Episode 168: The Return of the Demon Instructor
Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner?
Well, considering his past as the right-hand man of the Demon King, causing chaos in the demon realm, it made sense.
He was never one to get along with spirits.
Naturally, Sabi Kang couldn’t command them at all.
So, the idea of seeking help from spirits had never even crossed his mind.
Sabi Kang suddenly grabbed Neung Soso by the shoulders.
“Hey! Why didn’t you mention this earlier? That’s such a brilliant idea!”
“The Lord never told me what was inside….”
“Ah, so we have another inflexible one here. You’re great, but sometimes you can be a bit clueless.”
“Me? Clueless?”
The other students watching nodded enthusiastically.
Neung Soso smiled awkwardly and spoke up.
“Shall I ask them, then?”
“Immediately.”
“Alright, I will.”
Neung Soso stepped back, raised her staff, and gave it a swift wave.
Sabi Kang and the students stared blankly into the empty air, seeing nothing.
But Neung Soso saw a completely different scene.
Tiny fairies with wings like dragonflies appeared before her, giggling.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Find the hidden gold bars in this estate.”
The fairies tilted their heads in confusion and asked again.
“They’re objects that shine yellow when light hits them. They look like this.”
Neung Soso unfolded a piece of paper and sketched a rough image of a gold bar with her brush.
“There should be quite a lot of them. Let me know where they are, and if possible, how to get in.”
In an instant, the fairies dispersed.
To Sabi Kang and the students, it felt like a gentle breeze, barely noticeable unless they focused intently.
Neung Soso looked at Sabi Kang.
“They said they’ll look for it.”
“Good job.”
Sabi Kang grinned and patted Neung Soso on the shoulder.
“So, they’ve made it this far….”
Sang Geomak trailed off, furrowing his brow, and Ha Taesang nodded, continuing the thought.
”…This isn’t something we can take lightly.”
“They might suspect the main house.”
“I’m not sure about that. From what I’ve seen, they seem like a simple fool.”
“Could it be an act?”
“They really do seem like a fool, though.”
“True.”
Sang Geomak recalled Sabi Kang’s behavior at the banquet.
Thinking back to that first impression….
‘He was definitely a fool.’
He glanced around the narrow room filled with scrolls and asked.
“So, which scroll did he choose?”
“The Black Wind Sword Technique. It was lost when the Black Wind Sect was destroyed by the demon cult long ago. It’s nothing special.”
“If he did it out of suspicion, this should put him at ease. At least he won’t suspect this place again.”
“Haha. Exactly. That’s why we let him come this far.”
Ha Taesang pulled a red orb from his pocket and walked to a corner.
A shimmering door appeared, like a mirage.
It was the door to a magic cube.
Sang Geomak smirked.
“Even if they come this far, they can’t operate this intricate mechanism, so we have nothing to worry about.”
They regarded these items from the demon realm as mere curious contraptions.
Ha Taesang laughed heartily.
“Hahaha. That’s why I said he could use the secret library as much as he wanted while he’s here.”
“That would certainly erase any suspicion.”
The two continued their conversation as they opened the blue door and stepped inside.
A faint breeze brushed past them as they entered the sealed secret library, but neither took it seriously.
“We found it.”
Finally, the awaited words came from Neung Soso.
Sabi Kang jumped to his feet.
“Oh! Where is it?”
“The hidden chamber with the gold bars is inside Bieungak.”
“What?”
Sabi Kang frowned.
Wasn’t that the place they checked earlier today?
“Are you sure you found it correctly? I told you earlier, it’s just filled with martial arts scrolls.”
“It’s not there. There’s another hidden chamber inside the secret library.”
“What?”
Sabi Kang stood up abruptly.
“There’s a very strange door.”
“A strange door?”
“Well, it’s….”
Neung Soso began to relay what the fairies had told her in detail.
As she spoke, a grin slowly spread across Sabi Kang’s face.
The guards on duty frowned deeply.
The same thought crossed both their minds.
‘Why does that fool keep showing up?’
A person they were never happy to see.
Sabi Kang approached with a mischievous grin.
“Hey, we meet again.”
“What brings you here?”
One of the guards asked, narrowing his eyes.
Earlier in the day, they had shown no emotion, but now their irritation was clear.
Sabi Kang waved the martial arts scroll in his hand with a bright smile.
“As you can see, the cover’s torn.”
The guard’s brow furrowed slightly, and Sabi Kang quickly added.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t tear it. It was like this when I got it. I just noticed it late.”
‘What nonsense…!’
The guard swallowed his words and sighed lightly.
Sabi Kang, still smiling, asked.
“So, I was thinking… Since it was a gift, I’d like to exchange it for an intact one.”
This was getting ridiculous.
Not only had he torn the book he received as a gift, but now he wanted to exchange it.
How did someone like this become the head of the Inspection Bureau?
The guards replied in a flat tone.
“Sorry, but we can’t let you in.”
“Oh, come on. Didn’t you see earlier? The head of the house seemed to show how I should be treated….”
“From our standpoint, unless the head accompanies you, we can’t let you in.”
One guard growled softly.
“Sigh. So, should I go back and bring the head here? At this late hour, should I really do that? Wake the head from a deep sleep and bring them here? You know how grumpy people get when you wake them from a good sleep. But if I must, I’ll have to whisper in the head’s ear, ‘Wake up from your dream.’ I’ll have to tell them that their inflexible subordinates insisted on waking them up.”
At this point, the guards exchanged uncertain glances.
Sabi Kang turned away without hesitation, muttering as he walked.
“Such unyielding people… I should tell them to train you better. How can I accept a gift with a clear conscience? I should wake the head from their sweet slumber and complain. That’s the only way….”
“Please wait a moment.”
Finally, one of the guards spoke up.
Sabi Kang turned back with a smirk.
“Why call me back? I need to go wake the head from their deep sleep. They need to know their subordinates are calling them right now.”
”…We’ll let you in.”
A smile spread across Sabi Kang’s face.
“Well, you don’t have to push yourself. I was just about to go wake the head….”
“Please, go in. We’ll open it for you.”
“Ha, finally showing some flexibility.”
Sabi Kang grinned.
As the guard unlocked the door, Sabi Kang strode inside.
Meanwhile, the guards exchanged glances, silently suggesting that one of them should follow him in.
Sabi Kang, sensing their intent, quickly turned and threw an arm around one guard’s shoulder.
The guard stiffened in surprise.
“What are you doing?”
“Isn’t the best part of this cushy post getting to see scrolls you wouldn’t normally get to see? Come on, join me. I’ll turn a blind eye. Let’s go in together and sneak a peek at some scrolls you’ve always wanted to see. Heh heh heh.”
“W-What are you talking about? We’re just here to do our duty…!”
“Come on, show a little flexibility. Use the excuse of watching me to come in and browse some scrolls. If the head finds out, I’ll vouch for you. I’ll say you just happened to pick up a scroll that fell on the floor while keeping an eye on me.”
‘What kind of ridiculous defense is that!’
The guard swallowed his rising frustration and shook off Sabi Kang’s hand.
“Go on in. We’ll wait outside.”
“Che, no flexibility at all.”
Finally, Sabi Kang entered the secret library.
Alone inside, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew, that was close. Almost had company. Now, let’s see….”
Sabikang squinted as he scanned the narrow secret archive.
After a moment, a spell slipped from his lips.
“Unlock.”
Suddenly, a shimmering blue door appeared in a secluded corner of the room, like a mirage.
In truth, the effectiveness of a magic cube largely depends on the skill level of its creator. For instance, a magic cube crafted by a third-circle mage can easily be unlocked by a fourth-circle mage or higher, as long as they know its location.
In other words, there were hardly any magic cubes that the high-level Sabikang couldn’t open, provided he knew where they were.
Of course, Hataesang, blissfully unaware of this fact, was…
“Enjoy your deep sleep,” Sabikang chuckled to himself as he turned the doorknob and stepped inside.
“So, this is what they picked up.”
Who would have thought the Eastern Clan had acquired something from the demon realm?
As Sabikang raised his lantern, the room brightened, revealing its contents.
His eyes gleamed.
“Gold bars!”
The room was aglow with a dazzling yellow light, almost blinding in its brilliance.
“So many gold bars… I’ll make good use of these.”
A sly smile crept across Sabikang’s lips as he pulled a pouch from his cloak.
“Time to start a major project.”
**
Two weeks earlier.
“About those gold bars… how much do you think there is?” General Gu Yoon mused aloud, staring at a map of the central plains.
Standing beside him, Sabikang replied in a detached tone, “Quite a bit, I’d say. Most of the initial funds for the Eastern King’s gang are likely gathered there.”
“That’s what I thought. So…” Gu Yoon’s expression grew serious as he turned to face Sabikang.
Sabikang frowned slightly, sensing the weight of the conversation.
After a moment of hesitation, Gu Yoon seemed to make up his mind and spoke firmly.
“Would you steal those gold bars for us?”