Chapter 329
Goncheon Corps Squad Leader Yang Man-ri soon learned the answer to that question.
“Ungh!”
His stomach erupted with heat, followed by excruciating pain—as though his intestines were being torn apart.
“Guhk!”
“Ugh!”
CRASH!
SHATTER!
The warriors at his table clutched their throats and collapsed. All across the wine house, the Goncheon Corps warriors began groaning and falling one after another.
Poison!
Yang Man-ri realized that the ceremonial drink they had consumed was poisoned—with an instantly lethal toxin, no less.
Through the agony of what felt like his entrails melting away, Yang Man-ri stared at Mae Cheong-o, the only warrior at their table still standing unharmed, and forced out a question with the last of his strength.
“Why...?”
Mae Cheong-o had only pretended to drink. He must have known.
His lips were clenched tight, and his eyes brimmed with sorrow.
I’m sorry.
That was what Mae Cheong-o’s stricken gaze seemed to say.
Only then did Yang Man-ri understand why Mae Cheong-o had apologized out of nowhere earlier.
He also realized that the food laid across the table truly had been their funeral offering.
Warrior Lee wasn’t talking nonsense this time.
THUD!
As Yang Man-ri collapsed onto the wine-house floor, he sincerely prayed that Lee Jeon-sam would keep relieving himself for as long as humanly possible.
He knew it was a hopeless wish.
As his consciousness faded, Yang Man-ri saw several Goncheon Corps warriors standing unharmed throughout the wine house, just like Mae Cheong-o.
Traitors!
They were the same comrades who, only moments earlier, had sworn to share life and death with them....
“Everyone, come down now.”
At Goncheon Corps Commander Geum Yulcheok’s booming command, all the closed doors to the private rooms on the second floor opened at once.
Black-clad figures poured out.
“The night is short. Hurry and strip off their corps uniforms, then change into them.”
Only after hearing Geum Yulcheok’s order did Yang Man-ri understand what was happening.
Goncheon Corps Commander Geum Yulcheok had colluded with the enemy and planned to march back to the Martial Alliance in their guise.
That was why the most notorious miser under heaven had rented out the entire wine house. No—more likely, the enemy had turned this wine house into a safehouse long ago.
But how did so many enemy warriors make it this far?
The Martial Alliance’s domain was covered by not only patrol units but intelligence networks woven as tightly as a net. Unfamiliar martial artists could never escape detection.
Now that they were in a state of emergency, security was even tighter.
It should have been impossible for so many enemies to reach the Martial Alliance’s doorstep.
“Ghhrrk!”
But Yang Man-ri died before he could solve that mystery.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Mae Cheong-o had been closing Squad Leader Yang Man-ri’s staring eyes. At the Corps Commander’s icy voice behind him, he shot to his feet.
“...”
Geum Yulcheok glared at the bowed Mae Cheong-o with open displeasure.
“To cling to personal affection with the Heavenfall Society’s great work before us.... Tsk!”
After clicking his tongue, the Goncheon Corps Commander continued coldly.
“Has the hatred in your heart for your mortal enemies begun to fade?”
“Corps Commander—no, Hall Lord. Absolutely not.”
When Mae Cheong-o addressed him by his true position as a Hall Lord of the Heavenfall Society, Geum Yulcheok fixed him with a hard stare.
“You have only just taken the first step toward the revenge your family has longed for. The moment you weaken, you will plunge over the edge of a cliff. Never forget the unjust deaths of your grandfather, your parents, and the rest of your blood kin.”
“I have not forgotten.”
“Then go and do your duty.”
“...?”
“Is there not an empty seat at this table?”
“Understood.”
“The hand that seeks vengeance must not hesitate in the slightest. Mine never has. You know what I mean.”
If Mae Cheong-o showed such weakness again, Geum Yulcheok would not forgive him.
“I will remember.”
Mae Cheong-o bowed silently to Geum Yulcheok, closed his hand around his sword hilt, and turned away.
Geum Yulcheok watched him head toward the privy for a moment, then looked away.
As a Hall Lord of the Heavenfall Society, he had a mountain of work ahead of him.
Standing before the privy, Mae Cheong-o’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
CREEEAK!
Mae Cheong-o stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and quietly called out to Lee Jeon-sam.
“Senior Lee, are you in there?”
There was no answer from any of the stalls divided by wooden planks.
CREAK!
Mae Cheong-o opened the door of one closed stall.
After confirming it was empty, he shut it again.
“Senior Lee, why aren’t you answering?”
CREAK!
BANG!
After finding the next stall empty as well and closing its door, Mae Cheong-o quietly drew his sword.
“Squad Leader Yang is terribly worried about you.”
CREEEAK!
Mae Cheong-o opened the door to the final stall.
“Y-youngest...”
Lee Jeon-sam stared at him, his face deathly pale.
“I... I didn’t see anything. Ah!”
Realizing that he had effectively admitted to seeing everything, Lee Jeon-sam hurriedly changed tactics and began pleading.
“Kid—no, Warrior Mae. Please spare me. If only for the sake of my wife and children....”
“...”
“You’ve visited my home several times, haven’t you? Please....”
“Senior Lee, I’m sorry.”
Mae Cheong-o shook his head, stepped forward, and thrust out the tip of his sword.
SHNK!
Lee Jeon-sam trembled at the cold sensation of the sword piercing the right side of his chest.
Mae Cheong-o moved so close that their bodies nearly touched, brought his mouth to Lee Jeon-sam’s ear, and whispered.
“Do not resist. Stay exactly as you are, or the blade will damage your vital points and other organs.”
“...!”
When Lee Jeon-sam went rigid, Mae Cheong-o slowly withdrew his sword.
“This is all I can do for you.”
Mae Cheong-o turned his back on Lee Jeon-sam, who was clutching his chest, and continued.
“I will pay in hell for the sins I committed against the squad leader and our men today.”
SLAM!
As the privy door slammed shut, Lee Jeon-sam quieted his breathing.
He desperately prayed that no one would come inside to check.
If no one did, the blade had pierced only his lung. He still had a chance of surviving.
*****
Hu Gae looked down into the Great Demon Prison cavern they had just climbed out of.
“The human heart is a treacherous thing.”
At midnight, the cavern below was as black as a bottomless pit, resembling the entrance to hell itself.
“To think I would feel reluctant to leave even a vile place like this, the likes of which the world may never see again....”
“Huh? You too, Big Beggar?”
Taoist Cheongmu, who had been staring down into the Great Demon Prison cavern for some time, brightened.
“I thought it was just me. Especially after leaving Sister Jin down there....”
His bright expression quickly fell.
Knowing how worried Taoist Cheongmu was about Jin Cheongha, Hu Gae said quietly, “Taoist Cheongmu, Sister Jin isn’t alone down there. Her grandfather is with her, and so are the other Demonic Venerables....”
Taoist Cheongmu abruptly cut him off.
“I know.”
“Then why...?”
“Those old men aren’t our family. They already lived here.”
Hu Gae had been about to explain that the Eight Demonic Venerables had not originally lived here either, but he fell silent when he saw the gloom in Taoist Cheongmu’s eyes.
He knew that, like Cheongmu, his own reluctance to leave this wretched cavern behind stemmed from Jin Cheongha.
Our family...
Taoist Cheongmu’s simple way of drawing that line only deepened Hu Gae’s sorrow at parting with her.
It was only natural for Jin Cheongha to remain in the underground cavern and help the Eight Demonic Venerables while they recovered their inner power.
That was why Hu Gae had feigned indifference, merely told her he would see her later, and left the cavern.
Damn it. I should’ve at least told her I was sorry to leave. Anything would’ve been better than nothing.
Hu Gae realized he was hardly any better at expressing emotion than his own taciturn master.
Tch. I wonder how that old man is doing. Gwaa must have grown quite a bit too.
As Hu Gae briefly thought of his old master and young disciple, Taoist Cheongmu turned away from the entrance to the Great Demon Prison and addressed Kwak Yeon.
“Little Martial Uncle, can’t we stay just one more day?”
Kwak Yeon stopped carefully surveying the rocky mountains rising against the star-filled night sky.
“I already told you we couldn’t.”
When Kwak shook his head, Taoist Cheongmu scratched the back of his head.
“I know you didn’t come here for fun, Little Martial Uncle, but I’m worried about Sister Jin....”
Unless Kwak eased his concerns, Taoist Cheongmu would keep falling behind, so he explained.
“Brother Cheongmu, you don’t have to worry about Miss Jin. The truth is, she is safer in there than anywhere else right now.”
“Huh? What do you mean? I think she’d be safer with us—or rather, with you, Little Martial Uncle.”
Kwak found it difficult to explain that traveling with them to the Martial Alliance would place Jin Cheongha in grave danger because she belonged to the Demonic Eight Divisions.
With Taoist Cheongmu’s present understanding, he would have difficulty grasping the deep enmity between the demonic path and the orthodox martial world.
Kwak therefore explained it another way.
“The Eight Demonic Venerables down there only look like that because they’ve gone hungry for so long. They’re actually extremely powerful. Once they begin eating properly and recover their strength, they’ll soon be as formidable as they were before. Miss Jin’s grandfather is also with her, so how could she be unsafe?”
Taoist Cheongmu’s eyes widened.
“Those scrawny old men are really that powerful?”
“They are.”
“How powerful? Can they beat you too, Little Martial Uncle?”
Before Kwak could answer the awkward question, Hu Gae cut in.
“Taoist Cheongmu, you could count the people in this world capable of defeating Brother Kwak on five—no, four—fingers.”
Taoist Cheongmu’s eyes widened further.
“Is that really true?”
Hu Gae nodded firmly.
“Taoist Cheongmu, Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan does not make things up.”
“Wow! Then our Little Martial Uncle must be the strongest person on Mount Wudang.”
Taoist Cheongmu exclaimed and beamed at Kwak.
“Little Martial Uncle, I don’t have to worry anymore. Now no one can drive you away from Mount Wudang.”
The sight of Taoist Cheongmu rejoicing with such childlike logic brought a pang to Kwak’s heart.
He was always afraid that I might leave Mount Wudang.
It would be difficult to explain that the Wudang Sect was governed by strict rules rather than martial prowess. There was no reason to spoil Taoist Cheongmu’s happiness, either, so Kwak readily nodded.
“That’s right.”
Taoist Cheongmu tilted his head at the answer.
“But if you’re stronger than those old men, isn’t that even more reason to take Sister Jin with us?”
When Taoist Cheongmu continued worrying about Jin Cheongha with his guileless logic, Kwak answered in kind.
“Brother Cheongmu, there are eight Demonic Venerables down there, aren’t there?”
“Huh?”
Taoist Cheongmu thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Oh! That’s true. Then I feel a little better.”
Once Taoist Cheongmu accepted the explanation, Kwak turned to Hu Gae.
“Brother, we should get moving. We need to put as much distance behind us as possible before the Wind-and-Sand Formation activates.”
The Wind-and-Sand Formation around the Great Demon Prison activated once the sun rose. With every moment precious, they had to hurry through the night.
“Let’s go. We’ve rested long enough.”
The Morning Star was just beginning to peek over the eastern horizon.