Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: A New Mission (2)
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* * *
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes. It has.”
The Mad Demon, Shin Horyang, and his daughter, Shin Yehyang, stared at each other with cold expressions.
Watching the two of them, Yang Jeon and Gu Jahong didn't know what to do.
It was surprising enough that the Mad Demon, a man second only to the Cult Leader in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, had come here, but seeing the father and daughter act this way left them unsure of how to react.
“It’s a reunion after a long time, yet the air is practically freezing over.”
Maeng Yo muttered in disbelief as he watched the Mad Demon and Shin Yehyang.
“Shh! Be quiet!”
Though he had mumbled quietly, there was no way the Mad Demon and Shin Yehyang hadn't heard him.
Yang Jeon, startled, clapped a hand over Maeng Yo’s mouth and watched the father and daughter for any reaction.
Despite having heard the remark, the two showed no response.
“Is that so? I think they seem quite happy to see each other.”
“Pardon?”
To Jinmyeong’s eyes, both of them appeared to be very pleased.
They were just poor at expressing it.
However, the others couldn't agree with Jinmyeong’s assessment.
“You must be curious as to why I have come.”
It seemed his reunion with Shin Yehyang was over.
‘Finally, I get to hear why this man came all the way here.’
He hadn't thought for a moment that the Mad Demon had come just to see his daughter.
“The reason I am here is for a mission.”
“Is it something that requires the Vice Cult Leader to move personally?”
He had roughly guessed that the reason for the Mad Demon’s presence was a mission.
The question was whether it was important enough for the Mad Demon himself to take action.
“It is to execute a traitor.”
“Then isn’t there even less need for you to move personally?”
It was hard enough to believe that a member of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had turned traitor, but the fact that the Mad Demon had personally mobilized for it was even more unbelievable.
“The Vice Cult Leader.”
“What?”
“The former Vice Cult Leader is the traitor.”
The Mad Demon was not the disciple of the previous Vice Cult Leader. The position had been vacant, and the Heavenly Demon had personally appointed him to fill it.
“The Cult Leader killed his master to take his place.”
“……”
That was how the Heavenly Demon had become the leader at such a young age.
And most ascended to the position of Cult Leader by killing their masters.
‘Makes sense. Otherwise, you’d die of old age before ever becoming the leader.’
In this world, one's lifespan increased with their level of mastery, so it was common for masters to outlive their disciples.
“The former Vice Cult Leader, that traitor, did not acknowledge the change in leadership.”
It was unclear whether his loyalty was that strong or if he simply didn't want to serve the current Heavenly Demon.
In any case, as soon as the former Cult Leader died, the Vice Cult Leader left the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“He stole quite a few secret manuals and elixirs on his way out.”
The Vice Cult Leader’s residence had a library.
Though it contained fewer volumes than the Cult Leader's, it still held a substantial number of secret manuals.
The former Vice Cult Leader had stolen the manuals for superior demonic arts from there and fled the cult.
“Although they were handwritten copies, the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were leaked.”
However, they had been unable to capture him at the time.
The Heavenly Demon had been severely injured from his battle with the former Cult Leader, so there was no one who could catch the traitor.
The Mad Demon, too, couldn't leave the side of the gravely wounded Heavenly Demon.
“After that, the man vanished.”
They had thought he would join the Heretical Alliance or the Righteous Alliance, but that wasn't the case at all.
He had completely disappeared.
It was as if he had never existed in the first place.
Thus, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had given up searching for him.
Since the demonic arts manuals he had taken never surfaced, they had assumed he had died somewhere.
“Then I suppose those manuals have reappeared.”
“That is correct.”
The time when those two became Cult Leader and Vice Cult Leader must have been a long time ago.
How many people would be able to recognize the traitor now that he had resurfaced?
They only knew the traitor had reappeared because the stolen manuals had once again emerged in the world.
‘This is definitely something that would require this man to act.’
A former Vice Cult Leader would undoubtedly be powerful.
There weren't many in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who could face him.
To ensure his death, the Mad Demon had to move himself.
“But did you come alone?”
Despite the importance of the mission, the Mad Demon was moving by himself.
“I find it easier to move alone. Others are merely a hindrance.”
The Mad Demon answered firmly.
“But the fact that you came here means…”
“Yes. I came to get you.”
Receiving the Mad Demon’s gaze, Jinmyeong, who had already anticipated this, nodded without surprise.
“I do not expect you to defeat him.”
“I understand.”
The man had reigned as an absolute powerhouse since before Jinmyeong was even born.
No matter how much of a genius Jinmyeong was, he would need much more time to catch up to him.
And yet, the Mad Demon intended to take Jinmyeong with him.
‘So this is his way of helping me.’
If Jinmyeong made a significant contribution to capturing the traitor, this mission would undoubtedly be beneficial for him.
As he continued to build his reputation, more and more people would be drawn to him.
Despite his gruff exterior, the Mad Demon was keeping his promise to help Jinmyeong.
“So, where is he located?”
It couldn’t be in Hunan.
If it were, Jinmyeong would have known.
“Fujian.”
“Fujian…”
Fujian was not far from Hunan.
“That’s quite a distance from the Cult.”
It was no exaggeration to say that Xinjiang, where the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was based, and Fujian were at opposite ends of the world.
‘Even after reappearing after all this time, he chose a place farthest from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?’
Perhaps he still feared pursuit from the cult, which was why he chose a location so far away.
Or maybe Fujian was simply where he had been hiding.
‘Right. The fact that he’s shown himself again must mean he’s confident.’
As a former Vice Cult Leader, his martial arts would be impeccable.
And his reappearance likely meant he no longer feared the Heavenly Demon or the Mad Demon.
“Am I the only one going?”
“Hmm.”
The Mad Demon looked at the others.
His daughter, Shin Yehyang, the Sword Demon’s grandson, Gu Jahong, and the King of the Green Forest, Maeng Yo, as well as Yang Jeon.
“There aren’t many who would be of help. You two, come along.”
The only ones who seemed remotely useful were Shin Yehyang and Maeng Yo, so the Mad Demon pointed to them.
“When do we depart?”
“I plan to leave in two days.”
“…Understood. I will prepare.”
Once the conversation ended, Yang Jeon began to guide the Mad Demon to a guest room.
“I can’t believe I’m being dragged into this.”
“Doesn’t it sound fun?”
“I won’t deny that, but it pisses me off that he seems to think of me as one of your underlings.”
After all, he was Maeng Yo, the Chieftain of the Seventy-two Fortresses of the Green Forest.
It was a blow to his pride to be treated as a subordinate of Jinmyeong, who was not the Cult Leader, the Vice Cult Leader, or even the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Who knows. Maybe you really will become my subordinate one day.”
“At least become the Cult Leader first.”
“That’s too far off. How about Young Cult Leader?”
“……”
Jinmyeong chuckled as he watched Maeng Yo press his lips together.
“What? Are you in a bad mood?”
“…No.”
Unlike Jinmyeong and Maeng Yo, who were joking around in a lighthearted atmosphere, Gu Jahong wore a serious expression.
“Are you upset that the Vice Cult Leader didn't mention you?”
“……”
“It’s because you’re in the same boat as Yang Jeon.”
If Yang Jeon and Gu Jahong were to fight, Gu Jahong would of course win.
But Jinmyeong believed that wouldn't be the case for much longer.
“The way I see it, you’re about to be overtaken.”
“By Manager Yang?”
“That’s right. Yang Jeon will soon surpass you.”
Gu Jahong’s face scrunched up.
But he couldn’t easily deny it.
“Yang Jeon is training so hard he’s even cutting back on sleep.”
“That is…”
“You’re doing it too? Come on. That’s not true.”
If one were to compare the talents of Yang Jeon and Gu Jahong, Gu Jahong was more gifted.
But Yang Jeon had the continuous support of Shin Yehyang and Jinmyeong.
Jinmyeong even gave him elixirs from time to time.
He was bound to grow stronger at a tremendous pace.
“Why don’t you spar with me or do things like that anymore?”
“With you?”
“Yes.”
Before, Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang had constantly pushed Gu Jahong.
They had found ways to spar with him, forcing him to learn martial arts.
But recently, they had completely ignored him.
Thanks to that, Gu Jahong was spending his days with nothing to do.
“Because it’s pointless.”
“……”
Jinmyeong’s words were a severe blow to his pride.
“It’s more rewarding to teach Yang Jeon.”
“Even so…”
“Why should I teach you when you show no improvement outside of our training sessions? At least Yang Jeon makes an effort on his own.”
Once a sparring session with Gu Jahong was over, that was it.
He didn't train on his own, nor did he come seeking help when he hit a wall in his martial arts.
In contrast, Yang Jeon managed the affairs of the Myeonghwaru while also training personally, and he would come to Jinmyeong with questions.
Naturally, Jinmyeong had higher hopes for Yang Jeon, who trained even at the cost of his sleep, rather than Gu Jahong.
Gu Jahong was more talented, but Yang Jeon wasn't completely without talent either.
“……”
Watching Jinmyeong turn away so coldly, Gu Jahong bit his lip hard.
Then, he abruptly stormed out of the brothel.
“Nicely done.”
“You think so?”
“You completely shattered his pride.”
Maeng Yo, who had been watching the exchange between Jinmyeong and Gu Jahong, grinned.
“The question is how long it will last.”
“It will probably last quite a while. As long as that fellow, Yang Jeon, keeps getting stronger.”
He just had to keep fostering the competition between Gu Jahong and Yang Jeon.
That way, Gu Jahong’s wounded pride would prevent him from quitting his martial arts training.
“…His rival is Yang Jeon.”
“Hmm? What’s that?”
“It’s like an archenemy. I’m saying his rival is Yang Jeon.”
“I see. Since he has such a high status, it must be a blow to his pride.”
It was indeed absurd for the grandson of the Great Elder, the Sword Demon, to feel a sense of crisis from a mere manager like Yang Jeon.
But it was precisely because he was being compared to Yang Jeon that Gu Jahong had received such a shock and resolved to train on his own.
“Well, you two get ready as well.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have somewhere to be.”
Jinmyeong immediately left the Myeonghwaru and headed for the Seongharu.
“Welcome.”
O Seonha, the owner of the Seongharu, greeted Jinmyeong.
“You must have enjoyed the peace and quiet. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Not at all. It’s not as if Young Master Jin visits me all that often.”
Jinmyeong smirked and sat down across from O Seonha.
“What about my request?”
“It’s proceeding well.”
“And what have you acquired?”
“I managed to get a few roots of He Shou Wu, but this isn't enough, is it?”
Jinmyeong had asked O Seonha to procure elixirs for him.
After all, incredible elixirs sometimes appeared in the black market, the one run by the underworld.
“I wouldn’t have entrusted this to the Underworld Sect just to get a few roots.”
Especially not with most of the money he possessed.
“There’s a rumor that Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill will soon be up for auction.”
“…Are you serious?”
An elixir that could be called the greatest among those created by man.
Hearing that Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill might appear, Jinmyeong looked at O Seonha with eyes full of disbelief.