Chapter 175 - I Have Good News and Bad News

Gazing at my reflection in the bronze mirror, I slowly undressed until I wore nothing but my underclothes. My body was smooth and lean, honed by martial training without an ounce of excess fat.

I unwound all the supreme-grade heavenly silkworm silk from the Black Demon Sword's hilt and carefully wrapped it around my vital points—my heart, throat, dantian, and the rest. Over it, I put on the Ghost-Guard Robe the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had given me.

Seo Daeryong sat on the edge of the bed, silently watching me prepare for the decisive battle.

It would have felt wrong not to joke at a time like this, so I teased him.

"Aren't you going to say, 'I'll go and fight alongside you'?"

"I am not. The greatest adventure of my life is already over. Winning the Young Dragon Tournament! I'll milk that story for all it's worth and brag about it for the rest of my life. No more danger for me."

As I put on a light, comfortable martial outfit, I told him,

"You'll change your mind when you reach a higher realm! You'll throw yourself into life-and-death danger of your own accord. You'll find exhilaration in it, then go looking for even greater danger."

"Stop making those weird prophecies!"

Seo Daeryong stuck his head out the window and looked up at the sky.

"Pretend you didn't hear that! No, absolutely not. My adventures are over. I already have plenty of stories to tell with a grandchild on my knee."

With such an enthusiastic reaction, how could I resist teasing him?

"Be careful out there."

"A mysterious organization is only dangerous while it's mysterious. Once it's exposed like this, it turns out to be all the more insignificant. Don't worry."

"You can say that all you like. I'm still not coming with you."

"No fooling you, eh?"

I knew how worried Seo Daeryong was about me. How much he wanted to fight beside me. The fire burning in his eyes was telling me to wait. Until he became stronger.

* * *

The leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society and Jo Ibaek sat facing each other in the manor's pavilion.

"Have you been well?"

"Very well, thanks to you."

Jo Ibaek had met the Society leader several times. The man did not act like someone shrouded in secrecy. He would visit whenever something required it, and when Jo Ibaek requested a meeting, he would invite him over like this.

His martial prowess far surpassed Jo Ibaek's, of course. But setting that aside, the impression he gave was surprisingly ordinary.

Ordinary was hardly a fitting description for the head of a shadowy conspiracy, yet that was precisely what he was.

His was a face one might see at the next table upon turning around during a meal at an inn. His clothes were ordinary, too, as were his manner of speaking and his behavior.

Because a man who ought not to have been ordinary was so ordinary, he instead seemed extraordinary. One could see how that very ordinariness had allowed him to remain hidden behind the scenes.

"Why did you ask to see me today?"

"A problem has arisen."

"Go on."

"The Orthodox Martial Alliance has discovered that my son joined our Society."

Jo Ibaek gazed at the Society leader and added a question.

"When did you recruit my son?"

He had every reason to be angry, but he asked calmly.

"Your son joined as well?"

The Society leader reacted as though he had known nothing about it.

"I wasn't aware."

His response was so natural that he seemed genuinely unaware, but Jo Ibaek did not believe him.

He had recruited Jo Ibaek, the master of True Dragon Manor, yet knew nothing about recruiting his son and successor? If the organization was that poorly run, the wisest course would be to leave it as soon as possible.

Jo Ibaek did not bother challenging the obvious pretense. He had not come to engage in an emotional quarrel with the Society leader. Today, he had to walk the most dangerous and important tightrope of his life.

"My son is in prison at this very moment. I asked to see you so that you might find a way to help him."

"They couldn't have imprisoned him merely for having ties to our Society."

"He fell into their trap and stands accused of attempting to abduct the alliance leader's granddaughter."

"Good heavens! That's just the sort of thing those shameless Alliance scoundrels would do."

The Society leader clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Is there anything you can do?"

"Aren't you close to the Martial Alliance Leader, Master Jo?"

"He dotes on his granddaughter, doesn't he? I doubt friendship alone can resolve this."

"Very well. I'll consider what can be done."

"Thank you."

Just then, a gate opened in the distance.

If Jo Ibaek had been asked to name the most nerve-racking moment of his life, he would probably have chosen this one.

He had naturally expected the Martial Alliance Leader, but the person who entered was a young man.

'The alliance leader didn't come?'

And since the alliance leader had not come, naturally, his son had not been brought either.

'Why?'

After wanting the Society leader so badly?

'What is he trying to pull?'

Of course, Jo Ibaek himself had been planning a trick.

He had prepared a countermeasure in case the alliance leader refused to release his son after dealing with the Society leader, or tried to imprison him as well. He had arranged for an expert to abduct Jin Haryeong for real.

But he had not anticipated this. Neither the alliance leader nor his son had come.

How should he respond?

Jo Ibaek looked at the young man walking toward them.

Given his exalted position, the alliance leader might send other experts rather than come himself. But just one expert this young?

'Surely not. Is this young man skilled enough to face the Society leader?'

Impossible. He must have come to deliver some message from the alliance leader.

No one stopped Geom Mugeuk as he approached. Neither the Society leader nor Jo Ibaek had given any orders.

When he joined them at their table, the Society leader asked Jo Ibaek,

"Who is this young hero?"

Seeing Geom Mugeuk approach so calmly and confidently, the Society leader naturally assumed he was Jo Ibaek's subordinate.

Jo Ibaek feigned ignorance.

"Isn't he someone you brought with you?"

Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly.

"The Martial Alliance Leader sent me."

The Society leader gave a startled twitch.

The atmosphere changed. Geom Mugeuk sensed the people concealed nearby hurriedly shifting positions.

"Since you have an honored guest, I'll take my leave. Please, enjoy your conversation."

Just as the Society leader casually offered his farewell and began to rise—

"Sit down, leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society."

"!"

The Society leader gazed steadily at Geom Mugeuk, then sat back down.

"So you knew I was here."

His gaze turned to Jo Ibaek, who shook his head slightly, denying any knowledge of the matter.

The Society leader asked,

"What business has the alliance leader sent you on, young hero?"

"Master Jo here negotiated a deal. His son in exchange for you."

Jo Ibaek was flustered; he had not expected him to say it so openly. The Society leader, on the other hand, seemed to regard it as only natural and showed no anger toward Jo Ibaek.

Jo Ibaek vehemently denied it.

"Don't believe him. The alliance leader is trying to drive a wedge between us."

Until he understood why the alliance leader had sent this young man in his place, Jo Ibaek had to persist in denying everything.

Of course, with Geom Mugeuk present, that was hardly an easy course to take.

"Don't blame Master Jo too much. With his child at stake, it couldn't have been an easy decision."

"I understand."

The Society leader nodded.

Jo Ibaek continued denying it to the last.

"Don't be fooled. Don't play into their schemes."

Jo Ibaek could only draw the wrong conclusion: the Martial Alliance Leader intended to use the Society leader to eliminate him. The thought infuriated him.

'So this is how you're going to play it?'

He sent a sound transmission to a concealed subordinate.

"Tell them to proceed with Jin Haryeong. Right now!"

"Yes."

He decided that seizing Jin Haryeong as quickly as possible was his only chance of survival.

But he did not know that the Martial Alliance Leader had stayed away precisely because he had accepted Geom Mugeuk's advice to protect her.

Geom Mugeuk asked the Society leader,

"I have good news and bad news for you. Which would you like first?"

"I like to start everything on a pleasant note, so let's hear the good news first."

"I came alone."

"You really came alone?"

The Society leader was astonished. He had assumed Alliance experts were stationed outside.

"Then what's the bad news?"

"I came alone."

As Geom Mugeuk repeated his earlier words, the Society leader looked puzzled.

"Why is that bad news? Didn't you just call it good news?"

"It's bad news as well. Because there's no one here to stop me."

The words went beyond confidence into outright arrogance, yet the Society leader actually seemed pleased.

"It's hard to find young men with this kind of spirit these days. Isn't it, Master Jo?"

"Indeed. Not just the younger generation, but even seasoned veterans are busy looking out for their own skins."

Even as Jo Ibaek agreed, doubt crept in.

'Is he truly skilled enough to kill the Society leader? Is that why he talks like this?'

Should he side with the Martial Alliance Leader even now? With the merit of handing over the Society leader to his credit, he felt he could somehow salvage the situation afterward.

As though he had read that inner conflict, Geom Mugeuk addressed him.

"Master Jo, I think it's time you made clear which side you're on."

Jo Ibaek was genuinely torn. But however he considered it, he could not imagine this young man killing the Society leader. It might be different if the Martial Alliance Leader were here, but the man beside him now was the Society leader.

"What are you talking about? I have never betrayed our leader, not for a single moment."

"May I take that as your official position?"

The implication was that he could not complain even if he were beheaded for it.

Jo Ibaek was wracked with indecision. He had not anticipated the Martial Alliance Leader acting this way, which made the choice difficult.

Then the Society leader smiled.

"Allow me to resolve our Master Jo's dilemma."

The instant he spoke, figures emerged on all sides.

The first alone was enough to sway Jo Ibaek.

The man with a short, straight saber at his waist was Gu Ryeong, the Demon-Slaying Saber. He was a supreme expert once counted among the three greatest masters of saber techniques in the orthodox factions.

The Society leader and the Demon-Slaying Saber.

Those two alone would have decisively tipped the scales, yet there were others.

A monk appeared in religious robes, carrying a massive iron staff. He was Yo Rai, the Overbearing Monk, who had made his name as an unrivaled expert in Tibet.

It was hard to think of anyone who could contend with even those two, but finally an oddly dressed, hunchbacked old man appeared as well.

The thoroughly worn green pouch hanging at his waist revealed his identity. He was Gok Chu, the Great Poison Elder, who had made his name through poison. His mastery was said to be so great that wherever he walked, not a blade of grass could survive, leaving the ground forever a land of death. Everyone who knew him feared him.

Yet it was not those three experts who utterly transformed the atmosphere.

Masked figures emerged from every direction. Like ants swarming out of an anthill, countless masked men appeared from who knew where.

They filled the surroundings—below the walls and atop them, in the courtyard and on the rooftops. There seemed to be at least a hundred. Nor were they merely there to make up the numbers. Their eyes above their masks and their bearing were fierce and keen.

Only now did Jo Ibaek discover that the Society leader traveled with such formidable experts.

'Truly incredible. Even if I wanted to capture him, it would be utterly impossible.'

Further deliberation was pointless.

At Jo Ibaek's signal, four people appeared.

Their martial outfits bore designs of plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboo respectively. They were the Four Gentlemen, his trusted agents.

"My people will take care of this young brat."

If he was to be forgiven for this affair, he had to secure that forgiveness beyond doubt. His own men would have to step forward and eliminate the youth.

Jo Ibaek spoke frankly to the Society leader.

"Man to man, why don't we both forget our past mistakes? This happened because you recruited my son behind my back in the first place, didn't it? Let's simply put it behind us."

"Agreed. As they say, the ground grows firmer after rain."

The two men smiled at each other.

Then Geom Mugeuk spoke.

"Once he kills me, he'll kill you. He would never leave a traitor alive."

"You little brat! Enough of your attempts to turn us against each other."

Once Jo Ibaek made up his mind, he did not look back.

"You'll never leave this place alive. Even your alliance leader wouldn't survive."

"To be honest, I was worried you might take my side."

"What does that mean?"

"I'd already decided to kill you, too. If you sided with me, wouldn't I feel bad about killing you?"

"You can still say such things in this situation? You truly are an arrogant brat."

Jo Ibaek ordered the Four Gentlemen,

"Kill him."

The Four Gentlemen stepped into the open space.

Geom Mugeuk slowly walked over and stood facing them.

A hundred or so masked experts surrounded them without a gap. The supreme experts—the Demon-Slaying Saber, the Overbearing Monk, and the Great Poison Elder—watched, along with the master of True Dragon Manor and the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society.

Geom Mugeuk gazed at the Society leader amid that great mass of people and spoke calmly.

"For impersonating the Wicked Laughing Demon to rob martial artists of their lives and property, and plotting to overthrow the Orthodox Martial Alliance through marriage to the alliance leader's granddaughter, I will summarily execute everyone here, including the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society and the master of True Dragon Manor."

Silence fell for a moment.

Then someone could not hold back a laugh, and derisive laughter spread through the crowd. Not one person present felt nervous or afraid. Yes, he must be an expert. He must have confidence in his abilities to speak like that.

But their force was powerful enough that an immediate assault on the Orthodox Martial Alliance itself would hardly be unthinkable. They merely enjoyed the arrogance of a callow youth who had no idea of his place in the world.

At the very moment the murmurs and mocking laughter grew louder, as though bidding them all be silent—

WOOOOOOOM!

The Black Demon Sword began to resonate of its own accord, with a deep reverberation rising from the abyss.