Chapter 741: I Think You Just Stole My Heart

TL: FoodieMonster007

Ji Han raced through the darkness, his heart pounding like it would burst from his chest.

Have I ever felt this shocked since becoming a martial artist? What the fuck did I just witness?

In one horrifying instant, the young man had struck down all four Blood Wind Swordsmen. From his distant hiding spot, Ji Han couldn't see exactly how they'd died.

Poison? Hidden weapons?

He didn't know how they were killed, only that it happened in a flash. However, what truly made Ji Han's heart race wasn't that the young man had killed them. It was that the man had seen him.

He definitely saw me.

Hidden in deep shadows, so far away, the man had looked right at him. No mistake about it. He'd even waved.

How long had he been running? Ji Han finally stopped, gasping for air. The shock had thrown his movement arts into chaos, and he'd failed to control his breathing. Now his qi and blood churned within him, bringing him to the verge of internal injury. This was a first for him.

"Huff, huff…"

The image of the young man smiling from atop the carriage resurfaced. His ominous premonition had been right.

He's not someone we should have touched.

Now he understood perfectly why Old Song had refused to sell the information.

He's a monster. One we can't handle.

He knew for certain the advice to back off had been genuine concern for his life.

However, deserting the organization wasn't so simple. An unauthorized departure would trigger a relentless manhunt that would never end. The more wicked and vile the organization, the less they forgave betrayal. As a master tracker himself, he knew he could evade them, but it would mean a lifetime on the run, constantly anxious. Leaving required thorough preparation, not a sudden flight of panic.

Therefore, he had to go back and report.

He could already picture how Flame Dragon Commander Cheon Daewoong would react to the news. The Four Blood Wind Swordsmen are dead. They're not opponents we should have provoked.

The moment he uttered those words, Cheon Daewoong would likely erupt. In a fit of fury over losing his most trusted men, he might kill Ji Han on the spot. The man acted without thinking.

In that moment, with his ally seeming more dangerous than his enemy, Ji Han recalled Old Song's advice.

"If you can't leave… then charge toward your death."

Surely it wasn't meant literally. It had been offered as a favor, after all.

Would that death be merciful?

Standing alone under the faint starlight of dawn, Ji Han's worries deepened.

Behind the curtain, Cheon Daewoong poured wine. It had been ages since anyone had seen him pour wine for another with such respect, a clear sign of his guest's importance. Only after filling the cup did he ask again about the report he'd just received. "The Four Blood Wind Swordsmen are dead?"

His calm voice sent even greater fear through Ji Han. "Yes, they're all dead."

From behind the curtain, Cheon Daewoong spoke politely to his guest, "Please, continue drinking for a moment."

One side of the curtain was pulled back, and Cheon Daewoong walked out. The moment the refined man stepped into the open, he became a different person.

Without warning, Cheon Daewoong's fist flew at Ji Han.

SWOOOOSH!

"……"

A palm strike whistled past Ji Han's face and shattered the door behind him, catching the guards outside in the sudden disaster.

"Who did you say is dead?"

SWOOOOSH! CRAAACK!

Cheon Daewoong began smashing everything in sight, completely transformed from moments before. It was like he was declaring, This is who I really am. My refinement inside was merely courtesy to my guest. In fact, the violence of his outburst only emphasized the respect he held for the person behind the curtain.

CRACK! CRAAACK!

The ground around Ji Han churned, pulverized by palm strikes. Debris peppered his body, but he refused to move. This was the type of person Ji Han despised most. A man who expressed anger through violence, who believed strength gave him the right to unleash his emotions as he pleased.

Fortunately, the anger wasn't directed at Ji Han himself. Only after his fit subsided did Cheon Daewoong's rage seem to cool.

"Whose work was it? The old man with them? Or did that mysterious woman kill them?"

Ji Han had seen at least one thing clearly. It was the young man's work, unless the other two had performed their martial arts while lying down… so he answered honestly, "I couldn't see properly."

He expected a furious reprimand, but Cheon Daewoong seemed to find the answer normal.

"Right, that's to be expected."

Ji Han shivered. He knew Cheon Daewoong considered him far weaker than the Four Blood Wind Swordsmen. In fact, many in the organization looked down on him, treating him as nothing more than a hunting dog that followed scents.

There was a clear reason for their dislike. Most of his targets were deserters, which meant Ji Han was the very man who would hunt them down if they ever tried to escape.

"You were probably hiding far away like a coward, weren't you?"

"The Four Blood Wind Swordsmen told me to stay back so I wouldn't interfere," he lied. "They said I might needlessly reveal my presence to the enemy."

In truth, he'd retreated on his own after pointing them to the location. It had been a surprise attack late at night, and the Four Blood Wind Swordsmen had been brimming with confidence, certain that the four of them together couldn't lose to anyone, even in broad daylight.

"Still, you must have seen something, right?"

"The fight was over in an instant, so I didn't see anything."

Cheon Daewoong grabbed Ji Han by the collar. "If you can't even tattle properly, what good are you besides sniffing things out? Should I cut off that nose of yours?"

Ji Han averted his gaze from the contemptuous eyes and lowered his head. Cheon Daewoong threw him to the ground, and he tumbled across the floor. He could have used his lightness technique to land on his feet, but he knew such a display might truly provoke a killing blow.

Cheon Daewoong turned back toward the curtain, his voice once again polite, "It seems this matter will have to be handled by you, Elder."

The shadow within the curtain drank its wine before setting the cup down, "Very well."

The curtain was drawn aside, and the man called Elder revealed himself. Seeing his face, Ji Han understood at once why the ill-tempered Cheon Daewoong had been so respectful.

"Lead me to them."

The carriage departed early the next morning. Geom Mugeuk acted like nothing had happened, making Tae Su wonder if he'd dreamt the entire encounter.

"By any chance, do you know who those attackers were last night?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "I do."

"You do? Who were they?"

"Why are you curious about that now?"

"I feel like I should know who I bit."

The real reason was that he was curious just how skilled the masters he'd killed were. He'd been too shocked and flustered the night before to ask.

Geom Mugeuk replied, "The Four Blood Wind Swordsmen."

Tae Su was startled for a moment, but then he shook his head, "Hey, stop joking around."

He figured Geom Mugeuk had just picked the name of some famous group of four because four men had died. If you're going to joke, at least make it believable. The Four Blood Wind Swordsmen?

They were renowned masters of the unorthodox sects who had killed countless martial artists, many of them well-known masters themselves. On top of that, they'd committed innumerable evil deeds. They were the kind of men whose name, if mentioned at an inn, would instantly silence the entire room, and he was supposed to believe they'd died without even getting to properly swing their swords? It was absurd.

"I'm not that naive. I've been around the jianghu long enough. So stop teasing me and tell me who they really were."

Geom Mugeuk simply drove the carriage in silence, not bothering to insist. Paradoxically, his silence made it feel more real. Tae Su recalled the man's lightning-fast movements from the night before and asked again, his voice trembling, "Was it really the Four Blood Wind Swordsmen?"

When Geom Mugeuk nodded, Tae Su's face went pale. Before, during the fight over the treasure map, the people chasing him had just been nameless, greedy martial artists. He could evade them with his movement arts and his Bone Contraction Art without needing to know their names.

However, now, names were starting to appear, like the Four Blood Wind Swordsmen. The terrifying men he'd only heard stories about had pointed their swords at him and died right before his eyes. Perhaps this was just the beginning.

Composing himself, Tae Su looked at Geom Mugeuk. Did this man really kill them?

"Did you know it was them when you killed them?"

"I didn't know at the time."

"Then how do you know now?"

"A report flew in this morning."

"From who?"

"The Thousand Horse Escort Agency has an information network all over the Central Plains. With a thousand horses, how fast do you think we can exchange messages?"

Tae Su stared, unsure whether to believe him. Geom Mugeuk took a piece of paper from his robes and handed it over.

As Tae Su read its contents, he let out a scream, "Aargh!"

It was because of another name written on the paper.

[The Four Blood Wind Swordsmen were active as the limbs of the Evil King Sect's Flame Dragon Commander, Cheon Daewoong.]

Tae Su gasped, "They belonged to the Evil King Sect?"

The Evil King Sect was famous among the unorthodox sects for its violence and notoriety. They hadn't always been so infamous, but at some point, they began accepting fugitives who had committed crimes in the murim, and the sect's influence changed. Now, it was a place where countless villains gathered, to the point where it was said that if you caused trouble, you could hide in the Evil King Sect.

Tae Su shouted, "We have to hide! This is no time to be out in the open!"

Tae Su was genuinely terrified. Every rumor about the Evil King Sect was enough to make one's face scrunch up in disgust. It wasn't just that they killed people, it was how they killed them, with extreme cruelty. They were men who had abandoned their humanity, using terror to make their sect even stronger, and these people were acting this nonchalant after provoking them?

Tae Su declared, "Give me the reins. I'll find a place to hide."

As someone accustomed to running and hiding, he felt he had to take the lead. How could the two people in the carriage, and Geom Mugeuk himself, be so calm?

"I'll teach you the Bone Contraction Art. Let's go back to the Cave of Ten Thousand Paths and hide in that hole."

Tae Su was dead serious. Any other sect, maybe, but the Evil King Sect was teeming with villains.

"I might be able to fit, but I can't have our dear elders go into such a cramped space, can I?"

"Our opponent is the Evil King Sect! They're not people a mere escort agency can handle! If we hide for a few years, they'll forget about the treasure map."

Geom Mugeuk smiled at Tae Su. He and the Demon Supremes didn't have a few years, or even a few days, for that. Hey kid, we're busy people.

"What about your scent?"

"Ah!"

Tae Su had completely forgotten what they were using to track him. Unless he cut off his hand, he couldn't escape the Evil King Sect's pursuit.

Geom Mugeuk mentioned a place. "Should we ask the Evil Alliance for help?"

Tae Su looked at him in disbelief. "You want to call a tiger to chase away a wolf?"

"It's like fighting fire with fire."

"No matter how vicious the Evil King Sect is, don't they say blood is thicker than water? If the Evil King Sect falls, the power of the unorthodox sects will weaken. The Evil Alliance won't attack them."

"When a war breaks out with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or the orthodox sects, do you really think the Evil King Sect will lead the charge? Not a chance! Those guys will use the chaos to try and gain their own advantages. The current Evil Alliance would probably love to get rid of them. Even evil needs to have a minimum level of class."

Even if Geom Mugeuk was right about that part, Tae Su had another point.

"Even if the Evil Alliance stops them, do you think they'll just leave the treasure map alone?"

"And if they don't?"

"They'll obviously try to take it, and they'll kill us all to keep it a secret."

"I don't think so."

At the carefree reply, Tae Su finally let out a sigh. Could they really survive with the Evil King Sect targeting them? Did this nonchalance truly come from confidence and skill?

"If masters we can't handle appear, please hand me over."

Of course, he wasn't being serious. He was testing Geom Mugeuk.

"Of course, we'll have to."

It was the obvious answer, but he felt a little disappointed anyway.

"However, that won't happen."

"Pardon?"

"Because there won't be any opponents we can't handle."

Hearing those words, Tae Su was suddenly reminded of what his father had told him.

"Don't be greedy for the treasure map! It's something we can't handle."

Even if it was something he couldn't handle, in that moment, he wanted to believe in Geom Mugeuk's bluff.

Please, I hope you all can handle it!

How much further did they travel before a single old man appeared, blocking the road?

He exuded powerful presence, and Tae Su recognized him as the very same old man who had been drinking with Cheon Daewoong. Dressed in white robes with his pure white beard fluttering in the wind, he looked like an immortal. On the surface, he appeared to be a man who had transcended the secular world, but he'd transcended it in a very different way.

Knowing their opponent was the Evil King Sect, it wasn't difficult to deduce the identity of the old man wearing robes with the character for "myriad" on his chest.

"The Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit!"

Tae Su trembled all over. The Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit was an absolute master of the unorthodox sects who had committed all sorts of evil deeds. Rumors about him were many. Some said he was called the Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit because he'd killed ten thousand masters, while others claimed the name came from committing ten thousand evil acts. Some said both were true.

No matter how skilled these people are, they can't possibly face the Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit!

The Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit didn't ask who had killed the Four Blood Wind Swordsmen.

"Who has the treasure map?"

At that, Geom Mugeuk looked at Tae Su without a moment's hesitation.

Seriously? Even if it's true, you're just going to stare at me that blatantly?

Tae Su felt that the moment he couldn't handle had finally arrived, far sooner than he'd expected. He understood now why Geom Mugeuk was abandoning him. Who could possibly face the Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit? This was the end of his bluff.

Since things have come to this…

Tae Su spoke to the Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit with a determined look in his eyes, not quite understanding why he felt compelled to do so. "I have the treasure map memorized. Take me and let these people go. If you kill them, you'll never learn the location of the treasure. Please, spare these people!"

The Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit offered Tae Su a smile filled with killing intent.

In stark contrast, a broad smile that could offset all that coldness bloomed on the face of the man right next to him. "I think you just stole my heart."