Chapter 24: No Rest for the Hands
Suddenly, it struck me how nice it would be to have my own body double. Just like how the dead Yong Baek-heon had used me, if I had someone who looked exactly like me by my side...
'Sneaking around would be a breeze! I could hit places like this no problem! And I'd treat my double real good!'
[Don't talk nonsense. Just figure out how to infiltrate it. That place has never been breached in the history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.]
Yeah, probably. I craned my neck slightly to eye the target.
At the far end of the bustling street where bizarre-looking demonic cultivators came and went stood a massive pavilion. It was the Jibbeop-gak, where the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's enforcers of various ranks lived and handled their duties.
Even a normal person would feel their legs go weak just looking at it, with the intense demonic energy pouring out.
'Who would've thought I'd set my sights on robbing this place.'
[What can you do? With fire on your heels, you gotta try everything.]
I couldn't help but chuckle at Bongmareung's words, which sounded more like something I'd say.
The Jibbeop-gak was the most heavily guarded place in the cult's main compound, second only to the Cult Leader's Palace. The reason was simple.
'Excluding the orthodox demonic clans, it's where the finest martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult gather.'
The enforcers were exactly that—armed guardians of the cult's laws. They carried out the Grand Cult Leader's decrees and punished violators.
High-ranking figures like the Young Cult Leader were handled directly at the Cult Leader's Palace, but most cases were processed at the Jibbeop-gak, reported upward, and closed there.
'In short, it's the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's version of the police bureau.'
And I had to sneak in there. I'd judged that ransacking the Jibbeop-gak was the fastest way to uncover the identity of the "first challenger."
When I reached that conclusion, Bongmareung threw a fit. Infiltrating the Jibbeop-gak was too dangerous—he urged me to find another way.
But I shook my head. The challenger was due at Wayong Hall tomorrow morning.
'Even contacting Gu Man-bong for intel is too tight on time. No matter how I slice it, hitting the Jibbeop-gak directly is the quickest path.'
If the first challenger showed up at Wayong Hall, the Jibbeop-gak would buzz with activity. Enforcer deployments and patrol routes would shift.
By slipping inside and checking that, I could infer the challenger's identity. Bongmareung had no choice but to concede.
[Inside the Jibbeop-gak, beware the Twelve Law Demons. Unlike the Three Great Protectors, those fiends are stationed there permanently.]
"Hey, old man. You think I don't know that much?"
Who did he take me for, some amateur street pickpocket? The Twelve Law Demons were the elite right below the Three Great Protectors.
They were demonic cultivators who had honed their skills in the Seven Demon Squads and Nine Kill Valleys, earning recognition as high-ranking enforcers. A summons from the Cult Leader's Palace could elevate any of them to the top echelons anytime.
'And with Cheok-san Do-wang gone, one of the Three Great Protector seats is vacant.'
The Twelve Law Demons would be on high alert for promotion chances. That's why Bongmareung was extra cautious.
[Why not impersonate Yong Baek-heon properly and go in through the front? That might actually be safer.]
Impersonate Yong Baek-heon? Sure, that'd get me in safely.
'But it'd cramp my style too much. I'd have to explain why I'm even at the Jibbeop-gak in the first place. Got no good excuse right now.'
No helping it—I had to sneak in. The problem? It was broad daylight, streets crawling with demonic cultivators just after lunch.
That's why I'd hooded my face with a bangrip. Scaling walls now was out of the question.
'Gotta find another way. Disguise maybe?'
[Tch. Can't believe I'm coaching a thief. Guess I'll pick out useful arts from the Bongma Singnok.]
'Now that's a damn good idea for once.'
I started strolling casually, blending into the crowd of demonic cultivators heading toward the Jibbeop-gak. Then I spotted something promising.
A rickety cart rolling along, reeking of rot. That's the one.
'If I use that, getting inside's no sweat.'
[Huh? Isn't that... the cart for collecting food scraps?]
Spot on. The cart was loaded with a slop of leftovers. As I sauntered up without hesitation, Bongmareung's voice turned uneasy.
[N-no way. You're not thinking of squeezing into that stinking mess, are you? The great heir of the demonic path? Please say no! Just imagining it is horrifying...!]
"Bong, you think I'm nuts?"
A little stink on me? I could handle that easy. But it wouldn't do for stealth. So here's what I did.
"Granny! Watching you struggle with that is painful. Lemme give you a hand?"
"...?"
I approached the old woman straining to pull the cart alone and took hold, hauling it along with her.
As I pulled steadily, she looked flustered.
"Young master, this is filthy work for an old bag like me. No need for you to..."
"Nah, it's my call. Reminds me of my late grandma. You look just like her."
"Y-yes."
The old woman wasn't a martial demonic cultivator—just a regular commoner living within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's system in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Demonic cultivators derogatorily called folks like her "hamul," meaning "lesser things" or "inferiors."
'Strictly speaking, I was hamul too. No demonic arts, just used by demonic cultivators.'
[The strong dominate the weak. That's the law of the demonic path.]
'Sure, but... from the hamul's side, it's a whole different story.'
A very different story, in fact. Flexing my thickened arms, I twisted my lips. An old thought bubbled up from deep inside.
'Getting born in the alleys without knowing my parents wasn't my fault, right? Just like being the grandson of the great Heavenly Demon wasn't Yong Baek-heon's achievement.'
[That's...]
Bongmareung trailed off awkwardly, at a loss for words. I wasn't picking a fight, so I let it drop.
By then, the cart had reached the Jibbeop-gak's front. But it didn't go through the main gate.
The gate guards waved them off, so the old woman veered left to a side door. A boorish-looking guard was picking his nose there.
"Young master, from here..."
"Yeah, yeah. Take care."
I released the handle and turned away. Confirming no eyes on me, I crouched low.
The next instant, I was hanging from the cart's undercarriage.
The old woman grunted and pulled onward.
"Ugh. Feels heavier pulling alone."
[Heh. So this was your plan. Quite the clever trick.]
Gripping tighter amid Bongmareung's admiration, I held on. Using limb strength against gravity—it was like wall-clinging technique.
The cart's bumpy underside actually made it easier than climbing a smooth wall.
"Guard, here's the pass..."
"Shut it and move. You think I don't know that hag's face?"
Boorish, but true to a demonic cultivator—condescending to commoners. The old woman grunted again, and the cart lurched through the side door into a stinking refuse yard.
I rolled out quick.
"Ow..."
'Sorry, granny.'
Leaving her rubbing her back, I slipped into the Jibbeop-gak's main hall.
* * *
In Yong Baek-heon's memories, the Twelve Law Demons were like this:
—What is this? A gold calf? Useless junk...
—If you're bribing, send something I can use. Idiots.
—Clear this trash! Sycophants shoving bribes everywhere for promotion.
The Jibbeop-gak's demonic cultivators threw around bribes like money grew on trees. Their authority to enforce cult laws was immense.
[No wonder the interior's so gaudy. Tsk tsk tsk.]
As Bongmareung said, the inside was decked out in luxuries. The Cult Leader's Palace and Young Cult Leader's Palace were ornate too, but the Jibbeop-gak was overwhelming.
Which meant...
'No rest for these hands.'
Feigning a leisurely stroll, I snatched valuables on sight.
[Hey! And you're supposed to be the Young Demon?!]
'Hey, I need slush funds too! They don't send a single cook from the palace to Wayong Hall—think they'll fund us?'
[You punk! Even so...!]
"What! Even so, I'm a pickpocket!"
Bickering internally with Bong, I pressed on. Yong Baek-heon's memories included the layout, so navigation was easy.
Soon, I found it.
'There. The enforcers' duty roster.'
[You really think staring at that tells you anything?]
'Watch and learn.'
The wall-mounted bulletin board listed everything: enforcer names, ranks, shifts, assignments, notes. Dizzying details, but I needed one thing.
'Personnel assigned near Wayong Hall.'
Some enforcers must be escorting the challenger to Wayong Hall. At least one or two.
'Even demoted, Yong Baek-heon is the Yong Demon Clan's eldest grandson.'
No way the Jibbeop-gak would sit out a duel with one of the Eight Great Clans. Scanning furiously, I spotted it.
'Second Enforcer Squad—ten men departing the Cult Leader's Palace for Wayong Hall...?'
[What? Departing from the Cult Leader's Palace? Does that mean Yong Mu-geuk is coming to watch your fight himself?]
I paused, then shook my head.
'Nah. The Grand Cult Leader has Hwa Hyeol Ma-nyeo as his chief enforcer for escort. And the palace's Yellow Dragon Squad assists—that's standard.'
[Then...?]
'The Second Enforcer Squad is escorting the challenger from the Cult Leader's Palace. Means the challenger's already there.'
[Oh ho.]
Bongmareung nodded at my deduction. So, not tomorrow's roster—check yesterday's and today's. Track similar squads heading to the palace, and the challenger's identity emerges.
Shifting sideways, I scanned and widened my eyes.
'This? Yes! That's it!'
The first challenger's identity was...
A voice came from behind right then.
"Hey, what're you?"