Chapter 244: Unintended Companion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 244: Unintended Companion (1)
Slam!
Crash! Thud!
Hwangbo Cheok’s massive frame crashed to the floor, rolling with such force that it shattered everything in its path.
“Ughh…!”
The damage was severe. His gigantic body, nearly eight feet tall, tumbled helplessly across the ground.
Amidst the wreckage, Hwangbo Cheok groaned, clutching his previously injured arm. It still hadn’t fully healed from his last encounter with Gu Yangcheon.
“Hghhh… Huff…”
Ignoring the man’s pained wheezing, Gu Yangcheon casually took a seat on one of the few intact chairs nearby. He crossed his legs and looked down with a condescending gaze. Hwangbo Cheok stared back, his eyes trembling.
“…How did a bastard like you…”
“Surprised to see me?”
The confident demeanor suited Gu Yangcheon perfectly. An air of superiority radiated from him, amplified by his disdainful stare. Hwangbo Cheok gritted his teeth, feeling diminished for being unable to meet that gaze directly.
How did he find this place?
Just how?
Clink.
Something dropped beside the bewildered Hwangbo Cheok, rolling to a stop near him.
“…!”
He stifled a gasp upon recognizing the object.
This is… How did he get his hands on this?
It was a seal of the Hwangbo Clan. Slightly different from his own, but unmistakably authentic.
“Looks familiar, doesn’t it?” Gu Yangcheon’s sudden words sent a shiver down Hwangbo Cheok’s spine. He struggled to maintain his composure.
“…I’m not sure what you mean. Why do you have that?”
“You can’t tell what it is?”
“It’s a Hwangbo Clan seal. Of course I know it.”
“Yeah. The present you sent me yesterday was holding it.”
A cold sweat drenched Hwangbo Cheok’s back.
The Sixth Elder… was defeated?
For a moment, he thought the Sixth Elder had failed, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
…The Sixth Elder is a martial artist who has reached the Fusion Realm.
Although he had reached the Fusion Realm late in life, he had earned his Elder position through decades of hard work and representing the Hwangbo name in the Central Plains. He was a martial artist who had survived the darkest corners of the Central Plains, a remarkable feat for an assassin, given the notorious difficulty of advancing their cultivation.
So how was this possible?
Hwangbo Cheok slowly looked up, meeting Gu Yangcheon’s eyes.
“…!”
He was forced to look away immediately. The moment he glimpsed the blazing red gleam within Gu Yangcheon’s shadowed visage, an unfathomable fear surged into his throat.
Just what is this bastard?
How can someone so young possess such an aura?
His mind went blank.
As Hwangbo Cheok fought to steady his shaking eyes, Gu Yangcheon spoke. “I didn’t think we were close enough to exchange gifts.”
The voice was calm, seemingly indifferent, yet laden with a dense killing intent. It was a voice caught between boyhood and manhood, but it pressed down on Hwangbo Cheok with immense weight. He knew this wasn’t an act; it was simply the aura Gu Yangcheon always carried.
Avoiding those eyes, Hwangbo Cheok spoke with a trembling voice. “…I’m… not sure what you are…”
“Tsk.”
Gu Yangcheon clicked his tongue the moment Hwangbo Cheok began to speak.
Pow!
“Ugh!”
A kick landed, sending Hwangbo Cheok rolling across the floor once more, unable to dodge. He tried to get up quickly, but—
Slam!
“Kggh!”
Gu Yangcheon’s foot stomped down on his chest, pinning him to the ground.
…My Qi… isn’t responding?
He instinctively tried to summon his Qi to resist, but it felt hard as rock and refused to budge. Had his Qi flow been blocked in that brief instant?
“Is playing dumb a specialty of yours? Why bother with such a pointless act.”
“Ughhh…”
“No one from these noble clans is normal, I swear. How is every single one of you so flawed?” He spoke as if he himself weren’t from a noble clan.
Press.
“Urghh…!”
The pressure from Gu Yangcheon’s foot increased, and Hwangbo Cheok felt his chest might cave in.
Amidst the searing pain, he surveyed the area beyond the tent. Despite Gu Yangcheon’s intrusion and the loud noises, no one had approached.
A Qi Barrier…?
It was highly likely Gu Yangcheon had erected one to contain the sound. If not that…
…Did he kill them all?
Given the sight of Gu Yangcheon’s eyes and his overwhelming aura, Hwangbo Cheok found it difficult to dismiss the possibility. To emit such a dense killing intent…
“Why did you do it?” Gu Yangcheon asked.
It wasn’t a question of doubt or confirmation, but one asked with certainty.
So the Sixth Elder really is dead?
This bastard actually killed a Fusion Realm martial artist?
As Hwangbo Cheok remained silent, Gu Yangcheon continued, his gaze fixed upon him. “This isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me, but it’s been a while. It feels particularly bothersome.”
“…”
“Look at your face. What are you thinking so hard about?”
“…What… what do I need to do for you to let me live?”
Pause.
Gu Yangcheon’s eyes widened slightly. Then, a smile appeared on his lips. “You’re not as dumb as I thought.”
He seemed satisfied. Hwangbo Cheok found it hard to breathe under that ominous smile, which seemed filled with malicious intent.
Just what is he?
What kind of monster am I facing?
His mind, previously blank, began to cloud over with darkness. It was fear, pure and simple.
Sss.
The foot lifted from his chest, allowing Hwangbo Cheok to finally gasp for air.
“Cough… Huff…”
As he regained his breath and looked around, he saw Gu Yangcheon had already retaken his seat.
“Since you’re not completely stupid, I wonder why you tried something like this against me?”
“…You laid hands on this Hwangbo first.”
“Maybe you are stupid, based on what you just said.”
“Do you… know who you are dealing with right now?”
Gu Yangcheon smirked lightly in response. “Bastard, do you know who I am, that you would dare such a thing?”
“…”
“This is why I shouldn’t talk to people who seem to have only muscles for brains. It makes me feel like my own brain is rotting.”
With Gu Yangcheon’s sigh, a heavy atmosphere saturated with dense Qi enveloped the tent. While Gu Yangcheon remained seated, Hwangbo Cheok struggled to rise, only to be forced to his knees by the oppressive energy. It felt as if his own Qi was being smothered by fear.
“Convince me.”
Hwangbo Cheok took a deep breath at the chilling command.
“As I said, I plan to kill you.”
The voice, saturated with killing intent, left no doubt that Gu Yangcheon meant every word.
But how? How could he kill a blood relative of the Hwangbo Clan here and expect to get away with it? Did he not know the consequences? Or did he have a way to deal with the aftermath? Whichever it was, the situation was dire for Hwangbo Cheok. If Gu Yangcheon had killed the Sixth Elder, he was a master far beyond his level—a monster.
Hwangbo Cheok realized too late that he had picked a fight with the wrong person, but it was already too late. As cold sweat trickled down his cheek, he swallowed dryly and stared at Gu Yangcheon.
Gu Yangcheon glanced briefly outside the tent before returning his gaze. For a moment, Hwangbo Cheok hoped someone had come, but that seemed unlikely. If they had, Gu Yangcheon wouldn't have remained so calm.
Feeling increasingly cornered, a desperate thought crossed Hwangbo Cheok’s mind.
…Am I, the future Lord of the Hwangbo Clan, going to die in a place like this?
Though not officially appointed yet, with the current Lord’s poor health, his time was nearing. He had eagerly awaited that day and couldn’t bear the thought of dying here.
“So convince me not to kill you.”
“…What is it that you want?”
“That’s for you to figure out.”
Seeing Gu Yangcheon’s demeanor, suggesting he would wait indefinitely, Hwangbo Cheok gritted his teeth. He needed to find another way, but what could he possibly do? Just as he considered making a desperate dash towards the Murim Alliance, hoping for salvation—
“Hey.”
“…!”
“Don’t get any ideas. I’ll rip your legs right out of their sockets if you try to run.”
He didn’t say he would break them, but tear them out completely. Hwangbo Cheok was known for his sharp tongue, but Gu Yangcheon was on another level. More than anything, the sheer sincerity in those words frightened him.
“Made up your mind yet?”
Hwangbo Cheok could say nothing as Gu Yangcheon spoke with an evil smile. He tried to form words, but his mouth felt completely blocked.
…This is…
As panic began to disrupt his breathing—
“Then how about I give you a choice?”
Hearing Gu Yangcheon speak with a grin, Hwangbo Cheok realized the truth. While he had been told to persuade, Gu Yangcheon had wanted something specific from the very beginning.
“First, I’ll ask.”
Hwangbo Cheok regretted his past arrogance, especially the day he had chosen to mess with Gu Yangcheon. He regretted not realizing sooner that he was dealing with a devil.
“Between the Hwangbo Clan and your life…”
He would likely regret this until the end of his days.
“Which is more important?”
* * *
A day had passed.
It was nighttime, and I was walking slowly through the forest. Meeting Hwangbo Cheok had required a massive expenditure of Qi, leaving me exhausted. I’d need to absorb more to feel energetic again, but that wasn’t my main concern right now.
Maybe I should’ve just killed him.
I reflected on the earlier events as I returned empty-handed. My original intention had been to kill Hwangbo Cheok, but I’d changed my mind partway through.
The reason was simple.
…It’s problematic to kill everyone just because they annoy me.
Lately, my killing intent had been growing denser. With my Demonic Qi undergoing changes again, it was right to control my anger.
I can’t afford to live this life as a Demonic Human, too.
This was a chance I wouldn’t get again. At this rate, I was becoming a Demonic Human without even realizing it, hesitating less and less about killing.
Not that I ever really hesitated.
This wasn’t about ethics or morals. If I cared about such things, I wouldn’t have acted as I did in my past life, nor would I have burned people alive in this one. The issue was that I’d been letting my emotions drive me to kill, rather than acting based on rational calculation.
Judging by what Hwangbo Cheok had tried to do to me, it was hard to let him go, yet not easy to kill him outright, either.
What would happen if Hwangbo Cheok died?
I’d spared him for the Silent Fist’s revenge, but the Hwangbo Clan’s lifespan wasn’t long. I knew the current Lord was in poor health, and the clan was destined to fall soon after Hwangbo Cheok took over.
Which means it might be better to kill him now than later…
I recalled the gaze I’d felt from the slit in the tent door earlier. It was Hwangbo Cheolwi, watching his brother kneel before me.
…Hmm.
I had done nothing about Hwangbo Cheolwi despite sensing him because the look he gave his brother was strange. He had watched silently, then slipped away quietly when our eyes met. I wondered if he would tell others, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t. It was more likely he would seek me out soon. No, he certainly would.
I tilted my head back, looking at the moon rising gradually. The part of my body that housed my Demonic Qi felt emptier than I’d expected.
Before parting from Hwangbo Cheok, I had infused his body with both a shackle and a significant amount of Demonic Qi—more than I’d anticipated. It would haunt him while serving as a leash. This method wasn’t much different from what the Heavenly Demon used to do.
This really isn’t good.
A deep discomfort settled over me as I thought about it. It meant I was now capable of deeds reminiscent of the Heavenly Demon.
…Though I’m not quite there yet.
I wasn’t powerful enough to explode someone’s heart with a mere gesture. The Heavenly Demon could do that effortlessly, while I could only achieve a similar effect by injecting a massive amount of Demonic Qi and applying a Shackle.
Putting aside the effort required… the real problem is that I can do it.
Whether it was using Demonic Qi to corrode a martial artist’s body or immobilizing someone like I did with Hwangbo Cheok, I now had multiple ways to wield my Demonic Qi. That was the biggest problem at the moment.
I felt sick. How had it come to this?
Perhaps my Demonic Qi evolves along with my cultivation level?
That seemed possible. If this unknown power of mine grew stronger as I did…
That’s a really shitty deal.
It meant I couldn’t even feel happy about growing stronger. I couldn’t help but feel miserable.
“…Sigh.”
I let out an exhausted sigh. Everything seemed to go against my will, leaving me more drained than ever.
“Fine. I suppose that’s just how it is.”
I muttered the words bluntly. I could understand the events that had led me here. But what did that say about my current situation? That was something I truly couldn’t comprehend.
After I whispered to myself, the person walking beside me reacted. A pleasant scent tickled my nose, but at the same time, a chill—an Ice Qi—brushed past my neck.
Feeling the tickling sensation, I turned to my companion and asked, “…Why are you here?”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t see you for a few days. Why are you here all of a sudden?”
My mind was already tangled in complicated thoughts. This dark cat walking alongside me, acting as if she knew nothing, was really starting to get on my nerves.
The dark cat—Moyong Hi-ah—spoke. “Did you not hear?”
“Yeah, I didn’t.”
“It seems the Sword of Heroic Flame didn’t deliver the message. I wonder why? He didn’t seem the type.”
“…You.”
My expression soured hearing her feign ignorance. Today was the day I finished my business at the frontlines, and I had already decided on my travel companions. They should have known I planned to go with Gu Jeolyub and Muyeon.
“Ah, it seems there was a problem…!”
“…”
“I don’t know what happened to the Sword of Heroic Flame… but since you have no other choice, isn’t it fine for me to come along instead?”
Why was this girl speaking so shamelessly? And where had Muyeon run off to?
Setting aside my annoyance, I sighed and looked at the girl, who wore a joyous smile. She undoubtedly heard my sigh, but her smile didn’t falter.
“Young Master Gu, we’ll be spending the whole night here if we stall any longer. Though if that’s what you want… I’d be glad to oblige.”
“…I’m going to go insane.”
It seemed she’d lost her mind in the middle of the night. Because the girl—Moyong Hi-ah—was continuously spouting nonsense, and I had to wonder how I’d ended up in this situation.