Chapter 179: A Winter That Isn’t Cold. (1)

Hee-yeong’s body lay powerlessly on the floor.

The young, small boy’s body crumbled like that.

Judging solely by the neck bent in a strange shape and the blurred gaze, one could tell life had already ended.

In a normal situation, the opponent would have been long dead by now.

“What the hell, get up already?”

I said, looking at the guy. I even nudged him with my foot.

The guy still didn’t move.

But I could clearly tell.

That this guy wasn’t dead.

I frowned.

‘Why can I see this?’

At the guy’s danjeon, or slightly above it, a red light was visible somewhere.

Looking at the faintly flickering flame, somehow…

I knew the guy wasn’t dead.

Hwa-reureuk-!

I spewed flames from my palm.

With the intention of burning him if he wouldn’t get up.

“Fine, keep lying there then.”

Just as I was about to unleash the crimson-purple flames, heated by raising my internal energy, towards the guy.

“Ah… wait a second.”

Udududuk.

Hee-yeong’s twisted neck started to move, making cracking sounds.

No, I couldn’t call him Hee-yeong anymore.

“How did you really know? There’s no way you could have known….”

Not only did the broken neck bones return to normal, but the kind-looking face of the young novice monk had also disappeared.

It had become the face of a young girl I’d never seen before.

Ppahk!

“Kkeueuk…?!”

I immediately kicked the guy’s face.

“What kind of pathetic trickery is this? You trying to die?”

It seemed they thought changing into that appearance would make me go soft.

“Wow… look how cold-blooded this bastard is?”

The guy chuckled.

I immediately grabbed his neck and lifted him up.

“You’re that guy, aren’t you?”

A few months ago, there was the incident where warriors from the Namgung family assaulted and imprisoned the servants of Gu Clanh.

All signs pointed to the Namgung family, but the culprit had vanished.

Because of that, I even went down to the basement to check.

Contrary to expectations, the guy was still lingering at the entrance.

“What the hell are you doing, you bastard?”

“If you were me, would you say anything?”

The feeling is different.

The guy in the basement gave off a darker aura, making me feel like I’d throw up just looking at him, whereas…

I didn’t feel that from this guy.

Even if I did, it was very faint.

[…What a bizarre fellow. Not even wearing a skin mask, yet changing his face so easily.]

The guy just kept chuckling as he looked at me.

“Are you going to keep holding me?”

He could recover even if I broke his neck, and I think I shattered his arm last time, did he fix that too?

‘Does that mean he’s immune to physical damage?’

The face I’d kicked just before had already healed from the wound.

Would burning him with flames make any difference?

“What’s your objective?”

If it’s like this, I couldn’t resort to physical torture.

Realizing I was at Shaolin Temple in Hannam made it clear this wouldn’t be easy.

“I told you earlier. Did you think I’d talk?”

I lowered my gaze from the guy’s face.

Towards the flickering red light.

Thinking about why this suddenly became visible, it was right after meeting Cheol-yeong.

Especially recalling the sensation that Cheol-yeong had done something to me.

‘Did he do something to me?’

Otherwise, things couldn’t have changed so suddenly.

Even though I was choking the guy’s neck, his mouth wasn’t shut.

“Let’s settle this amicably.”

“Amicably?”

“Yeah, regarding your family’s business and this situation now. I haven’t done anything that would put you at a disadvantage. We can just let it go.”

[…What a ridiculous fellow. Such brazen lips.]

As expected, it seemed the guy I faced back then was indeed this one.

“Sneaking into someone’s house and causing all that chaos?”

“So, did you guys suffer any losses?”

As the guy said, it was more of a profitable venture than a loss.

In the end, I received more from that place than what I gave to the Namgung family.

However, that was a separate issue.

“Even if you catch me, you won’t find anything out anyway. Rather, you’ve made a mistake now; you shouldn’t have let me realize you could be detected.”

I didn’t like the sight of him chuckling with the face of a young girl.

‘What should I do?’

I couldn’t torture him.

The guy remained nonchalant, as if he had a way to escape.

“Where did you hide Hee-yeong?”

“What, you’re curious about that? Why would you be curious about that… You don’t seem the type to play the hero.”

Did my question yield something? The guy smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.

“Are you worried? About what happened to the original novice monk?”

No, it wasn’t exactly like that.

I wasn’t particularly moved, and besides, he was a child I didn’t even know.

‘Judging by his reaction, it seems he was the original child.’

It meant the Buddhist disciple who called himself Hee-yeong was actually at Shaolin.

So, perhaps he couldn’t transform without a body?

“…By the way, why aren’t you surprised?”

“Should I be?”

“Isn’t this amazing?”

Udududuk.

While talking, the guy continuously changed his face.

They were all people I’d never seen before.

He could change regardless of gender or age.

Recalling the incident at Gu Clanh, it seemed he could even change his physical body.

It was certainly surprising, but I had experienced too much to be surprised by something like this.

‘…The important thing is, if I couldn’t see the energy, I wouldn’t have known.’

This unknown sensation allowed me not only to see but also to feel.

It allowed me to instinctively know that the guy was the same one from back then.

[Youngster.]

Just then, Shin Noyah called me.

‘Yes.’

[You said you could see the energy, didn’t you?]

‘Yes, I can see it.’

The flickering red energy was clearly visible.

[If that’s also a type of energy, wouldn’t you be able to take it with your power?]

‘…This?’

I hadn’t considered trying, but even if it worked, it felt quite unpleasant.

What business does this kind of guy’s energy have…

[…I don’t want to see that sight any longer. If there’s any possibility, shouldn’t you try?]

‘…Hmm.’

In the end, thinking ‘what have I got to lose,’ I brought my hand towards where the guy’s energy could be felt.

Then, the guy showed a subtle reaction.

“Hmm? What are you doing? Why, since your body is that of a young girl, are you trying to rape…?!”

Seu-eueuk…

When I activated the Demonic Absorption Technique, surprisingly, the guy’s energy flickered and moved slowly.

“Wh-what…?! Wait…!”

‘Oh, it works.’

So I can absorb this too.

Can I just eat any kind of energy?

The guy’s expression turned urgent, as if he didn’t know about this either.

“What… what is this? What is this…!”

“Yeah, I find it quite fascinating too.”

“Fuck… let go of this!”

He tried to struggle desperately, but his strength wasn’t that great, so I subdued him easily.

Or perhaps he couldn’t exert his strength because I was messing with his energy right now.

“Now you seem a bit desperate.”

“…You… you bastard, what is your true identity?”

Seemingly quite desperate now, his voice trembled unlike before.

“That’s what I was asking earlier. Good. Keep it up.”

I adjusted the absorption speed.

Since I felt no foreignness in the energy…

It seemed the guy’s energy was already the same type as the energy within my body.

‘Is it demonic energy?’

That was the most likely possibility, but…

‘It could also be energy passed down from Dokgo Jun.’

There were various possibilities.

It didn’t seem like mere internal energy or demonic energy.

“N-no, stop!”

“Then you need to tell me something worth stopping for.”

“What, what do you want.”

“Figure that out yourself.”

I slightly increased the absorption speed.

Perhaps because I’ve consumed so much energy, I could now control this.

“Information about the novice monk…? This guy is alive…! I just put him to sleep in the back mountain!”

“I’m not particularly interested in that.”

As the guy told me, I’m not the type to be a hero.

I’ve lived selfishly from the start, and I intend to continue doing so.

So, I had to make him spit out something else.

“Th-then what?”

“Why did you come here?”

“Shit….”

At my question, the guy spat out curses.

“Weren’t you expecting me to ask this?”

It was gradually becoming night.

I hadn’t intended to stay here for such a long time, so I needed to return quickly.

‘Though I don’t know if that will be easy given how things got tangled.’

How could I just leave after discovering this guy?

I had to find out what I needed to know.

“Rather… ask about my identity or something.”

“Sorry, but I already know your identity.”

“…What?”

“The ‘Nation of Undressing.'”

At my nonchalant words, the guy’s eyes widened significantly.

“You. How did you…”

“Who knows.”

The guy, who likely came from beyond the Demonic Mirror, called himself that.

I tried saying it, wondering if this guy was like that too, and judging by his reaction, it seemed correct.

“So, just tell me why you came here.”

I increased the absorption speed further.

If it continued like this, I’d be able to absorb it all soon.

“Wh-what! Why are you doing this to me! What did I… what did I do.”

I didn’t bother listening to his noisy barking.

“Is it because of that incident last time? That was something your side also permitted!”

I paused momentarily at the guy’s words.

What did he mean by that? Gu Clanh permitted it?

“Who permitted what?”

“…Shit, isn’t it something that could only be done with your side’s help? Think about it.”

If the guy’s words were true, it wouldn’t be Father, at least.

Could it be Elder Il?

I asked, looking at the guy.

“Do you know who it was?”

“How would I know that… Just stop it already!”

It seemed he didn’t know that far.

“Let’s leave that for now, just tell me why you came here.”

“I can’t say… that’s why I’m doing this…! Ask me something else…!”

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue at the guy’s words.

‘It’s a restriction.’

It was only natural.

If one were to do something like this, they would naturally need to place a restriction.

However, the fact that even someone who didn’t seem human had a restriction was slightly puzzling.

In that case, I should ask something else.

“Hey.”

“Please… save… save me…. I have things I need to do….”

“Do you know about ■■■?”

Just uttering it felt like putting strain on my tongue.

Even after saying it myself, my ears couldn’t process it.

It surfaced in my mind, but it felt like the world was rejecting it.

It was still a disgusting and unpleasant feeling.

[Youngster, what did you just say?]

Like last time, Noyah seemed unable to hear me this time either.

Feeling the cold sweat running down my back, I tried to compose my expression.

‘Without the seal, just recalling it is difficult.’

The seal that could only be received upon becoming the Young Master of Gu Clanh.

In a way, it was a treasure of Gu Clanh.

Since I didn’t have it on me, just bringing up the topic felt like dying.

“Wh-why… How could you know that name…”

Fortunately, the guy seemed able to understand those words.

Does that mean, conversely, the guy knows about these people?

“Are you related to that person?”

At my question, the guy finally wore a look of despair.

Why would he suddenly make such an expression?

“I see… So that’s why you weren’t surprised? You already knew the main body.”

“The main body? What does that mean?”

I asked again, but the guy’s eyes gradually lost their color.

“What a disgusting world… In the end, they never intended to leave me behind.”

What should I do? Should I take my hand off now?

It seemed like useful information was finally starting to come out.

‘The main body.’

If calling the guy stuck in the basement the ‘main body’ was correct.

Then what is this guy?

‘Is he like a clone or something?’

Does that mean, there might be more than just this one?

If there are many, what is their objective?

“Ah…”

While I was lost in thought, the guy let out a sigh-filled voice.

“Shit… I really wanted to kill that old man.”

I slightly loosened my grip on the guy’s neck.

“Trying to save him now? Doesn’t it seem too late even to you?”

“Will you die if you absorb all the energy?”

“Haha, shit… You did it without knowing? I thought you knew, of course. You damn son of a bitch….”

I saw lines like gold appear on the guy’s cheek.

This also seemed to be due to the energy being absorbed.

“What are you? What on earth makes you possess such power?”

“What business is it of yours?”

“I’ve been talking diligently, can’t you tell me just one thing?”

“You never had the right to ask questions from the beginning.”

I just stared at the guy silently.

It would be nice if there was more information to extract.

The guy, whose lips seemed dry from losing strength, looked into my eyes and continued speaking.

“…Look at your eyes… I thought you were just some troublesome guy from a family. You seem to harbor something different.”

I conjured flames in my palm again.

I considered grabbing him and extracting information more leisurely, but…

It didn’t seem like the situation allowed for it.

Seeing me conjure flames, the guy laughed incredulously.

“You have not a speck of mercy. Do you even know where you are?”

“I’m confident in handling the aftermath.”

I had done it countless times, so this level was certainly manageable.

It was also a surprise attack suited to the situation.

“…Haa…”

The lines visible on the guy’s face became clearer.

“No need for that, I’m going to disappear on my own.”

As if his words were true, the guy’s body gradually began to wither.

‘The energy is disappearing.’

I had definitely left a little bit of energy.

It looked as if he was burning himself up.

Why would that be?

He had craved life so much earlier, but from the moment my lips uttered the name of the guy stuck in the basement, he seemed to have lost all hope.

“…Fuck. Life… I wanted to live as myself just once.”

“I don’t really want to hear your cheesy emotional garbage. I’m a bit pressed for time.”

At my words, the guy chuckled.

Then he continued speaking to me.

“The Black Dragon Sword….”

Pasak.

The moment he spoke, the guy’s body convulsed once and then dried up completely.

‘It seems the restriction burst.’

His last words seemed to be the cause of the restriction.

It felt like something burst inside, but…

Somehow, the sound I just heard was a crisp sound, like dry wood breaking.

The guy’s current appearance was also thoroughly withered, but…

It seemed lacking somehow to be called the withered body of a human.

I raised my internal energy and waved my hand.

Hwa-reureuk.

Perhaps because it was a body devoid of energy, or perhaps because it was a withered body.

It burned away and disappeared far too easily.

I could have found out more.

“Did he say the Black Dragon Sword?”

The name the guy spat out just before.

It was a name I knew too.

The Black Dragon Sword was the name of a former master from the unorthodox sects.

He was also a martial artist who, long before now, had his neck severed by the Sword Master in his youth.

“Why would this guy mention the name of someone like that?”

On one hand, I wondered if he spat it out deliberately to confuse my thoughts.

But on the other hand, I felt it wasn’t likely.

Hwa-reuk…

After everything burned away, faint marks remained on the floor.

Accordingly, I recalled the subtle formations I had spread around.

[Youngster, something remains over there.]

As I was tidying up the surroundings a bit more, Noyah spoke to me.

The floor where the guy had burned.

For some reason, a single book that hadn’t burned lay there.

I carefully picked it up.

[What do you think it is?]

‘I’ll know once I read it.’

Seeing that it hadn’t burned, it was clearly made from the hide of a specific demonic beast.

For now, I put the book inside my robes.

It was too difficult to check right here, so I had to move.

Time had already passed, the sun had set, and it was getting dark.

Both the situation I faced and my thoughts suggested it would be better to return first.

‘If I get any later, it’ll be troublesome….’

It was already late, so getting any later would be a real disaster.

Since I had snuck out, there wouldn’t be just one or two lectures waiting for me when I returned.

‘First, I’ll apologize to Mu-yeon… As for the kids, I told them to wait at home, so it should be fine.’

I thought apologizing only to Mu-yeon would suffice.

Trying to shake off those trivial thoughts, I hurried my movements.

After finishing the remaining tasks, I returned to the inn I had booked in advance.

“Young Master. I heard you went to Shaolin with Lady Moyong?”

“…”

“And just the two of you…?”

Three pairs of fiery eyes awaited me.