The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 113

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 113

“…What, what did you say?”

“Our Ryeong took Shaolin’s Great Return Pill…?”

King Dang Cheol-woo and Clan Leader Dang Jong-ryeong, the father and son, shook their heads in unison.

“No. No way. Our Ryeong wouldn’t do such a thing!”

“That’s right! First Miss, no, great-niece! Our Ryeong isn’t that kind of child!”

Yes, it’s hard to believe.

I felt the same way at first…

Understanding their feelings all too well, I nodded at King Grandfather as if I understood.

“Haah!”

Dang Cheol-woo let out a long sigh.

“Father, there must be some misunderstanding. It can’t be Ryeong-ryeong!”

Dang Jong-ryeong denied it to the end. It seemed he found it impossible to accept the truth.

“Don’t you know Grandmother’s personality? Since she’s your younger sister, you should know her well.”

See?

At my words, Dang Jong-ryeong’s eyes wavered.

“Grandmother’s guilt toward the family. The shock she must have received upon meeting Great-grandfather. Grandmother had no other choice. Honestly, I wouldn’t have acted differently either.”

“…Are you certain it’s Shaolin Temple?”

“I’m sure.”

At Eok I-geon’s confident answer, the King fell into thought.

Dang Jong-ryeong muttered “That’s impossible” three times beside him.

After about five minutes passed, Dang Cheol-woo stood up.

“I understand. I’ll have to go to Shaolin Temple myself.”

“Me too!”

I expected the King would naturally do so.

I stood up boldly, following him.

“You stay here.”

“What?”

At King Grandfather’s unexpected statement, I was momentarily stunned.

But I had no intention of backing down.

“I’m going too! Great-grandfather, you can’t go alone!”

Shin Geum may be King Grandfather’s daughter, but she’s my one and only grandmother!

I’ll follow even if it kills me!

I looked at King Grandfather with determination that I would never back down.

“You cannot.”

“Why? Why can’t I…!”

“You want to go to Shaolin while emanating that demonic energy?”

“Ah.”

Demonic energy.

I hadn’t thought of that.

“…Still, I have to go. For Grandmother’s sake, I absolutely must go!”

I spoke firmly, trying to hide my bewilderment.

No matter how powerful the King was, Shaolin wouldn’t easily hand over Grandmother.

But I could do it.

What Shaolin Temple desperately wanted.

That would soon come into my hands.

‘Thanks to King Grandfather, I remembered.’

Seeing King Grandfather shining brilliantly along with the iron pot, I instantly thought of Buddha, and naturally a solution came to mind.

It was a day when I realized that knowledge can sometimes be medicine as well as poison.

“You’re as stubborn as Ryeong-ryeong.”

“Of course. I’m Grandmother’s granddaughter.”

Pleased with my words, the King burst into silent laughter.

“If my great-granddaughter moves, you and those two outside will join as well, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then we’ll need to erase that demonic energy first.”

Oh, you’ll do that for me?

I was just thinking of asking you about that.

Yes!

“Ah, Father!”

“Bring it.”

Dang Jong-ryeong was flustered by the King’s decision, but he couldn’t defy his father’s will.

He looked around at us once and hurriedly went outside.

A moment later, Dang Jong-ryeong reappeared in the room where Cheon-gang and Seo-ryeon had joined, carrying a tray covered with silk.

He carefully placed it in front of Dang Cheol-woo.

“Listen carefully. What I’m about to teach you is a prohibition technique that seals internal energy, called the Tang Clan Heavenly Secret Meridian Sealing Needle Formula. This is…”

The very technique Grandmother had used on herself while staying in the Demonic Sect.

I knew this could also conceal demonic energy.

“The main family’s secret technique is…”

King Grandfather’s lecture was getting long.

Time is of the essence!

Growing impatient, I raised my hand and interrupted him.

“So you’re saying don’t tell anyone else, right?”

“Yes.”

“I grew up under Grandmother’s care, so I’m really good at reading the situation. Hehe.”

When I smiled, King Grandfather’s lips also curved upward.

Then he spoke solemnly.

“Will you swear the oath of non-transmission?”

Eok I-geon bowed his head and answered.

“I swear.”

Following him, Cheon-gang and Seo-ryeon also bowed their heads.

“We swear.”

After confirming our pledge, Dang Cheol-woo signaled to Dang Jong-ryeong with his eyes.

Then Dang Jong-ryeong removed the silk and took the long needles from the tray, distributing them one by one.

‘There are patterns on them.’

As I expected, these weren’t ordinary needles.

Tiny characters that couldn’t be seen without enhancing one’s vision were engraved very finely and densely.

The incantation was important, but the needles seemed to be the key.

“Sit in lotus position.”

At Dang Cheol-woo’s command, the four of us immediately sat down and crossed our legs.

“Form the meditation mudra with your hands, but gently hold the needle.”

It was the most basic posture for cultivating internal energy.

I held the needle with my right thumb and middle finger, covered it with my left hand, and placed them in front of my navel.

“Now move your internal energy according to the incantation I’ll teach you.”

I closed my eyes and slowly awakened the energy in my danjeon.

“Heavenly Secret One Point, internal force does not flow, following the formless like heaven, sealing the meridians so the hidden one, no one can find.”

King Grandfather’s voice guided my consciousness.

I moved my internal energy following his words.

“Settle the energy of the danjeon, close the meridians of the four seas, the flowing river simply stops, emulate heaven and embrace earth.”

I could feel my internal energy gradually coming to a halt.

It was an intense sensation, as if I was controlling the flow within my own body.

“Hide your internal energy and leave no traces.”

The internal energy flowing from my danjeon to the eight meridians gradually subsided as the meridians closed.

A stillness like sleeping life came over me.

“Borrow heaven momentarily to engrave its principles in your body, a hidden form between heaven and earth, truly becoming nothingness.”

As Eok Grandfather’s words ended, my internal energy was completely sealed. It felt strange, like reaching a state of weightlessness.

“Seal.”

Following Dang Cheol-woo’s final command, I precisely inserted the long needle engraved with the Dang Family’s secret technique into the Geogwol point.

At late morning when the sun had risen high in the sky, we arrived at the South Gate of Deungbong County.

The majestic form of Songshan rising magnificently as if to pierce the heavens in the distance was too grand to take in at a single glance.

It was indeed the Central Peak among the Five Great Mountains.

If I had come here for sightseeing with Grandmother as I had wished, I might have been moved by this magnificent scenery.

But now it only appeared as a treacherous mountain.

“Great-great-grandfather.”

“What is it?”

“You’re going straight up, right?”

“Of course.”

The urgency was the same for both Eok Grandfather and me.

“I have somewhere to stop by briefly. I’ll go there and follow right behind you.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

“It won’t take long. Please go ahead and wait for me.”

“Seolha.”

Though we hadn’t known each other long, the emotion in Am-wang’s eyes was heartbreaking.

I smiled brightly at that. To reassure the worried supreme master.

“You trust me, right?”

“…I trust you.”

“Yes. I’ll catch up right away!”

I ran with all my might to arrive even a little faster.

“Where is Bookstore Alley around here?”

Having reached the busy district, I grabbed a passing pedestrian and asked. Fortunately, he seemed to know well and raised his hand to point the way.

“Over there, that way.”

“Thank you!”

Running with only physical strength and no internal energy made me quickly out of breath.

At least it was fortunate that I had been training external martial arts alongside everything else.

‘Eok I-geon, Cheon-gang, and Seo-ryeon must be in the same state as me.’

Even so, I was truly grateful that they followed without a single complaint.

‘Once I save Grandmother, I’ll have to repay them all.’

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Eok I-geon smiled and patted my head.

His habit emerged even while running.

I put more strength into my legs to hide my reddened face.

‘Eunbul Bookstore, Eunbul Bookstore…’

Perhaps due to Shaolin Temple’s influence, Bookstore Alley was filled with incense scent as if I had entered a temple.

‘Where are you, Eunbul Bookstore!’

Please appear before my eyes, won’t you?

“Oh!”

Then I spotted the bookstore I had so desperately wanted to find at the end of a dead-end alley.

Looking up at the shabby sign, the characters for Eunbul were faintly written there.

“Huff huff!”

I breathed heavily with my hands on my knees.

“Whew! Whew!”

After opening my chest wide and taking deep breaths, I rushed into the bookstore.

“Welcome…”

“Buddhist scriptures! Which way are they?”

“Over there…”

Perhaps sensing my urgency, the shop owner looked bewildered but still pointed toward the back of the bookstore.

I searched with eagle eyes for the old bookshelf with the character for Buddha written on it.

‘Finally!’

Since it was a small bookstore, it didn’t take long.

I sat down almost prostrating on the floor and frantically pulled out books from the bottom shelf.

Thud.

As the tightly packed books disappeared, one book that had fallen behind them toppled over to the side.

‘Please!’

I picked up the faded book with a prayerful heart.

It was so worn that the title on the cover wasn’t visible.

With trembling heart, I opened the book.

Lankavatara Sutra Volume Two

Huike

‘I found it. It’s the original Lankavatara Sutra!’

The moment I carefully opened the book retrieved from the pile of dusty old texts, I felt as if my breath stopped.

Volume 2 of the four-volume Lankavatara Sutra that Bodhidharma transmitted to the second patriarch Huike. Plus Huike’s additional annotations.

Though not a martial arts manual, it was a special-grade treasure among Shaolin Temple’s treasures.

This original text, lost so long ago for unknown reasons hundreds of years past, was now grasped in my hands.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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