CLS-Chapter 418

Chapter 418:

“Over there?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…….”

Wei Yan-ho placed his hand over his eyebrows and gazed at the distant pavilion. Watching this scene, Wu-il was gripped by an inexplicable anxiety.

‘Will this be alright?’

She felt like she had forgotten something.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what she had forgotten, but it seemed like something extremely important had been overlooked. A strange unease was making her heart tremble.

‘What did I miss?’

She definitely had a premonition that something would go wrong at this rate.

While Wu-il couldn’t sort out her feelings, Wei Yan-ho was utterly calm.

“It seems a bit more compact than the Tang Family?”

Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.

The size itself couldn’t be called large compared to the Sichuan Tang Family. The atmosphere was also slightly different. Should she say it was somewhat different in form from the great families she had seen so far?

Rather than a great family, it was closer in form to the Hanrim Grand Academy where Wei Yan-ho had once stayed.

‘Well, whether there or here, they’re all places where scholars live anyway.’

Wei Yan-ho nodded and began walking forward.

“Y-Young Hero, what are you doing?”

“Since we’re here, we should go.”

“W-wait a moment!”

Wu-il came to her senses. Whatever she had forgotten, if she left it to this guy, the situation would become a complete mess—that was obvious. Hadn’t she seen enough of what happened to the affairs Wei Yan-ho got involved in?

“Please wear this first.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho frowned at what Wu-il held out.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a mask.”

“I don’t think we particularly need to wear something like this?”

“……If our identities are discovered, the aftermath will be difficult to handle.”

“Hmm.”

Wei Yan-ho looked quite displeased. But thinking about it, Wu-il’s words were right.

‘It would be troublesome.’

Tremendously troublesome. Just thinking about those smooth-talking Zhuge Family guys chasing after them foaming at the mouth made his ears itch already.

“There’s no harm in wearing it.”

Wei Yan-ho could do anything to avoid trouble. What would wearing a mask amount to?

Wu-il looked at Wei Yan-ho with a very displeased expression before opening her mouth.

“You must follow me closely.”

“We’re sneaking in?”

“……Of course.”

When an expression of ‘Why is that obvious?’ appeared on Wei Yan-ho’s face, Wu-il swallowed her tears and said:

“Not causing a disturbance is the priority.”

“But you said there are many people more skilled than you in there? You’re the one who said we couldn’t sneak in, weren’t you?”

“We’ll sneak in to the very edge. After that, it’ll become a speed battle.”

“Ah!”

Wei Yan-ho nodded as if he understood.

‘Did he really understand?’

Wu-il became anxious.

There was one thing she felt every time she investigated Wei Yan-ho’s activities. The people around Wei Yan-ho were never stupid. Rather, they were all outstanding individuals who had made names for themselves in the martial world.

Yet when such people were with Wei Yan-ho, they strangely acted like fools.

‘You can’t tell from the outside.’

They get swept up.

Even those outstanding people get swept up by this person’s strange words and actions. Thinking rationally, there was a high probability that Wu-il was already swept up too.

‘Just coming this far means I’m already swept up.’

Why did she do it?

Why did she commit such a reckless act?

If she made even a small mistake, not only she but also her younger brother would be in danger—what was she thinking when she committed such an act?

Regret suddenly flooded in like a tide, but it was already spilled water. There was no way to turn back now.

“Young Hero, please, I beg you. Please follow my instructions. Though I may be lacking in every aspect compared to you, Young Hero, I know more about the Zhuge Family than you do. Please…….”

“Ah, don’t worry about that.”

Wei Yan-ho smiled brightly.

“I’ve rarely seen anyone worse than me in my life. Whether I listen well or not is a separate matter, but you don’t need to worry about that.”

“……Thank you.”

How thankful indeed.

But wasn’t getting swept up like this the typical response of those who fell victim to Wei Yan-ho? Wu-il did her best to maintain her center.

“First, we’ll infiltrate quietly.”

“Yes.”

“Quietly.”

“My ears aren’t blocked. And my head isn’t that bad either, so I understand most things.”

“How fortunate.”

“What?”

“No, nothing.”

Wu-il covered her mouth.

‘This is really strange.’

Maintaining composure is most important for intelligence agents. Wu-il had also received lifelong training in maintaining composure. But when conversing with Wei Yan-ho, that composure kept getting subtly disrupted.

How should she put it…….

It wasn’t that she became so angry or furious that she couldn’t control her emotions. Rather, subtle irritation continued, making her unconsciously do things she normally wouldn’t do.

‘Dangerous.’

That’s what infiltration is about.

Just losing composure for a moment could reveal one’s presence. It would be better to stay continuously angry. People become insensitive to constant phenomena. People become alert when they sense some change in their surroundings.

“Huuuup.”

Wu-il took deep breaths to steady her mind. After closing her eyes and taking several breaths, she felt her heart settle somewhat.

‘Regain composure and…….’

But her composure couldn’t be maintained.

When she opened her eyes, Wei Yan-ho had approached right in front of her and was staring intently at her face.

“Why, why are you doing that?”

“Nothing. Because you’re pretty?”

“What?”

Her face instantly flushed.

‘What is this crazy guy saying in this situation?’

Wei Yan-ho looked her up and down, then grinned.

“I just thought you looked plain since you always go around covered with a mask, but you’re prettier than I thought. Pretty enough to remind me of someone I know.”

How should she respond?

Thank you?

Or perhaps…….

“P-please stop.”

Wu-il pulled out a mask from her clothes and put it on completely.

“Aw, but your bare face seems better than that black thing.”

“Young Hero, please stop joking around. I’m being serious right now.”

“I’m serious too.”

“…….”

Wei Yan-ho pushed up the corners of his lips with both index fingers.

“‘Being serious’ and ‘being tense’ aren’t the same thing. If you really want to do something properly, first release that tension filling your shoulders.”

“Ah…….”

Wu-il’s pupils trembled.

So Wei Yan-ho said such things to help her relax…….

“If you get caught and die like that, you won’t be able to close your eyes in peace, right?”

……As if he would.

Wu-il composed herself with a few fake coughs. She must not get swept up in Wei Yan-ho’s behavior any further.

“Once we go inside, absolutely don’t make any noise and follow closely behind me.”

“What does ‘closely’ mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds. You must step in the same places I step.”

“Why go to such trouble?”

Wu-il said in a firm voice:

“Young Hero, that place is the Zhuge Family. The Zhuge Family are the masters of formations under Heaven.”

“Formations?”

“Yes. The founder of the Zhuge Family, Zhuge Kongming, was the greatest strategist under Heaven and also the greatest formation master under Heaven. Of course, the current Zhuge Family is also the greatest formation family under Heaven.”

“Isn’t that the Tang Family?”

“The Tang Family’s mechanisms and the Zhuge Family’s formations are different. The Tang Family specializes in killing opponents through mechanical devices, but the Zhuge Family’s formations confuse and bewilder people by disrupting their five senses. In severe cases, they can even lose their lives. The deadly formations installed inside the Zhuge Family are terrible things that one can never escape from without knowing their life gates.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded.

“So you’re saying that since Miss knows the life gates, I should follow you?”

“……Please call me Wu-il.”

“That sounds too much like calling a man, so it’s strange.”

Wu-il didn’t answer and just sighed.

Right, what does it matter whether it’s Miss or Wu-il? That’s not what’s important right now.

“Let’s go.”

“Oh, your posture suddenly changed…….”

Wu-il ignored Wei Yan-ho’s words and rushed forward like seeping into the darkness. She had already understood that the more she conversed with Wei Yan-ho, the more she got swept up.

“Let’s go together.”

Confirming that Wei Yan-ho was following behind her, Wu-il whispered softly:

“Don’t make any noise.”

“Yes!”

Your answer is too loud, you bastard!

“This way!”

If she were to voice her complaints about Wei Yan-ho, there would be no end. And complaining would be presumptuous too.

‘Stay calm.’

Wu-il, having controlled her mind, silently crossed the wall of the Zhuge Family.

‘Isn’t he following?’

She couldn’t sense any presence behind her. Could it be that after coming this far, he went somewhere else…….

“What are you doing not going?”

Wu-il’s heart shot up to her throat.

If she had been startled just a little more, she would have let out a shriek.

“I-I’m going.”

This wasn’t a matter of presence or anything. Even if a ghost had attached itself behind her, it wouldn’t be this quiet.

‘As expected of Wei Yan-ho.’

They said that at such a young age, he was worthy of competing with the supreme masters under Heaven, and that evaluation wasn’t wrong at all. Though she didn’t want to evaluate him as a person, Wei Yan-ho as a martial artist was definitely reliable.

“This way.”

Wu-il nodded with a determined face.

Having half-assimilated her body with the darkness, Wu-il recalled the mechanisms installed in the estate once more and began moving slowly.

“Follow behind me.”

“Well, sure.”

Wu-il took a deep breath.

‘One mistake and it’s over.’

The place she had infiltrated was the west gate of the Zhuge Family. The Terrifying Soul Confusion Formation (Geop-geop-hwan-hon-jin) installed at the west gate could be said to be the most frightening formation among those installed in the Zhuge Family estate.

But precisely because of that, fewer eyes would be focused on this direction.

The Zhuge Family’s pride that the Terrifying Soul Confusion Formation could never be breached. What she had to utilize was precisely that pride.

‘Once we pass through here, we’ll have crossed the major hurdle.’

It couldn’t be said that the Zhuge Family was arrogant. They themselves didn’t think they could block everything with just the Terrifying Soul Confusion Formation. However, even masters under Heaven wouldn’t be able to break through the Terrifying Soul Confusion Formation without leaving any trace, and if they left even the slightest trace, the Zhuge Family members wouldn’t miss it.

But Wu-il knew the life gate of the Terrifying Soul Confusion Formation.

“Left-left-right-left-right-left-left-right-right-right-left-right.”

“……Are you chanting an incantation?”

“D-don’t talk to me. If I make a mistake, it’s over…….”

That was the moment.

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho raised his head.

“Huh?”

The estate that had definitely been visible just moments ago was no longer visible. The place where they stood had somehow changed to an empty field.

“Wow, this is interesting?”

Wei Yan-ho reached out in all directions as if finding it fascinating.

“……No way.”

But Wu-il’s reaction was completely different.

Thud.

As if all strength had left her body, she collapsed, her body going limp.

“What happened?”

“……The life gate has changed.”

Despair appeared in Wu-il’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Young Hero. You came all this way to help me…….”

Wu-il felt like dying.

Wei Yan-ho had come to help her, but due to her mistake, they were going to die without even being able to start. How could she not feel miserable?

Watching Wu-il’s shoulders tremble, Wei Yan-ho chuckled.

“So we failed?”

“……Yes.”

“Then I can handle things my way now, right?”

“What?”

Wu-il raised her head.

And then she saw it.

Wei Yan-ho with a wicked smile spread across his face. Seeing the mischief and cunning in that expression, her heart somehow felt chilling.

“I thought I was going to die of frustration. Don’t worry. I’ll do things my way from now on.”