The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 12

"White Tiger, what do you think of the princess's guess?"

Jin Mubaek asked Wang Wook.

"I don't know. It's not impossible, but the only clue to apprehending the culprit is Grand Master Muheo, so there's nothing we can do..."

Wang Wook sighed and looked at the moon in the sky.

As if representing their situation, the moon was hiding its appearance behind dark clouds.

"First, we'll search Grand Master Muheo's surroundings with a fine-tooth comb. If we can't catch him, we'll be wandering the martial world for the rest of our lives. You know the princess's temperament well, don't you?"

"Yes. Once she decides on something, she never reverses it, no matter what. Phew..."

"But what on earth happened? Let's at least get the circumstances."

"I'm sorry. The princess gave a strict order to keep quiet..."

What would happen if he said that Ju Nokjeong was spanked on the buttocks?

He didn't know for sure, but he would be beheaded, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard would launch a massive investigation.

But would they be able to catch him even if they did?

He had nonchalantly used acupoint pressure so that he wouldn't hear the princess's identity, and he had meticulously instilled fear in her three times.

Even now, the princess would flinch and her eyes would waver when she saw the guards' scabbards.

That was not something anyone could do.

A person with such a scheme was even being protected by Shaolin.

Jin Mubaek judged that it would be difficult to catch the bastard, who was not even on the monk register and whose identity was ambiguous, with an open investigation.

"I understand your concerns, White Tiger. But I don't think the princess's judgment to conduct a secret investigation with a small number of people to catch him is wrong. We will reveal everything after we catch him, so please understand."

"..."

Wang Wook read in Jin Mubaek's eyes the look that only those who had resolved to die had.

He knew from experience that a person with such eyes would not yield to torture, let alone threats involving their family.

"I understand. I will trust you, so tell me everything frankly after you catch him."

"Thank you. I will inform you first, White Tiger, when the matter is concluded."

Wang Wook patted Jin Mubaek's shoulder, who was giving a bow, and then started walking.

"Let's go. From today, we will monitor Grand Master Muheo's every move without fail."

And so they arrived at the scene of the incident, Grand Master Muheo's residence, and soon discovered something strange.

"The scent of the Thousand Li Tracking Incense leads to another place."

Jin Mubaek was able to notice it right away thanks to the tracking incense he had smelled in advance.

"Don't tell me he left?"

"It seems so. The scent leads towards that ridge over there."

"If he wasn't guilty, he wouldn't have left in such a hurry, right?"

Wang Wook and Jin Mubaek, who were looking at each other, nodded at the same time and then moved immediately.

The direction they were moving in was a straight line towards Cheok Sagyeol.

* * *

RUSTLE.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had jumped out of the bushes, looked back and observed his pursuers.

After observing with his enhanced vision and hearing, he could see that they were still closing the distance.

'A Shaolin monk? Don't tell me it's the Embroidered Uniform Guard?'

Either way, they seemed to have quite a knack for tracking.

At that moment, something came to Cheok Sagyeol's mind.

'Thousand Li Tracking Incense! Damn it! I forgot.'

He brought his hands to his nose and sniffed, and the heterogeneous smell was still there.

He had thought it would disappear over time, but since there was no change even after a day, it seemed that it could not be easily erased.

'First, let's try washing my hands.'

Killing them was not a problem.

But if an Embroidered Uniform Guard who was chasing him died, it was clear that it would become a headache in itself.

Cheok Sagyeol decided to focus on shaking off the pursuit for now.

RUSTLE. RUSTLE.

With a large bundle on his back, a sack slung over one shoulder, and the Green Jade Buddha Staff wrapped in cloth in one hand as a walking stick, he could have been mistaken for a merchant at a glance.

A small stream appeared in front of Cheok Sagyeol, who was moving his feet without rest.

SPLASH. SPLASH.

Cheok Sagyeol's brow furrowed again as he washed his hands and sniffed again.

It was because the smell did not go away even after washing with water.

'Annoying.'

At this rate, the traces would continue to remain.

Moreover, in a mountain like this, any smell would spread far and become distinct.

In a place where people lived, various smells were mixed, but in the mountains, the air was clear, and there were no artificial smells other than the scent emitted by the forest.

SWOOSH.

Cheok Sagyeol's inner vision, enhanced, scanned the surrounding terrain. To be precise, he was reading the mountain's topography.

The place where the main base of the Demonic Cult was located was the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It was a place with over a hundred thousand peaks, and growing up in such an environment, the ability one inevitably obtained was the insight to see through the mountain's terrain.

The ability to predict where valleys were formed and where watercourses were formed, where ridges continued, and where cliffs were.

'Found it.'

He could guess that the desired terrain was over two ridges to the right.

Cheok Sagyeol moved his body without hesitation.

* * *

SLURP.

Wang Wook and Jin Mubaek arrived at the stream where Cheok Sagyeol had been, quenched their thirst, and looked at the ridge to the right.

"A mistake."

Wang Wook spoke, his eyes sharp.

"He washed his hands here. He noticed the pursuit. Tsk, we should have moved more carefully..."

They had been careless, thinking that the smell would have disappeared after a day since the Thousand Li Tracking Incense was applied, but their pursuit speed was fast, and it was clear that they had entered his detection range.

"His movement speed is fast, so if we get any further apart, we might lose him. It can't be helped."

Jin Mubaek said as if to comfort Wang Wook.

As he said, if they were too far apart in the mountains and then entered a flatland, they might lose him.

The movement speed on flatland was more than three times faster than in the mountains.

"Let's move. Since it's come to this, we'll observe from a close distance. He's a guilty bastard, so we'll be able to get a clue soon."

If they could confirm that Grand Master Muheo and his culprit disciple were together, that would be enough.

Wang Wook and Jin Mubaek unfolded their lightness skill to the fullest.

PATTER. PATTER. PATTER. PATTER. SWOOSH.

The figures of the two, moving without worrying about exposure, quickly crossed the mountain.

The training of the Embroidered Uniform Guard also included lightness skill training to traverse the mountains within a set time.

The movements of the two, who had been trained to deal with all sorts of situations as a special forces unit, were dazzling.

In their eyes, the figure of a person showing his back came into view.

"I see him."

"It's one person. Is it Grand Master Muheo?"

"It's dark and I can't see his face, so I'm not sure."

It was at that moment when Jin Mubaek answered Wang Wook.

Cheok Sagyeol turned his body and looked back, and the moon came out from behind the clouds, shining its light on his face.

"Gasp! It's him!"

Jin Mubaek shouted without realizing it.

Wang Wook also nodded his head after seeing the young monk's face.

"We'll catch him here. Let's go."

CLANG.

The two, who had drawn their swords, put more strength into their toes and shot their bodies forward.

"Huh!?"

It was then, when Jin Mubaek had closed the distance to less than ten zhang, that the cliff behind Cheok Sagyeol came into view.

And Cheok Sagyeol was jumping into it.

"No!"

The distance of the cliff was nearly thirty zhang.

It was a distance that was impossible to jump over unless one could walk on air.

As expected, Cheok Sagyeol, not even halfway, drew an arc and fell into the bottomless pit.

"Damn it!"

To think he would commit suicide when he was almost caught.

Wang Wook and Jin Mubaek, bursting with anger, looked down the cliff.

"Damn it... let's go down. Since it's come to this, we have to at least drag the body."

"Yes..."

It was then, when Jin Mubaek answered weakly.

SWOOOOOSH.

A white hand stretched out from the pitch-black bottomless pit.

It stretched endlessly and finally grabbed the edge of the opposite cliff.

"Wh-what!"

Jin Mubaek couldn't close his mouth and watched the scene.

The sight of Cheok Sagyeol, who had shot up from below, climbing onto the opposite cliff. Then, without looking back, he disappeared into the darkness.

"J-Jin Guard... what on earth did we just see?"

Wang Wook opened his mouth with a dazed look.

Jin Mubaek also moved his lips and then had no choice but to close them again.

'So this is what it means to be speechless...'

THUD.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had put down his bundle and sack, sat on the floor and caught his breath.

The length of his arm, which he could stretch with the Indian Yoga Divine Art, had reached the edge of the cliff.

It was half a gamble, but fortunately, he had succeeded.

'Thanks to that, my achievement in the Indian Yoga Divine Art has also deepened.'

The situation where a person can concentrate more is a real battle, a pressing case like just now.

If one achieves their goal in such a situation, their skills, whether it's martial arts or anything else, will grow rapidly.

Cheok Sagyeol could see that he had achieved the fifth stage of achievement in an instant.

GULP. GULP.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had taken out his canteen and drunk water, suddenly looked at the western sky.

That direction was towards Xinjiang, where the main base of the Demonic Cult was.

'What is that old man Muheo doing?'

Was it because he had stolen the treasures of Shaolin and made a mess of it?

Cheok Sagyeol was worried that Muheo might also be causing some trouble in the cult.

* * *

Three months in the Demonic Cult.

All Muheo had done during that time was drink.

The reason for that was in Cheok Sagyeol's body.

'Blood Demon Art... it's truly the best martial art for drinking. Hehe.'

Muheo was still sipping his wine and grinning.

Originally, the best way was to expel the alcohol poison with internal energy when one got drunk and then drink again.

But that was not the attitude of a true drinker.

But if one endured without expelling the alcohol poison, they would inevitably be defeated by the alcohol and collapse.

No matter how well one could drink, there was no master against alcohol.

But the Blood Demon Art had a function that prevented the owner from losing consciousness even without circulating qi.

No matter how much he drank, he could drink without losing consciousness.

And so, Muheo lived with his face buried in a wine jar for three months.

"Lord."

Guyang Pae, with the thought of making a decision today, visited the Lord's Hall.

He couldn't even count how many times he had been swayed by the Lord's words that enlightenment was at hand, so he had to drink a little more.

No matter how much the Lord was like the heavens, he could no longer be left alone like this.

"Oh, Elder Guyang. I was just about to call for you. You've come at a good time."

"Lord. Have you finally achieved something?"

"That's why I was going to call for you. My progress is slow because I'm drinking alone. It seems that drinking together is the right answer."

Guyang Pae frowned at the Lord's words.

'Is he trying to get away with it like this again?'

"This time it's for real, Elder Guyang. Don't look at me with those eyes and come sit down."

"Lord."

"Hmph, this man. The great undertaking of our cult will be completed only when this one surpasses Grand Master Muheo, won't it?"

"Phew... the great undertaking is the great undertaking, but please go on a trip with me."

"Hmm? A trip?"

Muheo put down the wine bottle he was holding at Guyang Pae's sudden mention of a trip.

"That's right. I've been saying that you've been in secluded training, Lord, but rumors have been rampant lately."

"Rumors? What rumors?"

"The rumor that you are suffering from the grief of defeat, Lord. Phew..."

At Guyang Pae's sigh, Muheo scratched the back of his now lush hair.

'As expected, it's better to have hair to scratch.'

Muheo stood up from his seat with a playful expression. Showing a too-changed appearance after being cooped up in a corner of the room could also arouse suspicion.

Although it was already strange enough.

"Let's go. Let's go and show them that this one is still going strong."

"A wise decision, Lord."

Muheo and Guyang Pae left the Lord's Hall and began to inspect the inner city, the outer city, and the villages near the Demonic Heavenly Palace.

A village of believers who all believed in the single religion of the Demonic Cult.

Muheo, too, had spent his entire life in a religious organization called Shaolin Temple, but he had never seen such faithful followers as those of the Demonic Cult.

'Haha... such fervent support.'

Beyond being devout, they were close to fanatics.

But seeing their faith directed at him, Muheo felt good for no reason.

'Is this what it feels like to be a Buddha?'

That feeling continued even while he was attending to the Lord's duties.

The important tasks that Guyang Pae had not been able to handle among the overdue approvals. Muheo examined them one by one carefully.

It was because not a few of them were related to the nearby common people.

After handling all the tasks, Muheo rested his chin on his hand and was lost in thought.

'They said that Lord Cheok Sagyeol was a sovereign of iron and blood, and indeed, one word is all it takes.'

'Is this what it feels like to run unhindered on a road that the person before me has painstakingly paved?'

Even if he turned the direction according to his own thoughts while giving approvals, there was not a single objection.

'I feel like I'm enjoying all the luxury I've never enjoyed in my life here... Amitabha...'

The absolute power he had never felt before, the extreme pleasure of being able to drink endlessly, and above all, the blind devotion that treated him like a god, were shaking Muheo's heart.

(End of Chapter)