Chapter 116: Why Are You Whispering?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Lee Ahn diligently hammered with a sledgehammer. She worked in a small smithy that forged farming tools like hoes and sickles.

Her natural dexterity helped her learn quickly. Soon, she deftly crafted hoes of decent quality.

This was a safehouse for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Safehouses varied. Some were hidden in remote locations, while others, like this one, were disguised as ordinary businesses in busy areas.

Just then, someone entered.

"Eat before you work."

Lee Ahn turned and saw the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman had brought a meal.

"Thank you."

Lee Ahn handled the smithy work, while the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman managed the meals. Green Mask, always wearing his mask, moved stealthily and kept his appearance hidden.

Lee Ahn noticed the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's attire and asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman usually dressed like a common village woman, complete with a headscarf. Today, however, she wore makeup and pretty clothes.

"No, I just wore them for a change of pace."

The rule of the safehouse was strict. Going out was forbidden.

Lee Ahn could tell today was a special day for her.

"Is it your birthday, by any chance?"

"No. I just had a good dream. Now, please eat before it gets cold."

"Yes, thank you for the meal."

Lee Ahn started to eat.

"Please eat with me."

"I'm full from nibbling while I was cooking. Please, eat a lot."

"You really seem to have a natural talent for cooking. It's much more delicious than anything I could buy."

"Actually, when I first started this line of work, I worked in a kitchen."

"Ah, I see."

"I went through a lot of hardship back then."

Lee Ahn sensed the truth in that. The experience of struggling from the bottom was what had made her successful.

Though the food was delicious, Lee Ahn could not eat much. She had lost her appetite since arriving, consumed with worry for Geom Mugeuk.

"Did you happen to hear what I said to the Second Young Lord?"

"Yes. I heard you told him that I'm someone who will do great things in the future. Why did you say that?"

"Because I'm a good judge of character."

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but that's too much praise."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman gazed at Lee Ahn with calm eyes. "This martial artist is a precious person. So always cherish yourself."

Lee Ahn felt grateful for her words.

While hiding in the safehouse, she never showed it, but she was deeply worried about Geom Mugeuk. The worry kept her awake at night. Whenever that happened, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman would comfort her, saying nothing would happen.

Her comfort was strangely empowering, perhaps due to the mysterious, indescribable aura the woman possessed.

Just then, Green Mask, who rarely appeared, entered.

Lee Ahn asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"An emergency has been declared at the Evil Alliance Headquarters."

"You don't know the details?"

"No. We've only received news that an emergency was declared."

Lee Ahn tried to calm her anxious heart. "The Young Master will be fine. The Smiling Demon is protecting him."

Then, a welcome voice came from behind them.

"Why don't you consider the opposite? I could be the one protecting the Smiling Demon."

Lee Ahn turned to see Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon walking in side by side. Blood spattered both of their clothes, but Geom Mugeuk's were completely soaked. A startled Lee Ahn ran over and immediately checked Geom Mugeuk's body.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Geom Mugeuk collapsed to the floor, and Lee Ahn examined his body. He had sword wounds all over but had avoided any fatal injuries.

"I'm badly hurt. My arms and legs were almost cut off!"

"…It doesn't look that serious."

"No, look closely. Check if all my fingers and toes are still attached."

Lee Ahn turned her head and bowed politely to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"Thank you for saving my Young Master."

"That's not it! It was the other way around!"

Geom Mugeuk joked while the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon remained calm. It certainly looked as though the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had saved Geom Mugeuk.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon gazed silently at Geom Mugeuk. The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman sensed a change in the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The look in his eyes was different, as if the mask he wore had changed.

She linked arms with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and asked, "Orabeoni, you're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm not."

"Then can we go back to the Thousand Flower Palace now?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon nodded, and the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman beamed with delight.

Just as she had sensed the change in the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, Lee Ahn also sensed something. Perhaps the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman had known the two of them would return today.

"Will you all be leaving right away?"

"Let's go first."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon nodded. When the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman turned, she saw Geom Mugeuk was asleep, leaning against Lee Ahn's back.

Lee Ahn gestured for them to go on ahead, indicating she would stay like this for a while.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman whispered to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, "Let's have a drink with the food I've cooked. It's been a while."

"Sounds good."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, and Green Mask left first.

Lee Ahn sat perfectly still, careful not to wake Geom Mugeuk. The extreme tension on her face finally relaxed into comfort.

Welcome back, Young Master.

I had a dream.

In the dream, I fought Baek Manggi again. It was not a new fight, but a reenactment of our previous battle.

Baek Manggi's sword forms, once too fast to see, now unfolded like a slow-motion picture. My own techniques also moved slowly.

I felt like a third party watching the fight objectively, a spectator on the sidelines.

The techniques I thought I had forgotten, which had passed in an instant, returned with perfect clarity. I reviewed the fight just as Go players review their matches. My subconscious had perfectly remembered the fight with Baek Manggi.

I could even control the speed of the battle. The moment I wished for it to pause, the me in the dream and Baek Manggi froze.

This allowed me to examine the position and angle of our swords in detail. The fight moved according to my will. I could slow it down to watch or make it stop completely.

This way, I could compare how the Sword Emperor's martial arts and my martial arts differed. The process gave me an enlightenment as great as fighting him directly.

I had also had a new experience during the actual fight. In that final moment against Baek Manggi, I could see only him as the world went dark.

I could tell these mysterious occurrences were changes brought by the Soaring Sky Sword Art reaching the twelfth level of complete mastery, my inner arts surpassing a certain limit, and the teachings of the Myriad Evil Sect Leader all combined.

The moment my sword pierced his heart, I woke up.

My body and mind felt refreshed.

Fighting even in a dream might seem tiring, but it was not. I had the dream just before waking, and it seemed I had slept my fill.

"Young Master, are you awake? You must be hungry."

"How long did I sleep?"

"You slept for nearly twenty hours."

That meant I had slept for almost a full day. It was the first time I had slept so soundly in a long while. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had slept so deeply since my regression.

My physical condition was also good. Thanks to the Ghost Armor and the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk, my wounds were not very deep.

Thank you, Elder.

If the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had not given me the Ghost Armor, I would have definitely been more injured. I unwrapped the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk and wrapped it around the hilt of the Black Demon Sword again.

"It doesn't feel like I slept that long."

"You must have been very tired."

"What about the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon? Did he go to the Thousand Flower Palace?"

"Yes, those two left first."

The thought that I missed the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon suddenly crossed my mind. The saying 'people get closer through fighting' might be true.

"Oh, while you were sleeping, some new information came in. They say Bi Sayin killed Seok Gwanchu's grandson."

I nodded silently. That was the moment that changed not only Bi Sayin's fate but also the fate of the Evil Alliance. Originally, Seok Gwanchu's grandson became the successor of the Evil Alliance. It was impossible to know how this change would affect our future.

"This is a good thing, right?"

"Maybe?"

I flopped back down again.

Lee Ahn pulled at the blanket.

"No, you can't. Eat first, then sleep."

"Just a little longer."

"I'll prepare a meal, so come out as soon as I call you."

As Lee Ahn was leaving the room, I called out to her.

"Lee Ahn."

"……"

"It's good to see you again."

Lee Ahn smiled brightly.

"Me too."

Head Strategist Sama Myeong had come down to the operations command room.

The operations command room of the All-Knowing Hall was known to be even safer than the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Hundreds of messenger pigeons arrived here daily and were analyzed.

"Not yet?"

"No."

The last messenger pigeon had made Sama Myeong tense.

He had not been this tense even when news came that Seok Gwanchu was behind everything. He had believed Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would find a way through it on their own.

But when Baek Manggi's name arrived, the All-Knowing Hall went on high alert. If the real Baek Manggi had made a move, then not even the lives of Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon could be guaranteed.

However, the Cult Leader issued no orders. Given the opponent, dispatching a master from nearby for immediate support would be difficult, but he could have sent an urgent message ordering Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon to stop everything and return. Geom Woojin did not do so.

Sama Myeong thought it was a decision befitting the Cult Leader, but also one he himself could never make.

Does he trust them that much?

The Head Strategist rarely came down to wait for a messenger pigeon personally, so the strategists working here were also on edge.

The strategists who managed this place were individuals with the authority to handle the top secrets of the All-Knowing Hall. They were also the ones Sama Myeong trusted the most.

Just then, the awaited messenger pigeon arrived. The strategist who checked its contents reported in a pleased tone.

"Both Seok Gwanchu and Baek Manggi are dead."

At his subordinate strategist's report, Sama Myeong was relieved but also greatly surprised inwardly.

"What about our two?"

"Both the Second Young Lord and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon are safe."

Sama Myeong let out a sigh of relief and slumped into his seat. His tension released, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.

Those two killed Baek Manggi and Seok Gwanchu? That can't be right.

Since the Thirteen Evil Wolves and Bi Sayin were moving together, there must have been other variables. A new master from the Evil Alliance's side might have stepped in. The detailed circumstances would become clear in time.

Meanwhile, the strategist who had made the report organized the message into a report and brought it over. It was a report for the Heavenly Demon.

Accepting the report, Sama Myeong asked him, "What do you make of this incident?"

"I don't know how Baek Manggi died, but one thing is certain. The recent news related to the Second Young Lord always surprises me."

Sama Myeong nodded as if in agreement and rose from his seat.

However, as Sama Myeong left the operations room, he thought that, at least for today, the Cult Leader, who seemed to have predicted this outcome, was even more surprising.

A few days after arriving at the safehouse, I went to the marketplace and bought various items. There were so many things to buy that I bought a cart to load them on.

First, I stopped by a physician's office and bought several new needle cases. Then I went to an apothecary and bought a large quantity of various medicinal herbs, including rare, expensive ones and common ones.

After gathering the herbs, I bought a large wooden tub, big enough for three or four people.

I bought new blankets and clothes, enough food and alcohol to last for a while, and a large bronze mirror that could reflect the entire body.

Lee Ahn was startled to see the things I had bought.

"What is all this?"

"Take a guess."

"They're all completely unrelated things, aren't they?"

Looking at the pile of herbs, she asked with a hopeful expression, "You don't have internal injuries, do you?"

"I didn't say anything because I didn't want to worry you. I think I need to see a horse doctor right away."

Lee Ahn examined the cart again.

"You're not hurt, but why did you buy so many herbs?"

Then she picked something up from the cart.

"What's this? HEOK!"

She put down what she had picked up and lowered her posture beside the cart, whispering.

"This is women's underwear, isn't it?"

"That's right."

I lowered my posture to match hers.

"Why did you buy underwear?"

"Because it's necessary, but why are you suddenly whispering? Did an enemy appear?"

"Because… something more surprising than a treasure map came out of the cart."

"My back hurts. Can we stand up now?"

"There are other clothes too! They're so pretty!"

There was also a beautiful palace gown made of high-quality silk.

"Whose is it? It's for a very slim woman."

"It's a gift for someone."

"If you're giving underwear as a gift, you must be very close to that person."

"We're close."

"There's no way I wouldn't know someone that close to you. It can't be the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. Ah! Was there perhaps a courtesan from the Thousand Flower Palace that you liked?"

"Should I show you who it is?"

"Really?"

"Of course. Let's go."

I pulled the cart with Lee Ahn to a cozy manor located far from the village.

"Is this where she lives?"

"You could say that."

However, the manor they entered was completely empty.

"There's no one here. It looks like nobody lives here."

"Someone will now. I've rented it for a few days."

"……"

I spoke to the bewildered her. The words that would change her life, the words she most wanted to hear, flowed from my lips.

"Because I plan to perform the Poison Self-Purification Art on you here."