Chapter 202
A square brain prison so narrow one couldn't even stretch their legs.
Without even a small window, not a single speck of light entered, and the musty smell unique to basements brushed the tip of the nose, causing discomfort.
Clank.
Due to the chains firmly binding his wrists and ankles, he couldn't move at all. Of course, even if his body were free, there was no way to escape this place blocked on all sides by Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.
"Is anyone there?"
The Second Young Master, Jin Somyeong, asked politely.
However, what returned were insulting words.
"A sinner should not open their mouth carelessly."
"I see."
Jin Somyeong nodded.
There was not an inch of agitation despite the opponent's insult.
In the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, defeat meant death. He too was only still alive due to the Fifth Young Master's whim, and it wouldn't be strange if his head fell at any moment.
"Did the Fifth Young Master become the Cult Leader? Well, that must be why I, who turned against him, became a sinner."
"..."
"You can at least tell me that much. What about the Lust Demon Sect Leader? What happened to her?"
Soon, the sound of the guard's long sigh was heard.
The sound of something clattering and rustling.
Even though his internal energy was restricted, the Second Young Master was not a novice either, so he grasped the opponent's intention just by the sound.
He had picked up the club guards use when handling sinners roughly. Soon, the guard's approaching footsteps stopped in front of the prison door.
A brief silence followed.
"Are you wavering?"
"..."
"Why? I am just a sinner now."
There was no answer returning.
In an instant, the Second Young Master's eyes sank low in the darkness.
The Young Master of the Demonic Cult is not a position anyone can take. Although no words were exchanged, he noticed that the guard's heart was wavering.
"Wasn't your daughter, Cheong Byeong-in, about to get married?"
"H-how did you know that..."
"I was once someone who dreamed of becoming the Cult Leader. I couldn't know all the major and minor affairs within the cult, but I had to listen as far as my abilities reached. Congratulations. It's a pity that martial artists of the Divine Cult rarely marry, but you might even see grandchildren. It's a truly precious blessing."
The guard Cheong Byeong-in's pupils shook slightly.
Originally, the Second Young Master was famous for going out to the outer court on leisurely days and conversing with mere farmers or merchants. Because it was a word spoken by such a person, it must have felt even more sincere.
In the first place, the Second Young Master was the only Young Master who remembered the name of a mere guard.
Of course, the Second Young Master also spoke sincerely. It couldn't be said that there was no intention, but it was a rare blessing for Demonic Cultists to start a family.
Originally, a person's heart cannot be shaken by complete lies. It's just a matter of how to package the sincerity.
"I have a favor to ask."
"I cannot grant it."
It was a firm tone, but before he knew it, his way of speaking had changed to be somewhat polite. The Second Young Master nodded slowly and continued his words after a brief pause.
"There will be no harm to you and your family. Rather, if you grant me one small favor, the Jin family will reward you even after I die."
This time, he didn't bother waiting for an answer.
Because he was already certain of how he would act.
He pushed a small piece of cloth through the iron bars. He had torn his clothes and written the character for 'Guest' on it with blood drawn from his finger.
"Please deliver this to the Family Head."
"What is this?"
He asked with a wary look.
This time, the Second Young Master remained silent.
He just sat cross-legged and closed his eyes gently.
How much time had passed like that?
"Hmm."
The agonizing guard eventually had no choice but to pick up the letter while letting out a groan.
Although he was locked in the brain prison, the Second Young Master was the only superior who had remembered the name of a mere guard in his entire life.
* * *
The atmosphere of the Martial Alliance was turbulent at the news that the Fifth Young Master of the Demonic Cult had seized supremacy.
His known inclination was complete domination. Therefore, it was obvious that a life-or-death clash between the Demonic Cult and the Martial Alliance would soon occur.
In fact, Sima Hui was gathering martial artists from all over the country here.
The number of orthodox faction martial artists identified was a whopping sixty thousand.
Also, since the Demonic Cult's forces were approximately one hundred thousand.
If the two factions clashed risking their lives, an armed conflict that could be counted on one hand in the history of the martial world would occur.
The world watched the situation with bated breath.
The martial artists of the Martial Alliance also intuited how fierce this battle would be. A cold and sharp momentum, as if blades were standing in the air, lingered everywhere.
This was the same for the Hidden Dragon Unit.
Cheon Woojin, who had finished his meeting with the Alliance Leader, immediately returned to the Hidden Dragon Unit.
The Hidden Dragon Unit members, who would normally be sparring, were all gathered in the main hall talking about something.
"No, why are you writing something so ominous?"
Tang Soyeon jumped up and nagged.
Regardless, Song Yiyeon and Jinun steadfastly wrote something down on paper.
"Tens of thousands of people will die. No one knows if I will be able to return alive from such a terrible battle. So I have to write. I have to leave my final resolve and reflection in writing like this so my father will be less sad."
Unlike usual, Song Yiyeon's voice had not a speck of playfulness.
Even Jinun was writing while continuously letting out sighs like someone really going to die.
"Miss Tang, just leave them be. They are not guys who will stop just because you try to stop them."
"Young Master Namgung, I saw you writing earlier too, you know?"
"Ahem...!"
Namgung Jin let out a dry cough and turned his head for no reason.
Then, spotting Cheon Woojin, he said to Jin Woon and Song Yiyeon.
"If you stick close to that guy, you won't die, right?"
Namgung Jin thought that, even if he didn't know about himself, Cheon Woojin wouldn't let Song Yiyeon or Jinun die.
Then Song Yiyeon clicked his tongue and answered.
"If you're going to prolong your life like a coward like that, why go to war? It's better to just run away now."
"Hmm!"
I was planning to stick close to that guy.
Thus, Namgung Jin's plan went awry.
Soon, Cheon Woojin, who approached the four people, naturally sat next to them. Everyone's actions were different, but the signs of tension ahead of a big war were evident.
Because even if they were geniuses, successors of a faction, and martial artists, they were just rising stars barely past twenty.
"Are you afraid?"
Cheon Woojin suddenly asked.
All four of them stopped what they were doing and looked at him.
The one who answered was Song Yiyeon.
"Of course I'm scared. We've already experienced war, haven't we? It's a truly terrible thing. Comrades who ate from the same pot until yesterday die miserably, and in the midst of that, I kill someone else, struggle to live, and while looking at blood in a half-crazed state like that, I feel relieved when I hear news of victory, and run away when I hear news of defeat..."
Song Yiyeon caught his breath for a moment. Probably all martial artists who participated in the war would feel these emotions.
Even if they were martial artists who were relatively resolute about death, just standing in a place where thousands or tens of thousands of people were dying was bound to devastate their minds.
"But what can we do? We have to fight. If we run away, those cruel Demonic Cult bastards will dye this entire land of the Central Plains, won't they? Then what will happen to our families? So we have to fight. That's why we joined the Martial Alliance in the first place."
Namgung Jin, Tang Soyeon, and Jinun also nodded and sympathized with Song Yiyeon's words.
He was not from the Five Great Families or the Nine Sects One Union, but he was speaking words more befitting an orthodox faction martial artist than anyone else.
No one in the world would be able to ignore Song Yiyeon as just a child of a merchant family anymore.
"...Death."
Cheon Woojin put that word in his mouth again.
Even when he thought deeply about death, he wasn't particularly afraid.
It wasn't just because he was strong. In the first place, the concept of death itself didn't really hit home.
Why do people fear death, which they haven't experienced, so much, while not feeling the concept of life, which they have actually experienced?
"I was most afraid when I was born."
"Huh?"
In an instant, the four people made similar expressions.
What is this guy talking about now?
It was exactly that kind of look.
"You mean you remember that time?"
Cheon Woojin nodded.
An endless darkness spread wider than any sea or sky. The emotion he felt in it was comfort.
A time when he just drifted endlessly in pitch-blackness with no beginning or end, in the form of something non-human, without any thought.
Then a crack occurred and he faced light, and at that time he felt fear for the first and last time in his life. It was the moment Cheon Woojin was born into the world.
"The memory of that time feels like an instant, or it feels like an eternity. And then I have no memory at all for a while, and the memories just continue from when my masters called my name around the age of two until now."
A brief silence followed.
As always, the first to open his mouth was Song Yiyeon.
"Don't lie."
"..."
Cheon Woojin smacked his lips.
Even he thought it was an absurd story. Even setting aside the fact that the pitch-blackness, thinking about it now, was very similar to Dark Heavenly Ki.
It was then.
The door of the manor opened and a welcome man entered.
"Master!"
Song Yiyeon jumped up and bowed.
It was none other than the Postal Hall Master. After lightly patting Song Yiyeon's shoulder, he immediately handed something to Cheon Woojin. It was an attitude that showed he didn't have a moment to spare.
Cheon Woojin received it with a puzzled face.
Because the Postal Hall Master's expression was more serious than ever, he immediately checked the contents of the letter.
- Today, Hour of the Dog (7-9 PM), Gamdeok Pavilion.
It was a very concise content with only the time and place written.
However, the vermilion official seal stamped below it made it impossible to ignore the contents of the letter.
"It's the official seal of the Jin Family Head."
"Why is he looking for me?"
"I don't know. However, if I were to state my personal expectation..."
The Postal Hall Master, who organized his thoughts for a moment, continued his words.
"I heard the Fifth Young Master seized supremacy, so the Second Young Master and the Jin family must be driven to the edge of a cliff. Looking for you in such a situation means they are preparing some final desperate struggle."
"Final desperate struggle?"
"They intend to use you to kill the Fifth Young Master."
Thanks to handling numerous pieces of information coming and going in the Martial Alliance for decades, he naturally possessed sharp insight.
Cheon Woojin pondered for a moment.
He had indeed had this conversation with the Second Young Master before.
However, what Cheon Woojin chose was the Second Young Master, not the Jin family.
"I haven't reported it to the higher-ups yet. They will definitely oppose it. Do as your heart tells you. I trust my intuition, and my intuition is telling me to trust you."
Cheon Woojin and the Postal Hall Master made eye contact for a moment.
As always, the deliberation was short.
"I understand."
Cheon Woojin immediately grabbed the Crescent Moon Staff and left the manor.
* * *
The appointed time.
Cheon Woojin stood in front of the Gamdeok Pavilion written in the letter.
It was a large pavilion consisting of a whopping four floors, but all that could be heard from inside was the sound of one or two people breathing.
Cheon Woojin, who looked at the pavilion for a moment, lifted the beaded curtain and entered.
Guided by the waiter, he went up to the fourth floor, and a middle-aged man was sitting at a corner window seat waiting.
He could tell as soon as he saw his face. Because he gave off a very similar vibe to the Second Young Master, Jin Somyeong.
"I didn't expect the Family Head to come in person."
Cheon Woojin said casually as he sat down.
The Jin Family Head looked at Cheon Woojin silently for a moment. He seemed to be observing the rumored Emotionless Guest, or he seemed to be in some difficult agony.
How much time had passed like that?
The Jin Family Head said in a low voice.
"Can you kill a god?"
There was no certainty in his expression.
Because he had directly experienced the overwhelming martial prowess and presence of the Fifth Young Master, now called the Moon Emperor, right before his eyes, and he had only heard of the Emotionless Guest through rumors.
However, his son, the Second Young Master, said that if the Emotionless Guest couldn't do this job, no one in the world could.
The Jin Family Head trusted his son more than himself.
Although his martial prowess might be lacking compared to the other Young Masters, at least when it came to insight into 'people', the Second Young Master was the most outstanding person in the Divine Cult.
He waited for an answer with a tense face.
This silence felt like an eternity.
How much time had passed like that?
Suddenly, Cheon Woojin, who was watching the darkness settling outside the window, said in a casual tone.
"Where is he? That person called a god."
(End of Chapter)