Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: An Informant? (1)
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"Why, why...?"
Chae Su-ran asked in a trembling voice. Her reaction to the mere possibility that I might not come tomorrow made my chest tingle with pleasant delight.
I was planning to head straight out from here and go meet Huangbo Hyo-seon.
'If she has any brains, she won't go poking around the Demonic Cult the very next day after I've spotted her.'
But the suspicions about the Demonic Cult would still linger.
So I figured I'd play the role of a collaborator, tossing her just enough information while acting friendly.
Honestly, there wasn't even the slightest big picture leading to sex, but I still had to lay the groundwork.
"Your companion might get suspicious."
"Ah..."
But there was no need to tell Chae Su-ran all that. She knew my name, but not that my master was the Blood Demon—or even that I was one of the Nine Dragons, for that matter.
I kissed her forehead, and Chae Su-ran giggled happily.
'I'll definitely knock her up someday.'
Her martial realm was low, so I needed to quickly figure out how to wield the Ascending Immortal Art even against demonic arts...
Chae Su-ran was from the Tang Family too, like Tang Hye-won. If she aged and her beauty faded, she'd probably shrivel up sadly.
I held her head against my chest and spent some time like that.
Only after washing up with the exhausted Chae Su-ran could I finally head out to meet Huangbo Hyo-seon.
*Tap*
Huangbo Hyo-seon snapped her eyes open. She had been asleep.
Woken by the sound of something hard striking, she heard it again from the closed window.
She immediately knew who would pull a stunt like this. She quickly changed clothes, grabbed her sword, and only then opened the window.
As soon as it swung open, a man slipped inside like a ghost. Huangbo Hyo-seon gripped her sword and spoke to him.
"It was you after all, Flame King."
"...Just call me whatever you like. Good evening, Lady Huangbo."
She spoke to the masked man, still refusing to lower her guard.
"What's your business here?"
Even from the fact that he'd woken her, it didn't seem like he'd lunge right away—but she knew he couldn't have good intentions toward her.
"You seem awfully interested in our cult's movements, Lady Huangbo."
"..."
"Ah, no need to hide it. Those filthy Demonic Cult bastards struck first, and now they're apologizing so readily? Even I'd find that suspicious."
He'd uncovered far too much in just one day.
Her mounting wariness sharpened her fingertips, but she forced a relaxed smile and spoke.
"What is your true identity? Someone high up in the Demonic Cult?"
"Afraid not. If I wanted you to know who I am, I wouldn't show up in this mask... Whoa!"
He lightly dodged the sword slicing swiftly at his mask and opened some distance. Her skills had definitely improved.
"Quite bold of you."
"Did you come here to toy with me? If you don't want your face carved up, take off that mask now and..."
"What a shame. Aren't you being a bit harsh to someone who might be the only informant you can connect with in our cult, Lady Huangbo?"
"An informant...?"
"You've been recklessly wandering alone because there's no proper way to get information from our cult, haven't you?"
Huangbo Hyo-seon had no choice but to concede the point.
"...How can I trust you? And what's in it for you?"
"All I can say is to judge it for yourself. I have no intention of demanding payment."
"Why?"
"There are all sorts of factions in the cult. Resolving what you're curious about benefits me too."
Her head throbbed. Not knowing what he was thinking made it impossible to decide how to proceed.
"No need to overcomplicate it. Just ask what you want to know and hear my answer. Believe it or not, up to you. No payment required."
"..."
Something felt off, but there was nothing suspicious in what he was saying. That was the problem.
"Information from a suspicious masked man. How would you even know where to pay when you don't know who he is? Right?"
His attitude—teasing her like he was dangling bait—grated on her, but Huangbo Hyo-seon finally spoke.
"Fine, then answer this. Why is the cult leader apologizing so readily?"
"What do you think?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you..."
"Ah, let me rephrase. My kid hit another kid. The parent apologized. Why?"
"...Because the kid was in the wrong."
"Exactly. But would every parent apologize in the same situation?"
Huangbo Hyo-seon pondered for a moment, then her eyes widened.
"Because they don't want to fight...?"
"Correct."
"Nonsense! Why would the Demonic Cult..."
"Why not? Because cultists are monsters who love killing enemies and drinking their blood?"
His words struck her sharply.
"You saw it on your way here. Not everyone in the cult is a martial artist who practices demonic arts."
"But how many times have they invaded the Central Plains? Isn't it all because of them?"
"Maybe. But on the flip side, they might not want to fight because they don't want those people getting hurt, right?"
It was entirely possible. Provided she accepted that Demonic Cultists weren't so different from the righteous faction.
While Huangbo Hyo-seon was at a loss for words, dawn began to break.
"Oh dear, looks like I came too late. I'll visit again tonight—a little earlier."
"...What exactly do you do wandering around at night?"
"I don't recall promising details on my private life. Well then, until next time."
She watched him leap out the open window, then finally slid her sword back into its sheath.
Approaching the open window, she confirmed the man had vanished once more.
"What in the world..."
His conclusion alone gave no real answers. She needed more details.
Who had started it all and why? What was the cult leader's stance? What would the Demonic Cult do next?
Her head spinning, Huangbo Hyo-seon clutched it and sank back onto the bed.
As expected, I'd end up meeting Huangbo Hyo-seon early tonight.
After tossing her some bait and leaving, I headed to the training ground at first light and began my cultivation.
Circulating my qi through a single circuit perfectly loosened my muscles, and I warmed up by flowing through the forms in sequence.
"Oh, training in the morning? What's gotten into you?"
"Master."
Master took a seat, looking pleased as he watched my movements.
"Ever since we got here, it felt like you were holed up in your room just meditating. Changed your mind?"
"When you're stuck on something, it's often best to set it aside and try a different approach."
Master nodded approvingly, and I began to exert my real power.
Power filling the Eight Extraordinary Meridians burst from my hands and feet, exploding the air and kicking up clouds of dust.
But rather than focusing on the movements themselves, I observed the flow of true qi within my body.
The Ascending Immortal Art was fundamentally a mental method designed to allow yin and yang qi to coexist as one.
Yin manifested as cold, yang as hot, so it was easy to assume they each only encompassed part of the five elements.
'But in truth, each of the five elements—fire, water, wood, metal, earth—splits further into yin and yang.'
Even fire qi, which seemed utterly unrelated to yin, contained yin aspects.
Suspecting the key lay here, I closely examined the circulation of true qi in my body.
Mysterious Heaven Qi, encompassing both Heavenly Yang Finger Qi and Phantom Finger Qi.
I'd thought that if I forcibly clashed the two energies of yin and yang to convert all my inner power into Mysterious Heaven Qi, that would do it—but once it exceeded a certain amount, the Mysterious Heaven Qi dispersed, splitting back into two.
In the end, without enlightenment, I couldn't obtain complete Mysterious Heaven Qi.
"Haa..."
After a full bout of movement, I caught my breath and finished the forms. But I hadn't gained anything special.
Master shook his head, reading from my reaction alone that there'd been no harvest.
I'd thought this was the way since he'd approved—but no, it might not be the answer, though it could still be the right approach.
"Master, is this the correct way?"
"It might be right. It might be wrong. There's no such thing as a perfect training method that works flawlessly for everyone."
"How did you do it?"
"I just trained on my own until I naturally realized the answer and my martial arts advanced. Nothing to really teach."
Master's master probably should've taught him not just the arts, but how to teach them too. Damn genius.
Meanwhile, Master seemed to have reached an unpleasant realization, his expression twisting.
"That punk... Diligently training because of women instead of the sect's long-cherished wish... Tch, tch..."
"...Didn't you say the ancestors opened the sect through bedroom arts? In that sense, I'm the one properly upholding their will..."
"I don't want to hear it, you brat. No results, whatever the reason, and I'll lock you in the training hall. Got it?"
Where was the Master who'd been thrilled at my surging inner power from bedding Eon So-young? Now here he was, scolding me for training because of women.
Partly due to his warning, but I had clear reasons to train diligently.
Not just for Chae Su-ran—for the chance to bed Young Ho-kyeong too, I needed to find a way to avoid backlash against demonic arts.
'And if I play it right, Huangbo Hyo-seon too...!'
I had no idea what the Sword Saint was thinking sending his granddaughter here, but I'd succeeded in getting her tangled up with me.
She clearly had deep-seated prejudices against Demonic Cultists. Maybe I could shake her mind using that as an excuse.
"You punk!"
Maybe because the memory surfaced of our first meeting—her torn bodice, breasts heaving.
Suddenly erect, and Master exploded in rage.
Aish, damn it. Creepy getting hard alone with the old man—cut me some slack.
"Sorry, Master!"
But I couldn't voice my true feelings and simply bowed my head in apology to Master.