Baek Woo Jin’s fierce shout as he boldly walked through the main gate reached the ears of Jin Mi Yeon and Tang Yeon Shin, who were having a private meeting in the main hall.
“Who’s the crazy bastard…!”
Tang Yeon Shin didn’t recognize the owner of the voice and reacted with anger.
“No, could it be…?”
Jin Mi Yeon, who faintly recognized the voice, was struck dumb with shock.
“N-No, it can’t be…!”
It was too unbelievable. If that voice had really reached here, it meant that Baek Woo Jin, who had been poisoned by the Nobleman’s Pill she had created herself, leaving him without even a shred of internal energy, and who had shown signs of being overtaken by demonic energy to the point of almost turning into a demon, had somehow escaped from the laboratory.
What on earth happened?!
That laboratory had been guarded by no less than ten shadow clan members monitoring it tirelessly for an entire day, and its only access point was an iron door embedded with mechanisms developed directly by the demonic cult. How could he possibly have escaped from such a place?
“Hey, Big Shadow!”
At her call, the large figure of a man, who had been lurking within her shadow, immediately emerged.
Big Shadow.
It was the nickname given to Seok, the younger brother of Ten Shadows.
“Go and check the situation in the laboratory! Right now!”
Receiving her sharp, frantic order, Big Shadow silently bowed his head before disappearing into the shadows, heading toward the laboratory.
“What is going on here?”
Tang Yeon Shin, who had been watching the situation unfold, asked with a perplexed expression. Jin Mi Yeon bit her nails with an anxious look and replied.
“That voice just now… it belonged to Baek Woo Jin.”
Only then did Tang Yeon Shin realize the gravity of the situation.
“What on earth is going on? How could he possibly have escaped from the laboratory?”
At his tone, which sounded as though he was rebuking a subordinate, Jin Mi Yeon glared at him sharply and shouted back.
“That’s why I sent Big Shadow, isn’t it? Because I don’t know either!”
“And yet you dare raise your voice at me?”
“So now you’re saying this is my fault?!”
As their voices grew louder, an urgent voice from outside the door interrupted their escalating argument.
“C-Clan Head! You need to come out for a moment!”
Still fuming, Tang Yeon Shin strode over to the door and threw it open.
“What is it now?!”
“M-Moorim Alliance warriors from the Chengdu branch have surrounded the Tang Clan!”
“What?! Why would the Moorim Alliance do that?!”
“I-I don’t know. The branch leader himself has pushed his way into the inner hall and is demanding to speak with you directly.”
“This… this can’t be…!”
It was undoubtedly Baek Woo Jin’s doing. There was no other explanation for such a reckless act; why else would the Chengdu branch of the Moorim Alliance besiege a fellow member faction like the Tang Clan?
“I’ll come out shortly. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes!”
The warrior who had been bowing quickly disappeared. At the same time, the composed mask Tang Yeon Shin had been forcing onto his face crumbled entirely.
“Damn it! That bastard must have spilled everything.”
There was no other way the Moorim Alliance could have mustered such a large force to surround the Tang Clan.
“What should we do?”
When he asked in a hurry, Jin Mi Yeon curled the corners of her mouth. It was a clear mockery.
“Hah. Why are you asking me?”
Her sulky demeanor, coupled with the derisive turn of her head, stoked his anger, but he suppressed it with superhuman restraint.
Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to slap her right then and there, but escaping this crisis required her cooperation.
“If we can just get through this, I’ll apologize as much as you want. Let’s set aside our grievances for now.”
“Well… fine, then.”
As Tang Yeon Shin bowed his head slightly in submission, her mood lightened, and she gave a small nod.
“Well…, getting out of here myself won’t be difficult.”
“Hmm, I suppose not.”
It was said that a cunning rabbit digs three burrows. Ever since she mastered the Reverse Appearance Technique, she had prepared several alternate identities she could switch to at any moment.
However, the situation was different for Tang Yeon Shin. After painstaking effort, he had managed to disguise himself as Tang Yeon Shin, but unlike Jin Mi Yeon, he had not yet reached a level where he could freely wield the Reverse Appearance Technique.
“As long as you’re wearing the face of the Tang Clan head, they won’t attack recklessly.”
“Hmm…, that makes sense.”
“If Baek Woo Jin manages to escape and rescues the real Tang Yeon Shin in the process, things could get complicated….”
Even in the worst-case scenario, where Baek Woo Jin did succeed in freeing the real Tang Yeon Shin, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Tang Yeon Shin had spent decades at the Tang Clan head’s side, perfectly mimicking his speech and behavior as if they were his own. If he decided to brazenly deny everything, it wouldn’t be easy for them to distinguish the real from the fake.
“So, there’s only one thing you need to do.”
“Buy us some time.”
“Exactly.”
A day or two would be sufficient. That was all the time Jin Mi Yeon needed to escape using the Reverse Appearance Technique and mobilize her shadow network to secure his escape as well.
“One thing to remember.”
She gritted her teeth as she spoke.
“Don’t let yourself fall for that bastard Baek Woo Jin’s provocations, no matter what.”
“Kuhm…!”
The boy’s audacity was extraordinary. On top of that, the way he spoke was infuriatingly sly, making it nearly impossible to suppress his anger even though he knew full well it was a provocation.
“I’ll hold it in.”
He muttered as if making a solemn vow.
“Fine. I’ll make my move first.”
Her face shifted in an instant, transforming into that of one of the maids serving in the Tang Clan head’s quarters.
She entered a prepared room in the residence, changed into a maid’s uniform, and prepared to leave. However, her movements paused momentarily.
A few days ago, something Baek Woo Jin had said resurfaced in her mind.
– You reek.
“Damn it…!”
For a brief moment, fear surged through her. Could he really recognize her for who she was?
“No, that’s ridiculous.”
It had to be a lie, something he said merely to provoke her.
Suppressing the unease that bubbled within her, she opened the door and stepped outside.
Her gaze immediately landed on the martial artists from the Chengdu branch who had already gathered in front of the Tang Clan head’s quarters.
Among them stood Baek Woo Jin. She didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed he had completely dispelled the demonic energy within him and restored his inner strength. His eyes sparkled with confidence.
Damn bastard!
Even as she inwardly cursed him, she couldn’t ignore the sharp realization of her own human frailty.
When she saw the vitality radiating from his eyes, a buried desire stirred within her. A yearning to one day seize him in her grasp once more.
When that time comes, I’ll make you grovel like a dog.
Vowing to make him pay for destroying her laboratory, she kept her head down, blended in with the group of maids, and slipped out of the manor of the Tang Clan head.
***
“Hah, I can’t tell if what I’m doing is right anymore.”
At dawn, Go Myeong Hn, after receiving the report from Jegal Yeon Ji, gathered all the warriors in the branch and led them to surround the Tang clan. They proceeded to infiltrate the inner hall, but he remained unsure if his actions were truly justified.
The situation was that unbelievable. To think that spies from the demonic cult had infiltrated the Tang Clan, one of the pillars of the orthodox sects. What’s more, it was hard to fathom how such spies could have embedded themselves so deeply within a family bound by blood ties.
“If this goes wrong, I might lose my head over it.”
When Go Myeong Han voiced his concern, Baek Woo Jin responded with a reassuring tone.
“That won’t happen.”
“It better not. Hmph.”
By the time they had stationed themselves in front of the clan head’s manor, nearly an hour had passed.
“What is the meaning of this commotion, Branch Leader Go?”
Tang Yeon Shin appeared. He was radiating a sharp and imposing aura.
“We received a report that spies from the demonic cult are hiding within the Tang Clan, Clan Head.”
“Hah! Spies from the demonic cult, those damned bastards, in our clan?”
Baek Woo Jin inwardly admired his choice of words.
The way Tang Yeon Shin revealed his animosity toward the demonic cult was reminiscent of the tales of how he used to relentlessly hunt them down in the past.
“Fine, let’s hear it. Just who are these supposed spies hiding in our clan?”
“Well…”
Go Myeong Han hesitated. No matter how he looked at it, it was difficult to believe that the man standing before him wasn’t the real Tang Yeon Shin but a fake.
At that moment,
“This bastard is really going to play dumb to the end.”
Baek Woo Jin, who had been silently observing like a statue until now, suddenly burst out.
Go Myeong Han’s face turned ghostly pale at his words.
“W-What kind of attitude is that, young man?”
“I already told you, didn’t I? That man is a fake.”
“Hahahaha!”
Suddenly, the fake Tang Yeon Shin burst into laughter. He clicked his tongue as if pitying Baek Woo Jin and spoke with mock sympathy.
“How pitiful. Were you so upset that you couldn’t marry my daughter?”
“…What?”
Baek Woo Jin was momentarily dumbfounded.
“No matter how frustrated you were, how dare you deceive the Moorim Alliance branch for your petty grudge and try to humiliate me, you bastard!”
The fake Tang Yeon Shin began crafting a story. He was aiming to undermine Baek Woo Jin’s credibility.
The murmurs from the gathered crowd quickly followed.
“Could it be that he failed to arrange a marriage with the Tang Clan’s young lady…?”
“No way, but even so, would he go this far?”
The crowd began to waver between belief and skepticism, looking at each other uncertainly. Seeing this, the fake Tang Yeon Shin felt a wave of satisfaction.
It didn’t matter if everyone believed the story. All he needed was to plant the seed of doubt. Suspicion, like a shadowy ghost, would grow and take on a life of its own.
If I can take control of the situation like this, I’ll have enough time…
He was calculating his next moves and plotting ways to stall further when it happened.
Swish!
Without warning, Baek Woo Jin charged forward using his movement techniques; his sword flashed as it swung down.
“You—this bastard!”
The fake Tang Yeon Shin hurriedly stepped aside; his movement technique saved him from the sudden attack. A split second later, the blade struck where he had just been standing.
“Almost got you.”
It wasn’t a warning strike. Baek Woo Jin’s intent was clear; he had aimed to cleave the man in two.
“Young master Baek! What on earth are you doing?”
Go Myeong Han shouted in shock. His face went pale with disbelief. The people around him also poured out all sorts of words toward Baek Wo Jn.
“Why bother listening to every word that comes out of a demonic cult spy’s mouth? You should just cut their head off and be done with it.”
“But still…!”
When Go Myeong Han tried to argue further, Baek Woo Jin shouted at the people who were being swayed by the words of the fake Tang Yeon Shin.
“If the Tang Clan Head standing before you isn’t a demonic cultist, I’ll stake my life on it. So don’t even think about interfering with me from now on.”
And if they did interfere, he would consider them cultists as well.
His sharp gaze and commanding tone, as if his very words could cut them down, silenced the crowd.
In the now quiet atmosphere, Baek Woo Jin looked satisfied as he shifted his gaze toward Tang Yeon Shin, whose face was contorted with bewilderment.
Damn it, that crazy bastard is at it again…!
Yet another unexpected situation had unfolded. Who would have thought he’d suddenly swing his sword in front of so many people without warning?
Baek Woo Jin looked at him with a mocking expression and sneered.
“There’s a simple way for you to survive. Just kill me.”
It was a logical proposition. If Tang Yeon Shin killed Baek Woo Jin before he could say more, he could silence him and claim his own innocence, returning everything to how it was.
It does make sense, but…
Something about it felt off.
Baek Woo Jin’s level was at the late stage of the Peak Master realm. This was a feat hard to believe for someone only twenty-one years old. But to Tang Yeon Shin, who had already reached the Transcendence Peak long ago, Baek Woo Jin shouldn’t have been a threat.
What is he banking on to act so bold?
It was unthinkable that such a cunning man would confront him so brazenly without some kind of safeguard in place.
“Why are you just standing there? Show me the demonic martial arts you’ve mastered.”
Hearing Baek Woo Jin’s taunting, Tang Yeon Shin finally realized what his opponent was after.
He plans to bind my hands and feet before the fight even begins.
He had to fight under the watchful eyes of many. To prove that he wasn’t a demonic cult spy but the real Tang Yeon Shin, he needed to use neither demonic martial arts nor any other techniques. He had to use only the Tang Clan’s martial arts to take Baek Woo Jin’s life.
Though he had learned the Tang Clan’s techniques to impersonate Tang Yeon Shin, they were never a good fit for him. He had only picked them up superficially for appearances, and his mastery was shallow at best.
Hmph! Even so, someone like you is more than manageable with that much.
The limitations imposed on him were troublesome, but he believed they would only delay his victory, not prevent it.
“I’ll teach an arrogant brat like you a lesson you won’t forget.”
“Oh, yes, yes, I humbly await your instruction.”
Baek Woo Jin replied in a mocking tone that made Tang Yeon Shin’s blood boil with killing intent.
Unable to hold back any longer, Tang Yeon Shin charged at him first.
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