Chapter 121

The Beastman (3)

"Grrrrr."

The beastman glared at Baek So-cheon and let out a low growl.

"Damn it! Because I saved you, that bastard seems to be furious with me now."

"Be careful! His claws are incredibly sharp!"

"What do you mean, be careful? You’re supposed to stop him!"

Whoosh!

The beastman charged at Baek So-cheon.

Thud!

Just before it could pounce on him, Yeom Hwasin’s kick sent it flying into the distance.

"You bastard! I’m your opponent."

Yeom Hwasin stepped in front of Baek So-cheon.

Once he began displaying his true abilities, the situation changed entirely. It became obvious that he had deliberately allowed himself to be driven onto the defensive earlier.

Of course, the beastman was formidable as well. Its claws had managed to leave wounds on Yeom Hwasin’s skin. The final blow Yeom Hwasin had used to create the illusion of danger had even gouged him deeply enough to draw blood. Granted, it had merely damaged Yeom Hwasin’s thick skin, but drawing blood from someone possessing an Indestructible Vajra Body was an extraordinary feat in itself.

Yet despite all that, the ultimate conclusion remained unchanged.

There was still no one in the Murim capable of defeating Yeom Hwasin.

As though proving that fact, a single blow from Yeom Hwasin sent the beastman flying. In the next instant, Yeom Hwasin’s massive body followed it like a shadow.

Smash!

Another merciless blow from Yeom Hwasin struck it squarely in the face.

Its face caved in, but the beastman did not die.

When it crashed to the ground, Yeom Hwasin brought his foot down upon it.

Boom!

The kick struck its chest, yet the beastman still did not die. It thrashed desperately, raking its claws across Yeom Hwasin’s shin.

The frantic struggle was highly dangerous, forcing Yeom Hwasin to leap backward.

The beastman seized that opening and launched itself from the ground.

Realizing that it was losing against Yeom Hwasin, it chose another target. It hurled itself toward Baek So-cheon, driven by an instinctive desire to kill him before it died.

With half its face crushed and the last of its strength behind its charge, the beastman was terrifying.

Just as Baek So-cheon realized he would be unable to evade without using his internal energy—

Grab!

The creature stopped directly in front of him.

Yeom Hwasin had arrived using Shifting Form and Position and seized the beastman by the back of its head.

Forcing its mouth open from behind, Yeom Hwasin shouted,

"Kill it!"

Without hesitation, Baek So-cheon drew the Ghost Shadow Sword and plunged it into the beastman’s mouth.

Stab!

The blade pierced through the back of its neck. Its body might have been as hard as steel, but the inside of its mouth was not.

Yeom Hwasin grabbed the protruding blade and swiftly spun it in a circle.

Rip! Slice!

The beastman’s severed head dropped to the ground.

The two men collapsed onto the ground and sighed in relief. Baek So-cheon belatedly expressed his gratitude. Had Yeom Hwasin not intervened earlier, he would have been forced to use his internal energy or suffer a serious injury.

"Thank you."

"Not at all. Thanks to you, I killed it easily."

Each of them had saved the other once.

"About what happened earlier—what would you have done if I hadn’t saved you?"

"I would have become even more handsome."

"What do you mean?"

"Wouldn’t a long scar across my face make me look more impressive? I’m the Leader of the Cheukcheon Alliance, yet my face is far too unblemished. Look closely. Isn’t my skin as smooth as a child’s?"

"Your skin looks your age, but your mental age certainly is that of a child!"

"Don’t be jealous."

Baek So-cheon shook his head with a dumbfounded expression.

His gaze fell upon the beastman’s corpse.

"To think they unleashed a creature like this! They truly are unforgivable."

Had they failed to eliminate it, this bloodthirsty creature would have wandered the world, slaughtering everyone it encountered.

"You’re right."

"What do you mean, I’m right? You’re going to forgive them anyway, aren’t you?"

"I must forgive them. If a blade cuts you, you put it back in its sheath. There’s no need to go so far as to break the blade, is there?"

"Do you truly wish to unite the Murim so badly that you’re willing to go this far?"

"What else should I do? Play the part of a benevolent leader of the unorthodox factions?"

Baek So-cheon had no reply to that.

He buried the beastman and the two men who had come before it in the same place. They said that enemies from a previous life were reborn as husband and wife. Perhaps the three of them might be born as spouses in their next lives.

"Why bother burying them? Just leave them there."

"When you have the opportunity to bury the dead, you should do so."

"And who will ever know?"

"I’ll know, and so will you."

"This is a world where being kind only brings you losses."

"Isn’t that why I’m fighting you? I’m trying to prevent the world from becoming such a place. I’m going to sleep first."

Baek So-cheon lay down.

"Aren’t you going to sleep?"

At Baek So-cheon’s question, Yeom Hwasin added several more pieces of firewood to the fire.

"As you said, sitting here and staring blankly into the flames isn’t so bad."

Baek So-cheon fell into such a deep sleep that it almost seemed reckless, while Yeom Hwasin silently watched over him until the campfire burned out.

At last, they arrived at the Flood Dragon Sect.

The carriage slowly approached its main gate in the distance.

"How many antidotes do we have left?"

"One pill."

If the Flood Dragon Sect did not possess an antidote, Jong Mujin would die.

"What will you do if they don’t have an antidote for the blood poison that afflicted Warrior Jong?"

The Seven Unorthodox Families were an alliance of seven clans. Another sect rather than the Flood Dragon Sect might have used the poison, or they might have entrusted the task to an outsider. In either case, the Flood Dragon Sect might not possess an antidote.

"They’ll have one."

"Why are you so certain?"

"Don’t they say that if three people gather, one among them can be your teacher? Seven of them gathered together, so surely at least one of them was intelligent enough to make the right decision."

Although Yeom Hwasin spoke as though he were merely guessing, he probably knew their personalities and dispositions well. After all, he had known that Jeong Gyun had defected to the Frenzied Demon Blade.

He might even have already guessed what decision they had reached.

Pretending not to notice, Baek So-cheon drove the carriage onward.

"Then let’s find out whether their clever one was as intelligent as you and whether the other six followed him as innocently and obediently as I did."

"Don’t belittle yourself. You’ll soon return to our path as well."

Wondering what he meant, Baek So-cheon glanced back through the small window behind the driver’s seat.

Yeom Hwasin merely stared out the window, apparently having no intention of explaining.

The gates of the Flood Dragon Sect stood wide open.

Its sect leader, Yeoh Jeol-saeng, personally came out to the entrance to welcome Yeom Hwasin.

"Welcome, Alliance Leader."

"Have you been well?"

The two warmly exchanged greetings. After offering Baek So-cheon a formal greeting as well, Yeoh Jeol-saeng asked Yeom Hwasin,

"What brings you to our sect without any prior notice?"

"I was passing by and stopped because I needed to ask Sect Leader Yeoh for assistance."

The two men behaved as if the previous attack—and the fact that one had attacked while the other had been attacked—had never happened.

"What assistance do you require?"

"One of my subordinates has been poisoned with blood poison. Do you happen to possess an antidote that can treat him?"

"Then you’ve come to exactly the right place. Our sect happens to possess an antidote that is highly effective against blood poison."

"Haha, what a relief."

"Someone, hurry and bring the patient inside!"

At Yeoh Jeol-saeng’s command, the Flood Dragon Sect’s warriors came forward and carried Jong Mujin from the carriage.

"I’ve prepared drinks for you. Please come inside."

"Let’s do that."

Yeoh Jeol-saeng guided Yeom Hwasin and Baek So-cheon to the great hall, where a drinking table had been prepared.

The men caught up with one another as though they shared an entirely ordinary relationship. Cups of wine and laughter passed around the table, but in his heart, Yeoh Jeol-saeng traveled through hell and back several times. He had no way of knowing when Yeom Hwasin might change his mind and kill him with a single blow.

However, their punishment for this incident was not death, but something else.

"I’m considering establishing an elite unit within the alliance composed of promising young talents."

"Ah, I see."

A fleeting look of panic crossed Yeoh Jeol-saeng’s face before disappearing.

"It seems only proper that the proud heirs of the Seven Unorthodox Families should lead these young talents. What does Sect Leader Yeoh think?"

In other words, Yeom Hwasin intended to bring their children to the Cheukcheon Alliance and hold them hostage.

They had only two choices: accept his demand or go to war with him.

Yeoh Jeol-saeng chose to innocently and obediently follow the will of their one clever man. They had already made an internal decision to accept any conditions Yeom Hwasin imposed.

"You are absolutely right. My eldest son possesses considerable leadership ability, so I am confident that he will be of great assistance to you, Alliance Leader."

"As expected. Sect Leader Yeoh’s loyalty brings me immense joy. However, I wonder what the others will think."

"I’m certain they’ll be delighted."

Now that they had reached the main subject, the drinking session did not continue for long.

"You must be tired after traveling so far. You should retire early and rest."

"Let’s do that."

A subordinate came forward and guided Yeom Hwasin and Baek So-cheon to their quarters. Baek So-cheon quietly left the hall. Although Yeoh Jeol-saeng’s name was also written in his Book of Death, that did not mean he intended to kill him here.

Only after Baek So-cheon and Yeom Hwasin had left did a secret door finally open, revealing the six other family heads.

They had hidden there intending to join forces if Yeom Hwasin attempted to kill Yeoh Jeol-saeng. Each of them cared only about his own family, but there was at least one truth they all understood.

If they divided, they would all die.

Do Jeonggil, the leader of the Heavenly Society who had accurately discerned Yeom Hwasin’s intentions earlier, had once again predicted the outcome correctly. He had expected that Yeom Hwasin would never kill Yeoh Jeol-saeng.

"He even knew that we were hiding here."

"It certainly seemed that way. He projected his energy in this direction."

"That’s right. I felt it as well."

From the beginning, Yeom Hwasin had come here while considering the possibility that not only these seven leaders, but also numerous other ambushers, might be lying in wait.

"One certainly has to acknowledge his courage."

This time, Yeom Hwasin had decisively demonstrated that his courage stemmed from his overwhelming strength.

Cheol Han spoke with an angry expression.

"Do we truly have to send our children to him?"

Yeoh Jeol-saeng replied,

"Now that he has even killed the beastman, we have no choice but to do as he says."

"Is there truly no other way?"

"There’s no need to worry. At the very least, he isn’t the sort of man who would kill our children without reason."

In the end, they all nodded. Once their opponent displayed such overwhelming strength, they found themselves feeling more at ease instead.

At that moment, Do Jeonggil presented an unexpected glimmer of hope.

"There is one variable."

"What is it?"

"Baek So-cheon. I don’t believe he has changed his convictions. He is a man with the blood of the orthodox factions flowing through his very bones."

"Then why is he traveling with Alliance Leader Yeom?"

"I don’t know. However, one thing is certain. If anyone ever succeeds in killing Yeom Hwasin, it will be Baek So-cheon."

They all hoped that would happen.

Of course, they did not know that their names were written in Baek So-cheon’s Book of Death, or that as their enemy, Baek So-cheon would prove even more terrifying than Yeom Hwasin.

In any event, the rebellion of the Seven Unorthodox Families ended there. None of them had died, but their heirs had become hostages, and if war erupted, they would have to stand at the forefront against the orthodox factions.

Considering that they had attempted to take Yeom Hwasin’s life, this was a reasonably favorable outcome.

"For the time being, let us restrain ourselves and observe the situation."

The seven family heads cupped their fists to one another before departing.

Jong Mujin regained consciousness the next day. After learning what Yeom Hwasin had done for him, he performed a deep bow.

"I will never forget this kindness."

His already profound loyalty deepened even further at that moment.

Through this incident, Baek So-cheon learned many things from Yeom Hwasin. In particular, restraining one’s anger for the sake of a greater objective was something few people could accomplish, yet it was an essential virtue for anyone who wished to achieve great things.

In addition to gaining insights into martial arts, Baek So-cheon was also learning how to govern and command people.

Yeom Hwasin said to him,

"Now that the troublemakers are out of the way, our journey should continue, shouldn’t it?"

Baek So-cheon climbed into the carriage first.

"Let’s go."

Yeom Hwasin burst into hearty laughter at his enthusiasm.

"Hahaha!"

Jong Mujin once again took the driver’s seat. Although they had not told him their destination, the carriage headed north once more.

No one could stop the road that even the Seven Unorthodox Families had failed to block.

The carriage continued north.

The scenery around them gradually turned white as a snowy landscape began to unfold.

After traveling endlessly northward, the carriage finally stopped at the foot of a snow-covered mountain.

"You’ll have to continue on foot from here."

"Wait for us here."

"Understood."

Baek So-cheon and Yeom Hwasin began climbing the snowy mountain. The desolate area contained neither people nor even animal tracks.

Crunch. Crunch.

Walking through the pure-white snow felt surprisingly pleasant.

Eventually, Yeom Hwasin stopped before a sheer wall of ice that rose like a cliff.

"Where are we?"

"The Northern Sea Ice Palace."

The Northern Sea Ice Palace was the most mysterious sect in the Murim. It never involved itself in the affairs of the martial world, and it possessed enough power that no other sect dared treat it lightly.

Given their relentless journey northward, Baek So-cheon had suspected that the Ice Palace might be their destination.

However, he could never have anticipated Yeom Hwasin’s next words.

"This is where we will restore your dantian."