Chapter 111: Because I Didn't Know

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was delighted.

He had lived through all sorts of experiences as the Demon Supreme, but he had likely never been involved in deciding the Evil Alliance's successor. He probably never even imagined he would have a reason to be involved.

"Are you really suggesting we decide the successor?" he asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"How do you mean?"

"If we think the current successor, Bi Sayin, is acceptable, we help him keep his position. If someone else seems more beneficial to us, we put him on the throne. I might be a meddler, but for the Evil Alliance's successor, we must install someone who will be thoroughly advantageous to our Cult, regardless of their character."

Of course, it has to be someone who benefits not only our Cult, but me as well.

"Then we should install the most incompetent fool," the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said.

"No, that would only destabilize the state of murim. We should at least install someone whose actions are predictable. In any case, if we handle this well, we will have made a great contribution to our Cult."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed heartily. Facing a formidable foe like Seok Gwanchu was delightful enough, but gaining merit from it would truly be killing two birds with one stone.

"Are we finally going to see the era of the Second Young Lord?"

A flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes.

"No. This world is still the world of the Smiling Demon."

"My world, you say?"

"If the Smiling Demon weren't here, this would never have been possible. Do you think I would have ever considered facing the Head Elder of the Evil Alliance alone?"

"Are you using your flattery technique again?"

"Why do you think it's called a divine technique? It must be polished for a lifetime."

My joke delighted the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The unfolding situation intrigued him.

I sent Lee Ahn and Green Mask to the safehouse where the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman was staying. I ordered them to protect her, but I had two other reasons.

First, it was dangerous. Now that the main enemy was revealed to be the Evil Alliance Head Elder Seok Gwanchu, there was no telling what kind of masters might appear.

Second, I wanted Lee Ahn and Green Mask to spend time together. I had told Lee Ahn, 'Your subordinate is yours to win over.' Whether she could accomplish that was up to her. I could only hope Lee Ahn's capacity was great enough to contain Green Mask.

Before leaving, Lee Ahn said just one thing to me.

"If anything happens to you, Young Master, I will die too."

"Alright. I'll fight as if I have two lives."

Green Mask watched them, then bowed his head respectfully to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said nothing. I had never seen the gruff Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and Green Mask exchange words for anything other than official orders.

After sending them to the safehouse, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and I sped off using our movement arts.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to the White Night Valley to meet Bi Sayin."

I had previously informed Bi Sayin that the Five Bloody Shadows of the White Night Valley tried to kill the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. Since then, there had been no news from Bi Sayin or the White Night Valley. This meant Bi Sayin had not yet found the mastermind there.

Bi Sayin drank at a tavern near the White Night Valley.

His face was flushed not from alcohol, but from anger. The more his worries solidified, the more hideous the scar on his face became. He still hadn't uncovered the mastermind. He had received the precious information in Guizhou on the condition of driving out the Hundred Prosperities Trading Company and paying a huge sum, but things weren't unfolding as he expected.

When he first came here, he had intended to pressure the White Night Valley by any means necessary. He wanted them to confess that they had ordered the Five Bloody Shadows to kill the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. If that didn't work, he planned to use force. With himself and seven of the Thirteen Evil Wolves, neither the White Night Valley nor its masters could resist.

However, when they arrived, the White Night Valley's leader was already gone. He had been there the day before but had hastily left with only his closest subordinates. Bi Sayin tried intimidating the underlings to find the leader's whereabouts, but they didn't know.

The thought occurred to him that his arrival might have been announced in advance. Secrets were constantly being leaked.

Bi Sayin drained another cup of alcohol. Geom Mugeuk suddenly came to mind. Whenever he felt cornered, Geom Mugeuk would pop into his head.

Useless.

Just as Bi Sayin was about to drink again to shake off the thought, a man wearing a bamboo hat strode toward his table. The seven members of the Thirteen Evil Wolves sitting around him shot to their feet and drew their swords.

The approaching man removed his bamboo hat.

"It's been a while."

The man was none other than Geom Mugeuk. Since Bi Sayin had just been thinking of him, his appearance was truly startling.

"How did you know I was here?" Bi Sayin glared at Geom Mugeuk, his face full of suspicion.

Geom Mugeuk, on the other hand, was calm.

"Since I was the one who gave you the information, it was natural to assume you'd come to the White Night Valley, and how could I not find you when you're all traveling in a group like this?"

Geom Mugeuk glanced at the surrounding members of the Thirteen Evil Wolves. His point was that with eight martial artists moving together, their location was easy to find.

"May I sit?"

"Go ahead."

Geom Mugeuk sat down in front of Bi Sayin. Bi Sayin ordered the Thirteen Evil Wolves to sit, and they all sat down tensely. First Wolf Baek Cheolgi sat next to Bi Sayin, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

"Why are you here?" Bi Sayin asked gruffly.

Inwardly, however, he was pleased to see Geom Mugeuk. He shouldn't feel this way, but he kept feeling the urge to rely on him.

"I came because I have important information to share with you, Young Master Bi."

"What is it?"

"I've found out who the mastermind behind this incident is."

Bi Sayin was stunned. Not only him, but Baek Cheolgi and all the other members of the Thirteen Evil Wolves were shocked as well.

"Who is it?"

Geom Mugeuk did not answer immediately. "I can't just give away such important information for free."

The next moment, Bi Sayin looked at Geom Mugeuk with a sense of dread.

Second Young Lord, you have made a grave mistake.

He shouldn't have mentioned such a crucial fact in this place. The reason was the Thirteen Evil Wolves.

Bi Sayin suspected that among the seven members following him, there was a spy planted by the one trying to kill him. Several things had gone wrong recently, and he believed it was because a spy was leaking information.

Seeing that the White Night Valley's leader was gone when they arrived had turned his suspicion into certainty. Someone was definitely passing information to the other side. With such important information revealed now, it was only a matter of time before it reached the mastermind.

He had considered sending a telepathy message to Geom Mugeuk to ask for help but couldn't bring himself to do it. He regretted even starting to send it. The successor of the Evil Alliance asking for help from a scion of the Heavenly Demon? He had berated himself countless times for attempting such a ridiculous thing.

"I've come a long way, and I'm thirsty," Geom Mugeuk said, holding out his cup.

Bi Sayin poured alcohol into Geom Mugeuk's cup. Just then, a telepathy message from Geom Mugeuk reached him.

[Let's talk details after we catch the rat.]

[!]

Bi Sayin's hand paused for a moment before he continued pouring. He could tell that Geom Mugeuk knew his situation perfectly. At the thought that his agonizing problem might finally be solved, Bi Sayin's heart began to beat faster.

This change had occurred after meeting Geom Mugeuk. This man constantly made his heart race. He constantly made him compare himself and feel insignificant.

Damn it !

He made him feel hopeful.

That night, a masked man landed silently on the roof of the largest inn in the village. He hid something under a tile at the edge of the roof. There was a set rule for sending secret messages. In any village, if he hid a secret letter at the corner of the largest inn's roof, someone would retrieve it and send it by messenger pigeon. There were designated trees in the mountains and burial spots in the fields.

Just as he hid the letter and was about to hurry away, someone spoke from behind him.

"Geom Mugeuk has discovered the identity of the mastermind."

The masked man spun around in shock. Geom Mugeuk had approached without a sound and was now holding the secret letter, reading it. The man had left only after confirming Geom Mugeuk had fallen asleep while drinking with Bi Sayin at their lodging.

"I'm a light sleeper. I heard someone sneaking out like a thief in the night."

The masked man instantly realized this had all been a trap. His haste, driven by the important information he had to report, had been his downfall.

Just as the masked man was about to flee, Geom Mugeuk provoked him.

"I'll chase you down and tell everyone. I'll say that the one from the Thirteen Evil Wolves who is currently absent is the traitor. I'm confident in my movement arts, so you won't be able to get back faster than me."

The masked man flinched and stopped.

"It would be better to kill me here and now," Geom Mugeuk continued. "At least then, your identity won't be revealed."

The masked man turned toward Geom Mugeuk and drew his sword. He remained silent, not wanting to reveal his voice. Since things had come to this, there was only one way. He had to kill Geom Mugeuk to destroy the evidence, then return quietly and feign ignorance.

The masked man rushed toward Geom Mugeuk.

SHWIIK!

As befitting a member of a group said to be stronger than the Demon Supreme when two of them gathered, the masked man's movements were incredible.

SHWIIIIK.

His figure closed the distance in an instant and flew at Geom Mugeuk.

"……"

The moment their swords first clashed, the masked man's heart sank. He almost lost his grip on his sword and knew in that instant that Geom Mugeuk possessed far superior inner arts.

It wasn't just his inner arts.

CLANG! CLANG!

His own technique, which had always allowed him to kill his enemies with ease, was completely ineffective. His attacks aimed at vital points were invariably blocked by Geom Mugeuk's sword. He was using all his strength, yet it felt as if his opponent was blocking him casually.

Sensing the clear difference in skill, the masked man launched himself in the opposite direction after a dozen exchanges. He had to flee to survive.

Just then!

PHEW!

THWACK!

A flying finger qi bullet pierced his thigh.

He let out a short scream and rolled on the ground before scrambling back to his feet. The person who had landed to block his path was none other than the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"A man turning his back in a fight? Have you no shame?"

The corners of the masked man's eyes reddened with shame. Geom Mugeuk had appeared behind him at some point, but they were not the only two who had shown up.

"Sixth Wolf!"

Hearing his name, the masked man's heart plummeted. Bi Sayin and the rest of the Thirteen Evil Wolves appeared. The masked man was the sixth of the Thirteen Evil Wolves, the Sixth Wolf.

Their leader, First Wolf Baek Cheolgi, was furious. "Did you really betray us?"

Even seeing it with his own eyes, Baek Cheolgi couldn't believe it. If someone had asked him to pick the least likely to betray them from the thirteen members, the first person he would have chosen was the Sixth Wolf.

"Why did you do this? Didn't you know that the Thirteen Evil Wolves are not to get involved in politics?"

The Sixth Wolf removed his mask.

"Why not?"

"What?"

"Why do we have to live bound by such a stupid rule that we don't even know who made?"

"You bastard, what more did you want from life as a martial artist? If you hated this life so much, you shouldn't have sworn loyalty in the first place!"

"Because I didn't know. I didn't know that I would live such a pathetic life with the martial arts I've polished my entire life! I didn't know my life would be spent just trailing around protecting one First Young Lord!"

For a moment, Bi Sayin's expression hardened. He hadn't known the Sixth Wolf was following him with such feelings. Did the others feel the same way?

The First Wolf shouted at him. "Cut the excuses! What did they offer you? What did they promise to give you to escape this pathetic life?"

The Sixth Wolf couldn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to say that he had been promised immense wealth and a high position.

"I'm not a traitor. I was just trying to find my own life!" the Sixth Wolf roared. He chose an opponent to take down with him. He chose Geom Mugeuk.

"This is all your fault!"

The Sixth Wolf launched himself at Geom Mugeuk. He was no match for him even when he wasn't agitated, and now he was injured.

Just as he was unleashing his technique toward Geom Mugeuk.

"……"

A sword blade burst through his back and out of his chest.

The Sixth Wolf slowly turned his head to see Bi Sayin standing behind him.

"…This is all your fault."

To the Sixth Wolf's resentment, Bi Sayin replied gruffly, "A moment ago, you said it was the Second Young Lord's fault."

As if he didn't want to talk anymore, Bi Sayin pulled out his sword. Under the moonlight, a fountain of blood erupted from the Sixth Wolf's body. Geom Mugeuk stepped aside to avoid being drenched. This fight, after all, was an internal affair of the Evil Alliance.

Bi Sayin, holding the blood-dripping sword, asked Geom Mugeuk, "Now, tell me. Who is the mastermind?"