CH 24
As Jang Yi-seo let out a soft chuckle, Zhuge Gwi-ryong stood up and glared at him.
"If you knew I was sleeping, you should've just left. What's with this ruckus?"
"If giving money like this counts as a ruckus, life must be easy."
"Tsk. Forcing someone to spill secrets with cash—that’s the real disgrace."
"How’d you know what I’d ask?"
"Obviously the Heavenly Demon Hall. What else?"
Ha, this remarkable man. A smile tugged at Jang Yi-seo’s lips. He dragged out a chair and sat down.
"How did you figure it out?"
"A miser who won’t even spend pennies on messenger pigeons suddenly throws around big money? If it were a simple question, it wouldn’t be you—the money-obsessed devil."
"Fair. But jumping straight to the Heavenly Demon Hall is a stretch."
"Jang Yi-seo, Seventh Prince’s advisor. Plans to visit the Heavenly Demon Hall soon. Need I say more?"
Hahaha! Jang Yi-seo roared with laughter. He’d definitely chosen the right establishment. How did this dingy place gather intel so fast?
"By the way, you couldn’t even congratulate me on becoming an advisor. Why the hostility?"
"Do I look hostile? If you’ve got a cushy advisor post, enjoy your salary quietly. Why stir up trouble everywhere?"
"Stir up trouble?"
"Your biography alone sold over twenty copies."
Jang Yi-seo’s eyes widened.
"Damn, this place is terrifying. Why’s everyone so nosy? But it’s mutual benefit, no? I gain fame, you earn cash."
"Ugh, hell! All you write about is money, money, money! How do readers even stomach this?"
"Isn’t that the whole point?"
"Take it and scram, you brat!"
Thud! Zhuge Gwi-ryong yanked a book from behind him and slammed it onto the table—a volume detailing the Heavenly Demon Hall. Jang Yi-seo didn’t touch it, reciting instead:
"The Heavenly Demon Hall sits on Mount Demon Sea. Its rear is guarded by a lake vast as an ocean, blocking invasions. Five finger-like paths stretch forward, each guarded by a Dragon Hall. Four are dead ends—only the middle path, controlled by the Tiger Dragon Hall, permits entry."
Zhuge Gwi-ryong’s eyes bulged. Every word matched the book perfectly. How could he know this without reading?
"But even if you reach Mount Demon Sea, you must cross a 300-step gorge bridge—540 meters. Unauthorized intruders face crossfire from the Demon Guard Archers on twin peaks. Survive that, and you still must climb the Three Thousand Steps guarded by the Bright Heavenly Demon Corps—the sect’s strongest force."
Zhuge Gwi-ryong’s jaw dropped. This was the exact layout of the world’s most secretive stronghold.
"If you know everything, why come here?"
"I care about the interior, not the exterior. The Hall is a centuries-carved labyrinth. The Seventh Prince always returns frustrated after private audiences with the sect leader. I want to know why—specifically about the unopening door."
Zhuge Gwi-ryong gulped. His face betrayed hidden knowledge.
Naturally.
Though unknown to most, Zhuge Gwi-ryong wasn’t merely an informant.
One of the Demon Sect’s hidden technical officers overseeing formations and mechanisms. That’s you.
This was why he survived despite changing his surname to Zhuge, and why the Four Seas Lord trusted him. The traps at Mountain Splitter’s location? All his handiwork.
Jang Yi-seo pressed, "If you know something, tell me."
"...Impossible. Revealing celestial secrets is a capital crime. They shouldn’t even linger in one’s mind."
"I’m begging."
"No."
"Then I’ll reclaim every coin I gave you."
"Wait!"
Zhuge Gwi-ryong’s eyes flashed as he shouted:
"The Hall’s door verifies private audience qualifications. If worthy, knock—and it’ll open!"
KABOOM!
Thunder cracked outside. Jang Yi-seo stared.
"What the... What kind of bullshit...?"
14 days remained until meeting the Heavenly Demon.
The next day.
Guests flooded the Seven Stars Palace from Mao hour (5-7 AM), shrouded in thick fog.
Mao awoke haggard again. He slumped on the porch, dazedly watching the chaos.
"Ugh, being dragged here... This spooky ruin’s downright eerie. Why’s there no door? A damn ghost gate?"
First guest: a middle-aged man gazing mournfully skyward—Zhuge Gwi-ryong.
"Hey, Mr. Bang Gwi-ryong. Speak straight. You came to work, not get dragged here. What’s this ‘knock’ crap after pocketing my silver?"
"Ingrate! I revealed celestial secrets for you!"
"Shut it. Finish everything as ordered before I return. Fail, and I’ll reclaim every coin with interest."
Zhuge Gwi-ryong trembled under Jang Yi-seo’s threats. He shouldn’t have taken yesterday’s money.
Return the cash or take another job. Choose.
He’d bitten a poisoned apple for nothing. His iron rule—never refund—left him stuck remodeling the Seven Stars Palace with lethal traps.
"Are we truly rebuilding everything?"
Jang Yi-seo beamed. "Exactly."
"Admit it—you joined the magistrate’s office just for this!"
"Two birds, one stone."
"You brat! Any deaths aren’t my fault."
"Naturally."
"Construction costs are extra."
As Jang Yi-seo shrugged and nodded behind him, the second guest—Chwi Hong-ran—bowed.
"Request anything through Chwi Seon-ru. We’ll acquire it."
"Hmm."
Zhuge Gwiryong nodded. He had been itching to get to work lately anyway. If he could create freely without worrying about money, it wasn’t a bad deal.
There wasn’t much time, so the quality might take a hit, but it would still be enjoyable.
Moreover.
“These are the guys who’ll help out. Use them however you need.”
“Got it. Bow to Master Zhuge!”
“Greetings, boss!” The thugs bowed deeply, their heads almost hitting the floor. With the third and final guest, the Black Dragon Faction, joining in, all preparations were complete.
Everyone exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Except for one person.
“What the hell is all this nonsense since morning?”
Only Mao, the master of Chilso Palace, who was still half-asleep, remained uncooperative.
“Alright then, I’ll leave things in your hands until I return.”
Jang Yi-seo bid farewell to everyone and quickly approached Mao, pushing him from behind before he could throw a fit.
“Let’s get moving.”
“Go? Where?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Mao, shoved forward in confusion, turned his head in bewilderment. From behind, overlapping voices erupted:
“Safe travels, boss!”
“Come back soon!”
“Tsk. If I had the time, I’d smash this whole place and rebuild from scratch.”
Wait. Did I hear that right? Smash what? Mao’s drowsiness vanished as the Black Dragon Faction’s deputy leader, Megi, swung a massive hammer—CRASH!—into the wall.
“What the hell? What are you bastards doing? Hey! Are you destroying my house right now?”
“Must be your imagination.”
“No, fuck! Look over there!”
“From now on, we focus only on what’s ahead.”
“You lunatic! Where are we even going?”
As Mao erupted, Jang Yi-seo smirked and answered.
“To the Heavenly Demon Hall.”
– Mahae Mountain, Horyong Hall Main Building.
Horyong Hall stood as the mandatory gateway to the Heavenly Demon Hall.
Majestic from afar, its aura grew even more oppressive up close—a natural consequence of the tigers dominating every surface.
Tigers carved into pillars. Tigers painted on roof tiles. Tigers in every painting and decoration within the main hall.
Some prisoners brought here hallucinated hundreds of tigers staring them down, descending into delirium.
A realm where life and death revolved around tigers.
That was Horyong Hall.
And its undisputed apex was its leader:
Ji Dae-ho, the Clever Tiger, Horyong Hall’s master.
“Hmm… Fourteen years ago, the Twin-Headed Demons brought this talent into our sect.”
In his tiger-pelt-lined office, Ji Dae-ho read from a personnel record.
The subject of the document before him:
【Appointment Letter for 3rd-Class Ghost Advisor】
The young man who had humiliated him twice at Chilso Palace.
Jang Yi-seo’s record, now formalized as an advisor.
Details were sparse.
He had joined the sect 14 years ago.
Back then, following the Jeongsa Horse Peace Accord, kidnapping or purchasing orphans and lowborn talents—dubbed “Special-Class Outsiders”—was commonplace. Jang Yi-seo was one.
The Twin-Headed Demons, later rising to become Seven Elders, had handled his recruitment.
‘Take this one?’
‘No, that one.’
True to their name, the Twin-Headed Demons possessed two heads: ferocious Yang Yu and gentle Yang Yo, jointly assessing the children.
Yet.
“Yang Yu deemed him the worst talent, while Yang Yo called him the best. Having faced him myself, I understand.”
Records showed Jang Yi-seo received contradictory ratings.
A perforated dantian. A near-laughable lack of martial potential.
His fate was sealed.
“Top-tier talents become adopted heirs or disciples of masters. The worst… become stray dogs.”
Stray dogs—lowborn drifters surviving on scraps.
Some became test subjects for demonic arts. Others were thrown onto battlefields.
Jang Yi-seo was a stray dog.
“So it’s true he learned martial arts by observation alone.”
Snap. Ji Dae-ho shut the book.
Nothing suspicious remained. After years in the gutters, Jang Yi-seo caught Gyeomsaik’s eye, rose through the anti-espionage unit, and recently became an advisor via the Four Seas Commander’s recommendation.
A decade of bottom-feeding made spying implausible.
“What a waste… such a waste.”
Genuine regret stirred in him.
The razor-sharp gaze, flawless movements, and lightning counterstrike Jang Yi-seo had displayed at Chilso Palace surpassed “top-tier.”
Transcendent. No—peerless.
“Yet paired with such pitiful internal energy. Is this divine fairness?”
Nothing else explained it.
If only they could repair his dantian. Even now—
Ji Dae-ho trembled briefly before scoffing.
Impossible. Not even the demonic sect could mend a shattered dantian.
#Only Looking Forward (4)
