Chapter 143: Capturing the Heavenly Lord's Son (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: Capturing the Heavenly Lord's Son (1)
Danyeong and the three government soldiers escorting her were already surrounded by men who appeared to be other soldiers.
The funny thing was, most of those disguised as soldiers were old men with long, white beards. I could tell immediately that they were the elders of the Divine Light Sect.
Among them stood one man with his face hidden behind a mask.
If I had known there would be this many masters here, I never would have come. I thought to myself that I’d probably never die of old age, given my habit of acting first and regretting it later.
As we made our appearance, about a dozen of the "soldiers" turned to look at us.
"To think you'd make it all the way here. Who are you?"
One of the old men, who had fought me before, spoke up from among the group.
"That brat is the reason the Sixth Overlord, the Seventh Overlord, and Guardian Blood Flame Blade Mun Gang are dead."
At those words, a murderous intent exploded from the eyes of the masked man. Even without looking, I knew he had to be the son of the Heavenly Lord.
I immediately corrected the old man’s statement.
"Excuse me, old-timer. I didn't kill Blood Flame Blade Mun Gang. This person right here did."
I pointed at Chu Bong-hwa, who was standing beside me.
"Ho ho ho. The boy certainly has some nerve, cracking jokes in front of us. He seems quite relaxed."
"We can deal with him in a moment. The herb is the priority right now," the masked man said.
At his words, the attention that had briefly shifted to me returned to Danyeong.
"Hand over the herb, and we will leave this place quietly. No harm will come to you."
Judging by his voice, he was a young man. But did he really mean to ignore me entirely?
Even if it was just Chu Bong-hwa, Jeok Yeong, and myself, we were formidable enough to warrant some caution. Yet, only two or three elders kept an eye on us, while the others kept their backs turned.
"Can't you see we're giving you a chance, even though we could easily capture and torture you? Hand it over," one of the elders urged.
Danyeong replied in a sharp, piercing voice.
"I will never give it to you! If I do, my brother will die!"
The masked man stepped back.
"It can't be helped, then. Since you insist on being stubborn, do not blame us. You could have settled this quietly by handing over the herb. Second Overlord, come forward!"
At his command, someone stepped out from the shadows. It was a man of massive build, carrying something in his arms. Upon closer inspection, it was a young boy.
Danyeong screamed the moment she saw him.
"Danseok! You bastards! What have you done to the child?!"
It seemed they had kidnapped Danyeong’s younger brother while he was on his way here. Their methods were not only meticulous but incredibly despicable. And I had thought I could win a battle of wits against people like this.
"He is merely sleeping for now. But if you do not hand over the herb, he will sleep forever."
The calm, polite way he delivered the threat made it even more chilling.
In this situation, Danyeong had no choice but to resign herself. She glanced at the elders surrounding her and the masked man before her eyes met mine.
I gave her a small nod.
"Fine. I will hand over the herb. In exchange, you must withdraw from here."
"I give you my word."
They seemed unwilling to make an enemy of the Commander, as they readily agreed to Danyeong's terms. It made sense; the Commander held a high-ranking position equivalent to the Senior Second Rank. Moreover, he held military power, and they likely didn't want the burden of a direct conflict with the government.
"Wait here. I will go get the herb."
As Danyeong started to move, an elder shook his head.
"We are coming with you. We don't know what tricks you might try. One grows suspicious with age, you see."
Danyeong countered the elder's words.
"Fine. But if so, I will go with the New Dragon of Sichuan over there."
Perhaps out of overconfidence, the elders easily granted her request. They nodded with expressions that seemed to say, What could you possibly do?
Danyeong went to her quarters, pried up the floorboards, and pulled out the Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade Box.
"Ho ho ho. We never would have found it if we had tried to search by force. Bring it here."
Danyeong stood her ground.
"That's not how this works. I will hand this over only after you release my brother. If you try any funny business before then, I will smash this box immediately."
Seeing her maintain her dignity and authority even in such a moment, it was clear Danyeong was indeed the child of a prestigious family.
"We must be careful, even if the chances are slim."
The elder nodded at Danyeong’s words.
So far, Danyeong was playing her part perfectly. We hadn't expected them to take her brother hostage, but we had prepared for a situation like this and coordinated our words beforehand.
[Lady Dan. When you hand over the herb in exchange for your brother, tell them you need to go to him and pass the box to me.]
As we walked, Danyeong gave a slight nod in response. She didn't use sound transmission because she feared the elders might intercept it. Sound transmission had the disadvantage that a person with higher internal power could sometimes detect the messages of someone weaker.
When we returned, the masked man reached out his hand.
"Hand over the box."
Danyeong shook her head.
"Release my brother first."
The man stared at Danyeong, who spoke in a firm and resolute tone.
Just then, a warrior from the Heavenly Wind Squad rushed over and seemed to report something via sound transmission. I noticed the noise outside was gradually dying down, which meant the masters of the Black Fortress were gaining the upper hand.
Because of that, the man easily gave in to Danyeong’s demand. He didn't have time to bicker with her.
"Then we shall exchange them simultaneously."
At those words, Danyeong turned to me.
"Then, Young Hero Eo, please hand the box to him. I will receive my brother."
I nodded and reached out, but Jeok Yeong stepped forward.
"No, Brother. I will hold the box. It's a dangerous situation, so you should stay back."
Jeok Yeong was worried that they might launch a lethal attack on me while I was holding the Thousand-Year Snow Blossom Fruit.
"It's fine, Brother. I'll handle it."
When Jeok Yeong still tried to step in, Chu Bong-hwa grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him back.
"Let your brother do it."
Despite that, Jeok Yeong kept trying to move forward out of anxiety. Chu Bong-hwa, perhaps sensing something from my insistence on doing it myself, kept him restrained.
Ironically, this put the Divine Light Sect members at ease. They figured I wouldn't be volunteering for such a dangerous task if I had some other scheme in mind.
[Take the boy and get back the moment I open the box.]
I sent a short sound transmission to Chu Bong-hwa.
"Young Hero Eo will hand the box to you as I receive my brother."
As Danyeong approached the Second Overlord, the masked man raised his hand to stop her.
"Wait. Shouldn't we see what's inside the box first?"
Danyeong flinched in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and snapped back.
"As you know, the Thousand-Year Snow Blossom Fruit is highly perishable. If we open the lid, it could be ruined."
"Of course. That's why you just need to open it and close it quickly. I simply want to confirm that it is actually in the box."
For a moment, a look of unease crossed Danyeong’s face. She was only following my lead and didn't actually know what was inside the box.
"Fine. I'll open and close it quickly, so take a look."
I stepped in to reassure Danyeong. I held the box out so the masked man could see clearly, flipped the lid open, and snapped it shut.
Clack!
"I wasn't doubting you, just verifying. Don't take it personally."
The man seemed relieved after seeing the Thousand-Year Snow Blossom Fruit inside the box.
You fool. Do you think you're the only one with a brain?
I had anticipated this and asked Tang Ja-seong in advance to make something that looked exactly like the Thousand-Year Snow Blossom Fruit. That was why I had needed a full day.
"Second Overlord, release the child."
Danyeong took Danseok into her arms, but the man called the Second Overlord still held onto the boy’s wrist. It was a clear sign that he would strike if anything went wrong.
"Now, hand over the box."
As I passed the box to the man, Danyeong wrenched her brother away from the Second Overlord’s grip and retreated.
With that, the elders who had surrounded us began walking toward the masked man, while Danyeong and I backed away.
"Young Lord, let us leave. The masters of the Black Fortress are heading this way."
When the man called the Young Lord stood still as if lost in emotion while holding the box, an elder of the Divine Light Sect spoke to him.
"Ah, I understand, First Elder."
As he spoke, he opened the box to check it one more time.
Click!
He opened it slightly and peered inside, but sensing something was wrong, he threw the lid wide open.
It was then.
Poof!
Suddenly, a cloud of fine powder exploded from the box in all directions. Because it happened so suddenly, everyone near the Young Lord was covered in the white, flour-like powder.
However, the five elders who were further away from him managed to escape the blast using the Shifting Form and Position technique.
The moment the Young Lord opened the box, I had shoved Danyeong away to make sure she was clear. Thanks to that, she wasn't exposed to the powder. I, however, couldn't avoid it and was also covered in the white dust.
"Cough! You! What is this?!" the Young Lord screamed at me.
"You should know better than anyone. Surely you haven't forgotten the drug that poisoned Chamber Leader Gu of the Nine Demons Chamber?"
I had prepared this Energy Dissipating Poison as an emergency measure for when I was cornered. And with this one move, I had found an opportunity to bait him.
"Heh heh heh. You've grown arrogant after saving Ham Jeok back then. I am not someone who will fall for a mere Energy Dissipating Poison. And even if I were affected, as long as these five elders are here, all of you are as good as dead."
"Then why did you try to kill the Young Lord of the Black Fortress?"
"What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden! Who would care about a brat like him?"
"I suppose so. You wouldn't give Galwi a second thought. I guess only someone like the Black Lord is worth your attention."
The Young Lord shouted in fury.
"I don't give a damn about the Black Fortress! Stop talking nonsense and tell me where the herb is!"
"You even tried to assassinate the Black Lord. What is your intention in trying to take over the Black Fortress?"
At that, an elder of the Divine Light Sect stepped forward.
"Shut your mouth, boy! Where do you get off playing these tricks?"
Ignoring the old man, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"If you apologize right here for what you did to the Black Lord, I will forgive you! If you shout, 'I, the son of the Heavenly Lord, beg the Black Lord for forgiveness,' then I'll let this go!"
I was poking at his pride. When you scratch someone's ego like that, their pride tends to lash out in unexpected directions.
"I don't care about some Black Lord or White Lord! The Black Fortress is a place I could crush whenever I want! Don't talk such utter rubbish!"
"Young Lord, it would be best not to fall for his provocations."
The elder warned the Young Lord as I kept trying to steer the conversation in a strange direction.
But it was too late, you bastards.
From behind, Galwi, the Black Spirit Ten Guards, Bushi Jo Ji, and the Guardians descended upon the scene.
"I'm sure that's true. To you, the Black Fortress is probably nothing more than dirt under your fingernails."
I laughed inwardly.
You little brat. Your head might be a hundred times better than mine, but my tongue is a thousand times better than yours.
I had started talking nonsense to him the moment I realized the masters of the Black Fortress were approaching from behind.
"What kind of low-born mutt dares to look down on the Black Fortress!"
The enraged elder of the Divine Light Sect shouted back.
"Where does a piece of trash from the Black Fortress get the nerve to yell at us!"
I looked at Galwi and spoke.
"Young Lord Gal! That man is the son of the Heavenly Lord of the Divine Light Sect, the very one who hired the Ghost Pursuit Squad to kill you! I just heard him say that he's not only planning to assassinate the Black Lord but is also plotting to take over the Black Fortress!"
"You sons of bitches! Everyone, attack them!"
Galwi, who was always quick to lose his temper, fell for the provocation instantly.
At this point, the Young Lord couldn't exactly say, "No, that's not it, I have nothing against the Black Fortress," or "I have no intention of killing the Black Lord." To say that would be to admit that he or the Divine Light Sect was inferior to the Black Fortress.
It was a strange psychological trap; even though he knew clarifying the situation would clear up the misunderstanding, his pride wouldn't let him.
"Brother, did the Divine Light Sect really try to assassinate the Black Lord and take over?"
Jeok Yeong asked me, looking completely bewildered as if this was the first he'd heard of it.
Chu Bong-hwa looked at Jeok Yeong and clicked her tongue.
"You naive fool! That's why you're always getting played by a guy like him."
I turned to Danyeong.
"Lady Dan. It would be best for you to take your brother and get to safety first."
"But Young Hero Eo, aren't you poisoned as well?"
Danyeong asked, looking worried as she saw me covered in the white powder.
"I'm fine. I've already taken the antidote."
I sucked on the Poison Avoiding Bead I was holding in my mouth like a piece of candy.
The reason I had pressured Tang Bin to give me the Poison Avoiding Bead was precisely for a moment like this. And the reason I had specifically asked Tang Ja-seong to formulate an Energy Dissipating Poison that could be neutralized by the bead was for this very purpose.