Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Hong So-yeon
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The woman, the spy Hong So-yeon, furrowed her brow.
"What the hell is this?"
She seemed pretty pissed off.
Her eyebrows, lips, and fists were trembling all over.
I'd really touched a raw nerve this time.
Hmm, provocation successful.
Cheongun nodded in satisfaction.
"We're rooting out spies."
"Spies? What does that mean?"
"You wouldn't be pretending not to know, would you?"
"Sorry, but I think you've got the wrong person."
Too late to play innocent now.
Cheongun revved up his tongue as usual, ready to rattle off more barbs.
"Know what an orphan is? Someone without parents."
"What the fuck are you even..."
"A eunuch? It's a guy born without a dick."
"Stop."
"You know what a bald head is, right? How does a guy go bald? Not a single hair on his head, and he's the Heavenly Demon God Cult Leader. Wow, what a pathetic sight. What did the Demonic Cultists do to deserve that?"
"......"
"Now, repeat after me. Scourge of the martial world. Filth of murim. Toothless old relic..."
"You fucking bastard!!!"
Hong So-yeon's face twisted viciously.
Her eyes sharpened like a viper's, and the corners of her mouth curled.
In that instant, a sharp whoosh cut through the air as something shot toward Cheongun's forehead like lightning.
It was the Shadow Needle Dart.
The signature hidden weapon of the Shadow Flight Gate, the Heavenly Demon God Cult's assassin squad.
The razor-thin silver needle sliced through the air, flashing like a streak of light.
Its speed was terrifying—enough to pierce through most protective arts like paper.
Cheongun gripped his fishing rod tightly and circulated his inner energy.
The sword qi-infused fishing line stiffened straight in an instant.
With a casual flick of his wrist, the line whipped through the air like a lash.
Soon, the coiled line arced in a circle, meeting the incoming needle.
Ching—!
The first needle bounced off, sparking.
As the second flew in, the line wrapped around it like lightning—crack!—shattering the weapon with a sharp explosion.
"!!!"
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Not even a single breath had passed from launch to destruction.
Hong So-yeon's expression froze.
That thin fishing line had shattered her Shadow Needle Dart?
Unable to accept it, she slipped another needle between her fingers, gritted her teeth, and hurled it at Cheongun with all her might.
But.
Clang! Crack! Kwang!
Every needle she threw was blocked by that single fishing line.
That was when she realized.
'Crazy! He's a master!'
This bastard, who deserved to die a thousand times over, turned out to be an incredible martial arts expert.
It was absurd and baffling.
Why would a master who could shatter steel-hard needles with that thin line be in a dump like this?
Hong So-yeon swallowed hard and stared at Cheongun.
Whatever.
The watching warriors belatedly drew their swords in unison, and Namgung Hwi snapped to attention a beat later.
"Brother Cheong! Shall we join?"
"No."
"Then we'll just watch."
Exactly.
She really was quick on the uptake.
Cheongun had no intention of killing Hong So-yeon.
Demonic cultists were precious talents to him.
Just facing one made his martial prowess skyrocket like a cheat code—how could he hate them?
They were like finding a power bank at 10% battery.
Last time, he'd been forced to kill one by circumstance, but this time, he planned to keep her alive and savor her for a long while.
Suddenly, Cheongun unleashed his killing intent.
Shudder—!
The sticky killing intent, laced with his "affection"(?), crushed down on Hong So-yeon's body.
He'd merely released it.
A raw emission of energy, blatant or random depending on his mood.
Just that much pressure made Hong So-yeon tremble, barely holding her ground with gritted teeth.
She slowly backed away, opening distance.
"You son of a..."
She was about to spit out "bitch."
Flinch!
Hong So-yeon twisted her body nimbly to the right, sensing something eerie from her blind spot.
Whip—!
The fishing line from her blind spot grazed her right cheek by a hair's breadth.
Its tip was coiled sharply like a skewer.
Hong So-yeon leaped into the air with a foot technique, dodging the line that arbitrarily changed trajectory from her blind spot.
Just as she thought she'd evaded it, Cheongun's wrist twitched upward ever so slightly.
As if on cue, the line stabbing empty air bent vertically like it had a mind of its own and shot skyward.
In the blink of an eye, the flying line wrapped around the throat of Hong So-yeon, who was using lightness skill.
Cheongun yanked the rod.
"Ack!"
A scream burst from Hong So-yeon's lips as her throat was suddenly choked.
Panicking, she circulated her qi and mustered her full power.
She tried to generate repulsive force to shake off the line strangling her neck.
But.
"Gahk!"
The line around her neck showed no sign of loosening.
It dug into her flesh, tightening further.
Her breathing cut off, oxygen deprived, her mind went blank.
She drooled helplessly, dragged along like a fish on the line.
In a surge of terror that she might die, Hong So-yeon thrashed wildly.
Desperately, she opened her mouth and spat something out—ptui!
A must-have for any assassin: a poison pill.
Having spat it out nimbly, she screamed in fury.
"Kek! Fuck! Almost swallowed it!"
"......"
After sorting out the situation, Cheongun strongly persuaded Namgung Hwi that Hong So-yeon absolutely had to be captured alive.
Thanks to that, she was imprisoned in the golden cell beneath the branch headquarters.
The next day.
Cheongun headed underground first thing in the morning, whistling along.
Nine Dragons Golden Prison.
The golden cell located beneath the Justice Alliance's branch on Mount Qingcheng.
The only reason to descend into that dark, dingy prison was one.
To see the face of the captive Hong So-yeon up close.
Damp stone stairs spiraled down.
Each step crumbled wet stone.
Torches on the walls cast long shadows.
"Where the hell is cell thirty-five?"
Cheongun grumbled, checking the map in his hand as he walked.
Every passage was rigged with traps like pressure mechanisms—move wrong, and you'd cross to the Yellow Springs.
How long did he walk the corridors?
Finally, he arrived at the cell engraved with "35."
Through the bars, Hong So-yeon sat leaning against the wall.
Her tattered martial robes hung off her, her face half-dazed.
Cheongun said with a pleased expression.
"Sleep well?"
"No."
I squatted down and met Hong So-yeon's eyes.
"Want me to let you go?"
"Yes."
"Nah."
"......"
Hong So-yeon clicked her tongue and turned her head away sharply.
Her way of saying she was done talking.
Cheongun gazed at her fondly even then.
Because the moment he met her, his unique trait activated, filling his dantian with natural qi.
With his mind at ease, his mood naturally soared.
Uncharacteristically smiling, Cheongun spoke to her.
"Shadow Flight Gate, right?"
"What's that?"
"That hidden weapon you threw earlier—Shadow Flight Gate's signature. Shadow Needle Dart, was it?"
"No idea what you're talking about."
"Rendezvous point is Black Dragon Cave in Iron Moon Valley. Contact comes on the fifteenth of every month at midnight. Password was... 'I saw the homeward swallow,' right?"
"...Who the hell are you?"
"Got a fun idea. Wanna hear? On the fifteenth at midnight, you go to Black Dragon Cave. Meet the contact and spill everything. 'Hong So-yeon, dispatched by Shadow Flight Gate, betrayed the Demonic Cult! She gave away this place! She called the Heavenly Demon God Cult Leader an orphan with no dick and no hair!'"
Her face paled at that.
"The Heavenly Demon God Cult is strong. Far stronger than you know."
"So?"
"You think you can pull that insane stunt and handle the consequences?"
"Seems like I can."
"Just kill me then."
"Should I?"
"No. Just saying."
......She seemed pretty attached to life.
"Fuck, don't do this—tell me what you want. Give me orders. I'll betray if you say betray, carry out missions if you say so."
"Eh, how can I trust a demon?"
"If you can't trust me, make me take a poison oath! What do you want? Why are you even here? To grind my nerves?"
"Oh, no. Just something to check."
Cheongun's purpose here was singular.
His unique trait.
It made his martial arts leap like a cheat when facing Demonic Cultists, but he needed deeper research.
How long did the trait last once activated?
Did hostility levels affect the boost?
Could he achieve permanent inner energy gains in this state?
Above all, letting the overflowing natural qi in his dantian go to waste was a crime.
So, for now, he'd observe Hong So-yeon to probe the trait's limits.
"Excuse me a sec."
"...?"
Cheongun abruptly sat cross-legged.
Hong So-yeon blinked dumbly at the sight.
"What are you doing?"
"Observing."
"It's uncomfortable. Get lost."
"Or die."
"...Dogshit bastard."
......She couldn't quite bring herself to choose death.