The Encounter
The auction at Byeokhaeru had ended, and the noisy crowd dispersed quickly.
I walked slowly down the dark corridors of Byeokhaeru, still wearing my mask, with the Great Recovery Pill I had obtained for the enormous sum of seventy thousand nyang tucked safely inside my robes.
That was when it happened.
“Congratulations, young master.”
A calm voice with a strangely deep resonance.
It was the same voice I had heard in the auction hall earlier.
It was the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
‘He’s moving faster than I expected.’
I had considered several possibilities regarding the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s appearance, but I hadn’t anticipated he would reveal himself so openly.
He must have been quite desperate.
I stopped walking at a leisurely pace and turned my head.
A man dressed in black clothes with a mask covering the lower half of his face—it was unmistakably the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
Even with the mask, the faint murderous intent and poisonous aura leaking from him were impossible to hide.
“It was nothing more than a bit of luck.”
I deliberately composed my expression and answered calmly.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor began approaching me slowly as he watched.
One step. Then another.
With every step he took, murderous intent rose within me of its own accord.
‘Hold it together.’
Having witnessed firsthand the horrific bloodbath he had caused in my previous life, I couldn’t calm down easily.
But I had to endure.
‘Because he isn’t the end of this.’
That bastard was merely the starting point of the true catastrophe.
He was nothing more than the first step in the Heavenly Demon’s plan to kill my mother and weaken the Ju family’s power.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor stopped right in front of me.
Only three jang away.
Close enough that a single step would let me reach his heart.
My heart pounded violently.
I feared the sound might give me away.
Fortunately, it seemed he couldn’t hear it. The Blood Hand Poison Emperor stared down at me and spoke.
“Do you even know what that thing in your possession is?”
Beneath his polite tone lurked a sharp murderous intent.
A filthy, insidious, and inconspicuous killing desire.
The greed reflected in his eyes was unmistakably murderous.
‘Same as always.’
The corner of my mouth curled up involuntarily.
One of the Seven Clear Water Men had been lost, the Black Blood Corps had been completely wiped out, and now if he failed to obtain the Great Recovery Pill as well, the Heavenly Demon would kill him.
The Heavenly Demon was not merciful enough to tolerate a fool who produced no results.
“I’m not sure. Isn’t it the treasure of Mount Song that everyone knows about?”
I nodded casually with a relaxed smile.
The expression I wore—mocking him, flaunting that I possessed the very thing he desired—made the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s face truly worth seeing.
“Seventy thousand nyang… I’ll give you twice that amount. How about it?”
I let out a snort at his words.
“If you had that kind of money, why didn’t you just bid higher inside? Why come to me now?”
Since he had dropped the honorifics, I did the same.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor paused for a moment before grinning.
“You can’t exactly carry that much money around with you, can you? I imagine it’s the same for you, young master.”
Of course I didn’t have seventy thousand nyang.
But Jangsaeng knew my identity.
The Ju family’s name had been enough for them to agree to deferred payment, though the Blood Hand Poison Emperor had no way of knowing that.
“I have plenty of money at my residence. If you wish, I can even pay in gold.”
“…”
I pretended to think it over.
Follow him to his lair?
That would be no different from suicide.
‘Even if he hasn’t created the Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense yet, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s arsenal isn’t limited to just that.’
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor was one of the Twelve Demon Emperors.
The poison qi he possessed was truly terrifying.
‘Even though I’ve learned the Dragon Heaven True Qi…’
It was only at the ninth star.
The energy was far too weak to deal with the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
“What makes you think I’d trust you enough to follow?”
“…”
At my words, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s face hardened.
“How about this? If you come to my home yourself, I’ll gladly hand it over.”
You have to enter the tiger’s den to catch a tiger?
Hah, what nonsense.
I had no intention of walking into his den when I wasn’t even in his league.
To catch the beast, I would lure it into the dragon’s lair instead.
“For such a young master, your judgment is remarkably dull. Tsk tsk.”
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor smiled faintly as he straightened up.
Immediately, Muyoung stepped in front of him.
“Your guard is impressive, but that’s all. What if I killed both you and your guard right here, took what’s in your possession, and left? Who could stop me?”
He was right.
This was the murim.
A place where it was only natural for people blinded by greed to kill one another.
“That’s true.”
But he couldn’t kill me.
“Wouldn’t the aftermath frighten you?”
“…”
He could only say that because he didn’t know who I was.
“You’re currently threatening to kill a direct descendant of the Ju family.”
“…The Ju family?”
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s face twisted horribly.
It was quite amusing to see the always-confident bastard so flustered.
‘In the end, you died by my hand in your previous life anyway.’
I had nearly died in the trap he had set, but I had ultimately won.
The situation now was no different.
No, I held an even greater advantage.
‘The tables have turned.’
Now I knew him, but he had no idea that I knew him.
That was my most lethal weapon.
“My face is my calling card, and my identity is the promissory note that guarantees every word I speak. One hundred and forty thousand nyang… No, since I’m in a foul mood, let’s make it one hundred and fifty thousand. Bring one hundred and fifty thousand nyang in gold, a promissory note, or cash—whatever you like—and come find me at the Ju family.”
With those words, I turned away.
I saw the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s hand twitch, but I ignored it.
‘You can’t lay a finger on me here.’
To deal with me, he would need the Heavenly Demon’s permission.
If he acted on his own now… the Ju family might move first.
‘Go ahead and try if you dare.’
Gritting my teeth, I left the auction house without looking back.
Though I didn’t show it, I was just as tense as he was.
Only after I got outside did I realize how tightly I had clenched my fists—my palms bore deep nail marks, and a little blood had seeped out.
Still, I had seized complete control of the situation.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor would have no choice but to come find me.
* * *
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
The family residence remained quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary.
“Young master.”
Muyoung approached me after I finished my training.
“What is it?”
“I wanted to ask you yesterday, but your expression was so grim that I didn’t dare. However…”
It must have been about the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
I gave Muyoung a faint smile.
“That man from yesterday… I have a bad feeling about him.”
“Your feeling was correct. That bastard… he’s completely insane.”
“He clearly harbored murderous intent toward you, young master. Moreover…”
Muyoung bit his lip hard.
“If he had made a move, I’m not sure I could have stopped him.”
Hesitation.
For a martial artist, that hesitation was fatal.
Especially for a guard.
“Even if the two of us attacked together, we couldn’t so much as scratch him, let alone kill him. At our current level… either my eldest brother or at least someone of Division Leader rank would need to step in.”
“Was he… that strong?”
Muyoung clenched his fists tightly.
He had expected it, but the opponent was far more powerful than anticipated.
“You don’t need to worry. If he sets foot in the family residence, I’ll kill him.”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you so surprised? He must die. No question about it.”
“But without knowing what he has done… even if we did, without clear evidence, acting recklessly…”
“Bullshit.”
I openly sneered.
At my icy smile, Muyoung closed his mouth and simply watched me.
“That’s why the orthodox sects are doomed. That damned sense of justification. Even when they have justification, they hesitate to use truly lethal force for fear of damaging their reputation and dignity.”
“…”
“That’s why they end up getting stabbed in the back by the unorthodox sects and…”
They are utterly destroyed.
Even if we completely uprooted this outdated, idiotic mindset, it would still be questionable whether they could stand against the Demonic Cult.
Despairingly, this orthodox mentality was already rooted too deeply to be easily shaken.
And I had no intention of trying to change them.
‘It would be a waste of time.’
Hoping they would change was the same as hoping the Demonic Cult would stop being greedy and simply live quietly in the barren lands of Xinjiang.
I had no desire to waste mental energy on such a hopeless endeavor.
“Hah, enough.”
I stood up and headed toward Insujeon.
If I was going to welcome a guest, I ought to prepare a reception worthy of him, shouldn’t I?
* * *
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s hiding place.
He sat in his residence, tapping his index finger as he lost himself in thought.
“The Ju family…”
He recalled the impudent brat he had seen the previous night.
The one who had taken the Great Recovery Pill for seventy thousand nyang.
“It must be that Yu bitch’s son. There’s no other brat of that age in the Ju family.”
The situation was truly ironic.
One of the Clear Water Men stationed in Shaanxi had died, and the entire Black Blood Corps had been annihilated.
Thanks to that, he could no longer touch the Yu family.
And as if that weren’t enough, the Great Recovery Pill he had been after had been taken by the Ju family?
“Could this really be a coincidence?”
A strange smile spread across the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s lips.
It was an incredibly amusing situation.
Moreover, the boy had personally invited him.
“Who could it be? The Sword Sovereign? No. The Sword Sovereign isn’t the type to hide behind a child and scheme from the shadows… Could it be the eldest young master, Ju Seung-hyeok? Or… the Great Elder, Ju Sang-geon?”
No answer came.
But one thing was clear: he was now being drawn into the Ju family residence.
It was possible they had noticed his presence.
However, they would have no concrete evidence.
“Fine. If they want to invite me in, I’ll gladly accept.”
He had no intention of avoiding it.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor rose from his seat.
Behind him, different shadows flickered into existence.
“Summon all the Clear Water Men. The Red Hand Unit and Black Hand Unit as well. Tell them to abandon their current missions and return at once.”
“Yes, Poison Emperor.”
One of the shadows bowed toward the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
He was thoroughly enjoying the current situation.
* * *
Clink.
The sound of liquid sloshing inside a small bottle echoed.
“Perfect.”
I slightly opened the bottle’s lid and inhaled the scent rising from within.
A wonderfully fragrant and sweet aroma filled my nose, instantly clearing my mind.
That wasn’t all.
The entire Insujeon, where the medicine had been prepared, was now deeply permeated with that fragrant, sweet scent.
It was a complete success.
“Young master.”
The head of Insujeon, Heo Su-gyeong, approached me.
Her eyes looked entranced, almost dazed.
“Just what… is that?”
“This?”
I lifted the bottle, letting the liquid slosh audibly.
“A gift for a very important guest.”
“No, what kind of guest would require… using a Great Recovery Pill as an ingredient…”
“Knowing would only hurt you.”
I had spent the past two days holed up in Insujeon to create it with great difficulty.
It was the thing the Blood Hand Poison Emperor desired most.
Right now, it was something even the Blood Hand Poison Emperor himself had only thought about and never actually created.
Without the memories of my previous life, it would have been utterly impossible.
Leaving the puzzled Heo Su-gyeong behind, I tucked the medicine bottle into my robes and turned away.
Just as he had done to me.
I would hunt the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
All preparations were complete.