The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 58

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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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Azure Heaven Heavenly Demon, Episode 58
The next morning,
Dang Baek Jin carefully slid the Namgung Clan’s Jade Seal and the worn leather-bound Cangqian Clan Head’s Records back across the table to Namgung Gyeong.
“I have thoroughly confirmed the Namgung Clan Head’s intentions. These are precious items—please take them back with you.”
The suspicion that had clouded his face the day before had vanished entirely, replaced now by a quiet trust.
“The Dang Clan will gladly assist the Namgung.”
“Ah! I offer my deepest gratitude for your wise decision, Clan Head!”
Namgung Gyeong bowed deeply in his emotion, and Dang Baek Jin continued in a solemn voice.
“Those I am sending are among the finest in the Dang Clan—the masters of poison handling and neutralization.”
At Dang Baek Jin’s signal, warriors in deep green robes embroidered with silver serpent heads stepped forward.
Their faces were concealed by masks below the bridge of the nose, making it impossible to discern their features clearly, yet the killing intent they radiated was so damp and suffocating it raised goosebumps on the forearms.
“They are the finest talents of the Dang Clan—those who have devoted their lives to collecting and studying every poison under heaven.”
The unit’s name was the Myriad Poison Resolution Team.
“And the one who will lead these thirty poison experts is none other than the Young Clan Head of the Dang Clan.”
Dang Baek Jin rose from his seat and grasped Namgung Gyeong’s hands firmly.
“Tell the Namgung Clan Head this: I am sending my one and only treasure, so please make my daughter’s safety your foremost priority.”
At this bombshell—that the Young Clan Head herself would go—Namgung Gyeong’s pupils trembled as though the ground beneath him had quaked.
He had only meant to borrow the technique, and yet the very heir who would shoulder the clan’s future was coming in person!
“This is… extraordinary! That the Dang Clan would show such sincerity! Even without any gilding of my words, I am certain our Clan Head will treat her with the highest honor!”
It was just as Namgung Gyeong cried out, his chest swelling with emotion.
“Has everyone been waiting?”
The office door swung open with a cheerful voice.
“So… So Yeon, what in the world is that outfit?”
It was Dang So Yeon. But the tomboy appearance she usually wore, caked in dirt and handling poisons, had vanished without a trace.
A finely tailored short robe of premium emerald silk brought out her delicate yet graceful frame beautifully.
Below the bridge of her nose hung a veil woven mysteriously with silver thread.
Most striking of all was her face, painted pristine white like jade.
And a subtle beauty mark at the corner of her eye made her look utterly captivating.
“How is it, Father? It’s not too provincial, is it?”
She gathered her skirt lightly and spun in a graceful circle.
Whenever the prestigious families of the Martial World held grand banquets, this girl would grumble at having to dress up, looking thoroughly bored as she huddled in a corner.
Yet now, just to travel to the Namgung to research poisons, she was positively thrilled and had adorned herself more beautifully than ever!
‘This girl has fallen hard. Very hard indeed.’
He swallowed a bitter smile and cleared his throat.
“Yes, you look lovely.”
Then he withdrew a Blackwood Box and placed it in Dang So Yeon’s hands.
“So Yeon. These are your mother’s keepsakes. Please use them to protect yourself thoroughly, and be cautious in all things.”
It was a father’s heartfelt plea as he sent his daughter away to distant lands.
Dang So Yeon opened the box and gazed tenderly at the Flying Daggers, glittering like starlight.
“Don’t worry. I’ll do well.”
With practiced movements, she drew the daggers and slipped them into hidden pockets concealed at her slim waist, wrists, and ankles.
She cut the figure of a Sichuan Dang Clan heir, bearing a subtle, lethal presence.
Then, leading the thirty poison experts before her, she approached Namgung Gyeong.
“We meet for the second time since the Yongbong Gathering. I’m counting on you.”
Namgung Gyeong recognized her at once and clasped his hands together in delight.
“Ah! You are the young lady of the Dang Clan who was my master’s partner in the trials at Cheonju Mountain! I swear on my life I will escort you safely to Cheonju Mountain!”
Soon, amid the grand farewell from the Dang Clan, they boarded a massive vessel moored at the dock.
Whoooosh—!
With the blast of the ship’s horn, swift passage began against the rough currents of the Yangtze River toward Anhui Province.
Dang So Yeon huddled close beside Namgung Gyeong as he studied the water, bombarding him with questions.
“Dae-ju! So tell me—what tea does the Namgung Clan Head usually drink when he wakes in the morning?”
“Ah, our Clan Head is fond of clear, bitter Dragon Well tea! The sight of him drawing on his tobacco and raising the cup—such grace and majesty I cannot describe!”
“Oh my! Tobacco, you say? And does he eat his meals properly?”
“Of course. Not harmful tobacco, but medicinal herbs rolled up. He eats well, and recently he’s even grown taller than before. Ha ha ha!”
The serious questions about martial arts and training had long since ended; now she asked about his favorite foods, when he woke, even the colors of the clothes he wore—the most trivial matters imaginable.
Namgung Gyeong, seeing it as an opportunity to praise his great Clan Head, even volunteered anecdotes no one had asked for, growing more animated by the moment.
“So our Clan Head flies down from his horse and sweeps across the battlefield, and his form is just like a single—!”
Mid-gesture, waving both arms as he recounted these tales of valor, Namgung Gyeong’s words suddenly caught in his throat.
His gaze landed on Dang So Yeon’s eyes, which shone brilliantly above the veil.
‘Wait. No matter that she’s the successor of our alliance, why would the Young Clan Head of the Dang Clan take such interest in our Clan Head’s intimate daily life?’
Namgung Gyeong tilted his head dubiously, then blurted out a question.
“But Young Clan Head, why are you so interested in our Clan Head?”
“……!!”
Struck at the heart of the matter, Dang So Yeon’s shoulders jolted visibly.
“Th-that is! Well……! Ah, it’s only basic, b-basic practice to understand the temperament of one’s future ally, the Clan Head!”
Flustered, Dang So Yeon stumbled over her words and began backing away in small, shuffling steps.
Across the gauze veil, her neck and earlobes flushed crimson in an instant—unmistakably visible.
Her eyes found nowhere to rest, darting aimlessly through empty air.
Namgung Gyeong, who had been quietly observing her thoroughly suspicious behavior, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
“Could it be……!”
He stepped closer, leaning his face forward intently.
“Eek!”
Terrified that her romantic feelings might be exposed, Dang So Yeon couldn’t hide her dismay and stumbled backward until her back pressed against the ship’s railing.
With her eyes squeezed shut and her gaze averted, she looked every inch the flustered girl.
Namgung Gyeong immediately felt a surge of pride in his keen insight and smiled with unmistakable satisfaction.
“Hehe. I am the Namgung Clan’s finest scout. One glance at those eyes, and I can read what you’re hiding instantly.”
He spoke with absolute confidence.
“So you, too, have come to earnestly admire our Clan Head, just like I have!?”
“……What?”
Dang So Yeon blinked in bewilderment.
“I understand perfectly! How magnificent our Clan Head is! To rise a destroyed clan from ruin at such an age, and that overwhelming vision and charm that brings the greatest masters of the realm to heel! Once you fall under that spell, escape is impossible. Even the Abbot of Shaolin, the Branch Master of the Beggar Clan, and even the Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan are, like me, utterly captivated by the Clan Head’s greatness. Young Clan Head of Sichuan Dang, you must have been moved by his Jade Voice at the Gathering! Welcome, comrade!”
Namgung Gyeong, now utterly intoxicated with fervor, clenched his fists and began pouring forth his paean to the Clan Head.
“Ah~! Great Clan Head who alone upholds the crumbling Azure Heaven~! With a visage like jade, thunder-like majesty and mercy flow from you drop by drop, and with a mere gesture, the wicked demons fall like autumn leaves~! With a frail constitution bearing the suffering of all under heaven, such sublime grace rises higher than Mount Taesan and runs deeper than the Yangtze’s waves~! Praise him, the Azure Heaven Divine Physician! Revere him, the sun of the Namgung Clan~!”
It was a mindless, crystalline madness directed at one person alone.
“…….”
Dang So Yeon felt all strength drain from her legs, and she leaned against the railing.
Rather than relief at not being discovered, a deep exhaustion washed over her at the realization that she was being lumped together with this bright-eyed lunatic.
“Mm, yes. That’s right. Quite so. Remarkable…….”
“Come, sing along with me! Please, Miss!”
“Ah, no, that’s all right. The lyrics are lovely. Do go on.”
Dang So Yeon’s voice trailed off, hollow and distant.
Yet as she listened to Namgung Gyeong’s praises, her heart inexplicably pounded and raced like madness. Sweat seeped from the tips of her fingers where she gripped her collar.
‘What is wrong with me? What could that arrogant, reckless fool possibly—!’
Flustered by emotions unlike herself and by this strange, unfamiliar excitement, she turned her head to gaze down at the water below the boat.
Across the gently rippling surface of the Yangtze, the vast and azure sky cast its shadow like a reflection.
And superimposed over that lingering blue, the young Clan Head’s face appeared unbidden—smiling faintly, wielding his sword.
Dang So Yeon cupped her flushed cheeks in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.
‘I’ve lost my mind. I truly have.’
The long, long unrequited yearning and tribulation of Sichuan’s foremost flower, Dang So Yeon, began to flow fiercely along the current of the Yangtze.

* * *
More than three months had passed since Namgung Gyeong’s departure for Sichuan.
In that time, the Namgung Clan had been steadily strengthening its foundations and achieving remarkable progress.
At the center of it all lay the dedicated assistance of their neighbors.
“When holding the reins, never try to suppress through force alone! You must read the horse’s breath and surrender your body to the beast’s nature!”
“Yes, understood!”
The Horse Grounds, expansively developed at the edges of Namgung territory.
Hwangbo Gang, Ak Jin, and the elite warriors of Taesan, treated as honored guests, were far from idle.
Seasoned in handling fine steeds and traversing rough battlefields, they willingly took on the role of instructors at the Horse Grounds, passing on their Horsemanship to Namgung’s people.
The warriors and servants of Namgung, who by nature revered the sword and lacked skill in handling horses, had always been at a disadvantage.
But thanks to the generous instruction of Taesan’s iron cavalry, they could now mount with practiced ease, grip the reins comfortably, and gallop across distance without hindrance.
Namgung’s long-standing weakness—the lack of mobility—was being perfectly remedied through Taesan’s hands.
Whinnnnny—!
A clear horse’s cry rang out from the center of the dusty grounds.
It was Jeol Young, the pristine white steed that led the herd with proud bearing.
‘He’s truly found his place here,’ I thought with a small smile from where I watched at a distance.
When I first brought Jeol Young from Taesan, I had left him unbridled, letting him roam freely throughout and beyond the territory, careful not to break his wild spirit.
It was a silent permission—he could flee to the mountains whenever he wished, and I would not stop him.
Yet this intelligent and proud beast, rather than escape, had settled himself firmly into Namgung’s Horse Grounds as though it were his own front yard.

Instead, he subdued the others with strength and spirit, and carried on confidently in the role of leader.
“Shrieeee—!”
At that moment, a black silhouette plummeted from the sky like an arrow, following the sharp whistle that cut through the air.
Thump-thump!
A massive raptor folded its wings with grace on the wind, settling lightly onto my shoulder padded with thick leather arm guards.
I stroked the feathers of the hawk perched on my shoulder with gentle praise.
“Well done.”
What Namgung Gyeong had gained was not merely Horsemanship.
From the survivors of the Seomun Clan, he had begun in earnest to learn how to train and handle the beasts of the sky—hawks.
On the slopes of Cheonju Mountain, he had established an Eagle House where the hawks could dwell, and managed their food and surroundings with meticulous care.
He could not yet handle them as perfectly as Seomun did, and there were still many rough edges.
Yet they already proved their worth as eyes and ears for maintaining contact across great distances and for scouting the enemy’s movements.
‘There is no need to rush. As time passes, both beast and man will grow accustomed.’
With a solid foundation laid, it was simply a matter of tempering it over time.
Next, I called for Jeol Young.
The creature who had served as leader came bounding over like an arrow and nuzzled his head against me.
I leapt lightly onto Jeol Young’s broad back.
Then I rode through the streets of Namgung, making my rounds of inspection.
Residents greeted me with bright, vital faces.
Craftsmen striking hot iron, wiping sweat from their brows.
And martial artists honing their skills with spirited shouts.
Everything turned without error on the board I had laid out.
“Clan Head! Clan Head!!”
An urgent cry broke through that peaceful inspection.
I turned my head to see Dang Suk, who oversaw the trading company, rushing toward me with silk robes fluttering, his breath coming hard.
“What’s all the fuss?”
Dang Suk caught his breath and answered in a bright voice.
“A ship—! The merchant vessel that sailed out on the Yangtze River has finally entered the Pier! Word has come that our scout has returned safely from Sichuan!”
“I see. Understood.”
Research into countering the Corpse Demon’s virulent poison was the most urgent matter at hand.
‘Did the Sichuan Dang Clan truly bite the bait?’
Considering the closed-off nature of such a family, the possibility of refusal was not negligible.
But with the threat of the Blood Sect and the practical value of a method to counter Corpse Demons, any Clan Head with true insight would have made the choice.
‘If they sent someone, who could it be? The obstinate, stubborn elders of a clan with every door sealed tight would be tiresome to manage, but if their knowledge is solid, that matters little.’
Whoever it was, I would extract every ounce of value. I smiled with a sharp edge and gripped Jeol Young’s reins tightly.
“Let’s head to the Pier.”
Hiiii-yah! Jeol Young pawed the ground with vigor, and we galloped toward the Pier where the flags of Namgung fluttered in the wind.

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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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