Chapter 569: To Henan (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 569: To Henan (3)
Heat rushed back into my head, which had barely begun to cool.
Thump, thump.
My heart hammered against my ribs, the vibration echoing through my entire body. The corner of my eye twitched uncontrollably.
My breathing grew ragged. I could feel my composure slipping, but I couldn't stop it. What kind of expression was I making right now? The very fact that I was wondering meant I had already lost control.
‘Scent?’
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong’s words made my stomach churn.
He caught my scent on Dawn? It had been a long time since I’d even touched that blade. There was no way my scent should still linger on it.
Was he testing me? Perhaps.
But…
‘Dammit.’
It was too late for second-guessing. If I was going to feign ignorance, I should have committed to it from the start. It was far too late to deny it now.
So, what now? What could I even do?
‘How do I kill this old man? Right here, right now.’
And not just kill him—how could I erase every trace of his existence? How was that even possible? What would be my justification? What excuse could I possibly find?
No, could I even kill him in the first place?
It would take months for my injuries to heal naturally. I needed at least ten days of recovery before I could even think about wielding my power with any semblance of control. Moreover, he had surely accounted for my weakened state.
And beyond that…
‘I have no idea how deep Drunken Beggar Woo Bong’s pool of power truly is.’
I had no gauge for his strength. I had zero information on my opponent, while he clearly knew far too much about me. The situation couldn't be more hopeless.
So, should I just let this happen?
I couldn't. If I were exposed now, it was over. Everything I had planned would crumble into nothing.
Was there really no way to kill him?
‘No...’
If I truly looked for it, there was one way. It was just that…
‘I’m not ready to use it.’
It was a ‘power’ I wasn't prepared for. The Dishonored Venerable, who had once assessed this strength, had warned me sternly: never use it unless I was absolutely certain I was ready. He warned that if I wielded it prematurely, my body would be torn to shreds.
But…
‘There’s no other choice.’
Right now, it was my only card. I couldn't let this situation spiral further, and since feigning ignorance was off the table… it was an unavoidable gamble.
I didn't know if I could actually kill Drunken Beggar Woo Bong with it, but I had to try. Of course, even if I succeeded, I had no idea what the fallout would be.
‘For now, I just have to kill him.’
I had to kill Drunken Beggar Woo Bong.
I organized my thoughts in that frantic heartbeat. Just as I was about to channel power into my heart—
“Ho-ho.”
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong chuckled.
“Even that look in your eyes… you’re the spitting image of your father.”
“...”
At the mention of my father, my guard instinctively wavered. In that split second of hesitation, the old man continued.
“I know not what your intentions were in taking Dawn. However, that is not the reason I have come to you.”
I narrowed my eyes. He was only talking about Dawn. A thought struck me.
‘Perhaps… he doesn't know about the attack?’
He might not know that I was the one who killed Woobaek while playing my part.
‘That could be it.’
Even if he found my traces on Dawn, it was a massive leap to connect that to me attacking the Wudang Sect while posing as the Heavenly Demon. There was also Jicheol’s death, but since I had used Demonic Qi to force him into suicide, it was a detail Drunken Beggar Woo Bong would have a hard time uncovering.
If so, that was a massive relief. If this was only about the treasure, I could find a way through.
As I steadied my internal breathing and recalculated—
“If you tell me why you did it, I am inclined to let this matter pass quietly.”
I froze. I couldn't comprehend what I was hearing.
“…Pardon?” I asked, unable to hide my confusion.
If I told him the reason, he’d just let it go? Was this a ploy? A trap to extract a confession?
“I owe your father a debt.”
I frowned. I never expected my father’s name to carry weight here.
‘A debt?’
And a debt of gratitude, at that. What kind of history could my father possibly have with the Drunken Beggar?
Questions piled up, but Drunken Beggar Woo Bong simply kept talking.
“This won't be enough to repay it in full, but if I save his child, that boy will surely look upon me favorably.”
It was incredibly jarring to hear this old man refer to my father as a ‘boy.’ The idea that my father had a connection with the leader of the Beggar’s Sect was shocking enough.
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong laughed in his characteristic way. On the surface, the situation had swung in my favor, but I couldn't bring myself to relax.
The atmosphere remained tense. I looked at him with narrowed eyes and spoke hesitantly.
“How can I possibly believe that?”
The moment the words left my mouth, I had essentially admitted my involvement with Dawn. But I had no other choice—not when the only alternative was a suicide mission to kill him.
“Ho-ho…”
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong let out a short laugh.
“If you cannot believe me, do you have another way?”
“...”
Killing you.
I didn't say it. I suspected he wouldn't even anticipate that I was capable of it.
“You seem troubled that I’ve found you out, child. But you have no other options, do you?”
He was right. For now, trusting him was the best path forward. The problem was whether I could actually bring myself to do it.
As I deliberated, Drunken Beggar Woo Bong suddenly extended his hand. I stared at it, wary.
“Take my hand.”
I hesitated. For martial artists to clasp hands is an act of extreme vulnerability—and danger. Especially for someone like me, riddled with internal injuries.
However, after a brief pause, I took his hand. If things went south, I would flood him with Demonic Qi the instant we touched. Using it was a risk to my own life, but it was the only insurance I had.
I tensed, gripping his hand firmly.
Woooong!
“…!”
I immediately felt his Qi. I was a hair’s breadth away from unleashing my Demonic Qi, but then—
Woong.
I stopped the flow of my power. The movement of his energy was strange. Drunken Beggar Woo Bong’s Qi wasn't attacking me. On the contrary, he was doing something to himself.
Was he using this contact to show me his internal state?
I examined his energy more closely, and it didn't take long to realize what was happening.
‘It’s a forbidden seal.’
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong was placing a restriction on himself. It was an incredibly powerful formation; I could tell just by the sheer volume of internal Qi and the complexity of the formula.
“Child,” he said, looking me in the eye. “If my words about letting this matter pass are false, I will take my own life.”
“…!”
My eyes widened.
Clack!
I felt his Qi weave together and lock within his body. The seal had accepted his vow; the lock was set. Judging by the flow of his energy and the absolute nature of the seal, I couldn't deny the truth of his words.
I stared at him, my eyes trembling. I had to ask.
“Why… why are you going this far?”
“Ho-ho.” He smiled. “Did I not tell you? I am doing this purely for your father’s sake.”
It still made no sense. However…
‘He just placed a life-binding seal on himself right in front of me.’
He had staked his life on his word. A seal of that caliber was no joke. He had even held my hand to ensure I felt the process. He was determined to earn my trust.
On top of that…
‘…I’ve already planted my Demonic Qi.’
While he was weaving his seal, I had secretly slipped a trace of my own energy into him. It was my fail-safe. Demonic Qi is notoriously difficult to detect unless it’s active. I had kept the flow so faint that even he shouldn't have noticed.
Whether he knew or not, he just kept smiling.
“Now that I’ve shown you this much, won't it be easier for you to speak?”
“...”
I recalled his earlier question. Why had I meddled with the treasure?
Answering that was the easy part. It wasn't about the attack on the sect; it was just about the theft. The only issue was whether I could trust him to keep his word.
‘If he’s gone so far as to place a seal like that…’
It was harder not to believe him.
After a few seconds of hesitation, I looked at him and spoke carefully.
“…It was because I knew the Wudang Sect was going to play games with Mount Hua’s treasure.”
His expression shifted.
“Ho…” He looked genuinely intrigued. “And how did you come to that conclusion?”
This was also easy to explain.
‘The circumstances pointed to it.’
The Wind Cloud Ghost Thief, a man who had vanished over a decade ago, suddenly reappearing was strange enough. It was even more suspicious that he went straight to the Wudang Sect. And the timing—right when Mount Hua and Wudang were set to exchange treasures—was too perfect.
Furthermore, Wudang needed to solidify its fading prestige. I told him I suspected they would use the "theft" to their advantage.
“Hmm.”
Drunken Beggar Woo Bong stroked his beard, his narrow eyes glinting.
“So you stole Dawn.”
“Yes,” I nodded.
This was the narrative I had prepared. The matter of Jicheol’s death might be a problem, but Wudang would never have told the Beggar’s Sect about that. If anything, it was a shameful secret they would die to hide.
He took a sip of his tea. I waited for him to accept the explanation, but…
‘That’s not it.’
The story was plausible, but it was riddled with holes. There was no way a man like him would miss them.
“How strange,” he said, pinning me with a look. “I heard there was nothing wrong with the Suspicion-linking Thread you were wearing at the time.”
“...”
“Also, how in the world did you break through their security to take Dawn?”
He was poking right at the gaps. The Suspicion-linking Thread was designed specifically to monitor us. Not only had I moved despite it, but I had bypassed Wudang’s formidable security.
How was I going to explain that? That was the trap in his question.
It was a natural inquiry, and one I had anticipated. I gave him my prepared response.
“I cannot answer that.”
Rather than spinning a lie that could be dismantled, I chose silence. I projected an air of having a secret I was bound to keep.
“Ho-ho…”
He let out a low chuckle. Internally, I wiped away a cold sweat.
‘There’s no way he’ll just accept that.’
I knew he wouldn't. But that was the point.
‘That way, he’ll have to ask again.’
I had the real answer ready. I was prepared to explain the fatal flaw in the Suspicion-linking Thread—information Woo Hyuk had shared with me in my past life. Wudang had used the thread to keep him from running away, and in his desperation to escape, he had discovered its weakness.
I would reveal this "secret" to turn the situation around. I was waiting for him to push back, to say something like, "I can't let it go with just that," or "Are you mocking me?"
I wanted the reveal to be dramatic. I wanted to lead him right to the edge before giving him the truth about the thread's flaw.
But…
“Then that is enough.”
…What?
“Sect Leader, what did you just…”
“If you cannot answer, then there is nothing to be done.”
“Pardon…?”
“More importantly,” he said casually, “I swiped some snacks. Would you like some?”
I could only stare in utter bewilderment at the old man.