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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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A madman with clear eyes suddenly approached me, talking about killing and offering me a flower. The entire situation felt like a surreal nightmare, so I turned and ran.
First, escape…!
This guy is completely insane!
“Hey, Screaming Demon! Where are you going?!”
He started chasing me. I had to escape no matter what. Who knows what would happen if I got caught by this guy?
“Aha! You’re luring me in so you can kill me as cruelly as possible!”
What the hell is he talking about?!
“Screaming Demon! Calm down! I don’t want to fight you!”
And why is he calling me Screaming Demon?
I glanced back while running, gauging the distance between us. I didn’t want to find out what would happen if he caught me.
“Huh.”
But looking closely, his running wasn’t that great.
Wait a minute. Did this guy not learn Light Footwork?
That meant he wasn’t a master. He was likely a martial artist of similar or slightly lower skill level than me. Having reached that conclusion, I hit the brakes.
When I stopped, he stopped too.
“Who are you?”
I asked casually, glancing back.
“Huff, huff! My apologies for the late introduction!”
He exclaimed, catching his breath.
“I am from the Heretical Path Alliance’s…”
Heretical Path Alliance?!
If the Orthodox Martial Alliance represented the righteous sects, the Heretical Path Alliance represented the evil sects!
Even the Beggars’ Sect wasn’t classified as evil, was it? The Heretical Path Alliance was an organization of those kinds of people, gathered and honed through the struggle for solitude, eventually becoming stagnant. A gathering of the most wicked trash in existence.
Why was he after me?
“…branch’s branch’s branch… Anyway! I am Galbijong from the Black Finance Clan!”
“Galbijong of the Black Finance Clan?”
Not directly from the Heretical Path Alliance, but from some distant branch?
“We’re a clan specializing in finance. We lend money to people and collect interest.”
In short, they were a clan that profited from loan sharking.
It went without saying that even in modern Earth, illegal loan sharking wasn’t protected by law. So how would it be in Ming Dynasty China? To lend money and collect interest, you needed power.
And to command powerful martial artists, you needed a lot of money. Naturally, their interest rates soared to murderous levels.
“So… you’re in the loan sharking business.”
“That’s right.”
I spoke with feigned seriousness, and he replied with a smile.
“So, what about the Heretical Path Alliance?”
“Ah, I wanted to talk about that. First, would you accept this flower?”
He was still holding that thing?
“I heard a rumor that you, Screaming Demon, carry flowers in both hands. I figured you liked flowers, so I brought one.”
What the…
I’ve never carried flowers in both hands… Wait. I do have two beauties, Martial Arts Flower One and Two, by my side. Perhaps this rumor got twisted into that.
He had investigated rumors about me, meaning he had intentionally approached me after gathering information. Come to think of it, this clear-eyed madman’s attitude was strangely favorable. Friendly, even. He even brought a flower.
Did he want some kind of amicable connection with me? I was a famous martial artist with a title. While this type of encounter was a first, it wasn’t strange.
But what was this Screaming Demon thing?
I’m Demon Slayer(Nachalsal).
“Plant the flower there. I love nature.”
“Ah! I’ll plant it right away!”
He hurriedly dug a hole, carefully planted the flower, and covered it with soil. Then, after smoothing the ground, he gave a satisfied expression and presented his hands as if to show me, pointing at the planted flower.
“Good.”
Of course, the flower wouldn’t grow.
The stem was broken.
“I’m glad you’re satisfied. Anyway… Screaming Demon, I’d like to have a serious conversation with you. Let’s have a drink. I’ll treat you.”
Was it a trap?
Honestly, I didn’t know what kind of guy he was, but he had intentionally approached me. I didn’t think it would end even if I cut him off here, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to gather some information in return.
“Follow me.”
“Thank you!”
He brightened at my weighty words.
I should maintain this aura of authority.
Judging by how he was calling me by the ominous title Screaming Demon, he seemed to consider me a master.
I immediately went to the inn where Jaemison was staying. While entering, I subtly relayed a message to the waiter. I told him there was an outsider, so someone upstairs should observe the situation.
If Jaemison was there, he would watch us from the second floor.
“Is this where you’re staying?”
“Not really. Sit down.”
“Alright. Waiter, bring us some drinks and snacks.”
“Yes, sir!”
I sat facing Galbijong.
Alright, let’s hear why this loan shark was looking for me. But could I even talk to him? His gaze was still intense, and there was a strange friendliness about him.
Like a confident cult member.
“Let me introduce myself again. I am Galbihjong of the Black Finance Clan. And as I mentioned earlier about the Heretical Path Alliance, if you trace the Black Finance Clan’s upper branches, you’ll find the Heretical Path Alliance. I came to Anhui Province to carry out an order from the Heretical Path Alliance.”
A fairly coherent explanation for a madman.
“A coherent explanation.”
“Ah! I get that a lot!”
Was he weak to compliments?
Galbijong beamed and his eyes sparkled.
“Does that order have anything to do with me?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“Explain.”
Galbijong’s expression turned serious.
“As I said, I came here to carry out an important mission from the Heretical Path Alliance. To be specific, it’s to gather information about the Four Heavenly Maidens.”
“Oh, the Four Heavenly Maidens.”
The Four Heavenly Maidens were said to be terrifying witches, infamous enough to be called enemies of the Central Plains. Even the Ming imperial family was after them.
Even the Transcendent Realm master, Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, was wary of them, meaning they were treated worse than most rebel groups.
So the Heretical Path Alliance was after the Four Heavenly Maidens now?
“Screaming Demon, you killed the Demon in the labyrinth, didn’t you? The information I gathered suggests that the one who caused that incident was the Four Heavenly Maidens.”
“I know. Do you want to ask me about that?”
“No… not really. While my mission is to gather information about the Four Heavenly Maidens in the Anhui Province area, I don’t particularly need your testimony, Screaming Demon.”
Indeed, coherent.
I didn’t know anything anyway.
“Then?”
“Whatever the case, to gather information about the Four Heavenly Maidens in this area, I need to create a faction.”
“That’s true.”
“Oh! Exactly! You understand!”
I merely added a small interjection, and his eyes became even clearer. This was definitely not the gaze of an evil sect martial artist. It was pure, innocent madness.
Sparkle sparkle.
His eyes were so bright, one might believe they held Sword Qi and Internal Energy.
“I intend to create such a faction. And I want to recruit and invite you, Screaming Demon.”
What?
He wanted to invite me to his faction?
But this guy was from the Heretical Path Alliance’s branch, so he was an evil sect member.
“I already know that you, Screaming Demon, annihilated the Amtobang. Because of that, the black sect members in this area are trembling in fear.”
Really?
“Your original title was Demon Slayer, but after this incident, it changed to the terrifying Screaming Demon. The black sect members fear you that much. If you and I join forces and create a faction at a time like this, we can quickly gather the frightened black sect members and build quite a large faction!”
His eyes are too pure…!
“Using that enlarged faction, we can gain influence while simultaneously gathering information on the Four Heavenly Maidens.”
Despite his pure eyes and mad demeanor, he had a firm vision and plan.
I was secretly shocked.
Weren’t evil sect martial artists supposed to be stupid, violent, and wicked trash? But this Galbijong, despite seeming crazy, had a strong will and drive.
Then this was a true man.
“This will be quite profitable for you too. I don’t intend to treat you like a mere foot soldier. Screaming Demon…! Just hearing that name evokes awe! If you accept my offer, I will treat you as my elder brother!”
Elder brother!
He would treat me as his elder brother!
This was a very tempting offer. Just imagining myself joining a martial arts faction and being called “elder brother” made my shoulders shake with excitement.
But I wasn’t a yes-man who would blindly agree.
I understood that this madman, impressed by my title, wanted to recruit me into his information-gathering faction. However, he was essentially a loan shark from the Heretical Path Alliance. Not only could I not trust him, but I didn’t know what his faction would actually do.
He said he would search for the Four Heavenly Maidens, but… wasn’t that dangerous too? Whatever it was, the search was just a side gig. It was likely the faction would engage in other shady activities for profit.
As a righteous chivalrous warrior, I couldn’t join such a place.
However, if I expressed my honest feelings, this man’s friendly madness might turn hostile.
Sparkle sparkle.
He was still looking at me with clear eyes, as if he had stepped out of a pure romance comic.
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