Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Translator: Penny
Chapter 90
The Monster's Tail (2)
As always, Ilho was studying the painting on the wall.
Chilho stood behind him, delivering her report.
"The Nameless Great Hero has killed The Butcher."
Ilho turned slightly, his back still to her. "Did you witness the fight firsthand?"
"Yes."
"What was it like?"
"A martial art unlike anything I've ever seen."
"Compared to your own skills?"
"I'm not confident I could win."
Ilho pressed further, intrigued by Chilho's frank assessment. "What about The Ghoul? How do you think he'd fare?"
In truth, such questions were pointless when discussing assassins. Their strength lay in their ability to kill enemies stronger than themselves through any means necessary. For a skilled assassin like The Ghoul, analyzing an opponent's strength was meaningless.
Yet Chilho's outlook remained pessimistic.
"Even The Ghoul would face a difficult challenge."
Ilho finally turned his full attention to her, his gaze shifting from the painting to her face.
"So he's that strong?"
"Yes."
"Who exactly is he?"
"Nothing has been revealed yet."
"A random guy just dropped from the sky, killed The Butcher, and vanished?"
"Yes."
"Was this just a coincidence, unrelated to us?"
"I believe so. Neither my movements nor The Ghoul's were detected anywhere."
"Of course not."
Ilho sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk—a habit he had when concentrating.
"The Martial Arts World has been too quiet lately. It's time for a thorn to pierce the pouch. Chilho."
"Yes."
"You'll handle this Nameless Great Hero. Find out exactly who he is, where he's from, and what he's doing. We can't let a thorn-pierced pouch walk around, can we?"
"Yes, I understand."
Just then, a man entered the room and reported.
"The Nameless Great Hero's location has been confirmed."
"What?!"
Ilho and Chilho both reacted with shock.
"Where is he?"
"In Zhengzhou."
"Zhengzhou? That's where Ma Lingyin is."
"Iho sent a message. The Nameless Great Hero has made contact with Ma Lingyin."
The organization had assigned Third Guard to monitor Ma Cheolgun and Iho to monitor Ma Lingyin.
"Understood."
The man who delivered the report immediately withdrew.
"First he interfered with your mission, and now he's involved with Iho? This can't be a coincidence. This man is more dangerous than we thought."
Ilho's eyes gleamed sharply as his fingers tapped the table faster. After a moment, the tapping stopped.
"Chilho, go and assess the situation."
"Iho won't be pleased if I interfere."
"That's likely."
Ilho fixed Chilho with a piercing gaze. The unspoken rebuke hung in the air: Are you defying my orders? Chilho lowered her head in submission.
"I apologize. We'll depart immediately."
"Take The Ghoul and The Drunken Gentleman with you."
The Drunken Gentleman was one of the four strongest assassins in the organization, alongside The Ghoul.
"Even The Drunken Gentleman?"
"You said he's strong, didn't you? If you think he needs to be eliminated, do it immediately. Ignore Iho's opinions. I trust your judgment."
"Understood."
Chilho turned and left.
Ilho watched her until the door closed, then finally rose from his seat.
He gazed at the painting on the wall again, muttering to himself, "Don't die. Dying... only makes the dead pitiful."
It was unclear whether he was speaking to the departed Chilho, the painting, or himself.
I dined with Ma Lingyin that evening.
It was a truly magnificent feast, so elaborate it made me wonder how such a meal could be prepared in this hidden underground chamber.
Even though I had been fed three No Regrets Demonic Spirit Pills, I was still just an unreliable, year-old swordsman. The fact that he was sharing such a lavish meal with me could only mean one thing: he needed me for something.
What task did he intend to assign me?
"Can you truly break the restraints of that No Regrets Demonic Spirit Pill?" I asked anxiously.
Ma Lingyin slammed his chopsticks down with a sharp tak.
"Didn't I say there's a way to break it? I despise whiny men."
"My apologies."
I flinched, feeling my spirits sink. He soothed me.
"Don't be impatient. I'll resolve everything when the time comes."
After such a proper outburst, it became difficult to ask him about it again. Ma Lingyin was a master of manipulation.
"But there's something I'm curious about."
"Speak."
"Why did that man we saw yesterday die? It looked like some kind of test."
Ma Lingyin stared at me silently.
"Didn't you show me that to pique my curiosity? If not, why would you show me such a thing?"
Ma Lingyin, who had been stiff, chuckled. He seemed to realize I had a point.
"Do you know why I didn't send you away immediately and instead invited you to dinner?"
"How would I know the reason?"
"Exactly."
"Speak plainly."
"This is it. You're strangely arrogant."
"How remarkable. You find arrogance appealing. If all martial artists were like you, I might even become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader."
"Ha ha."
I resumed eating, not bothering to avoid any of the dishes. This was one of the benefits of Invulnerability to all poisons—being able to savor any food without worry.
Ma Lingyin, who had been silently observing me, suddenly spoke.
"I'm gathering ingredients."
My chopsticks paused mid-air.
"What kind of ingredients?"
Ma Lingyin smiled enigmatically.
"Would you like to see what they are?"
"Very well. But let's finish our meal before we go."
I picked up my chopsticks again. There was no need to appear too eager to learn his secret. If he intended to show me, he would do so regardless. If not, begging would be futile.
Ma Lingyin chuckled and asked, "Is this daily meal truly so delicious?"
I chewed a mouthful before replying, "Isn't it precisely this daily meal that fuels all the chaos and conflict?"
"Hahaha."
After we finished eating, Ma Lingyin led me out of the room.
I followed him down the corridor, outwardly calm but inwardly alert, my senses sharpened to observe everything around me.
The room I had just left was located about ten paces from the room where I first encountered him. There were no mechanical devices between the two rooms, at least none that my Aura Sense could detect.
After passing the room where we first met and turning the corner, I found myself in the corridor where Chu Dochi and I had walked earlier. This corridor was the second place where I had sensed human presence after the Mechanism itself.
I could still feel the auras of the eight masters.
Ahead lay two facing rooms.
A powerful aura emanated from one room, while a strange, indescribable energy flowed from the other.
Just as Ma Lingyin was about to lead me into the room with the strange energy...
Click.
The door behind us opened. It was the very room where the test had been held yesterday.
"Outsiders aren't allowed."
I turned to see a man standing behind the open door.
The moment I saw him, I knew who he was.
That distinctive, emotionless gaze.
It was Chilho's eyes, and the same eyes as the man who had been with Ma Cheolgun.
He was from that very organization. So they really had assigned one of these men to each successor. Even Ma Lingyin, who was plotting something grand, was no exception.
Could Ma Bonggi be involved in this? Or was there something else at play? Countless questions flooded my mind.
Ma Lingyin and the man's gazes locked in mid-air. The man showed no emotion whatsoever, and it felt like he wouldn't accept anyone else's feelings either. Getting angry would only waste my own emotions.
Ma Lingyin grinned at me.
"They say it's not allowed."
I whispered to Ma Lingyin, "Aren't you going to ask me what I thought of that man?"
"What do you think?"
"I want to beat him even harder than I beat you."
"Ha ha ha."
Ma Lingyin's face brightened. "Let's take our time. It wouldn't be fun if you figured everything out in one day, would it?"
"Agreed."
Tak.
The man closed the door and went back inside.
Turning to follow Ma Lingyin, I glanced back and forth between the two rooms again.
A powerful aura and a mysterious energy.
The answer to what their plan was lay within these rooms.
Chu Dochi led me out of the room, my eyes still blindfolded.
The carriage began moving again, heading somewhere else.
Once more, I strained all my senses, desperately trying to memorize the route.
If we had returned to the same place we came from, estimating our location would have been easy. But the carriage didn't head back to Fangcheng.
After a long ride, we arrived at an inn in the Zhengzhou Marketplace.
"Wait for orders here," Chu Dochi said.
"At an inn?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Damn it! You're treating me like nothing. At least get me a separate annex."
"As I've said before, you're nothing. You'll sleep in the stables if you have to."
"Hmph! I haven't forgotten. You poisoned me three times."
"Keep up this insolence, and you won't keep your head for long."
Chu Dochi showed no fear, even after confirming that my internal energy was approaching Two Cycles. The others I'd seen at Qiu Family Manor had been the same. No matter who their opponent was or what their skill level, they didn't fear death.
Chu Dochi softened his tone, trying to soothe me.
"After all, thanks to you, I've gained One and a Half Cycles of internal energy, haven't I? And from the beginning, I intended to bring you to Great Hero Ma. I never meant to kill you."
This bastard was lying, and that bastard was lying. The Martial Arts World was overflowing with lies.
"Are you being sincere?"
"I swear it."
If he was going to go to such lengths to deceive me, I might as well play along.
I relaxed my expression and asked, "How long must I wait?"
"Until we give the order."
"Very well. But I won't be cooped up in the inn. I can't stand being confined. So issue your orders early in the morning."
"I'll do my best."
As he turned to leave, I added, "Don't have me watched. If I catch anyone spying on me, I'll cut them down without hesitation. Consider this a clear warning."
Chu Dochi scoffed. "Still deluding yourself into thinking you're some great figure, huh? You're not that important. If you want to leave, go ahead. With your internal energy, you could live splendidly for a year."
Without looking back, Chu Dochi strode out of the inn.
I climbed to the room he had secured for me. As I ascended the stairs, I told the waiter, "I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
As soon as I entered the second-floor room, I activated my Aura Sense to check for any observers nearby.
Whether they were underestimating me or overconfident in themselves, there were no guards present.
Regardless, I was grateful for it.
I leaped out of the second-floor window.
I tailed Chu Dochi, who was heading off into the distance. He would never imagine I'd follow him so directly.
This was why I had mentioned cutting down any guards. If there had been any, I would have eliminated them. And if they sent more, I'd eliminate those too.
Eventually, they'd stop sending them. As with everything, the initial phase is crucial.
He didn't return to the previous estate. Instead, he arrived at the Zhengzhou Martial Arts School.
At the entrance, a martial artist opened the gate and greeted him respectfully.
I realized this was another one of their strongholds. The man who opened the door was the same one I'd seen at Qiu Family Manor earlier.
These people are more formidable than I initially thought.
I immediately hired a horse-drawn carriage with a driver.
I boarded the carriage and headed for the entrance to Zhengzhou from Fangcheng.
"Alright, from now on, follow my instructions. It's been a long time since I last traveled this road, so I might get lost. Please bear with me."
"Take your time, sir."
Since I'd already paid for the carriage until midnight, the driver would likely prefer a slower pace.
I focused on recalling every memory and sensation from that day.
It proved more challenging than I anticipated. The time of day was different from when I'd arrived that day, altering the sounds around me. The carriage itself was different, so the feel of the road beneath the wheels didn't match my memory.
Yet my memory was sharper than ever, my focus and senses at their peak. I recalled the memories again and again.
After several trials and errors, I finally located the estate where I had been taken. It was a small estate far from Zhengzhou Marketplace.
They likely never imagined I would attempt to find this place so soon after being released. Catching the enemy off guard is one of the most crucial tactics in battle.
The estate didn't even have an old signboard. It was a very small and dilapidated place, even among estates.
Beneath this estate, where an elderly couple might live peacefully tending flowers in the garden, a terrifying secret was hidden.
I didn't rashly infiltrate the place. The masters were formidable, but the real problem was the mechanical devices. Breaching them wouldn't be easy, and passing through undetected would be impossible.
Therefore, if anyone were to infiltrate from the outside, they would have only one chance: when they were prepared to smash through everything and turn the place upside down.
First, I climbed a distant tree to observe the area, watching for anyone who might approach.
Finding the mastermind? Wouldn't the quickest way be to identify anyone who contacts Ma Lingyin?
Knowing that surveillance was a battle of patience, I settled comfortably on a branch, circulating my Qi and regulating my breathing as I kept watch.
After midnight, someone emerged from the building.
He was Ma Lingyin himself. Eight figures followed behind him.
I recognized them as the eight martial arts masters I had sensed in the rooms on either side of the corridor—Ma Lingyin's personal guards.
He boarded a carriage and departed the estate, his guards riding alongside on horseback.
Seeing him leave, I briefly considered infiltrating the estate. I was desperate to know what lay hidden in his room.
But if I failed to bypass the mechanisms or find anything of significance in that room, uncovering his backers would be futile. They would all vanish into the shadows. Infiltration was premature.
Today, my choice was Ma Lingyin.
I launched myself into the air like a bird, following the direction of the carriage.