Chapter 65

'Is this the path Dang Ran-yeong came through...'

If so, he would have dealt with the enemies on his way in, so that direction should be safe. As Cheong-ra guided them in that direction, everyone rushed out. It was then that Mu-hwa shouted in surprise,

"Devotee Ye! Behind you!"

Cheong-ra quickly turned around. In that moment, the large man who had escaped had rushed out to catch the fleeing people.

"You lot! Stop right there!"

People screamed at the tiger-like roaring voice and killing intent. Cheong-ra blocked the man who was threateningly swinging his staff and shouted,

"Everyone, run away quickly!"

Due to Dang Ran-yeong's hidden weapons, blood was streaming from the large man's eyes. Even blind in both eyes, he had come this way just by sensing presences, showing considerable determination. Cheong-ra blocked the swinging staff with his shackles. The impact felt like it might shatter his wrists.

"Get out of my way!"

"Ugh!"

With his hands and feet not free and the passage narrow, it was difficult to dodge. However, he wasn't so outmatched as to be completely overwhelmed by the opponent. After all, the other side was blind, and Cheong-ra could freely use his inner energy, so he could manage.

Cheong-ra struck the opponent's body with his shackles, infusing them with inner energy. The impact must have been great, as the large man coughed up blood.

"Argh! I'll kill you!"

Extremely enraged, the opponent swung his staff wildly. It was an incomparably more violent attack than before, with a threatening power as if drawing on innate energy. The pressure laden with killing intent brushed past Cheong-ra's ears.

'He's strong, but that's all.'

Being blind, the attacks were truly random. No matter how strong an attack, it's meaningless if it doesn't hit. Cheong-ra calmly avoided the staff while beating the opponent's body with his shackles and chains. Though the large man had been enduring without flinching due to his tough physique, as the impacts accumulated, he gradually began to stagger. And it was then.

"Devotee Ye!"

Mu-hwa shouted urgently from behind. But before Cheong-ra could prepare, someone pounced on him from behind. Completely off guard, thinking there were no enemies behind him, Cheong-ra ended up exposing his back.

"Die! Die! Die for the Demon Army!"

"Ugh...!"

Was there a cultist mixed in among the kidnapped civilians! But somehow, the civilian's condition was strange. Their eyes were unfocused, and they were shouting like a madman with bloody foam coming from their mouth. They clung on with all their might, choking Cheong-ra, but their strength and attack were just ordinary. However, it was enough to interfere with Cheong-ra fighting the enemy.

The large man's staff flew towards Cheong-ra's face. It was likely to just barely graze him, but Cheong-ra reflexively twisted his body to the side. With that movement, the civilian was thrown off, and the end of the staff headed towards Cheong-ra's right chest.

The chest was a vital point that could be fatal no matter where it was hit, to the extent that some people could die on the spot from a single blow. He braced himself for the terrible impact that would follow.

However, Cheong-ra's chest was not crushed.

A flash of light, and the large man's forearm was severed. Before a scream could escape the opponent's mouth, a large hand gripped his nape. With a cracking sound, bones broke and flesh was torn, and blood poured out. With a gurgling sound, the large man collapsed to the ground.

Though the opponent was clearly dead, the black sword was raised high and then fell, crushing the chest without fail. Seeing this action, Cheong-ra's eyes widened.

Even for a cultist, it was an excessively cruel act. Wasn't cutting off the arm already enough to subdue him? Moreover, Dang Ran-yeong had a dagger and a whip in his hands. Yet, in all his actions of painfully tearing out the throat and mutilating the dead body, Dang Ran-yeong's hatred-filled emotions were evident.

Cheong-ra swallowed dryly and looked up at the other. Dang Ran-yeong, who had been looking down at the dead man with a chillingly fierce gaze, slowly turned his eyes. They were black eyes devoid of any green, completely heartless. Below his eyes, under the mole, blood droplets were splattered as if meticulously painted.

"Young Master Baek Ri, I feel unpleasant when I see things that are too kind-hearted."

Dripping hot blood from his hands, Dang Ran-yeong spoke indifferently. The blood seeping from the large man slowly formed a pool. Dang Ran-yeong tapped Cheong-ra's thigh, who was sitting on the ground, with his toe and then stepped on it to push him away. Cheong-ra's body moved helplessly, distancing him from the blood pool.

His body trembled slightly with fear towards the other, but trying not to show it, Cheong-ra sighed once and then replied,

"...I feel unpleasant when I see bad guys."

Hearing those words, a faint smile appeared on Dang Ran-yeong's face. He crouched down in front and looked Cheong-ra up and down. Now his eyes had their usual green shimmer. Meeting Cheong-ra's eyes with a gaze that seemed to see right through him, he asked,

"Young Master Baek Ri, are you so afraid of getting your face injured? To the point of choosing death instead? But you don't like using civilians as shields?"

This time, Cheong-ra kept his mouth shut without answering. To a master like Dang Ran-yeong, the trajectory of the earlier exchange must have been clear.

"Should a martial artist be afraid of getting scars on their face?"

Dang Ran-yeong asked, tapping Cheong-ra's cheek with his fingertip. It was absurd to hear such words from someone who didn't allow a single scar on his body. Well, it wasn't that the other was afraid of scars, but rather that no scars remained due to his exceptional martial arts. Besides, Cheong-ra hadn't become a martial artist because he wanted to be strong in the first place.

As blood stains got on his cheek, Cheong-ra turned his head to the side in disgust. Then he paused and slightly opened his mouth. The civilian who had rushed at him earlier was strangely quiet, and he realized they were already dead. Their wide-open eyes were completely red with burst blood vessels, and blood was flowing from their nose and mouth. It was truly a shocking sight.

"Where are you looking while we're talking?"

Dang Ran-yeong grabbed Cheong-ra's chin with a painfully strong force and turned his head back. He threatened in a gentle voice. Despite his tone, killing intent was palpable.

"Young Master Baek Ri, you keep disobeying, don't you? Do you want to die that badly?"

Instead of answering, Cheong-ra tightly closed his mouth. He had never been afraid of dying since long ago. However, the person looking at him with intense eyes was strangely frightening.

Even now, he couldn't move at all, pinned by the other's gaze. His tense Adam's apple moved slowly. As he was tensing up, wondering if he would be hit or strangled again due to the other's violent tendencies, Dang Ran-yeong said something unexpected.

"Actually, I prefer things with flaws rather than perfection..."

Cheong-ra retreated slightly, wary of the other. Preferring things with flaws, was he saying he would leave a flaw on his body? Dang Ran-yeong's gaze was different from usual, enough to make him think that. He seemed to be enjoying it, but at the same time, he looked very displeased. The unexpected words didn't end there.

"...Why don't you run away even now, as Nam Gang-ryong said?"

Cheong-ra, who had been squirming to escape the hand painfully gripping his chin, paused and looked at the other. He couldn't understand the intention behind this proposal.

"What about the contest?"

"As Young Master Baek Ri said, there are many beauties in The Pavilion of Golden Fragrance, so I could just choose one of them."

Cheong-ra's lips moved silently for a moment, unable to answer. He had now gained some information about this suspicious organization. Cultists who wore masks, worshipped goats, and performed human sacrifices. With this much information, the Beggar Sect should be able to tell what kind of group they were.

However, he couldn't easily agree to leave. When Cheong-ra didn't answer, Dang Ran-yeong shrugged and stood up. Cheong-ra impulsively spoke up.

"You said we'd make a deal. That you'd grant what I want... Now I have something I want."

Dang Ran-yeong turned back and stared intently without a word. Cheong-ra staggered to his feet. His leg was unbearably painful, and his whole body ached. Soon, an incredibly alluring smile appeared on the handsome face. He seemed to have been waiting for Cheong-ra to say this, despite suggesting that he run away.

"Alright, let's do that. For a merchant... deals are very important after all."

Cheong-ra tried not to be too drawn in by the seductive voice, like that of a wicked snake. He pointed at the dead civilian and asked,

"Why did this person die?"

"Because they accepted something they couldn't handle."

Saying this, Dang Ran-yeong returned to the cavern. What could that unacceptable thing be? A hallucination-inducing poison? The ominous and wicked power of the cultists? Cheong-ra bent down to close the dead person's eyes and then limped after Dang Ran-yeong. As he was about to enter the cavern, Cheong-ra's body stiffened.

Blood was splattered everywhere, enough to induce nausea. Dang Ran-yeong's handiwork had been so cruel that the surroundings looked like a scene from hell. Despite being accustomed to cutting and slashing people, Cheong-ra had to close his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again.

How could this be the work of someone in their right mind? Even if the opponents were cultists, it looked more like the work of an evil sect driven mad by blood. The image of yesterday's possession by evil spirits flickered before his eyes.