was behind this.
When our conversation paused for a moment, Chu Saeng asked me.
“By the way, he called you the Second Young Master... surely you aren't...?”
I replied with a meaningful smile.
“Who else in the world could have a conversation like this with a Demon Lord at such a young age?”
“Are you truly of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline?”
“I am.”
“Ah! To think the day would come when I see a relative of the Demonic Cult Leader and a Demon Lord in the same place!”
For an ordinary martial artist, he had seen people he might not encounter once in a lifetime, all at once.
“I suspected you weren't of ordinary status. Honestly, even if you had said, ‘I am the Heavenly Demon,’ it wouldn't have felt strange at all. I would have believed you were the Heavenly Demon who had undergone Rejuvenation. You are truly... no, I suppose I should call you the Second Young Master now.”
The Smiling Demon chuckled softly as if he understood exactly how Chu Saeng felt.
“Don't find me difficult to be around,” I said. “Just treat me comfortably as you have until now.”
“Is that really alright?”
“It’s fine. If I wanted special treatment, I would have revealed my identity from the start.”
“I understand. I mean, I understand!”
Once our conversation ended, the Smiling Demon spoke to Chu Saeng.
“Regardless of the situation, I must repay the debt from the past. Now, what kind of help do you need? Speak carefully. The Gratitude and Grudge Token can only be used once. Since I am granting this request out of respect for your father, choose wisely.”
After a moment of deliberation, Chu Saeng glanced at me.
“The Second Young Master will make the request in my stead.”
He entrusted the use of the token to me.
“Why are you leaving it to me?”
“From what I’ve heard the two of you say, it seems this matter isn't just about my family. If I simply ask for revenge, is that the end of it? In my humble opinion, I don't think so. I don't know what kind of request I should make to Lord Smiling Demon right now. That’s why I’m leaving it to you.”
I thought it was a wise decision.
Yes, Chu Saeng. Continue to live your life by utilizing that bright mind of yours.
I smiled and said to the Smiling Demon.
“What do you think? Will you accept me making the request instead?”
“I originally decided to only grant requests from direct family members, but since it’s the Second Young Master, I will make an exception.”
“Thank you.”
After a brief moment of reflection, I said to him.
“Make me the successor of the Main Cult.”
Startled, Chu Saeng shouted in protest.
“Why are you using my token to ask for something for yourself?!”
“You left it to me, didn't you?”
“No, even so! I never imagined you’d make a request like that. You should be asking for revenge for my family!”
It was while Chu Saeng was protesting that the Smiling Demon answered.
“Very well, I accept.”
What he accepted wasn't the request from the token, but my joke. On the other hand, Chu Saeng was desperate.
“You can't! This is invalid! Invalid!”
The Smiling Demon looked at him with cold eyes.
“And who might you be?”
Chu Saeng flinched at the Smiling Demon’s attitude, which suggested their business was now concluded.
“Who are you to be loitering in front of me for so long?”
Looking back and forth between the Smiling Demon and me, Chu Saeng sighed and blamed himself.
“I think my temper is selectively hot. My bucket of patience, which used to overflow at the slightest pebble, doesn't overflow in front of this man. It feels like it wouldn't overflow even if you poured an entire ocean into it.”
At his self-deprecating sigh, I smiled and said.
“You lost the token, but didn't you gain the future Heavenly Demon instead?”
Chu Saeng looked at me with a surprised face.
“I’m sorry for teasing you. Now, I’ll introduce myself formally. I am Geom Mu-geuk, the Second Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I give you my word that I will avenge your family.”
Only then did Chu Saeng realize it was a joke, and he was deeply moved. A promise more certain than the Gratitude and Grudge Token had been made.
The Smiling Demon stepped in as well.
“Since this matter involves me, I intend to handle it myself. So, return home without worry.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“I deeply regret that your family became entangled because of me. Had I known it would turn out like this, I would never have given your father the token.”
He didn't say the words 'I'm sorry,' but I could tell he felt apologetic.
“No, how could this be your fault, Lord Smiling Demon?”
“This is no place for you, so go back quickly.”
“Yes.”
I asked with concern. “Is it alright to send him alone?”
It was certain that enemies were already closing in, and I was worried he might meet with disaster on his way back.
“There’s no need to worry.”
It was an answer that suggested he knew who was behind this plot.
Chu Saeng gave a fist salute to the Smiling Demon and me, then turned around. Just as he was about to leave the inn, he turned back at the door.
“I don't think we’ll meet again, so I’ll say this. Perhaps when this is over, my sect might join the Orthodox Faction. That’s why I’m saying this... if a Great Demonic-Orthodox War ever breaks out in the future... please go easy on my family.”
I responded to his joke with one of my own.
“Then you’ll have to save me once. I’ll cut a coin and give it to you.”
Chu Saeng smiled brightly.
“I am certain of it. My father sent a precious person to me. Second Young Master, please become a Heavenly Demon who does not start something like a Great Demonic-Orthodox War. Then, I look forward to seeing you again someday.”
Chu Saeng gave a very polite final greeting and departed. Once only the two of us remained in the inn, the Smiling Demon spoke.
“Second Young Master, give up on becoming the Heavenly Demon.”
“What are you talking about after I even used the token?”
“Live like this, traveling through the Central Plains. Meet people like Chu Saeng and live with a smile. This suits you better.”
I could tell. The Smiling Demon was speaking from the heart.
“Did you perhaps receive a bribe from my brother? Did you switch to his side while I wasn't looking?”
The Smiling Demon laughed loudly.
As if they had been waiting for Chu Saeng to leave, enemies began to reveal themselves one by one. As expected, this place today was undoubtedly a trap to lure out the Smiling Demon.
The first to appear were three old men. They were of similar age, but uniquely, they were all wearing matching red armor. I recognized who they were just by their attire.
The Blood Path Trio.
They were once ronin who had stained the Murim with terror—men who would take any contract as long as they were paid. They killed without regard for age, and it was said they would even kill their own parents for money. Eventually, their evil deeds became so excessive that they were branded Public Enemies of the Murim and vanished, but today they had shown themselves here.
They had been infamous in their middle age, but now they had become old men. The malice of having weathered all sorts of hardships had replaced their diminished muscle. They took seats far away from us.
Next, a middle-aged woman entered the inn, lightly fluttering a pink fan. She wore a flamboyant palace dress and heavy makeup, with a voluptuous figure that looked ready to burst.
The Paradise Demoness.
She was a legendary wicked woman who had absorbed the essence of countless men to build her internal energy. That skin and figure, which didn't match her age at all, were created by stealing the essence and lives of numerous men. She, too, had once been at the top of the list of Public Enemies of the Murim. There were rumors that she had been killed by a legendary lecher who had reversed the process and drained her energy, but she had appeared here, very much alive.
She sat cross-legged on a table, revealing her white legs.
Next, a middle-aged man entered. With a single straight blade at his waist, he projected an aura like a beast wandering the wilderness.
The Blood Wolf Blade.
He was a martial artist who had scoured the Central Plains for masters solely to become stronger. He would do anything to win and forced fights even with those who didn't want to. Because of this, too many masters had died unfairly at his hands. In the end, he too was branded a Public Enemy of the Murim. There were many rumors about his end—that he died fighting an elder of the Murim Alliance, that he died challenging a Demon Lord, or that he was killed by an unknown hidden master. Making all those rumors look foolish, he gulped down water from a kettle placed at the entrance.
The last person to appear was a man clad entirely in black—black clothes, black shoes, and even a pitch-black robe.
The Yama Divine Lord.
He looked sane now, but he was once a madman who had gone around massacring martial artists. He was a man who believed himself to be a messenger sent by King Yama and considered himself a god presiding over life and death. He, too, had been branded a Public Enemy of the Murim and had caused a bloodbath before disappearing.
Because villains who had once shaken the Murim had appeared all at once, it felt surreal. Furthermore, the mastermind who had acted as the fake had not even appeared yet.
It wasn't the time to be leisurely, but I couldn't help but say this one thing to the Smiling Demon.
“Just what on earth have you been doing all this time?”
Staring at the villains who were radiating killing intent toward him, the Smiling Demon replied awkwardly.
“They’re all people I know.”