Chapter 20: Why Don’t You Give It to Me Instead?

    Constable Cheong Cheons mask only slipped for an instant, and it was slight enough that not many people would notice. However, it wasnt enough to fool my eyes.

    What are you talking about? he asked with his usual expressionless face.

    I stared at him silently until he frowned and continued, I asked what you were talking about. I dont think youre someone who could call me out specifically for no good reason Wait, are you accusing me of being the culprit?

    He sighed softly and shook his head as if the very notion was absurd.

    Unfortunately for him, I was also extremely confident in my own judgment, but I was still missing a few pieces of the puzzle and needed answers from him.

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    Im sure you remember that Demonic Arts were involved in Old Man Heos death, right? I abruptly changed the subject to catch him off guard.

    What?

    SUCCESS! I pressed on, saying, The martial arts that the culprit used is the Blood Cults Blood Rain Demonic Art.

    I though you previously saidthat it was an unknown demonic art.

    I hadnt confirmed it yet back then, but now I have.

    Cheong Cheon eyes trembled, and his pupils dilated. He may have been an expert at hiding his emotions, but he wasnt good enough to suppress all of his natural instinctive reactions.

    I placed my hands behind my back and leisurely said, Im sure youve heard many times that Demonic Arts are easy to master but damaging to health. Those who practice such arts either go crazy or die of qi deviation

    Yes, I know that.

    Fortunately, the Blood Cult did a lot of experimentation to minimize the side effects of the Blood Rain Demonic Art, so its one of the safer ones. As long as you dont overdo it, you wont go crazy or die.

    It goes without saying that I was the one who did those experiments.

    Why are you telling me that now?

    Because that is only true if you learned the complete Blood Rain Demonic Art. The one you have is a second-rate version. If you keep using it, you wont live much longer.

    Constable Cheong Cheon didnt say anything, but I could hear his breathing roughen and see the whites of his eyes turn red.

    If youre seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

    When someone who has practiced the Blood Rain Demonic Art experiences intense emotions, the whites of their eyes become bloodshot just like yours are right now.

    I havent slept well for days because of the investigation, so naturally, my eyes are red. You cant use that as evidence against me.

    Do you feel pain around the Capital Gate Meridians ()1 and suffer from indigestion every time you circulate your qi? Those are also common side effects of the Blood Rain Demonic Art.

    Finally, your nerves are unusually sensitive to a variety of stimuli, to the point where you can only hide it by suppressing your emotions and staying expressionless.

    I was born this way.

    Thats a lie, you only became like this a few years ago.

    Did you run a background check on me? Cheong Cheon frowned, clearly displeased.

    I nodded. This morning, before heading to the precinct, I had gone to meet people who knew Constable Cheong Cheon since his youth.

    At first, I suspected the bodyguard. Hes a top-notch master, and hes good at controlling his facial expressions due to his past as a wanderer. Its also possible he had obtained the Blood Rain Demonic Art during his travels back then. However

    Why arent you reading this at ?

    I shot a look of pity at Constable Cheong Cheon, who had stiffened up, and proceeded with my deduction, saying, Most wanderers are experienced warriors and would not willingly learn a martial art that leads to self-destruction. Not to mention, the bodyguard has a wife and children.

    Oh, need I add that the process of learning the Blood Rain Demonic Art is excruciatingly painful? Only really desperate people would try it. At the least, it would be impossible for the likes of the Madam and that spoiled brat of a son

    I paused for a moment, blinked innocently at him, then asked, But what about a talentless orphan boy who dreamed of becoming a military official?

    Constable Cheong Cheon fell silent for a while, before finally opening his mouth and saying, Thats just your hypothesis. If youre going to accuse me of practicing demonic arts, then prove it.

    Well, I knew how to prove that he practiced the Blood Rain Demonic Art, but there was no need for me to reveal too many of my cards. Instead, I looked down at his feet.

    Your shoes.

    ?

    Theyre welcomes you.

    !!

    Are you saying that the will was with you all along?

    Cheong Cheon finally fell silent.

    Well, despite his long story and grievances, I still couldnt fully comprehend why he murdered Old Man Heo, so I asked, Why did you suddenly decide to kill him when you held back for so long? Its not like you wouldnt have eventually inherited his wealth.

    I dont care about money, I just dont want people to know that hes my father! And I absolutely hate it when people refer to that disgusting bastard as a good man!

    Uhh

    If thats his motive, then he cant be dissuaded. To make things worse, his demonic art amplifies his emotions. Ill need to be careful.

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    Thats all I have to say. Having spilled out everything he had been keeping to himself, Cheong Cheon looked positively relieved.

    I cautiously asked, Anyway, what are you going to do now? Are you going to turn yourself in, or

    Before I could finish speaking, Cheong Cheon drew his sword and swung it at me.

    SWOOSH!

    I backed off in a hurry, but the tip of his blade brushed across my ear. The red-eyed Cheong Cheon then charged at me, howling like a beast, No one must know that he is my biological father!

    Wait, at least let me finish my sentence I began, however, Cheong Cheon continued attacking me as if he could no longer hear me.

    Damn it, the Blood Rain Demonic Art is a martial art that temporarily draws out ones physical potential and enhances ones qi. However, if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. After all, if there were no side effects, then the Blood Rain Demonic Art would not be called a Demonic Art.

    What the Blood Rain Demonic Art truly does is consume the practitioners life force, causing them to age rapidly and fall sick easily. In other words, its a martial art that exchanges ones life for power.

    ARGHHHHHH!

    Judging by his strength, speed, and endurance, the current Cheong Cheon was comparable to a first-class master. On the other hand, I had not yet reached the two-star level of Heaven Defying Divine Art, which would allow me to utilize the qi stored inside my qi center.

    Well, if I try really hard, I can do itbut I wont be able to avoid suffering from side effects later. Besides, I dont think I need qi to deal with this guy.

    Cheong Cheon seemed to have learned swordsmanship, but to me, who was familiar with all of the Blood Rain Demonic Arts techniques, he might as well have been floundering around blindly.

    SWOOSH! WHOOSH!

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    Within a few moves, I had already grasped the essence of Cheong Cheons swordsmanship. I took advantage of a brief opening to slip in close to him, then sealed several of his meridians.

    TAP TAP TAP!

    !! Cheong Cheon instantly froze in his movements.

    Meanwhile, I took advantage of his momentum and threw him to the ground.

    CRASH!

    I climbed onto Cheong Cheons fallen body, pinned down his arms with my knees, and tightened my hands around his neck. He squirmed around desperately, but couldnt escape from my firm grasp.

    Justkill mealready!

    Calm down, I said, slightly loosening my grip on his neck.

    Tears of blood streamed down his face as he pleaded, All I did was kill trash that deserved to die, but now the world will remember me as the man who murdered his father! Id rather die than let that happen! I dont have much longer to live because of the demonic art, anyway

    Dont jump to conclusions. Im not going to report you to the welcomes you.

    What? Shocked, Cheong Cheon stopped struggling.

    I slowly let go of him and stood up. When I did, Cheong Cheon also staggered to his feet, gingerly touched his reddened neck, and asked, Youre not going toreport me?

    Well, it depends on what you do next.

    Eh?

    I belonged neither to the Murim Alliance nor the corrupt Orthodox Sects, so I had no reason to give a crap about the murders of people who deserved to die. Even pondering what to eat for my next meal was more interesting to me than those types of people.

    I can pretend not to know anything

    Why? Cheong Cheon asked, not sensing the obvious change in my tone due to his panic.

    And I can help you get rid of the side effects of the Blood Rain Demonic Art. You wont be able to recover the life force that youve already lost, but we can minimize the detrimental effects from now on.

    E-Ehh??

    As a former martial arts instructor of the Blood Cult, I was familiar with all of the cults martial arts. Naturally, I also knew how to deal with idiots who fucked up and went into qi deviation. Of course, I wasnt going to do it for free.

    I grinned and offered Cheong Cheon a deal, Howeversince the inheritance is useless to you, why dont you give it to me instead?

    Capital Gate Meridians (): The acupuncture points at the tips of the bottommost ribs.