“Lee Sungmin has taken the Minor Heavenly Demon into custody.”
The man who came back to the room sat on the bed and grabbed the crystal ball. The crystal reacted immediately to his action. The silver-colored crystal ball hummed with a bit of static.
[Lee Sungmin, you say? Is that the one who killed the Bloody Heavenly Demon who turned into a vampire?]
“Yeah, that’s him.”
[I left without preparing much but, that’s just how our relationship is. Should I say we have a good relationship then?]
“I’m afraid you’d be wrong to say that you’ve matured.”
The man said, while taking off his vest. A dry smile appeared on his face as he swiftly patted down his back and swept his long bangs to the side.
“Lee Sungmin overpowered Ironclad. It’s an amazing feat considering his age, although Ironclad didn’t fight with the intent to kill.”
[He still can’t compare to Minor Heavenly Demon.]
The voice beyond the crystal ball answered curtly. The man replied while tying his hair into a bun using a hair tie.
“I’m sure the old Spear King, Chang An would be really interested in this one.”
[That old man who still enjoys swinging his own spear the most even when he’s this old already?]
The person behind the crystal ball laughed. The man with the tied up hair said, shrugging his shoulders.
“The kid’s good enough to be noticed, but it still isn’t comparable to the Minor Heavenly Demon.”
[If he’s protecting the Minor Heavenly Demon, He might get involved with him. More importantly… Where are those two now anyway?]
“At the branch of the Samaryunju.”
[Hmmm… I expected them to leave town straight away.]
Listening to the words of the voice behind the crystal ball, the man clicked his tongue and then took off his coat. His body clothed in tight black clothing was visible when he took off his coat, it had numerous artifacts attached. The man then said, setting aside his artifacts one by one.
“I don’t know why I have to clean up the mess of the higher-ups.”
[It can’t be helped. You’re the stealthiest out of us Amzone.]
Amzone then had a dry smile again at the thought of having to work the difficult missions again. Qian Zun had left triumphantly, saying he would bring Minor Heavenly Demon back, but returned with wounds all over his body. The fight that had lasted for three days and nights with Wijihoyeon had left Qian Zun in a bad shape, but it was due to the curse that had left them both half dead.
As an elf, Qian Zun had a lifespan far beyond that of mere mortals, giving him the leeway to learn different martial arts for centuries on end. At the same time, it gave him a level of proficiency in sorcery and curses that made others laugh at him due to his mismatched power levels between martial arts and magic. The time he spent on sorcery made others reluctant to engage with him because of his proficiency in the deadly professions.
But sorcery, and especially curses, afflict the caster as much as the person they cursed. As a result, Qian Zun was currently going through the same state as Wijihoyeon. He had hidden himself deep in the woods with the elves because he was not capable of properly moving and or circulating his internal energy proficiently.
“When would be a good time to bring him back?”
[I was going to wait for the Minor Heavenly Demon and cripple her but it’s hard to tell what will happen from here on out. I was going to let you go because I thought it would break my heart if I was threatened by a weak man who I don’t even care about. I didn’t know that a little kid named Lee Sungmin would go to the extent of protecting the Minor Heavenly Demon though.”
The man beyond the crystal ball then voiced his annoyance.
[If they’re hiding in the Samaryunju branch, then it would be really difficult to touch them. Even if the Samaryunju aren’t interested in affairs that don’t involve them, they will not tolerate trouble in their territory.]
Ma Huang-tian Yang Il Cheon, the Lord of the Samaryunju, was a silent dragon. Stirring him up for no reason would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. (T/N yeah, that’s one hell of a long ass name)
[There is no way for the Minor Heavenly Demon to break the curse on her unless the caster dies. Well… There’s no need to hurry. It’ll happen sooner or later.]
She lost her strength overnight and became weak. He didn’t think that the Minor Heavenly Demon, for whom the pride of being among the strongest in Eria, could endure the shame and humiliation.
[Kill Lee Sungmin right before the Minor Heavenly Demon’s eyes if they leave the city.]
“That’d be such a waste of talent. Ah, by the way, he’s currently with the Crazy one.”
[There’s nothing more to see from the Crazy Heavenly Demon. If you haven’t reached the pinnacle of Transcendence after being stuck for ten years, it’s hopeless for you. Anyway, you were spoken of quite highly by Lee Sungmin. Didn’t you enjoy that?]
“I’ve always been fond of outstanding young men. The way I see it, that kid is only second to the Minor Heavenly Demon. The Shaolin, The Open Drunkard, and the Prodigy of the Wudang are the only other contenders. The drunkard is just a nobody. Ji-hak still needs to be kept under surveillance, and information about Heavenly Demon Sect is still under such tight wraps by the Taeguk Sword that no one dares touch him.”
The three mentioned by Amzone were the young masters called the Future of Shaolin, the Open Drunkard, and the Prodigy of Wudang. Among them, the one that Amzone and Cheon Ucheon rated the most highly was Prodigy of the Wudang Sect. He was the only disciple of the Taeguk Sword, who was an old veteran of the Wudang Sect’s war, and nothing was known about his ability at all.
“In the fourth generation, Geom-ryeong is pretty good… There are quite a few skilled guys in Samayukmun and in Madosamga.” (T/N most likely other sects/ factions of Murim)
[What if we compare them to Lee Sungmin?]
“Honestly, I’m tempted.”
The corners of Amzone’s lips rose into a grin. It was full of greed. If Lee Sungmin was an expert likely to be on the verge of transcendence, he should meet him and test him out. The person from the crystal ball laughed darkly at his answer.
[If that’s the case, then do what you wish. You may kill… You may also try him out.]
Amzone nodded and put down the crystal ball. The crystal ball lost its light as it left his hand. Amzone then savored the silence as he committed the information obtained to memory, piece by piece. It had been a long time since he had to memorize information about someone, but he always remained vigilant – just in case.
He felt at ease. The coldness and feeling that certain colors of spring always made him feel comfortable.
‘When will they come out?’
Amzone thought to himself as he glanced out the window.
—-
Soon after, someone standing at the branch building of the Samaryunju became visible.
There was no way to find Qian Zun here. Even with all the information from Erebrisa, his location could not be confirmed. It was evident that information concerning Beyond the Heavens was appeared to be hidden beyond the reach of all information guilds. He tried the Murim Information Service, but any information was either fragmented or minimal.
[Erebrisa is an intermediary guild.]
Neville’s voice rang in Lee Sungmin’s head.
[Our only role is to broker deals between two parties, and to deliver the goods or services agreed on in the deal. If the other party doesn’t have information, I can’t tell you about it. The same goes when they don’t want to disclose the information to you, I can’t tell you anything about it either. I’ve done you several favours in the past, but in this case, it’s a different story.]
Neville’s direct delivery of a letter to those who weren’t also part of Erebrisa was an act that technically should not be allowed. Lee Sungmin bowed his head with a sigh. It was strange. There were Six Transcendent Masters, and there was almost no information available about them. Lee Sungmin could only chew his lips.
[Maybe going South is the only solution.]
Heoju then spoke.
[The Southern Region is a commonplace for Sorcerers. You may not have the curse dispelled, but we can find a way to do it there, rather than keep ourselves idle here and groan.]
There were quite a few sorcerers who they met through Erebrisa, but none of them could break the curse on Wijihoyeon. Unlike the wizards, which always grouped up in one guild, sorcerers didn’t like to stay out in public and hid themselves because of the public opinions of them. That was why the number of sorcerers available was limited.
“The Othodox’s hounds are heading to Rubes.”
“The guards gave the carriage away.“
Use of the bloodhounds resulted in exceptional results, even when compared to the many forest hounds. They may be weaker than one in terms of force, but they were great at chasing and harassing stealthily.
Lee Sungmin did not answer. Words spoken behind the scenes were forcing him to choose. If he joined the Samaryunju, he would be protected and would turn completely hostile towards the Orthodox factions of Murim.
Lee Sungmin closed his eyes. He didn’t need to care or put his attention towards things like political and religious factions in his previous life. He didn’t have the choice either. Lee Sungmin was a mercenary, with no class.
Lee Sungmin in his previous life, was not important enough to be forced to a crossroad between political and religious factions. But, what about now?
“What kind of place is Safa?” (T/N actual location of the Samaryunju)
“It’s a place full of mines.”, Guan Hu said with a serene smile.
“The distinction between the Political and the Religious Sects are meaningless in this world, but… mines are mostly in Safa. The techniques they learn are more violent than the ones from the political factions, and change the temperament of the practitioners as well. Saekmas and Killer Ears are quite common in Samaryeon.” (T/N beasts he’s referring to)
“Don’t you control them?”
“I’m controlling some but, their desire is like an awl in your pocket. If you push it deeper, it comes out through your clothes.”
Guan Hu snorted and laughed while saying so.
“But that’s how it works, though. Release your grip on your pent up desires and just go crazy. In that case, Samaryunju will no longer protect them. It’s done by the righteous councilors and the forest allies.”
Guan Hu’s laugh then came to a stop.
“Let’s leave.”
Lee Sungmin called out to Wijihoyeon. She looked up at Lee Sungmin with weakness apparent in her eyes.
“Where?”
“Let’s go South first. There are excellent Sorcerers down there, so we could consult them.”
“South… That’s quite far from here. What about here?”
“Just because we’re in a desperate situation, there’s no guarantee that they’ll protect us here unconditionally. In fact I’m sure there will be a follow-up attack from the Orthodox, but I’m going to shake it off as best I can.”
“If you do that, you’ll be a political bandit. I guess that doesn’t matter to you?”
“Nope. Would you rather I just abandon you and leave?”, Lee Sungmin asked back.
Wjihoyeon only gave a deep sigh and didn’t answer back. After a short silence, Wijihoyeon opened her mouth.
“What if one of the Six arrive?”
“I don’t care.”
“They want to take me.”
“But you don’t really want to go with them?”
“Yes.”
“So, that’s it then.”
“What do you mean?”
Wijihoyeon burst into laughter. This whole situation and the emotions that came with it was something that she was experiencing for the first time. She felt a sense of helplessness. She had never imagined that she would be protected by Lee Sungmin, who was weaker than herself.
It wasn’t as bad as she thought, though. She felt a little strange, being protected by someone in such a hopeless situation. Wijihoyeon looked at Lee Sungmin with expressionless eyes.
A time would come where one of the Six Divinities might come at any moment. The hounds had already set out for Rubes. If they left the Samaryunju, they would surely be targeted. However, they couldn’t remain here forever, either. This wasn’t a safe place, after all.
When Wijihoyeon came to her senses, she realized she no longer needed to be in the branch of the Samaryunju. She needed to meet Crazy Heavenly Demon and Rubia.
‘The Golden Tower? No, that’s not necessarily a safe place either.’
He also thought about entrusting Lloyd with the protection of Wijihoyeon, but he decided not to. Not only because he didn’t want Lloyd to get involved, but also because there was no guarantee that the place was safe. Then would it be safer to travel with him? Lee Sungmin could answer that question. Crazy Heavenly Demon and Lee Sungmin were among the cream of the crop. The problem was that he didn’t know when danger would strike, aside from the pursuit from the Orthodox.
Little did Lee Sungmin know that Amzone, one of the Six Divinities, was just around the corner. If he knew, he might have made a different choice. Being oblivious, Lee Sungmin informed Guan Hu that he was leaving.
“Is that so?”
Guan Hu was not surprised. As if he knew in advance that Lee Sungmin would act like that, he nodded his head with a calm face.
“Do you have no regrets about your choice?”, Guan Hu asked.
Lee Sungmin hesitated and looked into the eyes of the latter. Guan Hu’s eyes were twirling with a tinge of curiosity.
“I won’t say this place is absolutely safe, even I can’t predict what’s going to happen. But this branch is pretty safe under the circumstances. I thought that if you leave this place, the hounds drunk on the absurdity of justice would try to bite you, and the old monsters who had made Wijihoyeon look like that will be after you.”
“…You… Who are you?”
“Lord of the Samaryunju.”
A different voice replied, but it had the face of Guan Hu.
“Don’t be too nervous. I’m just talking through a terminal engraved in the soul of the branch manager. ”
“Just telling me not to be nervous isn’t going to make me any less nervous.”
“Haha. Well, just don’t then. So, what’s your answer? Don’t you regret your choice?”
“You said it yourself. This isn’t exactly a safe place.”
“Right. I’m talking through this terminal, but you know that place is quite far from here. If the hounds of the Orthodox use brute force, the Samaryunju forces in Rubes can’t stop them. Especially if it’s over a thousand, that is.”
“Do you know anything about Beyond the Heavens?”
“Of course, I know of them.”
“Nothing changes, even if you drag your feet here.”
“You don’t seem to have any regrets. I don’t intend to stop you. If you want to leave, then do so.”, Lord Samaryunju answered in a cool voice.
“I’m not talking to you because I wanted to stop you.”, he continued.
“Then for what reason?”
“No matter the outcome of your choice, the consequences are still something you have to bear. Whether you want to be gray or not, simply choosing is not your main priority. But if you choose to be black, look for the Leggoro forest. There’s an answer there.”
“…What?”
“You don’t have to hurry. Did you say you were going to the South? Come see me when you’re done with your business. Right now, even if you come, I can’t afford to see you.”
“Wait. I didn’t even say I was going…”
“That’s my choice, too.”, Lord Samaryunju said with a smile.
“It’s not compulsory. Whether you come or not, it’s you who decides that.”
The light disappeared from the pupils of Guan Hu before returning to his usual eyes. Guan Hu stood absentmindedly for a moment, then sighed deeply.
“Lord, you’re so… Please let me know in advance when you’re going to do something like this!”
Lee Sungmin, who was flustered by the sudden contact of Lord Samaryunju, quietly agreed. However, if he was asked about his opinion, he wouldn’t be able to answer. Lee Sungmin rose from his seat.
“Are you going?”
“Yes.”
Lee Sungmin replied, turning to leave.