Chapter 559:
Shin Gi-sua was glaring at Wei Yan-ho with murderous eyes. Receiving that gaze, Wei Yan-ho deflected Shin Gi-sua’s venom with an awkward smile.
“Hehe, it was an unavoidable situation, you understand, right?”
“Unavoidable?”
“It was an unavoidable situation. With that terrifying bishop right next to me, how could I rescue you? I had to create an opening.”
“Grrrrrr.”
His insides were bursting.
Shin Gi-sua was painfully realizing that people get angrier not when they hear wrong words, but when they hear correct words they can’t refute.
The words were right.
There was no one who could extract him from Sa-ma’s grasp. No one in the entire martial world. But Wei Yan-ho had done it. So he should applaud and say it was amazing, shed tears of gratitude for saving his life.
But…
“You, you damn brat! What do you mean ‘what’? ‘Incompetent’?”
“Hehe, well, how should I put it… let’s call it a distraction strategy?”
“Then you should insult Sa-ma, why are you insulting me! To make me angry?”
“It was killing two birds with one stone, you know. Anyway, the result was good.”
“Grrrrrr.”
Shin Gi-sua was a very practical person. That’s why he deeply despised the saying that process was more important than results. If the result wasn’t good, the process had no meaning. The process was only necessary to produce results. This was his usual philosophy.
But now, Shin Gi-sua was realizing why the process should be important.
In that sense, Wei Yan-ho could be called a great teacher giving Shin Gi-sua a profound lesson right now.
“Are you alright?”
Unable to watch any longer, Wei Jeong-han stepped forward to console Shin Gi-sua. When Shin Gi-sua looked at Wei Jeong-han, he grounded his teeth.
“You… damn brat, raised him really well. Really well…”
“Ahem.”
Wei Jeong-han coughed loudly and avoided Shin Gi-sua’s eyes.
‘Well, the results are always good though.’
Wei Yan-ho always produces good results. He’s someone who creates even unexpected results.
But the fact that the surrounding reactions are so extremely negative is truly peculiar… no, there’s nothing peculiar about it, it’s just unfortunate.
“Your body…”
“Enough!”
Shin Gi-sua violently waved his hand.
Although he was injured here and there, it wasn’t to the extent of being life-threatening.
‘One arm will be unusable for a while.’
The wounds on his torso didn’t reach the peritoneum, so they would heal adequately, but the wound on his left arm was the problem. With the bone cracked and all the muscles severed, his range of motion would be narrow for some time.
“As for me, as long as my head isn’t damaged, I’m still useful, so it doesn’t matter. As long as I don’t die. But…”
When Shin Gi-sua whipped his head around to glare, Wei Yan-ho whistled while looking at the distant sky.
“I’m… sorry for being incompetent!”
“Hehe, don’t mention it.”
“Grrrrrr.”
Shin Gi-sua made dying sounds at Wei Yan-ho’s teasing. The more he dealt with him, the more his insides turned upside down.
“Must you torment people like that?”
“Ay, that’s how those gentlemen let their guard down.”
“It seemed like there was a lot of sincerity mixed in though?”
“You have to mix lies within sincerity to fool people.”
“Damn it…”
How well that mouth of his works.
‘I should stop talking.’
Knowing better than anyone that getting entangled with Wei Yan-ho only leads to losses, why does he keep inviting trouble?
Shin Gi-sua turned his gaze to Wei Jeong-han, realizing the great gap between knowing something in his head and putting it into practice.
“How did you get here? Did you get information in advance?”
“No. Just…”
Wei Jeong-han pointed at Wei Yan-ho with his eyes.
“While heading to Wuhan, he said we should drop by to see how the situation was developing.”
“…Yan-ho?”
“Yes.”
“That…”
Shin Gi-sua closed his eyes tightly.
‘My life was saved.’
According to Wei Jeong-han’s words, it was no different from Wei Yan-ho’s whim that saved his life. Thanks to that damn brat stopping by Luoyang, where there was no particular need to stop, he was able to escape this crisis.
But why does this make his heart burst with frustration, when he should be grateful instead?
“Grrrrrr.”
That bastard has a talent for turning people into petty individuals. Even knowing he should express gratitude, he absolutely didn’t want to say those words.
Moreover, what kind of gratitude should he express?
‘Thanks to your thoughtless decision to stop by our headquarters, I escaped death. I’m grateful for that thoughtlessness?’
What kind of…
Fortunately, a situation where Shin Gi-sua had to thank Wei Yan-ho didn’t arise. Because someone more furious than Shin Gi-sua existed here.
“These damn bastards!”
Suddenly, Sa-ma, who had been treated like a borrowed barley sack, exploded with rage from head to toe and screamed.
“How many lives do you bastards seem to have! How dare…”
But Wei Yan-ho was calm.
“Why is that old man acting like that?”
The reactions that came back were equally positive.
“He has reason to be angry.”
“If it were me, I would have bitten my tongue.”
“Honestly, I sympathize with him as a human being.”
From Sa-ma’s perspective, could there be anything more absurd than this?
Shin Gi-sua glanced at Sa-ma and quietly said to Wei Yan-ho.
“Can you capture that demon head?”
“Alive?”
“Where would there be any use for capturing him alive? Can you kill him?”
“It’s ambiguous…”
Wei Yan-ho smacked his lips.
“I could manage one somehow, but there’s another one, so it’s a bit troublesome.”
“What if we help?”
“It would be fortunate if you don’t get in the way.”
“…”
Wei Yan-ho was cold.
“It’s not a level where numbers can solve anything. And that gentleman, just looking at him, he seems strong.”
“That would be right. In the past, countless people died because of the Poison Demon. Unless the Poison King comes personally, it won’t be easy to face him. Even the Poison King can only match him at best, it would be difficult to handle that bastard.”
“Yes. That’s… yes? What did you say?”
At Wei Yan-ho’s reaction, Shin Gi-sua frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“No. What did you say that gentleman’s name was?”
“Who? The Poison Demon?”
Wei Yan-ho’s ears perked up at the mention of Poison Demon.
“That gentleman uses poison?”
“That’s right. He’s the greatest master of poison arts in the Demonic Cult.”
“Hooo, is that so?”
The corners of Wei Yan-ho’s mouth curved upward.
“Then it’s doable.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks to Grandfather Poison King, I’ve built up some immunity. Poison arts are easy to deal with.”
Even dog shit has its uses in medicine.
Wei Yan-ho smacked his lips.
What kind of taste would that gentleman’s poison have?
“So I just need to catch those two old men?”
“Can you really do it?”
“Actually, well, it’s not time to debate whether I can do it or not. I can’t run away, and if I leave them alone, it’ll be chaos.”
“Hmm…”
Unexpectedly, Wei Yan-ho was looking at the situation coldly.
‘No matter what, the Poison Demon absolutely cannot be let loose.’
Given the Poison Demon’s nature of using poison, if he were allowed to roam freely through the Central Plains, terrible damage would occur. They had to be captured here without fail.
“It won’t be easy, but please. Right now, you’re the only one I can trust.”
“I’ve been hearing that phrase too often lately.”
Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, it’s also true that capable people have to work accordingly, so it can’t be helped.”
“Grrrrrr.”
Shin Gi-sua made groaning sounds.
If only they could sew up that bastard’s mouth, he would really be trustworthy, but seeing him made one realize that the mouth is the root of all evil.
Regardless, Wei Yan-ho strutted forward arrogantly.
Seeing this scene, Sa-ma’s face contorted.
“This bastard…”
Every movement, every expression seemed to mock him. No, it wasn’t just a feeling. Right now, Wei Yan-ho was clearly ignoring him.
Sa-ma was feeling the quiet rage seeping from within himself.
Who was he?
A bishop of the Demonic Cult.
The Demonic Cult, whose name alone made Central Plains people convulse in fear. Even within that organization, only those who had climbed to the highest positions could obtain the glorious title of bishop.
Wasn’t bishop a position that even demon cultists feared?
He had never been treated like this in his entire life. Especially not by some Central Plains person.
‘Huuu.’
Sa-ma took a deep breath and controlled his mind.
Though his heart wanted to immediately sever that bastard’s neck…
Someone who looked down on opponents due to excitement could never rise to the lofty position of bishop. Even within the rage dominating his body, Sa-ma’s eyes were sinking colder than ever.
‘Not to be underestimated.’
He had already witnessed Wei Yan-ho’s skill.
That young bastard’s sword was too strong and too sharp for his age. If he left even the slightest opening, his own neck wouldn’t be safe either.
‘Mad Demon, that bastard rated him higher than expected.’
Mad Soul Demonic Emperor had evaluated that Wei Yan-ho possessed bishop-level martial prowess. More precisely, he said that right now he didn’t quite reach bishop level, but it wouldn’t be strange at all if he were equal to a bishop the next time they met.
An ambiguous evaluation.
Even though they held the same bishop position, each bishop’s martial prowess was different. Then what exactly was bishop-level martial prowess?
Sa-ma licked his lips.
Sa-ma didn’t need to verify that now. What he had to do wasn’t evaluate Wei Yan-ho’s martial prowess, but eliminate him for certain.
‘Terrifying growth rate, and that audacity, that composure… That bastard is definitely dangerous.’
His martial prowess was certainly threatening, but even more threatening than that was that bastard’s personality.
Displaying all of one’s abilities in actual combat was difficult even for battle-hardened veterans. The tension of real combat stiffens the body and dulls the mind. If one could display even seventy percent of their abilities in real combat, they could be evaluated as a skilled martial artist.
But what about Wei Yan-ho?
‘He’s overflowing with composure.’
There was no sign of tension to be found. Even now, facing himself and the Poison Demon. Even in a situation where he had to face two bishops of the Demonic Cult, Wei Yan-ho was maintaining his composure as if he had come for a stroll in the back mountains.
Having ability doesn’t necessarily create composure. This was a matter of nature.
Rapidly growing ability, and the sense to perfectly display that ability in real combat.
‘Dangerous.’
This bastard was truly dangerous. Perhaps he might become the greatest obstacle to their grand plan. How absurd it was to have such thoughts while looking at this young child.
But he couldn’t ignore the existence before his eyes.
“Saving Shin Gi-sua from my hands was remarkable. I acknowledge it. You are an impressive bastard.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
“…”
Watching Wei Yan-ho genuinely rejoice, Sa-ma let out a hollow laugh.
‘An unpredictable bastard.’
Strong people usually have gravitas. But from Wei Yan-ho, not even a penny’s worth of such gravitas could be felt. It was peculiar if peculiar, remarkable if remarkable.
“But…”
“Yes. Now you’re going to kill me?”
“…Huh?”
“Or will you make me regret it? Make me consider meeting you today as misfortune? Or tell the King of Hell that I sent you?”
“…”
Wei Yan-ho sighed.
“Why don’t the old men in this neighborhood have any creativity? I’d like to hear something different.”
Srrrrring.
Wei Yan-ho drew his White Sword.
Then he smiled brightly and said.
“Since I can’t expect anything different from you old men, I’ll have to show you something different. Look forward to it. It’ll really be different.”
The White Sword receiving sunlight emitted a dazzling light.
