Chapter 144: You're More Handsome Even With a Mask On

TL: FoodieMonster007

"That's him! That's the one!" Chu Saeng shouted. He panicked when he saw the white mask.

"Run! No, we have to run!" Chu Saeng screamed, thinking I was frozen in fear.

"Even you can't handle that man! Let's hurry and run."

When I still didn't move, Chu Saeng scowled and drew his sword.

"Damn it! Let's attack together!"

"You're truly a man suited for the orthodox sects."

"Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting in a situation like this!"

I understood why his father's will told him not to trust people. Even now, he refused to run away and tried to protect me.

The man in the white mask approached our table before I knew it.

The man in the white mask stared at us silently.

Chu Saeng trembled. He had vowed revenge, but his body wouldn't move now that he faced his opponent.

I broke the heavy silence that filled the room.

"Why didn't you show me this dangerous world before?"

To my surprise, he was the real the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

When I first saw him, I assumed he was the fake the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon who had visited the Moon Wind Sect.

But as he walked toward us, I realized he was the real the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. He had an aura that only the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon could exude.

"Why on earth are you here?"

"Why is the Second Young Lord here?"

Chu Saeng's eyes widened in surprise at our conversation.

He must be confused. Is this the real one, or am I in league with the fake?

I asked Chu Saeng, "Look closely. Is this the same man who came that time?"

Chu Saeng trembled while looking at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. A moment later, he shouted, "Ah! He's different. Definitely different. He's more handsome than that other guy!"

"But he's wearing a mask?"

"That's right. He's definitely more handsome."

I smiled at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. "It seems this man can see right through the Smiling Demon's mask."

"Or perhaps my mask is more handsome."

I understood what Chu Saeng meant. Not just anyone could wear a mask and project the same feeling as the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

The aura, the feeling, the atmosphere. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon possessed a unique quality. That was what Chu Saeng meant by calling him handsome.

"So this person is the real the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon."

"Didn't I tell you? That other one was a fake. Now, greet him. This is the Demon Supreme of our Cult, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon."

Chu Saeng froze as if lightning had struck him. He didn't know what to say and stared at me and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon in shock and fear.

But the real surprise for Chu Saeng was just beginning.

"I went to see you at the Valley of Evil before leaving the cult, but you'd already left."

"I heard someone was going around imitating me."

Knowing the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's personality, I knew he would never let such a person be.

"But how did you know I'd be here?"

"I didn't know the Second Young Lord was coming," the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon answered surprisingly.

"Today, I came here to receive a gratitude coin."

I was startled. In fact, I was more surprised than Chu Saeng.

"The owner of the gratitude coin is the Smiling Demon?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon opened his hand. A coin cut in half lay on his palm.

At that sight, Chu Saeng took the necklace from around his neck. "Huh? Uhh?"

The coin on the necklace and Chu Saeng were lifted into the air and dragged forward. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had pulled him with telekinesis.

The coin from the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's palm also floated up. It met the coin from the necklace in mid-air, and the two halves fit together perfectly.

Dragged before the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, Chu Saeng stared between the joined coin and the man, consumed by shock. He likely never imagined his father had saved the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. Neither had I.

TUK. With an indifferent hand, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon snapped the necklace string and retrieved the other half of the gratitude coin.

I spoke for the dazed Chu Saeng. "I truly never imagined the owner of the gratitude coin was the Smiling Demon."

"It was a very long time ago."

It felt new to me that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon once cared so much about debts and favors. It was even more surprising that he came here today to keep a promise.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Smiling Demon, but this place seems like a trap today."

Indeed, all the customers had left even before the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon appeared. The owner had also disappeared. No one even passed by in front of the inn.

"And it seems that man disguising himself as the Smiling Demon was no coincidence either."

He didn't just impersonate the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon because he was a masked figure. I felt it was a deliberate attempt to target the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon from the start.

If so, does that mean the Heavenly Enlightenment Society is targeting the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon?

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon pondered for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, "How could there be just one? I just thought of about fifty people."

I laughed in disbelief, and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed with me. Chu Saeng just listened silently, still struggling to adjust to the surprising situation.

"Besides you, Smiling Demon, does anyone else use the Blood Calamity Finger?"

"!"

I felt the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon flinch for a moment.

"Why do you ask that?"

"The mark the fake left on the Moon Wind Sect's wall was similar to your Blood Calamity Finger, Smiling Demon. The technique was so exquisite that I could almost believe you had left it."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon paused briefly before answering. "There is another."

I didn't ask further. I knew he answered that way specifically because it was me.

"Perhaps the enemy we're about to face is no ordinary one."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon nodded. He clearly had an idea of who was behind this.

When our conversation paused, Chu Saeng asked me, "But he called you Second Young Lord. Surely that's not true, is it?"

I gave a meaningful smile. "If not, who else in the world could talk with the Demon Supreme like this at such a young age?"

"Are you really the blood of the Heavenly Demon?"

"I am."

"Ah! To think I'd see the blood of the Demonic Cult Leader and the Demon Supreme in the same place!"

He had just seen people a normal martial artist might never meet in their entire lifetime.

"I suspected you weren't ordinary. In fact, you're the kind of person who could say, 'I am the Heavenly Demon,' and it wouldn't seem strange at all. I'd have believed you were the Heavenly Demon who had undergone Rejuvenation. You are truly… no, I suppose I should call you Second Young Lord now."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon chuckled softly, as if he knew exactly how Chu Saeng felt.

"Don't feel awkward around me. Just treat me as you have been."

"Is that really alright?"

"It's fine. If I wanted special treatment, I would've revealed my identity from the start."

"I understand. No, I got it."

When our conversation ended, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke to Chu Saeng. "Regardless of the situation, a past debt must be repaid. Now, what kind of help do you need? Speak carefully. The gratitude coin can only be used once. I'm granting this request for your father's sake, so choose wisely."

Chu Saeng pondered for a moment, then glanced at me. "The Second Young Lord will make the request on my behalf."

He entrusted the gratitude coin to me.

"Why are you entrusting it to me?"

"Listening to you two, this incident doesn't seem to be just about my family. I don't think this ends simply by asking for revenge. I don't know what kind of request I should make to the Smiling Demon right now. That's why I'm entrusting it to the Second Young Lord."

I thought it was a wise decision.

Yes, Chu Saeng. Continue to live your life using that sharp mind of yours.

I smiled and asked the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, "What do you think? Will you accept a request I make on his behalf?"

"I originally decided to only grant requests from immediate family, but since it's the Second Young Lord, I'll make a special exception."

"Thank you."

After a moment of thought, I said to him, "Please make me the heir of our Cult."

Startled, Chu Saeng shouted, "Why are you using my gratitude coin to ask for something for yourself?"

"Didn't you entrust it to me?"

"No, but still. I never thought you'd make such a request. You should be asking for my family's revenge."

As Chu Saeng argued, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon replied, "Very well, I accept."

He accepted my joke, not the request of the gratitude coin.

Chu Saeng, however, was frantic. "No! This is void! Void!"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looked at him with cold eyes. "And who are you?"

Chu Saeng flinched. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's attitude suggested his business was done.

"Who are you to be loitering in front of me?"

He looked between the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and me, then lamented and blamed himself. "My temper seems to be selectively hot-headed. The barrel of my patience used to overflow at the smallest pebble, but it doesn't overflow in front of this man. It feels like it wouldn't overflow even if you poured the ocean into it."

I smiled at his self-deprecating lament. "You may have lost the gratitude coin, but didn't you gain the future Heavenly Demon instead?"

At those words, Chu Saeng looked at me with a surprised expression.

"I'm sorry for joking. Now, let me introduce myself properly. I am Geom Mugeuk, the Second Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I swear on my name that I'll avenge your family."

Chu Saeng finally realized it was a joke and felt moved. A promise more certain than the gratitude coin had been made.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon also stepped in. "This matter is related to me, so I intend to handle it. So don't worry and go back."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"I deeply regret that your family got involved because of me. If I'd known this would happen, I never would've given your father the gratitude coin."

He didn't say he was sorry, but I could tell he felt apologetic.

"Not at all, how could that be your fault, Smiling Demon?"

"This isn't a place for you, so hurry and go back."

"……"

I asked worriedly, "Is it okay to send him off alone?"

Enemies were clearly nearby. I worried something might happen to him if he returned alone.

"You don't need to worry."

His answer suggested he knew who was behind this incident.

Chu Saeng gave a clasped hands greeting to me and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, then turned around. He turned back at the door just as he was about to leave the inn.

"I'm saying this because I don't think I'll see you again. Perhaps after this is over, my sect might belong to the orthodox sects. That's why I'm telling you this, but if a Great Orthodox-Demonic War ever breaks out in the future… please go easy on our family."

I responded to his joke with one of my own. "Then you'll have to save me once. I'll cut a coin for you."

Chu Saeng beamed. "I'm certain. Father sent a precious person to me. Second Young Lord, please become a Heavenly Demon who doesn't start something like a Great Orthodox-Demonic War. Then, I'll look forward to seeing you again someday."

Chu Saeng gave a very polite final farewell and left.

Once we were alone in the inn, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said, "Second Young Lord, give up on becoming the Heavenly Demon."

"I even used the gratitude coin, what are you talking about?"

"Live like this, wandering the Central Plains. Meet people like Chu Saeng and live with a smile like this. This suits you better."

I could tell the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke from the heart.

"Did you perhaps receive a bribe from my brother? Did you side with him while I wasn't looking?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed out loud.

Enemies began to appear one by one as soon as Chu Saeng left, as if they had been waiting. This place was undoubtedly a setup to lure out the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

Three old men appeared first.

They were old men of a similar age, all dressed in matching red armor. I recognized them by their attire alone.

the Bloody Road Trio.

They were mercenaries who once terrorized the murim and would take any contract for money. They killed without regard for age, and it was said they would even kill their own parents for the right price.

Eventually, their evil deeds went too far. They were branded as the public enemy of the murim and vanished. Today, they had shown themselves here.

They had earned their infamy in their middle years but were now old men. Wickedness born from countless battles replaced their diminished muscles. They sat at a table far from us.

Next, a middle-aged woman entered, gracefully waving a pink fan. She wore a splendid palace gown and heavy makeup, and her figure was voluptuously sensual.

the Bewitching Nirvana Princess.

She was an infamous villainess who built her inner arts by draining the essence of countless men. She stole the essence and lives of numerous men to create her youthful skin and figure. She too had once ranked first on the list of the public enemy of the murim. Rumor said a legendary lecher caught her and drained her inner arts in reverse, killing her, but here she was, alive and well.

She perched on a table, crossing her legs and revealing a pale leg.

A middle-aged man entered next.

He wore a straight blade at his waist and exuded the aura of a wild beast.

the Blood Wolf Blade.

He was a martial artist who wandered the Central Plains, seeking masters only to become stronger. He would do anything to win and forced fights on unwilling opponents. Because of this, too many masters had died unjustly at his hands.

Eventually, he too was branded the public enemy of the murim, and many rumors spread about his end. Some said he died fighting a Murim Alliance elder, others that he died challenging a Demon Supreme, or that an unknown recluse killed him. Rendering all those rumors moot, he chugged from a kettle by the entrance.

The last person to appear was a man dressed head to toe in black clothes and shoes, wrapped in a jet-black robe.

the Yama Sage.

He looked normal now, but he was once a mad Martial Artist Lee who rampaged and slaughtered other martial artists. He believed he was a messenger from the King of Hell and considered himself a god who governed life and death. He too was branded the public enemy of the murim, caused a bloodbath, and then disappeared.

Seeing all these villains who had once shaken the murim appear at once felt unreal. Moreover, the mastermind who used the fake impersonator had yet to appear.

It wasn't the time to relax, but I couldn't help but ask the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon one thing. "What on earth have you been doing all this time?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looked at the villains directing their killing intent toward him and answered awkwardly, "They're all people I know."