Chapter 354: He Dies If Left Alone

TL: FoodieMonster007

As Bi Sayin departed, his subordinate Sahon approached the Brawling King, pulling a cart.

"I'll move the luggage for you."

Sahon loaded the gifts from the martial artists onto the cart. The Brawling King sat down on it as well.

The two began a telepathic conversation as they left the training grounds.

[Did the Young Alliance Chairman figure it out, as expected?]

The Brawling King nodded slightly. He had anticipated this the moment the assassins failed to kill Pyo Jigwang.

[Then why did you come to see him?]

[It was a declaration of war, and I wanted to boast. To show him that assassins like the ones you sent won't work.]

[He's still young.]

Sahon sneered. A question, however, lingered in the Brawling King's mind.

[He's definitely different from before.]

He just could not pinpoint what had changed.

[Did you find out how he survived today's ambush?]

The Brawling King shook his head at Sahon's question.

[Could the Chairman's side be helping him?]

[It's not the Chairman. If the Chairman had intervened, he wouldn't handle things this way.]

[In that case, the Young Alliance Chairman will undoubtedly ask the Evil Eccentric and the Light Flash for help.]

The Evil Eccentric and the Light Flash were members of the Seven Evil Masters. They were powerful experts Bi Sayin had once brought to a gathering of the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic factions to show off his influence.

[He probably will.]

[If we give him time, we'll be at a disadvantage. I'll lead my subordinates and handle him myself before he can meet them.]

[There's no need for that.]

The Brawling King lay down among the luggage on the cart and spoke a cryptic message.

[The Young Alliance Chairman will die if we leave him be.]

After descending the cliff, Bi Sayin immediately sent a messenger pigeon, then rented a carriage and a driver. He left the Thirteen Evil Wolves behind to avoid attracting attention and headed to his destination with only Geom Mugeuk.

Bi Sayin silently gazed at the scenery outside. He calmed his mind and braced for the great battle to come. He was prepared for death. This fight was more dangerous than any he had ever faced.

Of course, a part of him wanted to avoid it. A corner of his mind constantly whispered for him to run to the Evil Alliance Chairman.

[Have you forgotten already? You regretted the decision you made in anger, didn't you? It's the same now. You'll regret this choice when it's over. Go to the Chairman now, report this, and let him resolve it.]

With a complicated heart, Bi Sayin looked at Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk sat still with his eyes closed, as always.

Then, Geom Mugeuk spoke abruptly.

"Are you regretting again?"

"It's like you have eyes on the back of your head and on your eyelids."

"That's why I seem like a monster, isn't it? Just say I see with my heart."

Geom Mugeuk slowly opened his eyes.

"Whenever you're in a carriage, you seem to close your eyes and chant something. What on earth are you training?"

"I'm training in the Heavenly Demon Defense Art."

Bi Sayin was inwardly flustered. He had not expected Geom Mugeuk to mention a unique martial art of the Heavenly Demon.

"Is it okay for you to tell me such a secret?"

"What does it matter? I'm not telling you the oral secrets, so what's the harm in telling you the name of the martial arts?"

There are levels of mastery that cannot be imitated, no matter how much one learns through words. A single phrase escaped Bi Sayin unconsciously.

"I admit defeat."

"I think it's fine to admit it like that."

"So? I should just let you drag me around?"

"What does it matter? While being dragged along, you can see the stars, the birds, and the clouds. The person doing the dragging might act all high and mighty at first, but after a while, they'll get tired too. They'll be wishing someone would drag them for a bit."

Bi Sayin looked at him as if he were truly incorrigible.

"You say that so easily for someone who's never lost to an opponent."

"There's Father, you know? He reads me completely anyway, so I don't even try to hide things in front of him. Phew, you should see the way Father scoffs at me."

It was hard to believe someone could put this Geom Mugeuk on the defensive. Then again, he was Geom Mugeuk's father, so it seemed possible.

"What kind of person is your father?"

"You people probably have more information than I do."

Bi Sayin smiled faintly at the half-joking, half-serious remark.

"I'll introduce you next time. Meet him in person and judge for yourself."

Will the day ever come when I, Bi Sayin, greet the Heavenly Demon?

"You're getting serious again. The Young Alliance Chairman of the Evil Alliance isn't greeting the Heavenly Demon. A friend is greeting his friend's father."

A friend's father.

In his life, that phrase was as unfamiliar as the word 'friend' itself.

"But why don't you ask who we're going to meet?"

Because I already know. Geom Mugeuk had already guessed who Bi Sayin was going to ask for help.

"Which of the two are you going to meet first?"

Bi Sayin shook his head.

"Do you know something? When I see you like this, you really lack humanity."

He felt sorry after saying it, thinking that a person without humanity would not be helping him.

"Let me ask one more thing."

"Go ahead."

"Do you think that Senior Eccentric or Senior Flash won't be enough?"

When he had seen Instructor Hwang, his skills seemed to be on the level of an instructor from the Evil Alliance Pass. That meant his skills were enough to overwhelm Bi Sayin.

Geom Mugeuk answered honestly.

"I don't know if they attacked together, but if they fight him alone, there's absolutely no chance of victory."

Bi Sayin had expected it to some degree, but he was still surprised. An opponent that required two of the Seven Evil Masters to attack together.

Geom Mugeuk then added an even more shocking statement.

"Even for the two of them, it will be difficult if their coordination isn't perfect."

The carriage arrived at the meeting place.

"Young Alliance Chairman, welcome."

"Thank you so much for taking the trouble to come."

"The Light Flash is waiting inside. Come, let's go in."

They were the two members of the Seven Evil Masters who had a deep friendship with the Evil Alliance. To be precise, they were followers of the Evil Alliance Chairman.

The Evil Eccentric glanced over, confirming Bi Sayin had only one attendant.

"You came quietly."

He had met Geom Mugeuk before but did not recognize him now.

Geom Mugeuk wore a mask and kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. He also revealed an aura only on par with one of the Thirteen Evil Wolves.

The Evil Eccentric failed to recognize Geom Mugeuk because he never imagined the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult would act as one of the Thirteen Evil Wolves to bodyguard Bi Sayin.

Geom Mugeuk also entered the room. No one thought anything of it, since the Thirteen Evil Wolves always moved with the Young Alliance Chairman.

A table with drinks was set up in the room where the Light Flash waited.

"Thank you for coming, Senior."

The Light Flash, a man of few words, simply nodded in greeting.

Bi Sayin sat at the table and sent a telepathic message to Geom Mugeuk.

[Will you reveal your identity and sit with us?]

[It's fine. I'll stay here.]

Geom Mugeuk stood in attendance a short distance behind Bi Sayin.

"We were having a drink while waiting. Here, Young Alliance Chairman, have a cup."

They made light conversation as they drank. They talked about how they had been, about the Evil Alliance Chairman, and about recent incidents in the murim.

Then, the Light Flash offered a drink to Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk turned his head and drank the alcohol under his mask.

Bi Sayin was inwardly impressed.

The Young Cult Leader has the skill to hide his presence even in front of these two.

After a few rounds of drinks, the real conversation began.

"So, Young Alliance Chairman, for what reason did you ask to see us?"

"There is something I must ask of you two Seniors."

Bi Sayin was cautious.

Even the Evil Eccentric, who treated him pleasantly now, was an absolute master infamous in the murim for his eccentric and cruel personality. The Light Flash only seemed less evil because of his quiet nature, but his sword was faster than his words.

The respect they showed Bi Sayin was respect for the Evil Alliance Chairman. Bi Sayin had not yet built a personal friendship or trust with them.

"I have discovered a certain hidden faction that threatens our alliance."

At those words, the gazes of the Evil Eccentric and the Light Flash intensified.

"Who are they?"

"Their leader is the Evil Alliance Pass instructor, Hwang Seokgyeong."

When Bi Sayin revealed Hwang Seokgyeong's name, the two looked bewildered. They seemed more surprised that it was Hwang Seokgyeong than by the news of a hidden faction threatening the Evil Alliance.

"If you know who the opponent is, you should just get rid of him. Why did you ask to meet us?"

"He is hiding his skills."

"To the extent that you need us?"

"Yes, I need both of you."

Silence fell. Bi Sayin conveyed the opponent's strength without hiding anything. He did not make the foolish mistake of downplaying Hwang Seokgyeong's skills just to save their pride.

The Evil Eccentric asked, half-believing and half-doubting.

"Does the Chairman know as well?"

"He does not know yet."

"Why haven't you told him?"

This next part was crucial for persuading them.

"He got entangled with me in the first place, and he even tried to kill me."

"He tried to assassinate you?"

"That's right. That is why I want to finish him with my own hands."

The Evil Eccentric stared at Bi Sayin.

"So you want to handle this well and gain recognition from the Chairman."

Bi Sayin answered this honestly as well.

"That is correct."

The Evil Eccentric looked back at the Light Flash, who just drank his alcohol without a word.

The Evil Eccentric did not readily agree to help.

"If what you say is true, this is quite a dangerous matter. What is our reason for helping?"

Bi Sayin did not say it was an opportunity to achieve great merit for the Evil Alliance. He did not say it would be a way to bestow a favor upon the next Evil Alliance Chairman. He also did not mention that a mere instructor was dreaming of becoming the Chairman.

"I won't beat around the bush. When I become the Chairman, I will give you both what you desire."

"Do you know what I want?"

"On the day I ascend to Chairman, I will give you the secret manual for the Crushing Soul Shadow Steps from the secret vault."

The Evil Eccentric's eyes glinted.

The Crushing Soul Shadow Steps was a secret manual the Evil Eccentric desperately wanted. When learned with his unique martial art, the Great Iron Cleave, it produced a much stronger effect. Unfortunately, he had not been able to learn the Crushing Soul Shadow Steps.

The reason he had done so much for the Evil Alliance Chairman was precisely to obtain that manual.

It was a double-edged promise. If he accepted this condition, he would help Bi Sayin with all his heart, hoping for him to become the Evil Alliance Chairman as soon as possible. However, after giving him the manual, Bi Sayin would no longer be able to use him.

"Is there any guarantee you'll keep your promise?"

"I will write it down in a document if you wish."

Only then did the Evil Eccentric nod.

"Fine, I accept on that condition."

This time, Bi Sayin looked at the Light Flash.

"I am not aware of what you desire, Senior. Please tell me what you wish for."

Then, for the first time, the Light Flash opened his mouth.

"I want your life."

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Soon after, the Evil Eccentric chuckled.

"You have to be a man of few words for a joke like this to land."

Bi Sayin laughed along with him.

The Light Flash, however, did not laugh. Words poured from him, though he normally spoke little.

"While you were out greeting the Young Alliance Chairman, I put Qi Dispersing Poison in the alcohol. They said it was specially made by improving a dark poison, and indeed, even you didn't notice. Unless you have a Myriad Poison Immunity Constitution, you won't be able to use your inner arts for the next hour. Of course, I took the antidote beforehand."

Instantly, the Evil Eccentric checked his inner arts. His expression grew cold and hard. His inner arts were truly scattered.

"What are you doing? What kind of prank is this? It doesn't suit you."

Instead of answering, the Light Flash continued.

"The one who kills the Young Alliance Chairman here today will be you. It will be handled as if you vanished from the murim after killing the Young Alliance Chairman. A large sum of money will be deposited into your estate's account, and circumstantial evidence that you accepted a contract for the kill will also be discovered."

The Light Flash spoke these horrifying words without batting an eye.

"You crazy bastard! Are you dying to die? Do you think I'll just go down without my inner arts?"

He sounded confident, but he was in despair. Fighting the Light Flash without his inner arts would be like a martial artist fighting a child.

"I'm sorry for using the Qi Dispersing Poison. Don't be too angry. It's because I didn't underestimate your skills. I will bury your corpse in a sunny spot."

Bi Sayin was equally shocked and bewildered. He could not handle the Light Flash even with his inner arts, but the problem was that Geom Mugeuk had also drunk the alcohol.

Come to think of it, the Light Flash was the one who gave Geom Mugeuk the drink. Bi Sayin should have been suspicious when the quiet man insisted on giving his subordinate a drink.

"Did you join hands with Hwang Seokgyeong?"

The Light Flash gave no answer, but his silence was an affirmation.

"Why did you join him?"

The Light Flash glanced out the window for a moment, then spoke softly.

"I fought him and lost. I promised to become his subordinate if I lost."

A sense of respect could be felt in the way he referred to Hwang Seokgyeong.

Bi Sayin could tell that Hwang Seokgyeong was truly as strong as Geom Mugeuk had said. It probably was not just because of the promise. It seemed the Light Flash had become a subordinate in earnest, captivated by Hwang Seokgyeong's strength.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk, who had been standing behind them watching everything, finally spoke.

"Isn't the human heart a truly unknowable thing? I expected the traitor between you two to be the Evil Eccentric."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, everyone turned to look at him. Not only the Evil Eccentric but also the Light Flash looked puzzled at his sudden intervention. Their exchange was not a conversation between a leader and a subordinate.

"Don't tell me you predicted this situation?"

"Hwang Seokgyeong surely predicted that you would go to meet them, and yet, he didn't stop you. He wouldn't stop you even though two of the Seven Evil Masters could become his enemies? Isn't that suspicious?"

Hearing it now, Bi Sayin thought it made sense. Why couldn't I think of these things so clearly back then?

"Then why didn't you prepare for it?"

"What kind of preparation?"

"You shouldn't have drunk the alcohol."

"He was trying to force it down my throat with his eyes wide open, how could I not drink? Should I have spit it out in front of him?"

SHWIIIIK!

A swift sword cut through the air.

THUD.

The mask, sliced by the sword, fell away. Geom Mugeuk had not dodged, knowing the attack was not meant to kill him. Accurately reading an opponent's intention and choosing not to dodge required even greater courage and skill.

His face now revealed, Geom Mugeuk touched his chin and mouth as he spoke.

"The mask was uncomfortable anyway, so thanks for cutting it off. I really need to change the inner fabric of this thing."