Chapter 24
After confirming once again that no martial artists were pursuing them, Dokgo Ryeong and her companions began using their movement techniques to hurry toward Cheongniwa.
“Brother Wi, you managed to shake them off better than I expected.”
“I kept leading them toward the Pajeo River the whole time. Thanks to that, we covered an enormous distance.”
“Hehe… I see. Then tonight, you and I…”
“You lewd woman!”
“Hiiing….”
Dokgo Ryeong, who was riding on Wi Ilcheong’s back, suddenly shouted, making him furrow his brow.
“Miss Dokgo, if you suddenly shout like that…”
“Wah!”
“…I’m sorry.”
When Dokgo Ryeong shouted right beside Wi Ilcheong’s ear again, his ear went numb.
Once Wi Ilcheong fell quiet, Dokgo Ryeong sank back into thought.
‘…The Su Nü Jing.’
She had far too little information.
More than anything, the most fundamental question still hadn’t been answered, and it frustrated her.
A cultivation method was ultimately about building qi within oneself, so how could the Su Nü Jing help someone build another person’s inner energy?
If only she knew even the Su Nü Jing’s formula, she might feel a little better…
Had Baekri Sohyeon and Eun Gwan-yeong learned the Su Nü Jing from Wi Ilcheong?
Wasn’t it Wi Ilcheong’s unique martial art?
Countless questions came to mind, one after another.
But…
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong stared blankly at the back of Wi Ilcheong’s head.
Then, the events of a few days ago came back to her all at once.
‘Shit.’
Whenever she saw Wi Ilcheong, she kept thinking of ‘that incident,’ and was afraid to talk to him.
The thought suddenly occurred to her, and a shiver ran through her body.
‘I’m scared? The great Dokgo Jin, of all people?’
She hadn’t felt this way even when she’d smashed through the front gate of the Namgung Clan, where the Sword God and Sword Immortal lived, and stormed inside.
Nor had she ever been this frightened during her battle with the Tang Clan, when danger had bubbled up all around her and even breathing made her lungs sting, reminding her she could die at any moment.
But now…
When Dokgo Ryeong realized she was hesitating over a trivial little question, she began to despise herself.
“Smack!”
“…Miss Dokgo?”
Dokgo Ryeong suddenly raised both hands and slapped herself hard across the cheeks.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing. More importantly, Lust Demon, I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“If I… learned the Su Nü Jing, could I build inner energy like you?”
“…Pardon?”
Hearing Wi Ilcheong’s dumbfounded voice, Dokgo Ryeong summoned her courage and asked again.
“…I mean! If I slept with you…”
“Ah, I understand. I’m the only one who can use the Su Nü Jing.”
“…What?”
Dokgo Ryeong frowned, wondering what he meant.
“Shit, didn’t you say Baekri Sohyeon and Eun Gwan-yeong had learned the Su Nü Jing too?”
“They both learned different basic cultivation methods. Perhaps because those methods take a long time to master, they build inner energy with the Su Nü Jing while still cultivating with their own methods.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“The Su Nü Jing simply makes qi purer. So they build their inner energy with the methods they originally learned, then I use the Su Nü Jing to purify their qi and build it back up. I receive some of their inner energy in the process, too.”
“…Isn’t that stealing yin to nourish yang, you son of a bitch?”
“…In the short term, the amount of inner energy may decrease, but in the long term, it lets you build purer qi and reduce the turbid energy inside your body…”
“That’s stealing yin to nourish yang, you bastard.”
Dokgo Ryeong smacked Wi Ilcheong on the back of the head.
“You bastard. I wondered why you got cursed at despite seeming like a decent guy, but now I see why they call you the Lust Demon.”
“…Why are you doing this, honestly? It helps expel turbid energy, too! Spend ten nights with me, and it’ll be just as good as marrow cleansing.”
“Oh, screw you. Hey, Hao Sect! Turn into a man!”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah, you, you punk.”
“Hiiing… Can’t I just ride on Brother Wi’s back?”
“Shit, even just sitting on this bastard’s back makes me feel like my inner energy’s being drained.”
“Hiiing….”
Eun Gwan-yeong grumbled, but her body squirmed and transformed into the same hulking, bearded man as before.
“…Can you only transform into that?”
“To transform, I have to know the positions of that person’s acupoints and bones… I’m used to this form, so it’s easier.”
“…Shit.”
Dokgo Ryeong jumped up and hooked her arms around Eun Gwan-yeong’s neck, and Eun Gwan-yeong caught her butt with both hands.
Eun Gwan-yeong kneaded Dokgo Ryeong’s rear as she spoke.
“Ah, Miss Dokgo has such a shapely rear, too… Kheugh!”
“I’ll kill you…!”
“P-Please spare me.”
Dokgo Ryeong choked Eun Gwan-yeong, then let her go.
“…Shut up and let’s go. Got it?”
“Hwaeeng….”
As Eun Gwan-yeong carried her on her back, Dokgo Ryeong pondered.
‘…A cultivation method.’
In the end, she would have to do it herself.
Which cultivation method to practice was her choice.
*
Crack!
When Noh Sun-pyeong’s hand moved, the sound of bones breaking came from Noh Geuk-myeong’s face.
But Noh Geuk-myeong calmly endured his father’s punch.
“You…! You stupid fool…!!!”
“…I have nothing to say.”
“You let the daughter of your sworn enemy slip away when you had her in your grasp? If it was that important, you should’ve been the one guarding her at the front!!”
“Please kill me…”
“Kill you?! You think I’m going to kill you?!!”
Killing intent rose from Noh Sun-pyeong’s body.
“Don’t try to escape through death! Especially not when you’re my son!!”
“…”
“As of today, you are no longer a member of the Murong Clan.”
“Father!!”
“Enough!”
Noh Sun-pyeong shouted.
“I’m an elder of the Murong Clan before I’m your father! Accept the judgment I pass as an elder!”
“B-But…”
“Pursue that woman. That’s the only way you can come back.”
“…”
At Noh Sun-pyeong’s pronouncement, Noh Geuk-myeong stared blankly at the ground, overcome by despair.
‘Where did I go wrong…?’
Until he captured the Mad Demon’s daughter, he’d believed the Murong Clan would finally settle its long-standing grudge.
Noh Geuk-myeong had watched his father suffer night after night after fleeing, overwhelmed by the Mad Demon’s strength, so he, too, had harbored an immense desire for revenge against Dokgo Jin.
That was why he’d wanted to humiliate her daughter, even if only for a moment.
But less than two hours after they’d locked her up, her body rippled and she transformed into a man.
Only then did he realize everything had gone wrong.
Clutching the dirt on the ground with a trembling hand, Noh Geuk-myeong spoke.
“…I’ll return with that woman’s head.”
“Nonsense. That Lust Demon with her is no match for you.”
“…I know. But I’ll return with the Mad Demon’s daughter’s head, no matter what.”
Noh Geuk-myeong stared at Noh Sun-pyeong with bloodshot eyes and made his vow.
“No matter what it takes…!”
Noh Sun-pyeong tossed him a purse full of money and said,
“Go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Watching Noh Geuk-myeong walk away, Noh Sun-pyeong sighed.
“Haa…”
The Lust Demon was too softhearted.
Though he’d fought so many Murong Clan martial artists, some had been seriously injured, but not a single one had died.
Noh Sun-pyeong knew how difficult it was to wound someone without killing them, and was once again astonished by the Lust Demon’s martial skill.
‘…How can he be so strong at such a young age…?’
A small measure of relief that his son was still alive mingled with the frustration of having no choice but to impose such a punishment as an elder.
“Maternal Uncle.”
“Second Young Master…”
Hearing Murong Jun’s voice from behind, Noh Sun-pyeong turned to look at him.
“…Is it really all right to send Geuk-myeong off like that?”
“There’s no other choice. I’ve given him a chance to make amends for his mistake. He should consider himself fortunate.”
“At times, you seem even stricter than my father, Maternal Uncle.”
“Haha, then I’ll ask the Clan Head to be even stricter with the Second Young Master.”
“Yes, please do.”
Murong Jun clenched his fist and said,
“…I won’t forget today’s humiliation.”
“…Of course you shouldn’t. That’s what it means to be of the Murong Clan.”
Noh Sun-pyeong watched Murong Jun burn with fighting spirit for a moment, then turned back toward the direction his son had gone.
‘More importantly, why did that boy head that way…? There’s nothing there but a little fishing village.’
Noh Sun-pyeong thought about it for a moment, then quickly stopped worrying.
After all, he was his son. He’d manage somehow.
*
A quiet inn somewhere in the martial world.
The only people on the inn’s first floor were a dozing old man and a little child.
When a young man entered the shabby inn, the old man opened his eyes slightly and looked at him.
“…”
The old man pointed toward the second floor with a trembling hand. The man bowed slightly and went upstairs.
When he opened the door to the room in the farthest corner of the second floor, he found a woman inside.
She was lavishly adorned and looked refined, yet her bewitching eyes could ensnare anyone who met them.
Anyone who saw her would naturally think of the praise ‘a beauty who could topple kingdoms.’
That beauty was the Hao Sect Leader, one of the Four Beauties of the Martial World known as the Beauty Who Topples Kingdoms, and the woman the Murim Alliance called the Sound Venerable (音尊): Eun Yak-byeok.
The moment he came face-to-face with Eun Yak-byeok, the man dropped to his knees.
“It’s been a while, Sect Leader.”
“Welcome, Eunho. Would you like some tea?”
“I’d be grateful if you’d pour me some.”
“Come this way.”
Even the simple gesture of offering tea had a strange charm that stirred men’s hearts, but the man called Eunho was used to it.
Still, being used to it didn’t mean his heart was calm.
As she poured him tea, Eun Yak-byeok spoke.
“Eunho.”
“…Yes, Sect Leader.”
“It seems you’ve neglected your cultivation a little. I can see your heart wavering.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It can’t be helped. So… how was Sichuan?”
“…I couldn’t find an opening to infiltrate.”
“Hmm… Our guest will be disappointed.”
Eun Yak-byeok turned the pages of the book spread out before her and began writing something in it.
“Oh, right. Have you heard the news?”
“…You mean the daughter of Elder Dokgo Jin?”
“That’s right. Quite an amusing rumor, isn’t it?”
“…”
Eunho was at a loss for how to respond as she dismissed as a ‘rumor’ something vouched for by the Beggars’ Sect’s Ink Immortal and the Murim Alliance Leader, the Sword Immortal.
“I, uh…”
“Haa… Eunho, how many times have I told you that the most important thing for a member of the Hao Sect is the ability to discern information? Martial arts can come later.”
“…I’m sorry, Sect Leader.”
“So, what do you think?”
“…”
Eunho took a moment to gather his thoughts, then answered her.
“…I think there’s a high chance it’s true.”
“Why?”
“The Murim Alliance and the Beggars’ Sect vouched for the information. I also heard the Ice Emperor and the Green Forest Stronghold were involved.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
When Eun Yak-byeok clicked her tongue, Eunho pressed his head to the floor.
“…I’m sorry, Sect Leader.”
“If you apologize one more time, I really won’t summon you again.”
“Yes! Please enlighten your foolish disciple.”
“I think the Mad Demon’s daughter is a fake.”
Eun Yak-byeok turned a page of the book and continued writing as she spoke.
“The man I saw and spoke with, Dokgo Jin, was a beast. He chased battlefields, enemies, and ruffians.”
“…”
“So there was no woman who could get into his heart. You know what? When I first met him, I thought Dokgo Jin had mastered the Child-Body Art.”
“You’ve told me that several times.”
“I find it hard to believe there are three people in the world who could look at me and see nothing more than a woman passing by.”
“A most reasonable point.”
“Besides, wouldn’t a man who wandered for decades seeking revenge only start a family after finding peace of mind?”
“…I think so.”
Eun Yak-byeok closed the book, took out another, and began writing something in it.
“And yet, just where our guest was last seen, a man who had no interest in women raised a pretty little girl while hiding her from me, and the Murim Alliance discovered her…”
“…”
“Do you think that’s a coincidence?”
“…It is suspicious.”
“That’s why I’d like to send you, Eunho.”
“…Isn’t Junior Sister there? I heard she’s staying with the Jade-Faced Young Master.”
Eun Yak-byeok’s hand, which had been writing in the book, stopped.
She raised her head slightly to look at Eunho, and he bowed his own again.
“…Eunho.”
“I deserve death, Sect Leader!”
“Talking back to me doesn’t warrant death. But I am a little angry that one of the disciples I raised would give up on the competition to become Sect Leader without even trying.”
“…I’m not fit to be Sect Leader.”
“Haa…”
Eun Yak-byeok pressed her temples and tossed Eunho the book she’d just been writing in.
“This is information on the Mad Demon Dokgo Jin, the Jade-Faced Young Master Wi Ilcheong, and Baekri Sohyeon of Jeomchang.”
“…Yes.”
“I hear Gwan-yeong is coming to Shandong with the Mad Demon’s daughter. Add information on the girl named Dokgo Ryeong, who claims to be the Mad Demon’s daughter, to the last page.”
“I’ll see it through, even if it costs me my life.”
“…There’s no need to risk your life. Go.”
“Yes!”
Eunho bowed deeply and went outside.
After he left, Eun Yak-byeok took out another blank book and began writing something in it.
Then, suddenly, her hand stopped.
‘…Of all people, Wi Ilcheong. Of all people, Dokgo Jin.’
Of all people, a connection had formed between the two most dangerous men in the martial world.
‘Is it coincidence? Or fate?’
A smile lingered on Eun Yak-byeok’s lips.
Whichever it was, the Hao Sect would be the one to benefit most from it all.
‘I hope Gwan-yeong does well.’
Eun Yak-byeok moved her hand again and began filling another book.