Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Translator: Penny
Chapter 94
Beyond the Door (1)
Inside the cramped room, a man was thrashing wildly.
He swung his fist against the wall.
Bang! Thud!
The wall buckled inward with a deep metallic clang.
Boom! Thud! Bang! Thud!
He rained down a series of punches, but the thick steel wall only dented and cracked, never breaking or collapsing.
Veins bulged across the man's body like thick worms crawling beneath his skin, and his breath came in ragged gasps, as if he had run ten thousand miles.
After pounding one wall relentlessly, the man whipped his head around. A hole the size of an adult's palm had appeared in the opposite wall, and someone was peering into the room.
Like a predator spotting its prey, the man lunged toward the wall.
Bang! Boom!
When his repeated blows proved futile, the man peered through the hole. Two figures were visible on the other side.
Grrr...
A murderous aura radiated from the man, as if he wanted to smash through the wall and kill the two people outside.
Meanwhile, the two men observing him from outside remained calm. They were Ma Lingyin and Chu Dochi.
Chu Dochi, his face flushed with excitement, gazed at the man snarling softly with bloodshot eyes and said, "He's still full of energy. I have a good feeling about this time."
Ma Lingyin, ever grounded in reality, reminded him, "The real test begins now."
Chu Dochi lit the incense stick he held from a wall-mounted lamp. The incense began to burn, releasing a steady stream of smoke.
"If he can endure until the incense burns completely, we'll succeed."
Tension flickered in Chu Dochi's eyes. For years, their experiments had repeatedly failed, draining vast amounts of time and resources. More than that, the constant failures had worn down his spirit.
Please, just this once! Burn quickly!
Contrary to his desperate plea, the incense burned slowly.
The man pacing the room suddenly stopped.
"Ugh... ugh... ugh!"
His eyes widened, the whites turning bloodshot. The crimson eyes made him look like he was seeing a ghost.
"No! Endure!" Chu Dochi cried out anxiously. Ma Lingyin, standing beside him, merely watched impassively.
The man in the room began convulsing again, far more violently than before.
Thud! Thump! Thump!
The thick steel walls buckled inward, but the man's hands remained unscathed.
"Just a little longer... just a little longer. Endure."
Encouraged by Chu Dochi's words, the man pressed his face against the hole, gasping and choking as if begging for salvation.
"Hold on, you bastard! Endure!"
"Ugh... ugh... ugh!"
The man convulsed violently in agony before abruptly ceasing all movement.
Splat!
Blood gushed from the seven orifices of his face as he collapsed to the floor like a rag doll. Silence descended upon the once-raging room.
Chu Dochi sighed, glancing down at the incense stick in his hand. More than half of it remained.
"Damn it!"
He cautiously eyed Ma Lingyin beside him. Though outwardly composed, Ma Lingyin was seething with suppressed rage.
Chu Dochi quickly held up the remaining incense stick and said, "Still, he lasted a little longer today."
But his words offered no comfort. Instead, they seemed to serve as a signal. Ma Lingyin strode purposefully toward the two rooms facing each other.
He stopped before the room emanating an eerie aura.
He pulled at the door, but it was locked.
Ma Lingyin spoke in a low voice.
"Open the door."
But the door remained locked.
Chu Dochi, who had been watching, felt a surge of inner tension. He could sense that Ma Lingyin was far angrier than usual.
"I said, open the door!" Ma Lingyin's voice boomed, and a man named Iho appeared at the end of the corridor.
He strode forward and blocked the door.
"You can't do this," Iho said calmly.
"Get out of my way."
"I'm sorry, but I can't. Didn't we agree not to force the door open unless it's opened from inside?" Iho explained patiently, not budging an inch.
Ma Lingyin's fury shifted to Iho.
"I said, get out of my way."
"If you continue like this, I'll have no choice but to report this to my superiors."
"Superiors? What about me? Am I just some Lower Rank? Am I beneath your feet?"
Ma Lingyin erupted with murderous intent, but Iho remained unmoved.
Just then, a sharp Tak echoed from the opposite room. It wasn't any ordinary sound, just a single knock on the door—a warning to be quiet.
Iho's entire body trembled violently. He, who had never flinched even before Ma Lingyin's murderous aura, was now terrified.
Ma Lingyin demanded urgently, "Who the hell is in that room?"
Astonishingly, even Ma Lingyin, who exuded such formidable energy, didn't know who occupied the room radiating such immense power. Only Iho, the Watcher, knew what lay within.
"You bastards! If you couldn't trust me, you shouldn't have recruited me in the first place! If you recruited me, you should have trusted me to the end!"
Chu Dochi, who had been observing from the shadows, was inwardly surprised. While Iho was known for his fiery temper, Ma Lingyin was usually reserved and rarely showed his emotions.
Despite countless failures in his schemes, this was the first time he had ever lost his composure like this.
"Leave now," Iho said coldly, issuing his Order of Expulsion.
Ma Lingyin retorted icily, "Arrogant bastard. You'll regret this."
As he turned to leave, Ma Lingyin suddenly recalled The Nameless One's words:
It seems you truly have a taste for arrogant men.
"Damn it!"
Ma Lingyin, who had been heading back to his room, abruptly turned around and stormed out again.
Chu Dochi, still watching, could sense that Ma Lingyin was changing. The reason for this transformation remained a mystery.
The streets of Zhengzhou were beginning to bustle.
The Golden Grand Banquet was still over ten days away, but people had already begun to flock in from all corners of the Central Plains. As this was primarily a festival for merchants, countless traders from every region had gathered.
Goods rarely seen in ordinary markets were now on display, drawing large crowds eager to purchase them.
I, too, was swept along by the throng, browsing the wares.
The variety of goods was truly astonishing.
As I wandered through the market, I bought several items—some necessities, others impulsive purchases. Among them was a Tracking Scent, which I figured might come in handy someday.
In any case, my knowledge of Martial Arts World artifacts proved invaluable. Thanks to it, I avoided being overcharged or tricked by counterfeit goods.
I bought the Serpent Wrist Guards and a fishing rod, spending nearly all of the Seven Thousand Taels I had left. Instead of feeling wasteful, I felt strangely relieved.
When I returned to the inn, Ma Lingyin was sitting on the first floor, drinking alone.
"Did you come to see me?"
"Indeed."
Judging by the three or four empty wine bottles already on the table, he had been there for quite some time.
I sat down across from him and ordered more wine and dishes.
"Why didn't you send word beforehand?"
"I enjoy drinking alone."
"Perfect timing. I was just in the mood for a drink myself."
I drained the wine Ma Lingyin poured for me in one gulp. Was it because my body had grown younger? Or had my mindset changed? The wine tasted better and went down smoother than it ever had during my time as Alliance Leader.
Back then, I never had time to properly enjoy alcohol. Afraid of making mistakes while drunk, I had always purged the Alcoholic Qi with my internal energy as soon as it entered my system.
Back then, I was consumed by thoughts of the Alliance Leader's duties and the peace of the Martial Arts World. Buried in work, I devoted any remaining time to martial arts training.
Now, I finally understood why I had never reached the Heart Sword Realm. It wasn't for lack of dedication, but because my way of life was fundamentally flawed. How could I have achieved the Heart Sword Realm with a life so stiflingly bound by obligations and a training regimen driven by ambition rather than genuine passion?
If only I had allowed myself the simple pleasures of a leisurely drink or occasional travels. If I had known then what I know now, things would have been so different.
"I have a question," I said.
"What is it?"
"The Martial Arts World says curiosity kills, but damn it, I can't stand not knowing. How did you get dragged into all this?"
"Dragged into what, exactly?"
"I'm talking about what I saw underground. The man who bled to death, the room emitting that strange energy—those aren't normal occurrences, are they?"
"Perhaps he was a villain? Maybe the Martial Arts Alliance tortured him to uncover his backers, and it ended that way."
I chuckled softly.
"Do I look that naive to you? What about the men who died by my hand at Qiu Family Manor? Were they also Martial Arts Alliance members?"
Ma Lingyin laughed with me.
"You're as sharp as ever."
"If I were so sharp, would I be asking these questions? Actually, there's something else I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"Is this operation Young Master Ma's independent venture, or is it sanctioned by the Alliance Leader?"
"What do you think?"
"My guess is that Young Master Ma is acting alone."
"Why do you say that?"
Ma Lingyin's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Even so, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader wouldn't be involved in such a shady affair, would he?"
Ma Lingyin chuckled again.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Even you are different on the inside than you appear on the outside, aren't you? To the world, you're a hero of the Martial Arts World, but in reality..."
"I'm just a petty man driven by greed for money. So, does the Alliance Leader know about this?" I asked, my eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Perhaps he does, perhaps he doesn't."
"So you're not going to tell me after all."
"Didn't you say yourself that knowing too many secrets leads to an early death? Let's not end our connection over idle curiosity."
This man, who was trying to use me and then kill me, could say such things with an unchanged expression, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In a way, it was almost admirable.
"Oh, by the way, take this."
I pulled something from my robe—one of the items I had bought from the market earlier.
"A gift," I said.
It was a portable whetstone for sharpening swords, a high-end model that was both lightweight and highly effective.
"It's nothing compared to the kindness you've shown me, but I wanted to offer something in return. I wish I could have bought you something grander, but I didn't know what to get."
"Do you trust me now?"
I shook my head. "I still feel like your kindness is a trap. But sometimes we fall into traps we know are there, don't we? I'm tired tonight, so I'll retire early. Enjoy your drink."
I fled upstairs as if running away.
Before entering my room, I glanced down. He was still sitting there, staring at the whetstone.
This was the moment my strategic kindness had finally reached him.
Two days later, Ma Lingyin summoned me to the Estate.
I couldn't tell if my gesture of goodwill had worked or if it was merely a coincidence.
Chu Dochi arrived, blindfolded me, and led me to the Estate in a carriage.
"At this point in our relationship, don't you think the blindfold is unnecessary?"
"Our relationship? Was there ever anything between us that could be called a relationship?"
His irritable response made it clear: he was still furious about the twenty thousand taels I had given him earlier.
It was always a welcome sign when my enemies' emotions surged and sharpened. At times like these, I needed to keep my own mind calm and composed.
I dismounted the carriage and entered the Estate, focusing intently. I needed to count the exact number of steps before the turn, and which mechanism he would trigger to open the secret passage leading to the underground chambers.
Thanks to Chu Dochi, I realized he was adjusting the wall-mounted lamp to open the mechanism's door leading underground.
The door opened, and the mechanism carrying us descended into the depths.
Wooooooom.
We walked down the same corridor as before, still sensing the murderous aura emanating from the four mechanisms.
Rounding a corner, we entered a new corridor.
We passed a room guarded by eight escorts, their presence indicating that Ma Lingyin was nearby.
Next, we encountered two rooms facing each other.
We passed a room radiating a mystical aura and another exuding a powerful energy.
Finally, I was led to the last room where I had dined with him before.
When my blindfold was removed, Ma Lingyin was seated with another man—the same one who had stopped me from entering the room earlier.
"Let's introduce ourselves," I said, taking the initiative.
"I don't know if you're aware, but I have no name," I began. "You can simply call me Nameless."
The man replied curtly, "I have no name either."
Ma Lingyin interjected, "But surely there's some way to refer to you?"
For a moment, the man's expression tightened slightly before he answered calmly, "I'm called Iho."
Iho. My suspicions were confirmed. He was definitely part of the same organization as her.
"Iho? That suggests you're quite skilled. You're right after Ilho, aren't you?" I asked, half-joking but genuinely curious. Was this organization truly numbered by skill, or were the numbers merely for convenience?
He offered no response.
He reminded me of Chilho, whom I'd met before, but this man was clearly different.
Chilho had carried an air of loneliness and emptiness, a longing to escape her work.
But this man was different. He was content with his work, dedicated to it, and striving to excel. He was easy to manipulate, yet incredibly dangerous.
"Now that he's part of the family, why don't you show him to his room?"
Iho's expression tightened slightly.
I could sense the silent power struggle between them.
This was exactly the situation I had hoped for.
If my opponent had been Ma Jeongsu, I would have worn a triumphant smile.
But instead of rejoicing, I steeled myself, knowing I needed to be even more cautious.
It was clear that our recent connection had led to this meeting. However, while our relationship might be the catalyst, it wouldn't be the outcome. Just because we'd grown closer didn't mean he'd spare me. He'd try to exploit even this connection somehow.
Ma Lingyin was like a deep, dark well—bottomless and impenetrable.
A chilling thought struck me: perhaps this meeting was to carry out "that" plan they'd mentioned that day.
I had to be careful.
Iho quietly alternated his gaze between Ma Lingyin and me before rising without further delay.
"Follow me."
With a trembling heart, I followed him alongside Ma Lingyin.
We soon stood before a room radiating an otherworldly energy.