Bu Eunseol nodded with a serene expression. “Do not worry. You will definitely like my proposal.”
“Are you crazy?”
When Bu Eunseol responded in a stiff tone, flames erupted in Guk Hye-ryeong’s eyes.
“Or have you suddenly gone blind and forgotten whose presence you are wagging your tongue in?”
Bu Eunseol answered resolutely, “I am proposing a negotiation to the Fleet Master. I know that negotiation is only possible when standing on equal terms.”
“Absurd. Are you saying you have equal conditions with this Fleet Master?”
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol spoke confidently.
“If you want an agreement that forces disadvantageous conditions, say so. I will use the highest honorifics immediately.”
“Heh heh heh.”
A strange light flashed in Guk Hye-ryeong’s eyes. She had grasped that Bu Eunseol not only had a unique personality but also had no fear at all.
“You used your head quite a bit. Did you intend to leave a deep impression and simultaneously provoke this Fleet Master to negotiate?” Guk Hye-ryeong, who had negotiated with countless strong people, guessed Bu Eunseol’s inner thoughts at once. “Fine. I will acknowledge it temporarily. That you are qualified to negotiate equally with this Fleet Master.”
Laughing low, a chilling radiance rose steadily from Guk Hye-ryeong’s eyes. “But if I do not like that proposal… you will have to worry about how to escape this Fleet Master’s grasp.”
“Do not worry.”
“Then speak. The best proposal you can make.”
Bu Eunseol, staring intently into Guk Hye-ryeong’s eyes, spoke calmly, “I will give you the power for the Momentless Fleet to stand alone.”
Listening quietly, Guk Hye-ryeong scoffed as if it were absurd. “So you were a young man not even worth negotiating with.”
“Otherwise, why would you cover everything from the entrance to this interior with mechanical traps?”
“What?”
“Just now, the Fleet Master also emphasized friendship with the strong quite a bit.”
“Useless talk,” Guk Hye-ryeong spoke coldly. “This Fleet has constantly been invaded by foreign powers, so we just made safety devices commensurate with that.”
Bu Eunseol looked straight into Guk Hye-ryeong’s glaring eyes. “Not at all. Isn’t the Momentless Fleet in a situation where it cannot stop rushing robbers unless it maintains friendships with the strong?”
Rumble!
At that moment, a massive storm of true energy soared into the sky behind Guk Hye-ryeong’s back, piercing the roof of the pavilion.
“Say that again.”
Even her hair rising to the sky, Guk Hye-ryeong’s appearance had changed like a witch ruling the darkness.
“What did you just say?”
Despite that terrifying appearance, Bu Eunseol crossed his arms and repeated his words, “I said you are in a situation where you cannot stop robbers without borrowing the power of the strong.”
Kuaaaah!
In that instant, a storm of pure white true energy poured down…
Paah!
It stopped with a sharp flash about an inch from Bu Eunseol’s forehead.
But Bu Eunseol stood stiffly, looking only at Guk Hye-ryeong.
“…”
Guk Hye-ryeong, looking at Bu Eunseol’s coldly halted eyes, suddenly waved her sleeve.
“I value that courage highly.”
Ssss.
Retracting the storm of true energy in an instant, she spoke in a gloomy voice. “Then how do you mean to give power to this Fleet?”
“The Momentless Fleet can be called the grandmaster of female secret arts, but I know there are no martial arts that can be called unique sect secret arts.”
“So?”
“I will give it. The power for the Momentless Fleet to defeat external forces on its own without building friendships with the strong.”
For a moment, a silence heavy as lead flowed inside the pavilion.
Guk Hye-ryeong, with deep eyes, chewed on Bu Eunseol’s words and sighed, shaking her head. “No matter how I think about it, you’re speaking nonsense.” She made an old, rough voice with her dry lips, questioning, “Giving the power to defeat external forces with our own strength? Are you suggesting that the experts of Wolf Fang Pavilion will teach the disciples of this Fleet?”
“That is impossible.”
“Then by what means will you give power to this Fleet?”
Then Bu Eunseol pointed to himself. “Support me as the successor of the Demonic Palace.”
“What?”
“When I become the successor of the Demonic Palace, I will open the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons.”
“Hahaha!”
Madness flashed in Guk Hye-ryeong’s eyes.
“Turns out you were a crazy bastard. Are you telling this Fleet Master to believe such a promise?”
“First, I will provide the demonic arts of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying right now.”
“Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying?”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“The Fleet Master must know well that the majority of demonic art secret manuals scattered in the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons come from the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.”
And he pointed to Hyeok So-jin standing blankly next to him.
“There are countless diverse demonic arts in the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying. If you teach them according to the characteristics of your disciples, the martial power of the Momentless Fleet will rise in a short period.”
“You speak nonsense. There is no way the Illusion Demon would allow such a thing.”
“He will.” Bu Eunseol pointed to Hyeok So-jin and said, “Because he, the next Area Master, demands it.”
Hyeok So-jin looked at Bu Eunseol with a slightly surprised expression. Looking at Bu Eunseol’s unwavering gaze, a thought flashed through his mind.
If I refuse, that witch might go crazy again.
As long as he accompanied Bu Eunseol, Hyeok So-jin was also entangled in the succession battle. In the succession battle, the position of successor of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying could be no shield.
Didn’t our Area decide to become a force supporting Brother Bu anyway? Let’s see this through to the end.
“That is correct. I will guarantee that.”
“Well, not a bad proposal, but it’s a pity.”
Guk Hye-ryeong spoke with flashing murderous eyes.
“Even if I covet the demonic art secret manuals of the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons, there is no need to support the successor of Wolf Fang Pavilion while bearing the risk.” She shook her head. “I reject the proposal.”
“I said ‘first’.”
“What do you mean.”
“I have one more thing to offer.”
“Speak.”
Bu Eunseol continued leisurely, “Did the Fleet Master not say that calling me here was an investment in the future?”
“So?”
“I will also invest in the future of the Momentless Fleet.”
Bu Eunseol spoke without hesitation in a solemn voice.
“If I become the successor of the Demonic Palace, I will lift the ban so that the successor of the Momentless Fleet can also become the successor of the Demonic Palace.”
Boom.
It was a shocking proposal she hadn’t even anticipated. Guk Hye-ryeong blinked as if struck on the back of the head.
The Momentless Fleet, a female sect for generations, had absolutely no qualification to become the successor of the Demonic Palace. But if they obtained powerful demonic art secret manuals? And if they could challenge for the position of Demonic Palace successor? Truly, the Momentless Fleet could dominate the Murim alone and no longer worry about the invasion of external forces.
The proposal Bu Eunseol put forward was one that resolved the grudge of the Momentless Fleet, which had always held resentment against the Demonic Palace’s operational methods.
“Hahahaha!”
Guk Hye-ryeong’s bizarre laughter rang through the Blood Moon Cave.
The old laughter, sounding like a mixture of male and female voices, made one’s blood run cold the more one heard it.
“Hye-seon-ah!”
At Guk Hye-ryeong’s words, a middle-aged woman approached from one side and bowed her head.
“Did you call, Fleet Master.”
Staring intently at Bu Eunseol, she spoke with a voice softer than ever before.
“Escort the two to the Heavenly Moon Pavilion.”
***
The brightly risen moon was dyeing the darkness-covered earth pure white.
Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin sat facing each other in a high pavilion where they could see the moonlight. All sides were open, allowing a view of the beautiful scenery. And in the center of the pavilion, a simple drinking table topped with fruits and rice cakes was set.
While Bu Eunseol drank quietly, Hyeok So-jin was constantly smacking his lips as if somewhat disappointed.
“A bit unexpected.”
Scanning the scenery around the pavilion, he spoke in a low voice, “Since they mentioned Heavenly Moon Pavilion and such, I thought they would provide a feast with delicacies from land and sea and beautiful women dancing and singing.”
The wine set in the pavilion wasn’t bad, but the side dishes were at a level just right for women with small appetites.
“They didn’t call us here just to drink.”
“Then why seat people in a place like this?”
“The Fleet Master has not fully accepted my proposal yet.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“She is probably thoroughly investigating my track record and tendencies in the meantime. And she will weigh whether my proposal is feasible and how valid it is.”
“Fastidious. The Momentless Fleet.”
“Just like the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.”
“Yes?”
Bu Eunseol tossed the drink into his mouth and said, “Did the Area Master not also place two conditions on me?”
“Still, Grandfather didn’t weigh this and that, did he?”
“He weighed it enough.”
Clack.
Putting down the wine cup, Bu Eunseol spoke with a solemn expression.
“To receive the Area Master’s support, I stayed in the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying for a whole two months. Even if I fulfilled all proposals, if he judged I wasn’t a person worth supporting…” Bu Eunseol spoke with a firm expression. “The Area Master would never have kept the promise.”
Hyeok So-jin protested, “My Grandfather isn’t someone who calculates like that or breaks faith.”
“Faith is a word only valid in relationships between people. The head of a sect must calculate gains and losses more cool-headedly than anyone.”
Hyeok So-jin could refute no more.
Hyeok Gong-baek was a kind grandfather, but to others, he was merely a terrifying and cruel great demon.
The head of a sect. That position required maintaining a terrifyingly cold composure.
“If you put it that way, Brother Bu is a born leader.” Draining another glass of wine, Hyeok So-jin grinned and said, “Well, it doesn’t matter what decision the Fleet Master makes. Since we have a last resort.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Fleet Master is over a hundred years old, so let that be, but wouldn’t the successor of the Momentless Fleet be young?”
Hyeok So-jin spoke with utmost seriousness.
“If Brother Bu makes a request with a soulful expression, what woman could refuse…”
Just then, with a rustling sound, two shadows approached the pavilion.
The first to reveal herself was the Fleet Master, Guk Hye-ryeong.
“Fleet Master.”
Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin stood up and gathered their hands. But following her, a very small shadow revealed itself next to Guk Hye-ryeong.
About ten years old?
She was a cute girl with chubby cheeks as she hadn’t lost her baby fat yet, and impressive large black eyes.
“This is my granddaughter, Guk Hye-bin. She is also the successor who will take charge of this Fleet next.”
The next successor of the Momentless Fleet was such a young girl!
Hyeok So-jin grimaced as if he had bitten into a rotten persimmon.
In this case, wasn’t the Handsome Man Trap he thought of as a last resort going down the drain?
While Hyeok So-jin was thinking nonsense, Bu Eunseol was deep in thought with a frown.
The next successor of the Momentless Fleet is such a young granddaughter… why has such a rumor not spread in the Murim?
At that moment, Guk Hye-bin bowed her head toward Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin. But no voice flowed out.
“…”
Bu Eunseol, staring at Guk Hye-bin, looked intently at her neck, then his eyes sparkled. “You have deeply injured your larynx.”
“How did you know that?”
Guk Hye-ryeong flashed her eyes as if she couldn’t believe it. Guk Hye-bin’s neck was covered by clothes, so it couldn’t be seen. Yet to see through the neck injury at once?
“Where did you hear that our dear Bin was injured? This fact has never been known in the Murim?”
Bu Eunseol explained calmly, “Producing a voice is the same as moving the muscles of the vocal organs.”
“So?”
“When those muscles move with appropriate pressure and intensity, air is sent from the lungs to vibrate the vocal cords. When that vibration passes through the oral cavity and esophagus to create resonance, it comes out as a voice through the mouth.” Bu Eunseol pointed to Guk Hye-bin’s neck and said, “But this child made no sound even though she moved her muscles diligently. So I just guessed that her larynx was injured.”
Guk Hye-ryeong gaped.
It was unbelievable enough to see through the movement of muscles covered by the neck, but to be so knowledgeable about human anatomy?
“I heard you were from a mortician background.”
As if she had already investigated Bu Eunseol thoroughly, a strange light appeared in Guk Hye-ryeong’s eyes.
“Were you actually from the medical field?”
“It is correct that I am from a mortician background.”
“Unbelievable. That morticians who clean corpses are as knowledgeable about human anatomy as doctors.”
Bu Eunseol answered with a bitter expression. “That would be because I professionally prepared those who died away from home or had no kin.”
“What does that mean?”
“Those who died away from home or had no kin were mostly Murim people. Moreover, there were almost no intact corpses, and it was common for them to have been eaten by birds and beasts.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes deepened as if recalling that time.
“If I wasn’t well-versed in human anatomy, I couldn’t restore them to their appearance in life. That is why I came to know it well.”
“Was that it?”
Groaning, Guk Hye-ryeong nodded lightly.
It was surprising that someone who had worked as a mortician for a long time became a Ten Demonic Successor, but to have cultivated terrifying internal energy as well.
A mysterious man.
Shaking her head, Guk Hye-ryeong soon changed the subject. “Do you know why I called you here?”
“I have a guess.”
“How?”
Bu Eunseol, unlike his usual self, smiled faintly and pointed to Hyeok So-jin. “Because I visited the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying first.”
“Heh heh heh, you mean your companionship with him is the result of solving the difficult problem posed by the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.”
“Correct.”
As the conversation continued, Guk Hye-ryeong’s furrowed brow smoothed out little by little. Bu Eunseol’s tone, not using honorifics, wasn’t as unpleasant as she thought. Moreover, his low, sunken voice even had a strange magnetic pull.
“I’ll be straightforward,” Guk Hye-ryeong said, looking at Bu Eunseol. “I highly value your skills, and I also believe you’re someone who keeps their promises.”
“Thank you.”
“But worldly affairs never go as intended. So this Fleet Master intends to make one proposal to you.”
“Speak anything.”
“Hye-bin has learned the secret arts of this Fleet deeply until now, but she hasn’t learned a single Killing Method.”
Guk Hye-ryeong looked at Guk Hye-bin’s innocent face and spoke heavily.
“Teach this child one cruel and venomous Demonic Killing Art. Enough to be called a witch.”