Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 74

Jo Geom-ok answered, observing Jin Sa-wol's expression.

"Two are my sworn brothers, and I don't know the rest. They must be dead."

"The esoteric sect master is dead, so how can the Soul-Stealing Great Law remain?"

"Because the Alliance Leader has that secret manual. It seems he obtained it after killing the esoteric sect master. It seems he took it without others knowing. Anyway, the Alliance Leader unfolded the Soul-Stealing Great Law on several children, but they all died. After trying a few times, he gave up and focused only on the three of us who had survived from the esoteric sect."

"So that's what happened."

At the new fact, Jin Sa-wol knew one more reason why Jo Geom-ok had to die. She was a fatal dagger to the Alliance Leader.

If the Alliance Leader had used the demonic art of the esoteric sect and innocent children had died because of it, the Alliance Leader would not only have to retire but could also become a public enemy of the martial world.

"Who knows this fact?"

"Hyun Jeong, me, you. And two sworn brothers."

"Are you talking about Elder Hyun Jeong of Wudang?"

"There's no one else."

What he knew about the person named Hyun Jeong was that he was very fair and just.

The fact that the outside and the inside were different was the same for both the Demonic Cult and the orthodox sects.

"If the Alliance Leader tried to kill you, those two sworn brothers will also die soon."

Hearing Jin Sa-wol's words, Jo Geom-ok did not deny it. She also had the same thought as Jin Sa-wol.

But she couldn't think of a way to save them.

Jin Sa-wol asked again.

"What's the way to remove the Soul-Stealing Needle?"

Jo Geom-ok had pulled out all the Soul-Stealing Needles herself, and Jin Sa-wol had confirmed it with his own eyes.

Although he didn't say it, Jin Sa-wol thought that there might be countless Soul-Stealing Needles in his own head.

Jin Sa-wol had no memory of before he had entered Ghost Spirit Valley.

Although he had thought it was just because of a big shock, seeing the Soul-Stealing Needle, he thought it might not be.

All people have parents and childhood memories.

All the Slaughter Ghosts of Ghost Spirit Valley also had a past. Except for himself.

Son Ae-hwa, who had parted ways a while ago, had also disappeared, chasing after her past memories.

Although he had never been envious while looking at them, he had an instinctive curiosity. His real name and parents, and why he had entered Ghost Spirit Valley.

Jin Sa-wol looked at Jo Geom-ok with a little expectation.

Jo Geom-ok let out a short sigh.

"Haa... To be honest, you'll be disappointed, but I also don't know well. Strangely, only I occasionally had the Soul-Stealing Needles come out."

Jin Sa-wol looked at Jo Geom-ok with an unbelievable gaze.

"Should I torture you?"

"Me? Hohoho!"

Jo Geom-ok laughed as if it were absurd. But Jin Sa-wol was serious.

"The tea you just drank was poisoned."

The moment she heard those words, Jo Geom-ok jumped up and tried to circulate her internal energy. In that instant, Jin Sa-wol's figure appeared behind her, pressed the Jianjing acupoints on both her shoulders, and then grabbed the back of her neck.

"Hmm..."

Jo Geom-ok couldn't move, along with a tingling pain. If Jin Sa-wol put strength in his hand, it was a crisis where her neck would break immediately.

There was no need to move rashly.

Anyway, Jin Sa-wol could not kill her.

"There's always a dagger hidden behind a kind smile. Jin Sa-wol. You know well that it's a loss to kill me, right?"

"I know. You're also a life that will die anyway, whether you die here or outside, right? So how about you honestly confess everything before you die? If you want to live even a little longer."

"It's not a lie. Strangely, only I had the Soul-Stealing Needles come out often. When I think about it, it felt like something was coming out with the feeling of the Baihui acupoint opening. Fear? Anger? It happened when those complicated emotions hit the top of my head."

At the persuasive answer, Jin Sa-wol let go of his hand and retreated.

"If you pull them out by force?"

"You'll die. The blood vessels in your head will burst."

At Jo Geom-ok's words, Jin Sa-wol drank water with an indifferent face.

Jo Geom-ok's eyes widened as if she had thought of something.

"I thought of one thing."

"What is it?"

"I'm the only woman. The other two are men. Could it be that they came out because I'm a woman?"

"Hoo... It's not that, but your personality must be the problem."

Jin Sa-wol sighed and went into the study and sat down. Jo Geom-ok followed Jin Sa-wol and sat in front of him.

"Hey, the poison? You have to give me the antidote, right?"

"It was a lie."

"You annoying bastard."

Jo Geom-ok stood up from her seat as if it were absurd. Jin Sa-wol said.

"Get some rest. We're going to Guguang tomorrow."

"Guguang? Why do I have to go there? Do you need me?"

As Jin Sa-wol unfolded his book, Jo Geom-ok looked at him as if to provoke him and twisted her shoulders.

She lowered her eyes, glanced at Jin Sa-wol, and threw a look that said to ask for help quickly.

Jin Sa-wol answered, reading his book.

"You'll die if you stay here."

"And I'll live if I follow you?"

"At least the possibility of living is higher than here."

"Hoo? Really? Why?"

"Because I'm here."

Swish, as Jin Sa-wol raised his head and looked, Jo Geom-ok hurriedly avoided his gaze.

'You unlucky bastard.'

As Jo Geom-ok turned her head, Jin Sa-wol looked at his book again.

Although a red sunset sat on Jo Geom-ok's face, unfortunately, Jin Sa-wol could not see it.

To Jin Sa-wol, Jo Geom-ok was a necessary existence. The Soul-Stealing Needle was one thing, and if her words were true, Jo Geom-ok could be a person who knew his past.

"Do you know anything about the other two who were left, besides the two who went to the Alliance with you? Anything you remember or something like that?"

"One of them was a guy who laughed and played well. But the other one was a really unlucky guy. They say emotions disappear when you unfold the Soul-Stealing Great Law, but that guy had no emotions from the beginning. On top of that, he was good at talking, so he was really unlucky. A really unlucky bastard... And..."

"And?"

"No. Nothing."

Jo Geom-ok shook her head and then headed for her own room. As she disappeared, Jin Sa-wol quietly read his book for the first time in a long time and then closed his eyes and rested.

'There was one girl and four boys. Me?'

* * *

Bi-sun, who had entered Honghwaru, looked at the busy maids and clerks with an awkward expression and then approached a middle-aged man in conspicuous silk clothes.

"Welcome."

The middle-aged man greeted first.

"I didn't know a guest would come so early in the evening. We're not ready yet, so please come back in an hour."

At the polite greeting, Bi-sun responded in a low voice.

"Jin Sa-wol sent me. May I see the pavilion master?"

As he cupped his fist and spoke, the middle-aged man's eyes widened as if he knew Jin Sa-wol's name, and then he cupped his fist.

"Oh, a precious person sent you. Please follow me. I will guide you."

"Thank you."

As Bi-sun greeted back, the middle-aged man showed a pleasant smile and led the way.

He followed him, passed the corridor, and crossed the garden. After entering the separate building, Bi-sun greeted the middle-aged man again.

As the middle-aged man moved away, Bi-sun, who was left alone, cleared his throat once and then entered the separate building.

He saw a small pond and maple and ginkgo trees that harmonized with the bamboo. As he followed a small path, a house appeared.

When he entered the room, there was no one there yet. As he sat alone at an empty round table, a wind blew and tickled his earlobe.

'Blood-cutting threads...'

Bi-sun silently watched the blood-cutting threads wrapping around the house. It was as exquisite as a spider spinning a web.

Rustle!

Il-hu, a beautiful beauty in a red Hong-ui, appeared with a sly smile.

"If you leave the room rashly, you will suffer a great misfortune."

"I can't even go to the bathroom."

"There's a chamber pot in the bedroom, so please take care of your business there. Hohoho."

As Il-hu half-opened the closed door beyond the round table, a large bed and a silk mattress were seen.

She went into the room, showed a strange eye-smile, and then closed the door.

Bi-sun, seeing Il-hu, who had entered the bedroom herself, knew that it was surveillance.

Thump! Thump!

Jo-rim, who came into the room with the cold sound of snow, frowned when she saw Bi-sun sitting in a chair.

"You're wearing a human-skin mask."

"I am Bi-sun."

"There's no reason to sit face to face with a fake. I need to talk to Jin Sa-wol."

Whoosh!

As she showed her back, Bi-sun raised his hand and grabbed his neck.

"Take it off."

As Bi-sun's voice sank, Jo-rim turned her body again and stood in front of him.

Thump-thump!

As he tore off the human-skin mask, the face of a man in his early thirties with pale skin was revealed.

His nose was high, and his eyelashes were long like a girl's, and his eyebrows were thick and dark like a caterpillar.

At the handsome appearance with distinct features, Jo-rim laughed out loud without realizing it.

"Hohohoho! I'm going crazy."

Jo-rim shook her head as if it were absurd and then threw a cold gaze and raised her hand. Then, Bi-sun instinctively grabbed his belt.

"Retreat."

At Jo-rim's words, Il-hu, who was in the bedroom, and Il-bi, who was standing outside, completely left the separate building.

"How are you here? Unsentimental Ghost, Na Geom-yeong."

"My name is Bi-sun."

Bi-sun still had a calm expression. He was looking at Jo-rim with eyes that could not be read.

Jo-rim still had a cold face.

"If you say so, I'll call you Bi-sun. I am Jo-rim of Honghwaru."

"Am I the only one who takes off the human-skin mask?"

Jo-rim's expression hardened as she received Bi-sun's gaze.

Bi-sun decided to worry about whether to kill her or not after he had accurately grasped her identity.

Jo-rim was surprised that her perfect disguise had been seen through. But she also thought that it was to be expected.

"How did you know?"

"The pavilion master doesn't show her face to others. I heard from Young Brother Jin that you were the pavilion master."

"You're still the same."

As Jo-rim's voice sank, Bi-sun's eyes widened. It was a familiar voice.

"It's that scent."

"Seomun Hyang?"

"Yes."

Bi-sun opened his eyes wide without realizing it.

"I heard you were dead..."

"I also heard that you were dead, older brother."

The two looked at each other's faces with complicated expressions for a moment and then laughed out loud as if it were absurd.

"Hahahaha!"

"Hohohoho!"

Many words were exchanged in the laughter.

"So that's how it was. You were also dead like me, older brother."

"To die and disappear..."

"To become a true ghost."

Jo-rim smiled.

"I can't take off this mask. If I take it off once, I can't use it again. I've lived with this face for five years, and I plan to live with this face for a while."

"It's a pretty face..."

"This face is also pretty."

Bi-sun smiled.

Jo-rim stood up and struck the bell hanging under the eaves. As the bell rang, Il-hu appeared.

"Bring wine."

"Yes."

As Il-hu bowed and went out, Jo-rim closed the window.

A short while later, a pre-prepared wine table came inside. But Bi-sun went into the bedroom and did not come out.

Only after all the attendants had left did Bi-sun come out of the room and sit in front of Jo-rim.

Jo-rim poured wine into Bi-sun's wine cup and smiled.

"I remember playing together when we were young."

"We were next-door neighbors."

"How many years has it been since we've seen each other?"

"Eleven years."

At Bi-sun's answer, Jo-rim nodded and recalled her past memories.

Although she had the surname Na, Bi-sun, who was a distant relative, and Jo-rim, who had the surname Seomun but was also a distant relative, had lived in the same neighborhood as neighbors. But when they turned ten, the two had to leave for Ghost Spirit Valley and Hwahwaru.

After that, they had met as adults eleven years ago. They had acted together as a couple for a year with the same purpose.

Bi-sun asked.

"When did you become the pavilion master?"

"Seven years ago."

"It's been a while."

"Why did you die, older brother?"

"Revenge."

At Bi-sun's answer, Jo-rim closed her mouth. Although there were many things she wanted to ask, she didn't want to break this pleasant atmosphere of meeting after a long time.

"I'm curious, but I won't ask. Tell me next time."

At the words 'next time', Bi-sun shook his head with a disappointed expression.

"We've met after a long time, but we have to say goodbye."

"What? Already?"

"I'm going to the Gangnam Grand Inn in Guguang with Sa-wol tomorrow. There's prey there."

At Bi-sun's words, Jo-rim's eyes widened.

"That's one of the nine great demonic pavilions, the Golden Demonic Pavilion. Surely the prey isn't the innkeeper?"

As if surprised by the words 'Golden Demonic Pavilion', Bi-sun's eyes widened.

(End of Chapter)