The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 13

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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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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 013
Young Ho Bin’s Exploits
Late into the night, two disciples of the Il-Wol Divine Sect Headquarters gathered in secret, away from prying eyes. Both wore black martial robes and masks that concealed their faces.
“The enforcers from White Tiger Palace are drawing closer to the truth.”
“Then we must act tonight. With the Sect Leader in closed-door cultivation, there will never be a better opportunity.”
The two figures conversing in hushed tones were Im Gang Hou and Jo Chun Sa.
Standing apart from them, Jo Cheong Ryu gazed intently at the distant residence of the Sect Leader’s family—Jeokwol Palace.
The eastern gate of Jeokwol Palace offered the shortest route to the Minor Sect Leader’s Quarters.
At the point where Jo Cheong Ryu stared with unwavering focus, two martial artists stood guard at the eastern gate.
Suddenly, the guard on the left staggered and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
“Hey, are you alright?”
The other guard, moving forward to check on his companion, managed only a few steps before stumbling forward himself.
“Now, brothers—move!”
Im Gang Hou, Jo Chun Sa, and Jo Cheong Ryu sprang into action at the signal.
Before the poisoned guards could regain consciousness, each had a hidden blade driven through their throat, their lives extinguished. Then the three assassins rushed forward once more.
A single thought consumed each of their minds.
‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—tonight we accomplish our great deed!’
These three were the final sleeper agents the Martial Alliance had embedded within the Il-Wol Divine Sect.
Not long ago, their plan to assassinate the Minor Sect Leader during the Grand Sect Gathering—with the eyes of all Kangho upon them—had failed.
The Minor Sect Leader’s strength, or more precisely his talent, exceeded even their darkest expectations.
Left unchecked, he would inevitably grow into a supreme demon lord of Kangho, surpassing even the current Sect Leader Baek Mu Myeong.
Should that come to pass, the order of Kangho that the Martial Alliance had maintained would crumble beyond repair.
‘We shall eliminate the Demonic Cult’s Minor Sect Leader and eradicate this threat!’
Fortunately, the assassin had perished in the attempt, so the identities of the other sleeper agents embedded in the Divine Sect remained concealed.
They had hidden their true identities and waited for their moment.
The airtight security surrounding the Minor Sect Leader had not loosened with the passage of time.
Yet after extensive preparation, they had managed to poison the meals of the Wol Young Wei martial artists standing guard, using a toxin that would trigger convulsions at a precise hour.
With all ten guards now incapacitated, the Minor Sect Leader’s defenses were effectively nonexistent.
Thwack! Thwack!
As the three assassins crossed the back garden, passed through the main hall and corridors, hidden blades danced in their wake. Each time, the guards fell without even a cry, their breath stolen away.
Jo Cheong Ryu gazed upon the Minor Sect Leader’s Quarters before him, and seeing the two guards collapsed at the entrance, a smile of triumph crossed his face.
The moment of their great accomplishment was within reach.
Jo Cheong Ryu raised his blade to strike a vital point on one of the guards lying there, foam at his lips.
That was when it happened.
CRACK!!!
A violent impact struck without warning, and Jo Cheong Ryu’s vision exploded with light as the world spun violently around him.
‘Who is this?’
Who is it?
‘We eliminated all the guards—how is this possible?’
Im Gang Hou and Jo Chun Sa, unable to spare a glance for their fallen companion, immediately assumed their battle stance.
In the darkness, the tall man who had kicked Jo Cheong Ryu aside and blocked the entrance to the Minor Sect Leader’s Quarters stepped forward one pace at a time.
“Appearing before the Master’s residence with a blade drawn… How troublesome. You should have simply asked to be killed.”
He drew a long sword from the scabbard at the waist of the unconscious martial artist, and the man coming gradually into view was….
‘A servant?’
Strangely enough, he was dressed in a servant’s garments.

* * *
I lay upon my bed, gazing at the moon visible through the window.
I could not say whether others experienced the same.
There are nights when closing one’s eyes allows thoughts to cascade endlessly, and despite the desire for sleep, the mind grows ever sharper as time passes.
Tonight was such a night.
‘Tomorrow will be another grueling day—I should sleep soon. But what is happening outside?’
I bolted upright in bed, seized by an inexplicable premonition.
Though faint, I had heard someone running in the distance for some time now.
Or rather, it was less a sound than a presence I could sense.
The cultivation of Hyeon Ma Gyeong had sharpened my perception of qi, allowing me to detect presences I could not have perceived before.
I could now be certain that three or four people were moving just outside my chamber.
Sleep had completely fled, and an ominous dread sent shivers down my spine.
Then.
“Kill them!”
A murderous shout was followed by the clash of steel upon steel.
‘Surely it will be fine? The guards are stationed all around….’
Yet upon reflection, the situation was far from reassuring.
The sounds came from directly outside my chamber.
Three or four martial artists should be standing constant guard nearby, yet someone had breached this far….
‘Something is wrong. If a battle is truly unfolding outside, I cannot simply remain idle.’
Without further hesitation, I retrieved the long sword hanging on one side of my chamber and grasped it firmly.
Then I strode toward the door from which the sounds emanated.
My legs trembled and my heart pounded, yet the more it did, the sharper my mind became, and an inexplicable force seemed to surge from within my chest.
Click.
When I opened the door, the first sight before my eyes was two guards lying unconscious on the ground in front of it.
Clang! Clang!
And at some distance away, two men dressed in the black martial robes worn by Divine Sect disciples during night operations were wielding their blades.
And facing them in combat was none other than Young Ho Bin.
“Minor Sect Leader! Leave this to me and remain inside!”
The moment I appeared, Young Ho Bin cried out thus, yet he deftly faced both men simultaneously without showing the slightest sign of being pressed back.
The two martial artists unleashed their blades toward Young Ho Bin with terrifying momentum.
Yet each time Young Ho Bin countered with his own blade, he was gradually forced backward.
Whoosh!
Soon Young Ho Bin’s sword swept in a great arc, and blood sprayed from the upper body of one of the martial artists.
Another martial artist immediately raised his sword and thrust it toward Young Ho Bin, but Young Ho Bin moved with agility, deflecting the blade before piercing the man’s body with his vertically held sword.
In that instant, Young Ho Bin had already felled two men.
“Urraaagh!”
“!!”
Another man in black martial robes, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly rose to his feet and charged straight at me with a fierce cry.
If I didn’t evade, I would die.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my body reacted of its own accord.
Whoosh.
I pivoted smoothly and extended my right foot forward.
The black-robed man’s sword grazed past my torso, and in that same instant, he tripped over my leg at full speed and tumbled forward with a heavy thud.
His long sword clattered to the ground with a metallic ring.
“Minor Sect Leader!!”
At that moment, a figure who had hurriedly arrived at the doorway leading a group of martial artists was Jang Hyeon Do, the Gwangmyeong Left Elder of the Divine Sect.
Jang Hyeon Do stared in shock at the bloodied men scattered throughout the chamber.
“Ugh.”
The man I had knocked down was crawling across the floor, reaching toward the long sword he had dropped.
Jang Hyeon Do rushed toward me and cried out urgently.
“Kill him!”
A long sword was in my hand, and for reasons I couldn’t explain, the man who had tried to kill me was crawling across the floor trying to grasp his own blade.
In my mind, I knew I should do as he said.
Just as the Minor Sect Leader had done before I possessed this body, I should strike down the assassin who had tried to kill me in a single blow.
That was surely the image of a Minor Sect Leader these people expected.
Yet I found myself unable to do so.
“Minor Sect Leader!”
I approached the assassin while hearing Jang Hyeon Do’s cry.
I kicked the long sword the assassin was reaching for far away.
After stepping back a few paces, Young Ho Bin suddenly appeared at my side.
“My lord, what are your orders? Shall I kill him?”
Young Ho Bin held a long sword in his hand.
If I found it difficult, I could simply give Young Ho Bin a single command.
But before I could think deeply, my mouth opened of its own accord.
“Don’t kill him. Capture him alive.”
“Yes!”
Young Ho Bin twisted the fallen man’s arms behind his back, rendering him immobile.
Soon the martial artists who had appeared with Jang Hyeon Do rushed at the assassin in unison.
Some kicked the assassin, others gagged his mouth, and they bound both his hands with rope.
The assassin, now unable to move, groaned and glared at me with terrifying eyes.
Jang Hyeon Do approached me and asked.
“Minor Sect Leader… are you injured?”
“I’m fine.”
“Fortunate indeed. You there! Inform the Sect Leader of this incident at once, and issue orders to summon the Eight Luminaries.”
“Yes!”

* * *
The Sect Leader, who had been in seclusion for cultivation, emerged immediately to the Council Chamber in the Great Hall upon receiving Woo Sa’s report.
There, I, Young Ho Bin, the captured Assassin, and everyone else present awaited the Sect Leader.
Watching the Sect Leader enter with an expressionless face, I felt the greatest tension since my rebirth.
In the silence where no one spoke, the Sect Leader seated at the head position touched his chin with his left hand and opened his mouth.
“I’ve heard what happened. Minor Sect Leader….”
“Yes, Father.”
Just moments ago, the Minor Sect Leader had faced death at the hands of the Assassin.
At that time, the Minor Sect Leader had been stabbed first by the blade, yet still managed to harm the Assassin in return.
Even then, the Sect Leader had told the Minor Sect Leader, who had narrowly escaped death, that he was “disappointed.”
The reason being that despite having the opportunity to kill the Assassin first, he had shown mercy and ended up suffering for it instead.
So then, what would the Sect Leader think about this incident…?
“This time, you did quite well.”
“…!”
Yet there was an unmistakable note of satisfaction in the Sect Leader’s words.
I listened intently to what the Sect Leader had to say without uttering a word.
“When you suddenly declared you would use Young Ho Bin as a servant, everyone thought your action strange. But so this was your scheme all along.”
The Sect Leader spoke thus while nodding his head with evident admiration.
Not only I, but everyone present was equally bewildered by his meaning.
“Those villains poisoned the meals of the escort martial artists, causing them all to be poisoned at once. You discovered this security flaw and disguised Young Ho Bin, whose martial prowess is exceptional, as a servant to guard your residence. Young Ho Bin, am I correct?”
“This humble servant Young Ho Bin reports to the Sect Leader. Though I myself only came to understand the Minor Sect Leader’s intention belatedly, it is true that several hours before the incident occurred, the Minor Sect Leader commanded me to ‘stay alert and guard the residence well today.'”
“Then you had already sensed the existence of these conspirators and anticipated that they would make their move today. Minor Sect Leader, is this the truth?”
No… how could that possibly be?
The Sect Leader’s absurd leap of logic was utterly ridiculous, and I answered immediately.
“Yes, Father, it is so.”
But thinking about it, there was no particular reason to deny it here, was there?
It was true that I had told Young Ho Bin that evening, “Stop spouting nonsense and just guard the house properly.”
The Sect Leader, looking down at the people bursting into admiration with a satisfied expression, added further.
“Your decision not to kill Jo Cheong Ryu was also excellent judgment. Of course, I had already grasped that the Martial Alliance was behind this, but we needed supporting evidence. By capturing a living conspirator, we have gained everything we need. Soon we will be able to hold the Martial Alliance accountable for their actions.”
Of course, one of my reasons for not killing Jo Cheong Ryu was, beyond my desire to avoid murder if possible, precisely this kind of calculation.
Fortunately, capturing him alive proved to be the right decision.
The Sect Leader made no attempt to hide his good mood, displaying a broad smile openly across his face.
At this point, my tension finally eased and I could breathe a sigh of relief.
I had done well today.
“And Young Ho Bin performed just as admirably as you, Minor Sect Leader. What do you say—now that his loyalty and skill are confirmed, shall we promote him to your personal guard?”
“Yes, I shall see it done.”
“Does that suit you, Young Ho?”
“This is an honor beyond compare in my entire life! Thank you, Sect Leader! Minor Sect Leader!”
Upon hearing the Sect Leader’s words, Young Ho Bin was overwhelmed with emotion, repeatedly prostrating himself and offering his gratitude.

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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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