Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 45

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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 45
The road from Hamyang County to Nakcheon County was unusually narrow and winding.
Along this sparsely traveled path, a single carriage thundered forward without pause.
Clop-clop— clop-clop—
Inside the carriage, which pressed onward with the rhythm of hoofbeats, conversation flowed steadily.
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
Hyun Do’s question, tinged with urgency, drew a measured response from Ha U Jin as he gauged the distance.
“We should arrive in four days.”
“Four days? That’s remarkably quick.”
“It’s all thanks to the Trading Company Master. Without his assistance, we’d still be hunting for fresh horses.”
Ha U Jin and Hyun Do’s gazes shifted simultaneously toward the window.
The sun, risen above an unnamed mountain peak, illuminated their path.
It was still early dawn—evidence of how eagerly they had departed.
“I feel indebted to the Trading Company Master.”
Hyun Do smiled wryly.
The carriage they now occupied belonged to Bifung Trading Company’s transport division.
Despite Bifung Trading Company’s dire circumstances, Go Gye Young had willingly provided the carriage and horses, saying they would be invaluable to the journey.
Under ordinary conditions, such an offer would have been refused outright, but given the urgency of their situation, they had accepted the kindness.
“I’ll have to express my gratitude properly later.”
“So will I.”
As the two conversed,
‘Four days? That’s quite a distance.’
Cheon Hwi, seated across from them, gazed at the driver’s bench with a vacant expression.
There, a shabbily dressed beggar held the horse’s reins and drove the carriage.
It was Jin Gae, the deputy leader of Gaebang.
Originally, the plan had been merely to gather intelligence about Baekgui Castle, but when Jin Gae spotted the pursuing carriage behind them, he had volunteered himself as the driver.
‘Gaebang never changes.’
Cheon Hwi saw through his true intentions—or rather, understood Gaebang’s nature well.
‘He couldn’t resist curiosity.’
With the recently estranged Zhongnan Sect and Huashan Sect traveling together, it was bait no one in Gaebang could afford to overlook.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh—
Jin Gae, ears perked up as he listened to the conversation, glanced back out of curiosity.
“……!”
Caught in an unexpected meeting of eyes, Jin Gae’s pupils darted frantically in confusion before he produced an awkward laugh.
“Ha, ha ha…….”
Cheon Hwi grinned.
“You said you knew a lot about Baekgui Castle?”
Jin Gae spoke up, feigning innocence.
“Of course I know! In this current era, few in the realm understand Baekgui Castle as thoroughly as I do.”
Being no ordinary Gaebang member, Jin Gae intuited the intent behind the question.
“Is there some specific information you need?”
“I’d like to know about Baekgui Castle’s military strength.”
“Pardon?”
Jin Gae thought for a moment he had misheard, his face blank with confusion.
After a long pause, his eyes widened.
“You mean… Baekgui Castle’s military forces?”
“Yes.”
Upon receiving the confirmation, Jin Gae stared at Cheon Hwi with disbelief, then cast a subtle glance at Hyun Do and Ha U Jin.
Yet both remained silent, listening intently.
‘I thought something was off from the moment they mentioned Nakcheon County, but they’re actually heading for Baekgui Castle?!’
Jin Gae swallowed hard, seized by shock.
‘This is beyond what I can handle…….’
It was no small matter for members of Huashan Sect and Zhongnan Sect to inquire about Baekgui Castle’s military capabilities.
His lips went dry.
“Do you know or not?”
His ears, which had grown rigid with tension, were pierced by a curt voice.
Coming to his senses, Jin Gae looked at Cheon Hwi, who was watching him intently, and shook his head emphatically.
“Yes, I do know.”
Jin Gae composed himself, then asked,
“Which part exactly are you curious about? Are you asking about the martial masters who belong to Baekgui Castle? Or about the units and troop strength there?”
“All of it.”
At Cheon Hwi’s answer, Jin Gae stared up at the sky for a moment, his sallow face thoughtful.
“Well then, I understand.”
He exhaled slowly and composed himself.
“Under Baek Sa Sin, the lord of Baekgui Castle, there is a military strategist known as the Baekgui Military Strategist and four masters called the Four Direction Masters. The Military Strategist has not trained in martial arts, so I’ll set that aside.”
Jin Gae watched Cheon Hwi’s expression and swiftly eliminated unnecessary information.
“All of the Four Direction Masters are experts of the Mugeuk Realm—masters who could have become the lord of their own sect elsewhere.”
“Experts of the Mugeuk Realm?”
In that instant, three faces flashed through Cheon Hwi’s mind.
“Ah! So those bastards were all Four Direction Masters.”
“You know who they are?”
At Jin Gae’s eager question, Cheon Hwi waved his hand dismissively.
“…I see.”
Jin Gae spoke in a dejected tone.
‘There will be other chances.’
Curiosity still bubbled up at who exactly he had recalled, but he suppressed it forcefully and bit his lip.
“The Four Direction Masters known until now are Su Cham Dok Geom, Eun Su Cham Sal, and So Baek Gwi, a disciple of Baek Sa Sin. The identity of the fourth has been hidden, but we recently uncovered it.”
“You managed to find out?”
“No wonder Gaebang is what it is. To uncover an identity that has been concealed for decades.”
Hyun Do and Ha U Jin reacted with surprise.
Huashan Sect and Zhongnan Sect had also gathered intelligence about Baekgui Castle, but they had failed to identify the fourth master.
Yet Jin Gae had succeeded.
Jin Gae nodded.
“He is Pa Geom Gwi.”
“Pa Geom Gwi…!”
“That vicious monster was still alive?”
Hyun Do and Ha U Jin exclaimed in shock.
Cheon Hwi, observing their exaggerated reactions, asked with a cool expression.
“Pa Geom Gwi? Who’s that?”
Jin Gae suddenly panicked.
“You don’t know who Pa Geom Gwi is?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.”
“Once he poisoned the sect lord of Bulyi Swordgate, which dominated all under heaven, and stole their martial techniques.”
Hyun Do spoke up abruptly. Then he murmured with a grave expression.
“I heard Bulyi Swordgate succeeded in their revenge….”
“We thought the same. But not only was he alive—he threw himself into service with Baekgui Castle.”
“Hmm….”
“If that man has mastered the Sword Techniques of Bulyi Swordgate that he stole, that’s dangerous.”
As Hyun Do and Ha U Jin fell silent in thought.
“Never mind that bastard. What about the other troop strengths?”
Cheon Hwi cut through their contemplation.
Whether it was Pa Geom Gwi or the Sword Techniques of Bulyi Swordgate—he cared nothing for such distractions. What mattered to him now was Baekgui Castle’s military capacity.
Jin Gae glanced at Hyun Do and Ha U Jin’s faces but, overwhelmed by Cheon Hwi’s probing gaze, continued.
“As everyone knows, Baekgui Castle’s most renowned units are the Baekgui Three Great Units. The Baekgui Unit, the Ghost-Slaying Unit, and the Soul-Reaping Unit whose status remains uncertain—these three are collectively called by that name in the martial world.”
“Besides those three, are there other units?”
“There are seven additional units. They handle Baekgui Castle’s finances, cleanup, and various other affairs—overshadowed by the fame of the Three Great Units, but each possesses strength comparable to a single sect’s military unit.”
“What’s the total personnel?”
“Roughly between five hundred and seven hundred.”
At Jin Gae’s swift answer, Cheon Hwi stroked his chin.
“Five hundred to seven hundred.”
“The troop strengths of major sects are mostly similar. If Baekgui Castle were exceptionally superior to the other Six Imperial Sects, wouldn’t it have become supreme long ago?”
It was information grounded in calculation and pragmatism.
“You know quite a lot of detail.”
“Baekgui Castle is one of the Six Imperial Sects—shouldn’t we pay special attention to it?”
Jin Gae shrugged.
Not another sect, but one of the Six Imperial Sects.
Even in this age of the Nine Provinces Three Hegemons Era, however peaceful it seemed, the cold war—where conflict could erupt at any moment—made intelligence gathering fiercer than ever.
“Is there any possibility of hidden forces?”
“Absolutely not.”
Jin Gae spoke with finality.
“If there were hidden military units beyond what we know, Baek Sa Sin wouldn’t have stayed quiet all this time. The moment Baekgui Castle was pushed to the lowest rung of the Six Imperial Sects, he would have started a war without hesitation.”
Cheon Hwi let out a soft laugh.
He approved of Baek Sa Sin’s way of acting.
‘Straightforward fellow, isn’t he?’
For some reason, he saw echoes of his younger self.
“At most, there’d be one or two masters of exceptional skill.”
As Cheon Hwi listened to Jin Gae’s immediate follow-up, his gaze shifted.
He had expected more from Baekgui Castle, but the military strength was less impressive than he’d anticipated.
‘It’s not that different from the Huashan Sect right now.’
Silence suddenly fell over the carriage.
Hyun Do and Ha U Jin, who had been conversing, fell into thought upon hearing of Baekgui Castle’s forces.
Jin Gae watched the two who, unlike the continuously questioning Cheon Hwi, had grown quiet and attentive.
‘I thought one of them would ask a question…….’
He was brimming with curiosity.
When he had grasped the identities of the two through the conversation inside the carriage, Jin Gae had been so startled he could barely breathe.
The First Sword of Huashan and the Flying Swallow Sword Army.
He had suspected they were no ordinary people, but their true identities far exceeded his expectations.
Yet what was even more astonishing was…….
‘Cheon Hwi. I need to learn more about that one. He’s no ordinary man.’
The young swordsman in front.
He was certainly a disciple of the Huashan Sect, yet his words and actions so far were beyond what Jin Gae’s mind could grasp.
‘The way that young swordsman seems to command not just the conversation but every aspect of the situation…….’
Sweat gathered on the hand holding the reins.
The questions in his mind had not been resolved at all, but his instinct was speaking.
This journey was an opportunity sent down from heaven, one that would never come again in his lifetime.
* * *
The sun set, and darkness fell.
The carriage, which had been running without hindrance, stopped in darkness so complete that not even an inch ahead could be seen, and the four began preparing to camp for the night.
They could have pushed on, but the horse was exhausted, and one misstep in the darkness could overturn the carriage entirely.
For the sake of the journey ahead, they needed to rest.
The moment Jin Gae descended from the carriage, he skillfully built a campfire. Though the day was hot, night always brought a chill.
Crackle— crackle—
As the flames on the firewood grew steadily larger.
‘Mm?’
Cheon Hwi’s eyes narrowed.
There was a sound of someone approaching from the distance.
Whoosh—
Hyun Do was the next to sense it.
He turned his head toward the direction of the approaching sound and, with eyes narrowed to slits, pierced through the darkness with his gaze, his voice low and steady.
“Someone is coming this way.”
“……!”
“……!”
At those words, Ha U Jin and Jin Gae, who had sensed nothing, started.
“Well, this is an unexpected company.”
A man emerged from the darkness. Illuminated by the light of the campfire, his appearance was quite distinctive.
A worn martial robe and a shaggy beard.
Yet his face held a smile, giving him an air of ease rather than haggardness.
The man approached unguarded, as if he had perceived their wariness.
“Mind if I warm myself by the fire?”
“……Please do.”
Hyun Do was the first to lower his guard.
There was no trace of murderous intent or fighting spirit in the man.
“I appreciate it.”
The man sat across from Hyun Do.
“Haha! As the evening grows cold, I found myself in need of a fire just now.”
At the man’s hearty laughter, Ha U Jin and Jin Gae felt their wariness naturally ease.
“You certainly are an unusual group.”
The man’s eyes gleamed with interest as he swept his gaze over each of those seated around the campfire.
It was easy to discern their identities.
The pale blue martial robe bore an embroidered cloud pattern.
The white-red martial robe bore an embroidered plum blossom pattern.
And from the waist of a tattered straw sack swayed five knots, conspicuous and bold.
They carried with them the unmistakable marks of their sects—things any soul with even passing knowledge of the martial world would recognize at a glance.
“Huashan, Zhongnan, and Gaebang…….”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across Hyun Do, Ha U Jin, and Jin Gae opposite him, before finally settling on Cheon Hwi.
“…….”
His mouth closed, and he tilted his head in confusion.
He could sense a faint presence from Hyun Do across from him, yet from Cheon Hwi there emanated nothing at all.
As if he had become a ghost.
The moment doubt kindled in his eyes.
‘Interesting.’
Cheon Hwi met the man’s gaze and smiled.
This unexpected, unforeseen encounter delighted him.
‘I never thought I’d stumble upon traces of the Sword Demon in the Central Plains.’

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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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