Chapter 238. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (9)

“Pfft! I get it, don’t worry.”

It was true that she had tended to her injured subordinates. However, she wasn’t as busy as she said she was. In fact, she had actually thought about going to see Woo-Moon several times in between her duties. She just couldn’t bring herself to do so because of how much her heart ached.

Ra Mi paused for a moment and then cheerfully said, “So, you must really be happy with your newlywed life these days, Battalion Leader.”

“Of course. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of. Ra Mi, when you meet a good person and get married, you’ll understand, too.”

Ra Mi smiled.

However, her eyelids and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but tremble.

“Yeah. I should too... a good person... when I meet a good person, I mean.”

The two chattered for a while longer, and then Woo-Moo left.

He walked away, while she stayed there by herself.

After walking for a while and turning into an alley, Woo-Moon heaved a deep sigh, and a dark expression appeared on his face.

“I’m sorry...” he quietly muttered.

Meanwhile, Ra Mi, who was standing still, looking down at the ground, kicked a rock without any reason before suddenly bursting into tears.

“A good person... There’s no one like that, Battalion Leader. There’s no one better than you, so what am I supposed to do...”

She wanted Woo-Moon to help her.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Just like when he had helped her when she was in danger. Like when he had taken care of her warmly without getting annoyed while she still had narcolepsy. Like when he had created an entire cultivation method for her and patiently taught her, helping her become an Absolute Master.

Ra Mi, still a child in an adult’s body, sobbed, rubbing her arms with both hands as if she was cold.

***

Woo-Moon and Dae-Woong walked together behind the training hall.

“Father, have you remembered anything by any chance?”

It was maybe the hundredth time he was asking, but once more, Dae-Woong shook his head with a serious expression.

‘What should we do?’

At that moment, a red fog suddenly appeared on one side of the training ground.

“I-Is that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor?”

Dae-Woong was shocked, but Woo-Moon reached out and calmed his father.

“It’s fine, I noticed he was here. I just let him approach because it seemed strange. He knows I can kill him, so I’m not sure what he’s even doing here.”

Indeed, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor appeared from the blood mist.

“Thanks for sparing me the trouble of looking for you. Killing you was one of the things I had to do before I started my battle with Martial Heaven. But... why did you come to me? Did you come here to offer your head out of regret over your past evil deeds?” Woo-Moon spoke coldly.

Now that he had become a Zenith Master, untouchable energy flowed out from him, making it so that even an Absolute Master like the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had difficulty standing upright.

“I know where your mother is imprisoned. Martial Heaven’s headquarters. I can guide you there.”

Woo-Moon and Dae-Woong both quivered.

‘What are you planning, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor?’

The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was, in a sense, quite similar to the Martial Heaven Emperor. While he was a man, he looked more beautiful than a woman.

Of course, the Martial Heaven Emperor had originally been a woman, only turning into a man unintentionally due to another person’s tricks, and actually missed and reminisced about his time as a woman.

On the other hand, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was greatly ashamed of his womanly appearance. Having been forced to spend years as a sex slave, he had fostered hatred for himself and even greater hatred for everyone else.

The two were extremely different.

However, as Woo-Moon said before, he couldn’t forgive the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor just because he had such a horrid past.

Of course, he personally felt pity for the man’s cruel life, but that did not excuse his deeds. After all, there were definitely many innocent people among those that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had indiscriminately slaughtered.

“If you’re trying to get something in return for that information...”

Before Woo-Moon could finish his sentence, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor took action first.

Thud!

It was the sound of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor’s knees dropping to the ground.

The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor pounded his forehead against the ground and shouted so emotionally it sounded as if his throat was bleeding.

“No conditions! Just please, I beg you! I beg you! Please, help my sister!”

It was hard for Woo-Moon to maintain his cold gaze any longer. His cultivation as a Paragon already allowed him to know when an Absolute Master was lying, and such things were ten times as clear now that he was a Zenith Master. He knew that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was not putting on a show.

Of course, there had to be a story behind it.

At that moment, Ma-Ra appeared behind him like an illusion.

“...Help him,” she whispered in his ear.

“Okay.”

That was the entire discussion. He didn’t even bother to ask why; if that was what she wanted, she certainly had her reasons, and he fully trusted her.

‘I need his help anyway, so there’s that.’

Ma-Ra looked at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor with pity for a moment before disappearing into the darkness.

“Okay, I’ll help you. Or rather, I’ll help her. As for your punishment, that remains to be decided.”

The blood that burst from the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor’s forehead soaked his beautiful face. However, he stared at Woo-Moon without blinking.

“Thank you. From my heart. Thank you. As long as you can save my younger sister, I don’t care about my life. Once I know she’s saved, you can do whatever you want with me. But... are you really a Zenith Master, like the rumors say?”

The shocking battle between the Martial Heaven Emperor and Woo-Moon was already famous throughout the

murim

. After all, there had been many witnesses, and they were not bound by any oath of silence.

The reason the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had come to see Woo-Moon himself was precisely this rumor.

“I have indeed reached the level above Paragon.”

The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor’s eyes were filled with excitement.

‘Good. I didn’t come to the wrong person. This is the only way to escape this damned repetition, to save Cho-Ah.’

“Then what should I do to help you?”

“My little sister... Cho-Ah was kidnapped by Martial Heaven thirty years ago. To be exact, by that damned Sword King.”

“The Sword King? Why?”

“So that he could use me. He would point out those who interfered with his activities or would be harmful to Martial Heaven and made me kill them.”

Woo-Moon knew for a fact that was the truth, but not the entire truth. Not all of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor’s murders were at the Sword King’s order. Even without the latter, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had a taste for blood and enjoyed the act of killing.

Those he killed at the Sword King’s orders were just the cherry on top.

‘Even so, Martial Heaven and that bastard Sword King are unforgivable. Hypocrites of the highest order.’

Woo-Moon regretted killing the Sword King so cleanly.

“Is your sister also held captive in Martial Heaven’s stronghold?”

“Yes. I know where it is, but I lack the ability to do anything about it. You, on the other hand.... You can save her.”

‘Well, at the very least, he sure loves his younger sister. I’ll give him that.’

Woo-Moon looked at Dae-Woong. The father nodded to his son, and the son grasped his father’s hand tightly to convey his intention.

“I’ll be back. There’s no time to waste, so please tell the others for me, Father, Ma-Ra.”

“Okay, son. You and your mother have to return safely.”

“Of course.”

Ma-Ra made to follow Woo-Moon. But he shook his head.

‘I’m going alone. It’s dangerous... if we end up meeting the Martial Heaven God, and if he’s stronger than me, you’ll die too.”

“I don’t care. If we have to die, we die together.”

Woo-Moon smiled at Ma-Ra as she stood firm.

Tap.

He then pressed her acupoints in one swift move, causing her to faint.

“Well, it’s not like I am making light of your resolve. If you choose to die with me, I respect that. But we can’t let our love lead to the death of our child, right?” Woo-Moon quietly muttered as he held her in his arms.

Dae-Woong’s eyes widened at his words.

“S-son, are you serious? Is my dear daughter really pregnant?!”

“That’s what I said. In about nine months, you’ll be a grandfather. Ma-Ra must have begun to notice it, too. Of course, I knew the moment the baby was conceived. I could tell when the new life was born.”

Dae-Woong, eyes filled with tears, held onto Woo-Moon’s hand tightly.

“Son, please. You have to come back alive. For my grandchild!”

“I know.”

Woo-Moon immediately left the manor with the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.

***

A palanquin was slowly moving along the road.

Two bald, middle-aged men were being carried by ten bearers, both men and women.

In front of them, four men were diligently sweeping the road of dust, and behind them, five women were taking flower petals out of the baskets they carried and scattering them across the ground.

Next to them, a boy carrying a load much bigger than his height was walking silently, sweating profusely. The load contained the two men’s various belongings and even more flower petals.

The entire group walked quietly.

Well, it wasn’t like they had any alternative. After all, all the attendants had damaged vocal cords and didn’t have the ability to make a sound even if they wanted to.

About thirty years ago, the two middle-aged men’s attendants were secretly badmouthing them as they served them. Once they found out, the two middle-aged men killed them all, then proceeded to remove the vocal cords of all slaves they subsequently purchased.

As for the two men...

One was among the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, while the other was one of the Six Rising Challengers.

They were real blood brothers, and they were known as the Five Poisons Twin Emperors.[1]

The elder brother was the first to perfect his martial arts and was appointed one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. Then, he sacrificed countless people and massive amounts of poison to help his younger brother develop his poison arts as well. Eventually, the younger brother became an Absolute Master and one of the Six Rising Challengers.

The elder of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors, Geum Jae-Beom, had a colorful scorpion in his hand and was petting it as if it were some kind of cute butterfly.

“Adorable little rascal. You have to grow up well.”

While the attendants were extremely skinny due to not being able to eat properly, the two men were very plump, and even the scorpion looked like it was quite well fed.

“Are you hungry? Here, let me give you some food.”

Geum Jae-Beom opened the box on one side of the palanquin and held a bright red marten in his hand.

As soon as Geum Jae-Beom touched it, the marten trembled before falling flat on its back and fainting.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The scorpion chewed the marten with relish. Then, at some point, the scorpion’s shell suddenly changed and began to emit a five-colored light.

“Oho! Your venom has finally reached its peak.”

Geum Jae-Beom quickly lifted the scorpion to his mouth and bit off its head.

Crunch.

Such are the whims of nature—one moment you’re the predator, one moment you’re the prey.

Geum Jae-Beom greedily ate the scorpion raw. Although the red scorpion was about as venomous as anything could get, to Geum Jae-Beom, it was the most delicious food and an elixir to increase his own venom.

At that moment, from a box that Geum Jae-Beom hadn’t closed yet because he was too busy eating the scorpion, a Fire Dancing Rat crawled up and escaped.

“Huh? How dare you?!”

Geum Jae-Beom naturally noticed the Fire Dancing Rat’s escape and quickly caught it again. However, by that point the rat had already caused an accident.

A palanquin bearer whose neck had been bitten by the Fire Dancing Rat suddenly lost all of his strength and collapsed on the spot.

Though they were used to their masters’ venomous ways, the other palanquin bearers were startled and stopped on the spot in shock.

Geum Jae-Beom grimaced and then shouted, “What the hell are you doing? Why are you stopping?! Walk, walk faster, run! The moment the smell of that corpse reaches my nose, all of you will die!”

1. The Five Poisons are the five poisonous/venomous creatures known in ancient China: snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads, and spiders. ☜