Chapter413: The Lazy One Meets (3)
'How did he know?'
Woo-il could not understand this situation at all.
He believed that the Great Art of Turtle Breathing was his strongest ability. He was confident that if he focused on using it, no one in the world could detect him.
'How on earth?'
Yet, that belief was being shattered right now, by that lazy bum.
He denied it.
For now, he tried to deny it.
But he could not turn a blind eye to reality. That lazy bum was clearly looking at him. He felt his gaze probing his entire body through the thin wooden boards of the ceiling.
Then came Wi Yeon-ho's slightly playful voice.
"I know you're not someone who does that sort of thing. Still, you seem like a diligent person, so it shouldn't be too hard to bring me a meal, right?"
"..."
"And since you've been there for quite a while, your bones must be starting to ache; it wouldn't hurt to go around for a bit. If you smoke some tobacco, it wouldn't be bad to enjoy one on your way too."
"..."
Woo-il's head began to spiral into confusion.
How should he respond?
How on earth...
Only then did Woo-il realize one more thing.
It was the source of the great discomfort he felt while observing Wi Yeon-ho's actions.
Every incident that Wi Yeon-ho was involved in was a massive affair. Yet, all those surrounding him who got caught up in these events were behaving strangely. They were acting foolish like people he wouldn't recognize at all.
That was the reason.
This guy is chaos.
Being around him left everyone, including Woo-il, unable to maintain their sanity. That's why such absurd things were happening.
'How...'
Woo-il could not decide on his next action.
Should he respond?
Should he flee?
Or should he just bring food?
He was prepared for all situations. Just because he had confidence in himself didn't mean he hadn't prepared for the possibility of being discovered. He had already secured an escape route in case of being detected.
However, he never expected to be found out like this. That's why he felt frozen.
'I can't escape.'
Wi Yeon-ho, who discerned his presence just by glancing. How could he escape from someone like that? He would be caught before he could take a single step. If not, he could lose his head.
Woo-il still did not understand Wi Yeon-ho.
As long as he wasn't fleeing at full speed, even crawling like a turtle would mean Wi Yeon-ho would not catch him. The hassle of extending a hand to catch him was too great for Wi Yeon-ho.
But unfortunately, Woo-il was unaware of that fact right now.
"Are you uncomfortable being there? Would you like to come down?"
"..."
Woo-il sighed deeply.
He had no option to choose from right now. It wouldn't make sense to play ignorant and act as if he wasn't there.
Woo-il quietly turned his body and slowly began to crawl out.
"Where are you going?"
"...I can't exactly break through the ceiling, can I?"
"Oh, that's true."
Should he escape now?
Momentarily, an impulse surged, but in the end, he had to shake his head. A distance like this was nothing to masters. Even if he tried to escape with all his might from this point, if Wi Yeon-ho decided to chase after him, he would be caught in an instant.
He had nothing to fear when hidden, but the moment he was exposed, he was powerless.
"Whew..."
As Woo-il exited through the roof, he walked toward Wi Yeon-ho's room like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
"...Didn't you bring any food?"
Woo-il looked at Wi Yeon-ho, who was staring at him intently, and sincerely reflected on his life.
'I should have just focused on practicing martial arts instead of being an informant.'
Then he might have been able to land a punch on that brat's face.
"Were you serious about that?"
"Excuse me, you're the one who came to keep an eye on me, right?"
"...That's about right."
"Then you must have done some preliminary research."
"That's true."
"Then you must know that I'm a lazy bum. I don't like wasting words either. Speaking makes me tired, you know? But would I say something that isn't true?"
"..."
The mask covering Woo-il's face trembled slightly.
What sins had he committed in his past life to be conversing with such a madman?
"Could you bring me some food?"
Woo-il nodded.
'Alright, I'll go out.'
I'll go out and run as far away as possible, then run away like hell. Even if I do get caught. I would rather be caught and die while running away than be the one bringing food to this guy. This is a matter of human dignity.
"Understood!"
Just as Woo-il said that and tried to turn his body, footsteps were heard coming from outside the door.
"Gah!"
"Did you cough?"
It seemed that the people who had stepped out returned. Wi Yeon-ho tilted his head slightly and said.
"Excuse me, could you bring me some food? I am quite hungry."
"I'll bring it right away. Please wait a moment."
"Yes. Thank you."
With the sound of hurried footsteps fading away, Wi Yeon-ho turned to Woo-il with a sulky face. Woo-il also met his gaze without a word.
"..."
"..."
The two stared at each other in silence for a while.
"Uh."
"Ah...."
"Eh."
"..."
An extremely delicate and subtle moment was passing. Wi Yeon-ho opened his mouth with a look that seemed to contemplate something.
"Now what should I do?"
"..."
Why are you asking me, you crazy bastard!
If I were to survive this, I knew exactly what I would report first to Jegal Mun-in.
This guy is completely insane.
The reason I couldn't predict his tendencies even after observing his actions was that a human should behave like a human. How can I foresee anything when each of his actions is utterly unhumane?
Those who encountered Wi Yeon-ho for the first time probably tried to make some predictions about him and ended up getting entangled, just like Woo-il now.
"Hmmm."
Wi Yeon-ho scratched his head.
"It's a bit delicate to kill you now..."
A shiver.
When the word "kill" came from Wi Yeon-ho's mouth, Woo-il's body recoiled.
A line from the report flashed into his mind.
When he uses his hands unusually, they can be quite brutal.
Leaving no future troubles behind.
It was incomprehensible when looking at that clueless face, but surprisingly, he was quite a cruel person. Many had already died at his hands.
Of course, there were many others in the martial world who had killed more than Wi Yeon-ho. That fact alone did not necessarily mean Wi Yeon-ho was particularly cruel.
The problem was that Wi Yeon-ho had only recently shown up in the martial world.
In that time, anyone who got entangled with him had met their end. Would he even blink an eye at killing one more person like Woo-il?
Sweat was trickling down Woo-il's cheek.
"Ugh, if I had known this would happen, I would have just punched him..."
"..."
"It's awkward now that we've exchanged a few words. Tsk tsk."
Wi Yeon-ho clicked his tongue.
'Is that bastard... feeling sorry for not being able to kill me quickly?'
Should he be thanked for having the intention to spare me, or should I scold someone who regrets not being able to kill me?
Woo-il was completely at a loss.
"Ughhhh."
Wi Yeon-ho scratched his head irritably.
"Who sent you?"
"..."
"Are you not going to speak?"
Woo-il responded firmly.
"Just kill me instead."
"No, I don't want to kill you... I just want to know who sent you."
"...I cannot answer that. Just kill me instead."
"You really seem to enjoy dying."
Wi Yeon-ho shrugged his shoulders.
"If you just tell me where you came from, I'll let you go."
"That's not possible."
"I'll keep it to myself. I won't even tell my father. I'm just curious, you know? Just curious."
"..."
"Looking at you, you don't seem to be from the Tang Clan... Tang Clan members have a unique atmosphere. So someone else must have sent you, and I'm just curious which brave soul placed someone like you in the Tang Clan."
He had a mouth.
If he was Human, he had a mouth. But there were no words to say.
'What am I doing right now?'
He knew very well what he should do at times like this.
Self-termination.
Informants simply did not die easily. When captured by an opponent, they would surely undergo merciless torture. Due to the nature of informants, they often possessed difficult-to-obtain information, and there were many people willing to go to any lengths to acquire that information.
Is torture really that easy?
Certainly, Wi Yeon-ho might not be well-versed in torture. A young man like him probably hadn't had much experience torturing anyone.
But this was the Tang Clan.
There was no need for Wi Yeon-ho to undergo torture. He simply needed to subdue Woo-il and hand him over to Dang Cheon-gun. Then, Dang Cheon-gun would want to show Woo-il every type of pain imaginable to wash away the shame of having an informant infiltrate the clan.
Woo-il quietly moved his tongue to push out the poison stuck where his molars should be.
If he just bit down tightly like this, the poison would spread through his body...
"This is the Tang Clan."
"..."
"It would be nice to die immediately. But if that's not possible, you might be able to detoxify. Perhaps that poison also came from the Tang Clan?"
Woo-il's mouth halted.
'What are you suggesting?'
Are you saying I should not do anything?
"Just tell me where you're from, and I'll let you go."
That was something he could never do.
"You really are frustrating."
Wi Yeon-ho slightly propped himself up.
"Hm, should I just send you back then?"
He already knew that wouldn't happen. But as a human, one could not help but hope for things that were futile.
With trembling eyes, Woo-il looked at Wi Yeon-ho.
"But if I go back, will I survive?"
The trembling stopped.
Reality began to encroach.
"If you let me go, it wouldn't be so bad, but I doubt you'd let me return in one piece?"
Wi Yeon-ho's words struck precisely at Woo-il's reality.
An informant whose identity was spotted held no value. They would only serve as a hindrance.
Especially someone like Jegal Mun-in...
To prevent his own relationship from being exposed, he would likely try to eliminate Woo-il. Now that Woo-il had been noticed by Wi Yeon-ho, it was impossible for him to return and shake off Wi Yeon-ho's pursuit.
"Hm, this is difficult."
After a long while of contemplating, Wi Yeon-ho lifted his head, as if having a realization.
"They're coming."
"Eh?"
He thought he heard footsteps, and then the door opened, revealing a large feast being brought into the room.
"If you're hungry, you can't think straight. Let's eat first and reconsider after."
As Woo-il hurriedly hid under the bed to avoid the sight of the visitors, tears began to well in his eyes.
No matter how he looked at it, this was a disaster.