Chapter 169 – Now We’re Going to Catch Him (1)

===================
Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
===================

The New Seoul Arabia Octagon club incident went into a full reinvestigation.

After Baekdu Group’s Jeong Uk-cheol, even Palace Secretary Geum Su-ho had barged in, so that said it all.

The police chief’s eyes were bloodshot, and the police officers ran around desperately.

They summoned all the club employees too and thoroughly went over the inside story of the incident.

It was only natural that the truth came out.

The police even went to the hospital intensive care unit, where the two who had gone from victims to suspects were lying, and questioned them.

Surprisingly, they looked fairly fine for people who were supposedly in a coma.

The Sword Immortal had gone very easy on them.

Even in the middle of punching them, he had healed their internal injuries with immortal qi… though of course that was for the purpose of beating them longer.

Fuji Construction Chairman Tsuchida Shohei led his attendants and withdrew bleakly.

He was worried about tomorrow.

Short selling would pour in, and Palace Secretary Geum Su-ho, who was aiming a cold gaze at him, was frightening too.

‘At the very least, I’ll have to brace myself for a tax investigation.’

At worst, surprise safety inspections might descend on the apartments he had built so far.

That was the biggest problem.

Tsuchida Shohei knew too.

That there were more than one or two places that had been built poorly.

There were places with substandard concrete, and even places where nearly 50 percent of the rebar had been skimmed off.

‘Haa, because of one stupid son… tsk, if he was going to do it, he should at least not have gotten caught.’

Meanwhile, the Sword Immortal repeatedly replayed the CCTV footage the police chief had given him and was in high spirits.

When he matched it with the recorded statement audio he had exchanged with the detective and the video.

“Good. The story is quite something.”

The scene where they were dragged to the police station and the detectives shouted at him and actress Lee Yun-mi.

And then the moment when the villains came swarming in, and they were about to be branded a swindler and a flower snake and saddled with an unjust false accusation!

Chairman Jeong Uk-cheol and the Palace Secretary appearing dramatically.

Even if someone deliberately staged it, they would not be able to create a scene like this.

Jeong Uk-cheol stood stuck right beside the Sword Immortal and kept enthusiastically agreeing.

“We could make it into a drama and air it just as it is.”

“Ahem, even your voice is clear, ‘I shall exercise my right to remain silent.’ You are almost at actor level, are you not?”

“But it’s regrettable that the video isn’t that clean, so your face, so majestic as it is, didn’t come out properly. Hahaha.”

“Is that so? Well, I do have quite a face. Hahaha.”

“Oh my, saying it twice would be redundant. Hahaha.”

From the side, seeing a young man bowing his head to the point of servility before someone so youthful might feel absurd, but…

Jeong Uk-cheol did not think that at all.

‘This person is younger than me?’

No chance.

Rather, it had to be the opposite.

He was surely older than him.

His Imperial Majesty had also lived close to 200 years, but outwardly looked middle-aged.

Then what about this person here, called Dongbin?

Irreverent as it was to say, His Imperial Majesty could not even be compared to this person.

An unsurpassable four-dimensional wall, an insurmountable wall, you could say?

That was why he bent his waist even more.

The Sword Immortal also showed favor toward such a Jeong Uk-cheol.

He had pretty good tact and excellent quick wits too.

‘He certainly has an excellent head for business.’

It seemed he had raised his children well too.

Seeing how he had raised the granddaughter left alone after losing his son due to a tragic family matter.

‘Did he say he lost his child because of a demonic being?’

After taking Jeong Yeon-hui as a disciple, he had briefly heard the story of the life she had lived.

‘Hmm, should I catch a few demonic beings myself too?’

But he soon dropped the thought.

It was something Grand Hero Tae-ju could do.

No, that wasn’t right either.

Would Grand Hero Tae-ju, practically no different from an immortal of Earth, have the leisure to worry about mere demonic beings?

Insignificant work like that should be done by those below him.

For example, that fellow called the secretary.

Right then.

“Um, Lord Dongbin?”

Actress Lee Yun-mi timidly approached the Sword Immortal’s side.

“Ah! What is it, Actress?”

“Could I get your phone number…”

“W-wait a moment!”

Startled, the Sword Immortal immediately cut off Lee Yun-mi’s words.

Then, handing his smartphone to Jeong Uk-cheol.

“Please do me a favor.”

“Just say the word and I will do anything.”

“Film a video for me, with this smartphone.”

“…Pardon? Uh, ah, understood.”

Then he said to Lee Yun-mi with a gentle expression.

“Hoh! Are you not actress Lee Yun-mi, who appeared in a supporting role as the protagonist’s friend in Strange Judge Yoon A-yoon? Yes, what business do you have with me?”

“…Mm, thank you so much for helping me. I really want to treat you to a meal, so at least your contact information.”

“Are you saying actress Lee Yun-mi wants my phone number?”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

“Hahaha! I don’t usually tell people, but… I shall make a special exception for you.”

With this, another achievement had been accomplished.

[A celebrity immortal who got his number asked for by a drama actress.]

But even if a call came later, he had no intention of seeing her again.

As an immortal, leaving worldly ties here and there was not desirable.

He was an immortal.

One had to be careful with ties to humans.

Even if it was another world.

Jeong Yeon-hui, Jeong Uk-cheol, and that skinny fellow called the secretary were different because they were people who had formed ties with Grand Hero Tae-ju.

Were they not people who had accepted immortal qi by way of immortal peaches?

Then it was practically the same as having formed ties with the Immortal Realm as well.

“Elder, I got everything on video.”

“Heoheoheo, indeed, you have the ability worthy of leading the greatest merchant guild of a nation.”

“Hahaha, you flatter me.”

What shooting video had to do with running a merchant guild was another matter.

At the Sword Immortal’s praise, Jeong Uk-cheol’s face brightened completely.

“For now, please head outside. I will take full responsibility for attending to you in New Seoul.”

“It’s fine. Being alone is more convenient.”

There were far too many things he wanted to try.

He did not know how long he would be able to stay on Earth, either.

But then.

“Um, if you are not busy, may I ask what your plans are going forward…”

Geum Su-ho asked the Sword Immortal with an uneasy expression.

His circumstances were different from Jeong Uk-cheol’s.

Was he not a civil servant living on the empire’s salary?

This awakened one of unknown identity might be someone close to Chairman Kim Tae-ju, but honestly, he looked far too dangerous.

For that reason, he was not even planning to tell His Imperial Majesty of this person’s existence.

“Hmm…”

The Sword Immortal caught on to what the man called a secretary was worried about.

“You seem worried about my existence.”

“Th-that…”

Geum Su-ho let out a deep sigh and said.

“You are too great a person, and I am afraid of whether I can handle it.”

“I understand. As an official of Samhan, it would be burdensome to have a dangerous person of unknown origin freely roaming around New Seoul.”

“…I do not think of you as dangerous, but.”

Sssst.

The awakening pattern was erased from the Sword Immortal’s face.

“I’ll speak plainly. You are right. I am dangerous.”

“Uh…”

Woooong.

Srrr.

Geum Su-ho’s body moved on its own, as if drawn by a magnet, and was brought right in front of the Sword Immortal.

“H-heok!”

Resist?

He could do nothing.

Even his mana would not move.

Geum Su-ho, dragged right up before the Sword Immortal’s nose.

“If I set my mind to it, even if all of Samhan’s Imperial Army came rushing in, they would not be able to stop me. Fighter jets? Tanks? Nuclear weapons? Awakened troops? No matter how many come, one wave of my hand and it would end.”

Gulp.

Geum Su-ho swallowed dryly.

It did not sound like bluffing.

It really seemed like it would be true.

“There is exactly one person on Earth who could stop me by force.”

“Wh-who?”

“Who else would it be? Grand Hero Tae-ju. That gentleman’s strength is no joke either.”

“…”

“But I will never smear Grand Hero Tae-ju’s face. I will simply play quietly and leave, as though I were there and not there, so try trusting me.”

He had no choice but to nod.

Even so, one question remained.

Who in the world was this person?

“…Are you perhaps a soul linker?”

“Me?”

“Do you have some relation to monkeys?”

“Wh-what?”

“A while ago, there was an incident where a troop of golden monkeys appeared in Europe, so I am asking.”

The Sword Immortal’s face twisted sharply.

“I am not a soul linker. And even if I were, monkeys? In what way would you compare me, of all people, to some mere thief yokai monkey…”

It was then.

Bang.

The interrogation room door opened.

“So this is where you were.”

It was Tae-ju.

“Oh! Chairman Kim.”

“…G-Grand Hero Tae-ju?”

Geum Su-ho’s face brightened.

But the Sword Immortal was only rolling his eyes around and watching for a reaction.

He wasn’t going to say anything, was he?

All he had done was lightly touch up two wastrels doing evil.

Tae-ju let out a deep sigh and spoke to Geum Su-ho first.

“Phew, you’ve had a hard time, Secretary.”

“Ah, no, not to the point of calling it hardship.”

“You’re busy with public duties, but we called you all the way to the police station.”

“Not a problem at all. Rather, I am only grateful that this gentleman caught the bad guys.”

This time, he turned his eyes to the Sword Immortal and said.

“Lord Dongbin.”

“I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

“No, you did well. The fact that you spared those bastards at all is what matters.”

“Th-that is so, right? But why come all the way here…”

“Something came up. We’ve roughly figured out where that bastard is.”

“Ah! Vincent?”

“Yes.”

“Then let us go catch him at once.”

The Sword Immortal smiled brightly.

It worked out perfectly.

He had to catch that bastard, at least, and score some points.

“But it’s a bit far from here. It’s that Cairo forward city in Egypt, so… shall we ride? Or fly?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, would you like to take a plane, or just fly quickly by Ten-Thousand-League…”

“Aha!”

He understood what he meant.

Then.

“…Is it a matter of racing against time?”

“No, it’s not that urgent.”

“Then can’t we take a plane?”

“Hmm, we need to make a passport.”

At that, Geum Su-ho quickly stepped in.

“I will make a passport for you immediately. And I will also reserve first-class airline tickets so you can travel comfortably.”

A passport?

The Sword Immortal immediately cut in.

“Make the passport name Dongbin, not Dobin.”

“I will do so.”

“We’ll need to take a picture too, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then…”

Srrr.

The Sword Immortal’s face, which had grown youthful, returned to its original state again.

The white beard that had disappeared also returned.

Geum Su-ho flinched in surprise, but did not show it.

“For the passport photo, my original face.”

Ahhh.

The Sword Immortal was extremely happy.

He had gotten a passport.

If he showed the Samhan Empire passport with his face and name stamped plainly on it in front of the immortals, what expressions would they make?

“May I keep the passport forever?”

“Of course you should keep it.”

With this, he had acquired another achievement.

Would taking a first-class flight make it two?

In truth, Tae-ju had been planning to go to Egypt alone.

As for the Sword Immortal, it didn’t matter whether he went or not.

However.

‘It seems like he wants to go back to the Immortal Realm and brag about what he experienced on Earth…’

Could he really be made to stay only within the Samhan Empire?

He should go abroad too.

And while he was at it, let him ride a plane too.

* * *

Immortal Realm.

Tang Gun-ak was talking with Ghost Valley Immortal and Immortal Galhong, who could be called his trusted confidants, about the Jade Emperor’s proposal that had been discussed at the Heavenly Realm representatives’ meeting.

“If possible, the apartment complex should be somewhere close to the Heavenly Realm’s Purple Tenuity Palace.”

“What about the size?”

“Are they not mostly one-person households? Let’s make it under 10 pyeong.”

“That is so. A studio apartment would be the most suitable.”

Celestial New City.

The construction of apartments, a residential space for heavenly people.

It was quite a large-scale project.

It would take an enormous amount of time.

Securing materials was a problem too.

As for rebar, the black darksteel all over the Netherworld would be enough, but cement would have to be received from Earth.

And the interior materials needed for interior finishing as well.

Materials were materials, but the most important thing was technology.

What if the apartment collapsed with a crash because of shoddy construction?

Of course, the heavenly people would not die, but still.

“There is a limit to supplementing it with spells. We need the know-how of an Earth construction company.”

“Poison Immortal, does Grand Hero Tae-ju happen to own a construction company?”

“A pharmaceutical company, a shipyard, a shipping company… about that much.”

“Let’s tell him to buy one at this opportunity.”

“No, are you saying he should acquire a company just to build Heavenly Realm apartments?”

“To become a true chaebol, one should at least have a construction company.”

Tang Gun-ak wrote down the main contents of the meeting himself.

Because Tae-ju’s intentions were important.

Only if he gave permission would the project proceed.

At that moment.

Bzzzt.

A delivery signal came up from Earth.

“Wait, let us stop the meeting. A delivery came up.”

“Oh! Don’t mind us and take care of it.”

Tang Gun-ak opened the Infinite Space.

He exchanged the goods and put in a letter.

But from the shared storage, one spare smartphone came in.

When he took it out and played the video.

– Greetings, everyone. As you can see, this is Earth, the residence of Grand Hero Tae-ju.

It was the Sword Immortal.

“Hm?”

“Oh?”

The greeting continued.

– There are many dramas and movies I had not seen before. They are all recent. The Immortal Realm still does not have them, does it?

– Beer drunk on Earth certainly has a different taste.

“Haa…”

“He’s swollen with arrogance.”

– They say this card has no limit. Grand Hero Tae-ju said it’s fine for me to swipe it as much as I want.

“Th-that, that, that damned…”

“Can we not bring that bastard, no, that Sword Immortal, back right now?”

Tang Gun-ak calmed them.

“Everyone, please put your minds at ease. If you get jealous, you lose…”

– We may have the same soul, but the comparison is quite stark. You know, with a certain someone who only deposits a tiny bit of coin if I bring him one peach.

“…What?”

The comparison was stark?

“You crazy son of a…”

That insane knife-squid immortal.

– In any case, fare well in the Immortal Realm. Well, though it won’t be as fun as Earth.

“Damn it! I want to smash that phone.”

“…At this rate, I’m going to get a stress illness.”

Ghost Valley and Galhong were indignant.

These two were immortals known for being fairly dignified in the Immortal Realm.

Yet they were angry enough to burst into flames.

“Now I understand well what relative deprivation feels like.”

“Why would he deliberately send a video like that…?”

“Hmph! Obviously to brag, is it not?”

“The Immortal Realm attention-seeker has evolved into an Earth attention-seeker.”

If he had gone to Earth through heavenly luck, he should have quietly enjoyed himself and come back.

Tang Gun-ak was the same.

As it was, he already resented being unable to go to Earth because of the phenomenon of soul merging.

If he showed this to the immortals, what kind of reaction would they have?

They would probably flip over in rage.

‘Just try coming back after only playing around.’

If he had gone to Earth, then at the very least, he should catch that fellow Vincent and ease Tae-ju’s worries.

If he couldn’t even do that and came back after only causing trouble…

‘I’ll suspend his Immortal Realm-exclusive smartphone first.’

Tang Gun-ak was even considering banning him from entering the multiplex.