Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 149

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

Chapter 149. What Takes Priority (4)

That day, a victory celebration was held.

With spectators from all over causing a commotion asking if they could just offer a drink, Moyong Bi had no choice but to reluctantly drink several jars of alcohol.

Though he felt like getting completely drunk today, given the circumstances, he expelled the alcohol qi bit by bit each time he drank, eliminating the intoxication as much as possible.

And so night arrived.

They had set up in a place away from people, but most of the group was drunk.

The most surprising was Moyong Su Jeong.

Her drinking capacity was amazing, making one wonder if she was really the same person who had been seriously ill just a short while ago.

Of course, as there’s no warrior who can defeat alcohol, she drank merrily before gloriously falling in battle, and Moyong Su Hyang, who had declared she would practice Taoist cultivation after drinking, also crashed her head onto the table.

Namgung So So went to a corner, retched, and collapsed, Jegal Chung Ho sprawled out spread-eagle on the floor, and Jegal Lin moderately went along with the atmosphere before disappearing like a ghost.

Seok Woong and Kang Geun Cheong were the same.

It was a day when everyone got pleasantly drunk.

* * *

Moyong Bi’s face was full of bitterness as he laid his great grand nieces on the bed.

‘How happy must they have been to become completely senseless.’

Su Hyang was one thing, but this was the first time he’d seen Su Jeong this happy.

She seemed much happier than when she had learned the real Moyong martial arts.

‘That’s understandable.’

But they couldn’t be satisfied here.

‘Enjoy just this one day of drinking. There will be many things happening from now on.’

After laying down his great grand nieces and coming outside, he saw Neung Hyeong.

His figure looking at the moon with his hands clasped behind his back looked quite impressive.

“What nonsense is this?”

Neung Hyeong grumbled.

“Now you’re picking fights over anything. Am I that easy to mess with?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn bastard.”

Of course he wasn’t easy to mess with.

Rather, that’s precisely why he kept cursing and treating him roughly. He wanted to see his limits – where he might explode, how much this guy could endure.

Even if he had used the Explosive Blood Strange Emotion Technique, his opponent was still Demon Immortal Neung Hyeong.

“By the way, why didn’t you touch even a drop of alcohol?”

“Crazy bastard. When have you ever had a drink with me? You don’t even know me well.”

“So you dislike alcohol?”

“That can’t be.”

During his days as the Seongheolgung master, alcohol was an excellent escape. If he hadn’t even had alcohol, he might have gone insane.

“Who knows what might happen if I drink.”

“That’s what I should be saying.”

“How ridiculous. What are you anxious about when you’re the one who even used that insane pressure point technique called Explosive Blood Strange Emotion Technique?”

It was precisely because he had used such methods that he was anxious about whether he might take extreme actions.

Of course, he knew Neung Hyeong wouldn’t do that.

But whether with people or events, there are times to have confidence and draw attention, and times when you must doubt until the end even with confidence.

For Moyong Bi, the existence called Neung Hyeong could only be the latter.

Moyong Bi, who had been watching Neung Hyeong with deepened eyes, spoke as if tossing out the words.

“It’s not as bad as I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your adaptation. Honestly, I thought you’d at least cry and throw a fit even if you didn’t see blood.”

Neung Hyeong frowned.

“I’m sufficiently depressed. Stop poking at me.”

“I heard you tried to fill our Su Hyang’s head with useless talk?”

“What useless talk?”

“Talk about sparring matches and life-or-death duels. I heard Namgung Gwan did well refuting you from the side.”

Neung Hyeong looked back at Moyong Bi as if incredulous.

“Don’t tell me you think like that blind kid too?”

“….”

“That can’t be. Are matches a joke? Everyone living in Jianghu’s martial world survives balancing on one foot on a tightrope sharper than a blade. Their lives are precarious even when still, and when fights break out on top of that, why should they consider justice and such?”

“There are people like that too.”

“That’s why they’re all idiots. They’re so soft it’s beyond words.”

“The world becomes more livable when there are many soft and foolish people.”

“If that’s the case, I’d rather just be hard and smart.”

“That’s why neither you nor I will do.”

Wondering what nonsense this was, he turned around to see that damn nemesis’s face looking unexpectedly bitter.

“What kind of life-like life is it to spend your whole life thinking about how to kill that guy, how to destroy that thing?”

“If it’s not life, then what is it?”

“Then why do you long for a free and peaceful life?”

“….”

“As you know, there’s no retirement in Jianghu’s martial world. Only people who wish for retirement exist. The moment you set foot in this place even once, the bloody grudges of Jianghu will someday catch your ankle and drag you back into the mire.”

Neung Hyeong turned his head again.

“Just burn down all that mire and be done with it.”

“That means intervening more actively in Jianghu.”

“….”

“Jianghu’s martial world is also a place where people live. While people dying from sword fights can’t be helped, if we can make it more livable, that would be the right path.”

“Is that why you did it?”

“What?”

“Is that why you took on the Martial Alliance Leader position that didn’t suit your nature and tormented us so much?”

Moyong Bi smiled bitterly.

“It was for my family.”

“Someone like that shouldn’t shamelessly speak of peace and such.”

“Is it wrong for someone who can’t drink to tell someone not to live like a drunkard?”

“Damn bastard. You never lose an argument.”

Neung Hyeong turned his head sharply.

Moyong Bi, who had been watching him again, began speaking in an even more subdued voice.

“Do you happen to know?”

“Know what?”

“About your body.”

“This current body?”

“Yes.”

“What about this body? Does it seem like it has something like Nine Yin Severed Meridians like your great grand nieces?”

Even when he seemed foolish at times, his insight was extraordinary, befitting someone who was called the strongest in the demonic martial world.

Moyong Bi shook his head.

“It’s not that kind of thing….”

At that moment, both men’s heads turned simultaneously toward the rear garden thicket.

Neung Hyeong openly displayed displeasure.

“It’s definitely frustrating. In the old days, I would have noticed before crossing even one mountain peak.”

“Your exaggeration has gone too far.”

“You handle it yourself.”

“Handle what? It’s someone I know.”

Shortly after, Sama Jin Gung emerged from the thicket.

“Moyong Sohyeop.”

“You’ve come.”

“First, congratulations on your victory.”

The congratulations delivered with a face so blunt it was almost cold didn’t feel grateful in the slightest.

Moyong Bi shook his head and said.

“Stop saying things you don’t mean.”

“Very well.”

Sama Jin Gung glanced at Neung Hyeong.

Neung Hyeong was frowning as much as possible while looking at the moon. He was clearly giving off the vibe of ‘don’t bother talking to me unnecessarily.’

Moyong Bi pointed at Neung Hyeong with his thumb and said.

“You don’t need to worry about this lunatic, so feel free to talk comfortably.”

“Very well.”

Sama Jin Gung’s eyes immediately deepened.

Since he was someone with so little expression, the change in his gaze felt quite dramatic.

“I’ll deliver the bad news first.”

“My heart’s already getting tense.”

“Bang Hyo is dead.”

In an instant, Moyong Bi’s gaze became sharp as a blade.

“Who killed him?”

“It definitely wasn’t the Ji Dan Warriors.”

“Meaning he died when you weren’t there.”

It was certainly comfortable to converse with him.

Normally, he would have been somewhat impressed by such quick understanding, but right now he didn’t even have that luxury.

“But the cause of death is peculiar.”

“How did he die?”

“Bang Hyo had certainly learned demonic arts, though barely half-complete. Naturally, there should have been no instant evaporation upon death, but he rapidly decayed and rotted away in an instant.”

Neung Hyeong’s eyebrows twitched.

Moyong Bi asked calmly.

“Possibility of poison?”

“None at present.”

“Depending on what type of demonic art it was, there’s also the possibility of evaporation upon death.”

“I’m investigating that.”

“In any case, what’s important is that it’s likely an assassination case, not a death by internal personnel.”

“That’s how I’m tentatively viewing it.”

The situation had become quite troublesome.

“Will you be alright?”

At Moyong Bi’s words, Sama Jin Gung shook his head.

“The incident has occurred, I can only try to prevent it from becoming the worst case.”

“How could it not become the worst case?”

“I’ve already begun the propaganda war.”

His movements were remarkably fast.

Moyong Bi shook his head.

“Even if the corpse ended up in that state, there are many ways to make a body decay. If the Wudang Sect pushes forward, the entire Hubei Branch will be in chaos.”

They had manipulated Ho Geom Jin In’s cause of death to be Bang Hyo’s spear techniques from Bi Chang Moon.

Of course, since there were masters who witnessed the match at the time, if they played their role well as witnesses during the corpse examination process, the situation might change, but the problem was whether those masters wouldn’t be mindful of the Wudang Sect.

“Leave that part to me.”

“Since we have a common purpose, it’s natural to trust and leave it to you, but will you be alright?”

“I just need to somehow get through this crisis.”

“That won’t be enough.”

As if asking what he meant, Sama Jin Gung raised his eyes.

“If the Wudang Sect’s power was weaker than expected, you wouldn’t have used the word ‘crisis.’ In other words, the situation is worse than you imagined.”

“…That’s right.”

Because their power was strong and their reputation high, there were conversely many opportunities to attack them.

But before any attack, this side had shown weakness, and if the other party didn’t miss that moment, it would be this side that got destroyed before even getting to fight.

The opponent was the Wudang Sect. A legendary sect counted among the top three of the Nine Ancient Sects.

“Against such a sect, if you proceed with the mindset of just getting through the crisis, you’ll only end up being thoroughly manipulated.”

“I can endure it.”

“Even if you can endure, the time and mental energy consumed in the process would be too wasteful.”

“Do you have a method?”

“Instead of getting through the crisis, you need to think about using it in reverse to counterattack.”

Even the great Sama Jin Gung couldn’t understand what Moyong Bi was saying.

“How do you mean?”

“You said you’re preparing a propaganda war?”

“That’s right.”

“Push the narrative that the Wudang Sect killed Bang Hyo.”

In an instant, Sama Jin Gung’s eyes wavered.

Neung Hyeong also perked up his ears while pretending not to listen.

“The Wudang Sect…?!”

“Weren’t you prepared to completely destroy all the Wudang Sect’s first disciples anyway?”

“Of, of course, but.”

Uncharacteristically, he was even stammering.

Moyong Bi shook his head.

“Whatever kind of war it is, when it becomes prolonged, it ends up being decided by a battle of stamina. Can you do that against the Wudang Sect?”

“I cannot.”

“If you truly want to eliminate the Wudang radicals, you must use every situation. I may be the one dancing with swords, but weren’t you the one supposed to create the stage?”

“…”

“For a cat to beat a wolf, it must go and gouge out the eyes first while the wolf is distracted. When even a surprise attack would crush your whole body if you get caught once, what use is just getting through the crisis?”

“Would it be possible?”

“In fighting, momentum is half the battle. The reason you’re preparing a propaganda war is also based on revealing this matter to the outside world, isn’t it?”

“…That’s right.”

“Counterattack with determination. The fight with the Wudang Sect has already begun.”

After pondering for a moment, Sama Jin Gung’s eyes lit up as he spoke.

“If it’s proven to be untrue, the backlash will be severe.”

“It would be.”

“The moment we face that backlash, recovery will be difficult.”

“Some fool once said this. The Murim Warriors living in Jianghu all live balancing on one foot on a rope thinner than a blade.”

Neung Hyeong chuckled.

“The moment you decided to fight the Wudang Sect, you already put your life on the line. If you didn’t have that level of resolve, let’s end our relationship here and now. It might be more comfortable alone, even if it’s a bit difficult.”

Sama Jin Gung let out a bitter smile.

“How can you make a lie into truth?”

“Since I’ve presented the strategy, you figure out the tactics. As I said, I’m the lead actor, and you’re in charge of stage production.”

“You’re cold.”

“Well, still hoping things go well, let me say one thing…”

“…”

“Why do you think it wasn’t the Wudang Sect’s doing?”

“…?”

“If it really was the Wudang Sect’s doing, where would you start looking for that evidence?”

Sama Jin Gung let out an exclamation.

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