Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 57

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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 57
The next morning, as Cheon Hui shared breakfast with Hyeon Cheong, he found his attention drawn to the conversations rippling through the inn.
“What? Seo An O Hung is dead?”
“Those savages?”
“But why did those brutes come all the way here? I thought they slunk back to Seo An after raising hell there.”
“I heard that lecherous bastard tried to assault the girl traveling with some great martial hero, and got exactly what he deserved. So they tracked down his companions to take revenge and…….”
The man, excitedly recounting the morning’s rumors, squinted his eyes and drew one thumb slowly across his throat.
“And that was that. Dead as a doornail.”
“Serves them right! Those mindless brutes were asking for heavenly retribution with their shameless antics, and they finally got what was coming to them!”
The notorious reputation of those men was evident—the inn that had been abuzz last night with talk of Hyeon Cheong and himself had shifted entirely; now the whole place was stirred up by this new story.
“The owner of Eun Ryong Jin Mi must be in a terrible state. I heard the third floor is completely destroyed…….”
“Pah, terrible nothing!”
The man speaking clucked his tongue and thrust out his lower lip dismissively.
“I went this morning and heard that the great martial hero who killed Seo An O Hung gave the innkeeper a substantial sum to help with the damages. And on top of that, he even made sure the servants got their share. How enviable is that?”
“Is that truly the case?”
The other man let out a gasp of astonishment.
What manner of beings were martial masters?
They were men to whom the blade mattered more than law—lawless wanderers of the martial world.
It was routine for them to demolish buildings on a whim and walk away, so to hear of compensation money——
By the time the two men were speculating on the amount, Cheon Hui swallowed the noodles in his mouth.
‘They handled it themselves, then.’
In all the scattered fragments of conversation he’d caught, there was nothing about himself.
Only talk of that man and woman he’d seen bringing down Seo An O Hung and delivering his head to the authorities.
‘No need to concern…….’
Clack!
At that moment, Hyeon Cheong set down his chopsticks on the table with a sharp sound, his eyes blazing.
“To think such vile creatures have been roaming freely about Shaanxi…….”
Hyeon Cheong’s expression turned fierce and terrible as he bit his lips.
They had been utterly depraved and ruthless.
“I must petition the sect leader afterward to ensure our Huashan Sect’s wandering martial heroes increase their patrols.”
Cheon Hui watched Hyeon Cheong, resolute in his determination, then returned his focus to his meal.
Shortly after finishing breakfast, the two of them departed the inn and set foot onto the long road leading toward Hubei Province.
Yet the expressions on both their faces were far from pleasant.
“Horses are scarce these days.”
At Cheon Hui’s complaint, Hyeon Cheong offered a wry smile.
“You should have secured one yesterday as I suggested.”
Though he’d spent the morning searching various corners of the city to buy a horse, it had been in vain.
‘I’m sorry, but a guest came several days ago and bought all our horses.’
Recalling the apologetic stablemaster, Hyeon Cheong shook his head.
“I’ll be sure to procure some next time.”
That moment——
Clatter-clatter— clatter-clatter—
The rumble of wheels and the sound of hoofbeats reached them from behind. Both turned to see an approaching carriage and stepped aside from the road.
Then——
Whinny!
The advancing carriage suddenly came to a halt.
‘What?’
Cheon Hui gazed fixedly at the carriage that had stopped before him in a cloud of dust, his eyes narrowing.
He felt a familiar presence emanating from within.
Click—
At that moment, the carriage window opened.
Through the narrow gap, a figure whose face was veiled with cotton cloth appeared.
“You are indeed the one who was dining at Eun Ryong Jin Mi last night.”
A voice came forth—hoarse and low, the kind one never forgot after hearing it once.
‘Those people from yesterday?’
As Cheon Hui moved to get a better look at the veiled girl, something happened.
‘Eun Ryong Jin Mi? What are you talking about?’
At Hyeon Cheong’s voice transmission, Cheon Hui realized his mistake.
‘……I’ve been caught.’
‘Did you sneak out without telling me?’
When Hyeon Cheong’s continuous transmission came through, Cheon Hui shrugged and sent a reply.
“Yes.”
Cheon Hui decided there was no use hiding anymore and laid out the truth.
“Why did you do that?”
“Silk alone wasn’t enough.”
“……Sigh. Didn’t I tell you to restrain yourself?”
Hyeon Cheong shook his head with a long exhale.
His worry outweighed everything else.
It wasn’t about slipping away without permission.
His real fear was that Cheon Hui’s existence might become known to the outside world.
‘Damn. I could’ve gotten away with it.’
Just as Cheon Hui was clicking his tongue,
“If I’m not being too forward, might I ask where you’re headed?”
The girl had started a conversation.
“Why’s that?”
“The Four Seas recognized the East direction, and since we formed a brief connection last night, if our paths align, I’d like to suggest we travel together.”
“Travel together?”
In that instant, Cheon Hui’s eyes locked onto the carriage.
‘If I ride in that, I could get there comfortably.’
“Infinite Buddha. Your kindness is appreciated, but…….”
“We’re heading to Hubei Province.”
Fearing he might lose the opportunity, Cheon Hui quickly cut off Hyeon Cheong’s words.
“Hubei? What perfect timing. We’re heading to Anhui, so if you’d like, shall we travel together partway?”
“That’s…….”
“Sounds good.”
Hyeon Cheong sent a bewildered transmission.
‘These people are of unknown identity. Yet you’re agreeing to travel with them?’
‘Isn’t riding in a carriage better than walking?’
‘You’re doing this just for a carriage ride? Who knows what they might be after, yet you agree so easily……’
‘It’s fine. Those two are the ones who took down Seo An O Hung last night.’
Hyeon Cheong’s eyes widened.
Once Hyeon Cheong realized they were Wandering Martial Heroes who had dealt with Seo An O Hung, his guard melted away.
Then he glanced sharply at Cheon Hui.
‘How did you know that?’
‘Eun Ryong Jin Mi is there.’
Creak—
Just then, the carriage door opened.
“I’ll go in first.”
Cheon Hui saw his chance and immediately boarded the carriage.
The carriage interior was quite spacious, and sitting inside were not only the girl who had poked her head out but also the middle-aged man he’d seen the previous night.
Once Hyeon Cheong followed, the carriage lurched into motion as if it had been waiting.
After riding for some time,
Cheon Hui, seated inside, stared at the girl who seemed to be boring holes through him across the cloth partition.
‘Yes, it’s strange after all.’
No matter how many times he looked, her body was abnormal.
The kind that might as well be dead already.
Meanwhile, the girl was also watching Cheon Hui.
‘It’s definitely that person from yesterday…….’
Even though he sat before her now, the young man’s aura was far too faint.
No—it transcended faintness entirely. It was transparent.
‘More precisely, it’s as if his very existence has merged with the world itself.’
She hadn’t been mistaken after all.
But this realization brought with it a new puzzle.
‘Yet he’s wearing a Sect Robe.’
Her piercing gaze shifted to the Sect Robe that Cheon Hui wore.
It was an outfit that made no sense.
Last night, hadn’t he been drinking wine and eating meat the whole time?
‘A real Daoist priest……?’
As she examined the dark crimson Sect Robe in detail, she caught her breath. On the sleeve of the robe he wore, there was a familiar pattern.
‘A plum blossom?!’
She caught sight of the red plum blossom embroidered faintly on black silk, and her gaze shifted to study Hyeon Cheong.
She swept her eyes quickly over the red-and-white sect robe he wore, noting the plum blossom embroidered on his sleeve just as she had on the young man’s.
‘How could I not have seen this sooner.’
She bit her lip hard.
There was only one martial sect under heaven whose robes could bear such an emblem.
There was no oversight quite like this.
Having discerned their identities, she bowed respectfully and offered her greeting.
“It is an honor to meet you both. My name is Dan Mok Rin.”
Hyeon Cheong’s eyebrows twitched.
“The Danmok Family?”
“Yes.”
“And you know who we are?”
“Who in all the realm does not recognize the Red Plum Blossom Emblem upon our robes?”
“……You show remarkable courage, traveling alongside a rival faction.”
“No matter how deeply the Orthodox Sect may be divided, our true enemy remains the Evil Faction.”
Hyeon Cheong’s eyes narrowed.
Observing the unshakeable composure in her bearing, he spoke in a low voice.
“I am called Hyeon Cheong.”
Yet it was not the young woman who responded to his words.
“The Divine Sword of Huashan!”
The middle-aged man beside Dan Mok Rin cried out, startled.
He, who had been silently watching their exchange, now found his gaze locked upon Hyeon Cheong.
Bewilderment swept over him.
The young man alone was already an enigma beyond comprehension, but his companion—the one at the very heart of the tempest that was currently roiling the martial realm—was the Divine Sword of Huashan himself.
‘I took them for masquerading monks.’
In truth, he had been wary of them.
Though they wore sect robes, the young man indulged freely in meat and wine.
That alone was reason enough to harbor suspicion, and compounding the matter was that his companion, though clad in a sect robe, looked every inch a brigand.
It was only natural that his initial doubts should have deepened.
Yet now those suspicions dissolved entirely.
‘He matches perfectly the figure from the tales of the Divine Sword.’
The upturned eyes, the blunt nose, and even the sparsely grown beard.
His rigid expression melted away like spring ice at the sight of this sage whose face aligned exactly with the rumors.
The rough visage he had mistaken for a brigand now seemed almost antique in its bearing.
“Ha, ha, ha. I never imagined I would encounter here such a celebrated hero, one who now stirs the very foundations of the martial world.”
The middle-aged man’s smile bloomed warmly.
“I am known as Dan Mok Jin Gang.”
“The Iron Sword Wandering Hero?!”
This time it was Hyeon Cheong’s turn to start in surprise.
“Heh, heh, heh. Infinite Buddha. I too never thought to meet the Iron Sword Wandering Hero in such a place as this.”
A broad smile spread across Hyeon Cheong’s lips.
The Iron Sword Wandering Hero was so renowned that even Hyeon Cheong, who had been shut away in the Huashan Sect for so long, had heard of his deeds.
“It is an honor to meet you.”
Hyeon Cheong expressed his admiration without reservation.
He had long harbored a distaste for the calculating nature of family clans, but the Iron Sword Wandering Hero was another matter entirely.
“A year ago, when you exposed the true nature of the Heuk Sa Moon, which trafficked in human lives, and destroyed that sect alone—I was moved to genuine respect.”
“And I, in turn, was deeply moved by your righteous deeds alongside the true immortal in confronting Baek Gwi Seong.”
“Heh, heh. You are too kind.”
“If you are not a true immortal, then who could claim such a title?”
As the two began weaving their conversation ever deeper into mutual praise, Cheon Hui watched with an expression of utter bewilderment.
“But how do we obtain the sect token?”
The woman’s voice cut through.
He turned his head with a weary expression, and the fabric of her face veil rustled before his eyes.
“Cheon Hui.”
She repeated the name several times, as though weighing it, before asking carefully.
“Forgive me if this is impertinent, but might I ask you something?”
“Well, that works out nicely. I had something I wanted to ask you as well. Shall we each ask one question?”
“Very well…….”
Just as she was about to answer.
“So you wandered the entire realm for a full year searching for the Divine Physician, whom no one even knows where to find?!”
Hyeon Cheong’s exclamation cut through the conversation.
“That’s correct. Still, we’ve gathered rumors that she was seen in Sichuan a few days ago, and we cling to even that sliver of hope.”
“I see. May I ask why you seek a Divine Physician?”
“That is…….”
Just as Dan Mok Jin Gang faltered in his words, Dan Mok Rin cut in and spoke on his behalf.
“It’s because of the girl.”
Hyeon Cheong’s pupils trembled.
Hearing that so young a girl was afflicted, his heart naturally stirred with compassion.
“What troubles her?”
“Her Inner Energy.”
Dan Mok Jin Gang spoke with a troubled expression.
“……Roughly three years ago, Rin’s Inner Energy began to scatter without warning.”
“That’s……impossible.”
Hyeon Cheong’s eyes widened.
Inner Energy was the cultivation painstakingly amassed over a lifetime.
For such power to scatter was unheard of, save in death itself.
“Fortunately, a physician summoned by our family has extended her life by administering Nourishing Medicine at regular intervals, but three months ago its efficacy began to wane, and now…….”
Shadows darkened beneath Dan Mok Jin Gang’s eyes as he spoke.
“So that’s it. I wondered.”
At the abrupt interjection, three sets of eyes snapped toward Cheon Hui.
Yet Cheon Hui seemed indifferent to their gaze, regarding Dan Mok Rin with an expression drained of interest.
“Born with a Taiyin Qi Storage Body, and somehow you’ve survived this long—kept going on medicine alone, then.”

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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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