Cai Kechang sounded relaxed. However, Lee Hyeon-Su still noticed the subtle tremor in the voice coming from the phone's speaker.

'Not that surprising, really.'

Kang Jin-Ho could've been making a bluff. A verbal threat and nothing more. However, Cai Kechang had personally witnessed what Kang Jin-Ho was capable of. Which meant he couldn't afford to view Kang Jin-Ho's words as an empty threat.

Kang Jin-Ho was fully capable of following through with his threats, after all!

'This isn't the question of one's strength, either.'

Even if the Crimson King was proven to be several times stronger than Kang Jin-Ho, Lee Hyeon-Su would rather still get on the Crimson King's bad books instead of Kang Jin-Ho's. That was how much of a bad idea it was to have Kang Jin-Ho as your enemy.

That feeling would only get amplified the more you knew about Kang Jin-Ho.

-There is no need to get emotional here.

“Emotional, you say?” Kang Jin-Ho responded coldly, causing another round of silence to descend in the room.

Cai Kechang took his time before breaking his silence.

-I admit that I went overboard just now.

Kang Jin-Ho leaned back against the couch. That gesture indicated he was leaving the negotiation back in Lee Hyeon-Su's hands.

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded in understanding and spoke to the phone. “Powerless civilians are off-limits. They should not be a part of our negotiation.”

-You might have such a rule, but not us.

Lee Hyeon-Su held his head. They were now facing a serious problem here.

The Crimson King's faction obviously couldn't murder every single family member of the demonic cultivators. That much was certain. However, simply holding them hostage should be enough to set the proverbial cat among pigeons, AKA the demonic cultivators in Korea.

'I normally wouldn't have cared about this, but...'

Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his forehead. He couldn't ignore Kang Jin-Ho's tendencies on this matter. After all, Kang Jin-Ho greatly treasured his family. So, he definitely wouldn't want to see people under him suffering from issues related to their family members.

“So, what you're saying is, the high-and-mighty Crimson King and his lackeys will use civilians as hostages to force us into a peace agreement?”

-That's right. And what are you going to do about it?

Lee Hyeon-Su looked up at Wiggins. Unfortunately, Wiggins shook his head to indicate that even he couldn't think of a suitable response.

“Fuu...!” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed softly, then glared at the phone. “You can't capture all those people. There are too many.”

-No need to keep stalling like this, Lee Hyeon-Su. You and I both know full well what the current situation is. We've already begun capturing the hostages. And it won't take long to round them all up with the resources at our disposal. Wouldn't you agree?

Cai Kechang sounded as if he was trying to pacify a little kid.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

-Agree to this ceasefire deal, and we shall send every one of them to South Korea. Those who want to go will reach your country safe and sound. We'll even handle all the legal matters for you. Simply put, we're offering a convenient service, and you can have it all. You get what I'm saying, don't you?

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't readily respond. He could imagine what might happen if he said no here.

While Lee Hyeon-Su was stuck in the proverbial rock and a hard place, unable to think of anything to say, Kang Jin-Ho broke the silence first.

“So, if we agree to this ceasefire, your side will take care of everything? Is that it?”

-Yes, that's correct.

Cai Kechang suddenly became rather polite. It meant he was willing to discard his negative feelings and show as much respect toward Kang Jin-Ho as he could afford.

-This... is the best offer we can bring to the table.

“I see,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded while mouthing a cigarette. “In that case, let's call the end to this negotiation.”

-I'm sorry?

Cai Kechang's voice sounded dazed.

“Didn't you hear me? This negotiation is done. Do whatever you want.”

-Mister Kang Jin-Ho. It's good that you know when to bluff, but I'm not the type to fall for such obvious bluffs. Any problems arising with the family members on this side will mean the demonic cultivators preparing for hardship on that side will not sit still.

“I don't care. I'm not going to stop them, anyway.”

Another bout of silence descended. However, Kang Jin-Ho was more considerate this time and broke it quickly for everyone.

“Anyone wishing to go back, I'll let them,” said Kang Jin-Ho, his attitude remaining unperturbed. “It sounds like you're mistaken about something here. To me, those people are not indispensable. I only took them under my wings because they wanted to follow me. That's it. So, I don't see a reason to hold them back if they want to leave. Actually... I can see several people in this office who will be much happier about feeding fewer mouths.”

“...I think absolutely everyone will be happier, sir,” Lee Hyeon-Su smartly chimed in at the perfect timing.

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “You'd do well to reconsider your offer, Cai Kechang.”

Cai Kechang didn't immediately respond.

The fallout from harming the family members of demonic cultivators didn't just fall on Kang Jin-Ho's shoulders. Obviously, the embers of revenge would also land on Cai Kechang.

The chaos arising from the vengeance-driven demonic cultivators entering China in large numbers would be quite considerable. Obviously, their martial prowess would still be pitiful, so the scope of damage they could cause would be limited. Even so, that possibility alone was still something to worry about.

After all, it'd be the same as an army of suicidal terrorists sneaking in the rear of the camp while the Crimson King's faction was confronting the Dark King and Azure King.

-We will...

“Are you worried about those who will return?” Kang Jin-Ho smirked deeply. “I have advice for you. You should be a lot more worried about those who won't return immediately. After all, those people will be the ones tearing your throat out in the near future.”

Kang Jin-Ho was right. Those who'd return to China right away to avenge their family members were not the actual problems. The ones Cai Kechang should fear more were those demonic cultivators who chose to remain in Korea for the sake of their vengeance.

They'd patiently bide their time improving their strength for the chance to rip the Crimson King's head off, after all!

-E-even so! We do not have any plans to completely yield on this matter. Sometimes, one's pride matters more than one's life.

“That's true,” Kang Jin-Ho snapped his fingers. “In that case, we'll compensate you for handing over the family members. However, we still need to get paid what we deserve, too. It's your job to calculate which side will receive more.”

-Understood.

“We'll talk again later,” said Kang Jin-Ho before ending the call.

Lee Hyeon-Su's wide-open eyes locked on Kang Jin-Ho. “Who knew you'd be so good at this!”

Wiggins nodded proudly. “That was an excellent demonstration, my lord.”

“Isn't this more like accidentally stumbling onto the treasure instead?”

Even with Vator's unnecessary comment at the end, it seemed the negotiation had gone rather well. Kang Jin-Ho smiled wryly.

'It feels like I've put on ill-fitting clothes...'

The act of finding common ground through dialogue wasn't the culprit causing this weird feeling in Kang Jin-Ho. No, it was 'talking' to his enemies like this. That was the unfamiliar concept troubling him.

To him, talking to his enemies always had been another method to drive them into a dead-end. Nothing more. But now, he was even trying to enter a pact?

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly leaned back against the couch.

'A pact, is it...?'

When nicely put, Kang Jin-Ho could say that he had evolved a bit more from the days of strictly adhering to the simple 'Kill All Enemies, Protect All Allies' principle. Objectively speaking, though... Wasn't this because he lacked strength?

If Kang Jin-Ho had possessed enough power, he would have had no reason to enter a pact or agreement like this. No, he'd simply charge straight back into China and cut the Crimson King's head off.

– You will crumble. All the things you've done will choke the life out of you. And you'll die from them.

Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor's words echoed loudly inside Kang Jin-Ho's mind.

'In the end, everything is due to how weak I am. Is that it?'

As it turned out, nothing had changed.

Even though Kang Jin-Ho was living a new life, the fundamental issues remained the same. Even if the era had changed, and people's mindsets had evolved from the outdated ways of the past, this world was still a jungle where the strong preyed on the weak.

Those without strength would eventually be exposed to the tyranny of someone stronger. For now, Kang Jin-Ho was temporarily spared from the Crimson King's tyranny. However, for how long would this situation last?

What he earned this time wasn't freedom. No, it was nothing more than a temporary reprieve, a reward for deftly maintaining his balance on the rope being pulled by powerful factions in a tug-of-war.

'In other words, it's still the same story, then.'

He needed to get stronger. No matter what!

Kang Jin-Ho got up from the couch and glanced at the others in the office. “I'll leave the rest to you.”

“Thank you for all your hard work, sir!” Lee Hyeon-Su bowed his head.

Neither Lee Hyeon-Su nor the other two men were against Kang Jin-Ho leaving the office. He had already done his job, anyway, which was to set the course for others to follow. And now, it was up to the rest to hash out the details.

Still, Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but mutter quietly while watching Kang Jin-Ho coolly waltz out of the office. “...At least you could've left your phone with us, you know?”

What a good thing it was that Lee Hyeon-Su had memorized Cai Kechang's number earlier!

***

Once the direction was chosen, the rest would become much easier to handle.

The initial hurdle was deciding what to do. After everyone agreed on how to resolve the matter, the remaining steps would all be about acquiring as much as they could and conceding as little as possible.

Since Lee Hyeon-Su and Cai Kechang agreed on the overall 'direction', they mutually decided to postpone the adjustment on the finer details to the next day.

With that, the first stages of the negotiation had ended. And Lee Hyeon-Su could finally take a breather, knowing the most difficult part, the first round of negotiations, was done and dusted.

Lee Hyeon-Su muttered while massaging his shoulder. “Geez. Feels like I can finally relax, master.”

“Indeed. This work saps a lot out of you for seemingly no reason,” said Wiggins while handing a cup of coffee to his disciple.

Lee Hyeon-Su gratefully accepted the coffee and took a long sip. However, he suddenly got up, fetched a jar of sugar, then dumped many, many spoonfuls of the white stuff into his drink.

Wiggins frowned slightly. “Isn't that too much sugar?”

“My body is craving something sweet, you see...”

“Hmm. Makes sense. Still, enjoying your coffee black is the way to go.”

“I don't want to hear about fine dining from a Brit, master.”

“...That must be the harshest blow I've received from you, disciple. I'm not sure how to respond to that,” Wiggins chuckled dejectedly, his expression growing a little despondent.

Lee Hyeon-Su quietly chuckled while taking another sip of the now sugar-overloaded coffee. Then, he tilted his head slightly. “Still, something feels strange to me.”

“Which part is?”

Lee Hyeon-Su put the coffee cup down, then took out a cigarette packet. After getting permission from Wiggins and Vator via a simple exchange of glances, Lee Hyeon-Su mouthed a cigarette and lit it up.

“We knew the Crimson King's faction doesn't have a choice but to negotiate with us, but... I didn't expect them to approach us so quickly and decisively.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, it's humiliating, isn't it?”

Vator nodded in agreement. “Not just Cai Kechang, but even the Crimson King's pride is as lofty as Mount Tai itself. I also didn't expect them to contact us this soon.”

Lee Hyeon-Su stared at Wiggins. “What about you, master? Did you see this coming?”

“It seems you've been reading way too many books, my disciple.”

“...I'm sorry?”

Wiggins chuckled good-naturedly. “Perfectly anticipating the enemy's response, then toying with them only happens in fantasies. Not even Napoleon or Hannibal managed to do that. The ancient tales of fantastical schemers? Those are all made-up, Mister Lee. If not, people simply re-packaging an event filled with one coincidence after another into a narrative that suits them.”

“Mm...!”

“No one can anticipate when a man would make his choice when he's been influenced by his own tastes, personality, and the situation itself. It might be possible to predict the end result, but the timing of it? That's nearly impossible.”

“I see.”

“However, now that we have a result, making educated guesses just became possible for us. Since a choice they could have taken their sweet time making happened sooner than expected, there must be a good reason for it,” said Wiggins.

Lee Hyeon-Su sat forward. “What could be that reason, master?”

Wiggins replied while leisurely sipping his coffee. “You said it yourself, didn't you? That they should've contacted us much later because of their pride.”

“Yes, that's what I've been thinking.”

“In that case, doesn't this development indicate that they had to swallow a large slice of humble pie? That sounds like a distinct possibility to me,” Wiggins chuckled as he explained.

“It must be one of the two things. One, they face an urgent situation that forces them to cast aside their pride and conclude the negotiation as soon as possible. Or... They have evaluated us highly enough to the point where they have acknowledged that being prideful with us is a pointless waste of time.”

Wiggins glanced at his audience members, his smirk deepening.

“And which one do you think it is?”

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned slightly. “I guess it's the first one.”

“Indeed. That's what I think as well,” Wiggins nodded while rubbing his beard. His rubbing motion seemed a bit more cheerful than before. “Even if our opponent is in a rush, we have no obligation to play along, now do we? How about we take our time and pour some salt on their sore spot?”

“Master, have I ever told you that you're a terrible person?”

Wiggins feigned a mortified expression. “I may not seem like it, but people consider me a gentleman.”

“Really now?” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled while sipping another mouthful of his coffee.

He or his companions couldn't tell what kind of an urgent situation was pressuring the Crimson King's faction, but it couldn't have been a good one. At least, that seemed dead certain at this point.

Exploiting any hints of the enemy's weakness was the moral thing to do in a negotiation, now wasn't it? So, Lee Hyeon-Su decided he'd vent all of his stress and frustration piled up during Kang Jin-Ho's sojourn in China on Cai Kechang.

'I'm gonna crush you, pal.'

Wiggins tutted. “You're making a villainous expression, Mister Lee.”

“I am a villain, after all.”

Vator watched the master-and-disciple duo smirk at each other like cartoon villains and slowly shook his head.

'Bloody hell. The demon cult bastards are more innocent than these people...'

As it turned out, this place was more demonic than the demon cult!