CLS-Chapter 494

Chapter 494:

That voice was somewhat strange.

A benevolent voice.

It was soft and warm words, like a grandfather speaking to his grandson seated on his knee.

Yet strangely, those listening had to feel a chill.

Anyone with even a bit of sense couldn’t help but realize that this situation was no longer a joke.

“That…”

Zhuge Yeom opened his mouth.

He had to say something.

But what was he supposed to say in this situation? Even his brilliant mind couldn’t keep up with the circumstances.

“It wasn’t particularly difficult.”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, how should I put it… if that wasn’t the reason, there’d be no reason for you to come looking for me.”

“I could have come with goodwill toward you.”

“My master said that’s rarely the case.”

“Rarely?”

“Yes. People do show kindness to others, but they don’t usually move personally just to show kindness. The reason people who call themselves saints and such don’t spare their own effort is to satisfy the pleasure they feel when helping others—if they’re not satisfied even while helping, they won’t move. But I’m not particularly someone to pity, so there’d be no need to come looking for me. If your purpose was goodwill.”

“…Your master?”

“Yes.”

“My, what a harsh person he must be.”

“You can’t express it all in words.”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered.

“My master isn’t someone who wouldn’t bleed a drop if pricked by a needle—he’s someone who’d stab you with a sword if you tried to prick him with a needle.”

“He seems that way. But that alone wouldn’t give you certainty that I came to kill you, would it?”

“That wasn’t particularly difficult either. Because I know grandfather’s true identity.”

“Identity?”

“Yes. Identity.”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“My identity… Do you mean you knew in advance that I came from White Sword Castle? That White Sword Castle is hostile toward you?”

“No, I didn’t know. I found out just now.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Wei Yan-ho chuckled.

“You obviously know, so why are you acting like this?”

“I don’t know what you think I know.”

Heavenly Flow Sword truly looked like he had no idea. Even the bystanders thought Wei Yan-ho might be mistaken about something.

But Wei Yan-ho received everyone’s gazes with a meaningful expression.

“Well, it’s like this. I don’t know about other places, but there’s one place that could never walk the same path as me, even unto death. A place that really wants to kill me.”

“What great grudge could White Sword Castle and you have built up?”

“It’s not White Sword Castle.”

“…”

“Of course, there is some bad blood there too. I wonder how Master Nok Mok-pung is doing. Personally, I liked his previous robust appearance better than his current one—please tell him that. Anyway, there is bad blood there, but they wouldn’t come out like this over such grudges. But…”

Wei Yan-ho paused slightly.

Wei Jeong-han was about to say something but closed his mouth. He wanted to say that drawing out words in front of an elder wasn’t a good habit. But contrary to his expression, Wei Yan-ho’s eyes had sunk cold as ice.

‘This isn’t a joke.’

Only then did Wei Jeong-han, who noticed the blade passing between the two men, look around. Everyone was keeping their mouths tightly shut, not knowing how to interpret this situation.

Tense tension.

Breaking through that tension, Wei Yan-ho finally opened his mouth.

“The Demonic Cult would be different.”

Demonic Cult.

The weight that name carried was always heavy.

But the words “Demonic Cult” spoken in this situation carried even greater weight than usual.

“…Demonic Cult?”

Heavenly Flow Sword shook his head with a face that showed complete lack of understanding.

“Why suddenly the Demonic Cult?”

To anyone watching, Heavenly Flow Sword seemed to completely fail to understand the situation.

Could Wei Yan-ho be mistaken?

“Your words… are you saying I’m connected to the Demonic Cult? That I came to kill you for that reason?”

“Aren’t you?”

Heavenly Flow Sword let out a laugh.

“I must acknowledge that your imagination is remarkable. But as everyone here knows, White Sword Castle doesn’t have a very good relationship with the Demonic Cult.”

“…”

“They’re people whose necks I’d like to cut off whenever I meet them. So why would I try to kill you on the Demonic Cult’s orders?”

Tang Cheon-gun supported Heavenly Flow Sword.

“I think the same. Other places aside, saying someone is connected to the Demonic Cult isn’t something to say carelessly.”

“Hmm…”

Heads nodded here and there.

Among them were those who admired Heavenly Flow Sword’s character. In the current martial world, there was no worse insult than being called a lackey of the Demonic Cult. Martial artists were people who could tolerate insults to their parents but couldn’t bear being branded as Demonic Cult members.

Yet here was Heavenly Flow Sword, not getting angry despite hearing such words from an impudent junior right before his eyes—he couldn’t help but seem impressive.

“Young hero, you were too rude.”

Even Zhuge Yeom restrained Wei Yan-ho. Jang-il was pulling Wei Yan-ho’s sleeve from behind. The fact that he was grabbing Wei Yan-ho’s sleeve despite the risk of poisoning showed he thought Wei Yan-ho’s words were excessive.

“Well now.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

“He came to kill me, yet everyone’s making such a fuss over me cursing him a little.”

Just as someone was about to retort, Wei Yan-ho quickly continued.

“And I didn’t curse him. It’s the truth.”

“The truth?”

“Yes.”

Heavenly Flow Sword’s face hardened slightly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. No matter how little I care about fame or reputation, I don’t have enough patience to tolerate being branded as a Demonic Cult member. If you can’t provide a proper explanation, I will never forgive you.”

“Already came to kill me, yet talking about forgiveness…”

Wei Yan-ho smirked.

It looked extremely rude.

‘But his words are right.’

Jang-il, who had been frowning at Wei Yan-ho’s smirking, couldn’t help but feel something was off.

What courtesy was there to show someone who came to kill you anyway?

Heavenly Flow Sword was still maintaining courtesy, which only made Wei Yan-ho seem rude. But would it hurt less if he stabbed you with a sword while being courteous?

Heavenly Flow Sword had already indirectly admitted he came to kill Wei Yan-ho. So what use was courtesy?

“If you don’t understand, I’ll have to explain. I didn’t know at first either. But when I thought about it, something seemed strange.”

“What seemed strange?”

“On my way back after meeting grandfather that day, I encountered Demonic Cult bastards. I remember clearly. Because that was the first time I’d ever seen Demonic Cult members.”

“So?”

“Isn’t it strange?”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“Of all times, I see Demonic Cult bastards on my way back from meeting grandfather. That’s something that could hardly happen under normal circumstances.”

“Hah…”

Heavenly Flow Sword laughed as if bewildered.

“So I’m connected to the Demonic Cult because of that?”

“Yes.”

“Then if you had met a Shaolin monk on your way back, I’d be connected to Shaolin, and if you met someone from Wudang, I’d be connected to Wudang. If you met a wolf, I’d be controlling wolves?”

It was mockery.

But Wei Yan-ho didn’t waver even receiving such obvious mockery.

“You already said it yourself.”

“What did I say?”

“That you’d like to cut off their necks whenever you meet them.”

Heavenly Flow Sword’s eyes sank.

“How many people do you think were in that mountain wilderness? Yet grandfather didn’t know about something like that?”

Wei Yan-ho chuckled.

“I’d understand if a dog had passed by the meat. I didn’t realize it at the time. But when I thought about it later, it seemed strange. I was half-aware of it, yet grandfather didn’t know? Really? Nah, doesn’t seem right.”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“There are so many strong people in this world. My master told me that even if I had entered the martial world right then, there wouldn’t be many who could face me, but that was just my master’s mistake. Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes. I’d seen people I couldn’t guarantee victory against before, but seeing grandfather, I realized it. Ah, there really are many strong people in this world. Yes. So grandfather was stronger than me back then. But you didn’t know that.”

Those who grasped how the situation was turning hardened their faces.

“Yes. So you were strong. Incredibly strong. Therefore, grandfather naturally knew there were Demonic Cult members in that place. Yet you just left them alone. Even though those bastards you’d like to cut down on sight were obviously nearby, you left them alone—that means one of two things.”

Wei Yan-ho raised his reddened hand and pointed at Heavenly Flow Sword.

“Either grandfather wasn’t as strong as I thought, or there was a reason you had to leave the Demonic Cult bastards alone. Which one is it?”

He had said everything that needed to be said.

Everyone who needed to hear had heard.

And which side’s words were more convincing was being shown by people’s actions.

Those who had been around Heavenly Flow Sword distanced themselves from him. They stood far away, but it certainly wasn’t a fleeing posture. A formation that seemed to surround him was created.

“Heh heh.”

Heavenly Flow Sword laughed awkwardly.

“I shouldn’t have dismissed what the children said about you—you’re far more outstanding than I thought.”

“Hehe, I hear such praise often. But, hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho cracked his neck left and right.

“You’d better be careful. I have bad feelings toward the Demonic Cult. They weren’t good to begin with, but recently something very unpleasant happened, so I literally want to chew them up and swallow them. So I won’t go easy on you.”

“Heh heh heh heh, I made a mistake.”

Heavenly Flow Sword’s eyes turned cold.

“I should have killed you back then.”

Killing intent.

From Heavenly Flow Sword, who had been nothing but gentle until now, thick killing intent that was unimaginable poured forth.

Everyone flinched and stepped back from that killing intent.

‘This is…’

Tang Cheon-gun gritted his teeth.

Such killing intent from Heavenly Flow Sword? Could such a gentle person have this side to him?

It was killing intent so intense that just watching from a distance made hands and feet tingle. Then what about Wei Yan-ho, who was receiving that killing intent head-on?

He urgently turned his gaze, but Wei Yan-ho was calmly receiving Heavenly Flow Sword’s killing intent. As if something like this posed no threat to him at all.

“Are you admitting it?”

“Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t?”

“No.”

“Then whether I admit it or not, what meaning would it have? In the end, in your eyes, I’m a lackey of the Demonic Cult anyway.”

“Now, don’t try to slip away cleverly—be a man and either admit it or deny it. Pick one of the two. They call you Heavenly Flow Sword, yet you deflect everything like this.”

“Heh heh heh heh heh.”

Heavenly Flow Sword laughed loudly.

“I’ll give you that answer before I cut off your neck. Can’t have you becoming a vengeful spirit from curiosity.”

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

“Mistaken?”

Wei Yan-ho let his hands hang loose.

“When I said grandfather was strong, that was by the standards back then. Grandfather already missed his chance.”

Wei Yan-ho loosened his hands and brought them to his waist.

“…”

When his sword wasn’t caught at his waist, Wei Yan-ho turned his head with a strange expression.

“Ah, could someone lend me a sword first?”

“…”

Everyone was at a loss for words.