A luxury banquet hall located on the fourth floor of the Feast Pavilion.
One man sat in front of a table filled with all kinds of exquisite delicacies.
He appeared to be in his mid-forties. His sharp eyes stood out, just as much as his gaunt appearance. However, the man did not even glance at the food.
He merely sipped his drink with a bored expression.
Just then, the door opened, and someone entered the banquet hall.
It was a *gisaeng* (courtesan), appearing to be around twenty, holding a *gayageum* (traditional Korean zither-like instrument).
She was a woman whose natural beauty couldn't be concealed even by heavy makeup.
The man, who had been looking drowsy, suddenly had a change in his gaze.
As she gracefully bowed as if about to take flight, the man swallowed hard.
His eyes, sticky with lust, roamed over her body.
His gaze, which had been trailing down her long, slender neck, momentarily paused at her provocatively rising chest, and then slowly swept down to her shapely waist and voluptuous hips.
Her seductive figure was matched by an equally alluring atmosphere.
Yet within that, there was an indescribable air of elegance.
'She's absolutely stunning!'
Neung So-mil couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim.
This was precisely the reason he had come to Feast Pavilion today.
Sensing Neung So-mil’s gaze, the woman gently curled her lips into a smile.
Though it was just that, Neung So-mil felt his heart pounding.
'She’s truly a masterpiece!'
Trying to conceal his expression, Neung So-mil let out a small cough.
"Today, I’ll receive your hundredth drink. The promise you made, to spend the night with me after all hundred were completed, still stands, right?"
At Neung So-mil’s words, the gisaeng, Ye Wol-hyang, blushed slightly.
"Of course. By tomorrow, I too will be heading back to my hometown. I will happily spend my last night here in your company."
Ye Wol-hyang sat gracefully next to Neung So-mil. Neung So-mil naturally wrapped his arm around Ye Wol-hyang's waist.
"The night is long, so there's no need to rush."
Ye Wol-hyang gently pushed Neung So-mil's hand away, as if embarrassed.
But even this gesture seemed like a seductive tease that melted his heart.
Just then, Ye Wol-hyang let out a small exclamation.
"Ah!"
She pulled something out from her bosom and held it out in front of Neung So-mil.
"The chief asked me to deliver this letter to you."
"All of a sudden?"
"A beggar boy brought it, clearly calling out your name."
"Do you think I care about a letter right now..."
Neung So-mil trailed off.
It was because of the writing on the letter.
"Blood" (è¡€).
There was nothing else—just a single hastily scrawled word. But the handwriting was familiar.
'What the hell!'
Neung So-mil’s eyes trembled violently.
'I heard he was dead!'
Ye Wol-hyang tilted her head, noticing how visibly tense Neung So-mil had become.
"Sir?"
"Hah, this is driving me crazy."
Neung So-mil, who had been wandering aimlessly for a long time, finally let out a deep sigh as if the ground was sinking beneath him.
Enjoying life's pleasures and romance was fine, but first and foremost, survival came before anything else.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back. Ah! Damn it! That's not a place you can just pop over to!"
Recalling the meeting place, Neung So-mil cursed aloud.
For a moment, he seriously considered ignoring the letter. But that thought didn’t last long.
"No way. That crazy man won't let it slide…."
If this went wrong, the new information house he ran would certainly be reduced to ruins, and he himself wouldn’t survive.
Neung So-mil left the gisaeng house and immediately used his lightfoot technique to speed away. However, he couldn't suppress the frustration welling up inside him.
"Why did it have to be today of all days!"
He ran non-stop for two hours, finally arriving at an abandoned temple far beyond Nanju.
Panting heavily, Neung So-mil stepped inside the temple.
The place was engulfed in thick darkness, and there was no sign of life.
Neung So-mil looked around with a bewildered expression.
It was at that moment that a pair of eyes opened in the darkness.
"…!"
A chill ran down Neung So-mil's spine.
Eyes as cold as ice.
That chilling gaze pushed back the darkness.
That was all, but in an instant, the seemingly empty temple felt completely filled.
An overwhelming pressure dominated the surrounding space.
It was an intense presence that only someone who had the world under their feet could exude.
'Damn!'
In despair, Neung So-mil tightly shut his eyes.
Deep within his heart.
A distinctive gaze that stimulates a primal fear.
It wasn’t that the other was emitting a killing intent or an overwhelming aura, but Neung So-mil froze in place.
It was undoubtedly the Blood Demon whom they thought was dead.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never erase that gaze from his memory.
Neung So-mil struggled to suppress the creeping fear that was welling up inside him.
Then, forcing a smile, he opened his mouth.
"Seems like rumors in the martial world can't be trusted after all."
After starting the conversation, Neung So-mil carefully observed Cho Ak-ryang.
"I heard you perished along with the top martial artists of the Murim Alliance."
Cho Ak-ryang remained silent.
On the other hand, Neung So-mil felt his insides burning with anxiety. Cho Ak-ryang's silence felt ominous.
‘How in the world did he escape?’
It was the inescapable trap laid out by the Murim Alliance, no less.
It even included the elder of the Namgung family, the leader of the Arhat Hall from Shaolin, and the head of the Sichuan Tang family...
In other words, nearly a third of the Murim Alliance’s total forces had been sacrificed.
That’s why they had believed the announcement from the Murim Alliance that it had been a mutual destruction.
Yet, no matter how closely he observed Cho Ak-ryang, there was no trace of any injury on him.
‘This doesn’t make sense.’
He didn't want to believe it, but there was no choice.
There was no other explanation for the overwhelming presence before him now.
Neung So-mil glanced outside the temple. Dawn was beginning to break in the distance.
His sense of urgency grew naturally.
"What business do you have with me?"
Neung So-mil was getting anxious as Cho Ak-ryang maintained his silence.
"Are you perhaps here to ask about information regarding the Murim Alliance's operation to hunt down the Ten Great Evils?"
Still, no answer.
Neung So-mil clenched his teeth.
At this rate, staying up all night wouldn't be enough.
‘Forget it, whatever happens, happens.’
Resigning himself to the situation, Neung So-mil spoke up.
"My desire to be of help to you remains unchanged, but please understand that I am also responsible for our sect."
Carefully watching Cho Ak-ryang's reaction, Neung So-mil continued.
"Moreover, this matter involves the Murim Alliance, which means the risks to our sect are enormous. Therefore, providing information is..."
At that moment.
Cho Ak-ryang finally spoke for the first time.
"Is that all?"
"...?"
While Neung So-mil stood puzzled at those cryptic words, Cho Ak-ryang spoke again.
"If it were me, I would leave behind something more convincing."
"Excuse me?"
"For a final will, it's too unimpressive."
With those words, Cho Ak-ryang gave a cold, white smile.
Neung So-mil felt a chill in his chest.
'Damn it!'
The seasoned warrior’s instinct, which had helped him survive countless crises, was ringing alarm bells furiously.
And sure enough.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze abruptly, and an overwhelming pressure crushed his chest, making it hard to breathe.
It was then that he noticed Cho Ak-ryang slowly raising his hand.
"…!"
Neung So-mil was stunned.
Cho Ak-ryang was simply pointing at him with his hand. That was all, but the despair that followed was crushing.
Trembling uncontrollably where he stood, Neung So-mil collapsed on the spot.
"Please spare me!"
But no response came.
Even after some time had passed, Neung So-mil did not dare raise his head. He could still feel the gaze piercing the back of his head like a dagger.
Drip, drip.
Cold sweat, pouring like rain, ran down the bridge of his nose and dripped onto the floor.
How much time had passed like this?
"How many did you lose?"
"Sorry?"
Instinctively responding, Neung So-mil hurriedly opened his mouth.
"Six, sir!"
Cho Ak-ryang smiled faintly at Neung So-mil’s quick response. But Neung So-mil knew better than to relax.
He knew the person before him better than anyone.
One wrong word could send him straight to the afterlife.
He had seen countless times before that something unimaginably dangerous lurked behind that smile.
Neung So-mil began to divulge all the information he knew related to the eradication of the Ten Great Evils by the Murim Alliance.
"…That's all I know."
After Neung So-mil’s explanation, which lasted for about an hour, Cho Ak-ryang posed a question.
"Why only three?"
According to what he had mentioned, the Murim Alliance had announced that they had executed seven of the Ten Great Evils.
However, since he himself was still alive, that meant only six had died.
The numbers didn’t add up. There should be one more survivor.
Neung So-mil quickly answered.
"One of them surrendered to the Murim Alliance."
Upon hearing this, Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
Excluding himself, the remaining survivors of the Ten Great Evils were Beom Gye-wi, Noklim's chief enforcer Ak Ho-gun, and No Dan-yang, also known as the Seven-Deadly Demon Lord.
For now, Beom Gye-wi was not relevant.
And Noklim’s chief enforcer wasn’t either. That greedy bastard would never hand over the Noklim Eighteen Strongholds to the Murim Alliance.
That left only one person.
'The Seven-Deadly Demon Lord.'
It was hard to believe that someone as stubborn as him would surrender to the orthodox factions.
Neung So-mil nodded.
"I heard he’s personally leading the Passa Brigade."
The Passa Brigade, one of the four organizations that supported the Murim Alliance, was a squad specializing in hunting down and exterminating the remnants of enemies.
Cho Ak-ryang fell into deep thought.
For a moment, he remained silent.
Cho Ak-ryang stared at Neung So-mil.
“I have clearer grudges and debts than anyone.”
Gulp.
Neung So-mil swallowed his dry saliva. He wasn’t foolish enough to not understand the meaning behind those words.
“I will be the only one who knows about today’s meeting with Blood Demon. No...”
Neung So-mil quickly shook his head.
“I will erase it from my memory entirely.”
Cho Ak-ryang smiled faintly.
“We'll meet again.”
With that, Cho Ak-ryang passed by Neung So-mil and disappeared beyond the rising sunlight.
Left alone, Neung So-mil tightly closed his eyes.
“Phew.”
Feeling a sense of relief at having survived, Neung So-mil lay flat on the ground and gazed at the sky.
It was already daylight, and it was time to face the sun directly. As the feeling of relief washed over him, a forgotten thought suddenly came back.
“Wol-hyang!”
Neung So-mil cried out pitifully.
All the time and effort he had poured into a dreamlike night vanished, like a midsummer night's dream.
* * *
Dan Ak-seon was enjoying a rare moment of peace.
However, less than a day had passed when a sense of loneliness crept in.
He had thought he was used to being alone, but he already missed the bustling atmosphere.
The absence of the two was strongly felt.
"Should I visit the village?"
Just then, the herbs the owner of the herbal shop had requested were ready. Dan Ak-seon loaded the dried herbs onto a cart and set off from Shinmagok.
Walking along the quiet mountain path, he thought of Beom Gye-wi.
"If he were here, we would have arrived by now."
Beom Gye-wi, always boasting as he demonstrated his light-footed martial arts skills.
The thought of him brought a smile to his face.
Meanwhile, he was also worried about Cho Ak-ryang, who had not yet recovered his martial arts.
"Hopefully, nothing has happened to him."
Not long ago, the warriors of the Murim Alliance whom he'd encountered at the herbal shop kept bothering his mind.
Lost in such thoughts, half the day had passed by the time he arrived at the village.
"Hello, oh?"
Dan Ak-seon’s eyes widened as he stepped into the herbal shop.
It was because he had run into an unexpected person.
A man in his late forties, perhaps. He had a neat appearance and a calm gaze that left a strong impression.
The man noticed Dan Ak-seon and greeted him with a gentle smile.
Meanwhile, Dan Ak-seon turned his head to look at the owner of the herbal shop.
His gaze, filled with reproach, made the shop owner jump in protest.
"It's not me! I swear! I have no idea how this man found out and came here..."
The man, a middle-aged figure.
Pung Jin-seong, the head of the Pung family, smiled warmly and approached Dan Ak-seon.
"Have you been well, Sogokju*?" (T/N: Roughly translates to 'young master of the medicine valley'.)
At his polite greeting, Dan Ak-seon let out a quiet sigh.
