Chapter 191: Lee Yung's Scheme (1)

Senior Brother Lee Yung, who had laughed heartily, spoke with a kindly smile.

“Now, the Dragon Well Tea is getting cold. Dragon Well Tea is best enjoyed hot. Have a cup.”

As he personally poured the tea, he began to explain his plan in a low voice.

‘I really can't match this Senior Brother when it comes to scheming.’

Even though his plan wasn’t astonishing enough to inspire awe, its perfect timing naturally made me nod in agreement.

“So, you’re saying we should involve the Bukri Clan in this matter.”

“Exactly. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to pull in someone you know.”

“The problem is that man, Yong Hwarin.”

“I’ve accounted for that as well. Yong Hwarin is someone you can deal with separately.”

At those words, Eum Sajeok’s brow twitched.

“Senior Brother, it’s not that I’m afraid of him, but if I face him alone, the damage will be considerable.”

As if he had expected that answer, Lee Yung nodded.

“Exactly. The same goes for me. If you were told to face him alone, could you?”

“You mean to isolate Yong Hwarin?”

“Yes. If we separate those women known as the Three Chivalrous Sisters and those riffraff of the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect from him, could you handle him?”

Those words piqued Eum Sajeok’s interest.

If it was just about dealing with Yong Hwarin alone, then by any means he could dig a trap, isolate him, and kill him.

“Then it’s worth a try. But based on the information I’ve gathered, he’s not at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. Though they say he’s engaged in Qi Circulation Training at the Union, I understand he’s actually with Namgung Yoo. How do you plan to isolate such a man?”

“I have a method. If my method sounds plausible, will you follow through with my plan?”

“Alright. I’ll hear it first and then decide.”

“Good, listen. To isolate him, we have to make his attention focus on someone other than us.”

“How?”

When Eum Sajeok asked, Lee Yung smiled slightly and tapped his head.

“This is when you use that thing on your shoulders. Isn’t there a Demonic Master under your command?”

“Yes.”

“Then we can use him to separate Yong Hwarin from Namgung Yoo.”

However, Eum Sajeok couldn’t understand how using the Demonic Master would lure Yong Hwarin in.

“Even if you use the Demonic Master as bait, I don’t think Yong Hwarin will take the bait. He doesn’t bear any grudge against the Demonic Master.”

“Oh, come on. Are you really saying that because you don’t know? Must I really spell it out?”

Lee Yung scratched his nose for a moment with an awkward look before speaking again.

“You’ve got a Demonic Master under your command. Where is that Demonic Master’s daughter right now?”

“Ah!”

Eum Sajeok was astonished by that statement in two ways.

One was how thoroughly Lee Yung knew his internal affairs, and the other was how he seemed to know the movements of Yong Hwarin and his party like the palm of his hand, even things Eum Sajeok hadn’t known.

‘I’ve been too complacent. I thought Senior Brother was just a schemer, but that’s not it. He’s not only someone who strategizes, but someone who knows how to manipulate people. In a sense, someone like this is the scariest of all.’

When it came to martial arts, he didn’t measure up to the First Senior Brother or to himself, but in every other regard, Lee Yung had qualities that surpassed the both of them.

‘Yet, I often wondered whether his martial arts were truly inferior to mine. I need to be careful. Very careful. Fine, I’ll stay close to him and see for myself what kind of man he really is.’

Though they had learned the same martial arts under the same masters, they had each studied separate ultimate techniques, so neither could fully grasp the other's true abilities.

Eum Sajeok felt the necessity to join forces in this matter, if only to observe Lee Yung more closely.

“So what you’re saying, Senior Brother, is that since the Demonic Master’s daughter is at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, if we let the Demonic Master meet his daughter, we’ll find a way?”

“Exactly. Now your head’s finally starting to turn, Junior Brother Eum.”

However, the problem was not yet resolved.

“The reason the Demonic Master has stayed under me until now is that he believes his daughter is being held hostage by me. If he meets his daughter, he will try to take her and leave me. And if he tries to leave, there will be no one to stop him. Though he is currently obeying my orders, he is, after all, a skilled expert belonging to the Four Demonic Heavens. If we try to restrain him, we may suffer more than if we fought Yong Hwarin directly.”

Lee Yung nodded indifferently.

“Is that so?”

At those words, Eum Sajeok continued without pause. He had deliberately extended the conversation to reach the point he truly wanted to make.

“That’s why I ask—please lend me some of your elite forces to restrain him, Senior Brother.”

Lee Yung’s elite unit referred to the Cheonma Demon King Unit, which he had carefully kept hidden until now, as if it were his own alter ego.

In contrast, Eum Sajeok’s forces—the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit—had suffered great losses in a battle at Soho against Yong Hwarin and the younger generation prodigies of the noble clans.

If the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit were mobilized to capture the Demonic Master, they might succeed, but the cost could be its near-total annihilation.

That was how formidable the Demonic Master’s martial arts were.

Eum Sajeok intended to use this opportunity to draw out Lee Yung’s Cheonma Demon King Unit, have them fight the Demonic Master, and inflict losses upon them.

Lee Yung looked at Eum Sajeok like a younger sibling and smiled softly.

“Ha ha ha, that’s not too difficult. But there’s actually a simpler way—would you like to hear it?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Why not use Deung Hwaun? I thought Junior Brother Eum had already used her for just such a situation.”

At those words, Eum Sajeok felt a chill down his spine.

‘What? How does he know that? I’m the only one who knows this. I haven’t even leaked this to my own strategists. How on earth?’

Because something impossible had just occurred, Eum Sajeok was inwardly shocked, and for a moment, his body trembled.

Lee Yung savored the moment, sipping on his Dragon Well Tea.

‘Just how much does this Senior Brother know about my affairs?’

He could not hide his embarrassment, feeling as though he had been stripped bare.

“Don’t be so guarded. I just happened to find out. You know, don’t you? That I’ve delved into many different types of martial arts. I simply sensed something unique from the Demonic Master and decided to probe.”

Hearing that, Eum Sajeok felt greatly relieved.

‘That makes sense. After all, this Senior Brother used to get scolded by our masters for always being more interested in heterodox martial arts than orthodox ones.’

Even so, his sense of caution toward Lee Yung did not diminish.

‘I really have to be careful around him.’

It felt as if, in trying to draw out Lee Yung’s martial unit, he had only exposed his own intentions.

“That would probably be best. Don’t you think? Well, if you need my martial unit later, I’ll lend them to you. But for now, it’s better to follow my plan.”

Since Lee Yung had taken a step back, Eum Sajeok had no reason to refuse.

“Understood. Since Senior Brother knows everything so well, what’s there to hide? Let’s go with your plan.”

The matter regarding Yong Hwarin was thus entrusted to Eum Sajeok.

“Then we’ll proceed with Yong Hwarin as discussed. But what will you do about the Division Leader of the East Evil Division? Though he does not appear openly in the martial world, the information I’ve gathered says his White Poison Corpse Art has reached a level of complete mastery, and no one can oppose him. Didn’t our masters instruct us to recruit the Division Leader of the East Evil Division no matter what? That task is also your mission, Senior Brother.”

"Indeed, the White Poison Corpse Art is truly terrifying. That’s why I plan to deploy the Cheonma Demon King Unit to that matter in full force."

Lee Yung had studied the White Poison Corpse Art long ago and was well aware of its danger.

He knew how fearsome the Corpse Art, armed with poison, could be.

The Corpse Art empowered by poison was truly worthy of being called invincible martial arts.

However, because of the many restrictions it placed on the human body, there were virtually no martial artists in the entire history of the murim who had mastered it properly.

The one who had mastered such an art was the Division Leader of the East Evil Division.

“But perhaps because I’ve studied that field a little myself, I found a solution. So don’t worry too much.”

“I’d like to hear what that solution is.”

Eum Sajeok couldn’t shake off the fear of the White Poison Corpse Art just by hearing about it.

There was even an expert in his own sect who had learned a similar technique, and no one dared to treat him lightly.

But if that technique had been perfected, the story was entirely different.

“You’re not just cautious, you're overly suspicious. That’s the problem.”

Lee Yung smiled faintly and pulled something from his robe.

“This is it.”

As he explained it quietly, Eum Sajeok unconsciously smacked his knee with his palm.

“Indeed! I see now. I truly can’t help but admire this Senior Brother’s scheme.”

It was the first time that Lee Yung had ever been praised by the meticulous Eum Sajeok, so he grinned broadly.

Since someone so stingy with compliments had expressed admiration, he thought his scheme must be sound.

“Right? This level of preparation should be more than enough, don’t you think?”

“I feel reassured now. Thinking about it again, joining forces with this Senior Brother is a blessing for me.”

Seeing Eum Sajeok now even flattering him, Lee Yung was convinced that the Third Junior Brother had completely fallen into his trap, and his mood brightened.

And when Lee Yung was in a good mood, his usual habit of rubbing his hands together emerged.

Seeing that habit, Eum Sajeok cursed Lee Yung inwardly.

‘Seeing him rubbing his hands like that means I can relax. The old habit of No Seung Bal Geom is showing.’

No Seung Bal Geom meant "Drawing a sword at a fly out of anger"—a mocking term for someone who overreacted to small matters or made grandiose plans over trivial things.

Lee Yung would rub his hands like swatting a fly, and it became a phrase the fellow disciples used behind his back when talking about him.

Indeed, he had a temper for minor things and a habit of making overly detailed and thorough plans, so he was likened to a fly, hence the nickname No Seung Bal Geom.

But in times like this, it meant his plan would be flawless, which brought a sense of ease.

“If this goes well, even our masters will see us differently.”

“Exactly. Not only see us differently—if things go like this, we’ll be ahead of First Senior Brother in the succession race.”

“But I too tried to track the Division Leader of the East Evil Division’s whereabouts and failed. I suspect Senior Brother might know where he is.”

Since Lee Yung even knew about the circumstances of his subordinates, Eum Sajeok asked, thinking he must have prepared something for that too.

Sure enough, Lee Yung gave a slight smile.

“Of course. How could I plan anything without knowing his whereabouts? I’ve tracked the movements of the Division Leader of the East Evil Division. I got a report today—looks like I’ll be meeting them tomorrow morning. Before then, if you want to separate Yong Hwarin from Namgung Yoo, you’d better start preparing too.”

“Indeed, not even the slightest gap. As expected of you, Senior Brother.”

At Eum Sajeok’s compliment, Lee Yung smiled gently and offered tea.

“Drink it before it gets cold. Must be top-grade—it’s excellent.”

“No need. I’ve preparations to make, so I’ll take my leave.”

“But how will you inform the Demonic Master about his daughter’s location? You’ll have to use some trick, or he’ll grow suspicious.”

That was a valid point.

If Eum Sajeok, who had claimed the daughter was a hostage, suddenly said she was with Yong Hwarin’s group at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, it would undoubtedly arouse suspicion.

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