Chapter 101: It's Only Visible to My Eyes

TL: FoodieMonster007

Green Mask chose the fastest route to the Hundred Prosperities Trading Company, so camping for the night was unavoidable.

Lee Ahn busied herself hunting for dinner and starting a campfire. She struggled, so I eventually stepped in.

"If you want the campfire to burn well, you have to stack the wood like this."

Surprisingly, Lee Ahn had never built a campfire. This was her first time traveling so far from our Cult.

"Alright, this time I'll show you how to prepare the meat."

I skillfully dressed the pheasant and rabbit I had hunted.

"Young Master, you're really good at this. When did you learn all this?"

"I'm just naturally talented, you know?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon leaned against the carriage wheel and watched us in silence. Green Mask stood a short distance away, guarding him.

I skewered the prepared meat on branches and began roasting it over the campfire.

"Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. You can miss an assassin, but you can't burn the meat!"

"……"

Lee Ahn seemed to enjoy roasting the meat and did it with enthusiasm.

Lee Ahn was tense because of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and Green Mask. I sincerely hoped this moment would become a good memory for her, since it was her first journey.

When the meat was cooked, I offered some to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"Please, have some with us."

"I'm fine."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"It's alright."

Lee Ahn cut the meat, seasoned it with salt and spices, then wrapped it in paper. She brought a portion to both the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and Green Mask.

"You can save it for later if you'd like."

She returned after handing the meat to the two men.

She was terrified of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, but she still took care of him.

"Well, we'll eat first then."

Lee Ahn and I cut up the meat and ate. We also drank the alcohol we had bought when we stopped in the village.

When I offered her a drink, Lee Ahn adamantly refused. "I'm fine." It seemed she couldn't bear the thought of getting drunk in front of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

Watching this, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon suddenly remarked, "No matter how I look at her, she isn't pretty. What part of her is supposed to be pretty?"

Lee Ahn flinched at his words. From his comment, she could probably guess what kind of conversation had passed between me and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

It was a rude thing to say to her, but it was also for my benefit. It was his way of letting her know that I had called her pretty.

Instead of answering, I gazed into the distant darkness.

"Over there, ninety meters away, do you see the weasel under that rock?"

Not only the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, but also Lee Ahn and Green Mask looked where I pointed. They saw nothing but pitch-black darkness.

"If you find it hard to believe, go and check for yourself."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon gestured to Green Mask with his eyes. Green Mask shot off in that direction.

A moment later, Green Mask returned holding a weasel.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was stunned. "You mean you could really see that?"

"My eyes can see things that you cannot, Smiling Demon."

Of course, it wasn't my eyes. It was because the qi emission training I learned from Father had reached a master's level.

"The beauty of my bodyguard is visible only to my eyes."

Lee Ahn quickly shook her head, as if telling me not to say such things, then ducked her head in embarrassment.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon sneered. "For a Commander, you have no trouble saying such embarrassing things."

"A man has to say what he has to say. Not saying it because it's embarrassing, not saying it because you've said it once before. Not saying it because you're worried it'll become a burden if you say it too often. Not saying it because you're busy. Not saying it because you're afraid of looking pathetic."

That last part about looking pathetic was directed at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. He had described eating under his mask as looking pathetic.

"Isn't a Commander someone who says what needs to be said?"

As I spoke, I looked at Lee Ahn. Her lowered face was burning red, either from the campfire or from embarrassment.

Be confident, Lee Ahn!

Without you, my life would never have even begun.

Two days later, our carriage arrived at the Hundred Prosperities Trading Company.

As he stepped out of the carriage, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon asked me, "Have you finished contemplating how you're going to stop me?"

"The answer wasn't in the carriage, nor was it in my head. I suppose I'll have to find it in there."

I looked up at the large sign of the Hundred Prosperities Trading Company.

Green Mask and Lee Ahn led the way. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and I followed.

I wore a mask here as well. Traveling with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon made wearing a mask convenient. If I wore one alone, I would stand out, but with three of us masked, people would just assume we were that type.

When Green Mask knocked, a man who looked like a steward opened the door.

He should have been startled by our masked faces, but he remained calm, as if he had been expecting us.

"The Trading Company Master is waiting for you. This way, please."

I wondered if hundreds of martial artists would be waiting in the training grounds, but no one was there.

I released my qi to scan the surroundings, but there wasn't a single person in ambush. It was a wise choice. A clumsy attempt to provoke the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would have only caused needless casualties.

The man guided us to the main hall, where nine people waited for us.

The leader of this place greeted us first. "I am So Jongtae, the Master of the Hundred Prosperities Trading Company."

"I am the extreme evil."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon treated So Jongtae with extreme coldness. He never liked people from the unorthodox sects, so he must have found So Jongtae especially displeasing.

"It is an honor to meet the Demon Supreme of the Divine Cult."

So Jongtae, on the other hand, was polite. He was calm and composed, not fearing the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. I could tell the reason was the eight masters lined up behind him. They also explained why no other martial artists were present.

The eight masters all wore bamboo hats pulled low to hide their faces, but to prevent unnecessary conflict, they wore clothing that revealed their identities. On their chests was a drawing of a wolf with a gaping mouth full of savage fangs.

They were the savage wolves of the Evil Alliance, said to tear apart dragons and tigers. They were none other than the Thirteen Evil Wolves, the absolute masters of the Evil Alliance. It was said that two of them together could face a Demon Supreme, and no less than eight had come.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon recognized them but wasn't intimidated. Instead, he emanated a subtle evil smile qi that dominated the surroundings.

When the evil smile qi reached So Jongtae, the opposing masters did not stand by.

As if by agreement, the eight masters all released their killing intent. Their combined evil energies instantly pushed back the evil smile qi, forming a wall before So Jongtae. Their energies were wild yet orderly, intertwining without tangling. They complemented each other, revealing a force like an iron fortress.

A battle of qi, with their pride on the line, had begun.

He pushed forward with his evil smile qi, but the wall of evil energy advanced. Even the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon could not handle the combined inner arts of eight of the Thirteen Evil Wolves.

I didn't want to see the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon pushed back by the Evil Alliance martial artists, so I secretly released my demonic qi.

My powerful inner arts joined the evil smile qi, and the power struggle reached a tense stalemate.

When the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon didn't falter, they pushed with even stronger inner arts. I raised my martial arts further and pushed them back a step.

They grew angry and were about to raise their inner arts even more. Knowing this would not be easy for us, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and I withdrew our demonic qi at the same time, as if by agreement.

By ending it at the moment of a brief victory, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon achieved a perfect win in the qi battle. I could feel the irritation from the eight masters.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon sent me a telepathic message.

This is the first time I've realized how profound your inner arts are, Second Young Lord.

It must be because your evil smile qi is so formidable. My demonic qi merely assisted.

If you assisted twice, that pack of wolves would start wagging their tails. As expected, it was you who killed the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, Second Young Lord.

Smiling Demon, look ahead, not at me. Our enemies are not each other, but the nine people before us.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon turned his gaze to So Jongtae.

"It seems you were waiting for me, so you must know why I've come. You should choose your words carefully."

"If you desire my life, Demon Supreme, I will gladly give it, but please, at least hear me out first."

"I'm listening, so speak."

"I'll be direct. This Trading Company intends to grow its business in Guizhou for the next eight years, and at the end of those eight years, we will close all our businesses and withdraw."

Two years had already passed. Adding another eight years meant the Evil Alliance intended to do business in Guizhou for a total of ten years, holding them responsible for the past massacre.

"You intend to feast on my flesh and blood for ten years?"

"The ones you killed, Demon Supreme, have already had their flesh and blood rot away, leaving only white bones."

Though his expression was full of displeasure, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon did not act rashly. This wasn't just because of the eight members of the Thirteen Evil Wolves. He was not a rash person when handling business. This was clear from how he immediately went to meet the Trading Company Masters after leaving the cult, instead of unleashing his desires.

Finally, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said to So Jongtae, "Since you belong to that giant dao organization, fine. I'll make a concession. Exactly one year from today. If you're still loitering around Guizhou doing business after one year, I'll consider it a sign that you want to go see your white-boned friends."

Despite the blatant threat, So Jongtae firmly shook his head. "One year is a condition we can never accept."

"Then let's decide it with a fight, martial artist to martial artist. If you're scared, you can all come at me at once."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon knew the Thirteen Evil Wolves were also prideful men and would not attack all at once.

So Jongtae appeared to be lost in thought, but with the Divine Eye Technique, I noticed his lips trembling minutely. He was conversing via telepathy with one of the eight masters behind him.

Just then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon also sent me a telepathic message.

You must be disappointed. We should have had a big fight.

Disappointed? Seeing you, Smiling Demon, negotiate with people from the Evil Alliance in person? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is a hundred times more thrilling than watching you fight them. If this world seems dull, then the original world must be a sleeping one.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed telepathically. It was the first time I'd heard his laugh via telepathy, and it felt different.

What will you do if they don't accept?

I'll have to kill them all and be locked up for about ten years. You take three, I'll take four. We'll let Green Mask and the ugly heart take the last one.

I laughed telepathically as well. His suggestion to fight was a joke, but what was funny was that he called Lee Ahn an 'ugly heart'. He certainly knew how to hold a grudge.

At that moment, So Jongtae stated firmly, "Absolutely not."

I knew he would say that. The pointless emotional battle was over. Now, it was my time to step forward.

"I'd like to hear directly from the person who decided it was impossible."

I had been silent until now. As I stepped forward, everyone's gaze focused on me.

So Jongtae asked, "What do you mean by that? Who are you to step forward in such an important meeting?"

In response, my gaze shifted to one of the men standing in the back.

"Stop acting like the leader in the shadows and step forward to sort this out."

I addressed the man standing in the center of the eight martial artists.

"You know the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's personality well, so it wouldn't be strange for anything to happen here. Will that be alright? For the successor of the Evil Alliance to get caught up in a fight and die in a place like this?"

At my words, not only the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, but also Lee Ahn and Green Mask were startled.

CHAANG!

Excluding the man I had pointed out, the other seven drew their swords in unison and formed a formation to protect him.

As expected of peerless masters, they revealed a tremendous aura. It was an incomparably more intense energy than when they had formed the wall of evil energy earlier. In our Cult's terms, it was like having four Demon Supremes protecting the man.

The man in the center of the sword formation slowly removed his bamboo hat. He was a young man whose face was covered in hideous scars. If Jang Ho's scars were cool, this man's scars were hideous.

Slashed, crushed, and distorted. His appearance made one's heart shudder, and his atmosphere and energy were dark and heavy. Amidst it all, his cold eyes shone.

"How did you recognize me?"

His vocal cords must have been injured, because his voice sounded like nails scraping on iron.

He was Bi Sayin, the official successor to the Evil Alliance Chairman. Since he was wearing the same clothes as the Thirteen Evil Wolves, being recognized was as good as having a secret leaked.

"Who are you?" Bi Sayin asked coldly.

I answered, "I am someone whose death would be as problematic as your own."

I pushed my mask up onto my head.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Geom Mugeuk, son of the Heavenly Demon's second brother."