Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 114

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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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Chapter 114
Cheon Hui stood beneath the full moon, bright and luminous in the sky, gazing down at Gulongbang.
“Small.”
Despite its grandiose name, Gulongbang turned out to be a far smaller sect than he’d anticipated.
‘Or maybe it’s not small at all.’
Cheon Hui scratched his head.
Come to think of it, the main hall was quite large.
It could accommodate over two hundred people, and there were several buildings in the compound.
‘My standards have gotten too high.’
Everything he’d seen lately had spoiled him.
The Murim Alliance, the Namgung Clan, the Jongnam Faction.
All of them were among the greatest sects under All Under Heaven.
‘This is about comparable to the Paewang School.’
He called to mind the nearest equivalent.
After a moment of surveying the hall, he moved.
Whoosh—
Cheon Hui vaulted over the wall in one fluid motion.
The Dark Fragrance Step unfolded in the darkness, each movement so subtle and concealed that no one could detect it, melting slowly into the shadows.
‘Let me see… where the Lord stays.’
Cheon Hui moved swiftly, recalling the information he’d memorized.
Soon he reached a hall.
‘Hmm? Light?’
A faint glow seeped through the window cracks—a lamp was burning inside.
Cheon Hui suppressed his presence and crept closer.
Then.
“…Failed, you say?”
A sharp, pointed voice cut through the air.
What?
Cheon Hui peered through the slightly open window into the hall.
“What kind of sense is that! I gave you martial arts from the Imperial Martial Repository itself, and money that would take a lifetime to earn, yet you say you failed?”
A frail-looking middle-aged man jabbed his finger at a sturdy, broad-shouldered man of mature years, his words spilling out harsh and bitter.
‘Lucky find.’
Cheon Hui’s ears sharpened.
“This is why you’re all so foolish! Do you realize what will happen to you if He learns of this situation? Your very life—”
The broad-shouldered man listened in silence, then his eyes glinted cold and sharp.
“The information was incorrect, it seems.”
The middle-aged man flinched.
“I-incorrect information?”
“Unlike what you described, there were other masters present as well.”
“O-other masters?”
The broad-shouldered man’s momentum intensified.
“This is troubling. You said He would support our sect, yet you bring us such worthless information—how can we trust you?”
The middle-aged man felt his drunken stupor evaporate instantly. His face flushed crimson.
“Gulongbang Lord!”
Ah, so that was the Gulongbang Lord after all.
Cheon Hui studied the broad-shouldered man from head to toe, nodding to himself.
‘So he’s the one from Qinghai Province.’
As he watched, the Gulongbang Lord fixed the middle-aged man with an icy gaze.
“Why do you call me?”
The Gulongbang Lord’s voice was glacial.
The middle-aged man, sensing something amiss, asked with a deathly pale face.
“Is it true that there are more masters?”
“You haven’t confirmed this yourself?”
…
At the Gulongbang Lord’s words—tinged with mockery—the middle-aged man’s face contorted horribly.
“I’ll look into it right away.”
The Gulongbang Lord, who until now had been treated as a subordinate, found the situation satisfying; his lips curved up slightly before dropping back down just as quickly.
“Only now you think to do it?”
The Gulongbang Lord spoke to the middle-aged man.
It was a rebuke.
The moment Sohui and her retinue crossed the border out of Shenxi into Gansu, the opportunity would slip away.
The middle-aged man gnawed at his lower lip.
“Is there anything you need right now? If you kill her for me, I’ll help you with whatever you require—money, influence, anything.”
The Gulongbang Lord smiled wickedly.
He’d been waiting to hear exactly this.
“Money, poison, and elixirs.”
The middle-aged man’s brow furrowed.
“Money and poison I understand, but elixirs? What for?”
“I intend to hire a master.”
“For that, money should be enough—”
“Sir. Masters of Kangho are more easily swayed by elixirs than by coin.”
An exaggeration, perhaps, but nonetheless true.
Any master worth the name—unless he were a demon or a Kangho criminal—had ample means of earning money.
Accept commissions as a vagrant knight, or enter a school as a guest martial artist.
But elixirs were different.
When it came to elixirs too precious to procure with gold alone, there were masters willing to undertake difficult commissions just to obtain them.
“Moreover, to defeat them, we must commission someone at the Peak Realm or the Wuji Realm at minimum. For that, elixirs are absolutely essential.”
The middle-aged man regarded the Gulongbang Lord.
But seeing eyes that held no wavering, he finally exhaled.
“Very well. I’ll have what you mentioned gathered and sent with haste.”
“Thank you. This time, I promise success in return.”
“I’ll trust in you alone.”
Just as the middle-aged man turned to leave—
“Oh, that’s right. Sir.”
The Gulongbang Lord called out as though he’d just remembered.
“Because of the misinformation you provided, one of our school’s most valued disciples perished. And yet—”
“……”
The middle-aged man bit his lip.
He rummaged through his sleeve and produced a gem that gleamed brilliantly at first glance.
“Consider it settled.”
“Very good.”
The Gulongbang Lord smirked inwardly.
‘Treacherous little rat.’
The fact that he’d pulled the gem from his sleeve meant he’d brought it intending to give it all along.
Yet he’d only surrendered it now—which made it plain he’d meant to pocket it along the way.
‘I’d like to squeeze more out of him.’
But the Gulongbang Lord restrained himself.
‘We’ve already shaken hands. Making an enemy of him now would be unwise.’
Then the middle-aged man spoke as he departed.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“Safe travels.”
As the middle-aged man stepped outside, the Gulongbang Lord gave a slight nod in farewell, then gazed at the gem with covetous eyes.
‘My carefully laid plan failed, but I gained much. Perhaps it’s not so bad after all.’
A bleak smile flickered across his lips, then vanished with startling speed.
‘But the next time cannot fail.’
There was no room for a second defeat.
If he failed again—
‘Gulongbang itself could cease to exist.’
His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
That man possessed the power to annihilate Gulongbang and still have strength to spare.
The Gulongbang Lord tucked the gem into his breast and walked toward the bed.
As he touched the corner of the bed and gave it a gentle shove—
Click.
The bed slid left, revealing a subterranean passage beneath.
The Gulongbang Lord glanced at the passage, surveyed his surroundings with utmost caution, then carefully turned toward it and disappeared.
‘Interesting.’
Outside the window, Cheon Hui, who had been watching everything unfold, let out a soft chuckle.
‘So there’s a secret passage.’
Though he longed to follow immediately, Cheon Hui turned back for now.
‘That can wait.’
* * *
“Damn it!”
The middle-aged man heading toward the Separate Residence that Gulongbang Lord had prepared kicked at a stone on the ground in frustration, gnashing his teeth.
“That I should have to listen to such words from such a crude fool.”
It was a matter of wounded pride.
“Useless dogs, all of them! Dragging the names of me and that person through the mud!”
“Who is ‘that person,’ sir?”
“Ah, well, that person is——”
The middle-aged man startled mid-speech.
A handsome youth with a laughing expression had appeared from empty air where, moments before, no one had stood, and was now looking at him.
“Kyaa! A ghost!”
“Not quite.”
“A, a person?”
“That’s right.”
Assured that he was human, the middle-aged man’s ashen complexion gradually returned to normal.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Soon after, embarrassed, he cleared his throat repeatedly and straightened his posture stiffly before speaking.
“Who are you? Are you under Gulongbang Lord’s command?”
“No.”
“Then——”
“Well, simply put? A rival.”
“A rival? What do you——”
Cheon Hui immediately pressed an acupoint on the middle-aged man’s body, then hoisted him by the nape of his neck like a sack of goods.
“Ugh, hnngh!”
The startled man cried out, but——
Crack!
Cheon Hui moved first.
“Since we’re going now, stay quiet.”
As Cheon Hui offered this advice to the middle-aged man, his figure stretched out lengthily through space.
Where they arrived was the lord’s chamber.
“……!”
The middle-aged man’s jaw dropped at the astonishing Divine Movement Cheon Hui had just displayed.
‘What in the world is this monstrosity……’
In the blink of an eye.
He had gone from outside to the inside of Gulongbang Lord’s chamber.
“Gulongbang Lord hasn’t emerged yet, it seems.”
Cheon Hui set the middle-aged man down.
“Then let’s unseal that acupoint first.”
Cheon Hui unsealed the acupoint on the middle-aged man’s body.
“Ah, ah?”
The moment the middle-aged man confirmed his voice had returned, he immediately cried out.
“You wretch! Do you know who I am?”
“Who, sir?”
“I am the Inspector of Qinghai Province!”
“Ah, you were the Inspector?”
Cheon Hui stroked his chin.
The Inspector, a Rank 3 Official, held absolute authority in Qinghai Province save for the provincial governor himself.
‘If that’s the case, this actually works out rather well.’
The Inspector, sensing Cheon Hui’s distraction, grew all the more boisterous in his shouts.
“Do you understand what crime you’ve just committed? This shall be handled under Imperial Law.”
“What would happen?”
“Execution!”
“Ah, is that so?”
The corners of Cheon Hui’s mouth twisted.
“Then what becomes of an Inspector attempting to murder the royal princess, Sohui?”
“……!”
The Inspector’s pupils trembled.
“What nonsense is this——”
Cheon Hui’s eyes grew cold and sharp.
“Or am I mistaken?”
“How dare you spout such nonsense! Even now, you presume to—” Choke!
Seeing the flustered Inspector, Cheon Hui raised a hand casually and seized him by the throat.
“Ugh—gah!”
Suspended in midair with his feet unable to touch ground, the Inspector thrashed uselessly against the empty space.
As his breath grew shorter and his face reddened toward crimson, a moment came.
Click.
Cheon Hui released his grip.
“Gasp—gasp.”
The Inspector knelt, clutching his throat and dribbling saliva, when a cold voice fell from above his head.
“From now on, you’ll need to give proper answers.”
Hearing a voice that pierced the ear like a thorn, he looked up—and froze in that position.
Two eyes that reflected nothing.
Like transparent bronze mirrors, they reflected himself back to him.
“Who is that man?”
“He is…….”
As the Inspector hesitated, Cheon Hui slowly raised his hand.
The Inspector cried out in terror at once.
“Je—Je Dok Dong Chang!”
“Je Dok Dong Chang?”
Surprise flickered in Cheon Hui’s eyes.
Bigger than he’d expected.
‘Something doesn’t add up.’
At the same time, a question formed.
The Je Dok Dong Chang—protector of the Imperial Palace itself—was trying to kill Sohui and the Qinghai Provincial Lord?
It didn’t fit.
“Why would the Je Dok Dong Chang want to kill the Qinghai Provincial Lord and Sohui?”
“I—I don’t know either.”
Cheon Hui’s eyes grew cold.
“You’re quite brave.”
At once, he struck the Inspector’s acupoints.
In that instant.
Crunch—
With the sound of bone shattering, the Inspector’s body began to twist and contort.
Cheon Hui unfolded the Bone-Breaking Technique and struck his acupoints, watching him writhe silently across the floor for a moment.
Then he saw the tears, mucus, and urine soiling him, and withdrew the Bone-Breaking Technique.
And released the acupoint sealing as well.
“Huh—h-hic, I truly d-don’t know.”
The sobbing Inspector showed no sign of lying.
“Then you followed the order to kill Sohui without knowing why?”
“B-because they promised me a position in the Imperial Palace if I did!”
Watching the Inspector speak as though testifying against himself, Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed to threads.
‘He doesn’t seem to be lying.’
Cheon Hui nodded.
“Were there others involved besides you?”
“N-no one else but me.”
“You’re certain?”
“No. Actually…… I’m not really sure. Whether others were involved besides me…….”
Watching the Inspector hedge and fail to give a direct answer actually made him more believable.
“Then I have nothing more to ask.”
“Th—that so?!”
The Inspector’s face brightened.
“Then you’ll release me now?”
Cheon Hui laughed quietly.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Wh—why…….”
“Because I still need you.”
Cheon Hui struck the Inspector’s death acupoint and acupoint sealing in one motion, then cast him to the floor.
It was not yet time to kill him.
‘Not until I know the Gulongbang Lord’s martial arts.’
Cheon Hui’s plan was simple.
It was a simple method, yet one only Cheon Hui could employ—using the Gulongbang Lord’s martial arts to kill the Inspector and leave a trace.
“When will he come out, I wonder.”
Cheon Hui sat in a chair and waited.
About a quarter of an hour passed.
Then—
The bed shifted, and a passage opened.
Soon the Gulongbang Lord emerged.
…….
His expression hardened.
“Who are you?”
“Me?”
Watching him ask for his name above all else, Cheon Hui let out a soft laugh.
“Cheon Hui.”

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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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