Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 126

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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 126
Cheon Hui stepped into a random inn near Bangsan and took a sip of alcohol.
“Ahh.”
Perhaps because it had been so long since he’d drunk anything, even if it was cheap liquor rather than fine wine.
The sharp burn of the cheap liquor going down his throat, something he would normally have found unpleasant, now felt oddly pleasant.
Cheon Hui, feeling cheerful, picked up his chopsticks.
Humming contentedly, he moved his chopsticks deftly and picked up a piece of meat from the plate before him.
And the moment he bit into it—
“Yes, now this is it.”
A smile bloomed naturally on his face.
His chopsticks began moving faster and faster after that.
Clack, clack.
Though his meal consisted of nothing but cheap liquor and Five-Spice Braised Meat, Cheon Hui—who had gone four days without eating—repeated the cycle of chewing, tearing, and savoring with genuine relish.
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Just then, a soft Buddhist invocation from right in front of him made him stop his eager chopsticks mid-motion.
‘Hmm? What brings them here?’
When he looked up, he saw Yeo Rae Shin Gwon and the Arhat monks he’d seen in Bi Dong standing before him.
Their expressions, as they clasped their hands in salutation and looked at him, were full of goodwill. In particular, several of the younger Arhat monks gazed at him with eyes bright with admiration.
There was good reason for it.
Had he not driven back the Ilwol Gate, and displayed remarkable Divine Power in the process?
And he had shown Orthodox Sect Martial Arts as well.
They no longer harbored any suspicion in their minds that Cheon Hui was the successor of Four Bloods Yellow.
Then Yeo Rae Shin Gwon spoke on behalf of the group.
“Would you mind if we joined your table?”
“Joined my table?”
Cheon Hui glanced around the room and spoke.
The inn near Bangsan, being off the main mealtime hour, was already sparse, and his presence had left it practically empty.
“There are more than enough seats.”
“Heh, we simply wished to speak with you, patron,” Yeo Rae Shin Gwon said, shaking his head.
He continued with a wry smile.
“With me?”
Cheon Hui squinted slightly.
“About what?”
“Light conversation, nothing more.”
Cheon Hui scratched his chin.
This was bothersome.
He’d only just begun to enjoy a peaceful meal.
Yet when he prepared to refuse once more—
‘He gave me the Bi Geok Dan.’
Though the taste had been poor, the man had nonetheless saved him from dreadful hunger.
‘How long could a conversation really take?’
Cheon Hui reached a quick decision and spoke.
“Please, go ahead.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon and two of the Arhat monks settled at Cheon Hui’s table, while the remaining monks positioned themselves at nearby tables in a protective formation.
The Inn Attendant, who had been observing the situation from a distance, then scurried over.
“What may I bring you?”
“Thin Noodles for everyone, if you please,” Yeo Rae Shin Gwon ordered.
“Very good, sir.”
The Inn Attendant withdrew.
“Heh heh heh, I never expected to meet you again so soon, patron.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon began the conversation with obvious pleasure.
“Is that so?”
However, Cheon Hui let the words go in one ear and out the other as he chewed and swallowed another piece of meat.
“Ah, come to think of it—we never exchanged proper names, did we?”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon clasped his hands together respectfully.
“This humble monk is called Yuan Yin.”
Having revealed his Dharma Name to Cheon Hui, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon exchanged a meaningful glance with the Arhat monks.
Understanding the implication, the monks clasped their hands and spoke in unison.
“We are of the Empty Gate.”
“Gong Jin.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon turned his gaze toward Cheon Hui, observing the two who had just revealed their dharma names with formality.
‘Lightning could flash from his eyes.’
Cheon Hui hesitated for a moment under Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s penetrating stare, as if the monk intended to keep watching until he revealed his name as well.
Whether to reveal his Sect Token or not.
‘If I reveal it, things will get complicated, won’t they?’
After deliberating for some time, he finally spoke.
“Gu Yeon.”
The name that left his lips was one he had been familiar with in his past life.
‘I never thought I’d use that name again.’
Searching for a suitable alias to replace the Sect Token, only his name from his previous life had come to mind.
“Gu Yeon—a fine name indeed.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s eyes brightened, apparently satisfied merely to have heard Cheon Hui’s name.
“Might I inquire about your sect affiliation……?”
“That’s a secret.”
Cheon Hui replied flatly.
If he meant to reveal his sect affiliation, he wouldn’t have used a false name to begin with.
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon gazed at him with an understanding expression and smiled benevolently.
“Ah, then I shall inquire no further into your background.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon withdrew slightly.
“Still, there is one thing that puzzles me…….”
“Puzzles you? Didn’t you just say this was meant to be light conversation?”
When Cheon Hui asked in a flat tone, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon caught himself and bowed apologetically.
“This humble monk was presumptuous. If you do not wish it, I shall ask no more.”
Cheon Hui let out a short laugh upon seeing his expression.
Contrary to his words, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s face was full of disappointment.
“Your words and your expression don’t match.”
“Ah, but no matter how one strives to conceal emotion, it is difficult to hide it completely, is it not?”
“It seems like you revealed it on purpose.”
Regarding Yeo Rae Shin Gwon with a suspicious expression, Cheon Hui relented and spoke.
“Fine. Go ahead and ask. Since you gave me the Bi Geok Dan, I suppose I can do that much.”
He couldn’t keep doing this just because of one medicine pellet. It was time to end this.
And this was the right moment.
“Thank you.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon smiled sheepishly at Cheon Hui’s gracious tone and opened his mouth.
“In truth, after you departed, I examined the interior of the wall that had been destroyed.”
Inside the destroyed wall.
In other words, he was saying he had inspected the chamber where the Celestial Demon Samsara Path had been—but Cheon Hui remained unmoved.
He had already anticipated all of this.
A person suddenly emerges from inside a broken wall at Bi Dong, where all the goods had been plundered?
Then it was only natural to check inside the wall just in case.
“You thought that Bright Moon Taoist or whoever it was had stolen it the same way?”
“Ah.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon smiled awkwardly at Cheon Hui’s pointed remark.
“So what did you find?”
At Cheon Hui’s immediate follow-up question, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon shook his head.
“As you said, I discovered nothing inside the wall.”
Cheon Hui twisted his lips.
‘Of course there’s nothing.’
That chamber was the boundary between the human realm and the lower realm, artificially created through the Celestial Demon Samsara Path.
Now that the Celestial Demon Samsara Path had vanished, it was impossible to enter that chamber again.
At that moment, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s eyes lit up.
He had confirmed that Cheon Hui had not taken the objects.
But one mystery still remained.
“Yet why did you enter such a place in the first place?”
Cheon Hui twisted one corner of his mouth.
“Why? Is it forbidden to enter?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that. Rather, what was your purpose in entering……?”
“I simply went in.”
Cheon Hui set his face like steel.
He had no desire whatsoever to speak of the Celestial Demon Samsara Path, nor did he wish to hide anything by bothering to lie.
‘What if I simply say I went in because I wanted to?’
The space beyond the wall was empty.
And so there was no way for him to know what purpose he’d truly had in entering.
“Heh.”
Just as Cheon Hui had thought, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon gave a bitter smile, his words lost to him.
He’d simply gone in—what more could be gained by pressing further?
‘No point asking any longer.’
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon shook his head lightly, then opened his mouth while meeting Cheon Hui’s gaze.
“But would it truly be alright to dine at leisure in this place?”
At the sudden remark, Cheon Hui drained the remaining Cheap Liquor in his cup while looking at him.
“Eh, what do you mean?”
“You did not release Ming Yue Dao.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s voice dropped lower.
“Should word of this reach the Ilwol Gate’s master’s ears, he will not let the matter rest.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s eyes filled with concern as he spoke.
If it became known that the Ilwol Gate had been defeated by a single man, the gate’s master would surely not remain idle.
And that was not all.
Though he had displayed remarkable Divine Power in facing Ming Yue Dao, he had been alone.
But the Ilwol Gate—what of them?
One of the Five Emperors’ Sects, a colossal martial faction.
The number of disciples was beyond counting, and the masters among them were far more than one or two.
Standing against them alone would be like striking stone with an egg.
Yet, contrary to his concern—
“Is that so?”
Cheon Hui, the one directly involved, spoke with perfect composure while picking up Five-Spice Braised Meat from his plate.
Gulp—
After swallowing the meat, he opened his mouth once more.
“No need to seek them out one by one. That suits me fine.”
At Cheon Hui’s flat reply, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon and the Buddhist monks’ jaws went slack.
Even Shaolin would need resolve to speak such words if the Ilwol Gate were the opponent.
Yet this young man was brimming with confidence.
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s brow furrowed as he beheld Cheon Hui, armed with inexplicable certainty.
‘Is it mere bluster? Or something else…?’
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon swept the thought away.
‘No, useless speculation.’
What did it matter whether it was bluster or not?
It was not as though he would aid the man.
“Well then, that is fortunate.”
As Yeo Rae Shin Gwon finished speaking—
“Thin Noodles have arrived!”
The Thin Noodles arrived just in time.
Before eating the noodles placed before him, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon pressed his palms together respectfully.
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Only after Yeo Rae Shin Gwon took up his chopsticks did their meal truly begin.
Cheon Hui watched them with curiosity.
Such careful chopstick work.
And lest any sound be made, they chewed the noodles slowly, savoring each bite.
As if dining itself were a form of practice.
‘They’re eating with difficulty.’
While watching them eat their noodles, Cheon Hui picked up another piece of Five-Spice Braised Meat.
In stark contrast to their silence, Cheon Hui crammed his mouth full of meat and chewed without restraint.
And just as he was draining the Cheap Liquor—
Tap-tap—tap-tap—
Footsteps were approaching their way.
Three young men and two young women.
The five youths, appearing to be in their early twenties, wore such elaborate clothing and ornaments that anyone could tell at a glance they were either children of nobility or scions of renowned families.
It was then.
A broad-featured youth among them stepped forward as their representative and clasped his fist in respect.
“Peng Zhe Wei, a mere martial novice, respectfully greets the honored masters of Shaolin.”
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s eyes widened slightly.
Peng Zhe Wei was the third son of the current Peng family of Hebei, and in recent times had earned renown as one of the Nine Dragons Five Peaks—the future of the Bi Cheon Hoe.
“I said he looked exceptional at first glance, and it seems the Blade Dragon So Hui has arrived.”
“This humble one is unworthy of such a title.”
A smile played across Yeo Rae Shin Gwon’s lips as he observed Peng Zhe Wei’s modest demeanor.
‘Well, well—he’s come in person to pay his respects.’
Decades had already passed since the current Murim Alliance and the Bi Cheon Hoe fell into opposition.
The distant past when they had been allies had long since faded, leaving only enmity in its wake.
That one of the Bi Cheon Hoe’s most promising young talents—the one called Blade Dragon—should come forward and greet him in person was a stirring moment indeed.
“This humble monk is called Won Eum.”
In that instant, Peng Zhe Wei and the companions who were about to introduce themselves in turn all stared, their eyes widening.
“You are the Yeo Rae Shin Gwon, are you not.”
“Heh, such a title is far too much for this humble monk.”
The exact same words Peng Zhe Wei had spoken.
Yet the weight behind them was entirely different.
“If the great master himself says the title is excessive, then who in All Under Heaven could ever be called Divine Power?”
One by one, the companions standing behind Peng Zhe Wei began to introduce themselves.
“I’m Hwang Bo So Hyeon.”
“I am Mo Yong Sang.”
“I am Yang Se Ryeong.”
“This one is Je Gal Seung Ho.”
Having heard the names of these four youths and maidens, Yeo Rae Shin Gwon nodded.
As he had anticipated, they were all children of the Eight Great Clans.
‘So this too is a thread of fate.’
Meeting the scions of the Eight Great Clans in Shanxi was a rare occurrence indeed.
Yeo Rae Shin Gwon gave a subtle gesture to the Arhat Monks, who still remained tense.
The Arhat Monks nodded slightly.
“Amitabha. This humble one is called….”
One by one, they each revealed their Buddhist Dharma Names.
Once all had completed the formal exchange of names, Peng Zhe Wei’s gaze drifted subtly to the side.
There stood a solitary youth in a pitch-black Martial Robe, fair of face yet with an icy countenance.
“If I may be so bold, might this one learn the esteemed name of So Hui’s companion?”
At the question, Cheon Hui, who had been raising his cup to his lips, glanced at him sideways and spoke tersely.
“That would be discourteous.”

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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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