novelraw Chapter 57
Chapter 57
57. I Don’t Bother With Lies
Figuring out how to break the Sealing Technique was a huge achievement for Sun Wukong as well.
There was no need to kill someone off meaninglessly anymore.
It was a shame that the White-Eyed Demon Lord, who seemed to hold a fairly high rank, had lost his mind, but Wukong didn’t dwell on it.
‘There’ll be others like him to catch.’
Once a monster reveals itself, it can never truly hide again.
Even if they retreat out of instinctive fear, they’ll always look for another chance to bare their fangs.
Just catch them again, that’s all.
Sun Wukong never clings to things that have slipped from his grasp.
But whatever lands in his hand, he holds onto tightly.
“How have you all been?”
“…Thanks to you, we’re alive.”
“Good, good. Hm? Eat plenty, get enough sleep. That’s how you live a long life.”
“Are you planning to let us live long, then?”
The voice was sharp.
The expression on her face was pure anxiety.
Sun Wukong looked at the Shandong Seven Shadows, huddled together around the tomb mound.
‘Spiders, huh. Whether in my past life or now, their camaraderie is impressive.’
Wukong stroked his chin and slammed the iron staff he’d been carrying onto the ground.
Thud!
“…!”
The iron staff stood upright, embedded in the earth. The faces of the Shandong Seven Shadows turned pale. The staff stood like a pillar, and Wukong leaned on it, arms crossed.
“Why would I kill you?”
“…”
Really.
Saying that after planting such a terrifying weapon in the ground…
“Do you expect us to trust you?”
“We haven’t built any trust between us yet, have we?”
Wukong clicked his tongue.
“Are you loyal to that organization? Blindly so?”
No answer.
But that was answer enough.
He could read all their emotions in the way their faces darkened.
Just as he expected.
Whatever their circumstances, unlike the others he’d met, these ones didn’t serve the organization out of genuine loyalty.
It was the Sealing Technique in their heads and their watchers that kept them in line.
He’d already dealt with the latter.
The seven people Muhwa killed were their watchers.
Even the White-Eyed Demon Lord, their clear leader, was now in that state, so for now, they had no one watching them.
‘Besides, keeping these ones with me makes them a kind of hostage.’
The Shandong Seven Shadows were valuable enough for the organization to assign watchers.
Someone would surely come to reclaim them.
Just like the Demon King of Chaos, who came for the Seven Star Sword Fragment.
Even aside from that, there were plenty of advantages.
Wukong tapped the iron staff with his finger.
“How about we make a deal? I don’t care about your loyalty. A deal seems more fitting.”
Even at Wukong’s words, the Shandong Seven Shadows looked unenthused.
Neung spoke up.
“What kind of deal? Our lives?”
A shadow crossed Neung’s face.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can offer in exchange for our lives. No, we simply can’t.”
“No.”
Wukong cut her off firmly.
“You can give me what I want. I’ll make sure you can.”
Neung tilted her head in confusion.
Wukong grinned and tapped his head with a finger.
“That trap in your heads. The trap.”
“…!”
“I’ll break it for you.”
The Shandong Seven Shadows erupted in murmurs. Even Neung’s pupils shook violently. But only for a moment—she quickly regained her composure and shot back sharply.
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I couldn’t.”
“No, wait. That’s too dangerous. Do you think no one’s ever tried to break it before?”
As Neung brought up reality, the hopeful faces of the other courtesans darkened at once.
“It’s inside our heads. The moment you try to break it… it’s just—”
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Wukong’s eyes flashed.
‘So someone did try to break the Sealing Technique before.’
Someone among them, even.
‘From the Demon King of Chaos and the White-Eyed Demon Lord, all I saw was blind loyalty.’
But someone in their group had tried to resist and break the seal.
‘The higher-ups can instill blind loyalty, but the ones below aren’t like that.’
He could picture the situation now.
‘The higher-ups must have been given something to ensure their loyalty.’
He could guess what that was.
‘That trick for drawing out potential, most likely.’
Thinking back, the difference between the Blood-Iron Fiend and the White-Eyed Demon Lord was clear.
‘When the Blood-Iron Fiend used his skill, it didn’t feel particularly dangerous.’
He didn’t seem to be pouring out all his potential.
But the White-Eyed Demon Lord was different.
‘He opened his Upper Dantian.’
And from within, he drew out the power stored in his soul.
Not just the body’s latent abilities, but the power hidden in the soul itself.
‘It was Demonic Power.’
The White-Eyed Demon Lord’s past life. The Demonic Power left behind in the soul of the high-ranking demon, the Many-Eyed Demon.
It was faint and meager, but it was definitely there.
‘Even a little Demonic Power would drive a human mad.’
Wukong couldn’t help but smirk.
In the past, how many humans had willingly become monsters’ underlings just to get a taste of Demonic Power, even at the cost of their sanity?
There were countless people who worshipped demons like gods, offering sacrifices and getting drunk on Demonic Power.
That’s how seductive it was. The higher-ups probably became intoxicated with power and gave their loyalty blindly.
But not everyone could be like that.
If he could prove that the Shandong Seven Shadows had broken free…
‘It could cause unrest among their ranks.’
There might even be defectors.
He stood to gain more than he’d thought.
Wukong stroked his chin.
“So, do you want to die here, smashed to bits by this staff in a Single Strike?”
He tapped the staff he was leaning on.
All of the Shandong Seven Shadows turned ghostly pale.
A single blow would turn their heads to mush.
Their bones would be ground to dust.
“Do you really think I’d say all this without having tried it first?”
Neung’s pupils trembled.
“You mean…?”
“I’ve already broken one.”
“They’re alive?”
“They’re alive.”
Of course, they’d lost their mind…
Wukong thought of the now-mute White-Eyed Demon Lord and nodded.
“I don’t bother with lies.”
It wasn’t a lie.
He’d broken the Sealing Technique. The person was alive. Where’s the lie in that?
The White-Eyed Demon Lord was just ruined because Wukong had used him for practice.
Neung fell silent, lost in thought.
The other courtesans’ faces had brightened considerably. Their excited chattering made them look like children who didn’t know what to do with themselves.
Wukong gave a wry smile.
There was definitely a Red Thread of Fate connecting him to these women.
Even if the color was faint, there was no doubt they’d met as enemies.
But he didn’t feel the urge to kill them in a Single Strike.
‘Now I get what Tripitaka was saying.’
What was it Tripitaka had said?
When Wukong had torn apart the demon who tried to eat Tripitaka, Tripitaka had scolded him instead.
—Did I not tell you! You’re too heavy-handed! Even if you bare your fangs at each other in this life, will it be the same in the next? That child could be your father, or your child, in another life! Don’t pile up karma, Wukong!
Well, even if he went back, Wukong would have still torn the demon apart.
How could he let a demon who tried to eat Tripitaka go?
‘Just because you were enemies in a past life doesn’t mean you have to be enemies now.’
Fate is something you make yourself.
Wukong believed he could turn that Red Thread of Fate, if not pure white, at least transparent.
Of course, that depended on their actions.
‘If they try to climb over me, then we’ll just stay enemies.’
While Wukong was lost in thought, Neung finished her deliberation and spoke.
“So, what do you want from us? You said you wanted a deal.”
“Everything you know about that organization.”
“I figured as much.”
“And your skills.”
“Our skills…?”
“What else? You’ll have to put those famed looks to use.”
Neung fell silent for a moment. Wukong watched her closely.
She was the type whose expression gave nothing away.
She was good at hiding her emotions. Wukong liked that.
A spark lit in Neung’s eyes. She’d made up her mind.
“One more condition.”
“What is it?”
“Protect us.”
“Protect you?”
“Even if the trap is broken, they won’t just let us go. Of course they’ll hunt down any traitor who knows their secrets.”
“So you want me to guard you?”
“We’ll be working for you, so isn’t it only right for the boss to protect his people?”
“Hm.”
“Besides, you must be strong. All our watchers disappeared after you showed up. And I’m guessing…”
“Right. I took care of that bug-eyed guy too.”
“I knew it…”
“You really defeated the White-Eyed Demon Lord…”
“Unbelievable.”
The Shandong Seven Shadows let out a chorus of awe, shock, amazement, and reverence.
‘Didn’t even think of that condition.’
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it—he just considered it obvious. Neung’s request wasn’t anything special. Safety is a must for any job.
But the fact that she brought it up…
‘They must be really scared.’
They feared their organization. Even after breaking the Sealing Technique, they worried about what came next. Wukong grinned.
“I like that condition, actually.”
“What?”
“I’ll protect you. Anyone who comes after you, I’ll crush them all.”
After all, just by keeping the Shandong Seven Shadows, his enemies would come to him.
How convenient was that?
No need to go looking for them.
Neung’s face relaxed at Wukong’s agreement.
Knowing someone strong enough to defeat the White-Eyed Demon Lord was protecting them, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.
“Well, I don’t know how you ended up working for those people, but at least here, you’ll be free. I’m not the meddling type.”
“…It’s not like we wanted to do this.”
Neung’s voice trembled. Wukong watched her quietly. She was a courtesan, a seductress who used the Heart-Seizing Technique, and yet…
Right now, she looked as fragile as a single flower.
Wukong snorted.
“Enough. I don’t care what kind of past you have.”
“…”
“I like people who use their heads. That’s what I want from you. But don’t try any tricks on me. I really could rip that pretty mouth of yours apart.”
“…!”
Wukong was still smiling.
His cheerful grin belied the deadly threat in his words.
Neung bit her lip and straightened up.
“Sorry. It’s a habit.”
“You’re a natural.”
Wukong grinned.
“A beautiful woman with a tragic past always sets men’s hearts on fire.”
“Doesn’t seem to work on you, though.”
Wukong chuckled. In that brief moment, Neung had tried another trick.
She’d subtly hinted at a tragic past, trying to lure him in.
Maybe she really did have a sad history. But the way she tried to use it—he liked that.
“It won’t work on me, so give up. But I do like your skills. That’s exactly what I want from you.”
“All right. Let’s make a deal. So, how do you plan to break the trap in our heads?”
“It’s simple.”
Wukong stepped closer and spoke in a calm tone.
“The Sealing Technique is embedded in your heads, right in the Upper Dantian.”
“…!”
“That’s why it’s so hard to break. If you mess up, your soul gets destroyed. Your brain’s damaged and you die instantly.”
Just hearing it was horrifying. All of the Shandong Seven Shadows swallowed hard. Only Neung stared back resolutely.
“But my method is simple. It won’t even hurt. It’s easy.”
Wukong reached out and placed a finger on the crown of Neung’s head.
She flinched, but stayed still.
Wukong smiled, as if it was nothing at all. Neung, reassured by his attitude, began to relax.
Wukong pressed down on her crown. Neung’s eyes flew wide open.
“I just pull out your soul, break the Sealing Technique, and put your soul back in. See? Simple.”
“…!”
She tried to say something, but she couldn’t. Her soul was already being pulled out before she could speak.