Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Midnight Meeting
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Around midnight, Heuk Do-san climbed up pathless wild mountains for about an hour alongside Hyeon-gak.
The full moon had yet to tilt, so although it wasn't as bright as daylight, there was no trouble picking out the way. It also helped that his eyesight had improved dramatically after training in the Ten Million Great Heaven Scripture.
About halfway up, a dilapidated temple came faintly into view, nestled in the hollow of a basin. Even from afar, the abandoned monk quarters exuded an eerie desolation.
" Temples too far from cities get no visitors, and too close, they're overrun by the vulgar masses. This one's neither far nor near—why'd they shut it down?"
"What's with calling it a business? You're a monk—should you really use such irreverent words?"
"What's wrong with business? Nothing's holier in this world than making a living."
"So what do temples sell?"
"They sell Buddha to soothe people's wounds, guide them to the righteous path, and provide answers to life's profound questions."
"If it's that great, why'd you break your precepts?"
"Beats me."
Hyeon-gak's voice suddenly quieted. His tone seemed to carry a faint sigh, as if laying a burden down.
"Do you want to go back to Shaolin Temple?"
"No one can turn back time."
"Who asked if you could? I asked if you wanted to."
"What's the point of talking about impossible things? Let's focus on the matter at hand."
Hyeon-gak pulled two scraps of black cloth from his bosom and handed one to Heuk Do-san.
"What's this?"
"A mask."
"Why the mask?"
"It might be a trap for Demonic Cult remnants. Not that there's anything to fear, but if our faces get known, it'll complicate future operations. Better to hide them."
"You're more meticulous than I thought."
"Had to be, surviving while that bastard Seop Dae-gang hunts me relentlessly."
Entering the courtyard, the temple looked far more wretched up close than from outside. The main hall, presumably once used for worship, was crumbling in places like a haunted ruin, and the yard was overgrown with weeds.
Amid the thick weeds rolled fragments of stone pagodas. One man sat with his butt planted on one such chunk.
He too wore a mask. The difference was that his covered everything except the mouth.
'What was he planning to eat with a mask on?'
Draped slantwise over the pagoda stump he sat on was something wrapped in coarse cloth. Looked like a weapon.
Wrapping a weapon meant it was something unique enough to be recognized on sight.
"I never expected to meet someone in such a remote spot in the dead of night. We've lost our way, but what's your business here?"
Hyeon-gak said.
"I've been waiting for lost travelers."
The masked man replied.
It seemed they'd hit on a prearranged secret signal after all. Heuk Do-san let out a hollow chuckle. Both masked up, and such a ridiculous signal to boot.
The two pulled over rolling pagoda fragments and sat down as well.
Heuk Do-san heightened his qi sense.
'Two in the left hall, three on the roof, four beyond the wall, five in the right guest quarters. Brought quite the entourage.'
"You're late."
The masked man asked.
His voice cracked roughly, clearly altered on purpose. Mask plus voice disguise. He was extremely wary of revealing his identity.
"So it goes."
Hyeon-gak answered.
He too had modulated his voice.
"You want to know about Golden Crow Island?"
"Indeed."
"Why?"
"Best if we don't pry into each other's motives."
"Do you know how dangerous it is to poke around about Golden Crow Island?"
"That's our business."
"I don't care if you get in over your heads. The issue is you haven't given me a good reason to take on that risk."
Hyeon-gak took out the chest strapped to his back, set it upright, and gave it a slight push. The chest slid smoothly across the ground, stopping before the masked man before toppling sideways.
His control was astonishingly precise.
It was a skill to manipulate objects for a set time using the initial burst of internal energy. Advance it further, and it became Object Manipulation from Afar; further still, Mind Sword—or Sword Control with Ki.
No simple trick. It showed Hyeon-gak had trained considerably over the past three years.
A flicker of surprise crossed the masked man's eyes. He opened the chest lid.
Gleaming silver ingots revealed themselves. Easily tens of thousands of taels at a glance.
"Silver ingots are more versatile than traceable bills. Worth the risk, wouldn't you say?"
The masked man's eyes widened. He gulped dryly, picked up an ingot, and bit into it lightly.
His uneven yellow teeth dented the silver. Confirming it real, he hastily shut the lid lest the ingots vanish.
Heuk Do-san thought:
'Emotions plain in his eyes, actions frivolous. He might lead a small band, but never a big organization. Does he even know anything about Golden Crow Island?'
"What exactly do you want to know?"
"Everything about Golden Crow Island."
"That's why I asked your reasons. Can't just say 'everything.' I need to know your intent to decide what to tell."
"Start with the people on Golden Crow Island. How many were taken there?"
"From company commanders on up, all Demonic Cult practitioners captured alive by the Righteous Alliance. Roughly a hundred, from what I heard."
"Why so few? I heard they captured hundreds of Demonic Cultists."
"Right before transport to Golden Crow Island, the prisoners in the Alliance's prison killed guards and attempted a jailbreak. Astonishingly, they succeeded in escaping. But they ran smack into the Ink Soul Ghost Shell Corps returning to headquarters and got massacred."
"Ink Soul Ghost Shell Corps...?"
"The Righteous Alliance's rising star, seventeenth-generation disciple of the prestigious Mount Hua Sect, Seop Dae-gang's strike force."
Seop Dae-gang's name cropped up again. The masked man's tone when mentioning him confirmed his fame was well-deserved.
"After that disaster, only about a hundred remained. No telling how many survive now. Most were injured and shipped off without proper treatment."
"Any notable ones among those taken alive to Golden Crow Island? Names anyone would recognize, say."
"The highest-ranking captured at the Battle of the Evil Four Valleys Plateau three years ago: the Seventh Star Lord and the Maiden. A few other experts' names leaked, but I don't recall them now."
"Is the Seventh Star Lord and the witch still alive?"
"How should I know?"
"What's the setup there? Locked in an underground prison? Or free to roam the island?"
Worry for Bing-seol, perhaps?
Urgency laced Hyeon-gak's question. The more excited Hyeon-gak got, the more relaxed the masked man became.
"Not sure about an underground prison. Even if not, they're hardly free."
"Why not?"
"Word is, after arriving on Golden Crow Island, all Demonic Cultists got Thousand Jin Hammers shackled to their ankles. The blacksmith who made them says each weighs about five hundred jin."
"Why the hell do that?"
"Obviously to prevent escape from the island. No matter how strong their arts, no one can swim the ocean with five hundred jin dragging at their feet."
Five hundred jin was two fat pigs. Jump in the sea chained to two pigs, and you'd sink before you could flail once.
Hyeon-gak ground his molars.
"So they at least feed them properly?"
"Gonna keep asking these trivial details? You didn't come to me just for that."
He was right.
Hyeon-gak realized his needless agitation was a blunder and reverted to a calm tone.
"Finally, the location of Golden Crow Island."
"Heard it's about a hundred li northeast of Furnace Mountain, out at sea. Fierce currents keep ships away, and it's shrouded in perpetual sea fog—hard to find."
Furnace Mountain wasn't far from Bongrae. Hyeon-gak, who'd fretted over a southern sea route, breathed easier.
"Planning a jailbreak?"
"None of your concern."
"Not a good idea."
"I said none of your concern."
"Ten days ago, others were quietly inquiring about Golden Crow Island. They went to the Hao Clan first, ended up referred to me through them."
The masked man subtly boasted his intel on Righteous Alliance internals surpassed even the world's Hao Clan.
"Who were they?"
"No idea. Masked like you, and I didn't ask. No need. But had to be Demonic Cult remnants."
"Why so sure?"
"Obvious, isn't it? Who else cares about Golden Crow Island? Probably scheming a raid to rescue the Seventh Star Lord."
"And?"
"Told them what I knew. For a proper price, of course. But you lot coming separately suggests you're not with them..."
"Are you testing us now?"
Hyeon-gak shot a cold glare.
The masked man waved a hand.
"Ah, just sharing info. I'd miss it if all the Demonic Cultists vanished. Chaos is good for business like mine. If you don't want to hear it, I'll stop."
Only then did Hyeon-gak's anger ease a bit.
"Go on."
"They asked about the location too. Told them everything I knew."
"What'd you say?"
"What I just told you. About a hundred li northeast of Furnace Mountain, out at sea."
"Out at sea, a hundred li from shore—a slight deviation means dozens of li off. Just saying 'northeast'—how long to search that whole area?"
"Not my problem."
An icy silence fell.
Only then did Hyeon-gak realize this man didn't know Golden Crow Island's precise location. Or he'd resolved to withhold the final truth as a Righteous Alliance insider.
Likely the latter.
Everything he'd shared so far was disposable rumor. What kind of idiot was this?
"You took thirty thousand taels from me, and now claim ignorance on the most crucial part? Unacceptable."
Hyeon-gak's tone turned savage.
The masked man's eyes hardened too.
"I've already paid in full."
"You think thirty thousand taels buys mere 'guards are tight'?"
"Gonna make a scene?"
"A scene?"
The masked man, who'd been leaning forward, slowly straightened and crossed his arms. Instantly, his hidden underlings swooped in like arrows, surrounding the pair.
Fourteen in total, all masked, gleaming swords and blades at the ready.
Infuriated, Hyeon-gak whipped out his iron staff in a flash. He bellowed loud enough to shake the hills.
"You wanna go?"
"Look like Demonic Cult remnants. Best back off quietly. Keep pushing, and we drag you to the Righteous Alliance. Judging by your auras, not mere grunts. At least ten thousand taels each. What say you? Keep going?"
"You filthy bastards!"
Hyeon-gak stepped back into attack stance. The masked men leveled blades like vipers striking.
A tense staring contest sparked between Hyeon-gak and the masked men. Knives out at a hair-trigger.
All the while, Heuk Do-san sat still, scrutinizing the masked man.
Everyone had a unique presence. Invisible to the eye, but to those versed in Eye Arts, it felt as distinct as fingerprints.
Other tells abounded: speech habits, hand gestures, pupil movements, unique dentition.
One man came to mind.
"You're Yeom Jin-sang, aren't you?"