Chapter 29 : Master and Disciple (1)

Chapter 29: Master and Disciple (1)

The three of them pushed through the deep mountains, tracking down No Fragrance.

The mountain terrain grew harsher beyond description.

Cheong Yeon’s mouth filled with a sweet metallic taste, and her breath rose to the top of her throat.

But this time, she clenched her teeth and endured.

Because she dared not interfere with Sewoon.

‘Young Master Tang is staking even his life for this pursuit. I must never hold him back.’

From the Sewoon leading ahead, an extraordinary dark qi seeped out.

Ha Yeong and Cheong Yeon had been shocked the moment they began the chase.

Sewoon, who had said he would strengthen his senses through his clan’s martial arts, suddenly began using Innate True Qi.

To draw upon Innate True Qi—which consumed one’s lifespan—without a moment of hesitation, all for the sake of rescuing the captured hostages…

He was, in every sense of the word, a true Chivalrous Warrior.

‘…I feel so ashamed.’

Especially Cheong Yeon, who had complained earlier about the road being too difficult, now felt so humiliated that she could not even lift her face.

Just as they pressed deeper and deeper into the mountain…

Rustle.

Finally, Sewoon came to a halt.

Found it.

Sewoon’s telepathic voice rang in their ears.

And then, hidden among thick bushes and ancient trees, a cave revealed itself.

Even though they had not yet approached the entrance, they immediately realized this was the Poison Demon’s hideout.

For the thick stench of blood—so strong it could not even be masked by Scattering Fragrance Water—spread throughout the area.

They did not immediately rush into the Poison Demon’s hideout upon discovering it.

First, they checked whether any subordinates stood guard, then retreated to a safe distance.

It was not fear that made them withdraw.

Rather, they needed to devise a proper plan before entering the cave.

Their opponent was none other than the Poison Demon.

If they rashly stormed in with nothing but blind courage, the hostages would only be placed in greater danger.

“What should we do now?”

Ha Yeong spoke carefully.

Her eyes were fixed squarely on Sewoon.

At some point, he had become the group’s final decision-maker.

Sewoon replied without the slightest hesitation.

“Heroine Cheong, please return to the main camp at once and inform my father and Geum Hwa Sa-tae of this location.”

“…Yes.”

Cheong Yeon answered weakly.

In her heart, she also wished to remain and lend her strength in the battle against the Poison Demon, but she did not stubbornly insist.

She knew well this was not the time to indulge her pride.

“Thank you. And as for Heroine Do…”

Having arranged for reinforcements in case of unforeseen events, Sewoon then turned his gaze toward Ha Yeong.

Her expression betrayed clear tension.

“…I’d like you to infiltrate the cave with me and attempt the rescue operation. Will you be able to do that?”

“Yes, of course.”

Surprisingly, Sewoon no longer pushed Ha Yeong away.

There was only one reason.

‘To move undetected inside the cave without alerting the Poison Demon, I need Do Ha Yeong’s eyes.’

The moment he set aside his aversion and accepted her as a companion, her abilities proved to be of immense value.

The process of tracking down the hideout had not been accomplished by Sewoon’s abilities alone.

Every time they reached a point where No Fragrance’s trail of Scattering Fragrance Water disappeared…

She had exercised her mysterious gift—known in his previous life as Dragon’s Eye—to find clues even Sewoon himself could not detect.

Thus, within this hideout where the Poison Demon might have laid deadly traps, her eyes would certainly be invaluable.

‘I must help Young Master Tang no matter what.’

Ha Yeong did not reject Sewoon’s request because, deep in her heart, she held pure goodwill—the sincere desire to help him.

She had once harbored a subtle sense of rivalry toward Sewoon, who had won her master’s attention and even received a gift from the Alliance Leader.

But seeing him freely wield Innate True Qi for the sake of saving hostages, she now felt only awe.

Leaving her questions as questions, she came to acknowledge Sewoon as not just a fellow of the Orthodox Path but as a senior worthy of learning from.

“I’ll bring everyone back as quickly as possible. Please, both of you, be careful.”

“Don’t worry, Yeon-ah.”

Still worrying for them until the end, Cheong Yeon vanished as she sped away with full movement arts.

Now only two remained, in the silence that followed.

“Then let us begin preparations for the infiltration.”

Sewoon’s solemn voice rang out.

The eerie cave overflowed with a vicious poison in the very air.

It seemed to have been used as the Poison Demon’s hideout for quite some time.

Three steps, seven steps ahead, mechanisms and formations are laid out.

Understood.

That rock embedded in the wall is also a trap. The moment you touch it, a crossbow bolt will fire, so be careful.

Hmm, confirmed.

Sewoon advanced carefully, following Ha Yeong’s instructions.

Her abilities were even greater than he had expected.

Her eyes, as her strange ability manifested, glimmered with an unusual light.

‘She said she could perceive the essence of all things.’

Though it was not yet at the level of Dragon’s Eye from before his regression, her ability still overflowed with power.

In the pitch-black cave, she guided the way as if it were broad daylight, pointing out the unnatural parts where terrain diverged from nature, steering them past dangerous formations and traps with precision.

‘When it was used as the enemy’s power, it was terrifying… but as an ally, it’s immensely reassuring.’

His feelings were bound to be complicated.

After all, in his previous life, her Dragon’s Eye had been the very power used to track him down as he fled.

But Ha Yeong, unaware of Sewoon’s complex thoughts, continued to admire him inwardly.

‘If not for Young Master Tang, I never could have infiltrated this place.’

Not even a torch or a Night Pearl hung on the cave walls.

Naturally so.

The Poison Demon had lost his eyes and needed no light to perceive his surroundings.

Ordinarily, one might expect it would be easier to infiltrate the lair of a blind man, but that did not apply to the Poison Demon.

The reason was simple.

Yelü Sheng, the Poison Demon, though blind, had developed his other senses to a fearsome degree.

His hearing could map out the cave terrain and detect human movement without light.

His sense of smell could distinguish every living thing and object that entered his domain.

To save the hostages, Sewoon and Ha Yeong had to deceive senses that had reached the realm of the superhuman.

The problem was, neither of them had learned proper Stealth Techniques.

And yet.

Even after traversing deep into the hideout, their enemy had not noticed their infiltration.

This was entirely thanks to Sewoon’s skill.

Even after half a shichen of advancing deeper inside, they encountered no subordinates. Sewoon pressed on faster.

But even as they quickened their steps, the sound of their footfalls did not grow louder in the slightest.

‘To even be able to adjust elasticity… the applications of these threads are endless.’

It was because Sewoon had woven countless new threads into the soles of their leather shoes, imbuing them with an ability that perfectly absorbed sound.

The softened soles bounced lightly off the ground, leaving no trace of sound.

Finally, to deceive the Poison Demon’s sense of smell, Sewoon had used the man’s own methods against him.

‘They say the Tang Clan are the ancestors of poison mastery. To think they would even have a martial art to recover Scattering Fragrance Water.’

Who could imagine that one might coat oneself with the recovered liquid, erasing all scent, and then enter the cave unseen?

Sewoon told Ha Yeong he had used the Tang Clan’s poison-harvesting martial art, but in truth, it was different.

He had used Innate True Qi, based on Golden Bridle Movement Technique, to recover the raw essence of the Scattering Fragrance Water scattered throughout the cave.

The process resembled the way he manipulated the Invisible Dagger with Innate True Qi.

As they proceeded, the narrow passage that barely allowed one person widened gradually.

“Ugh… ugh…”

At that moment, groans of pain reached their ears.

Their eyes met in the darkness.

Ha Yeong followed Sewoon, nerves taut.

If the hostages were close, then so was the Poison Demon.

At the passage’s end, they leaned against the wall and discreetly peered inside.

And the sight that unfolded left Ha Yeong in shock.

Within the cavern stretched a scene more horrifying than anything she had ever witnessed.

The Sea of Corpses and Blood.

Piles of corpses stacked like mountains, with blood pooled deep enough to splash as it rippled.

For a moment, her vision seemed to blur.

Fortunately, Sewoon’s voice, delivered telepathically like a lion’s roar, snapped her back to her senses.

After sending her reply, Ha Yeong steadied herself and quickly scanned the surroundings.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Following the source of the groans, they found the hostages.

People were strung up like cocoons, hanging upside down from the cave ceiling.

But only one of them was still alive.

The youngest of the escort party, the boy Jang Jasu, dangled unconscious and limp.

Thanks to Sewoon’s reminder, Ha Yeong acted with cold composure this time.

Drawing her sword carefully—

Swish!

She slashed without the slightest hesitation toward the boy.

Slice!

Guided by her Dragon’s Eye, she cut only the restraints along their threads.

A perfectly silent sword technique manifested.

Swoosh!

As the boy fell, Sewoon caught him in his Heavenly Net and struck his Baihui Acupoint, putting him into deep sleep.

Ha Yeong pressed her fingers to the boy’s pulse, swallowing the sigh that nearly escaped her lips.

Just then—

ROAAAR!

‘What?!’

Suddenly, from deeper inside the cavern, a terrible scream erupted, followed by a massive shockwave.

Slash!

Ha Yeong immediately shielded the boy with her own body.

But since Sewoon was already holding the boy in both hands, the two of them suddenly found themselves in an embrace.

Swoosh!

Though flustered, Sewoon quickly spread Flawless Heavenly Garment through Heavenly Net to block the shockwave.

The Heavenly Net transformed into a round shield, scattering the impact harmlessly to the sides.

After the storm passed—

Ha Yeong, realizing their position, blushed with embarrassment and stepped back.

But Sewoon had no time to worry about such things.

‘This is…!’

His eyes gleamed as he gazed past where the shockwave had originated.

He instinctively realized that the Angshin Tears had begun to rampage.

This was the golden opportunity to sever the Poison Demon’s life—and seize the foundation needed to restore the Tang Clan’s Poison Arts.

Ha Yeong’s pupils shook as though struck by an earthquake.

Sewoon was right: if they did not escape this cave, where even breathing let poison seep into one’s body, the child’s life would be lost.

The life of her companion, or the life of the boy.

After a long inner struggle, Ha Yeong looked at Sewoon as if she had decided.

Whoosh!

Without another word, they split—each racing in opposite directions.

Ha Yeong ran toward the cave entrance with the boy in her arms.

Sewoon advanced deeper inside, toward the Poison Demon.

His thoughts churned.

If he had not delayed to kill his uncle, would he have arrived sooner and saved not just the boy but more of the hostages?

Had his obsession with saving more lives in the future condemned those who had already died here?

‘Huff, haah…’

Focus, Tang Sewoon.

Though his chest tightened and his head throbbed, Sewoon clenched his teeth and endured.

Now was not the time to drown in guilt.

“Grk! Grhhh!”

The Poison Demon Yelü Sheng’s agonized groans echoed.

-Kehihihi! Here, a gift. This is the head of the Sect Leader of the Diancang Sect, Sword Sovereign Sa Il.

-Disciple, the divine artifact you forged has become a true monstrosity! In one strike, it reduced hundreds to bloody pulp!

-Kehihit, disciple. How does it feel, having contributed with your own hands to the Demonic Path’s conquest of the world?

-Ah, yes. I hear you completed the Three Ultimate Poison Arts while I was away? Kikik! How is it? Doesn’t it fit your hands perfectly?

Countless atrocities the fiend had committed before his regression flashed through Sewoon’s mind.

‘…For now, focus only on killing him.’

At last, Sewoon reached the cave’s end, sealed off on all sides.

Shaa…

In the final chamber, faint moonlight seeped in, illuminating a lone altar.

Atop the altar lay a single withered gray flower.

It seemed the Poison Demon had plucked the blooming Angshin Tears and immediately tried to absorb its poison.

‘And now he’s paying the price of failure.’

Sizzle!

His arm was blackened as though burned by fire.

The stench of rotting flesh filled the air.

His left arm was black from fingertips to shoulder, while his right hand fluctuated between normal flesh and pitch black.

Clearly, he was desperately trying to halt the poison’s spread.

So absorbed was he in resisting it that he had not noticed Sewoon’s arrival.

The perfect time for an assassination.

‘Now’s the chance!’

Without a trace of hesitation, Sewoon prepared to strike.

Shaa…

He slowly drew forth Innate True Qi through Golden Bridle Movement Technique.

In an instant, Innate True Qi flooded his meridians, filling him with a fiery exhilaration.

Vmmm—!

A subtle resonance only he could feel vibrated through his body.

Sring!

Like an arrow loosed, from his outstretched right hand, the Invisible Dagger revealed itself.