CLS-Chapter 421

Chapter 421:

Most humans are like this.

When they encounter something they can handle, they try to devise their own methods and make an effort. They know that such actions can help improve the situation, even if only a little.

But what happens when they encounter something beyond their ability to handle?

They give up.

When people find themselves in a desperate situation where there’s nowhere to run or where individual effort can’t change anything, they abandon resistance and simply let their bodies be carried along with the flow.

Right now, Wu-il was in exactly that situation.

‘I must have lost my mind.’

Looking back, she wondered what kind of courage that had been.

When she read the investigation materials about Wei Yan-ho, there were words that came up identically from countless people’s mouths.

‘There’s no answer.’

‘A human disaster.’

‘It’s best not to get involved.’

She should have thought about it.

What those words truly meant.

Wei Yan-ho’s behavior toward her was close to that of an affectionate fool. She should have realized what that would mean when viewed from the opposite side.

This was someone who captured an intelligence agent who came to investigate him, then released her because it was bothersome, then captured her again and said he’d help rescue a hostage while charging into the Zhuge Family estate.

‘Why can’t humans be objective?’

If Wu-il had seen this from a third party’s perspective, she would have screamed.

She would have said not to get involved, that his way of thinking was absolutely not something a human could understand. But unfortunately, Wu-il wasn’t a third party but the person directly involved, and she had been blinded by the thought that she could save her younger brother.

This was the result.

Wei Yan-ho, who had destroyed the Soul-Confusing Formation in an instant, charged inside without hesitation. Dragged along by him, Wu-il had no choice but to follow Wei Yan-ho. Before her brain, which had gone blank as a sheet of paper, could regain its senses, Wei Yan-ho was surrounded by numerous martial artists from the Zhuge Family.

And then scenes that seemed like dreams continued to fill her vision.

One strike, one opponent.

This was the Zhuge Family.

The martial artists of the Zhuge Family, who always had their name among the Five Great Families of the Martial World, were being blown away like autumn leaves before the wind. They were knocked out so easily, one by one, that it made reality feel distantly unreal.

And then this mess.

The moment she saw Zhuge U appear before them, Wu-il snapped back to her senses.

‘Zhuge U!’

An elder of the Zhuge Family.

Though he wasn’t the highest-ranking elder in terms of seniority, since all the senior elders were playing at being immortals, Zhuge U was currently the elder wielding the greatest real power in the Zhuge Family.

And that Zhuge U was…

“Hul, your words are harsh.”

Wei Yan-ho pointed his finger as if quite displeased.

“Hey, I can ask something, can’t I? How heartless has the world become that asking something like this gets me called crazy?”

You can ask.

But not in a situation like this.

Wu-il’s eyes trembled.

‘What kind of situation is this supposed to be?’

This wasn’t the kind of ‘infiltration’ she had envisioned. At least in any infiltration anywhere in the world, there wouldn’t be a case of pointing fingers and shouting at the opponent’s leader.

‘I should have taken some Heart-Clearing Pills before coming.’

If she had, she wouldn’t be in this situation where she was struggling desperately not to faint.

“What the hell is this crazy bastard babbling about?”

Wu-il looked at Zhuge U with a surge of emotion.

More! A little more!

Please curse him more!

His feelings were exactly hers. Right now, she had even forgotten that she wasn’t on the Zhuge Family’s side and was cheering for Zhuge U.

“Hey, old man’s words are a bit harsh.”

“Old man?”

“Elder?”

“No, really, what is this…”

Zhuge U felt his temples throbbing.

Who the hell was this crazy bastard? How crazy would someone have to be to charge into the Zhuge Family, cause this chaos, and then act so nonchalant…

‘Crazy bastard?’

Zhuge U’s eyes widened.

There was someone who came to mind. Come to think of it, recently in the Central Plains, there had been a young punk boasting that when it came to being crazy, he wouldn’t lose to anyone.

Could it be…

“You’re Wei Yan-ho, aren’t you?”

“Hul?”

The masked person flinched and stepped back.

‘It’s obvious.’

There was no need to look further.

If that wasn’t Wei Yan-ho, then there was no Wei Yan-ho in the world.

“You crazy bastard! What grudge do you and our Zhuge Family have that you’re causing this chaos!”

“I told you I’m not Wei Yan-ho!”

“You are!”

“Really, I’m not! Don’t you see the mask? The mask?”

“What kind of idiotic bastard…”

Zhuge U grabbed the back of his neck.

‘Something seemed a bit strange.’

There were overflowing injured people. But there were no deaths. Around this masked person—no, Wei Yan-ho—there were several people lying collapsed, but none of them had died.

Looking carefully, he couldn’t see anyone with serious injuries either. They had just fainted from shock.

If it hadn’t been like that, the atmosphere would have been ten times more serious.

Zhuge U’s mind started turning.

‘I was being stupid.’

This was a question he shouldn’t have asked. When a crazy person does crazy things, asking for reasons is far too foolish. It’s like asking a dog why it doesn’t go to the outhouse but pisses on the street instead.

The question he should have asked was different.

“Wh-what do you want?”

“What?”

“What do you want! You must have a reason for coming here.”

“…I told you I’m not Wei Yan-ho.”

“Right, you’re not. I’ll believe you. You’re not Wei Yan-ho.”

Even while saying this, Zhuge U had to swallow his tears.

‘I shouldn’t be dealing with this guy right now.’

He didn’t want to admit it, but if that guy was Wei Yan-ho, the people here couldn’t handle him. They would need at least the Family Head.

Why?

Because Wei Yan-ho was an Absolute Master.

Martial world people revere Absolute Masters, but surprisingly, they don’t really know how terrifying Absolute Masters can be. That’s because among them, there are those who can face opposing Absolute Masters.

Ironically, that’s why balance is maintained.

In the martial world, cases where a single Absolute Master falls to a group attack don’t appear as often as one might expect. There are several reasons for this.

First, Absolute Masters are also fast on their feet.

If they don’t care about appearances, they can fight moderately, take down a few people, and when their strength wanes, they can flee. Then those inferior in internal energy will inevitably lose the Absolute Master, leaving only the task of being hunted by a master who comes with recharged strength at an appropriate place. If this is repeated a couple of times, no one remains.

And the second reason is…

They are ‘absolute.’

It’s just a different dimension, but that one dimensional difference is an enormous gap. From a human perspective, wasps and hornets are only slightly different, but hundreds of wasps can be massacred by a single hornet.

The difference between an Absolute Master and ordinary masters is even greater than that. If the Zhuge Family mobilized all their forces now, they might be able to capture Wei Yan-ho. But afterward, the Zhuge Family would have to experience downfall. The surrounding families, like hungry wolves, wouldn’t leave the shattered Zhuge Family alone.

Stake the family’s fate to eliminate one Wei Yan-ho?

Absolutely not.

That’s why everyone in the martial world wanted to gain power and fame. Frankly speaking, Absolute Masters were beings who transcended law, norms, and recognition.

“…Wh-what do you want?”

Therefore, Zhuge U had no choice but to swallow tears of blood and say this.

“No… I’m not Wei Yan-ho…”

“I got it! I got it, you bastard! You’re not Wei Yan-ho! I acknowledge it! Even if you leave this place today, I won’t say that Wei Yan-ho invaded the Zhuge Family or charge into Guangdong Wei Family to settle scores! I’ve never seen Wei Yan-ho in this place, and I’ve never heard that you came, so just tell me what you want!”

Damn it!

If he had known it would be like this, forget military strategy and everything else, he should have shaved his head from birth and entered Shaolin.

If he had, by now he might have been able to at least grapple with that bastard.

But unfortunately, heaven doesn’t give everything to humans. The Zhuge Family, due to their bloodline, had exceptional brains but were born with bodies unsuited for learning martial arts. No matter how much he had gone to Shaolin, he wouldn’t have been able to face the current Wei Yan-ho.

Zhuge U had never once resented the Zhuge Family’s inferior martial talents, but at this moment, that fact couldn’t help but be sorrowful.

“Hehe, if you put it that way.”

When Wei Yan-ho scratched his head, Wu-il buried her face completely.

Rather than singing loudly everywhere that I’m Wei Yan-ho, what’s the difference between this and complete acknowledgment?

“…So what do you need?”

Zhuge U wanted to end this situation as quickly as possible.

‘I’m getting off cheap.’

It felt like being slapped while sleeping, but if that Wei Yan-ho had charged in with determination and they could end it here, it was profitable. Though they hadn’t gained anything, they should be satisfied that they hadn’t lost more.

“Uh, so, um…”

Wei Yan-ho hesitated for a moment, then turned his head to look at Wu-il.

“What did you say your younger brother’s name was?”

“…Are you in your right mind?”

“What’s wrong with it? You weren’t planning to come back after rescuing him anyway. Take this opportunity to wash your hands of it completely.”

Wu-il wanted to cry.

No, tears were already flowing. They just weren’t visible because of the mask. She was paying the full price for trusting the maniac called Wei Yan-ho.

“What if they take my younger brother hostage!”

“Eh, that won’t happen.”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“They wouldn’t want to die either.”

Among all the threats in the world, there probably wasn’t one that sounded as ridiculous and chilling as that.

“…Younger brother?”

At that moment, Zhuge U’s face contorted.

“You bastard! You’ve been bought!”

“Huk!”

Wu-il covered her mouth.

A mistake.

If she said such things in front of that person, he would naturally figure out her identity. But to make such a mistake! She had been caught up in Wei Yan-ho’s pace.

“You bastard! How dare someone who receives the Zhuge Family’s salary do such a thing! I’ll cut you into a thousand pieces and…”

“That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho said calmly.

“That’s not it.”

“That’s… not it? Do you know what I’m talking about?”

“Anyway, it’s not it.”

Wei Yan-ho glared at Zhuge U. Zhuge U opened and closed his mouth as if trying to say something, then hung his head completely.

“…I must have seen wrong.”

“Hehe. Elder, you understand quickly.”

He should have gone to Wudang, not Shaolin. Or thrown himself into the Demonic Cult. There was no way his anger could be relieved just by beating that bastard with fists. He would need to stab him in the ribs at least once to be able to close his eyes even in death.

“Uh, so… what’s the younger brother’s name?”

“…”

Wu-il, who had given up on everything, opened her mouth in a half-dazed voice.

“So Ryeo-gun.”

“Did you hear that?”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Actually, I’m not someone who likes to rampage. So hurry up and bring that So, So… what? So?”

“So Ryeo-gun.”

“Right. Hurry up and bring that person called So Ryeo-gun. If not, um…”

Wei Yan-ho cracked his neck left and right.

“I’ll have no choice but to look for him myself, and that wouldn’t sound too good for your side… How about it?”

Zhuge U closed his eyes as he watched Wei Yan-ho quietly raise his fist. They say even Zhuge Liang couldn’t handle Zhang Fei’s ignorance, and Zhuge U felt he could understand the burning feelings of his ancestors.