Chapter 170. I Have Pride Too.

After sending Byeokgeom away, I sank into thought alone.

My anger surged as if I were climbing to the summit of Mount Tai with qinggong without stopping once.

What the hell was the problem?

My martial arts were growing stronger at a rapid pace, I had plenty of subordinates, and I had plenty of money.

The problem was that the emotion called anger was still there. At this rate, by the time I reached the days of the Mad Demon who had leapt from Ten-Thousand-Zhang Cliff, I had the feeling that all the hair on my head would have fallen out before I knew it.

It would be a futile and empty affair.

I thought by myself, swallowed my anger by myself, laughed by myself, and then realized that my condition was not normal.

‘Ah, this is dangerous. I should throw a fit.’

If someone else saw me right now, it would look like I was sitting there with a silently enraged expression, then suddenly snickering to myself.

There was no madman more mad than that.

I decided it was better to take my anger out on someone else than to go mad by myself like this.

I slapped myself hard across the cheek, then shouted outside.

“Tell Master Yukgap to come in. Tell him to stop screwing around and hurry up.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Since So Gunpyeong and Cha Seongtae had been with me for quite a while now, I couldn’t suddenly chew them out for no reason.

The Ghost Demon from my previous life, Master Yukhap, appeared with his hands clasped behind his back and asked me.

“You called?”

While imagining myself beating Master Yukhap to a pulp, I jerked my chin toward the seat beside me.

“Sit down. Yukgap.”

“……”

“After freeloading at the Black Cat Gang all this time, what thoughts have crossed your mind?”

Master Yukhap sat down and glared at me.

“……”

“You useless piece of trash with nothing to do, I asked what thoughts crossed your mind. Answer me.”

Master Yukhap let out a sigh, then answered.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Wrong. You must have been resisting the internal energy dispersing poison little by little. You must have been enduring day by day, thinking you’d recover your internal energy, run away, completely restore your martial arts, and then come back to take revenge on me. Am I wrong?”

Master Yukhap glared at me from the corner of his eye and replied in a sunken tone.

“You’re right. You know quite well. You see right through my heart. That was what I intended.”

I looked at Master Yukhap with a smile.

“With your current skills, is revenge on me possible?”

Master Yukhap must have been getting angrier by the moment, because he answered with a smile too.

“I thought I could live quite well on vengeance alone for three or four years. Wouldn’t that be enough to catch up?”

“Is that so?”

I suddenly shouted toward the outside of the main hall.

“Cha Seongtae!”

As I swept my hair back, killing intent filled me all the way to the crown of my head, but I forced myself to endure it. Cha Seongtae arrived with a clatter and asked.

“Did you call?”

“Bring all the antidote.”

“Understood.”

Only after my temper flared did I understand, to some extent, why I was so furious. What I had done to Master Yukhap was almost no different from what those Demonic Path bastards did.

Was that why? Right now, I was angry at the Demonic Path, angry at Master Yukhap, and angry at myself as well.

Cha Seongtae ran back with the antidote he had received from So Gunpyeong and stood beside me.

“Here it is.”

I snatched up the antidote as if tearing it from him and set it down on the table.

“Yukgap.”

“Speak.”

“Take it and eat every last bit. You’re useless because you’re always playing petty tricks. Does that mean you’re useful in the jianghu? No. Then have you embraced some great ambition like a real man? Not that either. You’re just a piece of trash whose martial arts happen to be a little strong. I have to go outside now and fight those cursed bastards of the Demonic Path in a battle of killing and being killed, but if a man like you remains in the Black Cat Gang, it’ll only make me feel uncomfortable.”

Master Yukhap narrowed his brow and asked me.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Why am I acting like this? Shall I kill you? No. I have pride too. I shouldn’t feed a man poison, weaken him, and then easily beat him to death. Yes, you recover fully and come at me. That’s the right way.”

Perhaps because I had shouted several times, the officers had gathered outside and were looking into the main hall.

I glared at Master Yukhap.

“This is the kind of man I was from the start. A man who wavers back and forth. These days, especially, I’m sick to death of jianghu people like you. I feel disillusionment and hatred at the same time. Of course, I live in the jianghu too, so that includes me. Disappear from my sight before I smash your head open right here.”

Master Yukhap looked at me, then tucked the antidote into his clothes.

I said.

“Come find me once your internal energy has fully recovered. When that time comes, I’ll tear you apart and kill you for sure. You must have some pride too, so surely you won’t just hide like a rat. I’ll be waiting.”

Master Yukhap quietly rose and looked at me.

“Don’t die before then.”

“Ah, of course. And when you come to settle things with me, bring all those insect bastards with you too. I’ll tear every one of them apart and lay them nicely on top of your corpse.”

Master Yukhap nodded.

“I will.”

Only then did I feel a little relieved.

This is the kind of person I originally am. I had done something that didn’t suit me at all, feeding him poison and making a fuss about keeping him alive, so every time I thought of Master Yukhap, I had kept feeling unpleasantly unsettled.

I should have torn him to death when we first fought, but this happened because the martial prowess of the Ghost Demon from my previous life was too much of a waste.

The Ghost Demon was never someone I could keep under my wing in the first place.

Either my vessel had to be larger, or my martial arts had to be far stronger.

But beating to death a man who had not recovered his internal energy was also something my temperament would not permit.

Because I was in a rage, my subordinates opened a path without saying a word and let Master Yukhap leave.

Cha Seongtae closed the main hall doors, then approached and said.

“Sect Leader, why are you so angry today of all days?”

“Good question.”

Cha Seongtae sat in silence for a moment, then asked me in casual speech.

“What the hell happened? I’ve never seen you this angry before.”

I looked at Cha Seongtae, then answered.

“……The Demonic Path people I got tangled up with this time were feeding poison to jianghu people and using them. It’s exactly the same as what I did to Master Yukhap. I should’ve just killed him. Now I only feel unpleasant.”

Cha Seongtae crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling.

“Hmm, so that happened. Are they strong? That Demonic Path faction.”

“They’re the maternal family of the Demonic Cult Leader’s son, so they must be strong.”

“Ah… if it’s the Demonic Cult Leader’s son, killing him is a problem. Not killing him is a problem too.”

A knock, knock, knock sounded at the main hall, and So Gunpyeong showed his face.

“Sect Leader, may I come in?”

“Come in.”

The door to the main hall opened, and So Gunpyeong quietly came in. As he took his seat, he spoke as if in passing.

“Master Hoyeon went out to see him off. It seems the two of them grew a little close.”

I had a rough idea what he meant, but I didn’t particularly react.

“I see.”

So Gunpyeong asked me the exact same question Cha Seongtae had.

“Sect Leader, why are you so angry today?”

“Do I look that way?”

“Yes.”

Just as I had with Master Yukhap, I spoke honestly to these bastards as well.

“I’m angry because all of you are such useless idiots. I’m angry because I’m an idiot too. Even if I wanted to take you somewhere and fight alongside you, you’re still not strong enough to be considered fighting strength. The truth is, every one of you is weaker than Master Yukhap. If someone’s martial arts are strong, they’ve got that kind of rotten character. And the bastards I’m supposed to call my subordinates look like they’d all die the moment I took them out with me. One way or another, I’m angry at myself too…… That’s the state I’m in right now.”

So Gunpyeong answered with a heated expression.

“Just where are you planning to fight that you say such things? We train because we intend to fight too, not because we want to be protected by you like little brats while going through this kind of training every single day.”

So Gunpyeong was losing his temper with me as well.

I nodded.

“The Demonic Cult’s Third Young Master, and his maternal clan.”

The moment the Demonic Cult was mentioned, the main hall fell silent. So Gunpyeong let out a sigh and said,

“Sect Leader.”

“What?”

“Do you think every single person in their force, from the lowest grunt to their leader, is strong? That won’t be the case. Leaders fight leaders. Those in the middle fight those in the middle. The low-ranked clash with the low-ranked, and if they’re weak, they die—isn’t that the martial world? And if the fight between the leaders is decided in the meantime, it wouldn’t be strange for one side to be wiped out.”

“If they were bastards with that much romance and pride, I wouldn’t even be angry. The Demonic Way isn’t like that.”

Suddenly, sensing presences in the main hall, I asked,

“What? Why didn’t you two leave?”

As soon as I finished speaking, the door opened, and Hoyeon Cheong and Master Yukhap looked at me. Hoyeon Cheong glanced at Master Yukhap, then said to me,

“I don’t know. Master Yukhap turned back halfway.”

Master Yukhap took the antidote I had given him out of his robe, tossed one into his mouth, and said,

“Sect Leader, who are you fighting?”

“Why?”

Master Yukhap let out a long sigh before speaking.

“I keep getting angry, but I have nowhere to vent it.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry. I’ll challenge you later. This time, I’d like to join the Hao Sect and try fighting a bit. If you dislike the idea of me joining, then there’s nothing to be done. From what I heard from Master Hoyeon, it seems you’ll be fighting the Demonic Way.”

I was about to ask Master Yukhap how I was supposed to trust him, but swallowed the words back down.

In any case, if I trusted him, I could make use of the martial strength of the Ghost Demon from my previous life.

And if the Ghost Demon from my previous life betrayed me, things would merely become a little more troublesome.

The problem was that I was already in a situation troublesome enough for my hair to fall out on its own.

I didn’t want to request help from the Murim Alliance.

Nor did I like the idea of calling the Sword Demon or the Lecherous Demon.

Because this was something I had to shoulder together with the Hao Sect, and Im Sobaek, the Sword Demon, and the Lecherous Demon each had problems in their own lives that they had to bear.

I absolutely hated being indebted to someone every time things got difficult.

In truth, I had planned to get furious at my subordinates here, lose my temper on my own, and run straight to Uhyang Valley first. I intended to go there, beat the Uhyang Valley Lord to a pulp, and then, whether I waited and tortured the White-Faced Young Master or not, move alone.

If the Ghost Demon from my previous life joined me, would the difficulty rise, or would it fall?

“Hey, Master Yukhap.”

“Speak.”

“Rest today. Tomorrow, the two of us will have to storm in.”

I revealed my condition honestly to those present.

“Because I’m one step away from going mad right now. I’m going to sleep until tomorrow. Don’t wake me. Ah, of course, if any bastards come attacking, I’ll wake up on my own…….”

I stood up and waved my hand at my subordinates and Master Yukhap.

“Dismissed.”

So Gunpyeong cut in.

“You’re saying you’ll go with only two people?”

“So Gunpyeong, don’t get ahead of yourself. If you’re pissed off, train. I can tell your skill level just by looking at you. If you’re not skilled, don’t act up. Got it? I’m not keeping you around so I can shove you into certain death. I believe that you’ll hone your skills and someday fight by my side, but that day isn’t today. Of course, it isn’t tomorrow either.”

“Sect Leader, even so, Master Yukhap is…….”

Since So Gunpyeong seemed especially angry at me today, I instead spoke calmly.

“So Gunpyeong. Hall Master So. Gunpyeong.”

“Yes.”

“Master Yukhap is ten times stronger than you. If I go somewhere and die, make sure you all lead the Hao Sect well. However, if something really does happen to me, then every enemy there will be dead too.”

I pointed at Master Yukhap with my finger.

“Of course, even if that bastard Yukhap betrays me, I’ll drag him to hell with me too. I’m going to sleep.”

As I headed to my room, I stripped off the outer robe I was wearing and threw it aside. Time was precious, so I intended to sleep quickly. By the time I opened the door to my room, my clothes were already completely loosened. After driving the Flash Dagger into the right post of the bed, I collapsed and closed my eyes.

In an instant, I forgot everything.

I shook off my thoughts and erased my worries.

After draining every bit of strength from my face and body, arms and legs, abdomen, toes, and fingers, I passed out in a defenseless state. Black sleep came surging in like waves, covered my consciousness, and then set sail across the heaving sea of oblivion.

.

.

.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I grabbed the Flash Dagger and looked out the window. Judging by the blazing sun, I seemed to have slept quite a while. When I suddenly looked around the room, my clothes were scattered everywhere.

I picked them up one by one and put them on as I came to my senses.

Just how long had I slept?

Suddenly thirsty, I tried to open the door and go out, but it caught on something and wouldn’t move. Sensing a presence, I pushed the door open as it was and went out……

There, I saw a subordinate from the Black Cat Gang blinking his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, Sect Leader. You’re awake?”

When I looked left and right outside, my subordinates were sleeping while leaning against the corridor wall.

“What the hell? What are these bastards doing?”

“We were standing guard.”

“What kind of guard duty needs dozens of people?”

“Hall Master So said that if we had no skill, we should make up for it with our bodies, so we stayed like this.”

I nodded, then lightly kicked one of the bastards still sleeping and said,

“Move aside a bit. You bastards, are you standing guard, or did you come here to sprawl out and sleep? Everyone, get up…….”

Only then did the bastards who had been sleeping against the wall start waking up one by one and greet me.

“You’re awake?”

“Yeah. Looks like you slept better than I did. Wipe off your drool.”

“Yes, sir.”

I made my way down the corridor and looked at the men who had been standing guard.

“So, how long did I sleep?”

“Exactly two days and another half day, sir.”

I waved a hand and said,

“Rest.”

It seemed I had slept an absurdly long time. Since I hadn’t dreamed, I had no memory of it at all. All that remained was the memory of how furious I had been with my subordinates before I fell asleep.

I left the main hall and looked at Master Yukhab, who was sitting cross-legged beneath the plum tree.

“Yukhab.”

Master Yukhab opened his eyes and asked me,

“Sect Leader, are you ready?”

I nodded, then walked along the central road of the Black Cat Gang.

“Let’s go.”

The Ghost Demon from my previous life rose silently and fell in behind me. As I was heading toward the inner compound, something suddenly occurred to me, so I asked him,

“What about the Energy-Scattering Poison?”

If two days had passed since I handed over all the antidotes, there ought to have been some results.

The Ghost Demon from my previous life answered,

“In truth, it seems Master Murong had been fairly busy, so he hadn’t been administering the Energy-Scattering Poison on schedule. You could say it’s been resolved to some extent. Giving everyone the antidote the day before yesterday helped as well.”

All at once, several thoughts crossed my mind, and as something occurred to me, I looked at Master Hoyeon. Hoyeon Cheong bowed his head slightly toward me.

“Sect Leader, have a safe trip.”

Come to think of it, I was never the sort of man who could take in the Ghost Demon from my previous life to begin with. I figured Hoyeon Cheong, rather than I, must have changed his mind to some degree. How he did it was none of my concern.

As I passed Hoyeon Cheong, I said,

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes, sir.”