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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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He was different.
Not a fool shouting about family honor,
Nor a madman obsessed with gaining strength.
Just a man living life as it came.
Even when he became her disciple, he showed no particular enthusiasm.
And he was so impudent, constantly questioning everything his revered master said.
‘What are you looking at?’
‘Huh, can’t you tell? I’m looking at the sky.’
He rambled on with such nonsense, like some Daoist priest, that she had to smack him on the head a few times to make him more obedient.
But she couldn’t help but find herself intrigued by her disciple.
Such a peculiar person. She had never met anyone like him.
He didn’t try to impress, nor did he strive for the top.
He didn’t aspire to achieve anything, nor did he covet anything.
He simply trained diligently by her side.
‘Why do you learn martial arts?’
‘Isn’t it obvious? Because you told me to.’
His cheeky response left him limping for a week.
The two years she spent with him… a time that felt eternal.
Their time as master and disciple, which felt like it would last forever, came to an abrupt end one day.
‘Open your eyes! Open your eyes!’
‘Ah, that hurts. I thought I was used to it by now.’
The mark of a sword piercing his chest… she could only watch helplessly as crimson blood poured from the wound.
‘Master…Ah, Master.’
‘Don’t speak! Control your breathing and gather your energy! Hurry!’
‘It’s too late. My dantian is already destroyed.’
‘Ah…’
Confirming his empty dantian, she let out a despairing cry.
‘Don’t cry, Master.’
Her disciple wiped away her tears with his fingertips.
Even as the flame of life dimmed within him, he smiled brightly and spoke.
‘Master, we will meet again someday.’
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“…”
The Heavenly Demon woke up in a cold sweat.
Was it because of the painting she had been hugging?
She pushed it aside and cleared her throat.
“Is anyone there?”
“Y-yes, Cult Leader.”
The little attendant from lunchtime scurried over.
“So, you’re on duty today? What was your name again?”
“It’s Yeon-hwa.”
“Right. So, what time is it?”
“It’s the Hour of the Ox.” [T/N: 1-3 a.m.]
“I can’t sleep. Bring me some light refreshments.”
“Yes.”
A short while later, Yeon-hwa, who was stiff with nerves, brought in the refreshments.
“Sit here.”
The Heavenly Demon stopped the attendant as she turned to leave.
“P-pardon? But…”
“Must I say it twice?”
“…”
The Heavenly Demon nibbled on a candied treat and sipped her tea.
Yeon-hwa fidgeted, unsure how to behave in this situation, but she didn’t dare move.
“Would you like some?”
The Heavenly Demon asked, noticing Yeon-hwa staring at her own hands.
“H-how could I? That’s the Cult Leader’s food.”
“It’s my food, so I can give it to you if I wish. Eat. If you don’t, I’ll personally stuff it down your throat.”
“Thank you.”
With trembling hands, Yeon-hwa picked up a sweet and quickly ate it.
A subtle sweetness spread in her mouth.
“Now, let’s have a chat. What shall we talk about?”
The Heavenly Demon spoke, expecting Yeon-hwa to come up with an entertaining story. Yeon-hwa’s eyes darted around as she searched for a topic.
The Heavenly Demon found her flustered demeanor amusing and watched her for a moment before speaking.
“Never mind. I’ll tell you a story, and you just listen. I’ll tell you about my disciple.”
“Your disciple, Cult Leader?”
“Yes, about my very foolish disciple.”
Even as she said those words, a smile played on her lips.
Yeon-hwa had the blasphemous thought that their cult leader looked like a pure maiden in love.
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The soft moonlight illuminated the room through the window.
“…”
Namgung So-yeon woke up, glanced at the scenery outside, and then looked at the opposite bed.
“Krrrrrrgh… Zzzzzz…”
In-ho was sprawled out, snoring loudly.
He was so deeply asleep that he occasionally scratched his belly.
She didn’t find his appearance unattractive or undignified.
Rather, she found it strangely endearing.
Like a cat fascinated by a new toy, she stared at him with wide eyes.
All the men she had met so far were martial artists.
Men who chanted about righteousness, chivalry, and loyalty like a mantra.
Their pride was so easily wounded that they would engage in life-or-death duels over the smallest things.
She found that foolish.
In that sense, In-ho was intriguing.
He didn’t seem to be a martial artist, but his body was clearly trained.
He seemed to have lived a rough life, yet she occasionally sensed a deep intellect.
He was an enigma, shrouded in mystery.
“He’s an interesting person.”
Just what circumstances led him to be captured by the Demonic Cult?
Could he be someone of noble birth?
She entertained the thought.
That’s why she had suggested they go to the Martial Alliance, as they would have many resources to help him.
But that was also precisely why she was worried.
‘What if the Demonic Cult is after Master Kang…?’
There were no signs of pursuit yet, but if someone came after him, it would be troublesome.
Protecting an ordinary person who didn’t know martial arts while traveling to the Martial Alliance would be a difficult task, even for her.
‘I need to keep a low profile.’
Hoping for a smooth journey ahead, she lay back down and tried to go back to sleep.
“Snooooort… Koff… Kheehee…”
‘This might get annoying.’
Unfortunately, the night was long.
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“Ugh…”
“What’s wrong?”
Despite a seemingly sound sleep, he felt stiff.
His body felt heavy, and his head was spinning. He felt like he was coming down with something.
It wasn’t surprising, given how much he’d been pushing himself.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“Alright. If you don’t feel well, be sure to tell me.”
He knew they were already behind schedule because of him, so he decided to endure as much as he could.
They were crossing a mountain pass. Unlike the wide, well-traveled roads they had been on, today’s path was deserted.
The only people they had encountered so far were two traveling merchants.
The summer sun blazed down relentlessly, and sweat poured from him like rain.
He seemed to be sweating a lot, even for this heat.
His vision blurred slightly.
“Hold it right there.”
A gruff voice called out, and three or four men blocked their path.
Oh, come on.
That was such a clichéd entrance.
“What’s this about?”
When Namgung So-yeon asked the man at the front of the group, he responded with a hearty laugh.
“How dare you try to cross this pass without paying respects to Lord Chae-gang, master of these mountains?”
“Miss Namgung, I think they’re bandits.”
“Yeah, seems like it.”
He whispered, and she replied casually, as if commenting on the weather.
Honestly, he wasn’t particularly scared.
He hadn’t seen her skills in action, but this was Namgung So-yeon, the woman who had barged into the Demonic Cult alone to assassinate the Heavenly Demon.
With her as his companion, what was there to fear?
Or maybe he had simply become indifferent to death.
“We’d rather not cause a fuss. Why don’t you just let us pass?”
When Namgung So-yeon spoke with a bright smile, the bandits burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! A little brat who learned a few moves at some dojo dares to speak to us like that?”
“We’ll kill the man and take the girl for ourselves.”
Those were their last words.
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If you were to ask who was the most skilled at infiltration, assassination, and tracking in the Black Heaven Cult, excluding the Heavenly Demon herself, everyone would unanimously say Shadow Demon.
Countless powerful figures in the martial world had lost their lives at her hands, and eight out of ten never realized they were dying.
What made the righteous sects fear her was her ability to find anyone, no matter where they hid.
Even if they moved their key figures in complete secrecy, they would still be discovered in less than half an hour.
Even with guards, the protected person would be a cold corpse within two days.
Becoming her target meant certain death. Some even said it was better to seek her out and beg for mercy.
For her, tracking In-ho’s trail was child’s play.
After following them to Sichuan, Shadow Demon gave a few coins to an innkeeper and learned the direction they had taken and immediately set off in pursuit.
To prove her vow to the Heavenly Demon wasn’t empty, Shadow Demon closed the distance, now dangerously close to Namgung So-yeon and In-ho.
“Hmm…”
Unlike the clear tracks on the wide, flat roads, today the trail was faint and intermittent, winding through deserted paths.
“I expected them to have a skilled companion, but… not to this extent.”
This was clearly a deliberate attempt to evade pursuit.
She would have to be careful if they clashed.
As she continued down the path, the coppery tang of blood reached her nostrils.
“Bandits? Disposed of efficiently.”
The corpses of the fallen bandits each bore a single, precise sword wound.
A strike so clean, it wouldn’t even have bloodied the blade.
“About an hour from here.”
She murmured after checking the temperature of a wound with her finger.
After taking a deep breath, she channeled her internal energy and kicked off the ground.
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“Master Kang. Wake up.”
Namgung So-yeon was carrying In-ho on her back.
When she turned around after dealing with the bandits, In-ho had collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
He was drenched in sweat and clearly unwell, so she hoisted him onto her back and started running and searched for the nearest doctor.
‘He overexerted himself. If only I hadn’t pushed him so hard.’
Feeling a pang of guilt, she tried to hurry even faster when a tingling sensation alerted her.
“…”
She gently set In-ho down in the shade of a tree and drew her sword.
*Shing*
The clear ring of the blade echoed as she pointed it towards the dense undergrowth.
“Come out.”
“…”
A woman with short black hair emerged from the bushes.
“Shadow Demon…!”
Namgung So-yeon muttered as she saw the woman.
Shadow Demon greeted her with her usual stoic expression.
“It’s been a while, Thunder Sword.”
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