Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 162

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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 162
“At last, it’s finished!”
O the Overseer gazed up at the inn with the hanging sign, his face brimming with satisfaction.
[Maehwa Inn]
This was where it began.
Not as O the Overseer, but as something greater than that…….
The journey toward becoming the Master of All Under Heaven’s Commerce!
Just as he clenched both fists tight.
‘We’ve only just hung the sign, and he’s already this pleased with himself?’
Cheon Hui, seated in a chair, watched O the Overseer bask in his excitement before asking.
“The interior seems to be all arranged. But you do have the Inn Attendant and the Cook, don’t you?”
O the Overseer nodded his head firmly.
The Inn Attendant and Cook had already been hired several days prior.
If not for the Heuk Yu Moon, he would have set them to work immediately.
“They should be arriving soon.”
“So we’ll begin today, then.”
“Yes indeed!”
O the Overseer smiled warmly.
It was a bit late, but at last the day he’d been waiting for had come.
“Then I shall open the doors!”
He announced this with keen anticipation.
And an hour later.
“Yawn.”
Cheon Hui stared at the interior of the inn—not a single soul to be seen—and let out a yawn.
He then watched O the Overseer moving about busily at the counter and asked.
“Will this even do business?”
“Just wait a moment. I’ve distributed Embroidered Merchandise to ten merchants and asked them to spread word, so people who’ve heard the news should be here shortly.”
O the Overseer spoke with certainty, then hung the Embroidered Merchandise—obtained with direct approval from the Huashan Sect—on the wall behind him.
A moment later he wrote large characters across it and laughed.
[Official Huashan Sect Souvenir]
Cheon Hui regarded it with skeptical eyes.
‘Will that even sell? No matter how I look at it, I don’t think it’ll do that well.’
Though he’d been hopeful at first, now that he saw it, success seemed unlikely.
‘Apart from the plum blossom pattern, it’s no different from what’s already on the market.’
Yet contrary to his thoughts, the Inn Attendant passing by the sign stood rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes from the Embroidered Merchandise.
“Ha ha, would you like one?”
“Oh, no! How could I possibly—”
The Inn Attendant startled and waved his hand in protest, prompting O the Overseer to chuckle softly.
“I’ve set one aside for you. You can take it when your shift ends.”
The Inn Attendant’s eyes widened at words he’d never expected to hear.
“Is that truly so?”
“Aren’t we all one family at this inn? Of course I set one aside for you.”
The Inn Attendant broke into a broad smile.
“Thank you so much, sir!”
“Well, then, I do hope you’ll work hard for us.”
The Inn Attendant pounded his chest loudly.
“Don’t you worry! I’ve been at inn work for five years now!”
Just as the excited Inn Attendant was grinning widely.
Whishhh—
A curtain at the entrance trembled and rustled against itself, the only sound besides their voices.
All eyes turned toward the door.
The first guest they’d been waiting for was a middle-aged woman with a warm, gentle countenance.
“Welcome!”
The Inn Attendant greeted her with a radiant smile.
“Will you be dining with us, or would you prefer to stay the night?”
The middle-aged woman opened her mouth with a slightly bewildered expression at his question.
“I heard you were selling Huashan Sect items here…….”
“Ah!”
O the Overseer sprang to his feet.
“Welcome, welcome! The items you’re looking for are right here.”
He rubbed his hands together briskly and pointed with his index finger at the tassels hanging behind his back.
“These are tassels sold with special permission from the Huashan Sect. They’re fashioned after the red peonies that the Maehwa Sword Masters use….”
As his explanation flowed on, the woman drew near as if entranced, nodding unconsciously, then spoke softly.
“I’d been wondering what to do—my son wanted so badly to come to the Huashan Sect, but we couldn’t make it….”
She trailed off as if remembering something, then looked up at the tassels and asked.
“These are genuine Huashan Sect items, aren’t they?”
“Would I dare invoke the Huashan Sect’s name without their permission, here on this very mountain?”
At the innkeeper’s words, the woman’s shoulders relaxed and a relieved smile crossed her lips.
“Then I’ll take one, please.”
“Right here for you, madam.”
The woman cradled the cloth-wrapped tassel gently in her arms and stepped outside.
So they really are selling these.
Cheon Hui watched with wonder.
Swish—
The curtain shook again.
This time, not one person but four or five rushed in, all shouting at once without waiting for their turn.
“We’re here to buy goods!”
From that moment on, the curtain never stopped swaying.
One, two—then dozens.
In less than two hours, the Maehwa Inn had become a thriving marketplace.
‘What’s bringing all these people? I can’t even see the end of the line.’
Cheon Hui looked at those waiting in line with bemused laughter.
The line was impossibly long.
It stretched past the inn and out onto the mountain path, disappearing from view altogether.
It made sense for a first sale.
Cheon Hui studied the faces of those assembled.
There were not only those who’d come to see Huashan, but locals from the surrounding area as well.
Seated at a table, Cheon Hui caught sight of one group out of the corner of his eye.
“When else will we ever get the chance to buy something from the Nine Major Sects and Four Unorthodox Schools?”
“And they say these tassels are similar to what the Maehwa Sword Masters use. If we run into a Huashan Sect master later, maybe they’ll recognize us.”
Those in line had waited long, yet excitement lit their faces.
And why not? The Nine Major Sects and Four Unorthodox Schools were so massive that even martial artists held them in awe.
But to be able to purchase something connected to them?
How could anyone resist?
‘This innkeeper is different, I’ll give him that.’
Cheon Hui’s eyes swept across the inn’s interior.
Everything was unfolding exactly as the innkeeper had first described it to him.
Apart from the queue outside, the inn was packed with people.
Those tired from waiting in line gladly ordered food, and those who’d come to see Huashan, noting how clean the inn was, decided to stay the night.
As the situation unfolded precisely as the innkeeper had predicted, Cheon Hui was beginning to marvel at his foresight.
“Ah, friend.”
The innkeeper, who’d been selling the goods, sidled over and whispered near his ear.
“Do you happen to have the Huashan Sect robes with you?”
“They’re in my room for now.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, could you put them on and come out for a bit?”
“The robes? That sounds like a hassle.”
When Cheon Hui showed reluctance, the innkeeper spoke as if he’d been waiting for this response.
“I want to show them that these goods have the Huashan Sect’s approval. If they see a Huashan Sect master like yourself here, no one will doubt it.”
It was a reasonable point.
With a Huashan Sect master present in this place, the goods would carry an official seal of approval.
It was an important matter, but….
He didn’t feel like it at all.
‘That just means I’ll lose my peace and quiet.’
He’d been planning to stay at the inn, drink whatever he wanted, and rest.
But if it became known that he was a Huashan Sect master, that would be difficult.
Then the innkeeper spoke again.
“I’ll have a freshly acquired wine kept separately in your room. You’ll be able to enjoy yourself freely without worrying about others’ eyes.”
Cheon Hui met the innkeeper’s gaze—as if he’d seen right through him.
“…You’ve got sharp instincts.”
The innkeeper smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“I made it this far by reading the room.”
“Good. But just this once. There won’t be a second time. You understand what I’m saying?”
Cheon Hui watched the Manager nod in agreement, his eyes brightening.
“What kind of wine is it?”
“Shaoxing Wine.”
“That sounds promising.”
Cheon Hui smiled with satisfaction and headed upstairs to change into his Sect Robe.
Bang!
A tremendous crash erupted from downstairs.
“What’s that?”
He squinted and opened the door.
“Who said you could do business here without permission?”
On the ground floor, three men led by a broad-faced old man were threatening the Manager.
The Manager watched the table splinter as the three men approached, asking carefully.
“……Who are you?”
“You don’t even know who we are?”
The old man’s Killing Intent began to pour forth.
“Elder Brother, if they don’t know us, they shouldn’t be running such a brazen operation.”
A powerfully built man stopped the old man and advanced toward the Manager.
“We are the Huayin Three Heroes.”
“The Huayin Three Fiends?!”
The moment the Manager heard their alias, his face fell.
The Huayin Three Fiends were notorious in Huayin for their ruthless and vicious minions, yet their martial prowess was so formidable that even the authorities dared not touch them.
‘I drove out Heuk Yu Moon, and now other petty thugs come swarming in!’
Just as the Manager bit his lip.
“Who calls us the Three Fiends?”
The old man spoke coldly.
His voice was small, but infused with Internal Force, it pierced the ears of everyone present like needles.
“Only the worthy come to their senses.”
Everyone froze at the sinister tone.
“Youngest Brother, handle this.”
“As you wish.”
A short, wiry man who had been silent, his gaze murderous, slowly raised the axe he carried on his back.
“Since Elder Brother says so……I’ll take just one arm.”
In the same instant, he swung the axe.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
Guests who had fled to the corner of the inn either looked away or screamed.
“Youngest!”
The Manager squeezed his eyes shut and cried out as the axe came down.
“Have you lost your mind? Swinging an axe in a place like this.”
Cheon Hui reached into his pocket, retrieved something, and flicked his finger lightly.
Ping!
A beam of light shot forth like an arrow, striking the axe head-on.
Gasp!
The man felt the impact on his axe-wielding hand and flew backward, crashing down.
Thud!
“Youngest Brother!”
“What happened?!”
As the remaining two began moving toward the fallen man.
Ping!
Cheon Hui flicked his finger again.
Two beams of light shot forward with razor-sharp force, striking both men precisely on the forehead.
Crack! Crack!
With two dull sounds, both men’s foreheads split open, blood pouring forth.
The two men didn’t even have time to scream before their bodies slowly tilted backward and collapsed to the floor.
As everyone stood frozen, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Clink, clink.
Two Iron Coins fell belatedly to the ground.
At the sound, the Manager opened his eyes and, seeing who was on this floor, broke into a broad smile.
“Youngest Brother!”
Everyone’s gaze followed as the commanding official’s thunderous cry rang out.
And their jaws fell slack.
There stood Cheon Hui on the upper level, looking down with an impassive expression.
“The, the Huashan Sect?”
The moment they saw the Huashan Sect robe that Cheon Hui wore, they understood without needing to ask why the Huayin Three Heroes had fallen.
“A Daoist from the Huashan Sect has dealt with those horse bandits for us!”
“Hurrah!”
Cheon Hui passed through the cheering crowd and approached the commanding official, his lips curving into a smile.
“Is that enough?”
The commanding official beamed.
Enough? More than enough.
With a Daoist from the Huashan Sect now effectively protecting the Maehwa Inn, there could be no better advertisement.
“More than sufficient!”
* * *
Four days after the Maehwa Inn had opened.
Since Cheon Hui had defeated the Huayin Three Heroes, the Maehwa Inn had flourished beyond measure.
“I’ll have one as well!”
“Hey! Where do you think you’re cutting in line…! Ahem, tsk tsk. Do you not know what place this is? This is an inn with a Daoist from the great Huashan Sect!”
“I understand. I was simply impatient for a moment—forgive me.”
“Then get to the back of the line, quick now!”
The Maehwa Inn overflowed with people, yet all of them stood in orderly lines.
And that was not all.
Within the inn itself, even martial artists who were ordinarily enemies maintained decorous behavior.
This was the result of four days of Cheon Hui methodically cracking the foreheads of anyone who caused trouble with iron coins.
‘Hmm?’
Meanwhile, Cheon Hui—the architect of this newfound peace—was watching through the window.
“Who is that?”
Someone was approaching.
The distance was roughly a hundred paces.
But the killing intent radiating from him now rendered that distance meaningless.
“If he comes here, there’ll be trouble.”
Cheon Hui grabbed his sword and stood.
He unfurled the Transcendent Step Technique and arrived at the foot of the mountain path, where he spotted two figures.
He came to a stop directly before them.
“Ahhhhh!”
The man in front shrieked.
With a pallid face as if he’d seen a ghost, he stumbled backward for a moment.
“You, you are……”
Recognizing Cheon Hui’s face at last, he suddenly pointed with his index finger and cried out.
“That’s him!”
Cheon Hui regarded the man with steady eyes.
‘His face is familiar—where have I seen him?’
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed as he studied him.
After a moment of scrutiny.
“This is the man who destroyed our lord and the Heuk Yu Moon!”
With his next cry, it came to him.
This man was the one who had taken away the middle-aged gambler from the Heuk Yu Moon days ago.
Then.
“Get out of my way.”
A raspy, weathered voice sounded.
A gnarled hand suddenly appeared, grabbed the man by the hair, and hurled him backward without hesitation.
The man flew for a distance, his lower back slamming against a tree trunk behind him.
Crack!
Accompanied by a sound that made one’s spine shudder, he spat blood.
“Cough!”
The man collapsed to the ground with a dull thud and expired where he fell.
Cheon Hui, observing the corpse, turned his gaze toward the one who had hurled him.
It was an old man dressed in a black martial robe.
In striking contrast, his snow-white hair and beard splayed outward in all directions like white flames.
“The two of you aren’t on the same side?”
“You actually think this one sits on the same side as that worm of a man?”
Cheon Hui glanced between the Old Man and the corpse lying before them, tilting his head.
“Hmm, they look similar enough.”
“Bold words from a mouth that won’t stay shut.”
Fire kindled in the Old Man’s eyes.
At that moment, a darkness emanated from his entire being—something thick and suffocating, rising like vapor.
“I’ll teach you some manners, boy.”
His voice came out hollow, sinister.
The black aura that followed began to spread, swallowing the light around them, consuming even the sun itself in the sky above.
Whoosh—
Black flames burst into being.
Cheon Hui’s eyes widened at the sight.
This aura—no, there was something far too familiar about it to exist in Zhongyuan.
‘The Nine Nether Demonic Fire Technique?’

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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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