Chapter 219
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Sharing the Same Boat with Wu and Yue (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Geum Sihyeon took a moment to etch the fake Heavenly Demon's face into his memory, finishing his wicked deliberations on how to package that bastard and hurl him at the Nangong Family so they'd rate it a successful tactical nuke.
What he sought next was...
"Sihyeon, my brother!"
"Hwi-hyung."
It was Nangong Hwi, with whom he'd tearfully parted ways in Shandong.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
The great demonic bastard Geum finally began to move his tongue, intent on corrupting the righteous young man Nangong Hwi's pure soul with evil!
"When did the head of the Nangong Family reach such a profound realm? I hear he's attained the Profound Realm."
"About a year ago. He was already in the Profound Realm when he emerged from seclusion."
"Huh?"
Geum Sihyeon cursed his past self today once more—the one who'd never cleared the Demonic Cult route, and thus never witnessed the true might of the orthodox factions.
And that curse was entirely justified.
Typically, allies turned enemies were about as useful as third-rate warlocks, that was the law of the jianghu.
Conversely, enemies turned allies became ridiculously overpowered, blessed like Lu Bu himself—that too was the law of the jianghu. Except for Karel.
Though Geum Sihyeon would never admit it, he'd already dipped not just his foot but his whole body into the Demonic Cult route.
Thus, it was inevitable that his adversaries grew relatively stronger.
Of course, Geum Sihyeon dimly perceived the world's contrived backlash that he'd brought upon himself.
"Level scaling, huh..."
"What does that mean?"
"Eh, just a thing."
Rather than spilling his unique circumstances in exhaustive detail, he opted to pour another shot of liquor into his mouth.
A few rounds passed like that.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"Did you see the proclamation earlier today?"
"I did. Felt a bit out of left field. Seems like life's gotten boring for him."
"I'm going to take him up on it."
The liquor spewing from Nangong Hwi's mouth splattered across Geum Sihyeon's face in droplets.
Even amid such an undignified display, Geum Sihyeon maintained his solemn expression without so much as a flinch.
Gazing at him, Nangong Hwi murmured,
"You're serious."
"Seems that way."
Nangong Hwi let out a low sigh.
And then, he posed the question he'd held back until now.
"Did you kill Brother Nangong Baek?"
Geum Sihyeon nodded readily.
The sigh turned to lament.
But he didn't draw his sword.
"How deep does the Azure Heaven Society's influence run in our family?"
Nangong Hwi had already heard from Geum Sihyeon about the Azure Heaven Society and knew of the ordeals he'd endured.
It merely turned suspicion into certainty.
In response to that lament, Geum Sihyeon simply refilled Nangong Hwi's cup with a grin.
"Proof that it's not all of them is right in front of my eyes, isn't it?"
"......"
As Geum Sihyeon raised his cup with those words, Nangong Hwi had no choice but to clink glasses.
However.
No matter how low the family's honor had plummeted, he was still a son of Nangong.
"Step out for a bit."
This junior was slightly higher in realm than him, sure.
But how could a proud scion of Nangong overlook someone threatening his family with a sword?
Besides.
How could he not warn this junior against such recklessness—smashing his head against a Profound Realm master at merely the early Peak stage?
In the open lot behind the tavern, Nangong Hwi declared loftily,
"If you can't surpass me, you'll never set foot in Nangong—"
As bundles of sword aura rained down around him like arrows—thwock, pwock, thwock, pwock—
Nangong Hwi momentarily lost his words.
"Let's head back in and keep drinking."
"Yeah."
That freakish talent monster.
Why the hell was he already in the Fusion Realm?
Even the mild-mannered Nangong Hwi felt a spark of anger.
After soaking Nangong Hwi in booze and dumping him in a tavern room,
Geum Sihyeon set off to find his next connection.
Not far away, at a rather lavish inn.
"P-P-President...!"
"Long time no see, seniors."
The former student council president and current executives, who'd only briefly crossed paths at the last minor conference, finally caught up properly.
After some talk of the Hundred Flowers Academy and student council matters,
"Who... is that guy?"
"Ah. Blood Cult boss."
"...?"
Baek Liyeon's mind blanked at the utterly casual remark.
The Blood Cult's leader had come all the way to Anhui, orthodox faction territory.
What the hell was going on in the Central Plains right now?
"Come to think of it, lemme see."
Geum Sihyeon's palm naturally patted Baek Liyeon's head.
"N-No—"
Baek Liyeon tried to resist the sudden, unprepared caress,
but once more, that refreshingly cool sensation, that warm touch cradling even a venomous killer,
had her unknowingly closing her eyes to savor it.
"Like a cat..."
"Ha."
Baek Liyeon yanked her head away at Dang Narin's spot-on description.
In any case, though his appearance might not inspire confidence, Geum Sihyeon's gesture had clearly eased her burdens.
"Thank you, senior."
Baek Liyeon bowed her head politely in gratitude.
Geum Sihyeon, however, recoiled.
"A real man doesn't bow his head so easily, junior."
"......"
"......"
Baek Liyeon and Dang Narin fell into awkward silence for a moment,
but alas, though his Soul Moon Divine Eye could gauge internal energy at a glance,
Geum Sihyeon hadn't yet reached the level to fully pierce the pressure bandages' disguise, missing the oddity.
Yeah.
Taking the trouble to contact through Narin tells me this master is thrilled.
No.
Maybe he doesn't even think of me as his master anymore.
That's why they say you shouldn't pick up and raise black-haired kids.
Back in my day...
.
Still, I'm just glad you're safe!
Right?
Lady Gate Master?
You'd better brace yourself when you get back to Xi'an?
.
You shouldn't joke like this. Narin, little sister.
Dumbass.
Geum Sihyeon borrowed Dang Narin's smartphone for a bit to catch up with people he hadn't been able to reach lately.
"Ugh, ugh, uuuugh..."
"Narin, that's smartphone addiction."
"N-No it's noooot..."
Only after handing it back did Dang Narin, gnawing her nails in near-panic, regain some composure.
"Oh, right. Narin."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Mind if I take some poison off your hands?"
"Eeeek...?!"
"Wh-What shameless—?!"
The moment the parched Geum Sihyeon—starved for quality venom—eyed her poisons,
Dang Narin trembled, and Baek Liyeon turned feral in an instant.
Watching their reactions,
Geum Sihyeon just asked,
"You two dating or something?"
"N-No we're nooot...!"
"How dare you suggest such impropriety! I have no interest in women!"
Dang Narin's timid denial aside,
Baek Liyeon's booming proclamation filled the room.
And, a beat late,
'Ah, fuck...'
Baek Liyeon remembered she was still in disguise.
Virgin功 divine arts, huh.
What a cursed martial art.
...But wait, doesn't mastering virgin功 still let you chase skirts? Otherwise, why emphasize aversion to women so hard?
Tsk.
Our junior...
Turns out she's a scary one?
More importantly.
The Tang bloodline was not to be underestimated.
That Narang girl dropping some terrifying hint earlier,
and now,
her immediate response to my request for poison:
- Th-Then show me your abs...!
Not like she wants Alex's abs or anything—does her head just swim with pervy hehehe fantasies?
I was the thirsty one, so with Baek Liyeon gritting her teeth and facing the wall, I hiked up my robe to flash my chiseled abs,
but then:
- Pant, pant, pant...! S-Sing a song too!
- Is she nuts?
- Ungh!
Looks like while I was gone, some idiot virus swept the Hundred Flowers Academy—Dang Narin's blabbering nonsense, so I dropped a nuke right on her thick skull.
Somehow, no normal people around me.
Each one's got a screw loose.
Like Seol, who swapped brains with booze and MIDI,
or Luri, who traded squishiness for vocabulary.
"Geum Sihyeon. Let's talk for a sec."
This Blood Cult asshole popping out of the shadows is no different.
"Got a question first."
"Hm?"
There's this idiom: Sharing the Same Boat with Wu and Yue.
From Sun Tzu's Art of War, it pops up in situations like 'Temporary alliance just this once!' or 'Hmph, don't drag me down!'
At least that assumes you're in the same shaky boat.
"I need an explanation on what the hell your lunatic Hong Sundok is up to."
Based on intel shaken out of that vixen, piecing together the Blood Cult's moves so far,
no matter how I slice it, this guy's
just a puppet boss.
```