Chapter 741 : It Felt Like He Stole My Heart

Chapter 741: It Felt Like He Stole My Heart

Ji Han was running through the darkness.

His heart pounded as if it would burst. Since becoming a martial artist, had there ever been a moment that startled him this much?

‘What did I just see?’

In an instant, the Blood Wind Four Swords had been struck down by that man. Watching from afar, Ji Han couldn’t tell exactly how they were defeated.

‘Poison? A hidden weapon?’

He didn’t know how they had been killed, but it had all happened in the blink of an eye.

However, what truly made Ji Han’s heart race wasn’t the fact that those men had been killed.

‘He definitely saw me.’

The man had looked straight toward where Ji Han hid in the darkness. It wasn’t his imagination—he had even waved at him.

Even though Ji Han was this far away. Even though he had been concealed within such deep darkness.

How long had he been running?

Ji Han came to a stop, gasping for air. Startled as he was, he had used his light steps without steadying his breathing, nearly causing his Qi and blood to twist. He had almost suffered internal injuries. Truly, this had never happened before.

“Haa… haa…”

The image of the young man smiling down at him from atop the carriage flashed across his mind again.

His ominous premonition had been right.

‘He’s someone I must never provoke.’

Now Ji Han fully understood why Songno hadn’t sold that information.

‘A big shot. Someone far beyond our reach.’

When Songno told him to step back and walk away, it had truly been advice meant for his sake.

But deserting the organization without permission was no simple matter. Once someone fled, the organization would use every possible means to hunt them down.

They might think the pursuit would end after a few years, but such a chase lasted forever. The more vile and treacherous an organization, the less it forgave betrayal.

Ji Han, more knowledgeable about tracking techniques than anyone, knew he wouldn’t be caught easily—but he would spend the rest of his life on the run, living with constant fear.

Leaving wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Even if he did decide to flee, he couldn’t do it suddenly. He had to prepare thoroughly before making his move.

Which meant that for now, he had to return and make his report.

How would Fire Dragon Division Leader Cheon Dae-woong take the news of the Blood Wind Four Swords’ death?

―The Blood Wind Four Swords are dead. They’re an opponent we must never provoke.

The moment he said those words, Cheon Dae-woong might explode in rage and kill him on the spot. The man had always acted without thought or restraint.

At that moment, when his allies felt more dangerous than his enemies, Ji Han recalled Songno’s words.

―If you cannot leave… then charge toward death.

Surely, he hadn’t meant for Ji Han to die. It had been advice given out of goodwill.

But would that death truly be merciful?

Under the starlit dawn sky, Ji Han stood alone, his thoughts growing heavier.

*         *         *

Cheon Dae-woong was pouring liquor from behind the curtain.

It had been a long time since Ji Han last saw him pour a drink so politely for someone. That alone showed how precious the guest sharing that drink must have been.

Only after filling the cup did Cheon Dae-woong repeat the report he had just heard.

“The Blood Wind Four Swords are dead?”

His voice carried no hint of agitation, and that made Ji Han feel even greater fear.

“Yes, all of them are dead.”

From behind the curtain, Cheon Dae-woong spoke respectfully to his guest.

“Please, enjoy your drink for a moment.”

A section of the curtain was pulled aside, and Cheon Dae-woong stepped out.

The moment he left the curtained space, his demeanor changed completely.

Without warning, Cheon Dae-woong hurled a fist toward Ji Han.

Swaaaash!

Bang!

The force grazed Ji Han’s face and shattered the door behind him. The martial artists standing guard outside were struck by the flying debris as if hit by lightning.

“Who did you say died?”

Swaaaash! Kwang!

Cheon Dae-woong destroyed everything within sight. The man standing here was a completely different person from the composed figure behind the curtain.

It was as if he were saying, ‘This is who I really am. I only acted refined inside the curtain out of respect for my guest.’

In a twisted way, his violent outburst seemed to emphasize the very courtesy he had shown moments ago.

Bang! Kwaang!

The ground around Ji Han erupted as the shockwaves tore through the walls and floor. Shards flew against his body, but Ji Han didn’t move to avoid them.

Cheon Dae-woong was the kind of man Ji Han despised the most—

A man who revealed his anger through violence.

A man who believed that because he was strong, he could express his emotions however he pleased.

The only saving grace was that his fury wasn’t directed straight at Ji Han.

Only after venting his rage did Cheon Dae-woong finally calm down.

“Who did it? Was it the old man who was with them? Or that mysterious woman?”

Ji Han had, at the very least, seen one thing clearly. It had been the work of that young man—unless, of course, the other two had used martial arts while lying unconscious.

So Ji Han answered truthfully.

“I didn’t see clearly.”

He expected to be scolded, but Cheon Dae-woong instead nodded as though that was to be expected.

“Of course. That makes sense.”

He clearly considered Ji Han far weaker than the Blood Wind Four Swords. In fact, most members of the organization looked down on him and disliked him. To them, he was just a hound that sniffed out trails.

There was a very clear reason why they despised him.

Most of the people he tracked were those who had defected from the organization. In other words, if any of them ever tried to escape, Ji Han would be the one sent to hunt them down.

“You must’ve hidden far away like a coward, didn’t you?”

“Blood Wind Four Swords told me to stay back so I wouldn’t get in the way. They said I might expose our presence to the enemy for no reason.”

It was a lie. After giving them the location, Ji Han had withdrawn on his own.

Since it was a late-night ambush, the Blood Wind Four Swords had been full of confidence. They had always believed that even in broad daylight, as long as the four of them fought together, there was no one they couldn’t defeat.

“Still, you must have seen *something*, didn’t you?”

“The fight ended in an instant. I couldn’t see anything.”

Cheon Dae-woong grabbed Ji Han by the collar.

“If you can’t even make a decent report, what use are you besides sniffing out trails? Should I just keep that nose of yours and cut off the rest?”

Avoiding his contemptuous gaze, Ji Han bowed his head deeply.

Cheon Dae-woong threw him to the ground. Ji Han rolled and fell hard. He could have used his body technique to land safely, but if he had done that, Cheon Dae-woong might have actually tried to kill him.

Turning toward the back curtain, Cheon Dae-woong spoke respectfully to the person behind it.

“I’ll have to ask you to handle this matter, Elder.”

The shadow behind the curtain took a sip of liquor, then set the cup down.

“Very well.”

At that moment, the curtain lifted, and the man referred to as “Elder” appeared. Seeing who it was, Ji Han understood why the ill-tempered Cheon Dae-woong had been so polite to him.

“Guide them.”

*         *         *

The next morning, the carriage departed early.

Geom Mugeuk acted as if nothing had happened the previous night, which made Tae Soo wonder if everything had just been a dream.

“Do you happen to know who those attackers were last night?”

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“I do.”

“You do? Then who were they?”

“Why are you curious about that now?”

“I just think I should at least know who I buried.”

That wasn’t the real reason. He was simply curious about how strong the people Geom Mugeuk had killed were. The shock of the previous night had left him too dazed to ask.

“The Blood Wind Four Swords.”

Tae Soo flinched in surprise and quickly shook his head.

“Come on, don’t joke like that.”

It had to be nonsense—he must have just thrown out a random name of a group of four famous martial artists.

If one were to make a joke, at least make it believable. But the Blood Wind Four Swords?

They were infamous martial masters of the unorthodox world.

The number of martial artists they had killed was beyond count, and many of their victims were well-known masters themselves.

And that wasn’t all—they had committed countless evil deeds befitting men of the unorthodox path.

They were the kind of people whose mere name could silence a bustling tavern the moment it was spoken.

And now he was saying those men had been killed—without even drawing their swords properly? It was absurd.

“I’m not that gullible. I’ve been around long enough to know better. So please, stop teasing me and tell me who they really were.”

Geom Mugeuk simply continued steering the carriage without a word. He didn’t insist on his claim—but that silence only made it feel more believable.

Tae Soo, his voice trembling, recalled Geom Mugeuk’s lightning-fast movements from the night before and asked again to make sure.

“Was it really the Blood Wind Four Swords?”

When Geom Mugeuk nodded, Tae Soo’s face turned pale. During the earlier battle over the Treasure Map, he had thought the people pursuing him were nothing more than nameless martial artists driven by greed.

With his light footwork and the Bone-Shrinking Technique, he had always managed to escape. Their names didn’t matter to him, and he’d never even cared to ask.

But now, the names had begun to surface.

Blood Wind Four Swords.

The terrifying assassins he had only ever heard about in rumors had pointed their swords at him—and then died right before his eyes.

Perhaps this was only the beginning, and even more shocking names would soon follow.

After steadying his mind, Tae Soo turned to Geom Mugeuk. Was this man really the one who had killed the Blood Wind Four Swords?

“Did you know who they were when you killed them?”

“I didn’t at the time.”

“Then how do you know now?”

“I received a report this morning.”

“From whom?”

“The Cheonma Escort Bureau has an intelligence network spread all across the Central Plains. With a thousand horses under their command, just imagine how fast news travels.”

Tae Soo looked at him with an expression torn between disbelief and confusion.

Then Geom Mugeuk pulled a folded piece of paper from his robes and handed it to him.

The moment Tae Soo read it, he let out a startled scream.

“Uwaah!”

It was because of another name written on the paper.

―Blood Wind Four Swords are under the command of the Fire Dragon Division Leader Cheon Dae-woong of the Evil King Sect.

“They belonged to the Evil King Sect?”

The Evil King Sect—

A faction notorious throughout the unorthodox world for its violence and cruelty.

They hadn’t always been this infamous. But from the moment they began harboring criminals who fled justice from the martial world, their power and influence had changed dramatically.

Now, it was said that anyone who caused trouble in the martial world would end up hiding in the Evil King Sect. It was a haven for countless villains.

“We need to hide. This isn’t the time to sit still!”

Tae Soo was visibly terrified. Every rumor about the Evil King Sect was enough to make people grimace.

The issue wasn’t *that* they killed people—it was *how* they killed them. Their methods were unimaginably cruel. They had forsaken their humanity, and through fear, they continued to strengthen their sect.

And yet, after provoking such a group, Geom Mugeuk sat there as if nothing had happened?

“Give me the reins. I’ll find us a place to hide.”

Having lived a life of running and hiding, Tae Soo instinctively felt this was his responsibility.

The two people inside the carriage, and even Geom Mugeuk himself—how could they stay so calm when the name “Evil King Sect” had been mentioned?

“I’ll teach you the Bone-Shrinking Technique. Let’s go back to the Cave of Death and hide inside holes.”

He wasn’t joking—he meant it. With any other sect, perhaps they might stand a chance. But the Evil King Sect was different. It was crawling with monsters who had long abandoned any trace of decency.

“I could go in there myself, but how could I make our elders crawl into that cramped hole?”

“The opponent is the Evil King Sect! They’re not people a mere escort bureau can handle! If we just hide somewhere for a few years, they’ll eventually forget about the Treasure Map.”

Geom Mugeuk smiled at Tae Soo. For people like him—or like the Demon Supreme—a few years, let alone a few days, of hiding was out of the question. *We’re busy men, you fool.*

“What about your scent?”

“Ah!”

Tae Soo had completely forgotten. The very thing the Evil King Sect was tracking—his unique scent. Unless he cut off his own hands, he couldn’t avoid their pursuit.

Geom Mugeuk mentioned a certain name.

“What if we ask the Unorthodox Alliance for help?”

Tae Soo stared at him in disbelief.

“You’d call a tiger to chase away the wolves?”

“Fight poison with poison.”

“No matter how vicious the Evil King Sect may be, blood still runs thicker than water! If the Evil King Sect falls, the unorthodox faction’s power weakens. The Unorthodox Alliance won’t strike them.”

“When the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or the orthodox sects go to war, do you think the Evil King Sect will step forward and fight? Not a chance! Those bastards would use the chaos to snatch benefits for themselves. The current Unorthodox Alliance would rather see them gone. Even evil must have its own kind of dignity.”

Even if Geom Mugeuk’s reasoning was accurate…

“Even if the Unorthodox Alliance stops them, do you think they’ll just leave the Treasure Map alone?”

“And if they don’t?”

“Of course they’ll take it. To keep its secret, they’ll kill us all.”

“I don’t think so.”

His carelessly calm answer made Tae Soo sigh in defeat.

Could they really survive now that the Evil King Sect was after the Treasure Map? Was this calmness truly confidence—or was it madness born of arrogance?

“If opponents appear that we can’t handle… hand me over.”

He didn’t mean it seriously. He just wanted to test Geom Mugeuk’s reaction.

“Of course I would.”

It was the obvious answer, but for some reason, it still stung.

“But that won’t happen.”

“Huh?”

“There won’t be any opponents we can’t handle.”

Hearing that, Tae Soo suddenly remembered what his father once told him.

―Don’t covet the Treasure Map! It’s something beyond our control.

Maybe it really was beyond *his* control.

But at least in this moment, he wanted to believe in Geom Mugeuk’s audacious confidence.

‘Please… let you people truly be capable of handling this!’

How long had they been traveling?

An old man stood in the middle of the road, blocking their way.

The moment Tae Soo saw him, he felt a chill. It was the same old man who had been drinking with Cheon Dae-woong.

He stood there in white robes, his long white beard fluttering in the wind, resembling an immortal who had descended from the heavens. At a glance, he looked like someone detached from the mortal world—

but in truth, he was detached from it in a very different sense.

Because they now knew the opponent was the Evil King Sect, it was not hard to infer who the old man wearing the robe with the character for "ten thousand" embroidered on his chest was.

“Man of Ten-Thousand Evils!”

Tae Soo trembled all over. The Man of Ten-Thousand Evils was an infamous unorthodox master who had committed every imaginable atrocity.

There were countless rumors about him. Some said he had slain ten thousand masters and so earned the name; others said he had committed ten thousand evils. Some claimed both were true.

‘No matter how skilled these people are, they couldn’t face the Man of Ten-Thousand Evils!’

The Man of Ten-Thousand Evils did not ask who had killed the Blood Wind Four Swords.

“Who has the Treasure Map?”

Without hesitation, Geom Mugeuk looked Tae Soo straight in the eye.

No—how could he stare so blatantly even if it were true?

Tae Soo finally realized the moment had come when Geom Mugeuk could no longer be relied upon. It had come far sooner than he had expected.

He understood why Geom Mugeuk would abandon him. Who could stand against the Man of Ten-Thousand Evils? Geom Mugeuk’s bluster ended here.

Since things had come to this, Tae Soo spoke to the Man of Ten-Thousand Evils with a resolute look. He did not know why he felt this way.

“I memorized the Treasure Map. Take me and let these people go. If you kill them, you will never know the map’s location. Please spare them!”

The Man of Ten-Thousand Evils smiled, a smile full of murderous intent, at Tae Soo’s plea.

Beside Tae Soo, another face broke into a broad grin that could have banished that chill.

“‘You just stole my heart,’” the young man said.