Chapter 101: Nice to Meet You, Brat. (2)

Taejangwi was an old man without legs. Though he could create anything with his wrinkled hands, he was unable to walk.

Cheonma offered to give him legs, but he said he didn’t need legs and asked for time instead.

Cheonma agreed, granting time to Taejangwi, whose death was imminent.

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but think that Cheonma might not be human.

Could anyone other than a god possibly interfere with the life and death of humans?

Having gained time through Cheonma’s touch, Taejangwi began to overhaul the Sacred Teaching.

The time it took for one man to turn a castle into a fortress was a mere half-year.

I remembered the old man’s withered face, filled only with madness.

‘Was he already working for Heukyagung before meeting Cheonma?’

A device that reacts to demonic energy… it wasn’t even an array formation. That old man was the only human capable of creating something like this.

Inside the door, there was a staircase leading down.

Seeing the bloodstains here and there, I expected it wasn’t a normal place.

Without extinguishing the flames in my hand, I descended the stairs.

With each step down, the smell of blood grew stronger.

It was so bad I had to cover my mouth and nose with my sleeve.

‘What in the world were they doing?’

Seeing the bloodstains on the wall were dried and faded, it seemed quite some time ago.

Just as I wondered how much further I had to go, I finally saw the floor.

Below the stairs was a long corridor. The surroundings were already filled with a foul stench, and at the end of the corridor, an unknown boiling sound could be heard.

Covering my mouth with my sleeve, I cautiously approached the source of the sound.

And where I arrived…

“…!”

I bit my lip at the horrific sight before my eyes.

Inside the room was a small pond filled with bright red blood.

It was difficult to calm my trembling chest from the shocking sight.

The stench of rotting corpses permeated the area, and the bodies of Plum Sword Guards, yet undiscovered, lay scattered on the floor.

Seeing that, I spat out a curse.

“…You damn bastards.”

Anyone but a fool could tell whose blood filled that lake, even if it wasn’t large.

For what?

What on earth were they doing this for?

I urgently scanned my surroundings. I had to figure out the purpose of this disgusting room.

It didn’t take long to find it.

The small flower blooming in the center of the lake.

It was a flower with vibrant colors, seemingly grown using the blood water as nourishment.

Unlike its beautiful appearance, it exuded an ominous aura, even giving off a faint demonic energy.

It was clearly no ordinary flower.

“…No way…”

That bright red flower.

Was all of this for that?

What in the world is that…?

As I approached the flower with trembling eyes, I suddenly noticed something strange.

Among the bodies of the Plum Sword Guards, there were corpses that looked remarkably intact.

They wore the same white clothes, but unlike the clothes left to rot with the flesh after being neglected for so long.

They looked like they hadn’t been dead long.

Seeing the clothes the corpses were wearing, I immediately unleashed my internal energy.

Maeng.

Those corpses are people from Maeng.

Moreover, they were corpses that hadn’t been dead long.

Which means they weren’t withdrawn from Maeng, but rather…

Shwik-!

As I spread my senses around, I detected something.

There was no time to analyze it.

I moved immediately, protecting my neck.

Pfft!

A blade grazed my shoulder, splashing blood.

Hwareureuk!

With that, I spewed flames to protect myself and simultaneously erased the darkness in the room.

I focused my gaze. I examined the appearance of the attacker.

Their clothes and mask were all black, so I couldn’t recognize their appearance.

Ttuk. Ttuk.

Blood dripped from my injured shoulder.

‘That was close.’

Choosing to protect my neck was the right decision.

All the corpses belonging to the Murim Alliance, pushed aside in the corner, had died from their necks being pierced.

Thanks to seeing this and reacting, I blocked the surprise attack. I looked at the attacker and asked,

“Are you from Heukyagung?”

At my question, the attacker nodded. Fortunately, they weren’t mute, as the attacker spoke.

“Such a young one, lacking manners.”

At the rasping voice, I smirked.

“Why are you bastards from the unorthodox sects suddenly so concerned with manners? Anyone hearing you would think you’re paragons of etiquette, you who just launched a surprise attack.”

“How did you dodge it?”

“Because your attack was crude, obviously.”

Even as I spoke like that, I was using all my strength to figure out the attacker.

‘An assassin.’

Sweat trickled down my cheek. This was a difficult opponent. He wasn’t an ordinary martial artist, but an assassin.

I blocked the first surprise attack, but if our cultivation levels were the same, he would have the advantage in a one-on-one fight.

It was fortunate that this was a cramped room with nowhere to hide, but our matchup wasn’t favorable.

I circulated my cultivation technique, intensifying the flames. The attacker nodded upon seeing this.

“Small stature, fierce impression, red robes, and even using fire techniques… Yes, you must be Gu Yangcheon.”

At the attacker’s words, I frowned.

“You know me?”

“You were also part of the objective… Fortunately, you came here on your own, making things easier.”

It felt like the demonic energy of Yaehyeok. Given the circumstances, he was undoubtedly affiliated with Heukyagung.

‘Heukyagung knows about me.’

Did the information get out because I killed Yaehyeok? It was something I had anticipated, but it spread faster than I expected.

Does that mean the matter here is that important, or that flower? Or perhaps Shinui?

‘What should I do?’

My opponent is a peak-level assassin. This is a different league compared to dealing with Yaehyeok.

I focused my energy, raising my internal energy with heat, but the attacker was completely at ease.

However, I wasn’t letting my guard down.

It was truly a dog-like situation.

He was blocking the entrance, making escape difficult, and fighting him offered no chance of victory.

I wished he would at least be careless like Yaehyeok, but the attacker showed no such signs.

As I circulated my internal energy to heat up my body in this crisis, the attacker spoke to me.

“I have an offer.”

“What?”

It was a sudden statement.

“Our Palace wants you. We were told to capture you if possible, rather than kill you, so why not surrender peacefully?”

It was an absurd statement.

“After trying to kill me with a surprise attack?”

“Because I didn’t know it was you then. You must be from a good family; wouldn’t it be better to come along peacefully without suffering?”

“This guy’s hilarious.”

“I’ll have to sever your tendons, but I’ll spare your life.”

I let out a hollow laugh at his words.

So, he was asking me to pledge my life to someone from Heukyagung, who might be involved with the Demonic Cult.

My life is precious.

It was even more so because it was time and life obtained like a miracle.

However, it wasn’t a life so valuable that I’d bow my head here.

At least, I didn’t want to do that to those demonic bastards.

With a mocking smile plastered on my face, I said to the attacker,

“Fuck off, bastard.”

At my curse, the attacker’s eyes contorted.

Even without seeing his face, I could tell.

“You should have spoken without that murderous intent in your eyes first, you idiot.”

“Tsk tsk… You’re quicker-witted than I thought.”

He never intended to keep his word anyway.

I could tell that much the moment I saw him.

An assassin who doesn’t even bother to hide his emotions.

How much was I underestimated?

The attacker dropped his smirk and said,

“I am called Nachal.”

“Why the sudden self-introduction, what the hell? Do you want to be friends?”

“You should know who you’re dying to, shouldn’t you? It’s a form of consideration.”

What a ridiculous idea. Do they announce their names via telepathy before killing those they ambush?

That’s unlikely.

He’s just messing with me.

‘Nachal… I’ve never heard that name before.’

I didn’t believe his words, nor could I recall any relevant names.

After all, there were hardly any known assassins besides the Shadow King.

What’s important is that he’s a high-level assassin, and I need to survive from now on.

‘…Tsk.’

I didn’t expect Heukyagung’s trainees to be this fast.

It was largely my fault for moving so hastily.

I brainstormed countless methods in my head, but lacked the power to break through.

Still, I had to do it.

I circulated my internal energy relentlessly, activating my body, and was about to charge at him.

[…You’re causing trouble the moment you wake up.]

My feet, about to dash forward, stopped.

[Tsk tsk… They should recognize your work ethic even after death in the Immortal Realm.]

It was a familiar voice.

An inappropriate sense of joy washed over me.

‘Shin No….’

[Stop doing foolish things and step aside.]

In an instant, the world went dark.

---

‘What is this?’

Nachal looked at Gu Yangcheon, who had suddenly bowed his head, with bewilderment.

The orders from the Palace were to retrieve the ‘Original Fluid’ from the Shaanxi branch, kidnap Shinui, and identify the remnants of the Gu family.

Finding the Original Fluid was easy. Since the device couldn’t be opened without Cheongi (Heavenly Energy), it was just a matter of going and retrieving it.

The riff-raff from the Murim Alliance blocking the branch were killed in one blow and cleared away.

At least it would take an hour for them to notice anything amiss.

As I was about to leave with the Original Fluid, I sensed an unknown presence, so Nachal concealed his presence.

The presence gradually drew nearer, opened the door, and infiltrated the basement.

At first, I thought it was someone from the same Palace, but upon checking, it was surprisingly a boy.

‘I tensed up unnecessarily.’

I don’t know how he got in.

Did I think I closed the door but left it open?

Since I could just kill him anyway, I intended to finish it quickly.

To my surprise, the boy dodged Nachal’s strike.

Soon after, flames filled the room, and upon confirming the boy’s appearance, Nachal was certain.

That boy was the son of the renowned hero currently staying in Shaanxi.

Behind the vague mission given by the Palace Lord to identify Gu Yangcheon, there was a directive that killing him was permissible.

Even if he killed Yaehyeok, the boy is a first-rate martial artist.

Nachal could have dealt with someone like Yaehyeok in a single blow if the situation was right.

‘He’s certainly monstrous for his age, though.’

Seeing the amount of internal energy contained within the flames filling the room, Nachal inwardly gasped.

Leaving that monster, who already seemed to harbor ill will towards the Palace, unchecked would surely cause trouble later.

Nachal decided to eliminate Gu Yangcheon at this moment.

But then.

“Oh, my aching bones…”

Gu Yangcheon’s demeanor, as he started moving again, had changed drastically.

“Why must an old man suffer like this…”

Is he joking?

‘He must be trying to buy time.’

It wouldn’t change anything, but Nachal gripped the dagger in his sleeve and channeled his internal energy.

The neck, or the heart if possible.

He intended to finish it with one of those.

He had no intention of watching any more of this crude act. He was about to charge in for a finishing blow when.

‘…!’

Nachal couldn’t take more than three steps.

His neck was severed in one step, his entire body mangled in two.

In a fleeting moment, hundreds of deaths passed Nachal.

“…What is this…”

“No matter how time passes in this world, there will always be brats like you.”

The location of the voice had changed.

As Nachal frantically shifted his gaze, Gu Yangcheon was pulling a sword from the corpse of a Murim Alliance grunt and swinging it a few times in the air.

“Because I hated that, I lived my life pouring my soul into it, but now I realize some things never change.”

At those words, Nachal involuntarily took a step back.

He then frowned at his own sordid actions.

As if not caring about that, Gu Yangcheon continued speaking.

“What did you say earlier? That one should know who they’re dying to?”

“…What did you do?”

Tsk tsk…

Gu Yangcheon’s laughter echoed in the emptiness.

Even though it contained no internal energy, it sounded incredibly loud to Nachal’s ears.

Beyond the mask covering his face, there should only be the smell of blood, yet somehow, I felt an illusion of a fragrant scent.

Gu Yangcheon said,

“Greetings, whelp.”

Then, as if expected, the wind blew.

An unknown wind blew in a place enclosed by walls on all sides.

“My name is Sincheol.”

The largest plum tree, swept away by the years and disappeared.

Has bloomed again here.