Chapter 133

A tavern on the outskirts of the main base.
Yuk Ja-heung sat in its most secluded private room.
He looked extremely uncomfortable. Jin Si-myeong sat across from him, while four martial artists from the Radiant Moon Jin Family stood behind Jin with their backs against the wall.
Having come alone without even his guards, Yuk Ja-heung fidgeted as though watching their reactions.

“……Was what you said that day true?”

Yuk Ja-heung broke the silence.
It had already been about a month since Jin Si-myeong whispered to him through voice transmission at the registration desk.

-The Demon Bell Geuk Family and Radiant Moon Jin Family discovered a secret passage inside the No-Return Cave. Contact me later if you want to live.

Those words had suddenly made everything look brighter.
Compared to a safe zone whose location was unknown, or training that offered no guarantee of survival, this option had been far more tempting.

“How many more times do I have to tell you it’s true?”
“No, you never explained it in detail.”

Jin Si-myeong raised the corner of his mouth as he tipped back his wine cup.
That was true. After all, keeping him anxious was the best way to get what he wanted.
Tak. Jin Si-myeong set down his cup and spoke.

“There is a place inside the No-Return Cave where the traps do not operate. It is a passage used by the maintenance workers who repair the mechanisms.”
“B-Brother Jin, you found that?”
“No matter what the No-Return Cave is, people still have to maintain it. Nine maintenance workers are responsible for its upkeep and repairs. For strict security, each of them only knows information about the zone they are assigned to. They alone also know the back passages used to evacuate in emergencies, such as when a mechanism activates by mistake.”

Gulp. Yuk Ja-heung swallowed.

“But not long ago, we learned that there is an administrator overseeing all of them.”
“D-don’t tell me you…….”
“We brought him over to our side.”
“……!”

Yuk Ja-heung’s mouth fell open.
Jin Si-myeong wasn’t bluffing. There was no way information this specific could be fabricated.

‘No matter what Father says, I don’t have to die!’

Yuk Ja-heung’s face lit up.
But that expression quickly stiffened.

“There is a condition, though.”
“……A condition?”
“Ja-heung. Think about it carefully. How difficult do you think it was to uncover that administrator’s identity and bring him over? Do you really think we could hand over information obtained with such difficulty without asking for anything in return?”

His tone was leisurely, as though he were dealing with a child.
Yuk Ja-heung hesitated for a moment.
The word condition gave him an instinctive sense of foreboding.
But with only one day left before entering the cave,
this was no time to be picky.

“……What do I have to do?”

Jin Si-myeong’s lips stretched into a broad grin.

“It’s nothing much.”

Jin Si-myeong suddenly pointed at Yuk Ja-heung’s waist.
At the flask hanging there.

“I heard you received that from the Cult Leader?”
“Huh? Y-yeah.”
“The rumors are everywhere. They say Fifth Young Lord has earned the Cult Leader’s favor. After all, why else would he bestow upon you a wine flask he personally used?”

Yuk Ja-heung awkwardly scratched the bridge of his nose.
It was a story he himself constantly told people.
But the truth was that he hadn’t received it from their master. He had bought it from Baek Su-gyeong.

“Impressive. How many Little Demons have received that much recognition from the Cult Leader?”
“Ah, well…….”
“So why should someone of your standing let himself be dragged around by some rootless wanderer?”

He was talking about Baek Su-gyeong.
Jin Si-myeong leaned across the table.

“Do you know how few direct descendants of the Seven Demonic Houses there are among all demonic martial artists? A single drop in the vast ocean. Ja-heung, you are one of the chosen. You are the eldest son of the Violet Lightning Yuk Family, and you even have the Cult Leader’s favor. Yet look at you these days.”
“…….”
“Birth, bloodline, background. He has none of them, yet he keeps walking all over you. Doesn’t that wound your pride?”

Yuk Ja-heung’s eyes wavered.
He wanted to deny it, but Jin wasn’t wrong.
He was the senior brother, yet far from being treated like one, he was constantly being spoken down to.

“We’re on the same side. The Seven Demonic Houses understand one another. If that bastard prospers, we’re the ones who ultimately lose.”
“…….”
“Before he appeared, you were a proper Fifth Young Lord.”

Yuk Ja-heung pressed his lips tightly together.
Jin Si-myeong whispered in a secretive voice.

“So here’s what I’m thinking. We’re going to teach that bastard a lesson inside the No-Return Cave.”
“……How?”
“Now that the routes have been consolidated, there is only one path. We just take up position first, wait for him, and strike.”
“Y-you want me to attack my junior brother?”

Yuk Ja-heung’s face stiffened.

“No. You only need to be there. When he appears, show yourself. Pretend you’re injured and ask him for help.”
“Why?”
“To lower his guard. No matter what, you’re still fellow disciples. Why would he suspect you?”

More precisely, he meant, ‘Why would he ever bother guarding against someone like you?’ But Jin Si-myeong skillfully kept that thought to himself.

“That is all you have to do. We’ll handle the rest.”
“……What are you planning to do to him? Y-you’re not going to kill him, are you?”
“Of course not. We’re just going to knock him down a peg.”

Jin Si-myeong’s eyes turned cold.

“I can’t stand watching an unqualified bastard strut around just because he’s a Little Demon. I’ll make sure he can never hold his head high again.”

Yuk Ja-heung instinctively understood what that really meant.
Someone who merely wanted to knock another person down a peg wouldn’t have eyes that cold.
They were clearly planning to do something they shouldn’t.

“Brother Jin, I’m not really comfortable with this.”
“Have you ever thought about why the Violet Lightning Yuk Family Patriarch is forcing you into the No-Return Cave?”

Yuk Ja-heung’s pupils trembled.

“It’s all because of Baek Su-gyeong. Whenever that bastard is beside you, your light fades. The contrast makes you stand out in all the wrong ways and makes you look even worse. You know that.”
“But…….”
“Ja-heung, don’t overthink it. You just need to show your face once, then step aside. After that, you can live out the rest of your life in comfort.”

Yuk Ja-heung nodded rapidly.
It was an attempt to convince himself.
Jin Si-myeong surely wouldn’t really kill a Little Demon. And even if he tried, Baek Su-gyeong was strong enough to hold his own.

‘I’m just going to stand there.’

“Looks like you’ve made up your mind.”

Jin Si-myeong smiled in satisfaction.
Yuk Ja-heung couldn’t meet that smile directly.

“From now on, you and I, along with the Violet Lightning Yuk Family and Radiant Moon Jin Family, are bound by a blood alliance. I wrote the details in this document. Read it all, then burn it.”
“Y-yeah.”
“One thing before you go. It would be troublesome if what we just discussed leaked outside. If that happens…”

Jin Si-myeong let out a faint killing intent.

“You’ll make enemies of both the Demon Bell Geuk Family and the Radiant Moon Jin Family. Understand?”

Yuk Ja-heung swallowed hard.

“We’re done talking. You can go now.”
“Yeah…….”

Yuk Ja-heung rose from his seat with a dazed expression, as though bewitched.
He left the room while thumping his chest like someone suffering from indigestion.

“Didn’t I tell you? It would be easy.”
“As expected of you, Hyung-nim.”
“I knew you would pull it off.”

As Jin Si-myeong listened to the flattering praise of the collateral-branch members, he thought to himself.

‘If this goes well, I can kill two birds with one stone. Baek Su-gyeong aside, I may even be able to stir up trouble within the Violet Lightning Yuk Family.’

The corners of Jin Si-myeong’s mouth curled ominously upward.

“Whoo. I think that’s about everything I need.”

Tomorrow was the day the No-Return Cave opened, as well as the day we entered.
I was making my final checks in preparation for that moment.

“Three packets of Hemostatic Powder, two containers of Golden Wound Medicine, three Healing Pills, and-”

I checked the medicines I’d wrung(?) out of Ju Ok-hwa.

“Can’t forget the Poison-Warding Pearl.”

I carefully packed the Poison-Warding Pearl into my small travel pouch as well.
It was a precious treasure that could neutralize most poisons as long as I kept it in my mouth.
I had borrowed this from Ju Ok-hwa too.
Ju Ok-hwa might grumble, but she usually cooperated with me on one thing or another. This one, however, she had genuinely been reluctant to part with.
It had taken quite a bit of effort to persuade her.

-Thank you, Hall Master.
-Enough. If you’re grateful, make sure you come back alive.
-Wow, I’m touched. You’re really that worried about me?
-What are you talking about? If Seventh Young Lord dies, how am I supposed to get my Poison-Warding Pearl back? If anything happens to you, I’ll smash the entire No-Return Cave apart if that’s what it takes to find it.
-……Yes, ma’am.

“And I’ll wear the Protective Armor.”

After Ink-Needle Hall, the next place to fall victim to my greedy hands was none other than the Guardian Court.
I had asked to borrow the Protective Armor that had been passed down through generations of Guardian Court Masters.
I thought it would be as difficult as borrowing the Poison-Warding Pearl, but surprisingly, Du Jung-baek readily agreed.
As if that weren’t enough, I even received words of encouragement.

-Seventh Young Lord will undoubtedly succeed.

Lastly, I revisited the Illusory Hwang Family.
Inside the No-Return Cave, the greatest danger I had to watch out for wasn’t the traps or the attackers.
It was my True Blood Severed Meridians and my internal energy.
I couldn’t fight at full strength for even an hour.
Outside, I could simply circulate my qi whenever I found an opening, but that wouldn’t be possible inside the No-Return Cave.
Even the slightest disturbance could send me into qi deviation.

That meant I needed a way to secure enough time to circulate my qi.
Something like a Concealment Talisman that could hide both my body and my presence.

-I expected Seventh Young Lord would return. I prepared what you would need, so I hope you put them to good use.

Hwang Si-mong certainly had remarkable foresight.
The moment I arrived, he held out a pouch of talismans.
Inside were three Concealment Talismans and several others meant for emergencies.

-I feel bad always receiving so much from you. At least let me cover the cost of the materials.
-The thought is enough.
-Come on, don’t be like that. How much is it?
-If Seventh Young Lord insists, seven hundred taels.
-……How much?
-Excluding labor, the materials for a single Concealment Talisman cost around one hundred and fifty taels. The remaining talismans together would be around two hundred and fifty.
-……And this talisman pouch?

Shamelessly, I took the talismans for a measly five taels.
Only after packing several other items as well did I finally feel at ease.

‘My progress is still lacking, though.’

Both Death-Line Step and Lightning Step had broken through to the third stage.
It was the result of that hellish training. No, that training was even harsher than hell.
It was still disappointing that even after all that, I had failed to reach the fourth stage.
If I hadn’t asked the Heavenly Demon to work me even harder, I probably wouldn’t have reached the third stage either.
Feeling a little uneasy, I had asked the Heavenly Demon whether I would be all right entering with both at the third stage.
His answer had been simple.

-I do not know.

What had I been expecting?

As time passed, I heard something new almost every day.
So-and-so was entering. Someone else had given up.
Some were baseless rumors, but quite a few turned out to be true.
In the end, twenty people, including me, were confirmed to have applied for entry.
That was more than the total number of entrants over nearly the past decade.
People who normally wouldn’t have gone anywhere near the No-Return Cave had flocked to it in droves.

‘Most of them were collateral-branch members of the Demon Bell Geuk Family and Radiant Moon Jin Family.’

What that meant was obvious.
There would be an ambush inside the No-Return Cave.

‘Where the hell are they planning to wait?’

According to Hwang Si-mong, one couldn’t remain in a single place for long inside the No-Return Cave.
That was because the positions of the traps changed at short intervals, affecting every zone.
Unless they knew where the safe zone was, they would be constantly exposed to danger. Did they know its location?
And if they did, how were they planning to reach it?
They might all be at least Peak Realm despite being collateral members of the Seven Demonic Houses, but they should still be weaker than Yuk Ja-heung.

‘And what is Yuk Ja-heung planning to do?’

That bastard hadn’t shown his face once since registering.
Whenever I happened to spot him from a distance, he disappeared as if fleeing from me.

‘Just what did Jin Si-myeong tell him?’

I could make a rough guess.
Probably something along the lines of, ‘Join the ambush and I’ll tell you a way to survive for certain.’
I didn’t know whether he had accepted, but it was clear he felt awkward facing me.

There was nothing I could do about it.
Expecting anything from him in the first place had been my mistake.
He had simply been offered a surer chance of survival and taken it.
Everyone valued their own life most.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

I had the means to break through the No-Return Cave.
The two footwork arts hadn’t reached the stage I wanted, but this would be enough.
The No-Return Cave was filled with traps. If I used those to my advantage, it wouldn’t matter how many opponents there were.

I shook my head and finished my final checks.
Just as I was about to lie down on the bed, a guard’s voice came from outside.

“Young Lord, Young Lord Yuk has come to see you.”

‘At this hour?’

What had gotten into him?
He hadn’t shown his face in ages, and now he suddenly came to see me.

I opened the door and went outside.
Yuk Ja-heung was standing there.
Unlike usual, he wasn’t making a noisy fuss. Instead, his eyes trembled with unease.

“What brings you here? You’ve been avoiding me like you saw a ghost.”
“……Um.”

Yuk Ja-heung’s lips moved.
Several times, he tried to speak, only to swallow the words.
At last, he opened his mouth.

“Hey.”
“What?”
“……Don’t go in.”

I frowned.

“What?”
“The No-Return Cave. Don’t go in.”

Yuk Ja-heung’s voice trembled.

“I warned you. Don’t go in.”

Leaving only those words behind, he turned away.
I stood there for a moment.

‘What the hell was that?’