Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 62

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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 62
‘Wine? You want to share a drink with me?’
Cheon Hui sat perched on the windowsill, watching Cheon Yu wave a wine bottle.
It was a decidedly strange sight.
Here was the senior martial brother of Huashan Sect, offering drink to his junior disciple.
Yet Cheon Yu himself seemed perfectly at ease.
“When else would I get to share a cup with my junior disciple? Sure, it’s dangerous if anyone finds out we’ve been drinking, but……”
Cheon Yu’s lips twisted into a smile.
“If you keep silent and I keep silent, who’s to know?”
Cheon Hui’s eyebrows arched in amusement.
‘I thought all the Taoists were rigid and uptight, but this one’s actually decent.’
Interest kindled in him toward Cheon Yu.
Especially at hearing words that aligned so perfectly with his own thoughts.
“That works out well. I had some questions anyway.”
As if waiting for exactly that answer, Cheon Yu hopped down from the windowsill.
Then he sat at the table and opened his mouth.
“Go on, sit down.”
Cheon Hui sat across from him.
“I should have brought cups……”
As Cheon Hui took his seat, Cheon Yu suddenly rummaged through his robes.
He fumbled about for a while before producing something.
Wine cups.
“Here, this one’s for you.”
He placed a crude wine cup in front of Cheon Hui and tilted the bottle, pouring.
Splash, splash—
“It’s not the finest stuff, but it’ll taste better shared.”
Cheon Hui picked up the cup before him.
In the small vessel, the swirling wine held the moon of the night sky submerged within it.
‘Murky wine, then.’
Rather than fragrant, the sharp reek and the sediment floating throughout made it clear at a glance this was no fine spirit.
‘This is good too.’
As he tossed the cup’s contents into his mouth, the raw murky wine’s distinctive heat warmed his insides, spreading through his body.
The taste unique to cheap murky wine, so different from fine spirits, had its own peculiar charm.
While he was savoring it, Cheon Yu across from him opened his eyes wide.
“You drink quite skillfully.”
“So do you, senior.”
At the mild reply, Cheon Yu clicked his tongue.
He’d thought Cheon Hui had changed from the moment he accepted the offer, but he’d changed far more than expected.
‘I’ve changed too, so of course he would.’
Cheon Yu scratched the bridge of his nose.
He too had changed.
To the point of drinking daily, he who’d never touched a drop before.
Meanwhile, Cheon Hui continued drinking.
Fortunately, he didn’t grow drunk immediately this time.
‘Since I’m not getting drunk right away, my body must be getting used to alcohol now.’
Unlike the first time he’d drunk, a mild buzz now brought him pleasure.
“At this rate, I won’t get any.”
Perhaps sensing thirst from watching Cheon Hui drink, Cheon Yu made a theatrical fuss and drained his cup in one go.
“Ahh, that’s the stuff.”
In high spirits, Cheon Yu drew a broad smile across his face and nodded contentedly.
“There’s nothing like a drink after a job’s done.”
Still smiling, Cheon Yu set down his cup.
“But you’ve changed quite a bit. If it were the old you, you’d have waved me off when I offered, saying what nonsense is this—yet here you are, drinking freely.”
Had one cup already gotten him tipsy?
Cheon Yu fixed Cheon Hui with a distant gaze, then let out a soft laugh.
Cheon Hui turned his eyes away from that searching look and took a sip from his cup.
‘Of course I’ve changed. The Cheon Hui you remember is already dead.’
This meeting with him was the first of its kind.
In the five years since becoming Cheon Hui, Cheon Yu had never once returned to Huashan Sect.
It was a cold truth, but truth nonetheless.
The Cheon Hui he had known no longer existed in this world.
“But honestly, I prefer him now to how he was back then. He always seemed so worried about what others thought of him.”
As he spoke, Cheon Yu propped his chin on his hand.
His eyes had grown slightly unfocused from the quick pace of drinking, and he gazed at Cheon Hui with his face stretched in exaggerated relaxation.
“Right, you said you had something you wanted to ask me? Go ahead, ask anything.”
“What is the Huashan Sect’s current standing within the Martial Alliance?”
“…What?”
Cheon Yu had clearly not expected such a question. He opened his mouth blankly for a moment before collecting himself.
“Why are you asking that?”
“I’m a disciple of the Huashan Sect too. Shouldn’t I know something like that?”
For a moment, Cheon Yu’s smile cracked.
“Well, I suppose…”
As Cheon Yu began to equivocate, he shook his head sharply and wiped the smile from his face entirely.
“Then how does it look to you? What do you think our sect’s standing is?”
“It feels like we’re being looked down on.”
Cheon Hui continued without inflection.
“The location of this hall, the run-down state of it—it seems like complete disregard, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh, so you see it that way too?”
Cheon Yu scratched his head as though embarrassed.
After a moment, he set down his wine cup and let out a sigh.
“You’re right. Just as you said, the Alliance is completely looking down on us now. They talk about Orthodox Sects and the Nine Sects and One Clan, but in the end, the Martial World respects only the strong.”
Cheon Yu surveyed the room.
“Did you know this? The building our sect used to occupy wasn’t here—it was the hall that the Songnan Sect uses now. But because of various circumstances involving our Master Hyeon Gang and Baek Gwi Seong…”
In the middle of speaking, Cheon Yu suddenly recalled the relationship between Hyeon Gang and Cheon Hui, and his words faltered.
“…various things happened, and we were forced to move here. It’s only like this because I and the other disciples cleaned it up. When I first joined the Alliance, it was far worse. Haha.”
Though a smile hung on his lips, Cheon Yu’s eyes were not laughing at all.
“You say we were moved, but really we were driven out by the Songnan Sect, weren’t we?”
“That’s right.”
With those words, Cheon Yu took a sip of his wine.
The liquid that slid down his throat was bitterly astringent.
“Well, that’s neither here nor there.”
He drained his cup in one go, then smiled brightly again and changed the subject.
“So, how’s your body? Are you better now?”
“My body? I’m fine.”
When Cheon Hui answered the question as though it were nothing serious, Cheon Yu burst into genuine laughter.
“Haha. That’s a relief. I did receive word through our Master’s letter that you’d recovered, but it was hard to believe. Seeing you now, though, it seems every word of it was true.”
Cheon Yu spoke with a bitter tone.
Like the murky wine he was drinking, his voice was bitter and deeply subdued.
“I really should visit our Master sometime and return to the sect…”
Cheon Hui watched him as he trailed off, burying his face in his wine cup.
Then he threw out a remark abruptly.
“Couldn’t you go together with Master Hyeon Jin?”
“Haha.”
Cheon Yu laughed awkwardly.
“As I mentioned just now, I haven’t been able to establish myself in the Alliance yet.”
“Right! Now that I think about it, you said you study martial arts under Master Hyeon Do?”
“‘Study’ is one way to put it. It’s a bit different, but roughly speaking, yes.”
Cheon Yu spoke with an interested gleam in his eye.
“I’m really curious what kind of martial arts you’ve learned. Not now, of course, but someday.”
After that, the two continued to chat about one thing and another, steadily sipping from their wine cups.
How much time had passed this way?
Splash—
Wine continued to pour into their cups like an endless spring, and before long, even a full bottle had been emptied.
“Tsk. We’ve already finished it all.”
Cheon Yu stood up, tucking the empty wine bottle and the two cups into his sleeve.
His face flushed from intoxication, he looked down at Cheon Hui with an expression of relief.
“I’m glad you enjoy drinking.”
“The other martial brothers must have refused, then.”
“Perhaps you and I are the unusual ones, aren’t we?”
“I suppose so.”
“Actually, the reason I came to find you today was something else. For the next few days—starting tomorrow—I won’t be able to see you or the other senior brothers.”
“Where are you going?”
“A few days ago, the Alliance sent down a mission to eliminate the Previous Demon Leader. It’ll be tedious, but spend a few days alone.”
With that, Cheon Yu vanished.
‘Still, for a senior brother, his Movement Technique is solid.’
Cheon Hui followed the fading trace of Cheon Yu, drawing up his Internal Energy.
A sharp hiss—
In one breath, he cleared the intoxication from his body and flopped directly onto the bed.
In doing so, he recalled the last words Cheon Yu had spoken.
‘A mission to capture the Previous Demon Leader? I’m curious how he’ll manage it.’
Curiosity stirred within him.
Who the Previous Demon Leader was.
And how he would capture him.
‘I’m really curious how weak someone has to be to end up in such a state.’
* * *
The courtyard was in disarray the next day.
In the sprawling garden, Hyeon Jin and the Plum Blossom Sword Masters were making ready to depart.
Hyeon Jin made eye contact with each of the Plum Blossom Sword Masters, who gave off an atmosphere as sharp as polished blades, then opened his mouth.
“Is everyone prepared?”
“We’ve finished.”
“Preparations are complete.”
The Plum Blossom Sword Masters answered in unison.
Hyeon Jin gave a subtle nod, satisfied with their appearance and bearing.
“Everyone, remember the mission.”
“Understood.”
“Then let’s depart—”
At that moment.
Bang—
The door suddenly swung open.
At the abruptness, the gazes of Hyeon Jin and the Plum Blossom Sword Masters turned toward the doorway.
The instant they saw who emerged from the door, bewilderment crossed their faces.
“Cheon Hui?”
“Senior Martial Brother?”
Cheon Hui, who had opened the door and stepped through, swept his eyes across the Plum Blossom Sword Masters before approaching Hyeon Jin and speaking.
“I’m coming with you.”

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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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