Chapter 100 - The Martial World Never Sleeps

The carriage kept speeding toward some unknown destination.

I was curious. Where would the Wicked Laughing Demon go first? I knew about the major incident that occurred when he left the Cult on this outing, but not the finer details of where he went first or whom he met.

Someone must have offended him over the past two years. Was he going to kill that person?

Or would he rent out an entire pleasure house and hold a debauched banquet?

Perhaps he would kill someone and then go to a pleasure house.

Then the Wicked Laughing Demon abruptly asked, "Why did that bodyguard become your heart?"

He did not seem the sort to ask about a mere bodyguard, but he took an interest because she was someone I cared about.

"I made my bodyguard my heart because she is alive."

"Then are you dead at present, Second Young Master?"

I looked straight at him and asked, "Are we alive?"

As the Wicked Laughing Demon faltered, momentarily unsure how to answer, I added with a smile, "And she's pretty, too."

"You have rather peculiar tastes."

"To my eyes, she's the prettiest of all."

"Before we return to the Cult, I shall have to improve our Second Young Master's taste in women."

"I expect I'll be able to show you."

I wished Seo Daeryong were here.

Investigator Seo, did you ever imagine I would discuss taste in women with the Wicked Laughing Demon? This is what the future is like.

Just then, Blue Face's voice came from the driver's seat.

"We'll stop in the village for a meal."

From the first day of the journey, we ate separately in pairs. Sometimes we went to different inns; sometimes the Wicked Laughing Demon took a private room to eat.

Today, too, Yi An and I naturally ate together. As we came out of the inn, I saw underworld thugs harassing a merchant at the far end of the street.

I simply pretended not to see them and turned toward the carriage, when someone spoke behind me.

"You're walking away as though you saw nothing."

It was the Wicked Laughing Demon, who had just finished his meal at the inn across the street.

"So your justice was merely for show, to secure the succession after all?"

I smiled at his mockery.

"I do have a somewhat hypocritical side."

"I like that very much. That's how a person ought to be. Pretending to be good gives one a headache."

We looked at each other and laughed.

As we walked toward the carriage, the Wicked Laughing Demon asked, "Why do you hate evil so much, Second Young Master?"

"I just walked past evil and pretended not to see it."

"Aren't you leaving because if you halfheartedly deal with one or two of those thugs and move on, those people will suffer retaliation in the end?"

He had read my thoughts exactly. If I intervened, I would have to uproot the whole lot. Right now, I could not spare the time.

"This journey is about seeing your world, Laughing Demon."

"That sounds as though you're calling scum like that my world. I find it offensive."

"You misunderstand."

"Then let's clear up the misunderstanding before we go."

He gave Blue Face an order with a glance, and Blue Face strode toward the underworld thugs.

Having heard our conversation, he would clean up the entire group, right up to their leader. Of course, another underworld gang would take their place before long.

When I signaled Yi An to go along, she moved quickly.

"I'll go with him."

She followed Blue Face.

The Wicked Laughing Demon leaped onto the carriage roof and sat down.

"This should be the perfect place to watch."

I leaped up beside him and took a seat.

"Did you enjoy your meal?"

"I ate a little."

"From what I've seen on this journey, you don't seem to eat much."

"I take no pleasure in eating."

"Because of the mask?"

A flicker of displeasure crossed his face. Any mention of the mask always made him flinch. Still, I brought it up without hesitation.

To get him to remove it, I had to drag that mask out of the realm of myth and into reality.

"I've never liked eating."

"It must be the mask. Once you take it off, I'll treat you to some incredible food."

For the first time, the Wicked Laughing Demon tilted his head. Through the eyeholes, I read this sentiment in his gaze:

What on earth are you? Who are you to get on my nerves this much?

Just then, a scream rang out in the distance.

Our eyes naturally turned toward Yi An and Blue Face far down the street. After thoroughly beating the underworld thugs, the two were marching them somewhere, forcing them to lead the way.

Watching them, the Wicked Laughing Demon said, "You told me before, didn't you? That evil is impressive only when it subdues another evil. Well? Am I impressive now?"

"You are."

"Then why don't I feel good about it?"

"Perhaps because it feels like having a piece of your own flesh torn off."

The Wicked Laughing Demon laughed at my joke as well. Then he repeated his earlier question.

"Why do you hate evil so much?"

Since he had asked twice, I ought to give him some kind of answer. After a pause, I said,

"There are people who go out of their way to push the person ahead of them off a cliff. If they want to get ahead, all they have to do is walk faster and pass them. I'm not asking them to help someone who's collapsed from exhaustion. They could just keep going their own way, so why push? When I see people like that, I want to push them, too. So I intend to push them all off."

"Then you must want to push me, too."

His eyes shone coldly through the eyeholes.

Laughing Demon, how many people have you pushed into misery throughout your life?

I smiled as I told him, "Then try not to walk ahead of me."

"That would mean standing behind you, Second Young Master."

"Then let's walk side by side. I don't think it would be so bad to walk with the tension of knowing either of us could push the other at any moment."

That was precisely the relationship I wanted with him.

The Wicked Laughing Demon laughed loudly.

"Very well. You could make a fine traveling companion, Second Young Master."

A little later, Yi An and Blue Face returned to the carriage, having finished dealing with everything. A faint smell of blood hung about them.

Yi An's eyes trembled slightly as she looked up at us sitting side by side on the carriage roof. However much she trusted me, it would not be easy to shake off the fear inspired by the Wicked Laughing Demon completely.

The carriage set off again.

After several days of travel, the carriage arrived at an estate.

A man was waiting in the courtyard.

I put on the white mask hanging at my waist and followed the Wicked Laughing Demon out. I could reveal my face once I had seen how things unfolded.

"It has been a long time, Demon Supreme."

The Wicked Laughing Demon nodded, his gaze cold.

I remembered who the man was: Im Ho, a wealthy magnate of Guizhou.

Guizhou was the region under the Wicked Laughing Demon's charge.

Each of the Eight Demon Supremes was responsible for business in a particular region. They took a stake in or directly operated all manner of ventures, including merchant companies, escort agencies, smithies, pleasure houses, and taverns. Even the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, who seemed to spend his days leisurely reading books, had a region of his own to oversee.

Im Ho was the head of the Great Lake Merchant Company, Guizhou's leading merchant company, and an ardent supporter of the Wicked Laughing Demon.

"You seem to have lost some weight."

At that blunt remark, Im Ho bowed.

"I have lost a little weight recently. Thank you so much for noticing."

The Wicked Laughing Demon gave his shoulder a light pat, as if to encourage him.

"Thank you."

Im Ho seemed both frightened and humbled.

Just then, Yi An sent me a sound transmission.

—Did you see him pat his shoulder just now? Instead of slapping his face or smashing his shoulder? I thought he was someone else.

—If the Wicked Laughing Demon were merely the crazed butcher the rumors make him out to be, he would never have become one of the Eight Demon Supremes. Watch closely how he treats and handles people. Whether you learn something to emulate or something to avoid, it will certainly help you run the Ghost Shadow Squad in the future.

—Yes, Young Master.

There were many faces behind that mask. Some would be faces I had seen before; others would be new faces brought out by meeting the person I was now.

Im Ho asked the Wicked Laughing Demon, "Would you like to eat first?"

"No need. Let's see the company heads first."

"Yes. This way, please."

Im Ho asked nothing about me.

Since we had stepped out of the carriage together, he must have guessed I was no ordinary subordinate, but he did not dare request an introduction. That alone showed how deeply he feared the Wicked Laughing Demon.

Of course, that did not mean Im Ho lacked courage or was a timid man. He ran a merchant company in partnership with the Demonic Cult. Among merchants, he might well be the Wicked Laughing Demon himself.

Im Ho led us into the main hall.

Some twenty people were waiting inside, all heads of merchant companies large and small here in Guizhou.

As the Wicked Laughing Demon entered, they prostrated themselves in unison.

"We greet the great Demon Supreme."

The Wicked Laughing Demon took the seat of honor.

One of the prostrate company heads rose and approached him, respectfully presenting the ledger he had brought. Apparently, this was a ritual they performed whenever the Laughing Demon visited.

The Wicked Laughing Demon slowly leafed through the ledger.

Watching him, Yi An sent another sound transmission.

—I didn't know the Wicked Laughing Demon could read ledgers.

—He can't.

—What?

—Blue Face, standing behind him, is explaining the contents through sound transmission. He's the cleverest person in Villains' Valley, and the best with figures. That's also why he keeps him as his right-hand man.

—Oh, I see.

The Wicked Laughing Demon did more than ask about their ledgers. He also knew a great deal about the company heads' personal lives. He apologized for missing one man's son's wedding and offered sorrowful condolences to another who had suffered a bereavement.

—Blue Face is telling him all of this, too, then.

—No. The Wicked Laughing Demon remembers everything that was reported to him.

—Really? He remembers all of that and says those things? The Wicked Laughing Demon?

There was something I had learned in my previous life.

True villains were meticulous.

It was not something I could generalize, but the great villains I had encountered were meticulous. They were keen observers and had excellent memories.

By contrast, the great heroes of the orthodox factions I had met were not meticulous. They forgot things easily, too. They considered such carelessness a natural consequence of placing greater importance on noble causes, but to me, they had already lost to the villains on that count. Lofty, nebulous ideals could not beat the meticulousness of counting on one's fingers.

Meanwhile, the Wicked Laughing Demon finished his brief individual meetings with the company heads.

Though they feared him, they were deeply moved that he remembered and mentioned events in their everyday lives.

—These brief meetings, probably held every year, will keep those people pinned in place for ten or twenty years. When the Wicked Laughing Demon smiles and asks after their families, how could they dare betray him?

—That's frightening.

—Yes. This is what makes him frightening.

Once the greetings were over, Im Ho stepped forward to report on their behalf.

"As you have seen, our income has fallen considerably over the past two years. The reason is the Hundred Admonitions Merchant Company."

The Hundred Admonitions Merchant Company, newly established in Guizhou, had grown faster than any other merchant company. Behind it stood the active support of the Unorthodox Alliance.

It had all begun with the Wicked Laughing Demon's massacre of Unorthodox Alliance martial artists.

The Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon had neither formally apologized to the Unorthodox Alliance nor paid compensation. Instead, it had appeased the Alliance by placing the Wicked Laughing Demon under a restriction.

But the Unorthodox Alliance considered that insufficient.

As punishment, the Unorthodox Alliance had established the Hundred Admonitions Merchant Company in the Wicked Laughing Demon's territory and was brazenly stealing his income.

Under punishment from the Heavenly Demon, the Wicked Laughing Demon could not start a fight. For the past two years, he had been forced to watch them expand their territory. Meanwhile, resentment among the merchant companies affiliated with him had only continued to grow.

Seemingly already well aware of the issue with the Hundred Admonitions Merchant Company, the Wicked Laughing Demon made no specific comment on it.

"Now that I can take action personally, you needn't worry too much."

Only then did the company heads' faces brighten with joy.

With those words, the Wicked Laughing Demon ended the meeting. He knew better than anyone that gatherings like this could become targets for enemies. Meetings were to be discreet and brief.

Once aboard the carriage, the Wicked Laughing Demon told Blue Face, "We're going to the Hundred Admonitions Merchant Company."

"Yes!"

The carriage began to move.

I casually remarked to the Wicked Laughing Demon, "You were kind to the company heads. I thought you were the Kindly Laughing Demon rather than the Wicked Laughing Demon."

"Aren't they the people who earn money for me? A single kind word will make them earn me far more. Why would I treat them coldly?"

His words stood in stark contrast to the underworld thugs who had been robbing and harassing merchants earlier. These were the true villains: people who tightened their grip with a smile, keeping their victims trapped in a pleasant atmosphere while exploiting them again and again.

"Even their name is objectionable. 'Hundred Admonitions' must refer to punishing one to warn a hundred, yes? I intend to go there and show them why my epithet includes 'Wicked.'"

When I gave no response, he spoke again.

"Aren't you worried? Do you think I can't kill every last one of them? Are you thinking, 'Surely he wouldn't kill anyone when his restriction has only just been lifted'?"

"No. I can feel how angry you are, Laughing Demon. The air inside the carriage has already changed."

"Then why aren't you stopping me? If trouble breaks out at the Hundred Admonitions Merchant Company, you will have to take responsibility, Second Young Master."

"Laughing Demon, please stop the carriage. Let your anger go, and let's head somewhere else."

"No."

"I knew you would say that. That's why I've been thinking all this time about how to stop you."

"You will have to give it a great deal of thought."

With that, the Wicked Laughing Demon leaned back against the carriage and closed his eyes.

I deliberately sighed for him to hear, but as I looked outside, my gaze was utterly calm. The night was deep, but the martial world was not asleep.