Chapter 481

The lifeline Qing created was not aesthetically pleasing at all.

After all, who would hang a noose around a person’s neck and hold onto it?

Especially for the people of the Central Plain, it was even more disturbing, perhaps due to some unconscious fear passed down from their ancestors.

Every citizen of the Central Plain was a descendant of slaves, strung up in chains, thanks to some wild horse riders.

This was before a certain Mr. Ju had raised himself up and claimed his place.

As such, no matter how mistreated the slaves were, it was rare to see a collar put on them in the Central Plain.

Usually, it would only be used when patrol officers escorted criminals.

However, there were those who focused on the hideous appearance of the lifeline.

Lee Hye-hye’s loyal trio of slaves shot glimmers of determination, totally mismatched with their shields.

With a deep sigh, Lee Hye-hye said,

“I can’t. No, I won’t. Walking around like this would make me look completely insane! With the rumors swirling, what would people think of me?”

The slaves hung their heads in dejection at her words.

Qing, who was listening in, felt a bit annoyed.

What’s this? Is she picking a fight with me now?

Just then,

Thud.

Ahn Yoon-juk gasped, losing his breath and tumbling down with a thud! He landed hard, enough to worry about his tailbone.

Why did Ahn Yoon-juk fall when he was walking just fine?

Well, it was because an ominous force yanked on the lifeline.

A force strong enough to rattle his neck pulled tight at his throat.

Even a skilled master would have trouble with that.

And Ahn Yoon-juk wasn’t even close to being a skilled master; the violent impact on his tailbone sent him rolling across the floor.

Thud thud thud!

Simultaneously, sparks flew from the stone wall. An arrow shot out, narrowly missing Ahn Yoon-juk and hitting the unfortunate wall instead.

“Huff! Hah! Hah!”

A drop of blood welled up at the tip of his nose where the arrow had brushed past. Barely escaping death, Ahn Yoon-juk gazed at the wall, which now bore small indentations from the arrow, and rubbed his sore neck.

The rough texture of the thick string felt real.

It really was a lifeline…

Ahn Yoon-juk let out a sigh of relief.

For some reason, the collar that strangled his neck felt strangely more comfortable now.

“Ah, a trap!”

Qing’s eyes lit up.

There really was a trap!

And not just a simple one at that!

Qing looked at the wall where the arrow had come from.

He couldn’t see the hole from the arrows.

But his transcendent vision could just make out some outlines, so he began to feel around.

The rough stone wall, with its flickering shadows cast by the burning torch, hid a hole within the deep dark shadows.

Wow, this truly is malicious.

So, a simple formation change.

The group, which was standing upright, spread out horizontally instead.

With Cheon Yu-hak and Namgoong Shin-jae positioned to the sides, Jin Jangmyung and Mo Yong Joo-hee shifted inward.

Slaves flanked them to the left, right, and behind, while Lee Hye-hye stood in between the two groups.

As they moved ahead again, clatter!

Ahn Yoon-juk’s body sank down!

The lifeline went taut! Dangling and flailing.

“Gack! Grooah….”

Ahn Yoon-juk choked as the lifeline constricted around his throat.

Struggling desperately to hold onto the lifeline that threatened to strangle him completely, he felt a pain in his scalp as if it were about to peel off, lifting him upward.

“Gahk, cough! Huh.”

Ahn Yoon-juk coughed out harsh breaths.

And while this was happening, Qing approached the opened space in the floor and peered down.

Beneath the deep depths, rusty iron bars aimed pointlessly at the sky.

“Huff.”

By then, Ahn Yoon-juk managed to crawl over, poking his head out and retreating frantically.

Even after this, traps would surprise Ahn Yoon-juk often.

Flat stones neatly cut from the ceiling would come crashing down!

A massive axe blade sliced through the air.

Boiling oil would pour down or spearheads would erupt from the ground.

Each type was different, as if suggesting that such traps could appear ahead.

Having escaped death about eight times, poor Ahn Yoon-juk finally reached the end of the long passage and revealed a large stone cave.

In the cave, there were five tunnels without any decorations, four in addition to the one Qing had come through.

On the opposite side, a closed door stood firm.

Above it, multiple lamps illuminated a plaque that read,

“Rest.”

It was an invitation to rest.

Qing felt incredulous. The party felt the same.

What’s with this resting business?

“What should we do? Should we try opening it?”

“No way. We should decide after seeing what happens on our way back. But you know,”

Cheon Yu-hak frowned and muttered,

“Hey, don’t be reckless, even if you’re disguised. Just hiding your face and name doesn’t mean the traps will ignore you. Can’t you maintain your composure and think?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You think this is a vacation? Even if you and I can get out safe, what about that kid who followed you? Do you ever think before you act?”

“Ah!”

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him.

Honestly, he had been a bit too carefree.

The disguise weighing on his face had become more oppressive with each passing moment, reminding him he was actively hiding his identity, making him unwittingly overexcited.

In truth, Qing wasn’t dumb or careless; it was the side effects of his disguise.

If you participated in military training back in his hometown, you’d understand this concept.

Normally, you’d be cautious to avoid dirtying your clothes or spill a drop of drink, but once you put on military gear, you’d be rolling in the dirt.

He was a different person as a soldier compared to his usual self!

Thus, whether on dirt, grass, or stone, he’d lounge around at any opportunity.

This very principle explains why some veteran trainees claim to be experts in various fields or rich, or even martial arts masters.

What was this? Was it a gathering of successful reservists?

Reflecting on his recent memories from his hometown made Qing reconsider his actions.

And looking down at the lifeline in his hand, he said,

“Uh, Miss An, this lifeline doesn’t seem quite right, does it? I think we can loosen it now.”

“N-no way!”

“Come on, I must have been a bit harsh. I’m serious, you can loosen it now.”

Ahn Yoon-juk walked right at the front of the group.

And then he faced falling traps again.

As he regretted getting caught by that insane woman, he traced back his steps and realized he had stepped into a dangerous situation way beyond his means.

How could he, just a beginner still learning to harness True Energy, think he could handle the Heart Consumption Technique?

He should have stayed put in the quiet land of Gyeongyang instead of being lured by his sworn brothers to fight fiercely for the demonic arts.

What? Was there an opportunity for him to get the demonic arts by lurking around?

The mere thought was absurd, and perhaps he had been blinded by the promises of mastering martial arts to become the Number One in the World.

And what saved his miserable life from this ruthless danger?

The lifeline! It was the lifeline!

Ahn Yoon-juk lay down flat.

“No! I beg you! Your kindness is like the heavens’ from my Master! Please, don’t take away this lifeline you’ve granted me, please!”

“No need to beg that much…”

Qing turned back with a frown.

Cheon Yu-hak sighed deeply, while Jin Jangmyung shook her head.

What’s this about?

Regardless, since it said to rest, they decided to rest for now.

Even if he was inclined to smash the closed stone door, it wouldn’t make sense to ignore the written words just for the sake of it.

In other words, he merely wished to stir up chaos for no reason!

Qing stifled his impulse.

Thus, as he held back his fidgety feelings, he finally lay flat on the ground.

As he lay there, gazing at the swirling patterns on the ceiling illuminated by the flickering lights, Jin Jangmyung wiggled closer and cocooned him.

Mo Yong Joo-hee cautiously sat by his head, resting his head on her thigh.

When Qing looked up, Mo Yong Joo-hee timidly averted her gaze and muttered,

“The floor’s so hard…”

“Ay, you really don’t have to do that.”

In truth, while the floor was hard, Qing’s head was harder.

When he laid his head down, it would be the floor uncomfortable, not him.

What a stubborn head like a permanent iron bead pressing him down.

That said, Qing didn’t shy away from her kindness.

With his head on the hard stone floor, it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but neither was it comfortable.

But her thigh was so much softer.

And Cheon Yu-hak, the disciple and master, lay beside them with a pack under his head.

He strongly believed that one must rest thoroughly when resting.

Amidst all this, while everyone was resting peacefully, Namgoong Shin-jae was the only one still in the center of the cave, swinging his twin swords, or in his words, his double swords.

As the peaceful respite continued, they munched on a few rice balls.

As Qing wrapped himself in the moment and dozed off, he noticed the soft hand that brushed over his head, caressing him gently.

Enjoying the gentle vibrations of Jin Jangmyung snoring as he rested on her shoulder, Qing felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him…

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps from the floor snapped him wide awake.

What’s this? Why am I sprawled like this?

Is this some sort of formation trick?

Of course, the Blood Sect Technician, watching through the shadows, felt perplexed.

Seeing the littered ground, Qing, sprawled out in chaos, raised the technician’s blood pressure to dangerous levels.

Qing’s sprawled state was just because of his nature—he just wanted to sit down when standing, to lie down when sitting, and to sleep when lying down.

As one sprawled, others tend to follow suit.

Moreover, Qing wasn’t the only one in disguise, so the group couldn’t shake off the sweet abandon provided by anonymity.

Thus, the peaceful time of rising blood pressure for the Blood Sect technician continued.

Everyone enjoyed their rest in their own way, and after a simple lunch, they relaxed in peace.

But then came the sound of footsteps.

As the group snapped back into focus from their peaceful lunch, a gang of warriors emerged from the passage that opened into the stone cave.

There were six of them.

From their outfits, it appeared they were part of some ragtag group holding down a village.

Among them, one was injured, carrying a comrade on his back.

It seemed they’d fallen into a trap.

When the warriors spotted Qing’s group, they jumped back, grasping their weapons.

In response, Qing pointed at the closed stone door above them, where “Rest” was written on the plaque with his finger.

The warriors stood frozen, caught between what to do until Qing’s group remained silent, causing them to huddle together in a corner.

Shortly after, others began emerging from different passages.

With five entrances, the cave gradually filled with people.

Qing’s group, having originally rushed in quickly, enjoyed some leisurely rest time, but the last ones seemed to be the last to enter.

When the final warrior slipped out—

Bang!

The plaque that had said “Rest” fell with an alarming crash!

The last group didn’t get to savor the sweet taste of rest before entering the next phase.

Everyone’s attention turned to the new arrival.

Then, from above, a new plaque descended from the ceiling on a string.

“Prove your worth to become the master of divine skills through combat. Only when twenty-one hearts beat shall the doors open.”

Qing furrowed his brow.

Huh? So now we need to kill each other? Right off the bat?

But why twenty-one and not just twenty?

Anyway, the conditions for opening the door were clear.

And with that, the tension gradually rose in the stone cave.

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