Book 4 Chapter 5

Plotted Raid Bet

Chu Il-tae's sword, which had been staring silently into the flickering candlelight.

In an instant, it vanished into thin air. Or so it seemed.

Then the shadow of the candlestick that had been swinging on the floor broke into eight pieces.

Then the light disappeared from the room.

He was in the midst of his training when a spirit sneaked into Chu Il-tae's room. It was a neat and perfect stealth that the culprit couldn't even imagine, and it was a skill worthy of being admired by all the hermits in the darkness.

"Is …… a day job?"

His shadowy presence, fixed in the darkness, didn't seem to fool Chu Il-tae. Chu Il-tae was able to pinpoint the dark presence.

"Looks like your skills aren't quite rusty yet. How do you know?"

Ilvi's newest member appeared from Chu Il-tae's left side. He didn't want to be caught off guard by suddenly appearing behind Chu Il-tae's back, so he appeared from his left. Originally, masters of stealth like himself and Chu Il-tae had a strange trait in common: they never liked the presence of another human being behind their backs.

"Who else but you would be able to come all the way over here and fake my attention?"

His words were calm, but there was agitation in his heart. Just as Elvie was agitated by the advance knowledge of his presence.

The reason for his agitation was the positioning of Elvis to his left. The choice of the left side, which is inevitably less skilled than the right, is the most common, universally valid, and therefore praiseworthy positioning: if the opponent is right-handed, the left hand is inevitably less skilled than the right, which means that to counteract an opponent on the left side of one's body, one has to make longer movements and is less able to react. However, this is not polite, unless you are facing an enemy.

"Was there ever such a thing as an acquaintance between us?"

'I'm very surprised to learn something new today,' said Ilvi, bluntly and coldly. However, Chu Il-tae didn't seem to mind, saying that his coldness was innate.

"Chet, you're as chilly as ever, but what's the matter with you? I'm looking forward to tomorrow's weather event."

If you're feeling extravagant, you can even expect to see the sun rise in the west. The fact that Il-bi doesn't know that Chu Il-tae has been harboring such dreamy thoughts is a very good thing for the relationship between the two, which is already a difficult one. At the very least, it could prevent further deterioration.

"In this world, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. For me, that day just happened to be today."

The words were so cold that they sounded like a mouthful of the North Sea Divine Palace's Glacier God Gong's Ten Divine Qi. But Chu Iltai had stolen the Sun God Kung Fu of the Sun Palace, and he was unharmed by Ilvi's extreme coldness.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Eli's eyebrows twitched at the two words, "Please." Neither his reason nor his emotions could accept the request.

"It's not a favor."

Her voice grew even colder, sending waves of cold from her lips through the resonance of her vocal cords. She could never admit that she had come to ask Chu Il-tae for a favor.

"Then what? I can't imagine doing anything else."

"As the leader of the Ten Secret Forces, I deliver this message. This is an order from the top. I want you to take on a task. Or, more accurately, I want you to."

Ilvi used the word command. If it were anyone else, she would have used the word request. But she never wanted to use the word request with Chu Il-tae.

"Tsk, tsk, dude, that's called a favor in my world."

Chu Il-tae said with a stern look, but Il-bi ignored him. He was on official duty now, he said sharply.

"Be clear: we are not friends. I don't want you to use such offensive language again."

Chu Il-tae refrained from arguing with Il-bi, who looked as if she had an ice pick frozen in ten thousand years of snow under her tongue.

"Yay, yay, I get it, so let me get this straight, why are you suddenly looking for me at the Chinese New Year?"

Although he had been neglecting his duties for some time, he was still a member of the Old School, and he could not simply refuse the request of the Old School. If he did, he would not be able to stand still in front of Il Bi Zhen.

"A test of one man!"

That was the purpose of the secret.

Baek Moo-young, the brilliant mind of the Nine Fathers, always said that his credo was to make the most of what was available. His theory was that even a seemingly useless and incompetent person could sometimes be of use, so he would not hesitate to use them as a hand against the wishes of those around him, even if they had given up on them. The case of Chu Il-tae was also promoted in this context without much expectation.

However, what Chu Il-tae does next leaves him stunned. Later, Baek Moo-young comes to regret his decision.

"Hey……."

Yoon Jun-ho, who was walking alongside me, hesitated and then cautiously spoke up. It was as if he had been thinking about it for a while and finally gathered the courage.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked.

"Uh, no. I was just wondering if there was someone following you from behind…… earlier……."

His words were cautious, as if he were unsure of his senses. Bi Ryuyeon chuckled softly, as if amused.

"Tsk, tsk, what a bunch of unskilled people."

Bi Ryuyeon said, her face filled with pity.

"What does that mean?"

Hyo-ryong next to him asked, having already noticed the signs of his pursuer.

"You know, the ones who are sneaking around behind our backs, and now that they've caught Junho's attention, don't you think we've seen enough?"

"Well, that's one thing."

How immature……. Hyo-ryong agreed.

Bi Ryuyeon asked Hyo-ryong again.

"How many do you think?"

"Well, two…… people."

"Bam! Wrong, it's three, let's check."

Suddenly, Bi Ryuyeon raised her voice and shouted.

"Okay, you untracked misfits, after all this talk, you're still not going to show up?"

Then, out of the bushes behind them, the Yin Yungs appeared, two in number. Both were dressed in blue robes, both had blue steel swords at their waists, and both wore white hoods on their heads. Does this mean that Bi Ryuyeon was wrong?

"Who is it?"

It was just a polite question.

"You don't want to have to ask them their first names."

That's when I heard a booming, gruff voice behind me.

Bi Ryuyeon turned her head and looked behind her. There stood Jin Seong-gon, Im Seong-jin, and other members of the Association. There was even the deputy director, Bi Yantai, who was doubtful that his two legs could support his weight. Surprisingly, his legs were able to support his weight.

Jin Seong-gon Im Seong-jin stepped forward and spoke proudly. His iron grip dented the floor.

"If you want to do something for my junior, you have to ask me first."

He drew out the humans lurking around him and examined their faces, which he didn't recognize. The white robes tied tightly around their heads made them unmistakable as members of the Ice Peak Guard. His ears were also wide open to the surroundings, so he didn't know why they were following Bi Ryuyeon. He was surprised to hear the news. He couldn't believe it at first. He thought his informant was just messing with him. But it wasn't until I heard the same story from three or four different sources that I realized it was true. Inwardly, I envied her. It was something every man who knew her could only dream of.

The shoe was on the other foot, but Lim didn't want to lose the new member he had just acquired. He knew better than anyone that recruiting new members to a club like his was a tall order. He didn't harbor false hopes or blow things out of proportion. He faced reality as it was and found a way to deal with it. Illusion is freedom, but Lim had long since given it up.

Of the two white-robed men, the one on the right was named Kang Man-hyun, and the one on the left was named Jeon Jong-yeon, both alumni of the Zongnan sect. They were both recognized talents in the sect.

When he asked them to charge, they indeed drew their swords and charged at him, and the iron weapon in his hand slowly moved accordingly.

His katana moved with the slowness of a mountain, but Kang Man-hyun and Jeon Jong-yeon didn't dare to be alarmed by his slow strikes. In fact, the muscles in their entire bodies bulged, and they seemed to be struggling to move. It was almost pitiful to see them struggle so hard to block the blows of Sung Jin Sipyegon.

The first to clash weapons was Kang Man-hyun, who was attacking from the right. As soon as Lim Sung-jin's slow-moving kon touched his sword, the blue steel shattered like a piece of plate that had fallen from the second floor.

"Poof!"

There was a loud bang. Seeing his teammate's defeat, Zheng Yan hurriedly charged, spraying sword energy. This time, his sword moved as smoothly as a mountain, and his blade slammed into Lim's iron sword as if it were being sucked in. This time, it was a different move than the one from earlier. This time, when it struck the iron kun, Zheng Yan's blue steel sword shrank like a summer's pinky. It was no longer able to fulfill its mission as a weapon.

"No, no, no!"

An exclamation of bewildered dismay came from Zheng Yan's mouth as he held up the ugly bent blade like a molten finger. How could he not be astonished that the life of his beloved sword had bent like a molten finger in the midsummer sun?

"Are you still up for it?"

There could be no such thing. What could a swordsman do who had lost his sword? They were silent. It was a sign of defeat.

The fight came down to the wire with Lim winning.

"Then go away. Don't ever mess with my lovely juniors again."

They scrambled to their feet and left.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's a shame that you're so weak that you're called Chunmuhakwan."

Lim said, sounding pathetic.

"But there's someone who's still lurking and not showing up!"

Bi Ryuyeon said to Im Sung-jin, who was dusting his hands. The two people in front of her didn't seem to care if they were killed or fed, so they didn't belong to the same organization.

"Ho-ho, you've noticed too, you've got a great eye!"

His move was so subtle that he almost didn't recognize it himself, but the dark-haired junior had noticed it.

He appeared like a mirage. He hadn't been hiding in the bushes like the previous two; he had magically appeared in front of them from the shadows of the building. However, neither Lim Sung-jin nor Bi Ryuyeon seemed agitated.

"Huh!"

The only one who was surprised was Yoon Junho, who hadn't noticed him.

"Great dive."

It was a short comment from the master of stealth.

"Oh my God, who is this, isn't it a chu-type that hides because it doesn't like sunlight?"

Lim said with a happy face. Unexpectedly, it was someone he knew.

"It's been a while, Sungjin."

The man who magically appeared from the shadows of the afternoon was Ilmu-young Chuil-tae, who had apparently known him before.

"Do you have any business with our sweet junior?"

"Of course I'm here to see you."

He conceded to Lim's question.

"Does that mean you want to play with me, too? I wouldn't say no."

Lim asked, a sharp gleam in his eye. Chu Il-tae shook his head.

"I'll pass on that one," said the king, "your iron spear is too fearsome for that, and I don't want to be crushed under your boron spear."

Chu Il-tae said, shivering exaggeratedly. But he meant it when he said he didn't want to fight. He was one of the few people who knew just how terrifying Lin Seong-jin's study of boron nitride could be, even though he was often looked down upon by disciples from so-called prestigious schools based on their origins. He was also well aware that the taste he'd given the two guardians earlier had been nothing.

"So, are we done for the day?"

It was a way of saying you've done your job and you're free to go.

"There's still time. I'm just here to make a simple bet."

"I can't believe you'd do something like that in broad daylight with your heavy ass."

Im Seong-jin, who had a pretty detailed knowledge of Chu Il-tae's eccentric personality, could never believe him. There must be more to the story that he didn't know.

"Then don't believe it."

They don't seem to be pushing me to believe it either. Even more suspicious.

"Sure. So, what's the bet?"

"It's a good thing he happens to be a member of your sorority, because this might appeal to them."

"Now that you put it that way, I'm even more curious."

Sungjin Lim was really curious. He had always been a very curious person. If you ignored him because he looked dull, you were likely to get into trouble.

"In fact, I'm so weak that I don't know what strength I have to hit, punch, and fight. The only skill I have is to hide and go into hiding somewhere, so I want to compete in that skill……."

"You're asking me to compete with you in stealth, and you're asking me to lose before I even start. I can't accept that."

Sungjin Lim cut in. There was nothing more to hear.

"Yes, but I'm afraid you're not the one I'm asking to make the bet. The person I'm asking is right over there."

Chu Il-tae's finger went straight to Bi Ryuyeon.

"What do you think?"

Again, Chu Il-tae's mouth opened toward Bi Ryuyeon. She answered his question.

"I don't make bets."

The disappointment on Chu Il-tae's face was immediately apparent.

'Does this mean I've got the wrong person? That can't be right…….'

"…… is a bet with less money."

Chu Il-tae burst out laughing at Bi Ryuyeon's answer.

"Hahahahaha! Of course, I can't be wrong, don't worry, I'll have enough money for the bet. I'll make a budget request to cover it, and I'll take that as a yes."

"Wait a minute. I haven't even told you what the bet is yet. You have to finish your sentence."

Lim interrupted me mid-sentence.

"Oh, look at my mind. It's about going into a place and coming out with something."

"Where?"

"That's the place your Asociation members most want to get into, but have never succeeded in penetrating."

"You……. at…… No way!"

"That's right! That's the place. The White Flower Pavilion."

"Are you serious?"

A wide-eyed Lim said.

"Sure."

"Did that come from above you?"

Still, Lim was cautious.

"I can't believe those old fogeys would do something like this. They'll do anything to stop it once it reaches their ears. Isn't it funny?"

Chu Il-tae grabbed his belly button as if he could only imagine how ridiculous it was, and Lim Sung-jin broke his cautious expression and laughed.

"Interesting, interesting, a bet worthy of a Kufa heretic. I'll take that bet over here."

Suddenly, a giant of a man came between them. As Chu Il-tae professed, his proposal was very tempting to the Society. Breaking through the absolute defense of Baekhyanggwan, an all-female dormitory, was a long-standing desire of the sorority. There had been many challenges, frustrations, and failures, and now it was time to raise the flag again.

"Then let's talk about the details, shall we?"

Chu Il-tae said, trying to figure out what was so fun.

"Before we do that, can I ask you a question?"

Ryuyeon Bi said.

"What? Ask me anything. I'm willing to answer anything I can."

"That's very kind of you, but why did you choose the White House?"

I knew what Baekhyanggwan was all about because I'd been living in Cheonkwan for a while.

"That's simple, there are three places in the Temple of Heaven that are the most difficult to penetrate."

Chu Il-tae stretched out three fingers in front of Bi Ryuyeon's eyes and said forcefully.

"So the White House is one of those three, then."

"Right."

"So why did you choose the White House over the other two?"

"That's a no-brainer."

"Why is that?"

Chu replied as if it were a given.

"Because the other two are forbidden areas that you must never set foot in. In fact, the White House is a place where you can get away with a slap on the wrist if you get caught, but the other two are places where your life is not guaranteed. If something goes wrong in the White Pavilion, it can be shrugged off as a prank, but the other two are the sanctuaries of the mighty and off-limits to anyone else. It's a matter of ethics here at the Heavenly Pavilion. Does that answer your question?"

"Sure."

"Then I'll believe the bet has been made."

"The bet is made."

Bi Ryuyeon nodded approvingly.

"I guess we'll leave the witnessing to the unrelated person over there."

Chu Il-tae pointed his index finger at the hulking figure of Bi Yan-tai, who stood flanked by Zhao Tianmu, the Heavenly Academy's greatest thinker.

"Sure."

Bi-Yeon-Tae readily accepted Chuil-Tae's offer. It was clear that he was enjoying the bet. After all, the goal of the bet is the Baekhyanggwan, which is the final goal of the Association. There was no reason to refuse. Thus began the most outrageous wager in the history of the Heavenly Hall.

When Bi-Yeon-Tae, who was excited about the bet, and the other members of the Association returned to the Association's building, there was a man waiting for them inside. He was a beggar, but uncharacteristically for a beggar, he was very fat. It was even questionable how a damn beggar could get so fat. There was no way a beggar could look like that.

When I stood them both up at the same time, they looked like twin brothers, and his face had the same aura as Bi-Tai's. This was proof that he was the same kind of human being as Vajrayana.

"Oh, Tae-Nam. You're here, just in time."

Biyeon-tae greeted him with a smile on her face.

"Is something good happening? You're getting all excited."

He turned his crooked face to look at Biyeon-tae.

"That's great, that's great, that's great. I finally have a chance."

"What chance?"

No wonder he was puzzled.

"A chance to finally take our holy land."

"Really?"

"Of course. What do I have to gain by lying to a beggar like you? It's plain as day."

A gleam flashed in the guilty maiden's eyes. Capturing the White House was one of the tasks of his life.

"Who is it?"

Bi Ryuyeon, who hadn't seen Bi Yeon-tae flirting with a stranger, asked.

"Oh, look at me. I didn't introduce myself yet. This is Dae-hyeop, the vice-president of our association and our most active pervert."

"Ho-ho."

A curious gaze traveled to the hanger-on pervert's bulge.

At the moment, there were two huge pillars that supported the entire club: the current president, Bi-yeon-tae, and the beggar-rag pervert right in front of him.

As you can imagine, our main job here at the Association was to covertly and relentlessly track and analyze the day-to-day activities of the Sojaes. This was coupled with the very difficult task of obtaining used items whenever possible. For a group of people who are so publicly and officially committed to this cause, it's hard not to think of them as a ridiculous bunch.

A hanger-on pervert, or a drunken pervert. There wasn't a beggar in the open who didn't know him. His unconventional hobby of proclaiming himself to be intoxicated by flowers was a completely unbeggarly hobby that the beggar world recognized. It is said that beggars and beauty queens are not allowed to step into the world of beggars just because they are related to each other. However, the hanger-on pervert not only did so, but also showed more vigorous activity and drive than anyone else, making everyone admire (?).

He used his status as an Eighth Era disciple to lead an organization called the Chumidan, a group of people who tracked down beauty. The Chumidan, an intelligence group specializing in women of the Eighteenth Era, had an unparalleled ability to gather information on women and a track record of achievement (?) to match. Most of its members were beggars who specialized in the field of beauty intelligence. They had very little interest in anything else, so it was hard to expect them to excel.

Besides, nothing is more obsessed with women than that trait. According to them, they are an organization that worships seductive beauty. That doesn't sound very credible.

The Chumidan was not a group of beggars all of whom were celestial guilds; the nature of the Chumidan, which stretched out like a web within the Open, meant that there were many more non-celestial guild members. This was unavoidable, as it was an inner circle (though too large to be called a circle). However, because of her relationship with the leader of the Chumidan, Gulgae Pervert, the Chumidan and the Association had a close and resilient working relationship. It was a case of killing two birds with one stone: a good sister and a good brother-in-law, and seeing God and picking mulberries.

So it wasn't too far off the mark to say that almost all of the information from the giant beggar intelligence organization, the Chumidan, flowed into the Asociation. Every day, a staggering eighteen gold pieces of information flowed into the organization from all corners of the world. Gulgae Metamorphosis was the leader of a group of beggars who were far too disqualified to be members of such an unremarkable organization.

At this point, Gaggle Pervert was the one person I could count on for support.

Non-Concubinage, who is he? A round, fat face with two slender eyes, thick, pouting lips, lush fur on his forearms, calves, and invisible chest, flesh that looks like it could bury you. His appearance is so horrifying to imagine that people call him a pervert, or perverted for short. His form was indeed fit and proper to be called a pervert.

His true martial arts level is unknown, but rumor has it that he is not only a master of stealth, but also a master of an unknown body art. His secret martial art, the Sixty-Nine and Fifty-Four Body Poses. It's a secret technique that no one can even guess what it is.

It was said to be a martial art of infinite variations and applications, and to be most powerful when dealing with women, but even its vague form could not be guessed from the lush rumors. Moreover, his actions were unpredictable, and each and every one of them was a bizarre display of behavior that stabbed at the hearts and minds of the people.

His hobby was to get pictures and biographical information on beautiful women, and he risked his life for it. Therefore, the group of people who were close to him were mostly beggars of the open, except for the unique ones like Chunmu-sang Guiying and Lim Sung-jin who often came and went from his room, and they were all members of the Chumidan of the Open. In a word, it was a group of beggars who specialized in digging up information on beautiful women. The head of the Gonghua Chumidan was none other than his best friend, a giant pervert who was also the vice president of the Association.

They were a good match. They had a mutual love for the same hobbies, and they lived in harmony. As a result, all the beauties in the Heavenly Hall were reluctant to meet him, but his presence was shrouded in darkness and secrecy, and his behavior was mysterious and sinister. He prided himself that there was no beauty he didn't know, not only in the Heavenly Hall, but also in Jianghu, and that was his only boast.

For Bi-yeon-tae, the sudden bet with Chu Il-tae was something that the organization welcomed with open arms. It was also the organization's thirty-year aspiration and goal. We couldn't help but pay special attention to it. In the days leading up to the big day, the organization held a planning meeting. Of course, Bi Ryuyeon, Hyorong, Jang Hong, and others were present.

"What I need is information."

It was a firm word of noncommittal.

"Even the most accomplished martial artist can never enter the White Pavilion with a blank slate."

Even the perverted man was there. Although Bi Ryuyeon had learned tracheal exhalation as a first-year basic skills course, she was still a beginner.

"When you say Baekhyanggwan, you mean the women-only dormitory that was built by one of the Three Heavenly Emperors himself, Sword Lady Yi?"

"Yes, it is. At the very top of the tower, they say, is his heart, which is why the White House girls revere him so much."

Ms. Bie Yeon-tae, Assistant Manager, kindly replied.

"Hmmmm…… white house……."

The one who muttered unconsciously was Hyorong. For some reason, his eyes were sunken deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Yes?"

Hyorong looked around as he woke up. It was Jang Hong next to him who asked the question, and he didn't like what had happened.

"Oh…… no……. I was just thinking of something else for a moment. Isn't that a very interesting thing to be a man?"

Hyorong waved off Jang Hong's question with a smile that looked like a cousin of a wicked grin. Jang Hong didn't ask any more questions. However, he did not notice the sharp flash of qi in Hyorong's eyes as he turned away.

"Hahahaha! Well, yes, yes. It's exciting. I can't think of anything more exciting to do as a company captain."

The next person to burst into laughter was Bi-yeon-tae, the deputy manager. He couldn't stop laughing at what was so good.

"Come on, let's put our heads together quickly. We don't have much time."

One of the biggest challenges of the job was to pass on the knowledge of tracheal ventilation to Bi Ryuyeon in a short time frame of one month. The bet was set for a month from now.

The Society had piles and piles of materials that represented the culmination of all their hard work and organization. For the Society of the Beautiful, Baekhyanggwan was the most delicious prey and the greatest goal in the world. It was not just Bi Ryuyeon and Chu Iltai who harbored dreams there. The conquest of Baekhyang Pavilion was one of the dreams of every member of the Association.

Over the past 30 years of the organization's history, there have been many challenges and attempts. Although many times the attempts have ended in failure and the endeavors have been for naught, there has been no shortage of learning from the failures, and the list of challenges has grown with each passing year, as have the maps of the White House and the methods of breaking the institution. Although they would change to some extent over time, the basics would never change.

There was enough material about the White House to fill a wheelbarrow. In addition, the Society had already obtained the current year's bed assignments. The drawings of the building's interior had been acquired twenty years ago, and the data had been replenished after each renovation and improvement. However, the number of white hyanghwan has only changed five times, so the data hasn't changed much.

Now, the culmination of our seniors' blood, sweat, and tears is about to be poured into a single goal. Something they had tried to do at one time or another. If you don't plan and execute the infiltration of the White House as the head of the Association, you don't deserve to be there.

The table was laid out with plans of the interior of the Baekhyang Hall, and on top of that, the layout of the institutions on each floor. Dozens of other reference materials were piled high on the desk.

They put their foreheads together and began to squeeze their heads together until they found an opening.