Chapter 328 : Shadow (3)
Chapter 328: Shadow (3)
Blurring the fragile boundaries between dreams and reality, Seo Wan-pyeong chased his long-awaited hope for what felt like an eternity.
Seo Wan-pyeong's prey passed through Guangzhou's pleasure district, circled around the inner city of Guangzhou, and left Guangzhou before long and headed toward a forest path.
'Hehehehe.'
Feeling grateful for the prey's decision to move on its own to a secluded place, Seo Wan-pyeong suddenly increased his speed.
Whoosh!
"!?"
Only then did the person in black robes register Seo Wan-pyeong's presence and hastily twist their body.
"Since when!?"
Only then did their eyes meet Seo Wan-pyeong's. The stranger's eyes, the only visible part of his body not completely covered in black cloth, were swirling with absolute bewilderment.
Seo Wan-pyeong met those eyes and instantly drew his sword and swung it.
Seo Wan-pyeong's sharp and fast Shadowless Fourteen Moves displayed even greater power on this late night with almost no moonlight.
Having lost the initiative from the very first second, the figure in black was instantly pushed onto the defensive.
"Kehehehe. It's because of you!!"
Clang!
"Do you know what humiliation I've suffered because of you!"
Clang!
The only reason they hadn't died yet was simply because Seo Wan-pyeong was deliberately trying to subdue him instead of aiming for his vitals.
Faced with the continuous, unhinged rambling of a madman whose eyes were bulging and bloodshot bright red, the figure in black stuttered in sheer terror.
"Y-you know who I am, yet you still dare to r-raise your sword against me!?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know who you are!?"
"!?"
While the person in black was flustered by the madman's nonsensical rambling,
Thwack!
Seo Wan-pyeong brutally slammed the scabbard held in his left hand straight into the man's paralysis acupoint.
"Kuk..."
After purposely drawing the man's full attention by unleashing a fierce barrage of strikes with his sword hand, Seo Wan-pyeong had wielded the scabbard using the principles of Shadowless Fourteen Moves to achieve a surprise attack.
After subduing his target, Seo Wan-pyeong moved his fingers in succession to prepare for any contingency.
He quickly pressed their pressure points and removed the mask covering their face.
The person in black was a middle-aged man with a beard that made him look as sneaky as a rat.
Since he had no interest in the man's face, Seo Wan-pyeong pried open his mouth with his hand and stuck his finger inside.
As expected, a poison pill was fitted between the man's teeth.
After removing that poison pill, Seo Wan-pyeong rummaged through various parts of his body to check if he had hidden any poison or hidden weapons in his clothes.
Soon after, he realized a very important fact.
"You piece of trash. You're a dog of the Eastern Depot."
(TL Note: Simply put, a spy agency/secret police that was run by the Eunuch Faction back in the Ming Dynasty. It was founded by the Yongle Emperor after he usurped the throne from his nephew. Historically, it later became so powerful that it dwarfed the Embroidered Uniform Guards/Jinyiwei (the actual imperial secret police), and the successive Emperors later had to create a third faction to balance the influence of Eastern Depot, and later reformed it completely.)
The man was missing something that any man should naturally have.
***
After bringing that Eastern Depot eunuch back to the building that the Dark Shadow Pavilion was using as a sort of branch, Seo Wan-pyeong continued the interrogation.
Though he wanted to collapse immediately from the sleep deprivation and fatigue accumulated over more than a month, Seo Wan-pyeong gritted his teeth and endured.
Was it because of the remaining fatigue? His anxiety wouldn't subside.
The anxiety of something might go wrong after entrusting it to the other martial artists of the Dark Shadow Pavilion while he fell asleep prevented him from sleeping.
Moreso now that the identity of the mysterious figure was revealed.
Eastern Depot.
They were the dirty hunting dogs raised by the Han Dynasty’s Emperors.
Eunuchs who had cut off what men should naturally have.
Of course, merely missing 'that' specific appendage didn't automatically guarantee he was an agent of the Eastern Depot. After all, regular court eunuchs were missing the exact same thing.
However, a standard palace eunuch had absolutely no reason to master martial arts to such a terrifying degree.
And to completely solidify the theory,
"You bastard! Do you know who I am to oppress me like this! Are you not afraid of His Majesty the Emperor's wrath!"
Just looking at those words shouted made no room for doubt.
Crunch!
Of course, Seo Wan-pyeong wasn't one to tremble in fear just because his opponent was the Emperor's dog.
The only thing he feared was disappointing his Master and brothers. Even death wasn't an object of fear for him.
He carefully flayed off thin strips of skin before rubbing coarse salt into the wounds. Hammering iron chisels deep beneath his fingernails and toenails. And even went as far as viciously striking specific acupoints to trigger the Tendon Severing, Bone Dislocating technique.
Thanks to repeating harsh torture, the Eastern Depot eunuch finally became docile. However, just because he became docile didn't mean all problems were solved.
"I-I swear it's the truth! I-I was merely following the direct orders of the Grand Eunuch!"
The captured eunuch claimed he was merely a courier carrying letters.
When they unfolded the letter he had brought, it was full of trivial personal matters.
It was undoubtedly a coded secret letter.
"How do you decode it?"
"I d-don't know."
Seo Wan-pyeong tried additional torture on the bastard who answered that he knew nothing, but nothing came out.
"Haa..."
Looking down at the eunuch with completely unfocused eyes and foaming at the mouth for a moment, the Dark Shadow Pavilion Lord, who had arrived without anyone noticing, said while placing his hand on Seo Wan-pyeong's blood-covered shoulder.
"That's enough."
Swish.
When Seo Wan-pyeong finally sensed the Pavilion Lord's presence and turned his head sharply, the Pavilion Lord almost flinched without realizing it.
'G-good lord, look at those eyes.'
Those bloodshot eyes were gleaming with madness.
The stark contrast between his crazed eyes, the pitch-black shadows under his eyes, and his deathly pale skin practically screamed, 'I am a lunatic,' to anyone who looked at him.
"Ahem. No matter how I look at it, that fellow doesn't seem to know anything more, so this is enough."
"It's not over yet, Pavilion Lord. Even if he doesn't know the cipher, didn't he clearly confess the next drop-off location?"
Since that eunuch was a courier, he at least knew the next place where he had to deliver this letter.
"That's why it's enough. My subordinates and I will go to that place. You should go back to headquarters."
"Headquarters, you say?"
"That's right. We haven't obtained core information yet, but at least we've gathered that the 'Imperial Palace' is involved in this matter, haven't we? Therefore, it is imperative that we report this development to our Supreme One immediately."
While it was a completely logical move, it was actually nothing more than a convenient excuse.
'If it's the Supreme One, he'll immediately recognize Third Young Master's condition.'
It was a ploy to send Seo Wan-pyeong directly back to the Heavenly Demon so that he could be forced into taking a desperately needed rest.
"Oh no!"
The Pavilion Lord suddenly looked at the eunuch being interrogated with a shocked expression and shouted.
Flustered by this, Seo Wan-pyeong quickly turned his head, but that eunuch was still just foaming at the mouth with unfocused eyes.
"???"
For a fleeting second, Seo Wan-pyeong's face contorted in total bewilderment.
Tap.
With a gentle tap, Seo Wan-pyeong collapsed as if crumbling.
The Pavilion Lord had intentionally created a distraction solely to ambush Seo Wan-pyeong and precisely strike his sleeping acupoint.
***
When Seo Wan-pyeong woke from sleep, a full three days had passed.
His body was loaded in a carriage.
Perhaps as consideration for him, several layers of blankets were laid inside the fairly large carriage, and Seo Wan-pyeong had been sleeping soundly on those blankets.
Realizing he had long since left Guangzhou, Seo Wan-pyeong accepted reality and headed to headquarters together with the Dark Shadow Pavilion martial artist.
Because the sheer geographical distance between Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and the main headquarters in Xinjiang was so immense, it took nearly an entire month of travel before Seo Wan-pyeong finally arrived.
"Did you just say the Eastern Depot?"
Listening to Seo Wan-pyeong's report, the Heavenly Demon furrowed his brow in a rare display of open displeasure and asked for confirmation.
"That's correct, Master."
"Haa..."
As if lost in deep thought, the Heavenly Demon closed his mouth and slowly stroked his beard for a long moment.
The fact that the Eastern Depot had moved meant this matter was ultimately connected to the Imperial Palace.
'Deng Bi. To think that bastard was a spy sent from the Imperial Palace...'
Since he had been loyal to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult for well over fifty years, the Heavenly Demon had never even entertained the possibility of him being a spy.
'Was this the true reason the Imperial Family remained so quiet all these years?'
From the time Hyeokryeon Il-hwi mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts and was recognized as the Heavenly Demon rather than just the Cult Leader, the Imperial Army had completely stopped showing interest in conquering Xinjiang.
Obviously, the Heavenly Demon had simply assumed the Imperial Family had backed off to avoid a pointless loss of military troops.
Xinjiang was mostly wasteland anyway, so it wasn't worth targeting while having to overcome the massive mountain called the Heavenly Demon.
However, looking at the situation now, it was clear they hadn't given up; they had merely chosen to slowly rot the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult from the inside out instead of launching a direct invasion.
'Because of those bastards' schemes, my disciples lost their lives. I've been living all these years completely blind to the truth. If so... what does it even mean to be called the Heavenly Demon, and what does it mean to be a god…'
In the eyes of the Heavenly Demon who had been submerged in deep regret, the figure of a disciple who was still perfectly alive was seen.
His Third Disciple looked at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Wan-pyeong."
"Yes, Master."
"It is truly a blessing that you have returned safely. You have suffered greatly to carry out such a difficult mission."
Hearing his Master's deeply sincere praise—something he had almost never experienced in his entire life—Seo Wan-pyeong's eyes shot wide open as a faint layer of tears gathered in them.
"I'm still far from being worthy of being called Master's disciple."
With just that one word of praise, Seo Wan-pyeong felt his fatigue completely disappear.
After being forced to sleep soundly by the Pavilion Lord, Seo Wan-pyeong had literally sprinted back to the main headquarters as if his feet were on fire.
It was thanks to that he was able to reach headquarters in just a little under a month.
Considering the sheer geographical distance between Guangzhou and the Tianshan Mountain Range, crossing that expanse in a single month was an insane feat.
Knowing Seo Wan-pyeong would act this way, the Pavilion Lord had forcibly put him to sleep so he would rest for even just a few days.
And as the Pavilion Lord hoped, the Heavenly Demon could recognize Seo Wan-pyeong's condition at a glance.
"Your mind and body must be greatly exhausted from this mission, so stay at headquarters for a few days and visit the Demonic Physician daily for mandatory treatment."
"Master, this disciple has no injuries. I can still work for Master and the Cult."
"Now, now. Causing worry to one's parents is the very unfilial. Do you truly intend to be unfilial to this Master?"
"I would never dare, Master!"
Startled by the heavy accusation, Seo Wan-pyeong hurriedly bowed deeply to the Heavenly Demon before rushing out of the Heavenly Demon Palace to find the Demonic Physician.
Right after Seo Wan-pyeong left, the Heavenly Demon told the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord.
"Tell the Demonic Physician to care for Wan-pyeong in his capacity as the Hall Master of the Pure Mind Hall. The boy's Heart Demons are already overflowing right up to his chin."
"By your command!"
After the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord left the Heavenly Demon Palace following Seo Wan-pyeong, the Heavenly Demon stroked his beard again in deep thought.
Why was it?
Now that he had encountered an urgent matter, the first thing that came to mind was his youngest disciple.
He thought of the letter that had arrived about a month ago from the youngest, who had traveled to Tibet on his direct orders.
Even more amusingly, the boy had casually used a man as a mere delivery boy, an old man whom normally only the Heavenly Demon himself would ever dare to command.
A faint smile appeared on the Heavenly Demon's lips as he recalled the things his youngest was doing.
"Hehehe."
It was a moment when the shadow briefly disappeared from his face, which had been full of regret.
***
About two months ago, the morning after settling matters at Potala Palace.
After finishing greetings with his maids who seemed to have eaten something wrong, Il-mok was having a conversation with Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang.
"Now that Potala Palace is gone, wouldn't it be good for the Family Head to return to headquarters?"
It was a blatant order to leave, but Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang didn't seem particularly bothered.
"And what are your plans? Do you intend to stay here?"
"Master's order was to spread the Maitreya Luminous Cult in Tibet, so I plan to stay a bit longer. Besides, shouldn't there still be some remnants of the Potala Palace roaming around?"
There were undoubtedly going to be surviving monks who had been away from the palace solely to abduct more women.
When Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang nodded in understanding at Il-mok's words, Il-mok pulled out a letter from his chest and held it out to him.
"In that case, once you depart for the main headquarters, I kindly request that you personally deliver this letter to my Master."
"I'll entrust it to the Family's martial artists."
Hearing Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang's answer, Il-mok shook his head.
"I'd like only the Family Head to return to headquarters."
"…What are you saying right now?"
"There are well over a hundred rescued women remaining here. We are already severely understaffed as it is; if the elite martial artists of the Hyeokryeon Family leave too, how are we supposed to protect those women and establish control over Tibet?"
"Ha… So you're telling this old man to go back alone carrying that letter?"
"That's correct."
Hearing the Eighth Young Master trying to use him, the patriarch of one of the Divine Cult’s Five Great Demonic Families, as a glorified delivery boy, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang could only let out a laugh of defeat.