The Connecting Link
Seo Joo-cheon was taken aback as he chased after the feral cat.
This place is...?
The cat tracking the Thousand-Mile Tracking Fragrance had led them toward the Soyo Martial Arts Hall. Watching the hall draw steadily closer, Jeong Geum-sik spoke as if sighing.
"It seems the pure yin essence of ordinary women isn't enough for him anymore. He's looking for women who possess inner energy now. That's where Yin Absorption to Nourish Yang always ends up, I suppose."
It was a conclusion that made sense. Pyo Seon was in no condition to be satisfied with the pure yin essence of ordinary women. Searching the area for a woman who might have trained in martial arts, he would inevitably have found his way to the Soyo Martial Arts Hall.
The feral cat circled the hall, round and round.
"The bastard definitely came this far. But if the cat can't pick up the scent here, it seems we've lost the trail."
They had expected to find him easily using the feral cat, but they had run into another obstacle.
"Let's go to the Soyo Martial Arts Hall first and find out if any female disciples have gone missing."
When Jeong Geum-sik headed for the hall, Seo Joo-cheon fell in beside him.
"I'll come with you."
Jeong Geum-sik allowed it, thinking the sharp-witted Seo Joo-cheon might notice something.
When the two men entered the Soyo Martial Arts Hall, they found several people gathered in discussion. One of the hall's staff, seeing them, spoke up.
"I'm sorry, but the hall is closed today. Would you come back another day?"
Noticing that Seo Joo-cheon was wearing a sword, a somewhat burly middle-aged man approached.
"I am Jang Sun, master of this hall. What business brings you two gentlemen here?"
Jeong Geum-sik clasped his fists in greeting.
"Forgive the intrusion. Might there be any missing female disciples at this hall?"
Jang Sun started in surprise.
"How do you know that? My daughter and two female disciples have been missing since noon yesterday. We were just about to start searching."
"Is that so?"
Jeong Geum-sik cast a meaningful look at Seo Joo-cheon.
"Who are you gentlemen, that you already know of this?"
Jang Sun asked, his anxiety plainly showing.
"Have you found any trace of your daughter and the disciples?"
"Not yet. Their clothes and the things they usually keep with them are still here, so they can't have gone far. They must be somewhere nearby. Or perhaps they ran into a tiger in the mountains and had to take shelter..."
Jang Sun, frantic over his daughter's disappearance, was saying things that didn't quite make sense.
"We came here while pursuing a criminal. It's possible that the missing people and this criminal are connected."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. Allow me to explain briefly."
Jeong Geum-sik explained about the criminal who had fallen to demonic qi while practicing demonic arts, omitting any mention of the spiritual elixir.
"Ah, what am I to do?"
Hearing this, Jang Sun grew even more agitated.
"Do you have any clothes your daughter was wearing?"
"Here."
When Jang Sun brought his daughter's clothes, Jeong Geum-sik had the cat smell them, then stroked its head. The cat shot off in a particular direction.
Seo Joo-cheon and Jeong Geum-sik hurried after it and found the cat meowing at a single spot.
"What's a pavilion doing here?"
Jeong Geum-sik muttered, watching the feral cat wander about inside the pavilion. Seo Joo-cheon scanned the surroundings.
"It seems they came this far. If the cat has lost both the Thousand-Mile Tracking Fragrance and the women's body scent, there's a strong chance they're being held captive somewhere."
Jang Hyeon-nam, who had followed after them, took the initiative and began searching the area with Sang Ryo. Ham Cheon-yeong went to the opposite side, looking for anything that might serve as a clue.
Watching them for a moment, Seo Joo-cheon suddenly shuddered. He remembered visiting the Soyo Martial Arts Hall around midday yesterday, and even investigating a cave. He remembered sensing a presence then, leaving the cave, and returning to the inn.
"Ah!"
At the exclamation, Jeong Geum-sik looked at him.
"Have you found something?"
Even a mere exclamation from Seo Joo-cheon was enough to fill Jeong Geum-sik with high expectations. He already knew Seo Joo-cheon's insight was far from ordinary.
"The fact that the cat can't pick up the scent here means they're trapped somewhere nearby."
When Seo Joo-cheon said something anyone could have thought of, a flicker of disappointment crossed Jeong Geum-sik's eyes.
"There must be a cave or something of the sort in this area. That's why the scent cut off — they're locked up in there. If not a cave, they could be imprisoned in a house."
Jang Sun, who had been listening to their conversation from below, answered.
"There are no houses above the pavilion."
Seo Joo-cheon was grateful that Jang Sun had at least eliminated one possibility.
"Then it's a cave. There must be a cave nearby."
"A cave? I know every cave in this area, but..."
Jang Sun, mid-sentence, suddenly lifted his head.
"Long ago, the ancestors of this hall used a cave as a closed-door training chamber. It hasn't been used in a long time, though."
Seo Joo-cheon looked at Jang Sun and nodded. He had been wondering what excuse he would have to make if Jang Sun failed to recall the cave.
"Then let's go there!"
At Seo Joo-cheon's urging, Jang Sun launched himself up past the pavilion. Being a martial artist himself, he stepped on the rocks and climbed with agile ease.
Before long, Jang Sun stood before a hidden cave and looked back at the group.
"This is the place."
"How long has this place been abandoned?"
"It hasn't been used in a very long time."
"Is that so? Looking at how the vines covering the cave entrance are slightly displaced, someone has gone in."
"What's this?"
Jang Sun picked up something that had fallen beneath the vines.
"This belongs to my daughter."
What he had picked up was a small bronze mirror, the kind women were fond of using.
"She must have dropped this on purpose while being abducted, to mark her location."
Jeong Geum-sik said quietly, and Seo Joo-cheon replied.
"It seems so. Let's go in and subdue him at once."
Jeong Geum-sik focused all his hearing to read the situation inside the cave.
"There's definitely demonic qi wafting out. Proof that the bastard is inside."
Seo Joo-cheon was not yet at a level where he could read auras from a distance.
"Hall Master, please wait here. Young Hero Jang, stay behind and assist the Hall Master."
This was out of concern that Jang Sun might lose his reason at the sight of his daughter's horrific state and ruin everything. It was also a measure against Jang Hyeon-nam, whose youthful sense of justice might complicate the situation.
"Second Brother, keep watch in case he has an accomplice."
It was decided that Jeong Geum-sik and Seo Joo-cheon would enter the cave, which Seo Joo-cheon considered the right choice.
"Yes, Big Brother."
Jang Hyeon-nam had wanted to go into the cave himself and deal with the villain, but knowing this was not his place, he nodded.
Jeong Geum-sik and Seo Joo-cheon quietly entered the cave.
"Wait."
After they had taken about ten steps inside, Jeong Geum-sik whispered.
"The bastard knows we've come in, but he hasn't reacted. That means he's planning an ambush."
No sooner had Jeong Geum-sik finished speaking than a sinister laugh echoed from within the cave.
"Keh keh keh! Not bad. So you noticed my ambush."
A young man of sound, well-proportioned build revealed himself. The light from the cave entrance illuminated him — a handsome, distinguished face, yet his eyes were filled with a wicked aura.
"The demonic qi has already reached his marrow."
Jeong Geum-sik clicked his tongue. Looking deeper into the cave, they saw two women collapsed, completely naked, and one woman still clothed. But her upper garments were nearly stripped away — they had clearly interrupted him just as he was about to violate her.
The young man, Pyo Seon, taking the two of them lightly, charged at Jeong Geum-sik.
"Die!"
Blazing Yang Palm energy rippled from both his hands — a palm art of unmatched speed. Jeong Geum-sik extended his hand and met Pyo Seon's palm.
Boom!
Both men poured massive internal energy into their palm force, and the sound of colossal boulders colliding rang out.
Hissssss!
However powerful the Blazing Yang Palm, it was still no match for the Frigid Ice Palm of the Red Snow Ice Demon, Jeong Geum-sik. Staggering backward, Pyo Seon recognized that Jeong Geum-sik was a master, and immediately seized one of the fallen women as a hostage.
"Don't move! Come any closer and I'll kill this woman!"
Jeong Geum-sik furrowed his brow. He hadn't expected Pyo Seon, eroded as he was by demonic qi, to take a woman hostage.
"My mistake. I should have secured the women first."
In truth, Seo Joo-cheon had been equally careless, seeing Pyo Seon's eyes gleaming with demonic qi. He too reflected on this as he looked at him. Unlike the gleam in those eyes, the way his pupils darted about showed that his reason was still intact.
"Young Master Pyo. If you stop here, we will help you as well."
Jeong Geum-sik chimed in.
"That's right. If you stop here, we can end this quietly."
"Keh heh heh, who do you take for a fool? I know that stage has already passed."
Jeong Geum-sik promptly spoke his true thoughts.
"He's no idiot, I'll give him that."
"Back off. Otherwise I'll kill every last one of these women."
A voice that still held reason, but no feeling. The very picture of a true demonic practitioner.
"I have a good idea. Would you like to hear it?"
When Seo Joo-cheon spoke to Jeong Geum-sik, the latter blinked. He was taken aback that Seo Joo-cheon, whom he considered so sharp, would lay out a plan right in front of the criminal.
Is he planning some kind of deception?
Thinking this, Jeong Geum-sik asked.
"If it's truly a good idea, tell me through sound transmission."
"Hahaha. I don't yet have the internal energy for sound transmission."
Jeong Geum-sik had never imagined that Seo Joo-cheon wouldn't be capable of sound transmission. To fight and drive back the Undying Demon, he would have to be at least First-Rate. Only then would he even have the capacity to contend with an Undying Demon of the Peak level.
"Is that true?"
When Jeong Geum-sik asked, frowning, Seo Joo-cheon didn't answer and simply stated his plan.
"Hero Jeong, you attack Young Master Pyo with a palm strike he cannot evade."
That, in itself, was another peculiar statement.
"And then?"
"Then you leave the rest to me."
Unable to grasp Seo Joo-cheon's intent, Jeong Geum-sik chewed over what had just been said. But he could find no hidden meaning in it at all.
"Is that truly a good plan? One that can save those women?"
"It is."
Pyo Seon listened to their conversation and grinned.
"You're actually being serious about this ridiculous talk."
When Jeong Geum-sik still couldn't bring himself to trust his words, Seo Joo-cheon emphasized them once more.
"If it goes wrong, I'll take the responsibility."
Seeing how confident Seo Joo-cheon was, Jeong Geum-sik figured he must have some other clever move.
"Very well. I trust my eye for people. I'll put my faith in Hero Po and give it a try."
"Uwahahaha! You lunatics!"
"Now."
As Pyo Seon burst into mad laughter, Jeong Geum-sik launched his Frigid Ice Palm at Seo Joo-cheon's word — and just as Seo Joo-cheon had said, it was a palm force so powerful it could not be evaded.
One of the ultimate forms of Shattering Ice, Crushing Snow — among the three great supreme arts of the Demon Ice Palace. A mass of ice launched as if fired from a siege engine.
It shot forward like a block of ice being launched, and Pyo Seon, not daring to dodge, released the woman's nape and met the Thousand-Zhang Glacier head-on.
That was the moment Seo Joo-cheon moved.
Having unleashed the Thousand-Zhang Glacier, Jeong Geum-sik watched closely to see what Seo Joo-cheon would do. He knew Seo Joo-cheon was not a man to make empty boasts, but he still couldn't picture the plan that had just been described.
What is this?
Jeong Geum-sik was stunned to see an afterimage remaining where Seo Joo-cheon had stood — and Seo Joo-cheon already in front of Pyo Seon.
A Peak Realm body art that leaves afterimages and instantly transposes the user across short distances — a movement even Peak masters would not dare attempt.
A movement even his own eyes could not follow. A body technique that even those at the Peak would not dare attempt. Transposition was a Peak Realm art that one could only challenge upon reaching the Peak Realm itself.
Jeong Geum-sik stood there in a daze, watching Seo Joo-cheon's lightning-fast sequence: easily evading Pyo Seon's Blazing Yang Palm, driving a knee up into Pyo Seon's chin, then leaning his upper body forward to follow the rebounding Pyo Seon and slamming an elbow down into his chest.
Thud! Thud! — and then a heavy boom echoed through the cave.
The phrase "swift as lightning" had never been more fitting.