novelraw Chapter 85 : Even If I Go Back
Chapter 85 : Even If I Go Back
"It's just one person to meet... this is, well, it would be easier to meet the White Moon Divine Lord."
"Hoho. Don't complain too much. The person we're going to meet now is not just one person."
It had already been half a shichen since Bieunggaek had started heading to the Spider's Lair with Yeohyang.
During that time, the two had met numerous people, had secret conversations that seemed to be in code, and had passed by brothels, cloth stores, and inns.
And finally, Yeohyang's footsteps stopped at a certain shabby pharmacy.
Tinkle—!
Along with the sound of a bell announcing a customer's visit, an old man who seemed to be the owner of the pharmacy walked out.
A bent back and a face full of wrinkles.
Hands as dry as a dead tree.
"It's been a while, Elder Gong."
Yeohyang took out the iron coin she had received from the inn she had last visited from her bosom and held it out.
The old man, who was looking closely at the iron coin that seemed ordinary at first glance, nodded his head.
"Come inside."
As they followed the old man into the back of the pharmacy, the strong scent of medicinal herbs wafted out.
'It's foul.'
Bieunggaek slightly frowned at the foul smell of the medicinal herbs.
Yeohyang, as if she were used to it, maintained a smiling expression.
The old man opened and closed the drawers containing the medicinal herbs several times.
Then, surprisingly, the bottom of the medicinal herb warehouse opened, and a path leading down to the basement appeared.
"Be careful on your way down."
"Thank you. Then, shall we go down?"
"This is not a kind place for an old man like me."
At Yeohyang's guidance, Bieunggaek went down the ladder first.
How far had he gone down?
Bieunggaek, who had come down about three zhang, was inwardly surprised at the scale of the basement.
Numerous lanterns were lit, making the basement as bright as day, and below, numerous people were moving busily.
'There wasn't just one entrance.'
As the basement had a huge scale, there were not just one or two entrances.
However, there was a special device, so it was impossible to go out or come in without permission if you didn't know how to operate it.
'Even I, in my youth, would have had a hard time robbing this place. Judging from the process, it seems the entrance and the password are different every day... amazing!'
Bieunggaek could not help but be impressed.
According to the information of the Beggars' Sect, this place was only a part of that organization, and there was a high possibility that the main body was somewhere else.
"This way."
"Yes."
Bieunggaek, who was walking along the path following Yeohyang, entered a certain room that seemed to have been prepared for receiving guests.
It was made with a double door, and there were no windows.
A completely sealed space, inside and out.
'Sound can't leak out or come in.'
While Bieunggaek was grasping the structure of the Spider's Lair in his own way, the inner door of the sealed room opened, and a man appeared.
The man, who was wearing a black mask with a turquoise spider drawn on it, looked at Bieunggaek and Yeohyang alternately and opened his mouth.
"Welcome to the Spider's Lair. The fact that the owner of the Horu Pavilion has come all the way down here must mean there is a reason for it, right?"
'Is he in his mid-thirties?'
Bieunggaek estimated the age of the man wearing the spider mask.
"I'm just doing my part. This person here is the self-proclaimed number one divine thief in the Central Plains, Mr. Bieunggaek."
"Oh—!"
The man in the spider mask was very happy.
"I didn't recognize a distinguished guest. I apologize. I am the Jade-Faced Spider. Please feel free to call me Jade-Face."
"I am Bieunggaek."
"Please sit here."
Bieunggaek and Jade-Face sat opposite each other in the chairs prepared in the secret room.
"Then I'll be going now. I hope you have a pleasant time."
"Take care, Pavilion Master."
Yeohyang answered with a smiling eye and left the secret room.
Following that, the door of the secret room opened, and a young boy dressed as a waiter came in, holding a tray with a teapot and teacups.
The boy placed the cups in front of Bieunggaek and Jade-Face, poured tea, and then retreated with quick steps.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
As the boy who had finished his business left the secret room, Jade-Face picked up his cup.
Bieunggaek also picked up his cup.
"The aroma is good."
"The tea from Yunnan is always excellent. Ah! I'll tell you in advance so you don't misunderstand. This tea contains a muscle-relaxing poison."
At the words 'muscle-relaxing poison', Bieunggaek's face hardened.
"Muscle-relaxing poison?"
"Yes, that's right."
The sound of Jade-Face's laughter was heard from inside the mask.
Bieunggaek looked down at the teacup and thought.
The muscle-relaxing poison did not have any toxicity that would take a life or harm the body, so if an ordinary person consumed it, no problem would arise.
But it had a special effect on martial artists, and that was that it made it impossible to use internal energy.
"Here at the Spider's Lair, all food and drink contain muscle-relaxing poison. We also change the combination of the medicine periodically so that no resistance is built up."
"The reason... is it to protect the Spider's Lair?"
"That's right. Sometimes, those who are after the Spider's Lair crawl in."
Although Jade-Face's voice was gentle, a well-honed blade was hidden within it.
"Ah, of course, don't worry. I promise that no harm will come to you, sir."
"Hmm... well, fine."
Bieunggaek picked up his cup and drank the tea.
As the tea that had passed through his esophagus spread through his body, he felt his internal energy scatter in an instant.
'The level of the muscle-relaxing poison is not ordinary. The speed at which the poison spreads is comparable to the poison of the Sichuan Tang Clan.'
"The aroma and taste of the tea are excellent."
"I'm glad."
Jade-Face, who had also drunk the tea, gathered his two hands and said.
"The fact that the Horu Pavilion Master has personally brought you here... can I take it to mean that you have the information I need, sir?"
"What's the point of dragging it out? Let's get straight to the point."
Bieunggaek cleared his throat and then slowly opened his mouth.
"Aren't you curious about the disciple of the Ten-Armed Blood Ghost?"
Although he could not see the face hidden by the mask, Bieunggaek could tell that he was showing interest.
"Do you have information about him?"
"I do."
Jade-Face, who had been thinking for a while, tilted his head slightly.
"What do you want as a price?"
"Originally, it was information about the White Moon Palace... but my thoughts changed on the way here."
Bieunggaek leaned back in his chair and slowly looked around the secret room.
Soon, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.
"Let me in too."
"Let you in... are you perhaps saying that the Divine Thief wants to become a member of the Spider's Lair?"
At Jade-Face's question, Bieunggaek felt that it was now time to make a gamble.
"No."
The die was cast.
'Since I drank the tea with the muscle-relaxing poison, it's impossible to run away. So...'
Bieunggaek drank all the remaining tea in his cup and then said.
"I want to become a member of the Hao Sect."
***
Iron becomes stronger the more it is hammered.
Humans are the same.
If they don't break, humans can also become stronger.
This crazy logic was being proven by the officials of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, and they were spending hellish days every day.
Now that it had been revealed that their purpose was to be a special sword of the special selection team, there was no reason for Gwak Myeong to treat the remaining officials carefully.
"I should have... gone back... I shouldn't have stayed...!"
"Brother Peng... just hit me! It would be better to be hit and faint."
Moyong Susu had a blank face, and Zhuge Ming patted Peng Xiaofeng's shoulder.
But there was no reaction.
Looking closely, there was no focus in Peng Xiaofeng's eyes.
"Brother Peng?"
As Zhuge Ming grabbed his shoulder and shook him, the huge Peng Xiaofeng collapsed.
"This is absurd... who trains... in such a foolish way?"
Zhuge Ming, who had sat down on the spot, muttered in despair.
A harsh training that even the martial artists of the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families could not endure.
Of course, the martial artists of the remaining minor sects could not endure it.
Yu Useon had fainted long ago, and this was the same for the other officials.
The ones who were still holding on to their senses were Cheon Gaseong, Cheon Yerang, and Jong Ryeo'ak.
'It's different. It's definitely different.'
Jong Ryeo'ak felt that he had changed since the fight in Guizhou.
The movement of his body was light and free, and the advanced sword techniques that had felt so daunting before were now visible to his eyes.
His dantian had also grown much larger, and the size of the internal energy he could operate had also increased.
'Is this what it means to have broken through a wall?'
Jong Ryeo'ak clenched his fist tightly.
In this state, he felt he would not lose to anyone.
Just one person.
"Doesn't that brat get tired?"
Cheon Gaseong endured the hellish training without shedding a single drop of sweat.
In a way, it was natural.
It was because the training that Cheon Gaseong and Cheon Yerang had done at the White Moon Palace was even harsher than this.
"Jin Sohyun."
Gwak Myeong walked among the officials who had collapsed, exhausted from the harsh training.
How far had he walked? Gwak Myeong found Jin Sohyun, who had fainted as if he had fainted long ago, among the collapsed officials.
"Jin Sohyun!"
"You've come, Daoist Temple Master."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm resting."
"What did you do?"
"I trained very hard. I've already surpassed my limits."
'Is this brat really the genius who defeated Elder Gu?'
Gwak Myeong could not understand at all.
If he had his way, he wanted to check by swinging a sword at Jin Sohyun right now.
But now, there was something else he had to do.
"Get up. The person you have to meet has come."
"Me?"
As Jin Sohyun blinked, he got up as if nothing had happened.
'A brat who said he was at his limit...'
Without even knowing that Gwak Myeong's eyes were narrowing, Jin Sohyun was bright.
"You've finally come!"
"Yes. So hurry up and go to the reception room."
"Yes!"
Gwak Myeong let out a dry sigh as he watched Jin Sohyun, who was running to the reception room, so excited about something.
"Hoo. The rest of you, rest! Rest in your respective places until Jin Sohyun returns."
"Ugh!"
"Hooah!"
"Please don't come back."
While the officials were scattered around on the spot, Jin Sohyun entered the reception room, humming.
"Master!"
Jin Sohyun, who had opened the door and entered, was greeted by an unexpected guest.
"Oh! Have you finally decided to take me as your master?"
Namgung Muhyeok was smiling and talking when he had to turn his head to the left.
In the next moment, the wooden stick that Jin Sohyun had used for playing under the pretext of training flew past his head, barely missing.
Its speed was as fast as a dagger thrown by an assassin.
"If it had been someone other than me, they would have been seriously injured."
"Hmph! Do you know how much I suffered because of you, old man?"
"Was that your complaint?"
"If it weren't for you, old man, I wouldn't have gone to Jiao Lake, and the Heretic's Path Alliance wouldn't have been after me!"
Jin Sohyun sat down in a chair, huffing and puffing.
"Now the Nameless Pavilion is also after me, and the unorthodox faction is trying to kill me. How are you going to take responsibility?"
"Well. I don't know either."
"What!? A person who is the head of a family is now saying he doesn't know?"
"First, I apologize."
Namgung Muhyeok's head does not bend easily.
His name and face were not his own.
His head, which represented the huge prestigious family of the Namgung Family, could not be easily bent.
But Namgung Muhyeok bowed his head in front of a next-generation talent.
"I will not deny that you were in great danger due to my fault. It is my fault."
"...Sigh. I understand."
As the head of a family bowed his head and apologized, Jin Sohyun had nothing more to say.
"But, even if I go back, I will make the same choice."
Sparks flew from the two eyes of Jin Sohyun, who had just forgiven Namgung Muhyeok.
"Have you seen this vicious and selfish old man! Why on earth are you doing this to me!?"
Jin Sohyun could not understand the reason why Namgung Muhyeok was tormenting him.
But at that moment, Namgung Muhyeok asked with a low voice.
"If you had not been at Jiao Lake, how many would have died?"
The answer was easy.
Namgung Muhyeok answered instead.
"All of them would have died. Also, if you had not been there, how many officials of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple would have died in Guizhou?"
"..."
"At least eighty percent of the officials would have died. Eighty percent is over eighty people."
It was not wrong.
If Jin Sohyun had not drawn the attention of the unorthodox faction members there.
If he had not reduced their numbers.
Several times more people would have lost their lives than now.
"Sohyun. You are a special brat."
"I'm just the eldest son of an ordinary merchant family."
"Yes, you were until now. But not now."
Namgung Muhyeok said with a serious tone.
"You are now..."
Staring straight into Jin Sohyun's two eyes, which were trembling as if anxious.
"The second public enemy of the unorthodox faction... the one they want to kill the most."
At his words, Jin Sohyun quietly got up from his seat.
Soon, his two hands rushed at Namgung Muhyeok.
"Damn it! Whose fault is this!!"
"You brat! Let go of me!"
"Take responsibility at once! Give me back my life!"
Jin Sohyun's roar, filled with unfairness, echoed hotly in the reception room of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple.
(End of Chapter)