Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 179
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 179. Shadow in the Clouds (4)
“Whew.”
Thick heat haze rose from Moyong Su Hyang’s body.
Though the vibrant spring breeze had begun to blow, the temperature still belonged to the cool side. Yet she didn’t feel the cold for even a single moment.
Whooom! Whooom!
Her remaining internal energy vibrated violently as if it wanted to see the world.
‘This much is enough.’
Moyong Su Hyang soothed her Twin Dragon Energy herself.
‘You and I are friends. But while you can complain to me, you cannot command me. You must absolutely obey my words.’
Did it accept that will?
The strongly pulsating internal energy gradually calmed down. It truly seemed as if the internal energy itself possessed self-awareness.
Moyong Su Hyang smiled with satisfaction, then looked down at her hands as she felt a sudden pain.
Blood was flowing steadily from her torn palms.
“Ah, damn it.”
She hadn’t noticed while concentrating, but they were torn quite severely.
Just as she was thinking of treating them roughly and finishing with basic bandaging, Moyong Su Jeong appeared.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Elder Sister, you came?”
“How violently did you swing to tear them up that badly?”
Moyong Su Hyang grinned.
“Because it was fun.”
“Give me your hands.”
Moyong Su Jeong sprinkled wound medicine on her youngest sister’s hands.
The white powder sprinkled on the wounds immediately began bubbling violently. Moyong Su Hyang covered her mouth and writhed like crazy.
“This wound medicine is very effective. That person Dark Shadow really has amazing talent in this area.”
“Ah, Elder Brother’s slave?”
“Haven’t you gotten close yet?”
“Well… there hasn’t been much opportunity to build friendship.”
It had been several months of focusing frantically only on training.
They exchanged greetings when passing by, but there was no chance to become close. They didn’t even eat meals together.
While binding her younger sister’s hands with clean cloth, Moyong Su Jeong said,
“A message came from your Elder Brother.”
“What?!”
“Fortunately, he seems to be fine.”
Relief appeared on Moyong Su Hyang’s face. She had thought there would probably be no problems, but still, you never know with human affairs.
“Then what happened to the Jegal Family? I knew they would have trouble because of the demon.”
“The details weren’t written. He’ll tell us properly when he returns. However, the Jegal Family was apparently in great danger.”
Worry appeared again on Moyong Su Hyang’s face.
“What about Elder Brother Chung Ho and Elder Sister Rin…?”
“Fortunately, that content was written. They’re fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
“There, all done. Don’t hold a sword today, and if you want to train more, it would be better to do only bare-handed training.”
“I was planning to do that.”
While speaking, Moyong Su Hyang glanced at her sister’s hands.
They were still delicate jade hands, but overall reddish. Blood seemed to be circulating well.
“Elder Sister has been working hard lately too, right?”
“I have to. If I had my way, I’d hand over the family head position to just anyone and only focus on training.”
Moyong Su Hyang shrank her neck.
“Isn’t that too strong for someone saying that?”
An aura that was now difficult to approach casually was emanating from Moyong Su Jeong’s body.
The Honyuan Heart Method was developing frighteningly fast, beginning to show the bearing of a master. Additionally, with Guo Lao’s help, her swordsmanship achievements had also greatly increased.
Though she lacked practical experience, at this level, not only Ten Swords Sect Leader Hwang Gyu, but even the deceased Hong Jun Ak would find her difficult to handle.
It was truly explosive growth.
“Guo Lao said so. My growth is faster than anyone’s, but because of that, I might experience a major stagnation period someday.”
“You can think about that when the time comes.”
“You’re right. So during training, I swing my sword without any distracting thoughts.”
Training without distracting thoughts.
Anyone could say it, but Moyong Su Hyang knew it was absolutely not an easy thing to do.
Especially as you learn higher-level martial arts, distracting thoughts increase. It’s partly to understand incantations and principles, but also because the martial arts themselves present numerous possibilities at every moment.
To train without distracting thoughts in such situations meant being able to recall countless possibilities in an instant, then find the path that suits you.
And to do so unconsciously.
“I couldn’t do that.”
Seeing Moyong Su Hyang looking a bit dejected, Moyong Su Jeong smiled and said,
“What’s wrong with having some distracting thoughts?”
“Huh?”
“Finishing worries quickly isn’t necessarily always good.”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s ultimately a matter of individual differences. I’m not yet a great master, but I think the worries you’re having now might become the foundation for easily surpassing this sister when I’m struggling in a stagnation period later.”
Thinking that way brightened her mood again.
“Well, whatever I do, I’m still a novice.”
“Right, both you and I are still novices. Novices don’t need to be impatient like novices.”
Moyong Su Hyang, whose mood had greatly improved, shook her body and scattered sweat droplets.
Moyong Su Jeong gracefully stepped back three steps, avoiding her beloved youngest sister’s secretions.
“What are you doing today? When are you eating? Should we eat together for once?”
“Let’s do that. Let’s have Guo Lao and Dark Shadow join us too.”
“…That’ll be awkward.”
“That’s why I’m suggesting we eat together.”
“Mm, alright.”
The two sisters chatted playfully, enjoying their peaceful daily life.
But that was only on the surface; both of them had many worries every moment.
And their worries were focused on their younger brother, or rather Elder Brother, who had gone far away.
* * *
“Are you leaving already?”
Jegal Chung Ho’s tired face was full of regret.
“We have our own business to attend to.”
“I haven’t even properly expressed my gratitude yet.”
“It’s not something I did expecting gratitude.”
“Still, you are a benefactor to our family. Moreover, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with our father?”
It was true, but the moment Heo Joong Jin In appeared, further conversation with Jegal Dan became meaningless. Besides, Jegal Dan still hadn’t regained his senses.
“I’ll drop by later when I have time.”
“Then please wait just a moment. Let me call Elder Brother and Rin Yi…”
“I trust you understand the meaning of leaving in the dead of night like this.”
Telling at least one person that he was leaving was to maintain minimum courtesy.
A shadow fell across Jegal Chung Ho’s face.
“I don’t know how to repay this kindness.”
“There’s no need to repay it. If you really want to, make sure you never face such a situation again.”
“Of course we will.”
“And you should also stop wandering around.”
Jegal Chung Ho was a bit flustered.
“I am….”
“I don’t know what circumstances you have. However, whatever those circumstances may be, in the face of the death of blood relatives, they would be no different from a sailboat meeting a typhoon at sea.”
“….”
“If you can bear the death and ruin of your blood relatives, then continue to enjoy your own freedom. That is a choice, so even if many people point fingers, I alone will not do so. However, if you cannot endure that, then contemplate what true freedom really is.”
“What is true freedom to you, benefactor?”
“At least it wasn’t such a great gift worth seizing while turning away from blood relatives who live each day consumed by suffering.”
Jegal Chung Ho’s face flushed red.
It wasn’t shame, but regret.
He might have believed that perhaps the family would never collapse forever. That was a thought that any young person from a prestigious family might have at least once.
But reality was different. The Jegal Clan had almost fallen into the hands of demons so futilely.
Even his blood-related uncle had become a pawn in that downfall. No one would fail to understand that the shock he received was beyond imagination.
“I will keep your words in mind, benefactor.”
“Since we’re on the topic, let me say one more thing.”
“I will listen carefully.”
“The reason the family head couldn’t request help from outside was because blood relatives were held hostage, and there must be other factors as well. However, Jegal Ryun, who is not present here, passed information about the Jegal Clan to Alliance Leader Sama Jin Gung.”
“…That’s correct.”
“I think that was a wise action.”
Moyong Bi and Neung Hyeong came at the right time, but they were able to arrive on schedule because of help from the Hubei Branch.
“Don’t increase the hardships of reality with future anxieties that haven’t even arrived yet, like interference in internal affairs and such. What’s important is this very moment.”
It meant to definitely ask for help if there was a place to seek it. It also meant that if they kept hesitating over this and that, they would surely face the same kind of situation as today again.
Jegal Chung Ho bowed his head respectfully.
“I will never forget your words, benefactor.”
Moyong Bi nodded.
“Let’s meet again if fate allows it later.”
“Even if heaven doesn’t permit that fate, we will create it. In whatever form it may take, the Jegal family will definitely repay the grace you have given us.”
“Don’t be so certain.”
“Pardon?”
“Because no one knows what the future holds.”
“We are certain. If we cannot repay this grace, we will all abandon our family.”
It would be sincere. At least for now.
Moyong Bi denied that sentiment to the end. Because there must have been many people who said such things during the Moyong Family Estate days as well.
Of course, he didn’t deliberately disturb Jegal Chung Ho’s heart by bringing up words of the same meaning twice.
“I’ll be going.”
“Please take care. We will definitely contact you.”
Thus, Moyong Bi and Neung Hyeong, Heo Joong Jin In and Ja Dam left the Jegal Family.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to contact that side?”
At Neung Hyeong’s indifferent question, Moyong Bi tilted his head.
“I contacted home though?”
“I mean that Sama whatever guy.”
“That’s fine. He’ll contact us on his own.”
“Are you certain?”
“Alliance Leader Sama could have actively helped me. Of course, there was too much to bear, so that wouldn’t have been the right course of action.”
Neung Hyeong’s eyes sparkled.
“In other words, that side also tested you, their companion.”
As expected, conversations with this guy are quick and good.
“Since I proved my worth, that side will also start moving in earnest. Naturally, they must have laid down quite a decent information network near Hubei. They won’t be unaware of where I’m heading.”
“Still, they’ll be quite surprised, won’t they?”
“It’s not like I’m charging in head-on. He’s someone with the brains to deduce that much.”
“Hmm, well if that’s the case.”
Heo Joong Jin In, who had been listening to the two’s conversation, opened his mouth.
“I’ve been wanting to interrupt for a while now.”
“Please speak.”
“Won’t you introduce him?”
He was talking about Neung Hyeong.
Moyong Bi, who glanced at Neung Hyeong, soon smiled wryly. Because he didn’t even want to make eye contact with Heo Joong Jin In.
“This guy’s personality is so damn awful. Please understand.”
“…Hmm.”
“Anyway, I’m the one who has business with that side, right? He’s not the type to cause trouble, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Heo Joong Jin In nodded as if he understood, but inwardly couldn’t hide his confusion.
‘What on earth is this young man?!’
If Moyong Bi was an unprecedented surprise, this mysterious young man was equally surprising to him.
‘He seems to have learned supreme-level Buddhist martial arts, but no matter how I look at it, he’s not from Shaolin.’
That was surprising too, but the real surprise was something else.
‘His eyes….’
They had briefly made eye contact once, and in that moment, Heo Joong Jin In almost drew his sword without realizing it.
He didn’t know why. But he could be certain that he was an extraordinary person no less than Moyong Bi, perhaps even more so.
Heo Joong Jin In’s face became serious.
‘I wonder if this will really be alright.’
The next day at noon.
The four people arrived at Moodang Mountain.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————