Chapter 624: If You’re Giving a Gift, Give Three
Chapter 624: If You’re Giving a Gift, Give Three
“I understand. I shall accept this manual with gratitude.”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon—Smiling Demon—accepted the manual with a respectful bow.
No matter how desperately he might have craved this technique, he would never have accepted it if the person offering it weren't Geom Mu-geuk. Indeed, if it weren't the Young Cult Leader himself.
Mu-geuk was the kind of man who would pick out this exact manual from a sea of countless books. He was a man bound to Smiling Demon by a profound destiny.
Thus, Smiling Demon accepted the Laughing Fragrance Secret Art with joy, making no effort to hide his delight. Having removed his mask today, he wore a brighter smile than ever before.
Smiling Demon poured a drink for Geom Mu-geuk.
“What will you do later if the Cult Leader finds out?”
“What is there to do? It will already be too late. By then, you will have mastered the martial art. If my father demands it back, I shall simply return it then.”
Smiling Demon couldn't help but chuckle at Mu-geuk’s brazen strategy.
Though he spoke lightly, Mu-geuk was certain of one thing: his father wouldn't ask for it back. Instead, he would likely find some other task to impose as punishment.
This time, Mu-geuk filled Smiling Demon’s cup.
“Congratulations, Smiling Demon.”
It wasn't just a congratulation from a leader to a subordinate, but from one martial artist to another. Obtaining the technique that would complete oneself was a moment every warrior dreamed of.
The two men emptied their cups once more.
But Mu-geuk’s gifts didn't end there.
“It seems the time has finally come for this to show its true value.”
Mu-geuk reached into his robes and produced a dagger. It was the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron dagger, forged from the melted remains of Go Wol’s shackles.
“I wish to give this to you.”
Smiling Demon knew exactly what this dagger was.
“Is this not a precious memento for you, Young Cult Leader?”
“It is.”
At the time the shackles were disposed of, Mu-geuk had shared the forged daggers with those who were present.
“And yet, you are giving it to me?”
“Precisely because it is meaningful. I could hardly give you something of no consequence.”
He wasn't withholding it because it was meaningful; he was giving it because it was. The others who shared the daggers would surely understand.
“I am fine without it,” Smiling Demon insisted, declining politely, but Mu-geuk had already made up his mind.
“I use a sword, and when I don't, I use my fists. To be honest, the only thing I use this dagger for is peeling fruit. Isn't it a pity for a blade born of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron?”
Mu-geuk held out the dagger.
“Please, rescue this blade.”
Even then, Smiling Demon hesitated. The Laughing Fragrance Secret Art was already an immense gift. Mu-geuk gripped the blade and turned the hilt toward him.
“It’s already too late, Smiling Demon.”
A character was engraved on the hilt.
Smile (笑).
A long sigh escaped Smiling Demon’s lips. Young Cult Leader, why do you show me such great affection?
In the end, he could no longer refuse.
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
He respectfully accepted the dagger Mu-geuk offered. Thus, the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron dagger found its true master.
Mu-geuk looked forward to the day when the Laughing Fragrance Secret Art would be unleashed from that blade in Smiling Demon’s hand—the moment his three martial arts would harmonize, allowing him to be reborn as a perfect warrior.
“Oh, by the way, did you know? The Cult’s regulations state that if you are to give a gift, you must give three.”
“There is such a regulation?”
“I found it while looking through the records as the Acting Cult Leader. So, I had no choice but to prepare one more.”
Mu-geuk opened a large box he had prepared under the table. Inside the partitioned box were various spirit medicines. They were the very elixirs he had retrieved from the underground treasure vault when he had descended with the Sword King.
At the time, the Sword King had said:
— It’s a waste to put these in someone else’s mouth. Just eat them all yourself while you can.
However, the mouth he was about to feed wasn't his own, but it wasn't a stranger's either. He could have distributed them one by one to the other Demon Lords, but Mu-geuk chose not to.
If it was destiny that he found the Laughing Fragrance Secret Art, then giving these medicines to Smiling Demon was destiny as well.
Smiling Demon stared at Mu-geuk in silence. Mu-geuk didn't offer any further explanation. He said only one thing—the most powerful sentence to persuade Smiling Demon.
“Become stronger.”
For a moment, a flash of intense emotion crossed Smiling Demon’s face. He was a man who had crossed the line between life and death with Mu-geuk multiple times. He knew better than anyone who they were up against, and he knew that impossibly powerful beings existed. He also knew how hard Mu-geuk was pushing himself.
Yes, the Young Cult Leader was telling him this: Become stronger so you can fight by my side.
Smiling Demon didn't waste words either. He didn't refuse the gift. He slowly placed the snow-white mask back over his face and spoke only one sentence.
“I will become stronger.”
*
Geom Mu-yang still hadn't left Wuhan.
His second hideout was not far from the first. In fact, it was even closer to the Murim Alliance headquarters. He had struck where they least expected him to hide.
Mu-yang stood by the window, watching the outside world as it began to darken. Gwak Yeong watched his back in silence. It was a world-weary, stoic back.
Could the back of someone she had met only a few days ago carry such weight? She wanted to say something to him, but she didn't know what. She was usually bright and confident, but the reason she couldn't speak easily now was guilt. She hadn't dreamed that tracking incense would be applied to her brother’s letter. Because of her, these people had almost faced a great disaster.
Are you angry? No. There was nothing more annoying than asking an angry person if they were angry.
What will you do now? No. What business is that of yours? Right, that wasn't a question for her to ask.
Finally, the words she found were these:
“Use me to catch them.”
Was it too obvious? The stoic back continued to stare out the window. Mu-yang didn't blame her. He had expected there to be a reason they left her alive. It was his own failure for not identifying that reason sooner.
Just then, Ho-myeong, the Branch Leader, entered to report.
“The White Dragon Unit has begun a thorough search of Wuhan.”
Since this hideout wasn't a strictly hidden safe house of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they would eventually be discovered.
“How long until this place is found?”
“A day at the earliest, two days at most.”
It was far too little time to resolve the problem. Ho-myeong glanced at Gwak Yeong.
“If that woman returns to the Alliance, the search will stop.”
Their search was, after all, for the purpose of finding Gwak Yeong. At that, Gwak Yeong quickly backed away.
“Don't tell me to leave! I’m not going. You can call me selfish, but I don't care.”
Her instincts were screaming at her. If she left, she would die.
“If you tell me to hide in a warehouse, I will. If you tell me to dig a hole and breathe through a reed, I’ll do that too. Just don't tell me to go back.”
When neither Mu-yang nor Ho-myeong spoke, she finally let out a sigh. Holding out like this was, as she said, a selfish decision. The one who could save her brother wasn't her, but this man.
“I’ll go. But you must keep your promise.”
Then, Mu-yang spoke in a low voice.
“If you go out, you die.”
“I’m not afraid of dying.”
She was prepared to die if it meant saving her brother.
“Not you. Your brother will die.”
“!”
“Because you only have utility as long as you are with us.”
Hearing those words, Gwak Yeong realized the truth. Even now, she had utility. She was the reason the White Dragon Unit was hunting them. They might make other demands using her brother’s life as collateral. Since they didn't know what role she might play, they would keep her brother alive.
Gwak Yeong looked at Mu-yang with a newfound gaze.
“For a demonic cultist, you’re too smart!”
The words slipped out before she could stop them. She gasped and covered her mouth. When a look of absurdity crossed Mu-yang’s eyes, her face turned red, and she lowered her head.
“I’m sorry. The thought in my head just popped out.”
Fortunately, a subordinate entered the room at that moment to deliver news from Tongcheon Pavilion.
“Tongcheon Pavilion has identified the location where the counterfeit weapons were manufactured.”
Based on Gwak Yeong’s testimony, Tongcheon Pavilion had successfully analyzed the location.
“They say they were made in a remote warehouse building about twenty li away.”
Going there would likely be pointless. It would already be empty.
“Who is the owner of the warehouse?”
“A man named Young Master So.”
Gwak Yeong was startled to hear the name.
“I know him! He’s a merchant who supplies materials to the Murim Alliance’s iron workshop.”
He was someone she was personally acquainted with. He had been trading with the Alliance’s workshop for a long time. That man is in league with them? She couldn't believe it.
Ho-myeong spoke to Mu-yang.
“I will go and bring him in.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Given the nature of their opponent, they had to move cautiously. As Mu-yang was leaving, Gwak Yeong spoke up loudly. She decided to greet him cheerfully so as not to seem intimidated by her earlier mistake.
“Have a safe trip!”
Mu-yang glanced at her briefly and left without a word. Once the two were gone, she whispered to herself.
“You could at least acknowledge me when I speak.”
*
Young Master So woke from his sleep.
A masked man was looking down at him. It was Ho-myeong. So tried to scream in terror, but no sound came out. His Mute Acupoint had already been sealed.
“If you make a sound, not only do you die, but everyone in this house dies.”
There was no threat more terrifying than that. So nodded frantically. Only then did Ho-myeong release the acupoint.
So sat up. There was another masked man in the room. Mu-yang was sitting in a chair in the corner, watching him.
“What do you want?”
He was a merchant who had grown old in the trade. The fact that they hadn't killed him yet meant they wanted something from him. Ho-myeong was the one who asked the question, cutting straight to the point.
“The warehouse. Who did you rent it to?”
“I don't know what you’re talking about.”
He tried to deny it, but his eyes were already wavering. Ho-myeong immediately pressed down firmly on his shoulder, hitting a pressure point used for torture. Just as a scream of agonizing pain was about to erupt from So’s throat, Ho-myeong whispered a terrifying warning that swallowed the scream whole.
“Anyone who wakes up and runs in here because of your noise will die.”
So grit his teeth. He let out a silent scream as the horrific pain washed over him. A moment later, when Ho-myeong removed his hand, So was drenched in sweat.
“...I cannot say.”
His words had changed from "I don't know" to "I cannot say." This time, Ho-myeong pressed the point even harder. As a mere merchant, he could endure it once, but he couldn't endure it twice.
“Unit Leader Do!”
What came out of his mouth wasn't a name, but a title.
“Unit Leader Do? Which Unit Leader Do?”
At Ho-myeong’s question, So answered in a trembling voice.
“Unit Leader Do In-su of the White Dragon Unit.”
Both Mu-yang and Ho-myeong were stunned. Do In-su, the leader of the White Dragon Unit. They truly hadn't expected his name to come up.
Mu-yang stood up from his chair and approached So. Overwhelmed by his aura, So quickly added more. There was a reason he hadn't been able to answer easily.
“Unit Leader Do said it was Alliance business and rented it. He said it was a secret operation and that I must never speak of it.”
Mu-yang leaned in and stared directly into So’s eyes.
“It’s not a lie. Please, spare me.”
Mu-yang could tell he wasn't lying. The name of the White Dragon Unit Leader wasn't something one would just make up. Mu-yang spoke to him with a cold gaze.
“If you reveal that we were here, things will get complicated. You’re a merchant, so you can do the math. Just think of it as a bad dream.”
Thud.
So, his sleep acupoint struck, fell into a deep slumber. Mu-yang and Ho-myeong left So’s house as stealthily as they had entered. Only after they reached a secluded forest far from the house did they remove their masks.
Ho-myeong spoke in a low tone.
“I didn't expect the White Dragon Unit Leader to be involved in this.”
The man could have been a villain from the start. Or, just as they had done with Gwak Yeong, the enemy might be blackmailing him by holding a weakness over him. Regardless of which it was, he was not someone to be touched lightly. If the situation escalated poorly, it could lead to a massive conflict between the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Murim Alliance.
Ho-myeong was inwardly tense, wondering what Mu-yang would decide. The moment the words "Let's hang the White Dragon Unit Leader upside down" came out, this fight would enter a new phase.
And as Ho-myeong expected, Mu-yang chose the direct approach.
“Since the clues lead to the White Dragon Unit Leader, we must meet him.”
Ho-myeong replied respectfully.
“Understood! I will request all information on him from Tongcheon Pavilion!”
The two men took flight toward their hideout once more. A short while after they vanished, a man flew swiftly into the area and landed silently. His lightness movement method alone was enough to guess the incredible extent of his skill.
The man who landed, his white robes fluttering, was very tall. He had a large face, large eyes, and long limbs, and a brilliant blue sword hung at his waist. He was the Absolute Master, Byeoksan Sword, who had come to Wuhan along with Hanwolgaek. He was the one represented by the blue flag pinned in the Tongcheon Pavilion’s strategy room.
“Wretched things! Today shall be your last.”
Just as Byeoksan Sword was about to stealthily pursue the two men, he flinched and looked to one side. Someone was there.
“Come out.”
Sure enough, a voice drifted from behind a nearby tree.
“The Buddha always taught us to show mercy.”
A faint golden light began to emanate from behind the tree.