Chapter 78: The Mastermind (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: The Mastermind (4)
Sect Leader Yang Jeong could not hide his agitation at my sudden appearance.
It was only natural. To have the Blood Demon suddenly appear and save his life was bound to be bewildering.
The Lesser Conversation Sword chuckled as it spoke to me.
Do you think I’m doing this because I enjoy it?
It was simply because saving him as the Blood Demon was far more effective than saving him as So Woon-hwi. Regardless, having saved the man, I now had a suitable pretext.
I approached him.
Recognizing me by the evil ghost mask, the man seemed at a total loss, his confusion palpable. It was likely worse because his pressure points were still sealed.
I spoke to him first.
“It seemed you were in too much trouble for me to simply pass by.”
“...Are you truly the Blood Demon?”
He was half-doubting. Well, it would be hard to believe such a thing so readily in this situation.
I casually flicked the Blood Demon Sword I was holding toward him.
Thud!
The Blood Demon Sword embedded itself in the ground right next to him with exquisite precision. The sight of him flinching and closing his eyes, terrified that the sword might hit him, was quite a spectacle.
Slowly opening his eyes and seeing the Blood Demon Sword, his pupils trembled. After shifting his gaze back and forth, he finally spoke.
“Why would you save someone from the Martial Alliance? What is your intention?”
Not bad.
He was still acting. Perhaps thinking I hadn't overheard his previous conversation, he was still pretending to be a member of the Martial Alliance.
I let out a short, mocking laugh.
“The Martial Alliance must be a place where they kill their own comrades without a second thought.”
“......”
“And if my ears didn't deceive me, it didn't sound like you were a man of the Alliance at all.”
At my words, the man’s expression gradually stiffened. Deception was impossible anyway. After staring at me for a long moment, he opened his mouth.
“Why did you save me when we have never even met? This has nothing to do with you, Your Excellency.”
In response to his question, I put my hands behind my back and spoke with feigned nonchalance.
“It has become my business. Because of the one behind that fellow who just died before you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Still playing innocent until the end, I see.
“The man with one golden eye. His subordinates call him Jonju.”
At those words, the man’s eyes trembled once more. Sect Leader Yang Jeong swallowed hard and asked, “What about him?”
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
There was no need to beat around the bush, so I told him the truth. That was the only part I needed from him, anyway.
“......”
“I don’t need your thanks. In exchange for your life, I want to hear that story.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about...”
‘Blood Demon Sword.’
At my mental call, the Blood Demon Sword embedded next to him began to move slightly.
Grrrrk!
The man, panicked by the sight of the sword moving on its own and drawing closer, shouted at me.
“W-What are you trying to do?”
“If you insist on keeping your mouth shut, I see no value in further conversation.”
I didn't need to show any kindness as an Orthodox martial artist here. Acting as the Blood Demon would be far more effective in breaking him.
Sect Leader Yang Jeong yelled at me.
“Wait! There is no need for this! You saved me with your own hands, so why would you again...!”
“Because you have seen This Seat.”
I didn't need any other reason. At my words, a strange expression crossed his face as if he had realized something, and then he shouted.
“I-If it is because of him, I will keep my mouth shut!”
“Keep your mouth shut?”
“I, too, wish for him to die by your hand!”
What is he talking about?
As I wondered, the sword slowly began to carve through the wall of the carriage as it approached him. The man hurriedly spoke.
“I-I mean the Lesser Sword Immortal! Did you not come here personally to deal with him?”
...Ah.
So that’s how he’s interpreting this.
Come to think of it, the rumors of me as So Woon-hwi driving away me as the Blood Demon at the Yangtze River would make it look like the latter was seeking revenge.
How convenient. I didn't even have to come up with a pretext; he was jumping to his own conclusions.
It was easier for me if he thought that way.
Shhh!
As the blade finally touched his skin, the man jumped in fright and screamed.
“What is it you want to know?!”
‘Blood Demon Sword.’
At my command, the Blood Demon Sword stopped in its tracks. Sect Leader Yang Jeong, who was dripping with cold sweat, let out a long sigh of relief.
“Haaa...”
“It seems you’re finally in the mood to talk.”
“...What choice do I have, unless I want to be sliced to pieces?”
He was being honest now. I asked him point-blank.
“Why is Jonju collecting swords, and what is it that he failed to overcome?”
At my question, the man took a deep breath and asked, “...Why do you wish to know that?”
“I am the one asking the questions.”
“I know. However, no matter how much my life is at stake, if Your Excellency is on friendly terms with them...”
“If I were on friendly terms, I would have let you die.”
The man seemed somewhat convinced by that and began to breathe slowly and calmly. Since he couldn't move his body, I had to judge his emotional state by his breathing.
Of course. It’s a basic skill for a spy—reading the opponent’s emotions.
Of course, it would be difficult if the opponent also had a long history as a spy and was skilled at hiding their feelings.
After a moment of internal deliberation, the man cautiously spoke.
“...If that is truly the case, I am sorry to say this, but I have nothing to tell you.”
“Nothing to tell me?”
What kind of nonsense was this? He had been talking as if he knew everything until now. And now he had nothing to tell me?
“Do you wish to prove your own uselessness?”
At my threat, the man’s eyes darted left and right as he denied it.
“It’s not that. It’s just that what I know ends right there.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know nothing about that man called Jonju other than the fact that he used to be with the person I serve. If I know anything else, it’s only that their relationship soured due to some incident.”
“...You’re talking nonsense. Then why did you spout those words to that man earlier?”
“T-That was something I heard from the person I serve, and I said it just to deceive him.”
So, he had exaggerated his knowledge just to survive?
Ah...
A surge of irritation washed over me. This meant the man didn't actually know the full story. He had been bluffing, pretending to know everything just to stay alive.
In the end, it was impossible to learn about Jonju through this man.
“Whew.”
I had wasted my time. Maybe I should have just let the two sides clash.
As I let out a sigh and openly showed my disappointment, the man spoke to me urgently.
“I did not intend to deceive you as well!”
“The result is that you did.”
“It’s not entirely like that. The person I serve... she knows.”
“......”
As if I didn't know that.
If the person he served was who I suspected, it was because meeting them would be... troublesome.
I was torn. Was it worth the risk to uncover the secrets of Jonju and his organization?
I told you. Even Baek Hyang-muk, the First Sword of Wuhan and the Alliance Leader, couldn't do anything against that monster.
I wasn't sure if that old hag would move according to my intentions or give me any information.
Why?
...Not bad.
The Lesser Conversation Sword had a point. The old hag behind this man was an arrogant monster. There was a high probability she would act that way.
The risk was great, but not knowing how the opponent would act was even more dangerous. In that case, it was better to have them move within my grasp.
Tap, tap, tap!
I released the pressure points on the man. He looked at me in confusion.
“You are letting me go?”
“I’m not just letting you go.”
“Meaning?”
“Tell the person you serve. The Blood Cult proposes an alliance.”
“...!”
The man’s eyes widened. He seemed greatly taken aback by the unexpected proposal of an alliance. He spoke to me in a serious voice.
“I owe you my life, so I would like to help if I can, but the person I serve has a worldview completely different from ordinary people. She would never hold hands with anyone...”
“Enough. Just deliver my message.”
“...Do you even know who it is I serve, to say such things?”
How could I not?
“Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.”
*
“What? W-Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon?”
Song Jwa-baek asked back, startled.
He wasn't the only one surprised. Sama Yeong’s eyes also went wide at the mention of Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.
Their reactions were only natural.
Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.
One of the Four Great Villains—well, it’s the Five Great Villains now. Anyway, she was one of them.
If we were just talking about the Five Great Villains, I had also risen to a seat among them, so we might be seen as equals, but the reality was entirely different.
This old hag, along with Moon Evil Sword, was considered one of the five peaks. Furthermore, she was a monster who had not only reached the Realm of Superhumans as a woman but had also been called a villain for the longest time.
“I mean, why would you want to meet such a monster?”
“I told you. That old hag knows something about the Golden Eye organization.”
She might even know their weakness. We had clashed with them several times, yet we knew nothing about them, other than the fact that they were hiding in the shadows and plotting against the entire Murim. Their exact goal remained elusive.
“Is it because they openly targeted you, Young Master?”
“That’s part of it.”
It was for multiple reasons. It was also for the sake of Yeong-yeong, who was staying two rooms down from us. I had Song Woo-hyeon standing guard there to make sure nothing happened. The three women of the Phoenix Hall were currently fast asleep after dealing with the bodies of the masked men who had attacked us.
“Young Master, will you be alright?”
“Are you worried?”
“Of course. Even my father, who fears no one, named Wicked Heart Granny as the one person among the villains you must never contact.”
Even Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak said that? If so, she truly was a dangerous being. There was a reason she was called the villain among villains.
How long do you think that woman has been called a villain?
For eighty years. She was already called a villain and an old hag eighty years ago.
Who knows. Rumor has it she’s a two-hundred-year-old monster. But no one knows her exact age. Probably because very few people have survived an encounter with her.
There are far more ghost stories about Wicked Heart Granny than any other villain.
It’s a story I heard when I was a child. I heard Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon is blind. They say she always wanders around with disheveled hair, carrying the corpse of a dead child on her back, leaning on an iron staff that makes an eerie bell sound.
The Lesser Conversation Sword was taken aback. There were many other rumors, but the most prominent one was that she was skilled in bizarre sorcery. Some said her skills in that field surpassed even the Taoists of the Maoshan Sect, who were once called the best in that area. That was why everyone in the Central Plains avoided her.
I have to face her eventually.
Wicked Heart Granny had targeted Yeong-yeong. I had stepped in as the Lesser Sword Immortal to stop it, but if she tried again, I couldn't be there to protect her forever. It was better for me to make contact first. That way, I could track the old hag’s movements.
Sama Yeong spoke to me cautiously.
“Still, I think it’s too dangerous for you to go yourself, Young Master. Why not send a representative to meet her instead? For example...”
Sama Yeong’s gaze slowly drifted toward Song Jwa-baek. Jwa-baek jumped and shouted.
“Hey! Why are you looking at me?!”
“Oh, come on. You know why.”
“I don't know anything!”
He must have really hated the idea, seeing as he was recoiling even from Sama Yeong, for whom he usually showed such affection. I wasn't actually going to make him do it, but his reaction made me want to tease him.
I said to him, “Wicked Heart Granny will probably think the Golden Eye organization might target her after this incident, so she won't act recklessly. Don't worry and...”
“Pfft.”
Just then, a snort was heard. The problem was that the source wasn't Sama Yeong or Song Jwa-baek.
I turned my head toward the corner of the room. There, I saw Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang, tied up from head to toe.
“What? You bastard, how did you break the seal on your pressure points?”
Song Jwa-baek spoke to him in disbelief. Come to think of it, he had said he’d knocked him out by hitting his stun point. How did he break it on his own without any internal energy?
Jang Mun-ryang looked at me and said, “An alliance with that madwoman? You’ve lost your mind.”
“You little...! Who told you to...”
As Song Jwa-baek angrily tried to approach him, the man snorted and said, “You have absolutely no manners when speaking to your master.”
“Master?”
“Yes. If you’re going to just snatch away what someone else spent their whole life building, you should at least be grateful. What’s with all this ‘bastard’ and ‘little’ talk?”
At Jang Mun-ryang’s scolding, Song Jwa-baek was momentarily struck dumb.
“Ha!”
Sama Yeong looked at me and said, “Young Master, that man...”
I nodded in agreement. I had suspected he had regained his memory, but it seemed he was truly back to his old self. He was no longer the child-like Jang Mun-ryang.
However, this presented a slight problem. I approached him.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
I kicked the man as he was trying to lift his upper body, then pinned his chest down with my foot and spoke.
“How much did you hear?”
At my words, the man spoke as if he was the one who found the situation absurd.
“You really are an unbelievable fellow. To deceive Jonju—no, the entire Central Plains...”
As expected, he had overheard everything. The man sneered at me.
“So Woon-hwi, the rising star of the Orthodox Faction. Or should I call you the Blood Demon?”
“Whew...”
In that case, there was truly no reason to keep him alive. If he didn't spill what he knew right here, the only answer was to kill him to eliminate any future trouble.
Did he sense my killing intent? The man hurriedly spoke to me.
“My lips are sealed.”
“!?”