The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 95

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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 95.
The Poison Spirit Minor Killing Technique was not a poison art but rather a martial skill that absorbed all of the Dang Family’s deadly toxins, making it fundamentally opposed to the Five Poison Silk Transformation Technique that Dang Bi had mastered.
As Dang Gon casually threw out his jest, Dang Bi’s eyes flooded with bloodshot rage.
“You dare….”
“Enough of your noise. We’ve seen what we came to see—let’s go.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol pointed at Dang Bi and began picking at her ear.
“All that squawking is giving me an earache.”
“You, you….”
“My apologies. Second Brother simply has a naturally loud voice, you see.”
Dang Gon ignored Dang Bi entirely and flashed a bright smile at Bu Eunseol, then clasped his hands respectfully toward Dang Ryeong and Gam Gok.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Dang Gon! Have you finally lost your mind!”
Enraged, Dang Bi thrust his hand into the hidden blade pouch at his waist.
“Are you prepared for the consequences!”
“Second Brother, or rather, Second Brother.”
In that instant, a piercing azure light flashed across Dang Gon’s eyes.
“I act under the Family Patriarch’s direct command to enter the Secret Cave. Surely you understand what that means?”
“What? Understand? Who do you think you’re speaking to….”
“Should you speak one more word, I will abandon my mission to the Secret Cave and report this situation directly to the Patriarch—that Second Brother is defying his solemn orders and obstructing me.”
“Huh, uh-huh-huh!”
Dang Bi’s expression had gone blank for a moment, but now he burst into derisive laughter.
“So you’re threatening to tattle to Father just by deepening your voice? A wretch like you….”
“Brother, Young Master. Then I shall depart.”
Dang Gon cleanly ignored Dang Bi’s provocation and clasped his hands respectfully toward Dang Ryeong and Gam Gok.
Then, walking shoulder to shoulder with Bu Eunseol, he left the hall.
“I’ll be back within four days. When I return, we’ll have a drink that’ll make our noses crooked.”
“Sounds good.”
“Haha! We should break open all the Sword South Spring wine stored in the Qingyang Xiaozhu Wine Cellar—the family’s secret vintage.”
Watching Dang Gon depart with Bu Eunseol, laughing freely, Dang Bi trembled violently.
“That… damned bastard, how dare he!”
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he nodded with a sinister smile spreading across his face.
“Hehehehe. Yes. Let’s see about that.”
Without so much as a backward glance, he vanished into the opposite direction.
The moment Dang Bi disappeared, the murderous atmosphere evaporated entirely.
Gam Gok, standing beside Dang Ryeong, watched Dang Gon depart and burst into hearty laughter.
“Hehehehe. Third Young Master has changed considerably after experiencing the trials of Gangho.”
In the past, Dang Gon had always presented himself as gentle and refined—a man whom everyone called benevolent.
Yet here he was, ignoring that troublesome Dang Bi? It was utterly unimaginable from the Dang Gon of old.
“Indeed.”
Dang Ryeong nodded, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
“You’ve changed completely.”
Dang Ryeong exhaled a deep sigh as he watched Dang Gon depart.
He had merely hoped Dang Gon would grow strong enough to restrain Dang Bi. Yet suddenly, the dormant dragon had awakened into a soaring one, now threatening his very position.
‘It’s because of that woman.’
Murderous intent blazed from Dang Ryeong’s eyes as he gazed at Bu Eunseol’s back, walking beside Dang Gon.
The full moon hung brilliantly in the dead of night.
Dang Ryeong stood by the window, admiring the moonlight embroidering the dark sky.
Beside him stood a woman with her hair pinned up, dressed in rough martial robes.
It was Dang Seo Rin, commander of Dang Ryeong’s personal guard, the Poison Wind Corps.
“It seems the time to choose has arrived.”
Dang Ryeong took a sip of tea from the table.
He had suffered from pulmonary distension since birth, and as he grew, he developed severe coughing fits as well.
For a martial artist who required exceptional stamina and cardiopulmonary endurance, he was born with a fatal constraint.
In place of physical strength, he possessed exceptional intellect and cunning. Thus, from childhood, Dang Ryeong preferred reading books to training in martial arts.
Around the age of ten, a Wenyan Pavilion Scholar who was acquainted with Dang Pae had even praised his scholarly pursuits.
As the eldest young master of the Sichuan Dang Family, Dang Ryeong had made his name through learning before through martial renown.
“Should I share drinks with the second young master, or with Bu Eunseol instead?”
As Dang Ryeong murmured softly, Dang Seo Rin, standing respectfully behind him, spoke carefully.
“Surely you should meet with the second young master and share drinks with him, should you not?”
“Why is that?”
“The second young master is already grinding his teeth over Bu Eunseol. If you meet with him and provoke him appropriately, both will destroy themselves without your intervention.”
“You suggest employing the strategy of killing with a borrowed blade? Hehehehe. That’s not without merit.”
Dang Ryeong swallowed the tea held in his mouth and smiled faintly.
“But there is a better stratagem than killing another with a borrowed blade.”
“What might that be?”
“To seize the enemy’s keen blade and make it my own.”
A clear smile played at the corners of Dang Ryeong’s mouth as he regarded Dang Seo Rin.
The smile was pure, yet it also resembled the sinister smile of a child incapable of discerning right from wrong.
* * *
Thump, thump.
Bu Eunseol was heading toward the great gate that led into the Inner Quarters of the Dang Family, guided by a young martial artist.
Creak.
As the crimson-painted gate slowly opened, the young martial artist extended his hand courteously.
“This way, please.”
Passing through the gate and entering beyond, a landscape entirely different from the Outer Quarters unfolded before her eyes.
‘How different.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed as she surveyed her surroundings.
The Palace Halls where Bu Eunseol was staying were constructed in a grand and solemn style, like the scenic wonders of Seong Do.
Yet the buildings of the Inner Quarters were erected in a luxurious and refined style, as if meant for royalty and nobility to dwell within.
“Please ascend here.”
At last, the warrior guide came to a halt at a Pavilion with an open view on all sides.
As Bu Eunseol ascended to the Pavilion, a drinking table had been prepared there.
Before a grand table laden with delicacies from mountains and seas sat a man with eyes like a phoenix—none other than Dang Ryeong.
“I am grateful for your gracious acceptance of this sudden invitation.”
Dang Ryeong rose from his seat and clasped his hands respectfully, to which Bu Eunseol responded with a light bow.
“You are too kind.”
Though Bu Eunseol had entered the Sichuan Dang Family, I had yet to even glimpse the Inner Quarters.
Moreover, Dang Ryeong was a central figure in the succession struggle.
For one resolved to aid Dang Gon, a drinking session with Dang Ryeong was something I dared not request, yet earnestly desired.
I had not dared to ask, but I had been hoping for precisely this.
“Please, be seated.”
The wine Dang Ryeong had prepared was not Jiangnan Spring, the famous liquor of Sichuan, but rather Pear Blossom Wine that the Dang Family’s master brewers had personally crafted.
What was peculiar was that the wine cup placed upon the table was not an ordinary vessel, but rather a cup carved from a single large piece of jade.
‘What a luxurious cup,’ I thought.
Noticing Bu Eunseol’s gaze fixed upon the jade cup, Dang Ryeong smiled softly.
“The verdant hue of the jade cup enhances the fragrance of the Pear Blossom Wine.”
As Bu Eunseol took his seat, Dang Ryeong filled the jade cup to the brim with Pear Blossom Wine.
“Come now, do have a taste.”
Gulp, gulp.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened as I drained the jade cup of Pear Blossom Wine in one breath.
Throughout my travels in Gangho, I had sampled no small number of fine wines. Yet the Pear Blossom Wine that Dang Ryeong had prepared was undoubtedly the finest I had ever tasted.
“Haha. Young Master Bu, your expression of surprise makes me glad I brought out this wine.”
Upon seeing Bu Eunseol’s astonished expression, Dang Ryeong chuckled with satisfaction.
“This wine is a hundred-year-old Pear Blossom Wine that I have been saving to drink once I am confirmed as the successor.”
“A hundred-year-old Pear Blossom Wine, you say.”
Bu Eunseol set down the cup and wore a subtle smile.
“Why would you serve such a precious wine to me?”
“Haha. To share a cup of wine with an exceptional talent such as Young Master Bu—would even a thousand-year-old Pear Blossom Wine be too precious?”
Dang Ryeong laughed heartily and refilled the cup to the brim.
“Come, drink. After three more cups, we shall speak of more serious matters.”
The hundred-year-old Pear Blossom Wine was potent, matching its exquisite aroma.
Though Bu Eunseol, with deep inner strength, showed no particular change, the frail Dang Ryeong’s face flushed slightly as he drank cup after cup.
“Young Master Bu. I understand that those of your temperament greatly dislike roundabout speech. Is that not so?”
As Bu Eunseol nodded calmly, Dang Ryeong narrowed his eyes.
“Then I shall speak plainly.”
Dang Ryeong took a light sip and met Bu Eunseol’s gaze directly.
“I too wish to become your close friend.”
Upon hearing those words, Bu Eunseol’s brow furrowed involuntarily.
To become Dang Ryeong’s close friend—this was no mere expression of camaraderie.
It was a proposal to betray Dang Gon and align myself with him instead.
“It seems our ages are too far apart to become friends.”
“Haha. In the Murim, there are many who forge friendships transcending age. Is there not a saying about bonds between those of different generations?”
Bu Eunseol gazed at the transparent pear blossom wine in her jade cup and spoke with measured calm.
“I am merely a wanderer of the Gangho.”
“You are a dragon among men—a rare sight in this age. Though I am but the eldest young master of the Dang Family, I possess sufficient standing to share friendship with you.”
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol despised roundabout speech.
Yet by speaking in circles, she had at least preserved Dang Ryeong’s dignity.
But now, with him shamelessly pressing forward, she could no longer afford courtesy.
“I do not befriend those who conceal their true nature.”
Despite her cold refusal, Dang Ryeong smiled gently.
“Beasts always hide their claws.”
And he fixed his gaze directly upon Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Just as you do.”
—We are of the same kind.
His eyes seemed to speak these words.
Yet Bu Eunseol cut him off coldly once more.
“I must decline.”
“….”
Dang Ryeong’s gaze, which had been fixed upon Bu Eunseol, shifted briefly to his own cup.
A warm smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.
“Do you believe the third will become the family head?”
After a long silence, Dang Ryeong spoke again.
“To be honest, the probability of that child becoming family head is even lower than Dang Bi’s.”
Dang Ryeong spoke with confidence.
“You are a clever person, so you must understand well what it means to cultivate friendship with one destined to become family head.”
—I will become the family head of the Dang Family. And if you befriend me, you too shall reap great benefits.
This was what Dang Ryeong was saying.
“You are mistaken.”
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly, uncharacteristically.
“Do you think I befriend Dang Gon because I believe he will become family head?”
Faced with Bu Eunseol’s faint smile, Dang Ryeong unconsciously erased the laughter from his lips.
“Very well. Then I shall make you a different proposal.”
Dang Ryeong, his smile now gone, spoke with gravity.
“From today onward, leave the main family. If you depart quietly, I shall provide compensation befitting your cooperation.”
“Compensation?”
“Should you desire gold, I shall provide it. Should you wish for divine weapons and treasures, I shall open the Great Armory to you.”
He would grant whatever she desired simply for leaving the Dang Family.
It was an extraordinarily favorable condition with no loss for Bu Eunseol. Yet her face remained utterly unmoved.
“Do you doubt my word?”
“I trust you.”
Dang Ryeong was the eldest son of Dang Pae, and many forces followed him.
He could freely access or claim any weapons or funds within the Dang Family.
“Then you’ll depart?”
“I’m afraid I must decline.”
There was nothing more to hear, no reason to remain seated.
Bu Eunseol set down her cup and rose slowly from her seat.
“The wine was excellent.”
Without hesitation, she turned to leave.
“Sigh.”
It was then that Dang Ryeong exhaled a low, profound sigh.
“I truly had no wish to become your enemy.”
Dang Ryeong clicked his tongue with a look of regret, as if he’d shattered a piece of fine porcelain.
“In a month’s time, Father will decide on the next family head.”
She paused.
As Bu Eunseol halted mid-turn, Dang Ryeong spoke with a playful lilt in his voice.
“But Dang Bi is hardly the type to wait patiently until then. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Hehehehe.”
Bu Eunseol turned her head, revealing white teeth in a radiant smile unlike any before.
“That does sound amusing.”
She turned once more and descended slowly from the Pavilion.
Crack.
The moment Bu Eunseol vanished completely, the jade cup in Dang Ryeong’s smiling hand shattered.
“Quite the confident one, aren’t you.”
As jade dust fell from Dang Ryeong’s fingers, his gaze grew sharp as a blade’s edge.
“But the main house is no place for a wanderer like you to tread.”
In Dang Ryeong’s eyes, spoken in a low murmur, a chilling murderous intent swirled—one never before glimpsed.
“Bu Eunseol, you will ultimately perish in this place.”

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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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