Chapter 703: If You Don't Answer After Being Asked Twice

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Seventeenth Bridge's footsteps began to slow. The Faceless Warrior followed behind her, completely oblivious.

If she could save anyone, she wanted to save this particular Faceless Warrior.

However, she was powerless to do so. Her acupoints were sealed, making it impossible to speak, and any real attempt to warn him would cost her life.

Her entire life had been spent contemplating only how to kill.

This feeling of wanting to save someone was truly unfamiliar. In fact, it was the first time she had ever felt it.

Just then, the Faceless Warrior behind her gave her a push. Her deep thoughts had caused her to slow down too much.

The Seventeenth Bridge glanced back at him.

They had shared the entire carriage ride, yet this was the first time their eyes had met. He had been looking outside the whole time.

The Seventeenth Bridge turned her head forward and resumed walking.

They soon entered the reception hall. As she stepped inside, the Seventeenth Bridge flinched. A Faceless Warrior was standing just behind the open door.

Another Faceless Warrior stood by the window. He was leaning against the wall, observing the hall, and the Seventeenth Bridge knew instantly that he was no ordinary member.

The presence he gave off was on a completely different level from the others. That powerful aura naturally brought a name to her mind.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon!

Was it because of his pure white mask? The moment she saw the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, the image of a giant, pure white wolf appeared in her thoughts. A lone wolf standing in a snowfield as snow fell around it.

Finally, she was able to see her comrades clearly. They were all staring in her direction with stiff, grim expressions.

Now she understood. The twenty assassins of the Beautiful Bridges, including the Third Bridge, had all been subdued.

Why hadn't she ever considered that they might have been captured?

Just then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke in her direction.

"Are you alright?"

As the Seventeenth Bridge was momentarily confused, thinking he had asked her, a voice answered from behind.

"Yes, I'm fine."

The Seventeenth Bridge turned around in shock.

She saw the Faceless Warrior who had saved her answering with a polite, clasped-hands greeting. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had been asking about his condition, as his martial arts uniform was soaked in blood from numerous injuries.

Seeing this, the Seventeenth Bridge was stunned once more.

He wasn't mute!

Until this moment, she had assumed the Faceless Warriors were incapable of speech. She thought they were men whose tongues had been cut out and whose emotions had been erased.

He then exchanged a look with the Faceless Warrior who had been in the hall from the start. To her astonishment, they smiled at each other.

What, they can smile too?

The Faceless Warrior guided the Seventeenth Bridge to a chair and had her sit down. Once seated, she finally grasped the reality of her situation. She was a captive of the terrifying Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Warriors of the Demonic Cult.

Her gaze shifted to her senior and junior assassins.

Since they couldn't speak, they communicated with quiet glances. It was then that she noticed it. A single line of blood was drawn across each of their necks.

No way?

The Seventeenth Bridge could tell. These were wounds inflicted by a single person.

It was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon she had heard of was not someone who fit the description of a person who saved others. He was rumored to be the cruelest of all the Demon Supremes.

Why on earth isn't he killing us?

Meanwhile, more carriages began to arrive one after another.

Subdued assassins disembarked from these as well. Every assassin from the Beautiful Bridges mobilized for this mission was being captured and brought to this place. The Faceless Warriors seated the captured women in the empty chairs. With each new arrival, the assassins' shock grew at the number of their captured comrades.

Were we such a helpless organization?

These were women who had been confident they could kill any man in the world if they put their minds to it.

Their beauty, however, had no effect on these masked men. It was completely blocked by those masks, as if they had met their natural enemy.

Eventually, all the Faceless Warriors who had been sent out returned, having subdued the assassins.

Looking at the captured women, the Third Bridge knew the truth.

Everyone except the First Bridge and Igyo has been captured.

It was a relief they weren't killed immediately, but she wasn't naive enough to think the Demonic Cult would let them live.

Since they had been targeted, Cha Yiran, the First Bridge, and Igyo could also be in danger.

She also worried that they might be used as hostages to manipulate Cha Yiran.

Her gaze turned to the carriage parked outside.

There was only one thing to hope for now.

Whether he received a report about a broken carriage at the Mythical Sect's reception hall or a report about a fight between women inside, her hope was that the Mythical Sect Leader would personally lead his experts here.

No matter how powerful the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was, he wouldn't dare touch the Mythical Sect Leader just two days before the tournament.

She hoped he would come and create a variable.

But no matter how long she waited, the Mythical Sect Leader did not appear.

In the chief's hall of the Mythical Sect, three men were sitting and drinking.

The man in the center seat was the Mythical Sect Leader Ahn Cheongwang. The other two were the Boa Sword and the Cold Iron Blade.

These were the two experts who had helped Ahn Cheongwang build the current Mythical Sect.

"Only two days left."

Cha Yiran had relayed her plan to assassinate the Evil Alliance Chairman on the final stage. The original plan was to kill him at the celebratory banquet a few days later, but it was moved up due to the Evil Alliance Chairman's early arrival.

"Don't forget the promise you made to us."

Ahn Cheongwang nodded at the Boa Sword's words.

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

He had, many times. Though he probably didn't remember. Or perhaps he was just pretending not to.

There was a bigger reason for getting his confirmation than just the promise itself. They knew well that Ahn Cheongwang's ambition was the kind that burned brighter, like another flame, the more it was fulfilled.

With a man like that, you had to collect what was owed when you had the chance. He would surely forget again otherwise.

What Ahn Cheongwang had promised the two men was immense wealth and power.

If the plan to kill the Evil Alliance Chairman and frame the Black Heaven Sect succeeded, the Black Heaven Sect would be annihilated by Bi Sayin, who was set to become the next Evil Alliance Chairman.

If that happened, the Mythical Sect would rise to become the foremost sect in Anhui. It would be able to absorb all the influence the Black Heaven Sect had once held.

If things went according to plan, becoming the number one unorthodox faction was not a distant dream.

"Come, let's have a drink."

The three men raised their cups for a toast.

Just as their cups clinked with a cheerful sound.

"……"

The door to the hall opened, and someone stepped inside.

Seeing the person who entered, the three men shot up from their seats in surprise.

Shockingly, the person who had entered was the Evil Alliance Chairman Baek Jagang.

If the Evil Alliance Chairman had come, the martial artist guarding the door should have announced him. The lack of an announcement meant he had arrived in secret.

Something felt ominous, but Ahn Cheongwang rushed forward with a bright expression to greet him.

"Welcome, Chairman."

Ahn Cheongwang greeted him with a polite, clasped-hands gesture.

"What brings you here without any notice?"

Baek Jagang stared silently at his face, then asked abruptly, "Why did you do it?"

"!"

For a moment, Ahn Cheongwang's heart sank. Could the Chairman know everything? Had he come to confront him?

Behind him, a chill ran down the spines of the Boa Sword and the Cold Iron Blade.

"What do you mean?"

A heavy silence fell. Though Ahn Cheongwang was unsure what was happening, he did not look away from Baek Jagang's gaze, his eyes conveying his innocence.

Baek Jagang's small eyes crinkled into a smile.

"If you're having a drink, you should have called me too."

Only then did Ahn Cheongwang let out an inward sigh of relief.

"I didn't dare to invite such an esteemed person for fear of being a nuisance. I apologize, Chairman."

The Boa Sword and the Cold Iron Blade, standing behind, greeted him with a polite, clasped-hands gesture.

"We greet the Chairman."

Baek Jagang looked at them. Then he repeated the same words he had said to Ahn Cheongwang.

"Why did you two do it?"

Hearing the same question again, the Boa Sword and the Cold Iron Blade were inwardly flustered. Their guilt made them feel pricked, but the Boa Sword smiled and asked.

"What do you mean?"

Then, as if it were another joke, Baek Jagang smiled and said, "If you were here, you should have greeted me first."

"You seemed busy, so we were planning to greet you at the banquet. We apologize."

After the greetings were exchanged, the four men sat down again at the circular table.

Ahn Cheongwang poured a drink for Baek Jagang.

"Chairman, please have a drink first."

After accepting the cup, Baek Jagang poured drinks for the three men. As he filled the first cup for the Cold Iron Blade, who sat on his right, he asked him.

"Didn't I ask you why you did it?"

The three men flinched again. They thought the question had been answered and dismissed as a joke, but he was demanding an answer once more.

"What do you mean…"

Before he could finish his words, the sound of a gust of wind cut through the air.

SHWIIIIK!

"……"

It was the sound of a wind that carried his answer to a place where it could never be heard.

THUD.

The Cold Iron Blade's head fell onto the table, rolled, and came to a stop next to the liquor bottle.

"Shit!"

Spitting a single curse, the Boa Sword kicked his chair back and retreated. Ahn Cheongwang remained frozen in his seat, his eyes wide.

He never imagined the Chairman would cut down the Cold Iron Blade like this without any warning. And with a single strike.

CHAK.

Baek Jagang sheathed the sword he had drawn into the air.

He then spoke as if nothing had happened. "I seem to have gotten angrier these days. My limit has become twice. If I ask twice and don't get an answer, I find I can't stand it."

Baek Jagang looked at the Boa Sword, who had retreated a good distance away, and lifted the liquor bottle. It was a gesture for him to come and receive a drink.

The Boa Sword knew. Baek Jagang had come knowing everything. There was no other reason he would have done something like this.

If I accept that drink, I'll die.

The fear of death washed over him. He had roamed the Anhui murim his whole life, fearing nothing. But now, the thought of his imminent death made his entire body tremble.

The Boa Sword looked at Ahn Cheongwang. Ahn Cheongwang just sat there without a word. What brilliant plan could he possibly have in this situation? He was probably racking his brain, trying to find a way to escape.

The Boa Sword slowly walked over and sat down.

He was ready to draw his sword at any moment. Even if he died, he wouldn't die so meaninglessly.

He accepted the Evil Alliance Chairman's drink on the blood-soaked table.

Was it because he thought this might be his last drink?

The liquor that had tasted sweet just moments ago now tasted bitter.

"…The drink tastes good."

Baek Jagang asked again.

"Why did you do it?"

It was the second time he had been asked. He had to answer.

He answered honestly.

"For money and power. Was there any reason not to?"

Baek Jagang nodded with an expression that suggested he understood that much.

"You knew it was me, right?"

"No, we didn't know that."

The moment he answered, goosebumps rose on Baek Jagang's skin.

Baek Jagang stared at him silently, then said calmly, "Pour me a drink, and then you may go."

The Boa Sword's eyes widened. He's letting me live? It was hard to believe, but he had to get out of here first. Whatever lay outside this hell, could it be worse than hell itself?

The Boa Sword poured a drink for Baek Jagang.

GLUG, GLUG.

At that very moment!

SHWIIIIK!

PUUK!

In an instant, Baek Jagang's sword sliced through the air and pierced the Boa Sword's heart.

His blood trickled down the blade, while the liquor from the bottle continued to fill Baek Jagang's cup.

GLUG, GLUG.

After drinking all the liquor poured by the dead man, Baek Jagang pulled the sword from his heart.

THUD.

The corpse of the Boa Sword fell backward.

Ahn Cheongwang understood.

The words 'pour me a drink, and then you may go' didn't mean to leave the room.

It meant to leave this world.

Baek Jagang didn't waste time. He didn't try to sound out his opponent. He asked only what was necessary.

"Why did you do it?"

It was the second time he had asked him. He, too, could no longer delay or try to read the situation.

"I wanted to devour the Anhui murim, and all of the unorthodox sects' murim. The dream you had, Chairman, I had it too."

Ahn Cheongwang stood up and walked toward the grand chair in the back as he recounted the day Cha Yiran had come to him. Even as he got up and moved, Baek Jagang just listened.

"…If I hadn't accepted their proposal, they would have gone to the Black Heaven Sect. The one who would have been framed would have been our Mythical Sect."

He said it as if he had been wronged, but his excuse didn't work on Baek Jagang.

"That would not have happened. The master of the Black Heaven Sect is a man loyal to me. They wouldn't have gone to him in the first place."

His trust in the master of the Black Heaven Sect and his contempt for Ahn Cheongwang flowed out at the same time.

"Temptation always chooses the easier path."

Sitting in the grand chair, Ahn Cheongwang's face contorted, and he shouted as if in a desperate struggle.

"You're too arrogant."

The moment Ahn Cheongwang manipulated the armrest of the grand chair.

SREUREUNG.

The walls around Baek Jagang rotated, revealing hundreds of small holes. The ceiling opened up, revealing hundreds more.

It was a mechanism he had prepared for such a critical moment. A mechanism secretly built over a very long time, at a great expense.

Baek Jagang recognized it.

"The Myriad Needles Death Trap. A very fine mechanism. Did you know? A technician from my alliance made this."

His composure was unsettling, but Ahn Cheongwang trusted this mechanism. He trusted the money and time that had gone into it.

"Stop pretending to be calm! Even you won't escape unscathed."

Originally, he had no intention of using this mechanism on Baek Jagang. He had planned to use it if Cha Yiran betrayed him.

"Damn it!"

Even if the Evil Alliance Chairman died here and he escaped through the secret passage behind the chair, he would have to live the rest of his life on the run, hiding his identity and face.

"You weren't supposed to die here."

The one to kill you was supposed to be the Black Heaven Sect.

"How could you not wait two days and shatter my dream like this!"

Hundreds of hidden weapon holes were aimed at him, but Baek Jagang was completely unfazed.

"If you had used the money to build this mechanism to grow the Mythical Sect, you might have achieved your dream. You just chose the easy path."

In that moment, Ahn Cheongwang couldn't hold back and activated the mechanism.

CHAK!

However, the mechanism did not activate.

CHAK, CHAK!

No matter how many times he pressed the device, there was only a metallic sound. The mechanism did not attack.

Baek Jagang stood up and said leisurely, "Knowing full well what's in your heart, do you think my bodyguards would have just sent me in here alone?"

His bodyguards had already infiltrated the walls and roof beforehand and dismantled the mechanism.

"Damn it!"

Ahn Cheongwang shot to his feet. Should he flee through the secret passage? Or should he launch an attack?

While he was still undecided, a flash of light cut through that momentary gap.

SHUUUUNG!

PUAAAAK!

A blue sword qi, flying like a beam of light, pierced through his chest.

He couldn't fly up. He just slumped back into the grand chair.

"……"

He looked down at the hole in his chest and coughed up a gush of blood.

It was all so futile.

His decision to take Cha Yiran's hand had not even taken a quarter of an hour. That single decision had changed everything.

Life is long, but a decision is always made in an instant.

What would have happened if he had refused back then?

Baek Jagang turned and walked away, saying, "Dream your dream in your next life."

Just then, Ahn Cheongwang's voice came from behind.

"…That woman said something."

Baek Jagang stopped walking and looked back at his final moments.

Truly unexpected words poured out of Ahn Cheongwang's mouth along with blood.

"…She said that the murim will not be destroyed only if you die."

With those last words, Ahn Cheongwang's head dropped.

For the first time since entering the room, Baek Jagang's small eyes narrowed to sharp points and glinted. While listening to those words, no goosebumps had risen on his skin.

Which meant she had really said such a thing.

"The murim will be destroyed if I live?"