Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 54

55. Dokgo Hancheon’s Secret!

The steep staircase leading downwards was quite narrow and gloomy. Although small night-shining pearls were embedded at intervals, most of the space was shrouded in darkness. Pa Cheon practically fell down the stairs, descending almost vertically. He had expected it, but when Dokgo Hancheon’s ugly secret was revealed before his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

‘I knew he was a gloomy and greedy man, but to imprison even his own father and son? Why? No… it’s too early to jump to conclusions. Then, Hwansa must be here too.’

He reached the bottom in an instant, finding himself in a fairly spacious area. There was nothing but a circular wall and a small iron door in front of him. The dark, dull color made it clear that it was made of black iron. Pa Cheon glared at it.

‘There must be guards inside. Should I infiltrate cautiously? Or should I just charge in head-on? Well, either way, Dokgo Hancheon will find out. It’s best to deal with this quickly. At least I need to get out of here before that guy arrives.’

Pa Cheon’s hand turned red-hot, and he placed it on the iron door.

Sizzle

A hole appeared in the iron door in an instant. Just then, the iron door didn’t just slide open, it opened by itself.

‘Damn it. Was the door already open?’

He felt a bit awkward. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. A long corridor stretched out before him, and another iron door was visible at the far end.

‘Let’s make this quick.’

Pa Cheon immediately used the Heavenly Demon Concealment Technique and charged towards the door.

Crash!

Pa Cheon’s body smashed through the iron door, and the sound echoed loudly throughout the underground area.

‘That should draw them out, right?’

The interior was a small plaza, with several passages leading off in all directions. From one of these, a figure emerged in surprise.

Cough

Pa Cheon’s hand gripped the person’s neck.

“How many of you are hiding here?”

“Wh-who?”

Even though he couldn’t see anything in front of him, someone had grabbed his neck, and the fact that this person was speaking filled the man with fear.

“How many of you are there?”

There was no need for further questions. Black-clad figures were pouring out from all directions.

‘I’ll keep one alive and kill the rest.’

There were probably at least 30 black-clad figures who had rushed into the plaza. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, shouted loudly.

“Who the hell is invading? Everyone, scatter and investigate!”

“Yes!”

Just then, the man at the very front collapsed to the side. Seeing this, the leader exploded in anger.

“Everyone, stop!”

At his words, the black-clad figures who had been scattering in all directions stopped at once.

“Who are you? We know you’re here. I don’t know how you got in, but it would be better for your well-being to show yourself.”

It was a ridiculous statement. While speaking, the man glanced at one of his subordinates and winked. The subordinate then ran into one of the corridors. There was no way Pa Cheon would miss that.

Cough

The back of the fleeing man’s head had a gaping hole the size of a bowl, and he died without knowing what had happened. Just then, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the area. The black-clad figures were on guard, but they seemed confused, not knowing what to do.

“Everyone, be on guard… Cough!”

The man who seemed to be the leader fell backward, his mouth open. A small bloodstain bloomed beautifully on his forehead. The figures in the area were filled with nothing but fear.

“Everyone, don’t move. Anyone who moves will be sent on their way first.”

The voice echoing through the space was a harsh, gloomy, and unpleasant one.

“That’s a joke, kill everyone in the cells… Cough!”

At the shout of one of the black-clad figures, the rest of them rushed into the corridors. At that moment, a strange noise began to fill the area.

“Kekekeke”

Asuras [demonic spirits] the size of a hand began to float in the air, sweeping away the black-clad figures who were just entering the corridors.

“Agh!”

“Cough!”

“Wh-what is this? Cough!”

They screamed and fell helplessly. The plaza, filled with the thick scent of blood, was empty of standing figures, and the blood they had spilled flowed messily across the floor.

Sss sss

Pa Cheon appeared as if he had always been there. A black-clad figure was pinned under his arm. He seemed to be unconscious, his eyes closed and limp. Pa Cheon quickly entered the corridor. On both sides of the corridor, there were rows of cells made of iron bars. Pa Cheon quickly passed through the corridor, looking inside. The cells were all empty, and there was no sign of anyone, no matter how hard he looked.

There was no trace of people anywhere. He searched several corridors, but it was the same. It was when Pa Cheon entered the last corridor. Unlike the others, this one was blocked by thick iron doors instead of iron bars, and there seemed to be about ten of them on each side of the corridor. Above the iron doors, there were small side doors that allowed one to see inside. Pa Cheon’s steps stopped in front of the fifth iron door as he checked each one.

There was definitely something visible inside. It wasn’t clear if it was a person, but there was a slight twitch, indicating that it was alive. Pa Cheon immediately used the Thousand-Mile Ear Technique. It was to find the breathing of living beings. He sensed human presence in two other places. One was so faint that it didn’t seem to belong to a living person, and the other was the breathing of a relatively normal person. It seemed a bit fast.

‘Heh heh, so they were here after all.’

Without hesitation, Pa Cheon smashed the door. The inside was dark and musty. And a very foul stench wafted out.

A disheveled, grotesque figure was bound and hanging his head against the wall.

“Are you the Azure Dragon Emperor?”

It was a question from Pa Cheon, who judged him to be relatively old. The old man didn’t respond.

Pa Cheon approached him. The stench was truly terrible. He thought that if he stayed here for just an hour, his nose might rot off. Pa Cheon broke the shackles binding the old man. Seeing the pieces of metal shatter without resistance, Pa Cheon picked up the old man. He took him to the plaza, laid him down on one side, and then entered another cell.

The other person seemed to be in much worse condition. He was a relatively young man, but his features were so damaged that it was difficult to recognize him, and his left arm was cut off from the shoulder, making him look gruesome. The wound had not been treated properly and was severely infected, and the pus even emitted a foul odor. It was a miracle that he was still alive in this state. His pulse was faint, but it could stop at any moment.

Pa Cheon became urgent. Realizing that the two were in critical condition, he took out a mystic pill from his pocket. This was the Supreme Restoration Pill that the Medicine Master had created with his life’s work. There were only ten pills in the small bottle. He had been carrying it around in case of an emergency, and it was helping him now? He opened the mouths of the two men, pushed the pills in, and used his inner energy to melt the pills, guiding them to their internal organs. After some time, their complexions seemed to turn a bit red.

‘Either way, I need to show them to the Medicine Master to have any chance of saving them.’

Pa Cheon approached the cell where the last person, who seemed to have relatively normal breathing, was.

‘Hwansa must be in here. But judging by her breathing, she seems relatively healthy.’

Crash!

The iron door shattered, and the entire interior of the cell came into view. Unlike the other places, the inside was bright. It was clean, and there were a table, chairs, and a bed. A person was lying on the bed. A beauty with blue eyes! It was Hwansa. She was lying on the bed, pulling the blanket up to her neck, and sleeping. She didn’t wake up even when the door was smashed? In fact, this was the first time Pa Cheon had seen Hwansa’s face directly. She had always covered her face with a mask, so all Pa Cheon had seen were her eyes. Those eyes were closed now and not visible.

‘Hmm… she has a truly mysterious appearance. I knew she was a foreigner, but to be this beautiful?’

Pa Cheon stared at her face as if in a dream. Unlike the women of the Central Plains, her skin was so white that it had a pinkish hue, and it looked incredibly smooth. Her nose was a bit high and sharp. Her lips were very sensual and well-defined, and her hair was a dark brown.

Pa Cheon shook her body to wake her up.

“Hwansa! Hwansa! Wake up.”

Despite Pa Cheon’s call, she didn’t wake up, nor did she move at all. It was strange. Pa Cheon lifted the blanket to check her pulse.

‘Th-this…’

She was naked. She was not wearing anything and had her hands over her chest.

Pa Cheon checked her pulse. It was normal.

“Hwansa.”

Pa Cheon struck her pressure point, and only then did she twitch. It wasn’t that her blood points were blocked, but it was truly incomprehensible. Her eyes opened with a slight tremor. Her fully opened eyes were filled with blue, but they were not the lively eyes she had before. And most importantly, she didn’t recognize Pa Cheon at all. It was as if she didn’t even recognize the situation itself.

“It’s me. It’s Jade Faced Divine Dragon, Moon Yoon. What the hell happened?”

At Pa Cheon’s urgent question, Hwansa blinked her eyes.

“Jade… Face… Moon Yoon.”

“Yes. It’s me. Are you coming to your senses?”

“Jade Face… Moon… Yoon.”

She repeated those words over and over. Her eyes were empty, and they were the eyes of a simpleton, devoid of any emotion.

“What… what happened to you?”

Pa Cheon’s heart grew heavy. He looked around. He was looking for her clothes. There were no clothes anywhere.

‘Th-these damn bastards, I think I know what kind of treatment she’s been through…’

Pa Cheon felt an inexplicable surge of anger. He was surprised that he could react so sensitively to someone else’s misfortune.

“Damn it… get up.”

Pa Cheon pulled Hwansa’s hand and lifted her up.

“Moon… Yoon.”

Her voice echoed dreamily, and she only repeated those words. Pa Cheon lifted her up and held her in his arms. Although there was no expression on her face as she buried it in Pa Cheon’s chest, her eyes were filled with sparkling tears. But Pa Cheon didn’t see it.

As Pa Cheon turned to leave, something caught his eye. On the head of the bed where Hwansa had been lying, there was a teapot and a small jade bottle, and the lid was open.

Pa Cheon poured it out onto the bed. It was a pill.

‘Th-this is?’

“Heavenly Demon, it’s definitely it, right?”

-Yes. It’s the same pill that Cheonhyang Okbong had.

“Then?”

It was a shock. Pa Cheon was severely shaken. Pa Cheon put the pills in the bottle and hid them in his pocket. Then, Pa Cheon came out to the plaza, took off the clothes of the other two, and chose relatively clean clothes from the dead and dressed the three of them. He glanced at the black-clad figure he had thrown aside.

“There’s less than half an hour left before that guy returns. This is a big problem.”

-What do you mean?

“I can’t take three people at the same time. Moreover, it’s almost impossible to get out of the Sword Pavilion with them. What should I do?”

-So you came in without thinking about that?

“I didn’t expect their condition to be this bad.”

-Then there’s nothing we can do. We’ll have to take only the people we can take.

=Amitabha.

“You’re saying we should only take one person? Who?”

-Well, that’s up to you. Honestly, you just want to take the girl, right?

“I’m sorry to Hwansa, but if I have to take only one person, I’ll take the Azure Dragon Emperor.”

-Huh? Why is that?

“Because he has a greater impact on the situation than the other two. It’s to make a fool of Dokgo Hancheon.”

-Well, that’s true… It’s a funny situation. To save an old man who has lived his life and leave behind young ones, especially such a pretty girl.

“Damn it, isn’t there another way? And what the hell is Dokgo Hancheon’s identity? If he has the pill that Cheonhyang Okbong had?… Is he a member of the Blood Demon Clan?”

-Wouldn’t that be the case?

“Did Dokgo Hancheon join the Blood Demon Clan himself? Or is he a fake disguised as him?”

-No one knows that.

“I don’t know why everything is so twisted. Nothing is easy.”

-Pa Cheon, decide quickly. There’s no time.

“First, I’ll wake that guy up and check a few things before deciding.”

For Pa Cheon, it was a very difficult situation. None of them were unimportant. After all, two of them were Dokgo Seolran’s family, and the other was the woman who had faithfully helped her. Moreover, he had met Hwansa before, and it was natural for him to be conflicted with all these thoughts.

But the important thing was that Pa Cheon’s criteria for weighing their importance was from Dokgo Seolran’s point of view. This was something that should never have happened to him. But if he had to choose only one person, he would take the Azure Dragon Emperor without hesitation. That was also Pa Cheon.

Pa Cheon woke up the black-clad figure who was unconscious. At first, the man just stared blankly, but he soon realized what had happened and quickly got up. The small plaza was littered with corpses, and the stench of blood was overwhelming. He could see a young man and three hostages lying in front of him.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Me? You don’t need to know that. Come here and sit down. If you do anything foolish, I’ll make sure you’re neither dead nor alive.”

The black-clad man already knew that the other person was someone he couldn’t handle, but he couldn’t just listen to him. According to the training he had received, he had to take all responsibility and commit suicide. If he did anything that would benefit the enemy, it would be more shameful than death.

‘Damn it, I’ll die.’

He clenched his teeth.

“You fool! I’ve already removed your poison.”

Pa Cheon was holding a small poison in his hand. It was amazing how meticulous Pa Cheon was, even taking care of such things.

“Do you think that means I can’t die?”

His tongue was sticking out of his mouth as he clenched his teeth again.

“You fool!”

Swoosh!

It was the moment Pa Cheon struck the black-clad man’s pressure point.

“Listen carefully in that state. Do you think I’d let you die so easily? You can’t die even if you want to. If you answer my questions truthfully, I promise you a painless death. If not… I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

Pa Cheon opened his hand, and the man was pulled into his hand, still sticking his tongue out. It was a truly unsightly sight. Pa Cheon opened his mouth and put his hand in. Then he pulled something out. A sharp claw flashed in his hand and then disappeared.

“I need to release your blood points.”

As soon as the blood points were released, the man writhed on the floor in agony.

“Ugh… ugh…”

What Pa Cheon was holding in his hand was unbelievable! Pa Cheon was truly a cruel man. Incredibly, what he was holding in his hand were the black-clad man’s teeth. Pa Cheon had used his claw to separate all the teeth from the gums. It was done for two purposes: to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide, and to show the man his cruelty. Pa Cheon threw the teeth in his hand against the wall.

Thud

Thud thud

Surprisingly, they embedded themselves into the wall without leaving a trace.

“I’ll say it one more time. You can’t kill yourself in any way. Oh, of course, if you stop breathing and die, there’s nothing I can do about that. Why don’t you try dying that way?”

The man’s eyes were filled with murderous intent and resentment, but more than that, they seemed to be filled with fear and despair for his opponent.

“From now on, answer my questions. If it’s too painful to move your mouth, use telepathy. First, you! Where are you from in the Blood Demon Clan?”

The man flinched. Pa Cheon’s guess had been successful.

“Answer quickly.”

When the man didn’t answer,

“Hoo, I guess I have no choice. Since you’re making me the villain, I have no choice but to play the part. Endure it as much as you can. What I’m about to use is the most painful of the Tendon Severing and Bone Crushing techniques, the Soul Piercing True Energy. It will tear through your entire body, breaking your bones and tearing your flesh little by little. If you can endure this for more than one hour with human endurance, I’ll respect you.”

At Pa Cheon’s words, the man could sense that it would be incredibly painful, even though he didn’t know what it was, and the pain from that imagination alone was indescribable. Pa Cheon’s hand turned blue. He placed his hand on the man’s seven pressure points and injected the Soul Piercing True Energy into each one, and then he took his hand away. Pa Cheon watched the man’s reaction.

“Ah, ahh, ugh, aaaaaaah!”

Pa Cheon even struck the man’s pain points. The veins on his face bulged, and he was tearing at his own body, showing how painful it was. His eyes turned red as if they would burst, and tiny amounts of blood were seeping from the pores of his entire body. In less than half an hour, the man looked at Pa Cheon and sent a look of salvation. He couldn’t even speak, so he shook his head and begged. Pa Cheon waited a little longer. It was to prevent him from saying anything else. When Pa Cheon’s hand brushed his body, the man collapsed.

“Huk… huk… ugh… ugh… d-dreadful… kill… me… huk… huk… please.”

“If you answer well, I’ll kill you painlessly. I’ll ask again. Where are you from in the Blood Demon Clan?”

“I’m from the General Affairs Division.”

“General Affairs Division? Are you from the First or Second General Affairs Division?”

The man’s eyes were filled with resignation, as Pa Cheon knew more than he had expected.

“I’m from the Second General Affairs Division.”

“Is Dokgo Hancheon the Second General?”

“I don’t know that.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is just the Lord of the Territory. We don’t know who the Second General is.”

‘These guys are definitely not an ordinary organization. Everything is organized into cells, and they don’t even know the true identity of their superiors. There are only those who give orders and those who receive them. Anyway, it’s certain that Dokgo Hancheon is a member of the Blood Demon Clan.’

“Okay. What happened to Dokgo Hancheon?”

This was also a guess.

“He’s dead. He died a long time ago…”

“Is that so? Hwansa, or rather, why is that woman in that state?”

“She was caught trying to approach the Lord of the Territory. After that, she was imprisoned here and used as our plaything. She resisted so strongly that we gave her drugs. Now, she can’t live without those drugs. Moreover, we’ve recently increased the amount of drugs, so she’s probably already lost her mind.”

“I… see.”

Pa Cheon forcibly swallowed the red-hot fire that was rising from within.

“Did you give them drugs too?”

“Yes. They are alive now, but it’s not like they’re really alive. They’re only surviving on the energy of the drugs. They’ll die soon.”

The man’s expression, who had already given up all desire for life, was rather calm and peaceful.

“Is the only way out of here through Dokgo Hancheon’s room?”

It was the most important question.

“Y-yes.”

“Heh heh, so there was another one.”

Pa Cheon’s face lit up. He had sensed a slight change in the man’s expression.

“It’s suspicious that you receive the food and supplies you need through that place. Moreover, wouldn’t it be dangerous to go back and forth to the Martial Alliance Leader’s residence? There must be another exit. Well, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Pa Cheon gave an evil smile, and his hand slowly approached the man.

“Ugh… ugh… I’ll, I’ll tell you. So please…”

How extreme must the pain be for him to beg?

“Where is it?”

“If you go into the last cell, there’s a hidden door in the wall. If you keep going through there, you’ll reach a natural cave that leads to the outside of the Northern Sword Association.”

“Heh heh, you’re going to tell me in such detail, but you tried to deny it. Are you perhaps secretly enjoying the pain?”

“Y-you cruel…”

“Cruel? Maybe I am. The world made me this way. Or rather, I became cruel out of necessity. But if you look closely, I’m also a very compassionate person. I was just going to kill you nicely, but what you guys did pissed me off. Since you seem to enjoy the pain, I’ll give you the blessing of dying in pain.”

“Y-you… broke… your promise…”

“I don’t make promises with enemies. I will become more cruel and more evil. I will not let anyone take what I have. Farewell.”

Pa Cheon’s hand swept over the man’s body. It was the Soul Piercing True Energy. And he didn’t forget to strike his pain points. Pa Cheon left the man writhing in pain and disappeared into the corridor. He had Hwansa on one side and the Azure Dragon Emperor on the other. And behind him, the Azure Dragon Emperor’s grandson was floating in the air, following him. As he left the plaza, laughter echoed from his mouth.

“Hahahahaha”