Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 248: Jaseung, Becomes a Newcomer

An urgent report flew into the safe house of the Asura Demon Sect.

“The infiltration of the Jiangxi branch has failed.”

Yao Hong, who had been closing his eyes firmly, snapped them open.

The Demonic Humans standing in attendance to his left and right hardened their expressions.

The Demonic Human who brought the news continued the report.

“The Rapid Unit has been completely annihilated. According to spies, Lee Jaseung appeared at the scene.”

Craaaack.

The armrest of the chair Yao Hong was gripping turned to powder and poured down.

“That bastard again!”

He emitted a foul Demonic Qi.

Sa Nogun stepped forward and asked.

“How did those bastards find out about our operation?”

“That has not been revealed.”

It was then.

A voice was heard from the air. It was none other than the one who served as Yao Hong's hands and feet.

“In the Black Way Alliance, there is a very young and capable strategist named Dan Woobin. If someone saw through this operation, it would be him.”

Yao Hong leaned back in his chair and said lowly.

“I should see his face and find out just how young and capable he is.”

Since a war had broken out, it was only natural to eliminate the opponent's strategist first, and furthermore, now was the best opportunity since Lee Jaseung was absent.

As if they had been waiting, three of the standing Demonic Humans stepped forward. They were none other than the Three Asura Demons. The Strange Demon, Wind Demon, and Water Demon.

The three said in unison.

“You will see him soon.”

Only then did Yao Hong show a satisfied smile and firmly closed his eyes.

* * *

Lee Jaseung and the young man were walking across the training ground.

The middle-aged man who had woken him up had checked his condition briefly, said he was fine, and left.

Just as the man said, his physical condition was actually fine, except for the fact that he couldn't use inner Qi and had poor stamina remaining compared to usual.

“I understand.”

Lee Jaseung could not understand those words. Just what did he understand?

Fortunately, Jo Moongeol was not of a taciturn personality. Even if he wasn't a chatterbox, he felt very burdened by the silence between people.

Through him, Lee Jaseung was able to find out that this place was the Number One Training Hall in the Central Plains and that the young man's name was Jo Moongeol.

He did not know why he was suddenly at a training hall, but for now, he was listening about the upcoming problem. The welcoming ceremony.

“They call it a welcoming ceremony, but doesn't it really mean they intend to break the spirit of the new students? There's even a rumor that one of the students who entered the hall the year before last was seriously injured during this ceremony and returned to his hometown.”

To summarize, he was a new student at the Number One Training Hall in the Central Plains and had collapsed while going to attend the welcoming ceremony for newcomers.

How on earth could this be?

It certainly wasn't an illusion. As a supreme ruler of the Unorthodox Faction, there was no way he wouldn't be able to distinguish if he had fallen into an illusion.

This was a clear reality.

If so, the memory of this Jo Moongeol walking with him was being manipulated.

Lee Jaseung recalled the man's face.

Was he really... the first Cult Leader?

If he were truly a Demon God, creating a situation like this would be an easy task.

Of course, it might not be. There was also a possibility that the man had fabricated this entire situation.

“Since you and I are the only ones who entered as classmates this term, it would be really hard for me to endure if something happened to you.”

Lee Jaseung glanced at Jo Moongeol.

It was a kind face where no pretense could be found. If he was deceiving him, it would be a performance on the level of Mujin.

Whether the man was truly the Heavenly Demon or it was a fabricated situation, the important thing now was this.

Why had he been thrown into this situation?

Just why?

At that time, several people walked from the opposite direction.

Jo Moongeol lowered his head and said lowly.

“Damn it! It's Senior Gwangdu.”

With just that one word, Lee Jaseung could tell who Gwangdu was among the people walking toward them.

A man standing in the middle of the group, his face full of annoyance and malice.

Indeed, he had seen correctly.

He was the very Gwangdu that Jo Moongeol had mentioned.

His face was full of displeasure as he approached the two. The group following him swaggered with expressions as if something fun was about to happen.

“You said you collapsed while coming to the welcoming ceremony?”

When an answer didn't come from him immediately, Gwangdu's expression became threatening. Jo Moongeol, who was beside him, said quickly.

“It hasn't been long since he woke up, so he is currently disoriented.”

“He’s just faking his illness, right?”

“No.”

“You bastard! Did I ask you? Do you want to die?”

Gwangdu raised his hand as if to strike. Jo Moongeol squeezed his eyes shut.

However, Gwangdu did not hit him but stared at Lee Jaseung.

“This cowardly bastard, his friend who helped him is right here, yet he just watches.”

Another man beside him said.

“That bastard's illness is a fake for sure.”

“We shouldn't let this slide, should we?”

“That guy! I haven't liked him since the day he first entered.”

The men each added a word. The atmosphere became threatening, but Lee Jaseung just stood there without saying anything.

The memories of these people were also manipulated. To them, he was a new student who entered the hall with Jo Moongeol. Looking at everyone's expressions and actions, it didn't seem like acting at all.

This situation was clearly reality, not an illusion. Just how had their memories been manipulated?

Gwangdu glared at Lee Jaseung and said.

“I will deal with you personally at tomorrow's welcoming ceremony. I will make you regret your little tricks to the bone.”

Gwangdu and his group walked away again.

Jo Moongeol let out a sigh while looking at them as they walked far off.

“We are in big trouble.”

Lee Jaseung asked.

“What is this welcoming ceremony like?”

Then Jo Moongeol wore a strange expression.

“Did you really hurt your head? We heard about it together on the day we entered.”

“Just tell me.”

“It's a duel for fifteen minutes against a senior of the training hall. They say fifteen minutes, but I heard it's absolutely murderous.”

“I see.”

“'I see'? Is that it? Didn't you hear it just now? That Senior Gwangdu said he would do the ceremony personally?”

“Why are you so afraid of Gwangdu?”

“Ah, you really must have hurt your head properly. You know well too, don't you? That Gwangdu is a senior like a long-time fixture who has been here since he was young. If that senior says something, even the other seniors can't budge!”

Truly, Jo Moongeol had a face whose heart was easy to read. His expression contained the feeling of 'what kind of bolt from the blue is this for me because of you.'

Even such greenhorns in a training hall.

It was truly a difficult situation to adapt to.

Fine, I will uncover what your intention is.

* * *

There were two people watching that scene from afar.

They were the man who knocked Lee Jaseung down and his servant.

Since only the two were present, the old man actually used informal speech to the man. The old man's aura was completely different from how Lee Jaseung had first seen him.

The two people standing side by side against the wind gave a feeling different from those of the human world. With a specialty that surpassed extraordinariness, they clearly resembled nature.

“It's been a long time since I saw you fight so hard. How do you feel?”

“It wasn't bad.”

“Hehe. That fight, you could have finished it much faster, couldn't you?”

“Aren't you busy?”

“Am I not a person with plenty of time?”

The man shook his head.

“That is probably why the Jianghu is in this state.”

“Wasn't the word Jianghu originally meant to mean rivers and lakes, in other words, nature, yes? Therefore, this Jianghu also performs a self-purification action like nature. When bad things fill it up, good things push them out again. It rolls along well even if just left alone.”

The man's gaze grew deep.

“I have no interest in the matters of the Jianghu.”

“I know.”

After a short pause, the old man spoke.

“That's why I was glad. That child appeared in your life. When you fought that child, you were clearly happy.”

The man neither affirmed nor denied.

“I say again, I have no interest. My interest is...”

The old man cut him off.

“If that were true, you wouldn't have fought that child. Even if you hadn't fought, your fate with him wouldn't have changed anyway.”

“......”

“I think it was a good gift. Someday, that child will be very happy when he hears this story.”

“You used to dislike intervening so actively?”

“Let's just say it's because I liked that child named Lee Jaseung this time.”

As Lee Jaseung disappeared into the building far off, the man looked at the old man and spoke.

“It’s been a while, so let’s have a drink between us two.”

“What made you want that all of a sudden?”

“Forget it if you don't want to.”

The man walked away with long strides first. The old man followed him with a laugh.

“Haha, no way. Let's go, let's go. Let's drink until our noses turn crooked for once in a while! Ah, of course, you're buying the drinks, right? Hahahaha!”

And so, the two also disappeared from that place.

* * *

The Three Asura Demons arrived at a safe house with a garden located near the border between Guizhou and Chongqing.

They were the ones who had stepped forward to bring Dan Woobin to Yao Hong earlier.

To bring him did not literally mean they intended to kidnap him. To put it accurately, it meant they intended to eliminate him. To take him and kill him, or if that wasn't feasible, to get rid of him and report it.

“Leave this matter to me.”

Strange Demon always liked to step forward. It wasn't because of a desire for honor, but rather because he liked fighting and killing. Since the matter would be treated as being done by everyone regardless of who handled it, there was no reason to oppose him stepping forward.

“You must not let your guard down for this matter.”

At Wind Demon's words, Strange Demon spoke.

“Don't worry about that.”

In truth, the three were not particularly worried. If it were a matter of dealing with Lee Jaseung, it might be different, but currently, he was absent.

Even if the rest of them made a fuss, the three of them were enough for some Unorthodox Faction leftovers.

“Have you arrived?”

The person who was waiting for them was the Demonic Human who managed the safe house.

Strange Demon asked him.

“The bastards?”

“By mobilizing all the information networks of the sect, we found out they are about a hundred li away from here.”

“Total troop strength?”

“The numbers are not many, but it is estimated that there are more than two masters who have reached the Transcendent Peak Realm.”

“Two huh.”

Strange Demon looked back at Wind Demon and Water Demon.

“If it's about two, couldn't we just finish them off?”

With the combined attack of the three, it wasn't an impossible task.

“The problem is that there might be other masters besides those two.”

Wind Demon maintained a cautious stance.

“Where is Lee Jaseung?”

At Wind Demon's question, the Demonic Human of the safe house answered.

“It has been confirmed that he departed from the Jiangxi branch, but it's unknown exactly how far he has come.”

“If it's him, he will arrive here within a few days.”

Everyone nodded at Wind Demon's words. The speed at which he had rushed to the Jiangxi branch earlier was unbelievable.

“Whatever method we use, we must hurry.”

Water Demon, who had been sparing his words until then, finally opened his mouth.

“Let's lure them out.”

“How?”

At Strange Demon's question, the Water Demon answered.

“We should borrow the power of the Dark Noble Clan.”

Wind Demon, who guessed his intention, elaborated.

“You mean we should move the troops of the Guizhou branch.”

The Water Demon nodded and said.

“We just pretend to move. Even so, those bastards will have no choice but to move.”

Strange Demon and Wind Demon nodded simultaneously. It seemed like a very wise choice to reduce the number of defenders as much as possible before striking.

A black aura flickered around Strange Demon's body.

As if dealing with a living thing, he stroked that aura and said gloomily.

“Just you wait! Because you will be able to eat a very fresh brain soon.”