Chapter 644: It Was Damn Fun, You Dumbass.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 644: It Was Damn Fun, You Dumbass.
"4885... it's you, isn't it?"
Sun-woo fixed Salhon with a piercing gaze as he spoke.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..."
Salhon continued to play dumb, feigning total confusion as if he had no idea what was going on.
"You can stop acting. I already know everything," Sun-woo said in a calm, level voice.
"I truly have no idea what you mean, Lord Sun-woo."
"This bastard is going to deny it until the very end, huh?"
A thin, amused smile played on Sun-woo's lips. "Do you even know who I am?"
"Are you not Lord Sun-woo?"
"And my title?"
"Is it not the Heavenly Dragon?"
"Wrong."
Sun-woo’s voice remained flat. "My title is the Sword God. I earned it after cutting off the left arm of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader."
"Ah! I made a mistake. You are indeed the Sword God!" Salhon blurted out hastily.
"What a funny little prick."
The smile on Sun-woo's face deepened. Salhon’s transparent attempts at deception were simply pathetic.
"It's true! Please believe me! I didn't forget that you are the Sword God. It's just that the title 'Heavenly Dragon' was the first thing that came to mind!" Salhon pleaded, his face a mask of aggrieved innocence.
"So, you're insisting you're a blood relative of the Tang Clan?"
"I am! I'd stake my life on it!"
"Then why does a supposed warrior of the Tang Clan possess Demonic Energy?" Sun-woo’s eyes flashed dangerously.
"Pardon?" Salhon’s expression faltered into one of genuine bewilderment.
"I can feel the Demonic Energy coming off you. And it’s a foul, disgusting kind, at that."
"............"
"And earlier, you claimed to have mastered the Doban Samyang Gwiwon Art to the fifth stage, didn't you?"
Sun-woo let out a short, mocking chuckle.
"I hate to break it to you, but the Doban Samyang Gwiwon Art is a technique only the direct bloodline can learn. It’s not something a member of a branch family like you could ever touch."
"............."
"But more than anything, I don't actually know who you are. I don't know your name, your personality, or what martial arts you've practiced. I just threw out a few baits, and you started babbling all on your own."
Sun-woo looked down at Salhon with pure contempt.
"............"
Salhon was speechless. He realized then that it was all over.
"You son of a bitch."
Finally, Salhon glared at Sun-woo and spat out a curse. Fury boiled within him. This bastard in front of him had known everything from the start. He had been standing there with that smug smile, toyed with him like a plaything. How could he not be enraged?
"Did you enjoy mocking me while knowing the truth?"
"It was damn fun, you dumbass."
Sun-woo replied with a cruel, mocking sneer.
"For someone supposed to be a pillar of the Orthodox Faction, your character is absolute trash."
"I don't really want to hear about character from a pathetic murderer like you."
"...........Grind."
Salhon ground his teeth. Every word out of Sun-woo's mouth was a barb that fueled his rising temper.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Salhon asked, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"What do you think?"
".......Are you going to kill me?"
"I don't know... what do you want me to do?"
"Spare me."
Thud.
At Sun-woo's question, Salhon dropped to his knees instantly.
Thud.
He didn't stop there; he slammed his forehead against the ground. It was a posture of absolute, desperate submission.
"Aren't you being a bit too pathetic?" Sun-woo asked, looking at him with disbelief. Just a moment ago, the man had been glaring as if he wanted to kill him, and now he was face-down on the floor begging for his life.
"I am an assassin, not a warrior. If it means keeping my life, I'll do things far worse than this."
Salhon spoke with chilling pragmatism. He was a killer. He wasn't a martial artist who lived and died by a code of honor. To him, martial arts were merely tools for murder. They weren't meant to bring glory or prove one's worth. To such a man, humiliation was a non-issue. What did pride matter if he could stay alive?
"........Worse things, huh?"
Sun-woo trailed off, mulling over Salhon's words. This actually worked out well, as he had business with the man anyway. Sun-woo had come looking for Salhon to learn how to control his murderous aura. He had expected to use threats and torture, but Salhon was proving to be surprisingly cooperative. This left plenty of room for a deal.
"Is that the truth?" Sun-woo asked, staring down at him with sharp eyes.
"It is. If you spare me, I will do anything. If you tell me to lick your boots, I'll lick them. If you tell me to crawl between your legs, I'll do it anytime. Just let me live! I don't want to die!"
Salhon’s will to survive burned fiercely. He had learned the Soul Transfer Technique in the first place because he feared death. He had lived for hundreds of years by jumping from body to body, yet he still wasn't ready to go. He craved eternal life. That was why he begged. He pleaded for his life, promising to do whatever was asked of him.
"Fine. I'll let you live."
Sun-woo nodded. Sparing him wasn't difficult.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Upon hearing Sun-woo's words, Salhon began slamming his head against the ground repeatedly.
"But there's a condition."
"Anything! Just name it, and I'll do it."
"First, return that body to its original owner."
"..........The original... owner?"
"Yeah."
Sun-woo nodded. "I assume you didn't kill him?"
Sun-woo glared at Salhon, his eyes suddenly cold with murderous intent.
"Kill him? That's absurd! I merely swapped bodies; I didn't kill the man!"
Faced with Sun-woo's lethal gaze, Salhon raised his voice in a frantic excuse. The fear that Sun-woo might kill him right then and there was overwhelming.
"Good. Then swap back."
".....Again... you mean?"
"Did you plan on living in someone else's body forever?" Sun-woo snapped sharply.
"..............."
Salhon fell silent. He didn't want to give up the body he had worked so hard to obtain. Seeing this, Sun-woo’s brow furrowed. The man had acted like he’d give up his very soul when he was begging for his life, but the moment a difficult demand was made, he started hesitating. How could someone be so two-faced?
"If you don't return the body, I'll kill you right here."
Sun-woo growled, his threat heavy with intent. He realized that unless he truly terrified the man, he wouldn't listen.
"I... I understand."
The threat worked. Salhon answered quickly, reminded once again that crossing Sun-woo meant certain death.
"Then let's go. It's time to clean up the mess you made."
Step. Step.
Having said his piece, Sun-woo turned and began to lead the way. With a deep scowl, Salhon followed behind him. The two of them headed back into the depths of the passage.
*
"You've arrived, Lord Sun-woo!"
Tang Pyeong, who was guarding the iron door, greeted Sun-woo with excessive politeness. He knew exactly what Sun-woo's presence meant within the Tang Clan. Sun-woo was the disciple of the Poison King and a precious figure who had inherited all the techniques of the direct bloodline. Although his status had become somewhat ambiguous after his broken engagement with Tang Seo-yoon and his subsequent expulsion by the Poison King, a low-ranking guard like Tang Pyeong was in no position to treat him lightly.
"Good work," Sun-woo said with a casual wave.
"What brings you here, my lord?"
"I have business with the prisoner."
"I'll open the door for you immediately!"
"No, let this man open it."
Sun-woo tilted his head back slightly, gesturing with his chin. Salhon, who had been standing behind Sun-woo, stepped forward slowly.
"Tang... Tang So!?"
Tang Pyeong called out in surprise. The man who was supposed to be at home after his shift was suddenly standing there. It was baffling.
"What... what is the meaning of this..."
"Tang So is going back on duty. You can head out now."
Sun-woo spoke to the stunned Tang Pyeong.
"Pardon?! But Tang So has already worked a six-hour shift..."
Tang Pyeong tried to explain. Tang So had already completed his daily quota. Why was he being put back on duty?
"He made a mistake with me. I'm making him work extra as punishment."
"A... mistake?"
"Yes. So, go ahead and take a good rest today. I'll make sure your shift is counted as completed."
Sun-woo spoke as if he were doing him a great favor.
"Re... really!?"
"Of course." Sun-woo nodded. "So don't worry and get going."
"I... I understand. Thank you so much!"
"Don't thank me, thank Tang So."
"Tang So, thanks!"
Tang Pyeong looked at Salhon, who was standing next to Sun-woo.
".......Sure."
Salhon replied half-heartedly.
"I'll be going then."
Tang Pyeong bowed deeply to Sun-woo, then turned and hurried away. Soon, only Sun-woo and Salhon remained in front of the iron door.
Whack!
As soon as Tang Pyeong was out of earshot, Sun-woo swung his fist and clipped the back of Salhon's head.
"Urgh!" Salhon cried out in pain. "Why did you hit me?!" He clutched the back of his head and shouted.
"Open the door, you prick. Who told you to space out?"
"You could have just said so!"
"I just felt like hitting you."
".............Grind."
Salhon ground his teeth again. His resentment toward the arrogant Sun-woo deepened.
"......Fine."
But he quickly complied. He realized he had no choice but to obey until his internal energy recovered enough for him to use the Soul Transfer Technique freely.
Just you wait... Jang Sun-woo.
Salhon’s eyes gleamed with bloodshot malice.
"What are you looking at?"
Sun-woo caught the look and snapped at him.
"......It's nothing."
Salhon immediately lowered his gaze, not wanting to provoke him further. He pulled a set of keys from his robe.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
He began fumbling with the lock, trying different keys until he found the right one.
Click.
Creeeeeak.
Before long, the lock turned and the door slowly swung open. The interior of the cell came into view. There was only one person inside: Salhon's previous body, bound and in a wretched state.
Step. Step. Step.
Sun-woo strode forward. He reached out and slowly removed the black blindfold from the bound man. The man, the real Tang So, stared up at Sun-woo with eyes full of shock. He had never expected someone like Sun-woo to be the one to unmask him.
Sun-woo then grabbed the gag in the man's mouth and pulled it out.
"Cough... hack... wheeze..."
A fit of coughing erupted. The sudden influx of oxygen seemed to overwhelm his lungs. Sun-woo waited patiently until the coughing subsided.
"Hack... Lord... Sun-woo... cough... I am not... Salhon... I am the guard... Tang So..."
The voice, thick with desperation and a sense of injustice, reached Sun-woo's ears.
"I know," Sun-woo said calmly. "I've come to set everything right."
He looked Tang So straight in the eye. "So, don't worry about a thing."
Sun-woo’s expression was one of absolute certainty.
"......Lord Sun-woo."
Tang So looked at him with profound emotion. He had been terrified that he would die here, certain that no one would believe his absurd story about his soul being swapped. But the great Jang Sun-woo—a man treated with the same reverence as the direct bloodline—had come to save him. How could he not be moved?
"Just bear with it a little longer."
Sun-woo offered a word of comfort to the miserable Tang So. Then, he turned to look at Salhon behind him.
"Hey."
".........Speak."
"Switch them."
Sun-woo gave the command with an overbearing authority that would have infuriated anyone else.
"........Understood."
But Salhon didn't care. He knew Sun-woo held his life in his hands.
Step. Step.
Salhon walked over until he was right in front of Tang So.
"Recite the incantations you memorized earlier."
He demanded that Tang So speak the words of the Soul Transfer Technique once more. Tang So looked at him with deep suspicion, fearing another trick.
"Do you want to live in that body forever?"
"No!"
"Then shut up and recite the incantation, you dog!" Salhon roared, his irritation at Tang So's hesitation boiling over.
"Mu ba-gu nun su-re bu-bu hon ba-gu nun su-re bu-bu..."
Finally, Tang So began to chant.
Mu ba-gu nun su-re bu-bu hon ba-gu nun su-re bu-bu...
Salhon joined in the chant.
Woooooooong.
An ominous, pitch-black aura began to swirl around the two of them.