Chapter 533: Looking Like He’s Better at Talking Than Martial Arts
Chapter 533: Looking Like He’s Better at Talking Than Martial Arts
A single, trembling word escaped the lips of one of the Ghost Killers.
“...The Smiling Demon!”
The Ghost Killers knew.
They realized these were the true Faceless Guests, and the man inside that room was indeed the Smiling Demon. Only the Smiling Demon could have snuffed out the Ghost Killing Squad Leader’s life in a single strike from such a distance, through a closed door.
While all martial artists feared the Demon Lords, they were particularly terrified of the Poison King, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord, and the Smiling Demon.
The reasons for their fear differed for each.
The Poison King was feared because no matter how many people attacked him, they could be massacred before they even had a chance to lift a finger. The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord was feared because one might end up hacking their own comrades to death against their will.
These two Demon Lords were feared even more by the Orthodox Faction than by the Unorthodox Path. It wasn't death itself they feared, but the absolute helplessness of the process.
The Smiling Demon, however, was feared most by the villains of the Unorthodox Path. They knew better than anyone the depths of cruelty they themselves were capable of. And the Smiling Demon was the pinnacle of that malice—a being whose very name was synonymous with "Extreme Evil."
As if by unspoken agreement, three Ghost Killers threw themselves toward the entrance simultaneously. They tried to flee without looking back.
Swish!
Another finger wind whistled through the air.
A single streak of force pursued them. Since three were fleeing, it seemed he intended to kill only one.
Ripppp!
At the final moment, the finger wind split into three separate strands.
Thud! Crack! Thud!
With their necks, heads, and hearts pierced, the three Ghost Killers tumbled across the floor.
One of the remaining Ghost Killers pointed at the door, his hand shaking.
“...Look!”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the still-closed door. It was astonishing enough that he had hit his targets without looking, and even more so that a single streak of finger wind had split at the last second.
But the most shocking fact was this:
There was still only one hole in the door.
He had fired the second finger wind through the exact same hole he used to kill the Squad Leader. This meant the force had curved and veered mid-air to chase them down.
They felt a simultaneous surge of helplessness and terror. With that one move, their desperate desire to survive vanished like a snuffed candle.
Normally, this was the emotion their victims were supposed to feel. This was the terror the courtesans and guests who were meant to die here should have experienced.
Slide.
At that moment, the Faceless Guests inside the room rose from their seats in unison.
The terrified Ghost Killers were met with a new horror. The Faceless Guests all pointed their fingers at them at once.
“Son of a—!”
A desperate curse served as the signal.
Shuck, shuck, shuck, shuck!
Finger winds poured toward them from all directions. The lines of force wove together like a spiderweb.
This deluge of force was the Evil Shadow Finger, the technique practiced by the Faceless Guests. Once they officially became successors, they would learn the Smiling Demon’s Blood Calamity Finger.
The Faceless Guests who had come today were among the most elite from Villain Valley. Consequently, the Ghost Killers, who had already lost their will to fight, could not block the attacks raining down on them.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The remaining Ghost Killers collapsed, their bodies riddled with holes like pincushions.
In that instant, the notorious Ghost Killing Squad—a group of contract mercenaries made up of former assassins—was wiped from the face of the earth.
Only then did the last closed door slowly begin to open.
There sat the owner of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion, the Ghost Killers' target for the day.
She still exuded that mysterious atmosphere unique to her. A profound air, as if she could see through human destiny, flowed in her calm eyes. Sitting beside her was a man who was her complete opposite, yet somehow complemented her perfectly.
The Smiling Demon, wearing a bright grin.
Though there were many masks in this space, the man beside the Pavilion Master possessed an overwhelming presence. His gaze was deeper than before, and his martial realm had clearly ascended.
The Blood Calamity Finger he had just displayed was not the same as it once was. Originally a single streak of force, he could now split it into multiple strands at will.
His internal energy had increased significantly thanks to the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng given to him by Geom Mu-geuk, but the greater reason was a recent change in his state of mind.
In his room, which once had nothing but bare white walls, a bed had been placed, followed by a desk and a chair.
As a man’s life changes, so too does his martial path.
He, too, was currently subject to this great principle of martial studies. Not only the Blood Calamity Finger but also his other signature technique, the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm, was showing signs of transformation.
The Pavilion Master poured wine into the Smiling Demon’s cup. He wouldn't remove his mask to drink in such a setting, which made the gesture feel even more significant.
She was the only woman who poured wine for the Smiling Demon.
“The smell of blood is going to linger,” the Smiling Demon remarked.
The Pavilion Master smiled as she replied, “The scent of women’s powder is more than enough to wash away the smell of blood.”
How could the Smiling Demon not know? In the Murim, the scent of a woman’s powder was often far more dangerous than the scent of blood.
The Pavilion Master called for everyone upstairs to come down. The courtesans and the staff of the pavilion all descended to the lower floor.
Before clearing the bodies, the Pavilion Master offered her thanks. She stood up and stepped forward. Standing directly in front of the Smiling Demon, she bowed politely. Since very few people knew the true nature of their relationship, this was a strictly formal occasion.
“I will not forget the grace the Demon Lord has shown by saving our lives.”
The courtesans who had come down stood in a circle and bowed to the Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests surrounding them.
“Thank you for saving us.”
If the Smiling Demon had not come, everyone here would have died.
The Smiling Demon simply gave a single nod.
“Clear the bodies.”
At the Pavilion Master’s command, the men working at the pavilion began to move the corpses. The courtesans brought buckets of water and rags to scrub away the blood. Though one might expect them to be frightened, the courtesans of the main headquarters were resilient, having weathered many storms.
The Smiling Demon poured a cup of wine for her. After drinking, the Pavilion Master spoke in a low voice meant only for his ears.
“Thank you, Brother.”
“I was only able to come because the Young Cult Leader sent word. Give your thanks to him when he arrives.”
The Pavilion Master smiled.
“Even so, the one who rushed here to save me was you, Brother, not the Young Cult Leader.”
The eyes behind the mask’s eyeholes crinkled in a smile.
Of course, she was grateful to Geom Mu-geuk. How could she not be grateful for the message that saved her life? She simply said it that way to express a deeper gratitude to the Smiling Demon.
And there were more reasons to be grateful to Geom Mu-geuk than just that.
The way the Smiling Demon looked at her had changed. It wasn't that his gaze had become more affectionate; rather, she could tell from his eyes that the man himself had changed. She felt that this change was altering the Smiling Demon’s destiny. And that change did not feel bad at all.
“To mobilize the Ghost Killing Squad means you’ve crossed some very wealthy people,” the Smiling Demon noted.
The Pavilion Master nodded silently.
Recently, she had been expanding the Heavenly Flower Pavilion throughout the Central Plains. In the process, she had trained quick-witted and intelligent courtesans into members of the Hidden Story.
She didn't yet know if this incident was due to the expansion of the pavilion or because of information the Hidden Story had uncovered. She wouldn't know for sure until Cho-hui arrived.
“The Young Cult Leader will be alright, won't he?”
The Smiling Demon nodded.
“There is absolutely no need to worry about him.”
Yeo-jeong smiled. She made sure to bolster her man’s pride and morale until the very end.
“Well, I’m not worried about this side at all, either.”
In the meantime, the bodies were cleared, and the blood was scrubbed away. The courtesans and staff all returned upstairs.
Slide! Slide! Slide!
The doors to all the private rooms began to close one after another. The Smiling Demon’s door, which had been the last to open, was the last to close.
As if nothing had happened, the sound of festive music began to drift through the air once more.
*
A carriage stood not far from the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
The person inside was Seo Dan-myeong. He was the architect of this pursuit and ambush.
Just then, his subordinate, Jae In, climbed into the carriage and spoke.
“The Ghost Killers who entered the Heavenly Flower Pavilion haven't come out.”
Seo Dan-myeong’s gaze shifted to Jae In, then back toward the distant building of the pavilion. No matter how much the Heavenly Flower Pavilion was expanding its branches as the greatest entertainment house of the era, he was certain they shouldn't have been able to stop the Ghost Killing Squad.
“Are we dealing with invincible courtesans or something?”
Normally, Jae In would have laughed at Seo Dan-myeong’s joke even if it wasn't funny, but he couldn't today. The situation was too dire.
“The ones we sent in to investigate have also gone silent.”
Of course, Seo Dan-myeong knew exactly why things weren't going smoothly.
“Did the Demonic Cult send reinforcements?”
“It appears so.”
“They shouldn't have had enough time to prepare, though?”
“They moved faster than we did.”
That meant the opponent had made the right judgment calls.
“I had a bad feeling the moment I took a contract to kill a courtesan.”
Hearing Seo Dan-myeong’s regret, Jae In wanted to ask: Then why did you take it? Why are you pushing this so hard?
This time, Seo Dan-myeong asked about Cho-hui’s situation.
“Anyway, nothing good ever comes from getting tangled with those Demonic Cult bastards. So? When do they arrive?”
“Tomorrow night at the earliest, the day after at the latest.”
“We’re out of time.”
He hadn't expected the assassins to fail their ambushes repeatedly. He had been told her escort was just one young man. Of course, he had assumed the man was a master from the Demonic Cult, but he never dreamed it would be the Young Cult Leader himself. There was no reason for the Young Cult Leader to escort a courtesan alone.
“What do you think?”
“I think we should pull out of this now,” Jae In replied.
“If I do that, my reputation will hit rock bottom. No one will ever hire us again.”
He was no ordinary contract mercenary. Seo Dan-myeong called himself the "Net Weaver."
A man who wove nets. One who laid meticulous plans and orchestrated events. He didn't just kill people. He persuaded them, mediated between warring sects, and resolved incidents or accidents. Of course, sometimes that involved killing someone, like this mission.
That was why he called his work an art.
He didn't move personally. When a target needed to be tracked, he hired specialists; when someone needed to be killed, he used assassin organizations and ronin.
Clients found this convenient. They didn't have to deal with crude and cruel assassins or ronin directly. Furthermore, once a contract price was set, he would see the job through to the end, no matter how many times it failed. Of course, his fees were extremely high to begin with.
He always achieved his goal, no matter what. All that was required was the appropriate amount of money.
Jae In knew that Seo Dan-myeong wasn't the type of person to take a job just to hunt down and kill a mere courtesan. He must have received the request from someone he couldn't refuse, or he had been paid an astronomical sum he couldn't turn down.
“Just whose request did you take?”
Though Jae In usually worked silently as instructed, he couldn't help but be curious this time.
Perhaps understanding Jae In’s feelings, Seo Dan-myeong didn't get angry and instead replied, “Someone who absolutely does not want their identity revealed.”
Jae In was curious about the client, but Seo Dan-myeong said no more.
“I’ve invited someone just in case. It looks like we’ll be taking a massive loss on this job.”
That meant he had prepared a martial artist with a truly expensive price tag. Just who could it be? Fortunately, that curiosity was soon satisfied.
“This time is for certain, so go with him.”
*
“We should arrive at the Heavenly Flower Pavilion tomorrow.”
Cho-hui’s heart pounded at the thought of finally seeing the Pavilion Master.
“It’s all thanks to you, Young Cult Leader. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this debt.”
Geom Mu-geuk smiled as he replied, “You’ve already repaid it.”
“Pardon?”
Of course, the choice to seek out the branch office had been Dan-ah’s decision, but because they had come to the Cult, he had been able to meet them and, consequently, send word to the Smiling Demon.
Just then, two men were blocking the road in the distance. Geom Mu-geuk slowed the carriage.
They were two men, and the younger one was Jae In. Jae In looked at Geom Mu-geuk and then spoke calmly to the man beside him.
“You only need to kill the man. I will handle the woman.”
Even if the man was a Demonic Cult master who had dealt with the assassins, it felt like using a butcher’s cleaver to catch a rabbit. He hadn't expected Seo Dan-myeong to prepare this person.
“You mean that fellow who looks like he’s better at talking than martial arts?”
Jae In was inwardly puzzled.
Better at talking? Why would he say that?
Did one reach a level where they could see through to someone’s inner nature? But it wasn't as if he was discerning the man’s good or evil.
“How can you tell he talks a lot just by looking at him?”