Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 208

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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 208
“The new dishes are quite good too.”
At Cheon Hui’s words, Dan Mok Lin, who sat beside him working her chopsticks, hummed in agreement.
“The cook here seems well-versed in all the cuisines of Zhongyuan, I must say.”
While the two of them enjoyed their meal in peaceful harmony, the atmosphere across the table was utterly at odds with theirs.
“But Elder…….”
Sa U Sang, whose eyes had swollen to dark plums, rubbed them gingerly and called out to Cheon Yi Gae.
His voice was carefully measured.
But Cheon Yi Gae’s reply was sharp.
“What?”
Cheon Yi Gae, who had been tilting his wine cup to his lips, opened his eyes keenly and glared at Sa U Sang.
“Why? Do you want another beating?”
“N-no, Elder, surely not!”
At Cheon Yi Gae’s blunt tone, Sa U Sang’s shoulders hunched.
Yet inwardly, he grumbled without restraint.
‘Age hasn’t made him any broader-minded.’
But he betrayed nothing outwardly. With an awkward, deferential smile, Sa U Sang carefully met Cheon Yi Gae’s gaze.
“I only meant to ask why Elder looks so……different.”
In that instant, Cheon Yi Gae’s eyes darted back and forth, as if caught.
Then he let out a forced cough.
“Ahem, well! There’s been an important task of late, so I’ve been keeping my identity concealed.”
“…Is that truly so?”
Sa U Sang studied him with suspicious eyes.
Even setting aside the excuse of a task, shouldn’t one of the Gae Bang abide by Sect Rules?
And yet Cheon Yi Gae looked like that.
Suspicion was deepening by the moment.
“Don’t you believe me?”
Cheon Yi Gae suddenly bellowed.
A guilty conscience makes one snap, they say.
When Cheon Yi Gae made as if to rise from his chair, Sa U Sang cried out in alarm.
“N-no, Elder! I believe you!”
Sa U Sang’s clothes were already damp with perspiration as he waved his hands frantically.
‘An important task, he says?’
Having narrowly escaped another beating, Sa U Sang looked at Cheon Yi Gae with new puzzlement, turning the matter over in his mind. But as he studied the man more carefully, Cheon Yi Gae’s explanation began to make sense.
‘It would certainly be difficult to recognize him.’
Had Cheon Yi Gae appeared as he normally did, anyone would have pegged him as the Gae Bang Master in an instant—
But not now.
‘Who in the world would take that for the Gae Bang Master?’
Sa U Sang looked Cheon Yi Gae over quickly.
His beard and hair, once caked with grime, had been trimmed neatly.
Add to that clean robes, and the transformation was so complete that even Sa U Sang, who had known him for years, could scarcely recognize him.
‘All he did was wash and dress properly, yet the man is utterly transformed.’
Sa U Sang found himself scratching his head involuntarily as he regarded Cheon Yi Gae.
It was merely a change in appearance.
Yet it had altered so much.
Even the face that had worn perpetual discontent now seemed to belong to some fastidious scholar.
‘But what sort of task could be important enough to break Sect Rules?’
Curiosity kindled in Sa U Sang’s eyes.
“Might I know what task this……?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Cheon Yi Gae cut him off cleanly.
He deliberately let his expression turn grave and fixed his gaze upon Sa U Sang’s eyes.
‘I need to bluff my way through this.’
And his intention succeeded.
Watching the shift in Cheon Yi Gae’s expression, Sa U Sang’s own face grew solemn in turn.
“…Is it truly so critical?”
Though Cheon Yi Gae was known as a troublemaker who stirred up incidents constantly, he remained the Gae Bang’s finest hand at gathering intelligence.
Which was precisely why the Gae Bang bore his antics yet treated him well nonetheless.
Seeing that he had duped Sa U Sang, Cheon Yi Gae nodded immediately.
“So don’t mention to anyone that I’m on this task. Don’t let on that I look like this either.”
“Understood.”
Sa U Sang gave a shallow nod, then his eyes flickered between Cheon Hui and Dan Mok Lin in turn.
‘So who are those two? Are they partners in this task?’
His gaze swept quickly over the pair, who had continued eating with perfect composure even while Cheon Yi Gae had struck him with the chair.
Neither of them was an ordinary person.
The young man showed no deference even to the Sichuan Tang Family—if anything, he carried himself with greater confidence than they did.
And the woman beside him—what of her?
Even while eating, she kept her face cloth on, so it was difficult to call her anything but remarkable.
‘I’ve heard nothing of such a pair recently…….’
They were striking enough to draw anyone’s eye.
Yet no matter how thoroughly he searched through the information in his mind, he could not place them.
After turning it over in his head for some time, Sa U Sang finally could not contain his curiosity any longer and asked.
“Pardon me, Elder. Would it be improper to ask the identity of that young man and woman?”
“Why would you ask me? If you want to know, ask them directly.”
At Cheon Yi Gae’s blunt correction, Sa U Sang’s eyes widened in surprise for an instant.
“What is with that look?”
“Ah! No, forgive me.”
Under the sharp edge of Cheon Yi Gae’s gaze, Sa U Sang hastily averted his eyes and opened his mouth again.
“Ahem. Well then, I realize we haven’t introduced ourselves properly. I am Sa U Sang, and I serve as the master of the Kukhyeopdang here in Gae Bang.”
Cheon Hui watched as Sa U Sang suddenly began his introduction, then set down his cup.
Sa U Sang continued his words.
“And what is your name?”
Cheon Hui fixed his gaze on Sa U Sang.
For a moment, with an expression of mild indifference, he poured more wine into his cup before speaking.
“Cheon Hui.”
“Cheon Hui, you say……?”
Sa U Sang’s head tilted slightly.
The name ‘Cheon Hui’ was one he had heard more than anyone else in recent times.
After all, was this not the name of one of the two figures who had shaken the Kangho so greatly?
Yet he shook his head.
The name was the same, but it could not be him.
What the man was sipping was wine, and what he was bringing to his mouth with chopsticks was cooked meat—nothing more.
“Hmm. I suppose it must be a coincidence of names.”
Sa U Sang gave a shrug.
“You have my sympathy. To share a name with the Plum Blossom Divine Swordsman, who has recently made a reputation in the Kangho—surely many people will take notice.”
“The Plum Blossom Divine Swordsman……?”
Cheon Hui’s brow furrowed involuntarily.
The fact that ‘Plum Blossom’ was part of the epithet made it clear the man was from the Huashan Sect. But a namesake of his?
‘Surely not…….’
It was at that moment Cheon Hui felt a stir of unease.
“You don’t know? Though I suppose you might not—the epithet ‘Plum Blossom Divine Swordsman’ hasn’t properly spread through the Kangho yet.”
Sa U Sang folded his arms and spoke.
“Do you happen to know of the recent Martial Match held in Shenxi, where the fate of the province was at stake?”
How could anyone not know of that?
Cheon Hui nodded.
“Then this will be easier to explain. So that day, the Martial Match was held, and…….”
The smile faded from Sa U Sang’s face as words began to pour from him in an unceasing torrent.
“……But the Crimson Jade Swordmaster was defeated. Because of that, darkness has fallen over both Huashan and Jongnam. And no wonder—the Huashan Divine Swordmaster did not even participate in that Martial Match. Ahem, ahem. Ah, let me take a moment to drink, then I’ll continue.”
As his voice began to crack from all the talking, Sa U Sang seized the chance to quickly wet his throat with wine.
Then he resumed his chatter.
“But as they say, heroes rise in times of chaos. A young Daoist from the Huashan Sect—one who bears your very name—stepped forth.”
Sa U Sang spoke with growing excitement, his voice rising slightly.
“And he brought down the skilled woman who had defeated the Crimson Jade Swordmaster…….”
As his explanation continued, Cheon Hui’s expression grew steadily more subtle.
From what he was hearing, the Plum Blossom Divine Swordsman that Sa U Sang kept talking about was none other than an epithet attached to himself.
‘They’re calling me a Divine Swordsman?’
In his past life, he had been known as the Absolute Heavenly Demon. Now, what—Plum Blossom Divine Swordsman?
He could not even muster a laugh.
‘If someone from my past life had heard this epithet, they would have been outraged.’
As he wore an absurd expression at an epithet so utterly unsuited to him.
“Bahahaha!”
Cheon Yi Gae burst into laughter.
He laughed so hard his body shook, then wiped away the tears that had pooled in his eyes.
What kind of person was Cheon Hui, as he had come to know him?
Willful and self-absorbed.
A man who had nothing to do with the word “hero.”
And yet his epithet was…….
“This fool is the Maehwa Divine Swordsman? Pft!”
When Cheon Yi Gae burst into laughter again.
“It suits you perfectly, older brother!”
Dan Mok Lin spoke with conviction.
Unlike Cheon Yi Gae, she had been rescued by Cheon Hui, and she found the epithet entirely fitting—her eyes shone with pure sincerity.
Sa U Sang, observing the two of them, could not hide his bewilderment.
Were they not speaking as though Cheon Hui were indeed this Maehwa Divine Swordsman?
His wavering gaze took in Cheon Hui and the wine and meat laid before him.
“But why the wine and meat…….”
“Why? Is there something wrong with eating?”
“No, it’s not that exactly…….”
Faced with Cheon Hui’s audacious reply, Sa U Sang nearly stumbled but caught himself at the last moment.
“Ah, no! Of course one shouldn’t eat such things. There are strict Daoist precepts, after all.”
“Hmm, precepts?”
Cheon Hui glanced sidelong at Cheon Yi Gae.
…….
Sa U Sang immediately fell silent.
To lecture about Daoist precepts when Cheon Yi Gae himself was breaking Gae Bang’s sect rules was like spitting in his own face.
It was precisely that ridiculous.
‘Strange, though. I never thought I’d encounter the Maehwa Divine Swordsman in a place like this…….’
His eyes moved swiftly, scrutinizing Cheon Hui from head to toe.
As a member of Gae Bang, he could not afford to overlook information about the one who now shook the current Kangho—the Maehwa Divine Swordsman. He committed every detail to memory.
His appearance, his temperament, his actions today against the Sichuan Tangga—all of it.
Having methodically accumulated this information about Cheon Hui, he turned his gaze toward Dan Mok Lin with a satisfied expression.
“Then the young lady’s name is…….”
“It’s Lin.”
Dan Mok Lin replied matter-of-factly.
“I have not heard that name before.”
Wondering if she too might be another remarkable figure, Sa U Sang breathed a sigh of relief, then stared intently at the face cloth.
One could never know.
Perhaps she was also an extraordinary person.
But the densely woven fabric of the cloth concealed her face entirely, so he simply shook his head and turned to address Cheon Yi Gae.
“Might I ask where you are headed next?”
“The Je Gal Clan.”
“The, the Je Gal Clan……?!”
Sa U Sang’s eyes widened.
The current Je Gal Clan was drawing influential clans and sects of the Bi Cheon Society one after another, thanks to the clan head’s 60th Birthday Celebration.
And they were going there directly?
It was no different from thrusting one’s face into the jaws of a tiger.
“This is no ordinary matter.”
Believing the task to be grave, Sa U Sang stepped back and asked quietly.
“Is there anything I might assist with?”
“Nothing in particular…….”
Just as Cheon Yi Gae was about to say there wasn’t.
“Then give us some information.”
Cheon Hui cut in.
“What information do you seek?”
Sa U Sang’s question was met with Cheon Hui twisting his lips into a cold smile.
“About the Je Gal Clan and the Sichuan Tangga.”
* * *
The Je Gal Clan.
Located on Taishan in Shandong Province, the Je Gal Clan had long been one of the great families sustaining the Orthodox Sect of the Murim.
Whenever the Orthodox Sect faced peril, how mightily their superior schemes and Array Formations had proven themselves.
Perhaps it was because of that influence.
As the date of the patriarch’s 60th birthday celebration drew closer, more and more visitors began arriving at the Je Gal Clan, a trend that grew with each passing day.
As a result, figures from the outer court, including the head gatekeeper, now stood at the Je Gal Clan’s main entrance.
Normally, only two gate guards would stand watch there, but things were different now.
Far more visitors were arriving than they had anticipated.
“We’ve come from the Chu Seong Moon.”
“We offer our congratulations on the patriarch’s 60th birthday. These are gifts conveying our felicitations.”
“Thank you for visiting us.”
Cheon Hui, inside the carriage, leaned back as he listened to the voices from outside.
“Hmm. This is taking forever.”
As Cheon Hui, wearing a bored expression, sank into his chair and let out a yawn, Dan Mok Lin, sitting across from him, let out a soft laugh.
Then, glancing briefly behind her, she spoke.
“Do you think the elder made it safely?”
“He’ll be fine.”
Cheon Hui recalled this morning.
The moment he arrived at Taishan, he had stepped out of the carriage and gone his separate way.
It would’ve been awkward for the Supreme Elder of Gae Bang to enter the Je Gal Clan directly.
As he recalled the figure’s departing back—
The carriage lurched to a stop.
The carriage at the main gate had come to a halt.
“Ah? Isn’t that Go Sam! It’s been so long!”
“It’s been a while since we last met.”
The Je Gal Clan’s head gatekeeper, recognizing the coachman Go Sam, greeted him warmly with a bright smile.
“Haha, I’d already heard from the Wa Ryong Trading Company’s master that you were coming.”
The head gatekeeper, speaking in hushed tones, tapped on the carriage door and opened his mouth to speak.
“Welcome.”
Before his words had even finished, the carriage door swung open and Cheon Hui and Dan Mok Lin stepped out.
“There really are a lot of people here.”
“Indeed there are.”
The head gatekeeper’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the two of them.
As far as he knew, the person Go Sam had brought was certainly a disciple of the Huashan Sect, yet they wore ordinary clothes rather than sect robes.
He approached the two and asked.
“Are you from the Huashan Sect?”
“That’s right.”
“But your attire…”
“Ah, I forgot.”
Cheon Hui glanced down at his clothes and turned to Dan Mok Lin.
“I should’ve brought my luggage.”
“Of course, senior brother.”
Dan Mok Lin rummaged through the baggage.
Then, shouldering a small bundle, she pulled out a sect robe.
“Will this do?”
The head gatekeeper froze as he watched Cheon Hui, holding the sect robe in one hand as though it were a piece of luggage.
“Wait—those flags are…?”
“The Dang family! The Dang family!”
A commotion erupted from behind.
The crowd lined up at the gates immediately parted, and an ornate carriage rolled in.
Soon, the carriage door burst open.
“It’s been a while.”
“It’s comparable in size to our own clan headquarters.”
Eun Hyeong Bi Gaek and Dang Jeok descended from the carriage.
As they gazed upon the Je Gal Clan’s main entrance, they turned their heads to the side—and spotted Cheon Hui, releasing a palpable murderous intent.
“You…!”
“So you did come to the Je Gal Clan.”
Eun Hyeong Bi Gaek and Dang Jeok, leading the way, along with the warriors of the Dang family who had followed them, fixed their gazes upon Cheon Hui.
“Did something happen between you and the Dang family?”
The head gatekeeper asked in alarm.
“Well, something did occur.”
Cheon Hui, looking at them, let out a low chuckle.
‘Didn’t expect to meet them this soon.’
Meeting the Sichuan Tangga was inevitable.
They too had come to attend Je Gal Seong Hyeon’s 60th Birthday Celebration.
‘Will they make their move here?’
It was at that moment, as Cheon Hui met their cold, murderous gazes without flinching, that—
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall.
The door swung open with a bang, and a powerfully built man with dark skin strode through.
“What? A frame that size?”
“Is he a martial artist visiting the Je Gal Clan? At that caliber, he could rival Pengga itself….”
“Wait—the Sichuan Tangga?”
The man standing before the startled warriors of the Sichuan Tangga glanced at them briefly.
“Ah! So Warrior, you were here!”
Spotting Cheon Hui standing at the gate, he rushed forward in a blur, his footsteps shaking the earth. He came to a stop before Cheon Hui and broke into a radiant smile.
“It’s been far too long.”
“You’ve grown even bigger than last time.”
“Ha ha, have I?”
Je Gal Seong Hyeon laughed with good-natured embarrassment.
Then he extended his calloused hand and clasped Cheon Hui’s firmly.
Bowing his head, he spoke.
“More than anything, I’m grateful you accepted my invitation.”

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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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