I closed my eyes for a moment and reviewed the words of the Cult Leader.
‘If you want to beat me to death later it is because you couldn’t digest the words said.’
Conversation hides the character and weakness of a person.
And to copy…
It seems that the subordinates often prevented the Cult Leader from teaching the Heavenly Pearl. And considering the personality of Elder Heo he would have said it directly too.
In addition the fact that the Cult Leader often practiced in closed training means that either he hadn’t yet completed the martial arts or that he was learning more about it.
However no matter how much I looked back at our conversation I can’t see anything that could be regarded as weak in my character. Rather I noticed right away that something was up and avoided it..
It seemed like because Yong-myeong is the last disciple of elder Heo is how he knew something about me. The reason he even realized that I was receiving the attention of elder Heo was probably because of the wooden sword in his hand.
It means he is a meticulous man who has good insight but doesn’t let others know of it. It is likely his humanity has turned thin considering how he spoke as if he had no feelings for his people in front of the Blood Night Palace Lord1.
Then this bastard…
An excellent person with insight quick witted and obsessed with completing the martial arts.
Then the only weakness he has would be the fact that his focus of martial arts is too much. Because this guy often goes into closed training the allies who were in high positions such as Elder Heo and Sword Demon must have chosen to walk out.
The reason that I was even able to steal the Heavenly Pearl is because the Cult Leader was training.
Other than that I could see no weakness.
After I opened my eyes I had no choice but to ask.
“I am sorry that I came to visit you only to ask questions but I really need to.”
Blood Night Palace Lord says
“Ask me.”
“Do you know why the Cult Leader often rushes for closed room training?”
She nods.
“… Of course I do. During the time when there was a struggle for the succession he used the martial arts of his family. It wasn’t until he became the Cult Leader that he trained in the other martial arts that were used by the former cult leaders. Moreover it must be because the martial art of the cult is the toughest. One has to learn about Yin and Yang qi at the same time to achieve great results. It is difficult since there hasn’t been one who excelled in that for several years. If one cannot achieve that they will not be given the title of Heavenly Demon. Just Cult Leader.”
“Hmm.”
“Actually if Sahyung had skills it wouldn’t have been strange for people to call him Heavenly Demon right now. However even Sahyung knows that people wouldn’t just obey others. Become one of the strongest be the best in the world or master martial arts of the cult. Only when one of the three is accomplished will Sahyung find peace.”
I nod.
“And none of the three could be done. A worthless.”
Of course no one laughed at my words.
“….”
I checked the condition of Heo Gyeom. Originally he was a man with great composure so it seemed like he took less psychological damage than others.
I’m curious so I also ask
“Please tell me about the third disciple. There is a lot of misinformation out there but no one seems to know.”
Blood Night Palace Lord answers
“It is true that very few know the details of it. Elder can I tell what I know?”
Heo Gyeom answers.
“Please say.”
The woman says
“The Cult Leader had taken down the families which participated in the succession fight. It wasn’t just a massacre of the family. It is so much more because the subordinates and helpers to those people within the cult were found and tortured to death. It was normally customary to spare them. But it wasn’t a law that they had to be spared. Because the fight happening was so fierce that one side was sure to die and it was too horrid of a sight to see neither Elder Heo nor anyone else came ahead to oppose it. Sahyung must have thought that he had to change everything from the beginning so he began to kill those opposing him in the succession race. Families with even the slightest doubt were being harassed. That is what happened.”
I say what I know about it.
“A disaster caused by the path of demons we took.”
She nods.
“It is a disaster we brought on by pursuing the path. As you can see Sahyung has no humanity left now. If one deliberately enters the training of his because he didn’t kill Elder Heo then one should consider being ready to lose their life.”
There was a time when I heard about how thin the humanity of the man called Cult Leader was. The Cult Leader I had heard of never had humanity.
I turn to Heo Gyeom.
“Then the Three Disaster you dealt with is not the Cult Leader…”
Heo Gyeom nods.
“I have never had a direct fight with the Cult Leader. The man I dealt with is Heavenly Evil. And to be precise it wasn’t even dealing; it was more like I was attacked and struggled to live.”
I feel irritated so I ask
“What kind of guy is he?”
Heo Gyeom laughs.
“… I am curious too. So I asked the person concerned but as you can see the result is as such. My martial arts vanished. After that he must have moved somewhere and competed with the Cult Leader. The Cult Leader returned with a serious injury however when I met with the Three Disaster the man said he couldn’t still be called the best.”
It wasn’t until the end that I realized what this was.
“An era without the best.”
Heo Gyeom nods.
“If the Cult Leader had made up his mind to stray from the path of humans the other two would have already deviated before him. And about half of them are living long lives so calling them Evil Gods wouldn’t be that odd.”
In the past my dream was to be the best in the world. I planned to hold it off for a while.
First this is a situation where I have to set a goal before beating down the warriors ahead.
If that was the case….
It is said that the reason why it didn’t happen perfectly in the previous life was because there were different Three Disasters.
At that point what if the Cult leader took the Heavenly Pearl?
I laughed at the thought.
‘Ah I already saved Kangho once before?’
I say this to the Black Demon. That there would be an answer to becoming the Demon God in my poop.
And I was right. if I hadn’t eaten the pill the Cult Leader would have been the Demon God. Thinking about it I suddenly think that the relationship between the Black Demon and my poop is rather deep. I looked at Heo Gyeom for a moment because he was looking this way.
“Senior today you spent too much of your energy because of the Cult Leader. I am going to discuss trivial things with the palace lord please understand and rest. And do understand that there are disjointed things happening.”
I look at Yong-myeong and then he approaches his master and says
“Master take a break.”
Heo Gyeom nods.
“Yes.”
And Heo Gyeom begins to move out and I look at the wooden sword he hands me.
After Heo Gyeom disappears I say to her
“Palace Lord let the two of us talk.”
She turns to me puzzled.
“Do we have to?”
I pointed my finger at her people who were here.
“It is because I feel a bit uncomfortable. There must be someone in the palace who is in contact with the Cult Leader. Of course I am not saying these ones are those. Anyway I want to talk so please understand.”
And she nods.
“I will talk to the sect leader. You people should get some rest.”
At that the people bowed to their Lord and leave as she says
“Now what? It will be impossible to find the snitch now because it cannot be just one or two. No matter where you run it looks like the whereabouts are constantly being reported.”
The Blood Night Palace Lord sighs.
“There is no way. When the time comes we have to fight till death.”
“When do you think that will be? You must know the leader a lot better than me.”
The Blood Night Palace Lord nods.
“Not right now. He must have come because he was worried about sending Elder Heo away without seeing him off. If there is a collision with Im So-baek on the way out then it would be an all-out war with the troops so returning back would be the priority. There are several reasons why the Cult Leader will not attack us right now.”
“Go on.”
“Too many people have died in the past. Individual forces are strong but if a war of such a thing occurs without a decision the blow for the cult would be too much. He himself needs training but he will also need time to strengthen the troops too. It will take another 3 years.”
I nod.
“Then let us assume the worst. Troops trained. Within three years Cult Leader could come here alone and annihilate the entire palace.”
Blood Night Palace Lord smiles.
“No matter how strong he gets he wouldn’t come here alone.”
“Why?”
“It is because Sword Demon is constantly there to keep him in check and I met you today. I heard you have an alliance with Im So-baek?”
“You know?”
“If I know then the Cult Leader should also know. Originally you would think he can clean down this palace on his own but there are variables. Sahyung is quite prudent in nature so everything will be fully considered. If he comes and turns up unlucky he will have to deal with me Sword Demon and you at the same time. What does that mean?”
I smile listening to her words.
“Ah that means I am in danger too.”
“Either bite the palace or get rid of you. Either leave us both behind and focus on training or move after removing Sword Demon. Sahyung is a smart person.”
I ask her.
“… how did you interpret this when you are struggling?”
Thinking of something the Blood Night Palace Lod furrows her words.
“The thing elder Heo almost objected to was to make the sacred thing called Heavenly Pearl. The Cult Leader was against it so the ones supporting them too. Maybe he didn’t mean to hold on until it is made perfectly?”
Certainly this woman knew a lot of things because she is the samae2 to the Cult Leader.
“What is the Heavenly Pearl used for?”
It is in my body but I was being polite to her.
And she said
“It is a pill made from force. It may have been written as a methodology for cultivating the martial arts Cult Leader wants. If the Cult Leader concentrates on training and subordinates prepare him the pills then the time for him to step up would be less. It is a guess but when making the Heavenly Pearl many will die.”
I tell her
“Palace Lord please look into that thing again. When will it all be completed? Or is it already completed and waiting to be used? There are already those clinging to you yet working for the Cult Leader so you will have to move. Either with spies or send people to enlist into the cult. How can we fight without martial arts?”
Blood Night Palace Lord sighs.
“The right person….”
“Don’t we have one?”
“Who?”
I say in a calm tone.
“Yong-myeong.”
“How can we send the last disciple of Elder Heo’s to his death?”
I speak clicking my tongue.
“Lord can you always be sure of when it is? Right now this place is closer to the end than inside of the cult.”
“Right. I will think about it. Anyway be careful now. I don’t think the Cult Leader is stupid.”
I shake my head.
“Do not worry about me.”
“Why?”
I deliberately start pretending to be proud of myself to assure her.
“I was actually on my way to be a master In psychological warfare mind reading and a master in psychology.”
She looks confused and asks
“What good is that?”
“It means that I have it all ready. The more the cult knows about me the harder it will be to report to the Cult Leader.”
“Why?”
“It is because I am a regular server. A vulgar and degrading man.”
“Hmmm”
I point to the sky.
“If the Cult Leader is as honorable as me”
I point my hand down and say
“I am a man crawling up from the bottom. There is a man whose rank is so low that the Cult Leader wouldn’t directly deal with me. So he will send his subordinates. Furthermore the name of the sect I lead is the Low-Down Sect. It is not the bottom level that a Cult Leader would touch.”
“… you have your plans. I was worried for nothing.”
“There are more reasons. With the eyes of the Cult Leader he would have noticed about both yin and yang qi being mastered too.”
And I say
“Materials like me are rare things to get in Kangho. But I am not that ripe yet.”
She laughs but then groans in pain.
And I speak to her in a serious tone.
“Smile comfortably.”
It was only then that she burst into laughter looking up.
Well a man who risked his life and learned how to joke with an old senior that is me.
Actually if I die the situation in Kangho is done.
The fate of Kangho was resting in my mind.
Ah just how thrilling is this….
Editor’s Note
