Appearance of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 50
Yeon-u gazed at the glittering spread of food before her, drool dripping steadily down her chin.
The meals she’d eaten in the mountains with Un-hyeon had been delicious, certainly.
Bird meat, pork, bear. Rabbit.
Properly roasted meat sprinkled with salt was a delicacy beyond compare.
Rice mixed with oil and salt was delicious too, and the dried fruits and jerky she occasionally ate were wonderfully tasty, but—
Seasoned meat?
Meat kneaded and wrapped in soft bread…?
Noodles boiled in water?
“Uuugh….”
Am-yeong Magun chuckled at the sight of Yeon-u, dribbling saliva as she stared at the dishes.
“Why are you just drooling? Eat.”
“Huh…?”
Really? I can eat?
“We should fill your belly before heading to Maryongwan. Eat as much as you like, and I’ll order more if you’re still hungry.”
“……!”
At his permission to eat freely, Yeon-u dove into her meal with desperate haste.
It was only dumplings, thin noodles, and braised pork belly, but to a girl raised only in the mountains, the taste was nothing short of miraculous.
“Is this what they call Delicacies of Land and Sea…?”
Am-yeong Magun laughed, a soft chuckle, and replied.
“It’d be a stretch to call this Delicacies of Land and Sea. Does it seem like your grandfather is taking you all this way just to show you these kinds of dishes?”
“Ee-uh-oh-ah… uh ah-ssin-eung eung-ee-gee ee-ah-oh…?”
“…What are you saying?”
Yeon-u swallowed her mouthful of food with audible effort, then spoke with sparkling eyes.
“There’s food even more delicious than this?”
“Of course!”
Am-yeong Magun propped his chin on his hand and leaned back against the table.
“The place you originally lived was the frontier, so the food there was bound to be rather plain.”
What they called snacks amounted to nothing but dried fruits and jerky, and most of your provisions came from foraged goods in the forest anyway.
“Even this place isn’t much compared to the Central Plains, though it certainly has better food than the frontier….”
Am-yeong Magun gazed indifferently at the dishes before Yeon-u.
“If you taste something too delicious too soon, your motivation starts to fade, you see—”
“…?”
Yeon-u, her mouth suddenly stuffed full, chewed and looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
Her motivation starts to fade?
What was that supposed to mean?
But Am-yeong Magun was not about to explain.
He only laughed softly and gestured for her to keep eating.
How many times had he spouted nonsense without explaining it?
Yeon-u swallowed her food without complaint and posed another question.
“But if it’s this delicious, why is nobody here?”
Yeon-u glanced around the room.
This floor of the great inn.
Tables and chairs were arranged densely throughout, but this entire level held only the two of them.
“I saw plenty of people outside. Is this place actually not very good?”
“Preposterous!”
Am-yeong Magun slammed the table with a loud bang.
“I never set foot in anywhere but the finest inn in the land!”
“Ah, right.”
“It’s more like….”
Am-yeong Magun glanced nonchalantly around the empty floor.
“The taste of wealth and power?”
To have an entire floor of Machwonryeong’s finest inn at this busy hour—that itself was a display of means.
“I see.”
So wealth and power had their own flavor too.
“You’re thinking something strange right now.”
“I’m thinking you’re pretty cool.”
“I suppose I am rather distinguished.”
Yeon-u bit off a large mouthful of dumpling with audible gusto.
Am-yeong Magun, watching her eat with such enthusiasm, asked in a flat voice:
“But tell me—why did you call me grandfather the first time we met?”
“……?”
“You know, you did. You called me… old man.”
“Am-yeong Magun is an old man.”
Crack—
Something shattered near the dining table where Am-yeong Magun’s hand had been resting.
Yeon-u glanced at the spot in confusion, then spoke again.
“That’s true, isn’t it? Right?”
“…Whatever.”
After a moment of silence, Am-yeong Magun let out a soft laugh and shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway, before you enter Maryongwan, there are a few things you should know to be careful about.”
Yeon-u nodded and bit into a dumpling.
Am-yeong Magun raised his index finger as he spoke.
“First. Don’t call me Am-yeong once you’re in there. In fact, don’t acknowledge knowing me at all if we meet.”
“Why?”
“Because it would create all sorts of complications. Just pretend we’re strangers, and there’ll come a day when I’ll greet you first.”
“After that, can I act like I know you?”
“Maybe.”
Am-yeong Magun chuckled and raised his second finger.
“Don’t appear weak.”
Munch, munch—
“Anyone who stands out too much in Maryongwan becomes a target. But standing out is better than appearing weak.”
“Why?”
“Because if you seem weak, those who want to shine will make you their target instead.”
In other words, you’d be treated as expendable material—a stepping stone for someone else’s advancement.
And quite a cruel one at that.
“Better to stand out. The more the Sect Master and Instructors notice you, the more protection you actually receive.”
When someone attracts attention, it becomes inevitable that they’ll be watched frequently.
Being under the frequent gaze of the Maryongwan Sect Master and Instructors is burdensome, but it also means that while their eyes are on you, others won’t dare lay a hand on you so easily.
“And besides, it’s better for your future prospects.”
Yeon-u swallowed her dumpling and nodded.
“Understood. And?”
Am-yeong Magun raised his third finger.
His purple eyes, visible above the mask, became noticeably serious.
“Hide the fact that your sense of smell is keen.”
“Why?”
“It’s useful, isn’t it? It’s good to have a hidden card up your sleeve.”
Am-yeong Magun rested his chin in his hand again and smiled thinly.
Yeon-u wondered if it was really necessary to hide it, but she picked up her chopsticks and nodded.
“Got it.”
So all she had to do was not mention that her nose was sharp.
Slurrrp—
Yeon-u chewed the noodles that filled her mouth.
The savory, rich flavor of the broth spread across her tongue.
‘This is delicious.’
Chapter 6. The First to Pass
* * *
“Yeon-u from the Gwi family. Confirmed. You may enter.”
After eating, Yeon-u parted ways with Am-yeong Magun at the Inn and headed to Maryongwan alone.
Entry to the Sect proved effortless.
The moment she showed the tablet she’d received from the Gwi family, the guardian didn’t even look at her face before letting her through.
Creak—
The great gate swung open, and as Yeon-u stepped inside, her mouth fell slightly agape.
‘People…’
So many of them.
Inside Maryongwan stood what had to be a thousand people.
They were all boys and girls of roughly the same age as Yeon-u.
‘They said it happens once every ten years.’
Entry to the Sect is open to those between eight and sixteen years of age.
Most of the children who enter are around thirteen years old, she’d been told.
Yeon-u was fourteen this year, same age as the others who’d come today.
Creak—
The door behind Yeon-u swung open, and another applicant entered.
Since companions had to part ways at the gate, only those entering the sect could cross the threshold of Maryongwan.
Some walked with confidence, others wore expressions of uncertainty, and still others bore the weight of dread as they stepped through.
In total, nearly a thousand had gathered.
Those who distinguished themselves during their time at Maryongwan could advance to the Central Temple where the Cheonma dwelt.
For martial artists of the Cheonma Divine Sect, the status of belonging to the temple was nothing short of absolute glory.
It was a position revered by every sect member.
Drawn by the prospect of such honor, talented individuals scattered across Sipman-daesan had flocked here.
And among them, Yeon-u—
Sniff. Sniff—
Flared her nostrils, breathing in deeply.
‘What is that?’
An incredibly delicious scent was wafting from somewhere.
Nothing like the Delicacies of Land and Sea she’d eaten moments ago… something sweet and savory, intensely so….
‘That braised pork belly from before was delicious.’
But this smells even better than that. It must be coming from….
‘Beyond that door.’
Yeon-u’s bright eyes fixed on the inner courtyard gate of Maryongwan.
This place where disciples were gathering in waves was, in essence, the outer courtyard of Maryongwan.
Beyond the great main gate lay a spacious courtyard, and beyond that another gate—one had to pass through that second gate to truly enter Maryongwan proper.
She wasn’t sure why the structure had been designed this way, but Yeon-u was certain of one thing.
‘They’ve prepared welcome food!?’
Her lips curved upward as far as they possibly could in satisfaction.
She hardly looked like someone who’d just finished eating.
That was when it happened.
“Another year, another swarm of vermin crawling in.”
In an instant, a cold, vibrating voice pierced through the minds of all the gathered disciples.
The murmuring that had filled the courtyard died away, and every head turned toward a single point.
“Look, over there. It’s Gwi-ya-gaek.”
Hearing someone’s whisper, Yeon-u followed their gaze.
A figure was ascending a raised platform that stood alone at the front of the courtyard.
Yeon-u’s eyes narrowed.
Black robes creased and rumpled, eyes half-closed beneath dark shadows that hung heavy, a face that bore the wear of countless sleepless nights.
Sparse, untended stubble dotted his jaw, and his roughly cut hair stood in wild disarray.
On the surface, a middle-aged man whose appearance and bearing conveyed filth and indolence.
And yet his mere arrival overwhelmed the courtyard where nearly a thousand had assembled.
……
Not a single disciple dared open their mouth as he climbed the platform.
The sound of his footsteps on the stairs was distinct enough to reach even those standing at the far edge of the gathering.
Once Gwi-ya-gaek reached the top of the platform, the disciples straightened without a word, their postures rigid.
……
His indifferent gaze swept slowly across the assembled disciples.
As he moved his eyes across them as if assessing their caliber, he finally opened his mouth in a languid tone.
“Welcome.”
His voice carved into their minds, and the air of the training ground grew heavy.
Tension and fear spread instantaneously.
Seeing their reaction, Gwi-ya-gaek’s lips twisted into a thin, cruel smile.
“You vermin.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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