Flames Devour the Shadow's Scheme
The flames of conspiracy swallowed the shadow's form whole. The shadow writhed in agony, a horrific torment. Yi Jinpyeong calmly withdrew the pipe that had pinned him down and stepped back coolly, as if nothing had happened. He simply pulled out some powder from his sleeve, packed it firmly into the pipe's bowl, sparked a flame with his fingertip, and slowly inhaled, exhaling a plume of smoke. All while watching a being meet its end.
The shadow screamed in silence. This was no quick death like a severed throat or pierced heart. Its entire body burned from inside out, dragging out endless suffering—the most unimaginable way to die.
Un Sa-nang watched the gruesome process without so much as blinking. Though this man had inflicted unspeakable pain on her, even she pitied him in this form of death. Not as much as her childhood friend, but he was a fragment of the fear that had long dominated her life. She felt profound awe toward Yi Jinpyeong, who had so casually shoved him into hellfire.
The shadow thrashed in the grip of pain, yet even then, it knew exactly what it had to do. Bursting into massive flames, it desperately hauled itself up and clung to its desk just a step away.
Fwoosh— The flames leaped to the desk in an instant. Realizing the shadow's intent too late, Un Sa-nang cried out desperately.
"Put out the fire! The fire!"
"Huh? Too late for that."
Yi Jinpyeong looked puzzled. The shadow was dying anyway. He couldn't fathom why Un Sa-nang was asking to extinguish the flames on its body now.
"Not him! The desk! Put out the fire on the desk!!!"
Un Sa-nang screamed until her throat was raw. If her hands and feet weren't bound, she would have rushed in herself. But all she could do was flail on the floor.
Finally grasping her meaning, Yi Jinpyeong kicked the shadow's form off the desk. With a rustle, the blazing figure split in two and collapsed. Jinpyeong flicked his sleeve to summon a gust of wind, stripping the flames and smoke from the desk and herding them into a corner of the chamber.
Whoosh! The roiling flames and thick black smoke surged. But the vortex of wind Jinpyeong conjured gathered the red-and-black mass into a neat sphere. At his gesture, it shrank steadily until it fell as a fist-sized lump—the filth that should have filled the chamber, now condensed into one.
An astonishing feat, a mystical sight. But it barely registered with Un Sa-nang. She was already crawling awkwardly toward the half-burned desk.
"What's the big deal? Treasure hidden there or something?"
Yi Jinpyeong untied the ropes binding her wrists and ankles a beat late. Un Sa-nang scrambled up and rummaged through the still-hot desk. From its charred interior, amid the shadow's frantic scribbles, she pulled out scraps of paper.
But naturally, they weren't intact. Fishing fragments from the ash, Un Sa-nang pulled a long face.
"Damn it! If only we'd put out the fire a little sooner."
Yi Jinpyeong stared at her reproachful gaze in bewilderment.
"What the hell for?"
"His scribbles. Looks like he jotted down his plans and random thoughts here."
"What a moron. Who in their right mind writes down their schemes when hiding out to plot?"
"Of course he didn't write everything. Just fragments of worries and ideas. Without an outlet like this, a neat freak like him would've cracked long ago. Besides, he thought no one would ever find this space."
Un Sa-nang was covered in wounds. Yet she ignored them, poring over the surviving letters on the scraps. Yi Jinpyeong peeked over her shoulder, but deciphering anything from the mostly burned paper was no easy task.
"Should've said something sooner—I'd have killed him clean."
Yi Jinpyeong muttered, averting his eyes guiltily. Leaving the scraps' clues to Un Sa-nang, he rummaged through the desk, which still held half its shape.
"Hmm. Well now... oh ho!"
An unexpected windfall. The bottom drawer held thick stacks of bills exchangeable anywhere in the Central Plains, plus elixirs perfect for recovery.
Though his past life had been that of the world's greatest, Yi Gyeol, Yi Jinpyeong had grown accustomed to scraping by. He grinned ear to ear, stuffing the bills and elixirs into his sleeve. Un Sa-nang would freak if she heard, but he figured the burned scraps were a blessing compared to losing these.
"Find anything good?"
"Mostly illegible, but a few words stand out clear enough."
"Like what?"
"Later-generation prodigies. Death. Dongjeong Lake. The Nine Great Sects and Beggar Clan split in two... crossing an uncrossable river..."
Un Sa-nang pieced the words together and looked up at Yi Jinpyeong.
"...No doubt—a massive disaster was planned for this event. Probably at the Later-generation Prodigy Tournament."
"The tournament, huh..."
"Matches what the shadow told me. He was furious that Yi Gajang disrupted the schedule, preventing the tournament from proceeding as planned."
Yi Jinpyeong nodded. The Later-generation Prodigy Tournament was friendly sparring at heart, but for lesser sects, it was a make-or-break for honor. If someone—especially a promising young talent—died unexpectedly there, it could shatter the fragile unity among seemingly solid sects.
"Rats trying to fracture Central Plains murim solidarity before they make their real move. But with Dongjeong Lake factions all mixed in the ongoing tournament, is the plan already busted?"
"Doubt it. With his perfectionist nature, he'd have contingencies for any scenario."
"Guess we'll watch the tournament closely then. Suddenly stuck protecting those Nine Great Sect pests I can't stand."
"That's not enough. If we could pinpoint which Beggar Clan or Nine Great Sect forces are in bed with the Demonic Cult... but these burned scraps have zilch."
Un Sa-nang frowned deeply, sifting through the scribbles. Watching her, Yi Jinpyeong spoke up.
"No need to sulk. Even a lunatic wouldn't jot down critical intel there. Why not use this instead?"
Yi Jinpyeong dangled an object in his hand. Besides the bills and elixirs from the desk, it was the one other thing buried inside.
Un Sa-nang took it, examined it closely, and her face filled with confusion.
"This is... no, before that—how do you know what it is?"
"Told you. I know everything."
Un Sa-nang shut her mouth, questions dying on her lips. She'd asked "how" one too many times—it was pointless with him. Right now, planning next steps mattered more than his secrets.
"Anyway, how do you plan to use it?"
"Simple. We'll..."
Hearing Yi Jinpyeong's explanation, Un Sa-nang wore a strange expression.
"Think that'll work?"
"Depends how well you pull it off."
"Even if it does, what then..."
"That's my problem after. Nothing for you to worry about. So? Success or failure, won't it be fun?"
Un Sa-nang stared at him incredulously. With a bold plot against the Nine Great Sects unfolding and death knocking at the door, talking about "fun" was beyond her grasp.
But what could she do? She nodded.
"Fine. I'll patch up, get ready for your perfect plan."
"No—figure out how yourself. And handle this place. Me? Got something urgent. Later."
Yi Jinpyeong pulled something from his sleeve and tossed it lightly. An elixir from the shadow's desk—perfect for mending Un Sa-nang's major wounds.
The moment she caught it, he triggered the mechanism without hesitation and slipped out of the chamber.
From his sudden arrival, saving her from death's door, incinerating the shadow, to leaving—it had taken mere moments.
As Un Sa-nang blinked at the sealed wall in a daze, it slid open again. Yi Jinpyeong reappeared. She brightened, thinking he'd returned, but he didn't even glance her way.
"There it is. Nice dagger. Not bad at all."
Yi Jinpyeong thriftily pocketed the shadow's dropped dagger. Then, with another gust of wind, he vanished for good.
Yi Jinpyeong returned to the central plaza where the Later-generation Prodigy Tournament raged.
Weaving through the dense crowd, he sensed the unnatural tension. People stared silently at one another or fixed on a single point, faces etched with shock and suspicion.
What happened? Disaster already?
Speeding up, Yi Jinpyeong hurried to where his brothers had been. Yi Jingang was gone; only Yi Jinun gaped up at the stage.
"Brother."
Yi Jinun startled and turned.
"You're back!"
"Where's Big Brother Jingang?"
"Where? Up on the stage..."
Strange. Even rushing as he had, it had taken time. He hadn't expected Yi Jingang still on stage.
There stood Yi Jingang, motionless and ramrod straight atop the arena. Opposite him: a female disciple of the Huashan Sect.