Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 104: Seeing the Insights of the Nine Chamber Leaders (2)

The instructor pulled out another whistle and shouted.

"Open the lids!"

As the lids of the jars were removed, the instructor blew the whistle. It was a high-pitched sound, so faint it was almost at the edge of hearing.

As the whistle blew, a strange vibration echoed from the jars.

Vroom!

Suddenly, something pitch-black surged upward.

Even Deputy Bu seemed caught off guard, as if he hadn't been briefed on this. He furrowed his brow, staring intently at the objects before letting out a gasp of shock.

"Blood Bees? Those madmen!"

Deputy Bu sprang to his feet.

I turned to him and asked, "What if this was ordered by a hostile faction?"

"No. The instructors are seniors from the original Blood Wind Squad. There’s no concern about betrayal, but this... this is pure insanity."

Indeed, looking at them, who could possibly fend off an attack from bees the size of a thumb?

"The venom is so potent that being stung about ten times is enough to knock a man unconscious."

In short, this training was designed to weed out at least half of the candidates.

The instructor blew the whistle again.

At that signal, the Blood Bees attacked all at once. The people who had trained these bees were impressive in their own right.

"Form the formation!"

At someone’s shout, the trainees formed four-person groups, standing back-to-back to face the Blood Bees. They swung their swords at the incoming swarm.

The members of the Blood Wind Squad fought back in a near-trance, their blades blurring through the air. As time passed, more and more trainees collapsed, rendered unconscious by the stings.

"Hm?"

Among them, I spotted some familiar faces.

The Twin Heroes of Guiyang, So Gu-chi, and Sim Geol were also fighting desperately in a four-person group. They moved their swords with intense focus, killing the Blood Bees that rushed them from all sides.

Their speed was incredible. They weren't the same people they had been a month ago. Their sword speed was comparable to the fastest techniques, and their movements were stable. I could only imagine how grueling their training must have been.

For a third-rate martial artist to cultivate that level of skill, they had to be prepared to die.

I also saw Poison Wolf Ibu, Smiling Face Sword, and the Seven Heroes holding their ground against the bees. It was a sight that made me feel both proud and pitying.

Then, the youngest of the Seven Heroes scattered something into the air.

Immediately, the Blood Bees that were charging in lost their strength and rained down onto the floor.

As I watched him closely, Deputy Bu gave a small smile and explained.

"One of Young Hero ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Eo’s subordinates chose to learn poison arts."

I thought it was a wise choice. If you're going to live in the Murim, you can't avoid poison and hidden weapons. The youngest of the Seven Heroes seemed to have gained a decent grasp of poison arts, as he was neutralizing the bees before they could even get close.

Before long, the floor of the training hall was blackened with the carcasses of the Blood Bees.

Seeing more than half of the Blood Wind Squad members collapsed on the floor, struggling to get up, and others trying to help their comrades stand, something welled up from deep within my chest.

In all my years of living at the bottom of the barrel with a sword in my hand, had I ever received help from anyone?

Had I ever given help to anyone?

Never. Not once.

One of my Eight Iron Rules for Weaklings is: 'Do not get involved in other people's business.'

Because of that, I never intervened when others were in trouble. I was always afraid the sparks would fly and hit me.

But looking at them now, I felt as if my Eight Iron Rules were wrong.

Now those are real men. Those are true comrades.

I had felt this emotion recently myself.

The members of the Demon Subjugation Group who fought desperately to protect me when we broke through the Demonic Cult League's Heaven-Earth Dragnet. The Sword Palace Squad, who were as cold as cats and dogs at first, but developed a sense of camaraderie after that battle—how bittersweet it was to part with them. And after facing life and death with Do Yeon, didn't she feel like a friend I could trust with my back?

Come to think of it, comrades are the most precious thing in this Murim.

My heart was burning; I couldn't just watch anymore.

Before any more members of the Blood Wind Squad could fall, I unleashed a Lion's Roar.

"Stop! Recall the Blood Bees!"

My voice thundered through the training hall. Recognizing me, the instructor blew his whistle and withdrew the bees.

Everyone looked up at me, standing on the railing near the ceiling.

"Whether you fell or stood until the end, you are all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠accepted as members of the Blood Wind Squad! This is the order of Acting Squad Leader Eo Ja-seo!"

The training hall fell silent for a moment, and then a massive cheer erupted.

"Whoo! Long live the Squad Leader!"

As someone shouted, the instructor also bolstered his internal energy and asked me a question.

"Acting Squad Leader. If you do that, half of these men will not be able to receive the Dragon Ascending Pill. The difference in internal power will create a sense of alienation among the ranks!"

Since things had already come to this, I had no choice but to act bold. Besides, I already had a plan in mind.

"Do not worry! I will obtain them myself!"

When I said that, the instructor didn't argue further and stepped back.

"Wait here for the next twenty-four hours and harmonize your true qi. Tomorrow, I will bring the remaining elixirs!"

Deputy Bu looked at me and blinked, seemingly flustered by my sudden declaration.

"I have somewhere to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go."

As I turned to leave, a vibration filled the training hall.

Thump!

I turned back at the sound of stomping feet.

The members who had been fighting the Blood Bees all clasped their hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward me and shouted in unison.

"Loyalty (忠)!"

The word 'Loyalty' echoed through the Hell Hall.

Hearing that sound, I felt my blood boil and heat surge through my entire body.

Is this what they call Brotherhood Sentiment?

For the first time, I felt my whole body heating up. It was a heat so intense it made my fingertips tingle.

As I stood there, someone shouted.

"Salute the Acting Squad Leader!"

They stomped their feet again and shouted "Loyalty" once more.

I responded with a salute of my own and turned away. My chest felt so tight with emotion that I could hardly breathe.

"Why did you say such a thing? What do you plan to do?" Deputy Bu asked me, sounding worried.

"I have to go see Ma Ui and talk to him. By the way, which group was originally scheduled to enter the next Hell Hall?"

"The Iron Blood Demon Group. They also suffered many casualties in the battle against the Blood Wind Squad. They were planning to replenish their ranks this time."

"Then it’s perfect. If I speak well to Ma Ui..."

"Young Hero Eo, you misunderstand. Even if Ma Ui is sworn brothers with the Chamber Leader, he is the Chief Physician of the Nine Demons Chamber. He won't cast aside the Iron Blood Demon Group just to favor us. Right now, he is only treating the Chamber Leader out of personal friendship."

I knew that. But I couldn't just back down now. Every one of the trainees I saw was more than qualified to be in the Blood Wind Squad.

I went straight to Ma Ui and explained the situation.

After listening to me, Ma Ui asked bluntly, "Why are you being so enthusiastic? Honestly, aren't you going to leave the Nine Demons Chamber once this is all settled? Or are you planning to marry that Ham girl and settle down here?"

I was momentarily lost for words.

In truth, I couldn't immediately think of a reason why I was working so hard. I even had doubts about myself.

But there was one thing I knew for sure.

"I saw real men today. And since I was the one who selected them, I want to take responsibility for them until the end."

"Is that so? Fine. But what about the Iron Blood Demon Group? They won't stay quiet if they find out you took all the Dragon Ascending Pills. Actually, they'll probably come after me first."

I gave a thin smile at Ma Ui's words.

"Hahaha, Physician. Aren't there such things as natural disasters? For instance, a fire breaking out in the medicine room and burning all the elixirs to a crisp. They pushed me into the training room of the Four Wheels Twenty-Four Guests and then asked why I went in; this much is just a cute prank in comparison. How can one be a warrior in the Nine Demons Chamber without that much guts and trickery? I may have mostly operated in the Orthodox Murim, but I’m a guy who grew up in the gutters."

Ma Ui let out a dark chuckle.

"You certainly have a silver tongue. Fine. Do as you wish."

I exchanged a glance with Deputy Bu. Now, all that was left was to carry out the plan.

When darkness fell, I finished dinner and headed to the night training grounds. I appeared there with a man disguised as Deputy Bu and made a show of practicing.

This was to preemptively block any rumors that the fire in the medicine room was my doing. The warriors who saw me at the training grounds would be my witnesses.

A short while later, smoke began to rise from the direction of the medicine room.

"Look! Fire!"

The practicing warriors shouted.

"Where is it?"

"Based on the location, it looks like the medicine room!"

"What? Is the Physician alright?"

"Don't just stand here, let's go put it out!"

The warriors in the training grounds rushed out like a receding tide.

I remained in the training grounds alone, warming up with the Nine-Section Soul-Severing Sword. After a while, someone approached me.

The fake Deputy Bu who had been with me disappeared, and the real Deputy Bu appeared.

"Let's go."

"Did it go well?"

"A fire started in the furnace used to heat the pills and burned down the medicine room. Nothing will be left."

"Weren't there precious medicinal herbs in there too?"

Deputy Bu laughed at my question.

"Usually, because of the heat, pills are prepared in a place separate from the main medicine room. No precious medicines are kept there. Ma Ui had already prepared about a hundred Dragon Ascending Pills to be given to the Iron Blood Demon Group. If we take those and say the pills intended for them were lost in the fire, no one will suspect a thing."

Deputy Bu and I shared a smirk and headed toward the Hell Hall.

When I entered the Hell Hall and presented the bundle of Dragon Ascending Pills, the instructors were shocked. Even though I had talked big, they hadn't expected me to actually bring them.

"Once this is finished, our Blood Wind Squad will have a combat power that won't lose to the Dragon-Slaying Blood Demon Squad!"

The instructors were excited. As seniors of the Blood Wind Squad, it was only natural.

"Thank you, Acting Squad Leader. We didn't know you would go this far for us."

"Until the moment I leave the Nine Demons Chamber, I am the Acting Squad Leader of the Blood Wind Squad."

As I spoke with a smile, the instructors saluted.

"Loyalty!"

I returned the salute and said, "Thank you."

Deputy Bu spoke to the instructors.

"Have the members take the Dragon Ascending Pills immediately, and then bring them to the Nine Demon Wall. We will head there first."

"Understood."

Seeing the instructors shout "Loyalty" to me, it seemed they finally truly accepted me as the Acting Squad Leader.

"The members follow you well, Young Hero Eo," Deputy Bu said, sounding a bit envious.

"It must be because my sincerity reached them."

Deputy Bu gave a small smile at my words.

We headed toward the wall that contained the insights of the Nine Demon Chamber Leaders.

Deputy Bu glanced at me and said, "Thank you."

I knew what he meant. But, feeling mischievous, I asked, "What are you thanking me for?"

Deputy Bu just smiled. "If you don't know, then never mind."

This was why talking to clever people was difficult. They rarely fell for traps.

In truth, I didn't have a burning desire to see the insights of the Nine Demon Chamber Leaders. And even if I did see them, I didn't expect to realize anything profound. With my meager martial foundation, expecting to gain enlightenment from those insights would be like painting stripes on a mutt and calling it a tiger.

My hope was that even if I didn't understand anything, there might be something I could pass on to Jeok Yeong.

Right now, I had two Dragon Ascending Pills in my pocket. One was for me, and the other was for Jeok Yeong.

The stronger the people around me became, the higher my authority and prestige would rise. Thus, I encouraged those around me to get stronger.

Only fools think they can live well just by becoming a master themselves. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Did Cao Cao become a king because of his martial prowess? Did Liu Bei become a king because he was the smartest or the greatest warrior under heaven? How did Liu Bang defeat the stronger Xiang Yu and become king?

It was all because of 'Virtue.'

I heard there is a saying in the Records of the Grand Historian:

He who gains people prospers (得인자흥), he who loses people falls (失인자붕).

Why else would such a thing be written in historical records?

It means that the one who can harmonize people is the true hero. Liu Bei was like that, and so was Liu Bang.

To put it nicely, it means having virtue; to put it bluntly, it means being good at using people.

I decided to follow their example and become excellent at using people. To survive in this Murim with mediocre skills, one needs to carry ten extra lives. And if you don't have ten lives, isn't it better to carry ten subordinates who can stand in for your neck?

We headed toward the corridor at the very end of the fourth floor.

Entering that area, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we found another large training hall, and within it stood a stone wall.

This was the place known as the Nine Demon Wall.

It was called that because the insights of the Nine Demons had been carved into the stone using their signature weapons.