The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 60

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

Heavenly Demon Under the Azure Sky, Episode 60
The moment we crossed the main gate of the compound, I summoned Seol Hwa, who managed the household.
“The guests from the Dang Clan have arrived. Show them to their quarters.”
“Oh my, you must have had such a tiring journey from so far away. Please, come this way.”
Seol Hwa guided them with a warm smile to an independent pavilion.
The rooms were arranged neatly around a spacious courtyard flooded with sunlight, and the interior was perfectly appointed with the finest bedding woven from Sky Silk, familiar tea to ease the homesickness of those from Sichuan, and refreshments to match.
Above all, the women and attendants who helped with the Namgung household’s affairs approached the foreign visitors without a trace of wariness, welcoming them with genuine warmth as they took their luggage.
“My goodness, you’ve come all the way from distant Sichuan? If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask at any time.”
At such genuine hospitality, the sharp eyes of the Dang Clan’s talents softened visibly.
The unease of leaving home for an unfamiliar place seemed to melt away in an instant, and all of them bore unmistakable expressions of satisfaction.
Next, I called for Yeon Hwa, my second sister.
“The research laboratory?”
“Already prepared!”
As the door adjoining the quarters opened, gasps of wonder burst from the lips of every member of the Dang Clan.
Ingenious ventilation systems had been installed in the ceiling and walls to prevent toxic fumes from accumulating, and broad work tables carved from sturdy green stone resistant to corrosion were arranged in perfect rows and columns.
In one corner stood a specially crafted fire furnace capable of fine temperature control and an array of bottles in various sizes.
Everything was prepared with such meticulous attention that they could begin their research at once without lack of anything.
“What do you think? This place was constructed with special care under the Clan Head’s direct orders,” Yeon Hwa added with a smile, turning toward Dang So Yeon.

“If during your research you find anything that needs reinforcement, or if there are any special tools you require, please tell me anytime. The Namgung workshops will have them ready for delivery the very same day.”
Dang So Yeon ran her fingertips over the facilities of the workspace and expressed deep admiration.
“Compared to the main compound of the Dang Clan, this environment loses nothing in comfort and cleanliness.”
Finally, I led the Dang Clan’s talents to a spacious training ground.
“This is the training ground. Even those who work with poisons sometimes need to loosen their stiff bodies. Feel free to use it anytime.”
At my call, Yoo Hwa, my eldest sister, who had been overseeing practice in one corner of the training ground, sheathed her sword and approached lightly.
Behind her, the Hyomyeong Squad stood in perfect formation.
“These are the masters of the Dang Clan. Simply training together with them will be excellent experience for you. Don’t discriminate against them for being outsiders—seek their instruction.”
When a great clan becomes absorbed only in its own ways, it eventually becomes a frog in a well.
I wished for them to gain diverse experience so they could respond to any adversary.
“We’ll do our best!”
Yoo Hwa and the Hyomyeong Squad took their formal stances with perfect posture and bowed with respect.
The warriors of the Sichuan Dang Clan likewise greeted them properly, impressed by the clear and solid spirit that radiated from the young talents of the Namgung.
I stared down at Dang So Yeon, who stood there vacantly, and asked.
“Well? At this level of treatment, you won’t pack your bags and flee, will you?”
At my blunt question, Dang So Yeon’s shoulders flinched and she quickly looked away.
“Well… it’s not unsatisfactory.”
Though she spoke coldly on the surface, her cheeks above the face veil flushed a delicate pink, betraying her joy.
That was precisely the moment.
My three sisters, having finished their duties as guides, had gathered around me.
As sisters rather than household manager and instructor, they had much to be curious about.
Their bright, eager eyes all fixed on the familiar blue Long Robe draped across Dang So Yeon’s shoulders.
“Oh my!”
“Good heavens!”
My sisters let out cheers of delight, their hands rushing to cover their mouths as if by prior arrangement.
“Our youngest has learned to care for a woman! Look how he’s grown, how he’s grown!”
“She simply came in thin clothing, so I lent it to her. If she caught cold in an unfamiliar place and it disrupted her research, that would become my problem. It was merely a practical preventive measure to avoid such an annoyance.”
Though I offered the most rational and calculating reason, my sisters let my words go in one ear and out the other.
“In any case, you were thoughtful enough to consider her difficulty first! Our brother always seems gruff on the surface, but his heart is deeper and more tender than anyone’s.”
And so began another spell of that damnable infatuation.
My sisters gazed at me with satisfaction, then turned their attention to Dang So Yeon.
“You must be the young lady of the Dang Clan, yes? We’ve heard all about how you helped our brother at the Yongbong Gathering. We’re truly grateful to you.”
“My, how beautiful you are. And to think you risked danger and came in person to help the Namgung—your character is every bit as lovely as your appearance.”
At the sisters’ unending barrage of praise, Dang So Yeon became flustered and waved her hands in protest.
“No, no. Rather, it is I who am indebted to the Namgung Clan Head for saving my life. I’m not such a righteous person. I only came forward for the benefit of my clan…”
But the moment they heard these words, my sisters’ eyes grew even brighter.
“Oh my, even the way you answer is just like our brother!”
“That humble denial, making excuses about profit and benefit to hide your embarrassment!”
The infatuation that had begun with me had now spread to Dang So Yeon.
They began pouring forth earnest, private questions.
“Say, what did you usually think of our brother? Rough as he may seem, he’s truly made of quality stuff inside.”
“Is there perhaps someone from the Dang Clan with whom you’ve already exchanged marriage vows? Or perhaps someone you’ve grown fond of?”
“If there’s no one like that… what do you think about spending time with our youngest brother going forward? We hold him dearer than anyone else in the world, and we’re quite cautious about women of loose character approaching him, but if someone genuine and refined like you were to show interest, we’d welcome it with open arms!”
At this point, most people would have lost their nerve and fled, but Dang So Yeon’s response was far from ordinary.
“Well, I… that is… there’s no one I’ve exchanged vows with. As for someone I’m fond of…”
Her trembling eyes darted toward me in a brief, furtive glance.
Was she seeking help in her predicament?
“Stop making a fuss. I’m merely here as a member of the Dang Clan carrying out an important task.”
As I stepped forward to separate my sisters, Dang So Yeon blocked my path as though that weren’t the case at all.
Normally she would have bristled at the commotion, but instead she seemed to be holding back delight.
“I can ensure the Dang Clan’s name is upheld through completing my mission competently. What I do with my remaining time and whom I spend it with is hardly something the Namgung Clan Head should meddle in or decide, is it?”
After directing that sharp retort at me, she gazed at Namgung Gyeong’s three sisters—whose hands she now clasped tightly—as though they were reliable reinforcements, her eyes bright with hope.
“I’ve always been an only child and longed for kind older sisters. I look forward to knowing you all better.”
Her smile was refined and endearing, the acerbic edge she usually wore nowhere to be found.
The Dang Clan warriors standing behind her were the ones truly startled by this unfamiliar transformation.
“I-is that really our Young Clan Head?”
“Heavens… the very woman counted among Sichuan’s most notorious hellions, and she’s transformed into a meek lamb the moment she arrived at Namgung…”
Shocked murmurs from the masked Dang warriors reached my ears.
‘This is maddening.’
I pressed my palm to my throbbing brow, watching Dang So Yeon and my sisters laugh together in perfect harmony.
An unwelcome expansion of my burdens. Yet it was certainly preferable to an antagonistic dynamic of constant vigilance and opposition.
At least she’d be far easier to manage this way.
I exhaled sharply, then clapped my hands to refocus the atmosphere.
“Social pleasantries can wait. Now that all necessary preparations are in place, we must press forward with developing the antidote in earnest. Come inside.”
I gestured toward Doctor Baek, who was waiting in the research chamber.
“Clan Head, these are the items you requested.”
I slid the bottle he handed me across to Dang So Yeon.
“This is infected blood we extracted while treating the Seomun Clan Head previously. I’d like you to use it as your starting point.”
As the bottle’s stopper came free, a blackened, putrid mass of blood became visible inside.
It was a sight repugnant enough to make an ordinary person retch, yet the Dang Clan’s talented alchemists instead leaned in with gleaming eyes, beginning to carefully analyze the poison’s color and scent.
Dang So Yeon likewise wore a grave expression as she withdrew a silver needle and pricked the blood for examination.
Then she nodded toward me, her smile radiating confidence.
“No poison under heaven can elude the Sichuan Dang Clan. We’ll provide a perfect antidote—you can count on it.”
Beneath Namgung’s starlit sky, the Sichuan Dang Clan’s research began in earnest.
The true first step toward dismantling the Blood Cult was underway.
* * *
Time passed.
With the Sichuan Dang Clan’s arrival, the antidote research progressed smoothly.
Yet it was far too early to rest satisfied.
Breaking the poison would not end everything.
The real threat that loomed was the Jinjueon Clan’s previous Clan Head and his renowned masters, transformed into Corpse Demons and unleashed against us.
In life, they had been monsters who dominated the Martial World itself; now, clad in lethal venom and indestructible flesh, they were even more formidable.
Beyond that, we would face sorcerers who controlled Corpse Demons and skilled assassins besides.
Growing stronger was the only way to improve our chances of victory, however slightly.
I gathered my training supplies and headed deep into the remote forests of Cheonju Mountain.
Whoosh—! Crash—!
My Sword Strike rent through the dense woodland, violent wind surging in its wake.
As leaves scattered downward, I drew upon my Dantian’s reserves and intensified my training. My entire body was drenched in sweat by now.
“Screee—!”
A familiar cry sounded overhead, and a hawk descended in a graceful arc.
It landed lightly upon my shoulder, its beak brushing gently against my cheek.
‘That’s the creature that led the way when we went to rescue the Seomun Clan not long ago.’
I wiped away sweat and stroked the bird’s smooth feathers; it seemed pleased, its eyes closing contentedly.
Just then, the underbrush in the direction the hawk had come suddenly rustled and parted.
“Ha, I wondered why the creature was flying off in such haste—so it was heading toward the Namgung Clan Head after all.”
The figure that emerged from the undergrowth was Seomun Ho, the Seomun Clan Head.
He still moved with a walking stick to support his injured leg.
Yet his recovery had progressed considerably, and his stride carried noticeably greater strength.
“Taking a stroll?”
“Indeed. The air of Cheonju Mountain is so pure and rejuvenating—perfect for restoring one’s vitality. I do hope I haven’t interrupted your training.”
Seomun Ho regarded the hawk perched on my shoulder with affectionate eyes.
“Truth is, I raised the creature myself, along with my son. Being a spiritual creature, it’s particular about people—yet seeing how readily it follows you, Clan Head, it seems the beast senses something in you that reminds it of its former master.”
In the tail of his words lay the deep longing of a father who had buried his son in his heart.
“I have no children, so I cannot fully understand the sorrow you feel as a clan head.”
Then, gazing into the empty air, he continued matter-of-factly.
“But having died, I understand now. The end of one life does not mean everything ends completely. Your son, the heir of the Seomun Clan, has surely woven himself into the fabric of a new existence and is living splendidly somewhere.”
It was something only I could say.
But Seomun Ho’s reaction to my words was strange.
His eyes widened suddenly, then reddened as thick tears began to well up.
My blunt statement—that I had died.
To Seomun Ho, who could know nothing of my circumstances, those words seemed to mean that I had already experienced heartbreak and soul-shattering sorrow in my youth, when the Blood Cult’s assault claimed my parents and my clan faced a Clan Annihilation Crisis.
“Clan Head Namgung…….”
Seomun Ho murmured, his voice choked.
“To offer me consolation, you lay bare your own tragic past and suffering, and bestow such warm comfort upon me…….”
He then wiped his reddened eyes with his sleeve and bowed his head deeply.
“A young clan head’s words of solace move an old man to tears. It is moving indeed.”
“Well—no, I wasn’t offering sympathy, I actually died for real…….”
I tried to correct him, my face flushing with embarrassment, but Seomun Ho’s eyes were already shrouded in ten layers of misunderstanding.
“Though your heart was broken and you died once, you still rose again with courage to rebuild the Namgung Clan—therefore, this clan head too shall cast aside despair and hold fast to hope!”
Fire of determination began to blaze in Seomun Ho’s eyes.
Explaining further would only exhaust me. I sighed quietly and simply nodded along.
‘Well, it works. Regardless of whatever he misunderstands, if he persists stubbornly and crushes the Blood Cult, it benefits me as well.’
To change the subject, I glanced down at Seomun Ho’s legs.
“But how is your leg?”
“Ah! Thanks to you, Clan Head, the wound has healed considerably. The strain on my body has lessened greatly, so I can even wield a blade now.”
At those words, my eyes sharpened with keen interest.
Despite being half-dead from Corpse Demon poison, Seomun Ho was still unmistakably a master ruling a Great Clan and a leader of the Orthodox Sects.
He was currently among the Namgung’s most formidable combat assets.
If I took someone of such caliber as my training partner? I could grow far stronger than I do now.
A deep smile gradually spread across my face.
“As it happens, I was just in need of a strong and seasoned opponent to push my training to its absolute limit.”
I sent the hawk perched on my shoulder soaring into the sky, then slowly drew my beloved sword, the Qinghai Qu Yue.
Shring—!
With the blade’s clear ring, the forest air grew crisp and cool.
Then, leveling the sword’s point toward Seomun Ho, I spoke with easy confidence.
“I hear that the Namgung and Seomun are Great Clans bearing the Four Divine Beings of the Martial World, and have always been compared as rivals for the first sword. So—shall we test ourselves properly?”

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