Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Soul-Stealing Immortal (2)
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At the wariness of the warriors, including Pae-seon, the old man in the wide-brimmed hat let out a hearty laugh.
“Hahahaha! Why is everyone so agitated? With so many dangerous figures gathered in one place, are you telling me you’re this tense over a single old man like me?”
Though his words were lighthearted, the tension in the air was palpable. It was clearly the old man in the hat who was instigating this confrontation.
They had secured a room in a quiet space, allowing no one to enter, yet he had approached them, exuding an unusual aura. That in itself was a life-threatening act.
Had this been anywhere else, they would have already drawn their swords and thrown their hidden weapons, but not here.
This was the Yellow Crane Tower, one of the three great towers of Jiangnan. Causing a disturbance here was unacceptable, even for members of great sects or powerful families.
Moreover, the people gathered here were no ordinary warriors. If even one of them were to fight with their full strength, the entire Yellow Crane Tower would be shattered to pieces.
Thus, only a taut tension lingered in the air. Just then, Mu-heun spoke to the old man in a friendly manner.
It was as if he had been waiting for the old man to arrive.
“You’ve come to the right place, sir.”
“…!?”
At his words, not only Pae-seon and Dang So-so, but even Seol Ha-ryeong couldn’t help but be surprised.
The old man in the hat, his face still hidden, spoke.
“Who might you be, young man, to speak as if you know this old one?”
This time, it was Mu-heun who burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hahahahaha! You came looking for me, yet you ask who I am? You’re a far more amusing person than I expected. Sir… or perhaps I should call you Immortal?”
“…!?”
The old man in the hat lifted his head, revealing his face.
Finally, the old man’s face was visible.
However, the face that Pae-seon, Dang So-so, and Seol Ha-ryeong saw was different for each of them. His expression was at once smiling, crying, and blank. But one thing was certain: Mu-heun could see his true face.
The old man looked only at Mu-heun, as if no one else mattered, and spoke.
“Immortal… I’d like to have a private word with you. Would that be acceptable?”
Pae-seon, incensed by his words, retorted.
“Ha! Do you not value your life?”
“Value my life?”
“Though your sorcery is astonishingly skilled, you cannot deceive the senses of a master who has reached the Transcendent Realm. Regardless of your appearance, the fact that you stand before me does not change.”
“You are well aware.”
“At this distance, do you think it would be difficult for me to take your head without destroying the Yellow Crane Tower? And yet, you act as if I and the others here are beneath your notice.”
“Hahahahaha! Of course. If this worthless life of mine is to be taken by the Light-Splitting Immortal of Kunlun, that too would be an honor.”
“…!?”
Everyone present could tell.
The old man in the hat knew that the man before him was the Light-Splitting Immortal, Gu Pae-seon, yet he remained composed. In other words, this old man was not one to cling to his life.
All except one person.
Mu-heun smiled faintly and said.
“Hahaha, you don’t value your life… is that so? Of course. I was planning to seek you out anyway. But since you’ve come to me, I’ll arrange a place. You’re currently in the innermost room on the sixth floor, aren’t you? I will go there.”
“…!?”
The old man’s eyes widened, and the rest of the group was also greatly surprised.
“Why are you all so shocked? Did you intend to hide and watch your opponent’s hand forever? A man should know how to meet and talk in person.”
“…”
The old man in the hat was silent for a moment. Then, he lifted his hat and his face changed.
“…!”
“This man is!!”
“The Smiling Master!?”
The new face was that of the Smiling Master, who had once roamed Wuhan, frequenting brothels and committing cruel atrocities.
The Smiling Master was said to have forcibly taken innocent women, and after violating them, he would carve their faces into bloody smiles and hang them in the brothels.
Yet, because he was so powerful, his evil deeds continued unabated, and eventually, he began to stroll the streets openly.
His martial prowess was at the level of the Divine Realm, and at the time, the Martial Alliance was in the midst of a war with the Heretical Faction of the Unorthodox Alliance, so they had no resources to spare for him.
“But I heard he suddenly turned himself in to the Martial Alliance, all by himself…?”
Just then, the Smiling Master’s mouth was forced open, and he began to speak haltingly.
“It was I who made him surrender. Baek Mu-heun! I will not leave this spot. I will wait for you, so come find me.”
While the rest of the group was in disarray, Mu-heun’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke.
“I understand.”
“…!?”
Seol Ha-ryeong lowered her head and said nothing, but Dang So-so tried to stop Mu-heun.
“It’s too dangerous. And if you’re thinking of fighting here, don’t! This is not a place for conflict.”
“Haha, do not worry. I’m just going to have a little chat and come back.”
“But… Sir Mu-heun, do you know who that person is?”
“He is the Soul-Stealing Immortal.”
“The Soul-Stealing Immortal?”
It seemed Dang So-so did not know of him, but as soon as Pae-seon heard the name, he spoke to Mu-heun.
“You can’t! He’s a master of soul-stealing. No matter how strong one’s internal energy is, anyone who hasn’t deeply cultivated a Mind-Calming Art can be taken in an instant by his techniques!”
“I know.”
“Let’s just stick to the plan and meet the Alliance Leader first! The Alliance Leader will sort this out. Wasn’t that the plan all along?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Fine, my foot! Even for me, who has mastered orthodox martial arts and cultivated a Mind-Calming Method, there’s a limit to how I can resist soul-stealing techniques. It’s not impossible if I steel my mind from the start, but your martial arts aren’t of the mind-calming type, are they!?”
“I have my ways.”
“…!?”
Mu-heun conveyed his words to Pae-seon through a telepathic message.
[I’ll handle it. No matter how you look at it, I’m much smarter than you. Did you really think I wouldn’t have considered something like that?]
“This brat…”
“Haha, well then, I’ll be on my way.”
And so, despite his companions’ attempts to stop him, Mu-heun headed to the sixth floor alone.
Dang So-so asked Pae-seon.
“Will he really be alright?”
“He should be. That one has a brilliant mind.”
“…”
Dang So-so didn’t even know who the Soul-Stealing Immortal was, and she worried that this development would complicate the process of having Mu-heun investigated and detained.
Mu-heun ascended to the sixth floor, the very top of the Yellow Crane Tower, and made his way to a room hidden away in secrecy.
However, Seol Ha-ryeong remained completely silent.
***
From the moment he first entered the Yellow Crane Tower, Mu-heun had noticed a particular scent.
‘This is…’
It was the same scent he had encountered while tracking Seol Ha-ryeong’s fragrance before.
‘What a coincidence, to find a desired guest in a famous tower.’
After that, Mu-heun deliberately began to spread a pleasant, enchanting fragrance everywhere to captivate the women. This scent, a type of sorcery, became an aroma that mesmerized the women of the Yellow Crane Tower.
As the women flocked to him, he sent a telepathic message to provoke Pae-seon, intentionally causing him to roar and create a disturbance.
Most likely, any martial artist of decent skill in the Yellow Crane Tower would have noticed Mu-heun’s party.
Thus, Mu-heun intentionally left a trail, deliberately securing a room in a secluded area on the fifth floor, which could only be accessed by paying a high price.
But then, an old man in a wide-brimmed hat approached, didn’t he?
The old man certainly exuded an unusual aura, but it wasn’t the scent Mu-heun had been anticipating. No, the owner of the scent Mu-heun had been waiting for hadn’t moved a single step from the inner room on the sixth floor.
Using his tracking technique with the Thousand-Mile Subtle Fragrance, Mu-heun could even discern the opponent’s location and movements, and he sensed something strange about the old man in the hat before him. He could faintly detect the scent of the man in the inner room on the sixth floor coming from him.
Finally, the old man in the hat lifted his head.
*Ting!*
The others didn’t seem to notice, but Mu-heun felt a chilling sensation.
One of the divine artifacts he wore, the Silent Beads, ‘Butterfly’s Dream’, was capable of repelling all forms of sorcery, including soul-stealing and illusionary arts, allowing him to see the truth.
‘This artifact has such an ability…!?’
If only he had possessed this Butterfly’s Dream back in Okhwa Village, he wouldn’t have had to endure such hardships… A sense of regret washed over him. Still, it was clear that this newly acquired artifact would be of immense help on the path ahead.
The arrangements of the Arhats—the black robe and the silent beads—were reducing the many threats that came his way.
That was why Mu-heun could maintain his composure while speaking with the old man in the hat. And he had no fear of the soul-stealing or illusionary arts the Soul-Stealing Immortal might use.
He simply walked with steady steps and entered the room at the very back of the sixth floor.
“It is a pleasure to meet you like this, Soul-Stealing Immortal.”
“Haha, for a young successor, your senses are exceptionally sharp. In any case, it’s a pleasure. I wanted to meet you in person as well.”
“Haha, it is an honor. I have many things I wish to ask the Immortal. Oh! And I also have a request to make.”
“Seol Ha-ryeong.”
“…”
“I’m talking about the child who was by your side. It must be about her. Yes, let’s talk slowly over a cup of tea.”
Mu-heun sat down as the Soul-Stealing Immortal suggested. However, he could feel that the man before him was trying to capture him by any means necessary.
Knowing all this, Mu-heun smiled and spoke.
“What happened?”
“What’s the rush? Since we’re at the Yellow Crane Tower, let’s eat and drink while we talk. I’ll tell you everything.”
Mu-heun released his Myriad Fragrances to check if the tea and food were poisoned. And indeed, they were. Not in the food or drink, but lightly smeared on the tips of the chopsticks and the rim of the cup on his side.
Furthermore, when he expanded his senses, he detected warriors on the roof of this room, waiting to ambush him. Most were at the peak level, and they seemed to be highly trained.
Mu-heun let out a smirk.
At that, the Soul-Stealing Immortal’s expression hardened as he spoke.
“You’re laughing?”
“Hahahahaha! Should I cry instead? This old fool, who’s done nothing but age, keeps trying to play his little games. Stop it. You might actually die if you keep this up.”
“What did you say?”
At that moment, Mu-heun slammed his hand on the table.
*Thump!*
Then, with a chilling expression he had not shown before, he looked at the Soul-Stealing Immortal and spoke. His gaze was so cold that the Immortal felt as if his head could be severed at any moment.
“The poison on my cup! The poison on the tip of my chopsticks!”
“…!”
“And the assassins on the roof!”
“…!”
Assassins on the roof of the Yellow Crane Tower, on this highest floor, ready to subdue Mu-heun. However, he had already sensed their presence.
He had also already sent Cheon-hyang to give them a taste of her cold Ice Art, rendering them all incapacitated.
“If an old man is going to use his head, he should just use it once. Didn’t you see it didn’t work on me earlier?! Know your limits. Try another trick, and I might just wring your damn neck.”