Chapter 101: Jaseung, Gains More

“We must take advantage of Ban Yeo’s absence.”

Ban Yeo’s absence had not been part of the original plan. Plans always changed, however.

Dan Woobin was a quick thinker, all the more so because he was young.

“So we need to find out what hidden power the Alliance Leader has.”

The affair with Ban Yeo had made him certain. The Leader hid some secret. Otherwise Ban Yeo would never have shown such weakness.

Just then a subordinate came in and reported.

After hearing it, Dan Woobin looked startled.

“The Vermilion Bird Hall Captain is asking to meet you, my Lord.”

“Me?”

“Not Seop Mu-pyeong, but the Black Way Alliance Leader.”

In other words, a strategist of the Murim Alliance had sent word that he wanted to see the Black Way Alliance Leader.

Lee Jaseung was surprised as well. It was a situation that could go anywhere.

“Any guesses as to why?”

At Lee Jaseung’s question, Dan Woobin voiced what came to mind.

“There are a few possibilities. First, he may want to learn what this provocation was meant to achieve. Given precedent though, that seems unlikely.”

“And if not?”

Frowning slightly and thinking for a moment, Dan Woobin reached a conclusion.

“He is probably going to ask us to eliminate Ban Yeo.”

He had read the other side’s intent precisely.

“Otherwise there is no reason to seek you out in this situation.”

A smile touched Lee Jaseung’s lips. After Ban Yeo, a chance had come to handle the Murim Alliance as well, and they were walking in on their own.

“I will go.”

“No.”

Dan Woobin did not suit this kind of meeting. He was too good of a man. For the filthy tricks of filthy men, the right answer was…

“I will go myself.”

Hearing Lee Jaseung’s resolve, Dan Woobin yielded.

“Understood. I will escort you.”

“You are fine with this, right?”

“Of course. It annoyed me for a moment that they sent a strategist while our Alliance Leader goes in person.”

“You sure it’s not because you want a battle between a strategist and another strategist?”

Caught out, Dan Woobin gave a sheepish grin.

“That’s a part of the reason.”

Lee Jaseung smiled.

“Even if they had sent a mere gatekeeper, I would’ve still gone.”

That way he could rip out what he wanted for sure.

Jang Wonso would regret sending a strategist instead of coming himself.

And one more thing.

By pressing this way, he could draw the monster that lurked beneath the surface.

Whether that was a power Jang Wonso had hidden away, or something else entirely.

* * *

This time as well, Lee Jaseung wore the human-skin mask Master Go had made.

The secret meeting took place at the same location as the one he had with Ban Yeo.

Sa Jo-pyeong arrived with twenty warriors, and every one of them were Peak Realm masters.

Even so, he felt cowed.

In an ordinary meeting it would be different, but the opponent was the Black Way Alliance Leader. It was impossible to say what such a man might do if a plan went wrong, even by chance.

“It is an honor to meet you.”

Sa Jo-pyeong bowed deeply.

Seated, Lee Jaseung only dipped his chin once.

Sa Jo-pyeong had expected that reaction. Although he himself served as the Murim Alliance’s chief strategist, he was, in rank, only a division chief who had come out to meet the Alliance Leader in person.

“His Lordship is unwell, so I have come in his stead.”

Sa Jo-pyeong soothed him with polite words.

Lee Jaseung wore a deliberately displeased expression. The room was already thick with the pure Yin Qi he had released.

Because he had spread that Qi in advance, it did not feel like a sudden stab to the heart.

However, simply being in the room made one feel small because of it.

No matter the caliber of expert, it was the same. For Sa Jo-pyeong, whose martial skill was comparatively lower, it was a space that made the heart pound on its own accord.

With that alone, Lee Jaseung could tighten his grip on the meeting.

“You lot seem to think I am some errand boy sweeping a back yard, summoning me this way and that. Do I look like a joke to you?”

“Of course not.”

Sa Jo-pyeong bowed his head.

“It is because the matter is so important that I asked to meet you face to face.”

“Fine, let us say so. Then why did you ask to see me?”

At the casual belittling, Sa Jo-pyeong bristled inside. In truth, he was the one being treated like a houseboy.

‘How dare this young brat talk to me like this!’

Of course, he couldn’t show his real emotion.

“I came to propose a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes, a very important one.”

“Speak.”

“I will be blunt. Please eliminate Ban Yeo for us.”

It was the moment Dan Woobin’s prediction hit the mark.

Lee Jaseung’s gaze sharpened. The cold chill in the room deepened at once, making Sa Jo-pyeong flinch.

“Alright. I will be blunt as well. I have no interest in the power squabbles of you Orthodox bastards. If I kill him for you, what will you do for me?”

“Is there something you desire?”

“I would like it if every last one of you Orthodox bastards dropped dead. How about it, can you make that happen?”

Coarse and violent, he was acting the very picture of a Black Way Alliance Leader.

Sa Jo-pyeong answered with a relaxed smile.

“I am afraid that request is difficult.”

Inside, he felt hopeful.

‘Yes, a temperament like this is easy to control!’

Cold and calculating was harder to sway than hot tempered.

“Tell me what you can offer.”

At Lee Jaseung’s words, Sa Jo-pyeong realized they had reached the critical point of the negotiation.

He took a sheet of paper from his robe.

“This.”

When Lee Jaseung held out his hand, the paper flew from Sa Jo-pyeong’s fingers into his.

‘Remarkable as I expected.’

Seeing him display the realm of taking objects from empty air without effort, Sa Jo-pyeong was impressed. But on the other hand, he also mocked him inside, seeing Lee Jaseung unable to hide his power.

Of course, that too was intended by Lee Jaseung.

When Lee Jaseung unfolded the sheet, it bore a person’s name and several bits of information for retrieving money from the Treasury.

“There are three million silver coins deposited under that name.”

Lee Jaseung’s lips curled.

“How stingy.”

“Three million silver coins is no small sum.”

“By your standards.”

He flicked the paper forward.

“Take it and screw off before I kill you. Do you take me for a beggar?”

He deliberately let killing intent leak out. In a room already thick with cold, that aura made Sa Jo-pyeong’s whole body tremble.

Because of that, a second card he had planned to play more leisurely came out earlier than intended.

“That is not all I prepared.”

He took out a small box.

Before he could explain, Lee Jaseung stretched out his hand again, and the box crossed the air into his grip.

When he opened it, a fragrant scent wafted out.

Inside were ten small pellets. Astonishingly, they were Taiyi’s Divine Pills.

Even with money they were hard to obtain, an Orthodox Faction elixir that granted a minimum of ten years to a maximum of thirty years of inner Qi with one pill. There were ten of them.

But Lee Jaseung remained indifferent.

“So I am supposed to eat these, sweat buckets, then go take out Ban Yeo, is that it?”

“N-No.”

Sa Jo-pyeong was flustered. He had expected the offer of ten Taiyi’s Divine Pills to delight him, but his expectation had missed.

Wearing a look of annoyance, Lee Jaseung raised his voice.

“You Orthodox Faction fools always think you can toss a few coins and a few pills and coax a bastard from the Unorthodox Faction into wagging his tail like a dog. That is what you came here thinking, right?”

“No, absolutely not.”

Panicking, Sa Jo-pyeong even waved his hands.

“Consider these payments for granting the audience. Now leave.”

Sa Jo-pyeong’s face went pale. He had never imagined a Black Way Alliance Leader would try something so shameless.

At this rate he would simply lose ten Taiyi’s Divine Pills for nothing.

‘To think he would be this unreasonable. What had Ban Yeo given him to make him this tight fisted?’

Forcing himself to stay calm, Sa Jo-pyeong spoke.

“If there is something else you want, please name it. If I can obtain it, I will do my utmost to get them.”

Now it was Lee Jaseung’s turn to throw his winning move.

“There is one thing that comes to mind.”

“What is it?”

“I have long heard a rumor that the Murim Alliance is holding the treasures of Hainan Sect.”

If Ban Yeo held one of the treasures, the Alliance Leader would have the rest, or so he probed.

“This is the first I have heard of it.”

But Lee Jaseung clearly saw it. The instant he mentioned Hainan’s treasures, Sa Jo-pyeong’s eyes wavered. In reading an opponent’s heart, Lee Jaseung had reached the highest level.

From his reaction, he knew the thrust had hit the truth.

“Really? The rumor says your Murim Alliance committed that deed.”

“That’s utter nonsense. How could we do such a thing?”

Lee Jaseung’s eyes narrowed.

“Forget it then. If you do not have it, get out.”

Sa Jo-pyeong looked troubled. From the start, the knife had been in the other man’s hand, so the meeting was at a disadvantage. He had to come to a place the other side chose, and was able to bring only twenty warriors.

He wasn’t able to flip the table by force. Even in favorable conditions, Sa Jo-pyeong was not the sort to take such risks.

Seeing through him, Lee Jaseung spoke.

“Why? Do you want to trust the men outside and brawl it out? Go ahead and try.”

Sa Jo-pyeong flinched. He had already lost the battle of momentum.

Earlier he had told Jang Wonso, that if Jang Wonso did not go himself, the price to pay would be higher.

This was exactly that. Overmatched in force, there could be no fair negotiation.

At last, Sa Jo-pyeong sighed and spoke.  

“I will be frank. Of Hainan’s treasures, one is in our hands.”

“Which one?”

“A manual of martial movement technique.”

“Is that really the only one?”

“Yes, only that one.”

Lee Jaseung stared through him and saw he was not lying.

“It is not as grand as the rumors say. It is a useless manual.”

“Shut up and fetch it now. Only then I will kill Ban Yeo.”

“If you obtain it, promise you will kill Ban Yeo.”

“I swear on the name of the Black Way Alliance Leader. But bring me a fake and you had better be ready.”

“Do not worry about that.”

An hour later, on Sa Jo-pyeong’s order, a warrior brought in a thin booklet.

The title on the cover read Limitless Steps.

Light flashed in Lee Jaseung’s eyes.

As expected, this footwork too bore the name Limitless.

He opened the secret manual.

It gave explanations and even drawings, very kindly. According to the description, it was truly an extraordinary movement art.

But he understood why Sa Jo-pyeong had called it useless.

Everything else was explained, but there was no instruction at all on how to use inner Qi for this technique. Without the internal cultivation method, it was worthless.

But that wasn’t the case for Lee Jaseung.

He could tell. Limitless Steps used the internal cultivation method in the iron chest to drive the footwork.

The manual was genuine. It was a movement art far superior to the one he had mastered, and combined with his body arts would be even more effective.

Hiding the surge of joy, he snapped irritably.

“Damn it! You dare hand me this trash!?”

“I warned you ahead of time, didn’t I? You have sworn on your name, so keep your promise!”

“I will! I will kill him! Now get out.”

Sa Jo-pyeong hurried away.

‘He would not believe a man’s word, now look at him. Serves him right.’

But Lee Jaseung’s expression was nothing like what Sa Jo-pyeong imagined.

He was smiling, feeling wonderful.

Three of the four treasures gained at Hainan Island were now in his hands. Only the map remained.

From this process he had confirmed one thing.

The Murim Alliance had been deeply involved in Hainan Sect’s downfall.

More precisely, it had been the Alliance Leader and Ban Yeo and their clique. If the entire Alliance had moved, the matter would not have remained mere rumor.

It seemed Ban Yeo had taken the gauntlets, and the Alliance Leader had taken the movement art manual.

Then how did Hainan’s iron chest end up in Baek Seolyoung’s hands?

Naturally, one more decisive question followed.

Who held the remaining map?

And where did that map point?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep