Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

“I need some money.”

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“I’ve been thinking, and meeting you folks wasn’t entirely like stepping in dog shit on the street.”

“You bastard!”

But Joo Do-chi didn’t glare at me murderously like usual. He knew I was a dead man walking anyway. Such is the nature of human hearts.

“Since it’s come to this, I want to become a proper martial hero.”

“What does that have to do with money?”

“How could it not? I need a good sword, good protective gear. I realized it’d be a waste to squander all my earnings at brothels.”

“Sounds like you’re trying to score big, not become a hero. So how much do you need?”

“Just give me 20,000 nyang.”

“What?!”

Joo Do-chi frowned.

“Are you insane?! Do you think 20,000 nyang grows on trees?”

“I know it doesn’t, that’s why I’m asking you for it. Go tell Young Master Ma exactly what I said.”

Clicking his tongue with an incredulous expression, Joo Do-chi left the inn.

I smiled coldly as I watched him leave. Insolent intentions deserve just punishment.

I had realized their plan to make me a hero before killing Ma Cheol-gun.

Fine, I’ll gladly become your hero. But you’ll have to pay a suitable price.

This is about the future seat of the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader. Ma Ryeong-in won’t be able to refuse easily.

There were still about twenty days left until the Golden Grand Banquet.

Before then, I needed to find out what was in the underground secret room, what kind of test took place there, and how they obtained the Unrepentant Demonic Spiritual Pill.

Only by knowing that could I plan how to deal with what comes next.

***

“That crazy bastard demanded 20,000 nyang.”

Joo Do-chi spoke with an incredulous tone. Naturally, he expected a similar reaction, but Ma Ryeong-in said something unexpected.

“Give it to him.”

“What?”

At first, he thought he had misheard. But he had heard correctly.

“Give him that money.”

Belatedly, Joo Do-chi was startled.

“We can’t!”

No matter how much they needed the guy, they couldn’t just hand over such a large sum of 20,000 nyang.

“That’s too much. If you insist on giving him something, a few thousand nyang should be plenty.”

But Ma Ryeong-in had already made up his mind to give the money.

“Isn’t this the first time we’ve encountered someone like him?”

“What do you mean?”

“The sacrificial lamb is raising its own price, don’t you see?”

Ma Ryeong-in saw this as a test of fate. It was the path to becoming the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader. The great undertaking itself was raising the value of the sacrifice. Wouldn’t they invest this much to achieve such a grand goal?

“But 20,000 nyang is still too much money.”

Joo Do-chi was adamantly opposed. No matter how much wealth they had amassed, 20,000 nyang was no small sum.

It was more money than even he, who had served loyally for so long, had ever received. The thought of giving such a large amount to that guy sparked jealousy, anger, and greed he didn’t know he had.

“The more we invest, the more we gain. Give it to him.”

There was a heavy force behind the words “give it to him.” It meant he wouldn’t discuss it any further.

Joo Do-chi sighed.

“Yes.”

It was an answer with an unspoken “damn it” at the end.

***

The next day, Joo Do-chi came to see me again and thrust the 20,000 nyang at me before leaving.

I had been prepared to receive about 10,000 nyang, half of what I asked for, but I didn’t expect to get the full 20,000 nyang like this.

Indeed, that Ma Ryeong-in was a man whose true intentions were hard to guess.

I had now earned 36,000 nyang, including the 16,000 nyang bounty. It was an enormous sum earned in a short time.

One regrettable point was that both the bounty from the Martial Righteous Alliance and the money from Ma Ryeong-in weren’t in small denomination bills. In other words, it was money that could be traced if someone tried, usable by the anonymous traveler but not by Byeok Ri-dan.

If that was the case, there was no need to be stingy with this money.

I immediately took the money and went to find the Black Market Zhengzhou Branch. Befitting a large city, the Zhengzhou Branch was larger in scale than the Black Market in Shandong.

The owner of this Black Market was a middle-aged man with manners and kindness.

“You came to buy elixir?”

“That’s right. Do you have any good elixirs?”

“Unfortunately, our branch doesn’t have any elixir in stock. It’s been really hard to get elixir lately, as if someone’s been hoarding it.”

The moment I heard those words, I flinched. I already knew that elixir had been hard to come by recently. I had used the Black Market several times before.

But the word “hoarding” made my eyes widen.

Could these guys be hoarding elixir?

It was because of the secret test in the underground room. Moreover, they had enough wealth to give me 20,000 nyang without hesitation.

If Ma Ryeong-in was the tail, there must be hands, feet, and a body too. What if they were buying up all the elixir?

It was an uncertain guess, but somehow it sent a chill down my spine.

“We have many other good items besides elixir. Would you like to take a look?”

“Let’s do that.”

Hoping I would spend some money before leaving, I followed him to where the weapons were displayed.

Given the scale, there was a much wider variety of weapons than at the Shandong Black Market.

But I passed by the swords without even looking at them.

“There are many good swords, why aren’t you looking at them?”

“Swords are too expensive.”

“True. Swords are the most expensive items.”

I looked around to see if there was anything worth buying, but nothing particularly caught my eye.

The only thing worth considering was protective armor.

“What kinds of protective armor do you have?”

The owner showed me several pieces of protective armor.

One that was too thick and obvious, as if you were going to war wearing it, was 9,000 nyang, while one that wasn’t visible from the outside and fit snugly to the body was 140,000 nyang.

The cheap one was too impractical, and the inconspicuous one was ridiculously expensive.

“140,000 nyang? That’s too expensive.”

“It’s worth every nyang.”

“My life isn’t worth that much.”

I moved on.

Then something caught my eye. There was a fishing rod standing to one side that looked somewhat familiar.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a unique weapon once used by the Southern Sea Fisherman[1].”

The Southern Sea Fisherman was someone who had died about ten years ago, and I had been quite close to him. He was also someone who had fought at the forefront against the Four Demonic Sects in the past.

“Is that for sale too?”

“It is for sale, but there’s one thing you should know first.”

“What’s that?”

“Unfortunately, the fishing line is broken and missing. So while it should normally sell for 70,000 to 80,000 nyang, we’re selling it for 10,000 nyang now.”

I nodded while looking at the fishing rod.

“If you buy it, I’ll give it to you specially for 7,000 nyang.”

Considering the Southern Sea Fisherman’s past reputation, it was an absurdly cheap price.

However, a fishing rod without a line could be considered almost worthless. Most of the techniques used by those who wielded fishing rods as weapons required the fishing line.

“Alright. I’ll buy it for 7,000 nyang.”

“Oh! You’ve made a good choice.”

The owner was delighted to sell the fishing rod that hadn’t sold for a long time.

I immediately bought one more item. It was a wrist guard. This time, I chose the best one among those on display.

“This is the Snake Wrist Guard[2] worn by Kwon Woong[3], a fist master of the previous generation. It’s light and very durable.”

I had heard of the Snake Wrist Guard before. It could easily block ordinary swords.

Of course, it couldn’t withstand the sharpness of the Asura Bright King Sword, but it could block up to the Heavenly Creation Sword. Of course, this was based on the sharpness of the sword itself, not the sword energy or sword qi.

“How much?”

“A pair for 22,000 nyang.”

“Good. I’ll buy this too.”

“You’ve made an excellent choice!”

The owner’s smile widened. He had sold both the long-unsold fishing rod and wrist guards in one day.

But at that moment, I was even happier than him. Because I knew a secret that he didn’t.

Back at the inn, I locked the door of my room and closed the curtains on the windows.

Then I immediately set to work on something.

First, I picked up the Southern Sea Fisherman’s fishing rod. I infused it with inner energy and pulled on the handle. Then the handle, which had seemed inseparable, detached and came off.

Inside the handle was a thin rod with fishing line tightly wound around it.

In the past, I had directly seen the Southern Sea Fisherman take out the fishing line from this handle and reattach it on the battlefield.

The Southern Sea Fisherman’s fishing line was made of heavenly silkworm thread from beyond the world, treated with special chemicals to make it incredibly durable. It was thanks to this heavenly silkworm thread that the Southern Sea Fisherman had become a famous master in the martial world with just one fishing rod.

I unwound it all and wrapped it around the Snake Wrist Guard in multiple layers.

When the heavenly silkworm thread was wrapped in several layers around the already strong and durable Snake Wrist Guard, it was reborn as a truly powerful protective gear. This was the reason why I bought the fishing rod and immediately bought the Snake Wrist Guard.

“Hahaha.”

A satisfied laugh escaped me. I now had a really practical protective gear for someone who uses the Immortal Crane Secret Art.

Moreover, wrapped with the heavenly silkworm thread, it no longer looked like the original Snake Wrist Guard, and it was difficult for others to even notice that I was wearing it under martial arts clothes with narrow sleeves.

After finishing the work, I went to the window and pulled back the curtains again.

I looked at the scenery outside for a moment, basking in the pleasant sunlight.

The only thing left to do now was to find a way into the underground secret room.

What if I infiltrated when Ma Ryeong-in went out with his eight guards?

I could at least find my way to the mansion, and somehow locate the mechanism leading down to the underground.

The problem was the mechanism in the underground corridor.

There were four mechanisms installed in the corridor.

If even one activated, it would be all for naught. They would discover that I had infiltrated.

What if I flew across the corridor?

Wouldn’t at least one of the four activate? Considering how smoothly the mechanism that lowered us underground moved, it was undoubtedly made by a highly skilled craftsman. There’s no way they would have made it possible to pass through with lightness skills.

If infiltration was impossible, what other options were there?

***

Zhengzhou was bustling with preparations for the Golden Grand Banquet.

Stages were being set up everywhere. During the ten days of the Golden Grand Banquet, various competitions and events would be held. From martial arts competitions to night markets selling goods all night long, famous musicians from the Central Plains were invited to play instruments, and troupes of performers would put on shows. It was truly a festival unfolding.

I was standing looking at the open space where a platform was being built.

Then someone spoke from behind me.

“I hear the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader will give a speech here.”

I turned around to see Ma Ryeong-in walking towards me. About ten paces away, eight masters were standing. It was the first time I felt their energy up close. As I had initially guessed, they were masters on par with Sim Hwang, whom I had killed before.

“Shouldn’t you say ‘father’ instead of ‘Martial Righteous Alliance Leader’?”

“One must separate public and private matters.”

“You’re not entirely without affection for each other, are you?”

After smiling somewhat acknowledging it, Ma Ryeong-in changed the subject.

“You look well.”

“Money does feel good. I’m truly grateful for the 20,000 nyang you gave me earlier. To be honest, although I asked for it, I didn’t expect you to give it so freely. I’ve gained a new respect for you, Young Master Ma.”

Ma Ryeong-in grinned at my honest words.

“I’m glad you finally understand my heart. So, what do you plan to do with that money?”

“I’m not sure yet. I don’t even know if I’ll still be alive a year from now.”

I deliberately didn’t mention my visit to the Black Market.

“You can live.”

Ma Ryeong-in said with eyes that showed not a hint of deception.

His eyes don’t waver at all. Even I couldn’t tell he was lying just from this expression.

Of course, he is lying right now. He seems to have been born with more talent for deceiving and using people than for martial arts.

Our gazes naturally turned to where the construction was taking place.

“Do you know about the Golden Grand Banquet?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“Truly, all sorts of wealthy people from the martial world gather here.”

“It must be quite a sight.”

The Golden Grand Banquet opens in fifteen days. On that day, Ma Bonggi will stand on that platform and give a speech. My heart is already churning at the thought. To think that the Martial Righteous Alliance, to which I devoted my entire life, has fallen into the hands of such a lecherous maniac.

“I have a question, if I may ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“What exactly was in that room?”

“Are you curious?”

“Of course I’m curious. I’m also wondering what kind of materials you’re gathering. Is some grand technique being performed?”

Ma Ryeong-in smiled enigmatically.

“By the way, who was that person who wouldn’t let me enter the room back then?”

Ma Ryeong-in’s expression stiffened slightly. I could sense that his relationship with that person wasn’t entirely good.

“Why do you ask about him?”

“I was just curious whether he was the leader or a subordinate.”

“He’s my subordinate.”

I tilted my head.

“It seems you really have a taste for arrogant people.”

Considering our usual banter, he might have laughed at least once, but his expression became even more rigid.

I pretended not to notice and turned my gaze elsewhere, speaking casually.

“I don’t need to see the room anymore. There’s plenty to see out here now.”

When you truly want something, sometimes it’s wise to take a step back.

This is especially true when dealing with people who have strong pride or think they’re clever. Pushing such people only makes them more resistant. Instead, you need to take a step back and let them reveal their own vulnerabilities.

I chose to provoke Ma Ryeong-in’s pride rather than trying to break through the mechanisms.

“I’ve been thinking about the connection you mentioned before. It’s a bit awkward to say this between men, but I do feel there’s some kind of bond between us.”

His rigid expression softened slightly.

“Well then, I’ll see you next time, Young Master Ma.”

I immediately said goodbye and turned away.

Now it was time to wait and see. To see what kind of synergistic interaction would occur between my earlier provocation of his pride and these words just now.

Hey, you’re mistaken if you think you’re the only one who can manipulate people with social skills. If you’re a viper, I’m someone who’s dealt with all kinds of cunning snakes.

One way or another, I’ll make you open that door with your own hands.