Chapter 20. Sword Demon Clan (1)
“It will take some time before we can arrange contact with the Thousand Arrows Demon Venerable.”
“Until then, continue acting freely as a member of the Black Blood Unit.”
Around dawn, the two of us picked up the clothes we had removed and began getting dressed.
We had settled last night's misunderstanding in a very married-couple-like manner.
“I heard the Deputy Leader of the Black Blood Unit is a complete madwoman.”
“But she seems better than expected.”
“She even gave you an elixir.”
“She is definitely a complete madwoman too.”
I should return to the headquarters before dawn fully arrived.
If I returned too late, the other members might become suspicious.
“Ah, Husband.”
“Hmm?”
Wolyeong took my hand and placed it against her stomach.
I still could not feel the baby's movements.
But the warmth beneath my fingertips shook something deep inside my heart.
“Things will become very difficult from now on.”
“But remember this.”
“You have to become the Prince Consort of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult if you want to protect this child.”
“...Fourteen years ago, I already lost every member of my family.”
“I cannot survive that twice.”
No matter what happened, I would become Prince Consort and protect Wolyeong and our child.
No matter what method I had to use.
“I’ll go.”
“Come back safely.”
When I stepped outside, the Right Envoy was waiting.
Perhaps he had gone hunting overnight.
He was skinning a mountain goat.
“Just in case, there is no need to feel embarrassed.”
“I only returned from hunting a moment ago.”
“You are more considerate than expected.”
“I was an assassin too.”
Too.
Apparently, the Right Envoy had already realized I was once an assassin.
“Did Wolyeong tell you about my background?”
“No.”
“I could tell from the way you move.”
That explained it.
I had wondered how such a huge man could move with such incredible stealth.
I had not expected him to be a senior from the same profession.
“Did you hunt that mountain goat for Wolyeong?”
“Yes.”
“She became safer after moving here, but this place is completely cut off from the outside.”
“Naturally, I must provide food.”
“Next time, bring rabbit meat.”
“She has been craving rabbit since becoming pregnant.”
“I will remember.”
The Right Envoy suddenly threw a flying knife near my feet.
A strange character was engraved on the blade.
“If you ever wish to see Young Miss, come whenever you want.”
“I will tell the Black Blood Unit Leader to allow you to leave freely.”
“Really?”
“Young Miss misses you badly even during normal days.”
“Someone I consider like my own daughter is suffering from lovesickness.”
“It pains me.”
“Leave that matter to me.”
“More importantly...”
The Right Envoy suddenly stood and began loosening his body.
“I am curious about your level.”
“How about a refreshing spar?”
...What did I just hear?
A spar?
With the Guangming Right Envoy?
“Would that not be a teaching match instead?”
“I am not even worth the dirt under your fingernails.”
Crossing hands with a master was a fortuitous encounter in itself.
You never knew what sort of enlightenment you might gain from the movements and martial arts of someone stronger than yourself.
And the Right Envoy was a supreme expert whose level I could not even measure.
In pure martial arts, he was undoubtedly the second strongest person in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
I was going to exchange moves with someone like that?
Was today secretly my birthday?
“If you want to think of it as a teaching match, do so.”
“But both of us were assassins before we were martial artists.”
“We are the kind of people who never learned how to hold back.”
“If you want to gain anything from me, you will need to use everything you have.”
I took the chain-sickle from my waist.
The chain fell to the ground with a metallic rattle.
As I began spinning the weapon, the surrounding air was drawn inward.
“I withdraw what I said about treating this as a teaching match.”
“Then will you approach this like a proper spar?”
“No.”
I swung the chain-sickle toward the Right Envoy's throat.
The chain moved like a living snake, drawing a strange curve through the air.
Third Technique of the Sickle of No Homeland, Hidden Serpent Curved Shadow.
“I will approach this as though it were a battle to the death.”
Hidden Serpent Curved Shadow was extremely difficult to read for someone seeing it for the first time.
Yet the Right Envoy did not even look at the incoming chain.
He twisted his body and avoided it by a distance as thin as a sheet of paper.
“Excellent!”
The Right Envoy charged through the raging chain-sickle like a storm.
Each attack missed him by only the width of a sheet of paper.
A short while later, back at the Black Blood Unit headquarters.
“Ugh.”
“What happened to you, lunatic?”
“Who beat you like that?”
The Deputy Leader barely suppressed her laughter while looking at my bruised body.
“Your entire body is blue.”
“For a moment, I thought you were a corpse that froze to death.”
“Who beat you this badly?”
“Are you really that curious?”
“Of course.”
“I want to buy the person who beat you like a dog a drink.”
Crazy woman.
If she knew who had done this, she would probably faint from shock.
It was a miracle I had come back in one piece.
If Wolyeong had not appeared halfway through and stopped us, it would not have been strange if the Right Envoy had beaten me half to death.
Damn, my entire body ached.
Still, getting beaten had been worth it.
Simply witnessing the Right Envoy's movements had taught me a great deal.
I needed to enter my training room and review that fight as soon as possible.
“Where is the new member, Bi Anso?”
The one calling for me was a thin man dressed like a scholar.
I felt no hostility from him.
Yet his voice was strangely cold enough to send chills down my spine.
The moment the skeletal scholar appeared, the rough members of the Black Blood Unit instantly became meek sheep.
The ones loudly cursing covered their mouths.
The ones who had been rolling around trying to kill each other immediately stood at attention.
The Deputy Leader was the only one who remained relatively relaxed.
“Did you cause some trouble?”
“Why is the Unit Leader looking for you?”
“If he were looking for someone because of trouble, he would be looking for you, not me.”
“That is true.”
She accepted that immediately.
“New member Bi Anso.”
“Are you not here?”
When the scholar-like man called again, the Deputy Leader pushed me forward.
“That would be me.”
“And who are you?”
“Yang Gwa, Leader of the Black Blood Unit.”
“Follow me.”
After leaving behind only those dry words, he walked away.
The Deputy Leader immediately began mocking me.
“I do not know what happened, but it looks like the Unit Leader has his eye on you.”
“You are completely screwed, bastard.”
“Coming from someone without one, you use that word rather freely.”
“I’ll go enjoy some private time with the Unit Leader.”
Seriously.
My life in the Demonic Cult was impossible to become bored with.
“Did you enjoy your unauthorized outing?”
Black Blood Unit Leader Yang Gwa stared at me with shadows extending all the way down his cheekbones.
“It was an order from the Right Envoy.”
“I know.”
“However, my irritation at one of my members leaving without permission is a separate matter.”
The Unit Leader continued stamping documents piled like a mountain while speaking to me.
Perhaps I was not the only reason he was irritated.
“Then should I have refused the Right Envoy's order?”
“An ordinary Black Blood Unit member from the Unorthodox Path?”
“Do not mock me in front of my face.”
“Unless you wish to be expelled from the Black Blood Unit and imprisoned.”
“How strict.”
“The Military Strategy Department already informed me that you were assigned to the Black Blood Unit for special reasons.”
“But that does not remove my authority to imprison you.”
He slid a sheet of paper toward me.
“So I recommend thinking carefully before speaking in front of me.”
The Left Envoy, now this man.
Apparently, scholar-like middle-aged men naturally disliked me.
What was this paper?
It looked like a mission.
“This is the mission you will carry out.”
“I thought members of the Black Blood Unit chose their own missions.”
“Most of the time.”
“However, there are special missions that I personally assign.”
A special mission?
Then it should have a large number of points.
Wait.
“There are no points.”
“What is this?”
“There is another reward instead.”
“What reward?”
“I will allow you to enter the Strong Demon Library once.”
Strong Demon Library.
Right.
I had heard about it.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had three great libraries that stored martial arts manuals.
The Strong Demon Library, which Demon Lords and above could enter.
The Brocade Demon Library, which Demon Venerables and their disciples could enter.
And finally, the Heavenly Demon Library, which required direct permission from the Cult Leader.
“As you know, martial artists of this Cult are divided into four ranks.”
“Demon Soldier, Demon General, Demon Lord, and Demon Venerable.”
“For a Demon Soldier like you to enter the Strong Demon Library is a considerable privilege.”
“You are not wrong.”
“If I were an ordinary Demon Soldier.”
What he said made sense.
But there was still room to demand more.
“As you know, I helped the Deputy Leader capture former Demon Lord Jang Gal.”
“At my level, I do not think I particularly need the Strong Demon Library.”
“How much of the Demon Transformation Pill you received from the Deputy Leader did you absorb?”
Come to think of it, this man had briefly guarded me while I absorbed the pill.
“Why do you ask?”
“You are an outsider.”
“You must have learned martial arts that are not demonic arts.”
“The elixirs of our Cult are refined specifically for demonic martial arts.”
“...”
“When someone who has not learned demonic arts consumes one of our elixirs, they normally absorb only thirty percent of its medicinal power.”
“I absorbed around sixty percent.”
The Unit Leader narrowed his eyes.
“Your talent is insane.”
“It has been a long time since I felt jealous.”
“Thank you.”
“Either way, you need to learn a true Cult heart art.”
“Or at least combine one with your current heart art.”
“If you do not, you will remain only half a member of the Demonic Cult for the rest of your life.”
He was correct.
I needed to be accepted as the Prince Consort of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
And that required more than achievements.
I needed to become a true member of the Cult.
“Do you understand now?”
“For an outsider like you to become a true member of the Cult, completing this mission is the fastest path.”
“...Give me more.”
“What?”
“Looking at the situation, it seems you do not have anyone else suitable for this mission.”
“So stop being stingy and offer more.”
“Do you think the Black Blood Unit has no one except you?”
“Then send the Deputy Leader.”
The Unit Leader's face instantly turned pale.
Apparently, imagining the Deputy Leader handling this mission terrified him.
“Damn it.”
“What do you want?”
“An elixir better than the Demon Transformation Pill.”
“You truly have no shame.”
“You are negotiating with your superior?”
“If you do not like it, send the Deputy Leader.”
“Haah...”
“Damn it.”
“I should retire rather than deal with this.”
“Fine.”
“I promise you a Six Paths Demon Transformation Pill.”
“Satisfied?”
“It is two levels above the Demon Transformation Pill.”
“Long live the Unit Leader.”
“Long live, long live, ten thousand years.”
The Unit Leader let out a disbelieving laugh.
Then he stood and began explaining the mission.
“This mission is also related to the Black and White Demon Venerable's rebellion.”
“The Military Strategy Department has begun investigating whether any of the Six Great Demonic Clans were involved.”
“However...”
The Six Great Demonic Clans.
The descendants of the six founding contributors who had established the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult beside the First Heavenly Demon.
Their influence was great enough that even the Cult Leader could not casually ignore them.
“Investigating the Six Great Demonic Clans without clear justification could create internal conflict within the Cult.”
“So the Military Strategy Department wants someone to quietly infiltrate them and gather information.”
Perfect.
My own goal was to uncover the mastermind behind the rebellion.
This mission aligned directly with my goal.
If things went well, I might even find clues about the hidden traitor.
It would take time before I could approach the Thousand Arrows Demon Venerable anyway.
Investigating the Six Great Demonic Clans while waiting was not a bad idea.
“Do not tell me I have to infiltrate all six clans.”
“The Cult's operations are not that foolish.”
“The place you will infiltrate is the Sword Demon Clan.”
“The Sword Demon Clan?”
Was this fate playing with me?
Right.
The eldest son of the Sword Demon Clan was that bastard.
If I failed to become Prince Consort, he was the man who would marry Wolyeong instead.
“You suddenly began releasing killing intent.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah.”
“My apologies.”
“There is no problem.”
“I am simply overflowing with motivation.”
“...Do not ruin the mission because of personal emotions.”
“Do not worry.”
“Infiltration happens to be one of my specialties.”
The Unit Leader handed me a portrait.
It showed a middle-aged woman.
“This is Lady Woo, the mistress of the Sword Demon Clan.”
“According to the Military Strategy Department, she attended several suspicious meetings beginning a few months before the rebellion.”
“Suspicious meetings?”
“The Military Strategy Department suspects those gatherings were related to the rebellion.”
“Your mission is to approach Lady Woo and learn what those meetings were.”
What a wonderful mission.
“If Lady Woo truly was involved in the rebellion, what happens to the Sword Demon Clan?”
“That is not something we can decide.”
“Depending on how deeply they were involved, even complete destruction of the clan may not be impossible.”
If things went well, could I kill the eldest son of the Sword Demon Clan without even dirtying my hands?
“...Do you have some grudge against the Sword Demon Clan?”
“Why is your killing intent becoming this terrible?”
“Do not worry, Unit Leader.”
“I will definitely destroy the Sword Demon Clan!”
“No, your mission is only infiltration and intelligence gathering...”
“If necessary, I will create evidence that does not even exist and finish them completely!”
At that moment, Black Blood Unit Leader Yang Gwa had a sudden thought.
Perhaps he should have given the mission to Yeonhwa instead.
