Chapter 71

“Uuugh.”

The training with the Heavenly Demon was over.

I was being carted back to Hidden-Cloud Pavilion in a carriage, groaning nonstop.

‘What a ruthless man…’

I’d only just brushed past death in the Frozen Plain yesterday morning, and he was already working me like this before a full day had even passed?

What was that? Since my achievements had grown, the training intensity had to go up too?

I could only think it was a miracle I hadn’t passed out.

“Hm?”

When I finally arrived at Hidden-Cloud Pavilion, half-dead, Hwang Seung-jong was there along with some people who seemed to be from the Illusory Hwang Clan that he’d brought.

They were pacing around near my bedroom, checking things and talking.

I walked up to him and asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, Seventh Young Lord. You’re back?”

Hwang Seung-jong lifted a hand in greeting.

I asked him again.

“What are you up to?”

“I was in the middle of granting your request.”

My request?

“Oh, the formation?”

“Yeah, that.”

I snorted and said to Hwang Seung-jong.

“I must’ve grown on you a bit, huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said you’d only cooperate until the Frozen Plain. That if I rubbed you the wrong way afterward, it’d be over between us.”

Hwang Seung-jong’s lips curled up too.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not that I particularly like you yet, but I don’t dislike you either.”

“That’s vague.”

“It’s vague, but one thing’s clear. Our lives were on the line together. The taste of that wine we drank in the Ice-Soul Demonic Realm, ah… I’ll never forget it.”

“Guess I’ll have to put your life in danger from time to time. Handing you a flask while I’m at it.”

“I’ll pass. Also, I’ve been thinking, it doesn’t seem like the Seventh Young Lord alone will be enough.”

“For what?”

Hwang Seung-jong raised one finger.

“The First Young Lord. You’re going to ram into him someday. When that time comes, you’ll need someone like me who knows what he really is.”

I gave a small nod.

He wasn’t wrong.

“So on that note, give me a spot.”

“A spot?”

“Yeah. A place to sleep.”

“In Hidden-Cloud Pavilion?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s cramped.”

Hidden-Cloud Pavilion was already all but full.

The maid, servants, guards, Ak Mu-jin and his men, every corner was packed.

‘And that’s more mouths to feed.’

“There’s got to be room for one more person to sleep. It’ll take a few days to finish setting up the formation anyway, so give me a spot.”

“You’re starting today?”

“Yeah. Did you think I brought these warriors for nothing?”

Soon, the construction of the formation began.

Calling it construction was a bit grand.

They were just transplanting ornamental stones, trimming branches, and planting talismans here and there.

But there must have been a lot to calibrate, because it took three full days to complete.

“Now there’s just one last thing left. Go into your bedroom, Seventh Young Lord.”

I followed behind Hwang Seung-jong as he went in first.

Undoing the pack on his back, he spoke.

Inside was the dragon horn we’d picked up in the Frozen Plain.

“The final touch of a formation is the focus item. Its power changes dramatically depending on what you use. And this dragon horn is incredibly high-grade. If I use this, your bedroom will be protected by an absolute formation.”

Hwang Seung-jong set the dragon horn on the rafters and attached a talisman.

He muttered a chant I couldn’t understand.

Pajijijit!

A ripple spread out from the dragon horn and wrapped around the entire bedroom.

“Done. From this moment on, no one can enter this room without your permission.”

Hwang Seung-jong lifted his nose high as he said it.

I was grateful, but somehow I wanted to knock him down a peg.

“Not even my master?”

“…Except for him.”

Hwang Seung-jong cleared his throat and continued.

“Ahem, anyway, you can sleep easy starting tonight. For now it only protects your bedroom, but its range will gradually expand until it covers all of Hidden-Cloud Pavilion.”

“Good work.”

“Good work, my ass. Let’s head back out.”

When we stepped out of the bedroom, Hwang Seung-jong held out some talismans.

“You need to keep one of these on you to enter the bedroom. There are only three besides mine, so give them only to people who absolutely need them.”

“People who absolutely need them, huh.”

Me, Im Yeon, and the maid.

Those three should be enough.

‘We’ve come a long way before I knew it.’

As I looked around Hidden-Cloud Pavilion, a sudden swell of pride rose in me.

Not that long ago, there hadn’t been a single companion here but me.

Now there were Im Yeon and the guards, Ak Mu-jin and his subordinates, and even Hwang Seung-jong.

Many people were with me now.

On top of that, we’d installed an absolute formation no one could breach on my bedroom.

It was cramped, but Hidden-Cloud Pavilion felt like home.

‘It’d be nice if there were just one more person here.’

I thought of the servant girl from my past life, who’d been so chatty.

She was probably doing well.

Since she had never met me.

‘…I wonder if Ju Ok-hwa is doing well?’

Yesterday, before going to see the Heavenly Demon, I’d entrusted the Eternal Snow Blossom to Ak Mu-jin.

I’d told him to give it to Ju Ok-hwa and spread good stories about me wherever he could.

Someday I’d have to visit the fourth forbidden ground as well. There was something to gain there too.

But to do that, I’d have to stir up quite a ruckus, so it was better to manage my reputation in advance.

Even in the Demon Cult, public opinion could show unbelievable power at critical moments.

‘I probably don’t need to worry about Ju Ok-hwa.’

The Eternal Snow Blossom was incredible in itself, but for Ju Ok-hwa it was a particularly special gift.

She would probably be eager to help me for quite some time.

I went back to my bedroom.

Now it was time to circulate my Qi.

Lately, the Divine Cult was abuzz with stories about the Seventh Young Lord, Baek Su-gyeong.

There wasn’t a single place where two or more people gathered that didn’t mention him.

Rumors flew that he’d joined hands with the Illusory Hwang Clan, that he had reformed their third young master, the notorious wastrel, and taken him as a subordinate, and so on.

You’d think things would quiet down after a few days, but interest in Baek Su-gyeong only grew by the day.

Every time the embers seemed about to die, new fuel was thrown on the fire.

“I heard the Seventh Young Lord recently broke through the Ice-Soul Demonic Realm!”

“Heh, is that true? Come to think of it, he received permission to enter the Four Forbidden Grounds at the Sacred Flame Festival. Was it to enter the Ice-Soul Demonic Realm?”

“That’s not all. Know what’s even more amazing? I heard the Seventh Young Lord already comes and goes from Demon Valley like it’s his own house. Including Fire Spirit Grounds, he’s already conquered three of the Four Forbidden Grounds!”

“Oooh!”

Inside a certain tavern, a talkative man was loudly running his mouth.

Exclamations burst out from those around him.

His voice was so loud that every patron in the tavern seemed to be listening in.

One of them asked the talkative man.

“Hey, you seem to know a lot about the Seventh Young Lord. Why is he so obsessed with the Four Forbidden Grounds?”

Everyone must have been curious, because they all shut their mouths and waited for his answer.

The talkative man looked around at the crowd with a smug expression.

“I don’t know for certain, but I imagine it’s something like this.”

“Like what?”

“Challenge.”

“Challenge?”

The sudden word made the tavern patrons tilt their heads.

“Indeed. The strong, by nature, feel ecstasy in testing their limits and surpassing them. The Seventh Young Lord is simply, as a warrior, testing the extent of his capacity.”

When the talkative man finished, a brief silence fell over the tavern.

Everyone seemed to be chewing over his words.

Soon, someone let out an admiring exclamation.

“Challenge, huh? Heh, when you put it that way, it makes sense. Risking everything to challenge the impossible, that really is what a true demonic cultivator should be.”

“Exactly! At some point, everyone started caring only about profit and cautiously guarding themselves. That pure pursuit of strength, isn’t that the romance of demonic cultivators we’ve all forgotten?”

“Right. If not for that, what would the Seventh Young Lord have to gain by visiting the Four Forbidden Grounds? Even his move to absorb the Longevity Cult shows he’s no ordinary man.”

“The strong should have magnanimity like the sea and courage like the waves. The Seventh Young Lord has the romantic spirit of demonic cultivators we’ve lost!”

The talkative man tilted his head slightly. The reaction was far better than he’d intended.

But soon a satisfied smile spread across his lips.

He felt he had carried out the task given to him splendidly.

While admiration spilled from all sides.

There was one man in a corner scoffing.

‘Romance? What bullshit.’

In this man’s world, soft words like “romance” didn’t exist.

There was only the target and death.

Number Nineteen.

An elite assassin of Salmak¹, one of the two great assassin organizations of the Central Plains, and a talent recognized as likely to catch up to the previous greatest assassin, the Assassin King, within ten years.

Though he had already succeeded in over a hundred assassinations at a young age, what made him truly famous was assassinating the Deputy Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance.

It had been a practically impossible mission, but Number Nineteen pulled it off.

Even when an Impenetrable Net was cast immediately afterward, Number Nineteen was not caught.

He broke the unwritten rule that once you were trapped in an Impenetrable Net, you never came out alive.

The reason someone like that had come from the distant Central Plains to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was, naturally, another assassination mission.

The reward for success was enormous, but more than anything, this mission pricked at his sense of challenge.

Assassinating a Little Demon.

If, after the Murim Alliance and the Heretical Alliance, he also succeeded in an assassination within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he would carve his name in history as the first, after the Assassin King, to achieve assassinations in all three great powers of Murim.

‘Baek Su-gyeong, huh.’

Number Nineteen repeated the target’s name inwardly.

He’d thought the Heavenly Demon’s new disciple would be nothing special, but the target’s reputation was far better than expected.

But no matter how lofty one’s reputation, you could not escape the god of death.

Soon, the masses would hear fresh news.

News of the Seventh Young Lord’s death.

That night.

Number Nineteen infiltrated the Main Altar and headed for Hidden-Cloud Pavilion.

He had already visited the site several times under a fake identity, so his steps were unhesitating.

Eventually, Number Nineteen reached a spot where Hidden-Cloud Pavilion was in sight.

‘The defenses aren’t bad. There are a dozen or so warriors inside.’

On top of that, he’d also confirmed that a formation had been set up recently.

Number Nineteen smiled coldly.

Just as one could not avoid the god of death with reputation alone, a formation was no different.

An elite assassin had to be prepared for any situation.

He carried a formation-breaking talisman from the Maoshan Sect, the greatest sect of phantasmal arts in the Central Plains.

It was an exceedingly rare talisman that could nullify a formation’s effects up to ten times.

So far, the talisman had been used four times.

A measly formation set up by a target would pose no problem.

Pat!

Number Nineteen lightly stepped onto the wall with careful, silent movements.

The target’s bedroom window was wide open. He must have trusted his guards.

‘Or maybe he’s welcoming my visit.’

Using his stealth arts, he approached soundlessly to beneath the window.

Before entering the bedroom, Number Nineteen quickly reviewed his assassination plan.

He could use poison, press vital points, or stab the heart with a dagger.

But tonight, he could not leave any evidence behind.

He had to use his special formless lethal poison. Once it flowed into a person’s nostrils, unless they were utterly immune to all poisons, there was no way they could survive it.

‘Good.’

His planning was complete.

Savoring the fullness one could only feel right before an assassination, Number Nineteen confidently climbed onto the windowsill.

Chut!

A faint sound came from his chest, one only he could catch.

It was the sound of the formation-breaking talisman’s remaining uses dropping from six to five, so Number Nineteen calmly infiltrated the bedroom.

No, he tried to.

Chut! Chut! Chut! Chut! Chut!

‘What the—?!’

Number Nineteen’s eyes flew wide.

“Kkuwek!”

That was his last memory of that day.

“An assassin, huh?”

“An assassin all right.”

“He’s an assassin.”

Late at night, Hwang Seung-jong, Im Yeon, and I stood side by side in my bedroom.

We were staring at the windowsill, or more precisely, at the man in black hanging there like laundry.

We had all gathered after hearing the scream he let out.

Im Yeon looked at Hwang Seung-jong and asked.

“Is he dead?”

“Probably not. I think.”

“I will check.”

Im Yeon lowered her stance and carefully approached the man in black.

A meter and a half away, she loosened her sword from its sheath and jabbed his body repeatedly with the tip of the sheath.

“There is no reaction. It appears he has fainted.”

More carefully still, Im Yeon grabbed the man’s clothes and tugged. With a thud, he was pulled down from the windowsill.

In case of any surprises, I borrowed Im Yeon’s sheath to strip off his mask. A very ordinary-looking man’s face was revealed.

Next, I pulled up his sleeve and lifted the hem of his clothes.

Then, on his left ankle, I found a peculiar mark.

It was the edge of a banner, fluttering as if in the wind, pierced by a dagger. And beneath it, the number nineteen.

A certain sobriquet flashed through my mind.

‘The Asura Killing Star!’

In my previous life, wandering the Central Plains, I’d heard stories about him many times.

They said the assassin called the Asura Killing Star, who made all the top masters of Murim tremble, had brazenly tried to assassinate the abbot of Shaolin Temple and gotten caught.

As a result, his dantian had been destroyed and he was being taught Buddhist doctrine.

They’d also said the mark of Salmak and the character for nineteen were engraved on his body.

Even at this point in time, he should already be quite famous, and a big shot like that had come to kill me?

“He’s from Salmak! Judging by the dagger mark being red, he appears to be an elite assassin!”

Im Yeon shouted in a startled voice.

Acting like I knew nothing, I asked her.

“How do you know?”

“I received education about assassin organizations at the Guardian Court.”

Well, that made sense.

She was the captain of the guards, after all.

Hwang Seung-jong came closer and squared his shoulders.

“See that, Seventh Young Lord? My formation captured an elite assassin from Salmak. This is the ability of an Illusory Demon Talent like me. Huhuhu.”

His voice wasn’t just confident; it was downright arrogant.

I handed the sheath back to Im Yeon and replied.

“This is an elite assassin? Didn’t he get taken out a little too pathetically?”

“That just means my skills are that amazing. Huhu.”

“Rather than it being your skills, isn’t it the dragon horn which is amazing?”

Hwang Seung-jong glanced up at the rafters where the dragon horn lay.

“Khmm, let’s just say both are amazing. If I’m a seven, the horn’s maybe a three.”

I couldn’t help a snort of laughter.

Normally, his strutting would have been an eyesore, but today I decided to just let him have it.

We’d dodged a crisis thanks to this guy, after all.

Just then, Im Yeon asked with a grave expression.

“Who on earth could have sent an assassin?”

“Heuk Jin-pung, most likely.”

“Ah, as expected. I will go to the Guardian Court at once, Young Lord, and request that they increase the guards around Hidden-Cloud Pavilion tenfold!”

Tenfold? That’s generous.

“It’s fine. This isn’t something more guards will solve.”

I looked down at the Asura Killing Star and thought.

That the time to settle things with Heuk Jin-pung was slowly drawing near.