Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1323

As Lee Hyun-soo ascended the stairs, he narrowed his eyes.

‘It seems we’re completely trapped in their belly.’

They were caught by the Hong King in the middle of Beijing. This was a situation they couldn’t possibly escape.

To others, it might seem strange that they were entering the building without a second thought, but the moment the Hong King had identified their presence, space became meaningless.

They couldn’t run away anyway.

Despite this, Lee Hyun-soo was instinctively calculating escape routes in his head.

If the worst were to happen, he would at least try to get Kang Jin-ho out…

Cai Kechang subtly turned his head to look at Lee Hyun-soo. Then, he smiled openly.

“You need to spend your calories efficiently. You shouldn’t waste the expensive food you ate on such useless daydreams.”

“It’s okay. You guys will refill me anyway.”

“Hahaha.”

Cai Kechang smiled gently.

“Good, good. We’ll definitely do that for you. You chose well. This is a place the Hong King also likes. The food is very good.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

If he had to choose just one person in the world he didn’t want to face, Lee Hyun-soo would choose Cai Kechang without hesitation. That’s how deep their bad blood ran.

Even if Lee Hyun-soo had met Cai Kechang without any bad blood and had a good relationship, Lee Hyun-soo would never have liked Cai Kechang. That’s how incompatible the two were by nature.

‘Is this what they call a kindred spirit?’

He didn’t want to admit it, but if Lee Hyun-soo were in that position, he would have acted similarly to Cai Kechang. Knowing that made him even more annoyed.

“You must be having a hard time taking care of this lacking guy.”

“Lacking?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“I’ve never thought of him as lacking. He’s always been more than enough.”

“…You’re serious.”

Cai Kechang, who had been trying to tease Lee Hyun-soo, smiled at Kang Jin-ho’s tone.

“He’s a lucky one. To be serving the Demon King, despite his station.”

“It must be his ability.”

“I don’t want to admit it, but it is.”

Cai Kechang and Kang Jin-ho were talking as if there were no walls between them.

To Lee Hyun-soo, the scene was incredibly strange. Considering their relationship, it wouldn’t be odd if swords were flying and they were exchanging death threats right now.

But the person who was truly amazed was someone else.

“What’s going on right now?”

Lee Hyun-soo turned to Choi Yeon-ha and made an awkward expression.

She must be flustered, not knowing the situation.

“Uh… well, it seems a very high-ranking person in China has invited us.”

“Huh? By renting out the whole building?”

“Yes.”

“How high-ranking are they? Are they a Communist Party cadre?”

“Well, that’s…”

How should he explain this?

Everyone knew the importance of the Communist Party in China, but could a Communist Party cadre be compared to the Hong King?

The Hong King, who could wield influence worldwide just by controlling a third of China. Moreover, the Hong King’s power wasn’t limited to just that.

Unlike the General Assembly, which respected the government and operated independently, the Three Kings had half-control over the Party. It wasn’t that the Party was cooperating with the martial world, but that the martial world was wielding the Party.

At the very least, the Three Kings were at least at the level of a Standing Committee member, if not higher.

“It seems like they’re at the level of a Standing Committee member.”

“Huh? A Standing Committee member?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes widened.

A Standing Committee member.

Even Choi Yeon-ha, who had a vague understanding of China, knew what a Standing Committee member was. The Communist Party, which ruled over China’s vast population, and those at the highest positions within that party were the Standing Committee members.

Only seven people existed among a population of over a billion. They were, in the truest sense, at the pinnacle of power.

“Not a Standing Committee member, but at the level of one.”

“…That’s basically the same thing.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes trembled slightly.

The high-ranking officials in Korea and China were completely different beings. High-ranking officials in Korea were merely elected or appointed officials who could be dismissed at any time, but high-ranking officials in China were the embodiment of living power.

“Why would such a person want us…”

“To be precise, it’s not us, but him.”

“…What on earth is that person doing?”

How am I supposed to know that?

Your girlfriend would know better. Lee Hyun-soo sighed deeply.

‘Maybe today is my last day.’

If a crisis were to occur, he had to get at least Kang Jin-ho out. To do that, he needed to eliminate his own existence, which could be a burden. And depending on the situation…

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Huh?”

“Something felt a bit off.”

“…Isn’t it just that you find me unsettling?”

“Well, that might be true.”

He’s excessively honest.

Excessively.

After ascending the stairs from the empty first floor, a large hall on the second floor came into view. A man was sitting at a large round table in the center, waiting for them.

Upon seeing the group coming up the stairs, the man stood up from his seat and slowly spread his arms.

Lee Hyun-soo felt his breath catch for a moment. The man’s presence was crushing Lee Hyun-soo with an absurd pressure. He hadn’t unleashed any aura, nor had he threatened them.

He was a being who trampled on all things just by existing.

‘Hong King…’

A groan escaped his lips involuntarily.

He wanted to praise himself just for not kneeling down immediately. The man in front of him was shouting just by existing.

This was the demeanor of a king.

‘How could he be with such a person…’

Lee Hyun-soo knew Kang Jin-ho too well.

He believed that there was no one stronger than him in the world. That was an area closer to faith than trust. But the moment he faced the Hong King directly, Kang Jin-ho, who had fought evenly with that man, felt incredibly impressive.

His physique was definitely smaller than Bator’s.

He was not small, but he was not in the realm of a ‘non-human’ like Bator. But strangely, in Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes, the Hong King looked bigger than Bator.

His aura and presence were distorting reality.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah…”

Lee Hyun-soo subtly turned his head to look at Choi Yeon-ha. She didn’t seem to be feeling any pressure.

‘Is it that ordinary people can’t feel it?’

You see as much as you know.

Then what on earth would Kang Jin-ho be seeing right now?

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho’s back. He wondered what kind of expression Kang Jin-ho was making right now.

His gaze, which had been following Kang Jin-ho’s back, turned back to the Hong King.

His attire was different from before.

In the past, when he had faced Kang Jin-ho, the Hong King had worn a golden dragon robe. But now, the Hong King was wearing ordinary clothes: a white top and black pants.

Except for the fact that the top was a modernized cheongsam [a traditional Chinese dress], there was nothing unusual about his attire.

However, what was unusual was…

‘The Hong King must be close to a hundred years old.’

The face revealed above his clothes was that of a vigorous middle-aged man. Dark, thick hair and a neatly grown beard.

How high must his martial arts be to be able to defy time like that?

At that moment, Cai Kechang quietly stood beside him and bowed his head.

“I have brought them.”

The Hong King smiled gently as he looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“It has been a while, Demon King. It is a great pleasure to see you again. I am glad you look healthy.”

“An unexpected welcome.”

“Are you not pleased?”

“Of course.”

Kang Jin-ho slightly curled the corners of his mouth and continued.

“I am pleased.”

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up involuntarily.

He was so pleased that he couldn’t control himself. He wanted to rush at the Hong King right away. But Kang Jin-ho forcibly suppressed his rising competitive spirit.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly looking at the Hong King, opened his mouth in a suppressed voice.

“You’ve crossed the wall.”

“It is thanks to you. It can be said that it is thanks to you. It is something I must express my gratitude for.”

“Gratitude…”

“Let’s take a seat first.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded lightly and sat down. Then, Lee Hyun-soo and Choi Yeon-ha, who had been hesitating slightly, also sat down on either side of Kang Jin-ho.

“You sit too.”

“It is a most gracious offer… but Hong King, I cannot dare to sit at the same table as you.”

Cai Kechang opened his mouth, looking at Lee Hyun-soo with cold eyes.

“How dare a dog sit at the same table as its master? You’ve been taught wrong.”

Lee Hyun-soo flared up and glared at Cai Kechang. But the Hong King’s presence prevented even the mighty Lee Hyun-soo from opening his mouth carelessly.

“Huhu, a dog…”

The Hong King smiled subtly and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“What do you think, Demon King?”

“Well, a dog sitting at the same table as its master might have bad manners, but it’s not polite to call a guest a dog out of the blue.”

“Did you hear that?”

Cai Kechang’s face flushed slightly.

“Apologize.”

“I am sorry. I was short-sighted.”

Cai Kechang’s head was clearly bowed towards Kang Jin-ho. Even in the midst of that, Lee Hyun-soo, who realized that the subject of the apology was not himself, suppressed his boiling anger.

‘I want to chop him into pieces.’

Could there be anyone else in the world who could make him this angry?

In any case, every single action, every single word, was annoying.

“And…”

Kang Jin-ho continued.

“It’s also a world where a dog sitting at the same table as its master isn’t such a flaw.”

“Hahahaha, that’s right. Take a seat, Cai Kechang.”

“But…”

The Hong King chuckled and waved his hand.

“It is unsightly for someone who has lived in the past to scold someone for being overly polite, and for someone living in the present to be trapped by etiquette. Who do you think would be the most sensitive to etiquette among us?”

Cai Kechang nodded.

Certainly, when he thought about it, Kang Jin-ho was someone who had lived in the past. He was a returnee [someone who has returned from another world or time].

If Kang Jin-ho didn’t discuss etiquette, it was anachronistic for them to discuss it.

Without another word, Cai Kechang pulled out a chair and sat next to the Hong King.

Clap.

The Hong King clapped his hands. Then, several people came up from the stairs and bowed their heads with the utmost politeness.

“Bring the food.”

“Yes!”

As the employees went downstairs, Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

‘I can’t calm down at all.’

When he thought about it, it was an incredible situation. To be facing the Hong King in Beijing and having a meal. Should he call this the last supper…?

‘It feels like they’re feeding a pig water before slaughtering it.’

His gaze subtly turned to Kang Jin-ho. Unlike Lee Hyun-soo, whose heart was pounding, Kang Jin-ho looked too calm.

He wasn’t pretending to be calm, he really was calm.

At times like this, he really wanted to dissect Kang Jin-ho’s heart to see what it was made of.

“Well, first of all, thank you for inviting us…”

Just as Lee Hyun-soo, who couldn’t bear the subtle silence that had taken over the space, was about to try to lighten the mood, the Hong King raised his hand to stop him.

The Hong King smiled gently as he looked at Lee Hyun-soo, who immediately closed his mouth.

“I apologize. There is something I want to resolve before getting to the main point.”

“Ah, yes!”

A soft tone.

But it was a word that conveyed strength.

The Hong King’s gaze turned to one side.

“Was it Choi Yeon-ha?”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-ha, suddenly called by her name, widened her eyes in surprise.