Chapter 392: The Stratagem of Two Tigers Competing for Prey (1)
“Then, I will deceive the Greatest Sword Under Heaven and Yu Maelim and head toward Yong Hwarin. Great Young Master, please follow from a distance.”
“You think they’ll fall for it?”
“They currently trust me to a certain extent.”
At last, Ok Kirin grinned, revealing his white teeth.
His temper had flared from failing to take the junior sister, but as things started progressing favorably, that rage vanished as if washed away.
Yang Gwak looked uneasily at Eum Sajeok.
He had the unsettling thought that they might just end up cooking porridge only to serve it to a dog.
Noticing this, the Demonic Master smiled at Yang Gwak.
—Senior Brother, the Great Young Master will suffer an irrecoverable blow from this. Trust me.
Only then did Yang Gwak find comfort in the thought that his junior might actually be setting a trap.
Once Ok Kirin and his subordinates disappeared into the distance, the Demonic Master returned to the medical room.
As expected, they had not fled and were still waiting.
As the Demonic Master stepped inside, Jo Wonmuk spoke in a cold voice.
“You’d better give a proper explanation. Otherwise, you’ll die right here. Those who just came weren’t ordinary men. I sensed killing intent from them. Judging by that, they clearly came to kill us. And yet, you sent them away with just words? What exactly are you?”
Though Jo Wonmuk was poisoned, the Demonic Master knew full well that he was not someone he could deal with casually.
Even if he had acquired the power of the Three Gaps, he could not avoid Jo Wonmuk’s Sword Unification.
Exhausted from persuading Ok Kirin, the Demonic Master now found himself in another deadlock, and irritation welled up from within.
‘Damn it, what kind of mess is this?’
Had it been up to his usual temperament, he would’ve flipped the table already, but now was not the time for that.
‘Having something to protect sure is a pain.’
He let out a bitter smile inwardly and hurled curses at Yong Hwarin in his head.
Then, he calmly began to explain.
“In truth, I am a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect.”
The person most shocked by this was Yu Maelim.
Up until now, she had believed the Demonic Master to be part of Yong Hwarin’s group, but now he was claiming to be an enemy of Yong Hwarin—it left her dumbfounded.
“I’ve been such a fool.”
As Yu Maelim sighed, Jo Wonmuk responded.
“I didn’t doubt him either, so it’s the same. Don’t blame yourself too much.”
Jo Wonmuk then turned his gaze to the Demonic Master and asked,
“Then why are you telling us this so willingly? Are you waiting for an opening to strike?”
The Demonic Master shook his head.
“No. I sent them away to lead the Great Hero to Young Master Yong. They will follow us from a distance.”
Jo Wonmuk rose with sword in hand.
“Then it’s time to settle things here.”
The Demonic Master shook his head once more.
“You may not believe it, but I infiltrated the Heavenly Demon Sect as Yong Hwarin’s spy.”
“What?”
“Don’t speak such nonsense!”
“I used Yong Hwarin’s name as an excuse to stop them from attacking you two.”
“That sounds more like a plan to capture us and Young Master Yong all at once.”
“That’s what I told them, yes. But the truth is, it was a setup to trap them.”
Jo Wonmuk’s voice brimmed with killing intent.
“Prove it. If you can’t convince me, you’ll die here.”
The Demonic Master pondered how he might prove himself.
Then he spotted the Azure Messenger Rat staring down at him from atop a rafter in the medical room.
It was the same rat he had sent to Yong Hwarin—it had returned.
Seeing it, the Demonic Master felt the heavens were aiding him.
“That large rat there is my Azure Messenger Rat. I use it to exchange messages with Young Master Yong. Come here!”
At his words, the Azure Messenger Rat hopped down onto the table.
Then, after consuming the powder the Demonic Master had scattered, it regurgitated the letter sent by Yong Hwarin.
The two frowned at the grotesque rat.
No ordinary person could possibly understand the repulsiveness of the Azure Messenger Rat.
Reading the letter, the Demonic Master grinned.
“As expected of Yong Hwarin! He says not to worry and to bring you both to him!”
He handed the letter to Jo Wonmuk.
“Please, read it.”
The letter contained exactly what the Demonic Master had claimed.
Yu Maelim, after reading it, asked,
“How can we be sure this was truly sent by Young Master Yong?”
Jo Wonmuk answered before the Demonic Master could.
“This letter is undoubtedly his.”
“How can you tell, Great Hero?”
“When we crossed swords during the duel, I remembered his unique energy because it was so strange. That same energy lingers in this letter. No one else in the Murim emits such a qi.”
If Jo Wonmuk said so, it was true. There was no one in the world more trustworthy.
And when it came to sensing energy, there was no one in the Murim more accurate.
“Very well. Given the circumstances, it seems I can trust you. Let’s go to the boy.”
Yu Maelim hesitated before speaking.
“Is that really okay? If something goes wrong, not just us but Young Master Yong could end up in danger too.”
At her words, Jo Wonmuk gave a small smile.
“There’s no need for you to worry. That child has likely reached the same realm as I have.”
Just from the energy imbued in the letter, Jo Wonmuk could read Yong Hwarin’s level.
Since his own inner strength was at the Five Gaps level, he could recognize the true qi of another at the same level.
The one most shocked by that remark was the Demonic Master.
‘Does that brat do nothing but swallow spiritual medicine all day?’
There was no reason for Jo Wonmuk to speak nonsense.
Yet even though jealousy flared briefly, he soon smirked inwardly.
‘Even if he takes Ok Kirin with him, I won’t have to worry at all.’
The Demonic Master found himself drifting into a strange feeling, as if his own disciple had grown into a supreme master.
As dusk fell like a curtain, veiling the evening glow, Yong Hwarin left the inn with Mo Biyoung.
The moment they stepped out, some of the watchers tailed Yong Hwarin, while others headed elsewhere.
Moonwoo, having received a report from the watchers, spoke.
“We can’t delay any longer. If we keep waiting like this, that brat will return to the Heavenly Central Sect. Once that happens, we won’t even have a chance to hunt him. We can only take him down when he’s alone.”
At Moonwoo’s words, Zhao Qiansheng stepped forward.
“What the Young Castle Lord says is right. We can’t wait any longer.”
Zhao Qiansheng still hadn’t forgotten the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Yong Hwarin and his father, Yong Biyang.
Back then, the disgrace inflicted by Yong Hwarin had left him sleepless for many nights, and just as he had overcome that, the shame from Yong Biyang now haunted his sleep again.
That was why Zhao Qiansheng insisted that Yong Hwarin had to be killed before he returned to the Heavenly Central Sect.
“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, there are quite a few guest experts staying at the Heavenly Central Sect, and they’re all high-level warriors. It’s not a group we could wipe out in one night. If we end up clashing with the sect, the entire Murim will hear of it.”
The reason Moonwoo and Zhao Qiansheng spoke this way was because the Three Kings Guard had been stopping Moonwoo from attacking Yong Hwarin.
They had been saying “it’s not the time yet” to hold Moonwoo back, but now his patience had completely worn thin, and their words no longer held weight.
“The Tiger Demon Pill is on standby as well, so this time we’ll catch that brat and repay every humiliation—mine, and the disgrace suffered by the Blood Demon Castle alike.”
Mo Baek stood silently behind Zhao Qiansheng, saying nothing.
Inside, he hoped the Three Kings Guard would continue to oppose the plan.
That was the only way to avoid a fight between him and his granddaughter.
Though merely considered escorts, the Three Kings Guard held a special position in the Blood Demon Castle—so much so that even Zhao Qiansheng sought their permission.
They were elders affiliated with Longevity Hall, one of the two main divisions within the castle.
In other words, they were masters of a prior generation who surpassed even Zhao Qiansheng in strength.
That was why Zhao Qiansheng, who usually treated others with arrogance, approached them with caution.
A complete contrast to his usual self.
“The Castle Lord specifically told us to look after the Young Castle Lord, so perhaps it’s improper for us to keep insisting on our own stance.”
When one of the Three Kings Guard, an old man, spoke, the other two nodded in agreement.
Then Moonwoo rose and responded,
“Fine. Lead me to where Yong Hwarin went!”
Since the other watchers had left a coded message, they knew where Yong Hwarin had gone. The subordinate who had delivered the earlier report took the lead.
Mo Biyoung, having arrived at the cave, watched Yong Hwarin set up formation arrays in several places and said,
“There’s really nothing you can’t do. Martial arts, formations, knowledge—you have it all.”
“I’m kind of perfect, aren’t I?”
Yong Hwarin took her admiration as a joke.
Had it been the old Mo Biyoung, she might have snorted at such childish talk. But when those childish words came from the person you love, they sounded sweet.
‘I’ve become a woman blinded by love, haven’t I?’
In truth, the one most unaccustomed to her transformation was Mo Biyoung herself.
Even at her age, she now thought the difference between a woman and a girl was whether or not they loved.
‘I was once a woman in body, but still a girl in heart and mind. Those ancient sages weren’t lying when they said love completes a woman.’
Mo Biyoung, who had once doubted such sayings, could no longer deny their truth.
She had changed—and that change brought her happiness.
“So, what kind of formation are you setting up?”
“I’m making the cave feel like a maze. So even if someone circles back to the same spot, it’ll feel like they’ve reached a new place. They won’t be able to escape easily.”
“But if the Blood Demon Castle warriors don’t come here, it’s all pointless, isn’t it?”
“I’ll make sure they come.”
“How do you even know where they are?”
Yong Hwarin grinned.
“I already asked Jeomsoi to find out where they’re stationed. The Jeomsoi know more than anyone about inns and taverns nearby. That’s because they don’t work in just one place. They go where the work is, so they’re always up to date on the local situation.”
This was a method Yong Hwarin had often used in his past life.
In fact, Jeomsoi rarely worked exclusively at one inn.
They went to wherever there was work that day, so they shared information among themselves and were very well-informed.
Even the Rogues’ Guild used this by placing their members as Jeomsoi to gather intel.
Yong Hwarin had already received information from a Jeomsoi that many warriors were lodging at nearby inns.
“They’re about thirty li from the inn we stayed at. If I go there and provoke them, they’ll definitely fall into my trap.”
“Darling, since there’s still time before you go… please hold me.”
As Mo Biyoung asked to be embraced, Yong Hwarin pulled her into his arms and thought,
‘Yeong Mae is more forward than anyone I know.’
Through both his past and current life, Yong Hwarin had learned that he liked women who were bold, like Mo Biyoung.
Inside the cave, Yong Hwarin and Mo Biyoung shared a deep and passionate moment of love.
