Chapter 732: How Dare a Mere Porter?

TL: FoodieMonster007

"He's a lucky one, surviving after cursing at the Elder," Geom Mugeuk remarked.

The Flower Sword Supreme chimed in, "The only one, in fact."

The teasing did not seem to faze the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. He remained steadfast, even offering a benevolent smile as he said, "People curse sometimes. It's just a part and parcel of life."

Geom Mugeuk immediately burst into laughter.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon must have found his own words amusing, for he turned his head away, likely struggling to keep a straight face.

"I have no intention of intervening. I'm curious about the outcome of this bet," Geom Mugeuk added.

What if all three of them held back from now on?

"Then the result will be decided very soon," the Flower Sword Supreme declared confidently, certain that she could control her temper far better than the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

Just then, someone shouted, "Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"

Another group of martial artists rushed past, their rough movement arts kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon casually fanned it away with his hand.

"Are you alright?" Geom Mugeuk asked, worried.

"I'm fine."

"Shouldn't a palm technique have shot out from your hand just now? If someone who isn't used to holding back suddenly restrains themselves too much, they'll get sick."

"When a martial artist uses movement arts, dust is bound to be kicked up," the Blade Demon replied calmly.

Seeing him act like a high monk mastering his mind, Geom Mugeuk feigned a sigh. "Ah! If I'd known this kind of mental training awaited us, I should have brought the Demonic Buddha."

"He's the most impatient one of all," the Blade Demon retorted. "Isn't his version of Buddha one that kills first and then prays for their entry into paradise?"

Geom Mugeuk and the Flower Sword Supreme laughed together. The situation around them was escalating rapidly, yet the three of them were in no hurry.

They walked a little further before the path opened into a wide, clear space at the foot of the mountain. The area was packed with martial artists, and a palpable, immense heat emanated from the sheer mass of bodies.

"I heard he's hiding in the cave!"

"Hurry up and move!"

"Move before I kill you!"

Before this shouting, protesting crowd stood the mouth of a cave.

This was the Cave of Ten Thousand Paths, and it was famous for its vast interior and maze-like complexity. So many had died after entering and failing to find their way out that it had earned another name, the Cave of Death.

Martial artists from the Flying Dragon Gang, a notoriously belligerent group from Hunan, blocked the entrance.

One of them, Song Byeokchan, one of the gang's top ten masters, stepped forward. His voice, laced with inner arts, carried over the din, "The Cave of Ten Thousand Paths is sealed. Everyone, back away."

A hero from the gathered crowd immediately protested, "Why are you stopping us from entering? Is the Flying Dragon Gang trying to monopolize the treasure map?"

Song Byeokchan replied smoothly, "We are trying to prevent bloodshed in our gang's territory. This is to stop you from losing your lives in vain over a pointless fight, so do not misunderstand."

Of course, no one believed his words. It was obvious that the Flying Dragon Gang had already dispatched its own masters to search the cave's interior. Many outside masters had slipped in before the blockade, but the cave was so complex that they still had not found the person who had hidden with the treasure map.

The martial artist who had just protested tried to incite the crowd. "Let's force our way through. If we all join forces…"

SHWIK! THUD!

Before he could finish, Song Byeokchan's sword was already embedded in the back of his neck. The man was helpless against the surprise attack from behind.

Song Byeokchan coldly pulled his bloodied sword free as the man collapsed. He looked down at the body, then addressed the crowd, "Is there anyone else who still wishes to defy our gang?"

A heavy silence fell over the area. In Hunan, not many people could afford to ignore the might of the Flying Dragon Gang.

Watching from the back, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head. "A cave? I can't stand stuffy places."

The Flower Sword Supreme smiled. "It seems I have the advantage in many ways."

She meant that the Blade Demon's temper would surely fray faster in such a confined space.

"Now, all of you, turn back."

Song Byeokchan stepped forward, and the Flying Dragon Gang martial artists lined up behind him, drawing their swords and advancing with menace. Even so, the martial artists did not back down. The desire to become an unparalleled master, the greed for the immense wealth promised by the treasure map, kept every one of them rooted to the spot. Even now, more people were flocking to the mountain.

Just as the standoff reached its peak, the air filled with a sharp whistle.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Hidden weapons rained down upon the Flying Dragon Gang from behind.

"Ambush!" Song Byeokchan shouted urgently, but his men were already falling one after another.

The attackers, to everyone's surprise, emerged from inside the cave.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Song Byeokchan desperately swung his sword, deflecting what he could, but the sheer number of projectiles was overwhelming.

THWACK!

As he focused on the weapons, a heavy palm strike slammed into his back. His body was launched through the air, tumbling to the ground before lying still.

Now, the man who had shouted so loudly moments before was now just a corpse.

The one who had hidden among the martial artists to launch the surprise attack was a muscular man with a vulgar impression. He had already hidden his subordinates inside the cave before the Flying Dragon Gang had sealed the entrance.

"Why is this your territory? It's our territory."

Someone in the crowd recognized him and shouted.

"The Viridian Forest Emperor!"

He was a famous member of the Viridian Forest in Hunan, with a mountain keep right here on Emperor Mountain. Interestingly, his title was not because he was as great as a king of the Viridian Forest, but because he was the master of this particular mountain. He was a vicious man with a vulgar disposition who would commit any evil deed for money.

Recently, however, he had clashed with the Flying Dragon Gang and suffered consecutive defeats, greatly diminishing his influence. Having indulged in money and women, his once-formidable martial arts were a shadow of their former glory.

He spat on Song Byeokchan's corpse. "Shameless bastards. You thought you could swallow a treasure of the ages all by yourselves?"

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Now, let's go in!"

The martial artists surged toward the entrance of the Cave of Ten Thousand Paths, but their advance was cut short as hidden weapons once again rained down on them.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Those at the front were struck down.

The Viridian Forest Emperor stepped forward, blocking the cave entrance in front of the bandits who had thrown the weapons. "Who said you could enter as you please?"

His booming shout instantly quelled the atmosphere.

He then announced loudly, "To enter this place, you must pay a toll."

Bewildered expressions spread through the crowd, but in this tense atmosphere, no one dared to protest.

Someone finally asked, "How much is the toll?"

"One thousand taels per person. If you don't have money, I'll also accept weapons or artifacts of equivalent value."

The martial artists murmured amongst themselves. A thousand taels was an exorbitant price just to enter a cave.

"Isn't that too expensive?" someone protested.

The Viridian Forest Emperor merely tempted them further.

"You'd miss the chance to obtain a treasure of the ages just to save a mere thousand taels? Do as you please."

In truth, he had no intention of entering the cave himself. If he collected from just ten people, it would be ten thousand taels. From a hundred, a whopping one hundred thousand. Since martial artists were continuously flocking to the area, collecting from a hundred people was not an impossible task.

The life of the Viridian Forest involved lying in ambush for days just to rob someone of a few dozen taels. He could not miss such a golden opportunity. Since he was bound to be ruined by the Flying Dragon Gang soon anyway, he planned to make a huge score and then leave this place for good.

"Aren't the Viridian Forest people who collect tolls by nature? The path you're taking this time is the path to becoming an absolute master, so the toll is merely expensive. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You'll surely receive a great reward for paying a high price."

Finally, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon couldn't help blurting out, "This bandit has a good head on his shoulders!"

Unfortunately, he spoke just as the noisy area fell silent for a moment, and his words carried directly to the Viridian Forest Emperor's ears.

The man whipped his head around toward the source of the voice. "Who is it!"

The people in front moved aside, revealing Geom Mugeuk and company. The sound had definitely come from his direction.

"Was it you? The one who just spouted nonsense?"

"It wasn't me," Geom Mugeuk said, stepping aside and gesturing behind him. "It was this person."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked dumbfounded at Geom Mugeuk's shameless tattling.

The Flower Sword Supreme beamed, her expression clearly saying, Of course the Young Cult Leader is on my side.

The Viridian Forest Emperor stared at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and said coldly, "Old man, do you want to die?"

Geom Mugeuk and the Flower Sword Supreme grinned from ear to ear.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon replied calmly, "I was just saying you have a good head on your shoulders, so don't mind me."

Even though his opponent was submissive, the Viridian Forest Emperor decided not to let it go. He took a few steps forward, intending to make an example of the old man. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon seemed utterly insignificant because he was not revealing his aura. However, the closer the bandit got, an inexplicable sense of unease grew within him.

Why? Is it because of his eyes?

He had already committed, however. If he backed down now, the jackals watching him would rush in to tear him apart.

The Flower Sword Supreme watched the scene with a pleased expression, certain she had won the bet. There was no way the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would let a man like this lay a hand on him, bet or no bet.

"Wait." The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stopped the bandit for a moment, then reached into his shirt pocket.

The Viridian Forest Emperor flinched and gathered his inner qi in preparation for a surprise attack, but what the Blood Heaven Blade Demon pulled from his robes turned out to be a small pouch.

The Viridian Forest Emperor took another cautious step back. Is that poison?

The Blade Demon reached into the pouch, took something out, and held it forward. "Here is one thousand taels."

Geom Mugeuk and the Flower Sword Supreme could only stare at each other in astonishment. They never would have dreamed that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would actually offer to pay.

"Take it."

The Viridian Forest Emperor took the bank note in a daze. It was real.

"You're the first customer to pay the toll, so I'll overlook your earlier mistake."

Since the old man had paid, he could not very well beat him up. To make others pay, he had to let this transaction go smoothly.

"Fine, you may enter."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon then urged Geom Mugeuk and the Flower Sword Supreme. "What are you two doing? Pay up."

Geom Mugeuk whispered to the Flower Sword Supreme, "You have the treasure map, don't you, Sword Supreme? He's doing this so he can win the bet and make you hand it over, right?"

The Flower Sword Supreme's gaze deepened as she looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. What is it you want?

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon casually turned back to the Viridian Forest Emperor. "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"How long will you be here?"

The Viridian Forest Emperor flinched. "Why do you ask?"

"Never mind. I was just asking."

For some reason, the question put the bandit in a foul mood.

The Flower Sword Supreme pouted, "I don't have a thousand taels on me right now."

The Viridian Forest Emperor looked her up and down. Since she was with a man who had paid so obediently, he didn't think there was anything special about her. Moreover, when he saw the young man standing next to her, weighed down by luggage, he was certain that they were not martial masters.

This mistaken belief caused him to say something he shouldn't have.

"If you don't have money, I can accept other things."

The relaxed expression on the Flower Sword Supreme's face vanished, replaced by an icy mask. Her true nature surfaced in an instant.

To hell with the bet, I should cut his head off.

Just then, though, she saw the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's hand moving toward the knot binding the Heaven Destroying Dao. He could endure insults directed at himself, but he would not stand for them against her.

The sight of his quiet defense made a smile spread across her face, and her anger subsided as quickly as it had appeared.

Before the Blood Heaven Blade Demon could untie the knot, she said, "There are too many eyes on us right now, so let's meet here again later. I'll give you a very nice gift."

"Do you take me for a fool? What guarantee is there that you'll come out alive?"

The Flower Sword Supreme gave the Viridian Forest Emperor a meaningful look. "Don't worry. I have a very good reason to make sure I come out alive."

The Viridian Forest Emperor had no idea just how desperately the two of them now wanted to meet him again.

Their tense exchange was cut short by a clear, sharp woman's voice that sliced through the air from behind. "Kill that lecherous bastard."

The Viridian Forest Emperor turned in surprise and saw a young woman standing there, leading a group of martial artists. As she gave the command, the martial artists behind her lunged forward.

The Viridian Forest Emperor resisted, throwing punches, but he could not withstand their combined attack. Their skills far surpassed those of the Flying Dragon Gang members he had faced earlier.

He was hacked to death, and his subordinates, who had been throwing hidden weapons, fled without a second glance. They knew the woman's identity.

She was the Cold Moon Sword, Chu Yeon, the only daughter of the Flying Dragon Boss. Within the Flying Dragon Gang, she was renowned for showing no mercy to her enemies.

With the Viridian Forest Emperor's subordinates gone, a few martial artists near the entrance rushed into the cave. Soon, the entire crowd surged inside, and no one could stop them.

Chu Yeon did not intervene. She simply watched with a cold and disdainful gaze.

Suddenly, the three people who had not entered caught her eye.

Geom Mugeuk searched the Viridian Forest Emperor's corpse and found the banknote that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had given him. The note was stained with blood. He pocketed it and offered a new thousand-tael note to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

However, the Blade Demon held out his hand, asking for the bloodstained note instead.

"Please take the new one."

"It's fine."

A thought suddenly occurred to Geom Mugeuk. Perhaps the Blood Heaven Blade Demon considered even this bank note a part of his memories with the Flower Sword Supreme.

He moved to hand the blood-stained note over, when a cold voice interrupted them, "You should be ashamed of yourselves."

Geom Mugeuk and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at the speaker, Chu Yeon.

"No matter how great the treasure map is, for martial artists to give in to the threats of the Viridian Forest and pay money is embarrassing, not to mention looting a corpse to retrieve your money."

Geom Mugeuk met her contemptuous gaze and replied, "You, Young Lady, are wrong."

Chu Yeon's face froze. How dare a mere porter step forward and say I'm wrong?

"First of all," Geom Mugeuk began, looking at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, "the Elder made the choice to pay to save all of those martial artists."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon flinched inwardly. I did that to save all of the martial artists? Since when?

Geom Mugeuk continued, his voice ringing with conviction, "If those people entered this place, they would eventually fight and kill each other, but because our Elder paid, it created an atmosphere where everyone had to pay. Since most of them wouldn't have a large sum like a thousand taels, they wouldn't be able to go in. In the end, the Elder saved everyone's lives. He's such a compassionate man, isn't he?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon cleared his throat at the explanation, which was way better than his real reason.

Chu Yeon opened her mouth to retort, asking where he was spouting such sophistry, but Geom Mugeuk interrupted again, "However, after he went to the trouble of saving them, they all just went inside. If it were you, Young Lady, you could have stopped them. You couldn't possibly be thinking, 'Let them all go in and die,' could you?"

For a moment, Chu Yeon's face twitched. Shockingly, she had indeed felt that way just a moment ago. She was angered that a mere luggage carrier had seen right through her.

"There it is! The treasure map!" a shout erupted from inside the cave.

Screams followed, along with the continuous sound of clashing weapons that soon grew distant.

"We must go in now," one of Chu Yeon's subordinates urged.

Chu Yeon nodded. Just before entering the cave, she looked back coldly at Geom Mugeuk. She did not make a throat-slitting gesture, but her gaze was a clear warning that she would kill him the next time they met.

After the Flying Dragon Gang left, the three of them finally entered the cave.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had been teased the whole time, smiled with satisfaction. "Looks like you'll be the first one to draw your sword."