〈 Chapter 586 〉 The Young Lady of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
*Crack*-!
"......!!"
An arm breaks.
And at an unnatural angle at that.
There isn't a moment's hesitation in breaking his right arm.
When his molars had been pulled, he'd screamed because he hadn't expected it. This time, he didn't scream.
Ignoring his trembling shoulder, he tries to move somehow, but.
He can't.
"You seemed left-handed, so I broke your right hand."
"...!"
At the sound of his voice, the masked man flinched and trembled.
His opponent had realized he was left-handed.
Just when? He'd never even held a sword.
He wants to bite his lips from the pain, but he can't even do that.
His opponent was preventing him from closing his mouth.
"Kkeok... kkeok...."
"I have a few things to ask. You can answer slowly."
There's a hint of laughter in his voice.
That was even more horrifying.
"First."
Along with the voice, he feels a sensation on the index finger of his remaining left hand.
His opponent had grabbed his finger.
"What kind of bastard are you?"
The pressure on his mouth loosens slightly.
He must have let go a bit so he could speak.
The masked man answered.
"I... I'll talk...."
*Crack*.
"...Kkeuk!"
His index finger is broken.
"Second."
There's no hesitation. His middle finger is grabbed just like that.
"Why were you watching?"
"Kkeu... euu...."
*Crack*-!
"Kkeuaaak!"
Pain crashes over him immediately because there is no answer.
This time, it wasn't broken.
It was the sensation of being grabbed and crushed as is.
The bone was pulverized. He felt it clearly.
He has no time to feel the pain. This time, it was the ring finger.
"Third."
At the same voice speaking indifferently.
"Kkeuk... keukeuk... keukeuk...."
The masked man lets out a laugh.
Upon hearing that laugh, the movement stops for a moment.
Silence passes by.
"Why are you laughing?"
For some reason, the questioning voice was full of interest.
The masked man continued to laugh upon hearing it.
"...Keuk... kkeureuk... how could it... not be funny...."
"Yes, keep talking. What's so funny?"
"A... so-called Orthodox bastard... who protects... righteousness and harmony... acting... so cruelly...."
"Oh."
An admiring voice was heard.
"You know who I am?"
"I... know well."
The masked man raised his head and looked at the young man.
Brilliantly shining blue eyes.
Fierce eyes with dark black hair.
Though his pupils were clear, they felt like they contained no emotion at all.
The masked man could tell.
That man wasn't seeing him as a person.
Like a beast. He could tell he was being looked at as such.
Was he truly of the Orthodox faction?
Such doubt arose, but that man was indeed of the Orthodox faction.
"...Gu Yangcheon of the Shanxi Gu Clan...."
The protagonist of rumors that had heated up the Central Plains a few years ago, if only for a moment.
It was this young man.
His appearance had changed greatly from back then, but he was certain through information.
"Hmm."
Gu Yangcheon let out a short sound upon hearing the words.
It was one thing to be recognized, but because there was another meaning contained in those words.
"Then, does that mean you are not of the Orthodox faction?"
"Keuk... keukeuk... Orthodox or Demonic... the standards are all set by you bastards anyway...!"
*Puswik*-!
The fingernail is pulled out from the broken index finger.
And.
*Chiiiiik*-!
"Kkeuuuuuaaaah!!"
An enormous heat was felt at the spot where the fingernail was pulled out.
Skin burns and a foul smell wafts forth.
"Answer only what you're asked. Don't add unnecessary words."
"Kkeueuk... kkeuk...."
Pain crashes over him.
He could feel drool flowing between his lips that couldn't close.
Pain that pierces through his qi.
Having lived as a dark assassin, he had grown somewhat accustomed to torture.
But the masked man found it hard to maintain his sanity from the pain he was feeling now.
Even so.
Despite that level of pain, he didn't lose consciousness.
'This bastard....'
What was choking his throat while his body trembled in pain was fear.
He wouldn't be this exhausted from merely having his fingers broken and his flesh burned.
The pain he felt was much greater than that.
Yet seeing that he didn't lose consciousness, the masked man had to feel a distant sense of crisis.
'Does this mean... he's controlling all of this?'
It meant Gu Yangcheon was doing something to make him feel more pain while preventing him from losing consciousness.
Cruel.
If that was truly the case, it was an incredibly cruel thing.
Killing someone was something any martial artist would do.
Torturing an opponent and inflicting pain was different.
There was nothing more difficult until one grew accustomed to the act.
Looking at this bastard, he could tell.
'He's not just used to it; he's numb.'
He feels no guilt for his actions, nor does he attach any meaning to them.
There's no hesitation in his hands, and no emotion within them.
Was this truly a martial artist who had just passed his adolescence?
No, leaving that aside.
'Is he really... of the Orthodox faction?'
Such doubt arose naturally.
While the masked man swallowed his screams and rolled his eyes.
"Annoying."
Gu Yangcheon, who was watching this, spat out a word.
"If it weren't for my internal injury, I'd corrupt you and make you spit it out easily. Tch."
Corrupt?
It was an incomprehensible word.
"Let's do this the easy way. Who knows? I might let you live."
"Hheuuu...."
"From what I saw, you weren't targeting me. And you didn't seem to be targeting the Young Lady either... What the hell kind of bastard are you?"
He wasn't targeting him.
And he wasn't targeting the woman beside him either.
Gu Yangcheon spoke as if he were certain.
Hearing this, the masked man had to swallow a hollow breath internally.
'Just from where?'
From what part had he gained such certainty?
Normally, one would naturally judge that there was someone observing among the group.
"So let's take it easy. If you just talk...."
"Kkeuk kkeuk... you want me to believe that?"
Gu Yangcheon closes his mouth at the masked man's laughter.
"You Orthodox bastards always just... spew out words. Words you can't even keep."
It was true. Gu Yangcheon was sympathizing with those words.
They only spew out fancy words without substance.
Those words fit the current Orthodox faction perfectly.
Moreover.
'Right, I don't really plan to let him live either.'
Gu Yangcheon had no intention of letting this bastard live either.
While the Orthodox were untrustworthy bastards too, there was no mercy for the Demonic.
It was a useless stubbornness he'd had since long ago.
"Do you still believe... that empty justice remains...?"
His tongue was sharp too.
'Should I just kill him?'
He was getting annoyed.
He was definitely a 'bastard' or 'bastards' scheming something in the background, but judging by his condition, it didn't seem like he'd talk easily.
'Tch.'
At times like this, he hated his past life but also slightly missed it.
'If it were back then, things would have been different.'
I sure died a lot back then.
Making bastards like these open their mouths was as easy as eating cold porridge.
Maybe because I'd tried living a bit more like a human after my regression, I felt somewhat dulled.
'I can tell they're trying to pull something.'
But I don't know what it is.
Perhaps because it was close to the time of the martial arts tournament, all sorts of strange bastards were entangled here.
'Anyway, if they weren't targeting our side, it doesn't really matter.'
If they were targeting the Alliance, I'd welcome it.
Because then my plans would go more smoothly.
"You idiotic Orthodox... child who can't see an inch ahead... just quietly wait for the end...."
Yeah, let's kill him.
I need to get back to the merchant group soon too.
Was it because I was in a bad mood? I started wanting to eat dumplings.
'Torture, my ass.'
I refuse to get entangled in annoying matters any longer.
It was already an irritating and annoying situation.
"As time passes... and the end approaches, this Orthodox faction and you too...! And."
I saw Moyong Huia after a long time too, so I should take the kids and grab a bite to ea-.
"Those lowly wenches beside you too will together...."
"Hey."
The masked man who had been spitting out words shut his mouth instantly.
Silence flows.
Even though he'd spoken prepared for death, he had to stop.
The reason was none other.
"Kkeok...? Kkeok...!!"
Because an immense killing intent suddenly began pouring down on the masked man.
*Huuuuuk*-!
It was vicious.
It felt like his skin was tearing just from sensing it.
His breathing is blocked.
Even the pain he'd felt in both arms seemed to stop.
The masked man turns his gaze. What is this killing intent?
The killing intent was coming from Gu Yangcheon, who had been holding him.
The air had changed.
It felt like space was twisting from nothing but killing intent.
"Who did you call lowly?"
"Euheo... heoheo...."
His body trembles.
The killing intent erupting from Gu Yangcheon was stopping all his senses.
'Th... this... this is....'
How could such killing intent be felt?
How could such an aura be felt from a human?
'S... something like this... I've never even felt this from the Great Lord...!'
*Kwajang*-!
"Kkeuaaak!"
In an instant, a fist is driven into the masked man's mouth.
It was a fist swung by Gu Yangcheon.
*Tududuk*-! All his teeth poured down together with blood.
He'd smashed all his teeth to prevent him from biting his tongue.
A scream bursts out, as if he can't endure it.
It doesn't matter.
He'd sealed his meridians long ago anyway.
Gu Yangcheon spoke while looking at the bastard trembling and dripping blood.
"I was going to let you off easy. Why do you have to talk like shit. Ruining my mood like shit."
It was a completely different manner of speaking from before.
Gu Yangcheon's hand moved.
It was an instant.
*Uujik*-!
A short sound is heard from the masked man's abdomen.
What is this sound?
The masked man has a passing doubt, but.
He realized soon enough.
This was the sound of his dantian breaking.
Pain is felt after the sound is heard.
It was tremendous pain.
But he couldn't scream.
Because Gu Yangcheon was already covering the masked man's mouth.
"Uu-uuheuuuup!!"
"Don't bark. It's annoying."
The energy gathered in his dantian scatters in an instant.
A lifetime of accumulated internal energy disappears, and emptiness floods in.
"Kkeook... heoeuk...!"
In mere seconds, from a martial artist's body to an ordinary person's....
No, to a body even worse than that.
The masked man's pupils shake like mad.
Only then did the strength in the hand covering his mouth loosen.
"You... you demon-like bastard...!"
He shouted with anger.
His pronunciation was slurred since he didn't have a single tooth, but his emotion was clear.
Gu Yangcheon's expression didn't change upon hearing this.
He merely looked at him.
The masked man shouts in succession upon confirming this.
"Rather...! Rather, just kill me! Even if you come at me like this...! As if I'd talk-"
"Don't."
"...!"
"Don't say anything. I'm not curious anymore."
What does that mean?
The moment the masked man held that doubt.
"From now on, no matter what you say, I won't listen."
"What the hell...."
"So please don't say a single word. Got it?"
*Kkwak*-!
"Kkeuk!"
His neck is grabbed.
"From now on, no matter what happens to you, don't say anything. Because I'm not curious. Remember."
"Kkeueuk."
He feels like his mind is going blank from fear.
*Hwareureuk*-!
Flames erupt from Gu Yangcheon's back.
Blue flames.
They looked exceptionally beautiful, but the masked man could feel the killing intent contained in the flames.
'Why.'
Why did the atmosphere suddenly change like this?
The trembling masked man soon recalls something flashing through his mind.
["Those lowly wenches beside you too will together...."]
["Who did you call lowly?"]
That was clearly the turning point.
The point when Gu Yangcheon's eyes, full of annoyance and boredom, changed.
'No way....'
Could it be. Was he this enraged just because he had insulted women?
He tried to think it wasn't, but there didn't seem to be any other reason.
No.
Even if there was some other reason. It didn't matter anymore.
The risen flames enveloped the surroundings and created a wall.
"N...!"
Before long, the faintly visible sky disappears, tangled in flames.
Like that.
When the flames disappeared and revealed the scene again.
What remained in that spot were some black charred traces and.
nothing but Gu Yangcheon wiping his hand on his clothes with an unpleasant expression.
**********
It wasn't very difficult to clean up the traces.
Since he hadn't left any traces to begin with.
He returned to the alley while hiding his unpleasant mood.
Dang Soyeol was still waiting for me in the alley.
"Ah, Young Master."
When I carefully entered the alley, Dang Soyeol welcomed me.
Seeing that, I asked.
"What about her."
I asked about Moyong Huia, who wasn't visible nearby.
"Um, she said she would go first because she thought taking the Young Lady to the merchant group was the priority."
"I see."
I had told her to go ahead anyway.
Fortunately, she seemed to have listened well.
"What happened?"
This time, Dang Soyeol asked me.
It was a question of what happened to the one I chased after....
I spoke while slightly avoiding Dang Soyeol's eyes.
"He wouldn't really talk, so I cleaned it up moderately."
I mixed in a bit of the truth in my answer.
I burned him without leaving a trace.
Saying I killed him after trying this and that would be too much.
Saying I didn't kill him would be a useless lie, so I was honest about that much.
"Ah, I see."
Fortunately, Dang Soyeol didn't seem bothered at all upon hearing this.
"Hmmmm. I needed to get information...."
He rather seemed disappointed.
"I'll go next time, Young Master. I can do that kind of thing well now!"
"...Uh, y-yeah."
What do you mean by 'that kind of thing'...?
I wanted to ask the brightly shouting Dang Soyeol, but couldn't bring myself to.
That bastard the Dark King... just what had he taught Dang Soyeol?
What had he done to make the kid like this?
Getting stronger was good, but was this really a positive direction?
That doubt suddenly crossed my mind.
"Anyway...."
I shifted my gaze from Dang Soyeol and looked elsewhere.
The direction where Seong Yul had been standing with his sword.
"What the hell is that?"
I asked Seong Yul at the sight of something changed.
It had clearly been an ordinary alley with nothing there until just now.
A person was collapsed on top of it.
'Already dead?'
Dead, even.
At first I wondered if Seong Yul had killed him, but judging by the state, it seemed some time had passed.
Moreover.
"His face looks familiar?"
The corpse was a middle-aged man.
A face that seemed to have been seen somewhere.
Who is it?
I couldn't remember well.
I looked at the corpse and asked Seong Yul.
"What is this?"
"There was a formation."
I tilted my head at Seong Yul's answer.
"A formation?"
There had been a formation in this alley? Hearing that, I had to feel a strange sensation.
'Could what that bastard was watching have been a formation?'
I had wondered what that bastard looking here was seeing, but was he looking at a formation set up here?
If so, the story roughly made sense.
'Not me, and not targeting the Young Lady... this was certainly all there was.'
Moreover, a formation that even I couldn't easily grasp at my level.
If it was a formation that intricate, I could understand.
Though it was questionable why such a formation was used to hide a corpse.
"And how did you discover this?"
Seong Yul had sensed a formation that even I couldn't feel.
Moreover, I was a bit doubtful that he had dismantled such an intricate formation, so I asked.
To this, Seong Yul answered me indifferently.
"I felt something, so I cut it."
"..."
"And then it unraveled."
Seong Yul's words, as if asking what the problem was.
Hearing this, I thought.
...What can I say. It was an answer I'd heard somewhere before.
******************
After that, we returned to the merchant group immediately.
For reference, I left the corpse as is.
If I reported it there, I'd obviously get caught by the Alliance and interrogated.
Getting out was possible, but I didn't want to get entangled in such matters, so I only erased the traces moderately and left.
Of course, I'd told some people to keep watch, so if a problem arose, they'd contact me separately.
I hoped no unnecessary incidents would arise from today's events.
'Something seems to be happening.'
Something was definitely about to happen in Henan.
Incidents occurring wasn't anything special since it happened all the time.
What was important.
'Was what kind of influence it would have on me.'
No matter what happened, how the situation turned was important.
If it seemed harmful, I'd destroy it.
If it was helpful, I'd leave it be.
To do that, in the end.
'I need to find out what's going on.'
I needed to grasp the unfolding situation quickly.
Because that would make it easier to deal with.
With this, there were more than one or two things to look into.
It meant annoying and irritating matters were rushing in all at once.
Old Man Sim's matter, of course, and the Heavenly Demon's matter too.
The Martial Alliance's problem as well.
Was it because they were trying to do something grand beyond their station?
Already, irritating matters were piling up layer by layer.
Yeah, and it was already a busy time.
"Excuse me."
The Young Lady of the Ice Palace sitting in front spoke to me.
"Would it be alright if I married you?"
I spat out immediately upon hearing those words.
"What the hell is this crazy bitch saying."
I couldn't help myself.