CLS-Chapter 470

Chapter 470:

Everyone gathered in the room cast pitying glances at Wei Jeong-han’s back as he was dragged away. However, there was one person who completely failed to read the atmosphere.

“Why is he leaving? We were right in the middle of an interesting conversation.”

Jang-il looked at Wei Yan-ho with a peculiar expression.

‘What a truly fascinating human being.’

If it were anyone else saying such things, he’d curse them for being clueless, but this guy wasn’t exactly the type to be oblivious either.

Sometimes he was frighteningly perceptive. So why didn’t his perceptiveness work in situations like this?

“Say something! Please, for the love of—just shut that damn mouth of yours!”

“What did I do wrong? You were all curious about it too.”

“Can’t you say the same thing more nicely?”

“I was being nice.”

“Ugh, I’d rather die than deal with this.”

Jang-il shook his head vigorously. He had already experienced enough to know how meaningless it was to expect anything from Wei Yan-ho.

But from the perspective of others, Jang-il was quite the strange one himself.

‘Did he sell his sense of fear and eat it?’

‘Did the beggar have nothing else to eat, so he gnawed on his own fear?’

Think about the imposing presence Wei Yan-ho had just displayed.

Even if the greatest authority in the world were here right now, they wouldn’t dare speak to Wei Yan-ho like that. Thinking about it rationally, Jang-il speaking rudely to Wei Yan-ho was stranger than Wei Yan-ho speaking rudely to the Heavenly Alliance Leader.

Of course, Jang-il didn’t seem to feel any of this at all.

The truly pitiful one in all this was Wei Jeong-han.

But surprisingly, Wei Jeong-han returned quickly.

And his face was calmer than expected.

“What about the Alliance Leader?”

“He said he’s going to the privy for a moment.”

“But you… came back faster than I thought?”

At Tang Cheon-gun’s question, Wei Jeong-han shrugged.

“I’ve been through this so many times now that I roughly know how to handle it.”

“Handle it? What did the Alliance Leader say?”

“The usual things. You know, he said that while he understands he lost so he should accept whatever happens to him… he asked if it was really acceptable to humiliate a warrior like this rather than just killing him.”

“…And so?”

Wei Jeong-han smiled lightly.

“Everyone knows that words can mean different things depending on how you say them, but I simply told him that I don’t have the ability to make that impossible kid understand such nuances.”

“…”

One could imagine what Cheok Su-gwang’s expression must have been upon hearing that.

‘What a struggle in his later years…’

While suffering knows no age distinction between young and old, for someone who should be enjoying his remaining years with sufficient fame and status, Wei Yan-ho was a terrifyingly unpredictable existence.

If there were malice involved, at least one could get angry, but the problem was that anyone could see there was no malice whatsoever.

So there was only one thing to blame.

“I heard that you abandoned your family for some martial arts journey when your son was at a crucial age…”

At Tang Cheon-gun’s words, Wei Jeong-han’s eyes wavered.

“Why bring up that story now…”

“What’s so important about some martial arts journey! How could you abandon your household! Do you have any idea how many people are suffering because of your foolish choice!”

“I agree with that too. Isn’t it ‘cultivate oneself, regulate the family, order the state, and bring peace to the world’!”

When even Jang-il joined Tang Cheon-gun’s side, Wei Jeong-han hesitated.

“A-aren’t you on my side?”

“When it comes to this matter, I don’t think we should be taking sides, Master Wei. Too many people are suffering right now because of Master Wei’s single choice. This is why education is so important.”

With nothing to say even if he had ten mouths, Wei Jeong-han shut his mouth like a clam.

But there was someone who had something to say.

“Are we currently having a discussion about my family’s child-rearing methods? Should I show you how unruly a kid who didn’t receive proper family education can get?”

“Ahem!“

“Cough! Ahem!“

Everyone avoided Wei Yan-ho’s gaze.

They wanted to console themselves by thinking they were avoiding it because it was disgusting, but the truth was they were avoiding it out of fear.

After a somewhat awkward moment passed, Cheok Su-gwang finally returned. Seeing his eyes that seemed slightly vacant, everyone offered their silent condolences.

Even Zhuge Yeom and Tang Cheon-gun, who had created this situation, felt guilty.

“…What was I asked again?”

“How you survived after taking the Explosive Blood Pill.”

“Right, that’s what I was asked.”

Cheok Su-gwang scratched his head.

“Now, you’re asking me this because it’s related to the current situation, right?”

“Yes. You must have roughly heard the reports. Since you’re the Heavenly Alliance Leader.”

“That’s right. So it seems like you’re trying to find something from me… but unfortunately, I don’t think I can be of much help.”

“Pardon?”

Cheok Su-gwang opened his mouth with a slightly subtle expression.

“I don’t know how to put this. It’s a memory I really don’t want to recall.”

Wei Jeong-han answered instead.

“I understand. Given the circumstances.”

Taking the Explosive Blood Pill with one’s own hands was impossible without tremendous resolve. It meant choosing certain death by one’s own hand. It couldn’t be pleasant to recall such memories.

“You asked how I survived? But honestly, I can’t find a proper answer to that. It’s not like I did something to survive. I simply took the Explosive Blood Pill prepared to die, and when I came to my senses, I was alive.”

“Hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho scratched his cheek.

It was the answer he had expected. If those who were currently unconscious regained consciousness, they would probably say the same thing.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you. But I also don’t know how I survived.”

“I figured as much.”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged.

“From what I heard, it didn’t sound like you had any plan for what to do before taking the Explosive Blood Pill. Seeing you in person confirms it.”

“…That’s a somewhat subtle remark.”

“Isn’t it the truth?”

“It is the truth.”

Cheok Su-gwang’s lips twitched.

There are truths in the world that hurt more than lies. And that damned brat knew how to properly dig into such truths.

Cheok Su-gwang sighed and spoke.

“It was a moment when I couldn’t see anything in front of me. Even after waking up later, I was amazed that I had survived.”

“You didn’t even lose your martial arts for someone in that situation.”

“Remarkably.”

“So in the end, you have absolutely no idea what process led to your survival?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s correct.”

The atmosphere became subtle.

Those who had hoped to find a solution from Cheok Su-gwang’s experience let out silent sighs.

‘How is this really going to turn out?’

The situation felt increasingly serious.

Zhuge Yeom in particular felt even more pressure.

‘If we can’t solve this, we might see hell.’

This wasn’t a problem that could be solved through alliances or cooperation between sects. If they couldn’t find a solution, they would fall into the abyss.

And this place was the front line.

While the Divine Strategy Master at the Righteous Alliance might be finding his own methods, this place couldn’t immediately respond.

Moreover, Zhuge Yeom wasn’t really expecting much from the Divine Strategy Master. People believed that if it was something requiring brains, he could somehow handle it, but from the perspective of a fellow strategist, it was different.

A strategist is someone who suggests the optimal path based on available information, not someone who can create something from nothing.

‘Rather, the person who can create something from nothing is…’

Zhuge Yeom’s gaze fixed on Wei Yan-ho.

It wasn’t that Wei Yan-ho had such an amazing brain that he could surpass him or the Divine Strategy Master. Of course, Zhuge Yeom didn’t consider Wei Yan-ho stupid either.

If he had to say, Wei Yan-ho was quite clever.

But talent only shines when it’s polished. No matter how brilliant Wei Yan-ho’s mind might be, without systematic study, it wouldn’t help in situations like this.

Isn’t it said that even three measures of pearls are worthless unless strung together?

What Zhuge Yeom expected from Wei Yan-ho wasn’t a rational solution but unexpectedness.

Wei Yan-ho sometimes saw things they couldn’t see. Sometimes he would come up with completely different solutions to the same problem.

‘But it’s just luck.’

Zhuge Yeom sighed quietly.

The path he thought he was running on turned out to be a dead end. If he couldn’t climb over the wall, he had to go back. Even if he had to repeat this process over and over again. He had to endure this tedious work believing that someday he would find the right path. It might feel slow and frustrating, but Zhuge Yeom knew this was the fastest way.

That’s when it happened.

“But well, it’s fine. What’s important isn’t that we don’t know, but that there’s someone here who survived after taking the Explosive Blood Pill.”

“Huh?”

Cheok Su-gwang’s eyebrows twitched.

It was a statement he couldn’t quite understand. But he felt something ominous. He sensed something subtle in Wei Yan-ho’s tone.

‘What is this brat trying to say?’

Wei Yan-ho looked at Cheok Su-gwang with a subtle smile.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Mmm?”

“This current situation is quite serious, right?”

“That’s right.”

Cheok Su-gwang nodded quietly.

While he might have found it somewhat satisfying that this incident happened at the Tang Family, if they couldn’t contain this situation here, the martial world might not just stagger but actually perish.

That wasn’t something Cheok Su-gwang wanted either.

For the sake of the Heavenly Alliance, the martial world, and Cheok Su-gwang’s own well-being, this incident had to be resolved. Otherwise, he would have to watch those detestable Demonic Cult bastards swallow the martial world whole without even peeling off the skin.

He’d rather die than see such a sight.

While he had reservations about the orthodox sects, compared to his hatred for the Demonic Cult, it was like a drop of blood from a bird’s toe.

“It’s an extremely serious matter.”

“Then we should be willing to make any sacrifice to solve this problem, right?”

“…That would… be true.”

Cheok Su-gwang couldn’t answer easily. Something felt unsettling. His instincts were screaming that he absolutely shouldn’t answer carelessly.

“Then it’s simple.”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“I didn’t think listening to the Alliance Leader’s experience would solve anything anyway. It didn’t seem like you had any particular plan either. So I’ve been thinking, and there’s one way to make breakthrough progress in this situation.”

“Huh?”

Everyone’s attention focused on Wei Yan-ho.

“Normally I wouldn’t use such an extreme method, but this is an emergency. Well, what’s stopping someone from doing something twice that they’ve done once?”

Twice?

Cheok Su-gwang’s eyes trembled.

So twice means… that means…

“I found out that the Tang Family has a few Explosive Blood Pills stored for research purposes. And there’s someone here who survived after taking the Explosive Blood Pill. So, it’s simple now, isn’t it?”

“…Listen here, young brother.”

Cheok Su-gwang’s voice trembled as he spoke.

“So what you’re saying is?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho answered with a bright smile.

“If the Alliance Leader takes the Explosive Blood Pill, we can observe from the side what principle allows you to overcome it. This would be truly remarkable. You might even go down in history as the hero who saved the martial world.”

Upon hearing the words hero and history, Cheok Su-gwang burst into bitter laughter.

Hero, hero…

Right, history sounds great.

Cheok Su-gwang looked at Wei Jeong-han with a bright smile.

Then, without erasing his smile, he said:

“…Just kill me instead, you bastards.”

“…”

Cheok Su-gwang had no desire to become a hero.