episode_0008

The woman, the spy Hong Soyeon, furrowed her brows.

“What in the world are you doing?”

Looks like she’s really angry?

Her eyebrows, lips, and fists were all trembling.

It seems he really hit a nerve.

Hmm, provocation successful.

Cheongun nodded, as if satisfied.

“I’m in the middle of rooting out spies.”

“Spies? What do you mean?”

“Surely you’re not pretending not to know?”

“I’m sorry, but I think you’ve come to the wrong person.”

It was too late to pretend otherwise now.

Cheongun started winding up his tongue, as usual.

“Do you know what an orphan is? It means someone with no parents.”

“What on earth have you been going on about since earlier…”

“And an impotent man, what’s that? It means a man without a dick. And congenitally, at that.”

“Stop it.”

“You know what a bald person is, right? How can a person be bald? The Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, not a single strand of hair. Wow, truly pathetic. What did the Demonic Cultists do to deserve this?”

“…”

“Now, repeat after me. The disgrace of the Murim. The scum of the martial world. A toothless relic…”

“You goddamn son of a bitch!!!”

Hong Soyeon’s face twisted grotesquely.

Her gaze sharpened like a venomous snake, and her lips curled. At that moment, something flew towards Cheongun’s glabella like lightning, accompanied by a sharp tearing sound.

It was a Shadow Flying Needle.

The unique hidden weapon of the Flying Shadow Gate, an assassin group of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

A paper-thin silver needle split the air, glittering like a flash of light.

Its speed was terrifying; it seemed capable of piercing through most defensive tools like paper.

Cheongun gripped his fishing rod tightly and drew up his internal energy.

The fishing line, imbued with sword energy, instantly stiffened.

He casually flicked his wrist, and the fishing line sliced through the air like a whip.

Soon, the coiled fishing line drew an arc, and the moment it met the incoming needle—

*Clang—!*

The first needle ricocheted, scattering sparks.

As the second needle flew in, the fishing line coiled around it like lightning, *smash!* shattering the hidden weapon with a sharp, bursting sound.

“!!!”

It was the blink of an eye.

Not even a single breath passed from the moment the needle flew to its shattering.

Hong Soyeon’s expression froze.

The Shadow Flying Needle shattered into pieces against that thin fishing line?

Unable to comprehend the situation, Hong Soyeon inserted another needle between her fingers, gritted her teeth, and hurled it with all her might towards Cheongun.

But.

*Clink! Smash! Crunch!*

Every needle she threw was blocked by a single fishing line.

That’s when she realized.

‘Crazy! He’s a master!’

The man who deserved to be killed immediately turned out to be an incredible martial arts master.

She was dumbfounded and bewildered at the same time.

Why was a martial arts master who could shatter hidden weapons harder than steel with that thin line in a place like this?!

Hong Soyeon swallowed hard and stared at Cheongun.

Regardless.

The martial artists who had been watching the situation belatedly drew their swords in unison, and Namgung Yul also came to her senses a beat late.

“Great Hero Cheong! Shall we join in?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll watch.”

Exactly.

She was quick-witted, as expected.

Cheongun had no intention of killing Hong Soyeon.

That was because, for Cheongun, Demonic Cultists were valuable assets.

His martial arts level would skyrocket like a cheat code just by meeting them, so how could he possibly dislike Demonic Cultists?!

They were as precious as finding a portable charger when your battery was at 10%.

Last time, he had inevitably just killed them, but this time, he absolutely intended to keep her alive and cherish her for a long, long time.

Soon, Cheongun suddenly scattered killing intent.

*Shudder—!*

Cheongun’s sticky killing intent, full of his affection (?), pressed down on Hong Soyeon’s body.

He had merely unleashed killing intent.

It was merely an emission of qi, brazenly and randomly unleashed according to his emotional state.

That was all it was, yet Hong Soyeon, suppressed by the qi, gritted her teeth and endured, her body trembling.

She slowly widened the distance by stepping backward and then opened her mouth.

“This fucking…”

It was the very moment she was about to utter, ‘Son of a bitch.’

*Flinch!*

Hong Soyeon, sensing a strange feeling from her blind spot, nimbly twisted her body to the right.

*Swish—!*

The fishing line that had flown in from her blind spot narrowly grazed Hong Soyeon’s right cheek.

Its tip was sharply coiled, like a skewer.

Hong Soyeon instantly executed a footwork technique and soared into the air.

She had leaped up to avoid the fishing line that flew in from her blind spot, changing its trajectory erratically.

Just as she thought she had barely evaded the attack, Cheongun’s wrist subtly flicked upward at the same time.

As if that were a signal, the fishing line, which had been whipping through the empty air, suddenly bent vertically as if it had a will of its own, then shot up into the sky.

Soon, the flying fishing line coiled around Hong Soyeon’s neck in the blink of an eye, as she was performing her qinggong.

Following that, Cheongun pulled the fishing rod.

“Agh!”

A scream burst from Hong Soyeon’s mouth as her neck was abruptly constricted.

Panicked, she circulated her qi and raised her internal power to its maximum.

She tried to generate as much counter-force as possible to shake off the fishing line strangling her neck.

But.

“Gasp!”

The fishing line strangling her neck showed no signs of loosening.

Instead, it dug into her flesh, tightening its grip.

Her breathing stopped, and as oxygen supply ceased, Hong Soyeon’s head grew hazy.

She *cough! cough!* drooling, was dragged along, caught on the fishing line.

Suddenly, Hong Soyeon, seized by the fear that she might die, twisted her body violently.

Then, as if in a hurry, she opened her mouth and *spat! spat!* something out.

It was a poison pellet, an essential item for any assassin.

Hong Soyeon, having nimbly spat out the poison pellet, shrieked as if in agony.

“Cough! Goddamn it! I almost swallowed it!”

“…”

****

After assessing the situation, Cheongun strongly persuaded Namgung Hwi that Hong Soyeon absolutely had to be captured alive.

Thanks to that, Hong Soyeon was confined in the dungeon located in the branch’s basement.

The next day.

As soon as morning came, Cheongun ambled down to the basement.

Nine Dragon Dungeon.

It was the dungeon located beneath the Justice Alliance branch on Mount Cheongseong.

There was only one reason to bother going down to the dark and dreary dungeon.

It was to see the face of the imprisoned Hong Soyeon directly.

Moist stone steps spiraled downwards.

With every step, the damp stones crumbled.

Torches on the wall cast long shadows.

“Where in the world is dungeon number thirty-five?”

Cheongun grumbled as he walked, looking at the map in his hand.

All sorts of traps, including formation devices, were installed along the way, so moving carelessly would lead one straight across the River of Three Crossings [a mythical river separating the living from the dead].

How long did he walk down the corridor?

Finally, he arrived in front of the dungeon marked with the number ‘thirty-five’.

Beyond the bars, Hong Soyeon was leaning against the wall.

She sat wearing tattered martial robes, her face half-dazed.

Cheongun said with a satisfied expression.

“Have you been well?”

“No.”

I squatted down and met Hong Soyeon’s gaze.

“Shall I release you?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“…”

Hong Soyeon *tsk*-ed and then sharply turned her head away.

It was her way of expressing that she would no longer engage in conversation.

Cheongun looked at even that sight with satisfaction.

Because the moment he met her, his unique ability activated, and his dantian filled with natural qi.

With his mind feeling abundant, it was natural for his mood to also improve.

Cheongun, uncharacteristically, smiled and spoke to Hong Soyeon.

“You’re affiliated with the Flying Shadow Gate, right?”

“What’s that?”

“The hidden weapon you threw earlier, it’s the Flying Shadow Gate’s unique hidden weapon, isn’t it? Its name was Shadow Flying Needle, was it?”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“The rendezvous point is Black Dragon Cave in Iron Moon Valley. A contact arrives at midnight on the fifteenth of every month. What was the password? ‘I saw a swallow returning home,’ was it?”

“…Who are you?”

“I’ve got an interesting idea, want to hear it? You go to Black Dragon Cave at midnight on the fifteenth. You’ll meet the contact there, and then you tell them everything. ‘A woman named Hong Soyeon, dispatched by the Flying Shadow Gate, betrayed the Demonic Cult! Hong Sojeo revealed this location! Hong Sojeo said the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader is a guy with no parents, no dick, and no hair!’”

At his words, Hong Soyeon’s face turned pale.

“The Heavenly Demon Cult is strong. Much stronger than you know.”

“So?”

“Do you think you can handle committing such an absurd act?”

“I think I can.”

“Just kill me.”

“Shall I?”

“No. I just said it.”

…It seems she’s a woman with a strong attachment to life.

“Damn it, don’t do this, just tell me what you want instead. Give me an order. If you tell me to betray, I’ll betray, if you tell me to carry out a mission, I’ll carry it out.”

“That’s a bit much. How can I trust a Demonic Cultist?”

“If you can’t trust me, then feed me poison! What do you want me to do?! Why are you even here? Did you come here to get on my nerves?”

“Ah, no, not that. I came to confirm something.”

Cheongun’s purpose for coming here was one.

His unique ability.

It was a cheat-like ability that made his martial arts soar when facing Demonic Cultists as enemies, but a more meticulous study of the ability was needed.

How long did the activated ability last?

Was there a difference in ability amplification depending on the opponent’s hostility?

Was permanent internal energy increase possible in this state?

Above all, letting the overflowing natural qi in his dantian remain as it was would be a waste.

Therefore, for the time being, he needed to observe Hong Soyeon and understand the limits of his ability.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“…”

Cheongun abruptly sat down in a lotus position.

Seeing that, Hong Soyeon blinked blankly.

“What are you doing now?”

“Observing.”

“It’s uncomfortable. Please leave.”

“Then die.”

“…You bastard.”

…Hong Soyeon couldn’t bring herself to say she would die.