Chapter 79: Reunion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Reunion (1)
Did my ears deceive me?
I was momentarily speechless at the words that had just come out of the mouth of Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang.
I heard it exactly the same way the Lesser Conversation Sword did.
He looked quite desperate as he claimed with a serious face that his lips were sealed.
In fact, most of those I had encountered who were associated with the Golden-Eyed Man were so loyal that they would easily sacrifice their lives for the organization.
Song Jwa-baek spoke to him in a voice full of disbelief.
“What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull!”
Watching him, Jang Mun-ryang let out a sigh.
“To think that, even if I wasn't in my right mind, I passed my martial arts and even my internal energy to a brat like that....”
“Hey, who asked you for your internal energy?”
“Hmph! A mere brat speaking so informally... If you don't want to spend half your life in regret like I have, you’d better stay on my good side.”
“What did you just say?”
As Song Jwa-baek looked ready to cause a scene, I raised my hand to signal him to stay back.
Frustrated, he beat his chest with his fist and stepped away.
Without taking my eyes off the man, I spoke.
“If I didn't mishear you, it sounds like you’re saying you’ll cooperate... Is that right?”
“Quick on the uptake, I see. Yes. That’s right.”
........It was strange.
The fact that he was being so forthcoming made him even less trustworthy.
Regardless of whose subordinate he was, he was one of the Five Great Villains. As someone at the very pinnacle of the martial world, his pride should be immense. Would such a man really cooperate this easily?
It was almost nonsensical.
Shring!
I reached out toward the bed.
The scabbard of the Namcheon Iron Sword, which had been leaning against the wall, flew into my hand.
Clack!
Song Jwa-baek’s jaw dropped at the sight.
Even without using the abilities of the Prison Torture, I could easily perform Void Object Retrieval of this level. I drew the sword from its sheath and pointed it at the man’s throat.
“Why does this feel like a trick?”
The man looked at the tip of the sword pricking his neck, then raised his head to look me in the eye.
“Is this how you treat someone who says they’ll cooperate?”
“It’s because I don't trust you.”
“I’m already in this state. What could I possibly achieve by trying to trick you?”
“You’ve learned an important secret.”
He had found out that I was both the Lesser Sword Immortal and the Blood Demon.
If Jang Mun-ryang were to contact them and reveal that fact, everything would be ruined. There was no reason for me to take such a risk.
“Didn't I say my lips are sealed?”
“How am I supposed to know if they are or not?”
“I swear by the gods of heaven and earth. I will take that secret to my grave.”
......This guy, seriously.
His desire to live was so strong that I almost wanted to laugh. It was truly jarring to see such desperation on a face that looked so ferocious.
“Since when did you care about the gods? Don't leave any loose ends and just kill him.”
Song Jwa-baek, leaning against the wall, made a throat-slitting gesture.
Jang Mun-ryang’s face turned red with anger as he looked at him.
“Who are you to keep butting into this conversation?”
“Me? Hmph. I am the Right Guardian of the Great Blood Cult.”
“Right Guardian? You?”
Jang Mun-ryang snorted.
“You’re laughing? I’ve been patient with you, but you little...”
“You shouldn't treat me like that for your own sake.”
“What kind of nonsense....”
“The Myriad Family Spirit Art is a martial art that cannot be mastered without a master’s guidance. You could become a total cripple when moving from the eighth to the ninth stage, and even from the ninth to the tenth, your life will be ruined like mine if the Yang Energy reaches your bone marrow because you didn't make a great sacrifice.”
Jang Mun-ryang’s voice sounded incredibly bitter.
No matter how I heard it, it sounded like he was talking about himself.
While I listened, Song Jwa-baek’s expression suddenly became grave.
The Lesser Conversation Sword chuckled as if it were someone else's problem.
Thanks to a stroke of luck, Jwa-baek had entered the Supreme Peak Realm and practiced the Myriad Family Spirit Art whenever he had the chance.
Perhaps because he had received internal energy directly from Jang Mun-ryang, he had reached the seventh stage in an instant.
But to hear that there were such side effects from the eighth stage onward—it would be stranger if he weren't afraid.
“Y-You’re lying, right?”
“Does it sound like a lie? I don't know the extent of your capabilities, but once you reach the seventh stage, you’ll feel a stinging sensation in the meridians connecting the Ki-hae, Gwan-won, and Hoe-eum points every time you circulate your energy.”
“.......”
Song Jwa-baek’s face hardened.
It seemed he was already experiencing those symptoms.
Seeing that reaction, a strange light flickered in Jang Mun-ryang’s eyes, and he couldn't hide his surprise.
“.......You’re quite talented. Even with the internal energy I gave you, that’s incredibly fast.”
In truth, Song Jwa-baek was no slow-witted fool.
In fact, he was far superior to most. Thanks to a special constitution that allowed for rapid blood circulation, his speed in gathering and circulating internal energy was on a different level from ordinary people.
[This is...]
Song Jwa-baek sent me a message via Sound Transmission, sounding anxious, but I gestured for him to calm down.
Even if those words were true, getting agitated and falling for the opponent’s pace would only lead to playing into their hands.
I looked down at Jang Mun-ryang and said,
“You said your lips are sealed, but they can't be heavier than a dead man’s.”
I lightly pressed the sword into his flesh.
Jang Mun-ryang spoke urgently.
“It seems showing my hand is the first priority. I’ll give you some important information as a down payment.”
“Important information?”
“Yes. Since you don't trust me, it’s only right that I show part of my hand, isn't it?”
Now we were finally getting somewhere.
“Your treatment will depend on how good that hand is.”
“There are important things the Jonju is looking for,” Jang Mun-ryang said in a meaningful voice.
“Important things?”
“Yes. He has gone to great lengths to obtain them for a very long time. He kept targeting you because one of them is in your possession.”
At that, I asked, just in case.
“Are you talking about the Blood Demon Sword?”
Jang Mun-ryang frowned.
He must have thought I wouldn't know.
When I spoke to the others earlier, I hadn't mentioned the sword, so he likely assumed it was information I didn't have.
“The hand you showed is one I already know.”
When I pointed that out, he cleared his throat.
“Ahem. That much is easy enough to guess. You should listen until the end. I never said there was only one sword.”
“There are five, aren't there?”
“!?”
Jang Mun-ryang’s eyes wavered.
He was flustered for a moment but soon spoke.
“They aren't just five swords....”
“They’re five Demon Swords.”
“!!!”
Jang Mun-ryang’s eyes didn't just waver; they went wide.
He looked utterly stunned.
He stared at me as if he couldn't believe it.
“How... how do you know that?”
“That’s none of your business. Why should a hand I already know serve as a down payment?”
“Who the hell are you?”
He seemed to have considered it very important information.
The fact that I already knew it seemed to have thrown him into quite a state of confusion.
I snorted and said,
“I’ll ask you instead. What exactly is this 'Jonju' planning to do once he collects all five?”
At my question, Jang Mun-ryang hesitated for a moment before answering flatly.
“......I don't know.”
“What? You don't know?”
“I believe only a very few of his closest confidants within the organization know why the Jonju is seeking the five Demon Swords.”
They didn't even tell the Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon, one of the Five Great Villains?
With his notoriety and martial prowess, he should have been highly valued. To think that even he wasn't a close confidant.
Or perhaps they didn't trust him regardless of his strength?
“This organization operates through an intelligence network of isolated cells. Because of that....”
“It’s rare for anyone to have complete information.”
“Yes.”
That made sense.
That’s the advantage of such a network. Even if one part is compromised, it prevents the leak of information. They would have taken measures to ensure that fragmented information couldn't be used to deduce the whole.
Just like now.
Still, I had expected him to be in a fairly high position, so it was disappointing.
“Then you’re useless.”
“........”
Jang Mun-ryang, momentarily silenced by my words, spoke with a serious face.
“I didn't want to have to say this... but please, let me live.”
“.......”
Was this guy really the Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon?
Or did he still have a piece of metal stuck in his brain?
He was shamelessly and openly begging for his life. If making a plea sound more desperate than a beggar’s was a talent, then he certainly had it.
Well, that could be it.
I also prioritize my life over my pride. But this felt a bit different.
“......What is the reason you’re going this far?”
“Does one need a reason to want to live?”
“Do you think I can trust you based on that alone?”
At my question, Jang Mun-ryang looked me in the eye and said seriously,
“Let’s call it atonement.”
“Atonement?”
What was he trying to atone for?
“Are you saying you suddenly regret the things you’ve done?”
“Would you believe me if I said I wasn't in my right mind?”
“What?”
Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang’s eyes grew red.
Come to think of it, they said he was practically wailing as soon as he regained consciousness. I had found it strange, and even now, I couldn't understand why he was getting so emotional.
He spoke again.
“My master always warned me. If I wanted to master the Myriad Family Spirit Art, I had to let go of my obsessions. But I couldn't. As a result....”
“You went mad?”
I remembered what he had said.
He said that to master the tenth stage of the Myriad Family Spirit Art, one had to discard their existing internal energy. Otherwise, the Yang Energy would run wild and affect the very marrow of their bones.
“Yes. I went mad. Completely and utterly mad.”
He looked down at his hands.
Then, he spoke in a cracking voice.
“I became a killing machine and murdered countless people, whether they were martial artists or ordinary folk. I even harmed my own master with these hands.”
A single tear rolled down from Jang Mun-ryang’s right eye.
Regret was etched into his bloodshot eyes.
In the heavy atmosphere, even Song Jwa-baek, who had been clamoring for his death, kept his mouth shut. Perhaps he was thinking that the same thing could happen to him.
But I had to be cautious.
“You didn't seem that mad back at the Yangtze River.”
At that time, Jang Mun-ryang was perfectly rational. How could a madman use his head to plot and scheme?
Jang Mun-ryang snorted.
“I was sane enough. My bloodlust wasn't exploding or anything.”
“What does that mean?”
“But my mind still wasn't entirely my own. It had been that way ever since I met that monster.”
“.......Are you talking about the Jonju?”
Jang Mun-ryang nodded in affirmation.
A strange sense of rage could be felt in that nod.
“How did you meet him?”
“When I was running wild, driven mad by the side effects of the Myriad Family Spirit Art, the Jonju found me. I remember fighting him and losing.”
To suppress someone of Jang Mun-ryang’s caliber, even if he was mad...
As expected, the Golden-Eyed Man was undoubtedly someone who had reached the Realm of Superhumans. Perhaps he had even passed the wall within the wall.
Jang Mun-ryang muttered as if it were absurd.
“From the moment I regained my senses, I found myself following his orders without even realizing it. Even though I was aware of what I was doing, I followed them. I didn't even question why I had to follow them; it was as if it were just a part of my daily life.”
.....Was he brainwashed?
It refers to controlling someone’s mind through suggestion or drugs.
Given how Jang Mun-ryang was describing it, he was definitely brainwashed, and it seemed to have been done in a very natural way.
Almost like....
Right.
Baek Ryeonha didn't even realize she was under a suggestion. Even as she moved exactly as the enemy intended.
[I find it hard to believe that a master of that level could be subjected to suggestion or brainwashing.]
Sama Yeong sent me a message via Sound Transmission.
I also found it questionable. Even a Supreme Peak master possesses strong mental fortitude, and for a Peerless Master who has reached the Realm of Superhumans, their mind should be like an iron fortress.
The voice of the Evil Connection Sword echoed in my head.
'Not impossible?'
'That’s true, but...'
Zhu Sarlen, the Palace Mistress of the Fragrant Flower Pleasure Palace.
She was someone skilled in evil arts and suggestions. Having been by her side, the Evil Connection Sword would know this better than anyone. In fact, the Evil Connection Sword itself could subjugate and move a person’s body and mind.
Stop reminiscing.
Anyway, if the Evil Connection Sword was right, it was entirely possible. Even a master in the Realm of Superhumans could potentially be brainwashed over a long period if their mind was already broken from the start.
I stared at him.
“So, are you saying you’re in your right mind now?”
At my question, he spoke nonchalantly.
“Can't you tell by looking at me?”
“Then that means you’ll no longer follow him.”
“Didn't I tell you I wasn't following him of my own will?”
Jang Mun-ryang ground his teeth, his voice filled with fury.
If it was an act, the anger was perfectly natural.
Then he said to me,
“I don't know how much you know, but I’ll tell you everything I know. For instance, I know how to make contact to receive orders and the hierarchy of the organization.”
“The hierarchy?”
“Under the Jonju, there are three people known as his confidants. And under them, there are twelve people who hold the title of 'Lord'.”
Come to think of it, I remembered that Blood King Gu Je-yang was called the Blood Lord.
According to the hierarchy, Gu Je-yang held a fairly high rank. Of course, if Jang Mun-ryang was right, it seemed the Golden-Eyed Man didn't give much information even to his subordinates, other than his three confidants.
Still, some useful information was finally coming out.
“Do you also know this? The procedure....”
Before I could finish, he cut me off.
“Make a promise first.”
“A promise?”
“Let me live.”
‘........’
He was truly desperate. He was hoping for the words "I’ll let you live" to come out of my mouth by any means necessary.
“You really want to live, don't you?”
At those words, Jang Mun-ryang glanced at Song Jwa-baek and said,
“Even if it wasn't of my own will, I cannot let the lineage of the Myriad Family Spirit Art end, and I... I must find my master’s bloodline.”
His master’s bloodline?
So this was the atonement he spoke of. He wanted to repay his debt to the bloodline of the master he had killed with his own hands.
I had thought he was doing this out of a simple desire to live or a thirst for revenge against those who had used him, but this was quite unexpected.
I leaned down and placed my hand on his abdomen.
Jang Mun-ryang asked, puzzled.
“What are you doing?”
.......This man didn't seem to know the state of his own body.
I had checked Jang Mun-ryang’s Dantian just in case, since the sealing of his stun point had worn off.
Naturally, since he had passed his internal energy to Song Jwa-baek, his Dantian should have been empty.
However, even though he wasn't circulating his energy, his internal energy was slowly, very slowly, coming back to life.
It was a fascinating thing.
I straightened up and looked down at Jang Mun-ryang.
“Do you want to live?”
“My lips are sealed.”
“What do you mean they’re sealed, when you’re selling out information about your former organization in exchange for your life?”
“......I told you, I wasn't there of my own will.”
Well, that was true.
“Fine. Then I’ll make you a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
I let a smirk spread across my face as I spoke to him.
“Join our Cult.”