“You’re a lucky fellow, surviving even after cursing at the elder.”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable took up Geom Mugeuk’s words.
“The only one.”
Despite the two of them teasing him, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon remained steadfast. If anything, he even smiled benevolently as he said,
“When a person lives long enough, he may curse now and then.”
At those words, Geom Mugeuk burst into loud laughter. Perhaps the Blood Heaven Blade Demon found it funny himself after saying it, for he turned his head away. Most likely, he couldn’t keep his expression under control either.
“If only to see how this wager turns out, I too intend not to make a move.”
If all three of them endured from now on?
“Then the result of the wager will be decided soon.”
It was her confidence that she could endure better than the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
It was then.
“Move! If you don’t want to die!”
Another group of martial artists roughly unleashed their qinggong, kicking up dust as they passed by.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon waved his hand like a fan, brushing away the dust.
Geom Mugeuk asked worriedly,
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“Normally, shouldn’t force be bursting out from that palm of yours? If someone who never holds back suddenly holds back too much, they’ll fall ill.”
“When martial artists use qinggong, dust can be raised. That’s all.”
At the sight of him looking like a high monk disciplining his mind, Geom Mugeuk feigned a sigh and said,
“Ah! If I’d known this kind of mental cultivation awaited us, I should have brought the Demon Buddha with us.”
“He’d be even worse at enduring it. Isn’t his Buddha the sort who kills first, then prays for rebirth in paradise?”
Geom Mugeuk and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable laughed together.
Though the situation around them was growing urgent, the three of them did not hurry.
After walking a little farther, they came upon a broad clearing beneath the mountain.
It was packed with martial artists, and from them radiated a kind of immense heat.
“I heard the bastard is hiding in the cave!”
“Move aside at once!”
“Move before we kill you!”
Beyond the shouting and protesting crowd, a cave could be seen.
Ten Thousand Holes Cave.
The Ten Thousand Holes Cave of Tianzi Mountain was famous for being enormously spacious inside, and for being as complicated as a maze.
So many people had entered only to die after failing to find the way out that it was also called the Cave of Death.
Those blocking the cave entrance were none other than the martial artists of the Flying Dragon Gang, famed in Hunan for their belligerence.
“Ten Thousand Holes Cave has been sealed off. Everyone, withdraw.”
The one who spoke with internal energy infused in his voice was Song Byeokchan. He was an expert who ranked within the top ten of the Flying Dragon Gang.
The assembled heroes argued and demanded answers.
“Why are you stopping us from going in? Aren’t you trying to monopolize the treasure map for the Flying Dragon Gang?”
At that, Song Byeokchan said,
“We are trying to prevent bloodshed from breaking out in our gang’s territory. This is to stop people from losing their lives in pointless fighting, so do not misunderstand.”
Of course, no one took those words at face value.
In truth, the Flying Dragon Gang had released its experts to search the interior of Ten Thousand Holes Cave. Since many outside experts had already entered before the blockade, and the inside of the cave was far too complicated, they had yet to find the person who had hidden inside with the treasure map.
The martial artist who had protested earlier incited the crowd.
“Let us force our way in. If all of us join forces…”
Swish! Thud!
Song Byeokchan’s sword lodged itself in the back of the man’s neck.
Struck by a surprise attack from behind, the man was helpless.
Song Byeokchan looked coldly down at the man as he collapsed, spraying blood, then spoke to the gathered crowd.
“Is there anyone else who still dares look down on our gang?”
Silence fell over the place. There were not many in Hunan who could disregard the power of the Flying Dragon Gang.
Watching from the back, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head.
“A cave? I absolutely detest cramped places.”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable smiled.
“It seems I have the advantage in many ways.”
She meant that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would become even more irritable if he had to stay somewhere stifling.
“Now, everyone, return.”
As Song Byeokchan stepped forward, the Flying Dragon Gang martial artists lined up behind him all drew their swords at once and advanced threateningly.
Even in this situation, the assembled heroes did not retreat.
The desire and greed that, if only they could obtain the treasure map, they would become peerless experts and gain tremendous wealth kept everyone rooted to the spot. Even at this moment, more people continued to gather there.
It was right then.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Concealed weapons poured down on the Flying Dragon Gang martial artists from behind.
“Ambush!”
Song Byeokchan cried out urgently, but the Flying Dragon Gang martial artists were already falling one after another to the incoming hidden weapons. Astonishingly, the attackers were people who had emerged from inside the cave.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Song Byeokchan hurriedly swung his sword to knock away the concealed weapons, but there were too many pouring in.
Thwack!
At that moment, another palm strike flew into his back.
His body flew through the air and tumbled across the ground. The man who had been shouting so boldly just moments ago had become a corpse before anyone knew it.
The person who had been hiding among the heroes and launched the surprise attack on him was a muscular man with a vile-looking face. Before the Flying Dragon Gang martial artists had sealed the entrance, he had already hidden his subordinates inside the cave.
“Why is this your territory? It’s ours.”
Someone who recognized him shouted,
“The Green Forest Heavenly Lord!”
He was a Green Forest bandit who had a mountain stronghold here on Tianzi Mountain and was famous even in Hunan. The name had not been given to him because he was as great as the Green Forest King, but because he was the master of Tianzi Mountain.
He was a vicious man with a base disposition, one who committed all manner of evil deeds if there was money to be made.
However, he had recently clashed with the Flying Dragon Gang, and after suffering consecutive defeats in several fights against them, his influence had greatly diminished. Having spent his days sunk in money and women, even his once-formidable martial arts were not what they used to be.
“Shameless bastards. If you get the treasure map, you can obtain a treasure of the ages, and you thought you’d swallow it all by yourselves?”
When he spat on Song Byeokchan’s corpse, cheers erupted from every direction.
“Now, let us go in!”
The assembled heroes surged toward Ten Thousand Holes Cave.
But once again, concealed weapons poured down on them.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Those at the front were struck by the hidden weapons and collapsed. In front of the Green Forest bandits who had thrown them, the Green Forest Heavenly Lord blocked the cave entrance.
“Who said you could enter as you pleased?”
At his ringing shout, the atmosphere sank in an instant.
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord spoke loudly to everyone.
“If you wish to enter this place, you must pay a toll.”
Everyone wore dumbfounded expressions. However, in this atmosphere, no one dared protest.
Someone among the heroes asked,
“How much is the toll?”
“One thousand taels per person. If you have no money, I will also accept weapons or valuables of equivalent worth.”
The heroes began murmuring. One thousand taels was far too great a sum merely to enter a cave.
“Is that not too expensive?”
At the heroes’ protests, the Green Forest Heavenly Lord tempted them.
“You would miss the chance to obtain a treasure of the ages just to save a mere thousand taels? Do as you please.”
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord himself had no intention whatsoever of entering the cave.
If he collected from just ten people here, that was ten thousand taels, and if he collected from a hundred, it would be an astonishing one hundred thousand taels. Since heroes were continuing to flock here, collecting tolls from a hundred people was not impossible.
The life of the Green Forest was to lie in ambush for days just to rob a few dozen or a few hundred taels. There was no way he could miss such an excellent opportunity.
Since it was certain his band would soon be ruined because of the Flying Dragon Gang, he intended to make one great haul this time and leave this place.
“Are we of the Green Forest not people who collect tolls by nature? This path happens to be the path to becoming an absolute expert, so the toll is merely expensive. There is no such thing as free in this world, so since you pay a high price, you will surely gain a great reward.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had been listening, blurted out,
“That bandit bastard uses his head well.”
Unfortunately, he said it at the exact moment the noisy field briefly quieted, so those words reached the Green Forest Heavenly Lord’s ears.
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord whipped his head toward the source of the voice.
“Who was that!”
When the people in front stepped aside, Geom Mugeuk could be seen behind them. The voice had clearly come from around there.
“Was it you? The bastard who just spouted that nonsense?”
“It wasn’t me.”
Geom Mugeuk shifted aside and looked behind him as he said,
“It was this person.”
When Geom Mugeuk tattled on him, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon wore an expression of disbelief. The Ilhwa Sword Venerable smiled brightly, her expression saying, As expected, the Young Cult Master is on my side.
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord stared at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and said coldly,
“Old man, do you want to die?”
While Geom Mugeuk and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable were grinning, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon calmly said,
“I meant that you were clever, so do not take it too much to heart.”
When the other party acted meekly, the Green Forest Heavenly Lord was all the more unwilling to let it slide.
He walked a few steps forward. He intended to properly beat him down as an example.
Because he had revealed no aura at all, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had seemed like an insignificant old man.
Yet the closer he approached, the more an inexplicable unease arose in him. Why? Was it because of those eyes?
But he had already started forward. If he backed down now, those jackal-like bastards watching would all rush in to tear him apart.
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable watched with a pleased expression, certain she had won the wager. No matter that it was a wager, there was no way the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would simply stand by and let a bastard like that lay hands on him.
“Wait.”
After briefly stopping him, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon put a hand into his robe.
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord flinched and stopped, drawing up his internal energy as he prepared for a surprise attack.
What the Blood Heaven Blade Demon took out of his robe was a small pouch.
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord retreated another step.
‘Poison?’
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon took something out of the pouch and held it forward.
“Here are one thousand taels.”
Geom Mugeuk and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable were startled and looked at each other. They truly had never dreamed that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would hand over one thousand taels.
“Take it.”
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord accepted the banknote in spite of himself. It was a genuine banknote.
“I am your first guest to pay the toll, so please overlook my earlier mistake.”
Since the man had paid, he could not hound or beat him. If he wanted others to pay, he had to let this one in smoothly.
“Very well. Go in.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon urged Geom Mugeuk and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable.
“What are you doing? Pay up.”
Geom Mugeuk whispered to the Ilhwa Sword Venerable,
“You have the treasure map, don’t you, Sword Venerable? He’s doing this so he can win the wager and make you hand it over, right?”
The gaze the Ilhwa Sword Venerable turned on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon deepened. What is it that you want?
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon casually asked the Green Forest Heavenly Lord,
“There is something I am curious about.”
“What is it?”
“How long do you intend to remain here?”
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord flinched and asked back,
“Why do you ask that?”
“Never mind. I was merely asking.”
And that only made the Green Forest Heavenly Lord feel unpleasant for no reason.
At that moment, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable said,
“I do not have one thousand taels right now.”
At that, the Green Forest Heavenly Lord looked the Ilhwa Sword Venerable up and down.
Thinking her the companion of someone who had obediently paid, he did not imagine for a moment that she was anything special. Seeing even the young fellow beside her burdened with packs, he was certain they were no absolute experts.
That mistaken certainty made him utter words he should never have said.
“If you have no money, I can accept something else.”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable’s expression, which had been relaxed until now, hardened at once.
Her original temperament emerged immediately. Wager or not, the thought that she should first cut off his head flashed through her mind.
Then she saw it. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s hand moving toward the knot of the cloth binding the Heaven-Destroying Great Blade. He could endure what happened to himself, but he could not endure the Ilhwa Sword Venerable being insulted.
At that sight, a smile formed on the Ilhwa Sword Venerable’s face, and her anger naturally subsided. Before the Blood Heaven Blade Demon could untie the knot, she said,
“There are many eyes here right now, so let us meet again here later. I will give you something very good as a gift.”
“Do you take me for a fool? What guarantee is there that you will come out alive?”
At that, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable gazed meaningfully at the Green Forest Heavenly Lord and said,
“Do not worry. I have a reason I must come out.”
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord did not know just how earnestly the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable wished to meet him again.
It was right then. From behind came a woman’s sharp, ringing voice.
“Kill that lecherous bastard.”
When the Green Forest Heavenly Lord turned in surprise, a young woman stood there with martial artists in tow.
As soon as her command fell, the martial artists lined up behind her all launched themselves forward at once.
The Green Forest Heavenly Lord swung his fists and resisted, but he could not withstand the coordinated attack of the martial artists. Their skills were far stronger than those of the Flying Dragon Gang martial artists he had faced earlier.
He had been hacked to death, and the subordinates who had been throwing hidden weapons moments before fled without even looking back. They knew who the woman was.
The only daughter of the Flying Dragon Gang Leader.
Cold Moon Sword (冷月劍), Chuyeon (秋燕).
Among the warriors of the Flying Dragon Gang, she was famous for her mercilessness toward enemies.
Once all of the Green Forest Heavenly Lord’s men had fled, several of the heroes near the entrance rushed into the cave. Then, before anyone could stop them, the rest all surged forward and threw themselves inside.
Chuyeon did not stop them. She merely watched with a cold, contemptuous gaze.
At that moment, three people who had not entered her sight came into view.
Geom Mugeuk searched the Green Forest Heavenly Lord’s corpse and found the note that the Blood Heaven Demon Saber had given him. The note was stained with blood.
Geom Mugeuk took that note for himself and handed the Blood Heaven Demon Saber a fresh note worth one thousand nyang.
Then the Blood Heaven Demon Saber held out his hand, asking for the bloodstained note.
“Take the new one.”
“It’s fine.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Geom Mugeuk. Perhaps, to the Blood Heaven Demon Saber, even this note was part of his memories with the One Blossom Sword Venerable.
Just as Geom Mugeuk was handing the bloodstained note back to the Blood Heaven Demon Saber—
“You should be ashamed.”
The one who spoke coldly was Chuyeon.
Geom Mugeuk and the Blood Heaven Demon Saber looked at her.
“No matter how valuable a treasure map may be, you call yourselves martial artists, yet you paid money because you couldn’t withstand the threats of Green Forest.”
On top of that, she had found it displeasing to see them search a corpse to recover the money.
At her gaze, filled with contempt, Geom Mugeuk replied.
“You are mistaken, young lady.”
In an instant, Chuyeon’s face hardened coldly. A mere porter had dared to step forward and say she was wrong.
Geom Mugeuk looked at the Blood Heaven Demon Saber and said,
“First of all, the elder made that choice in order to save all of them.”
This time, the Blood Heaven Demon Saber flinched inwardly. To save them all? When did I ever?
“If they entered this place, they would eventually end up fighting one another and dying. But because our elder paid, an atmosphere was created where everyone had to pay in order to enter. None of them would have had the enormous sum of one thousand nyang, so they would not have been able to go in. In the end, the elder saved all their lives. This was all born from the elder’s compassion.”
At an interpretation better than the dream itself, the Blood Heaven Demon Saber gave a dry cough.
Just as Chuyeon was about to snap back and ask what sort of sophistry he was spouting, Geom Mugeuk struck at the heart of the matter.
“But after he went to such trouble to save them, they all just went in anyway. You, young lady, could have stopped them if you wished. Could it be that you thought, ‘Go on in and die, all of you’?”
For an instant, Chuyeon’s face twitched. Astonishingly enough, she really had thought that just moments ago. Having the truth hit home by someone who merely carried baggage infuriated her.
Just then, a shout burst out from inside the cave.
“There it is! The treasure map!”
Screams erupted from within, followed by the successive clash of weapons. Then those sounds receded into the distance again.
“You must go in at once.”
At her subordinate’s words, Chuyeon nodded.
Just before entering the cave, she turned a cold gaze back toward Geom Mugeuk. She did not go so far as to make a throat-slitting gesture with the edge of her hand, but her eyes were practically warning him, If I see you again, you’re dead.
After they went inside, the three of them entered the cave as well. The Blood Heaven Demon Saber, who had been teased the entire time, smiled with satisfaction and said,
“Looks like you’ll be the one to draw your sword first, won’t you?”