Chapter 426: It Has Been a While
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 426: It Has Been a While
The Poison King thankfully accepted my request.
He didn’t really have a reason to refuse since I only asked to see the lake.
He sure made a puzzled expression, wondering why I had made such a strange request, but he gave me the okay in the end.
However, because the whole lake itself was considered a treasure of the Tang Clan, he said he would send a guide as well, especially since it could also be very dangerous.
“Dangerous, my ass. It’s definitely to keep a watch on me.”
I didn’t expect this much.
It became a bit of a hassle, but it was what I expected.
“Creak!”
After noticing my presence, Tang Duk, who was sitting next to a wall, started to stand up.
It was because I ordered him to sit down without doing anything.
“Nothing strange happened, right?”
I let out a short snort after hearing Tang Duk’s response.
There were a ton of demons during the day, but there were none at night.
“So it was a special case before then.”
Why did such a situation occur?
I still wasn’t able to get an answer.
“If I had to say… It’s most likely because of the Red Demon.”
The Red Demon Snake. It was probably that bastard that caused it all.
“Hmm…”
As always, nothing went according to my plans in my life.
“What a joke.”
I suppressed my anger and stared at Tang Duk.
He still seemed to be filled with anger.
Despite turning him into a Demonic Human and becoming my slave, that nasty personality of his didn’t die down.
Of course, it was possible that he wasn’t fully affected by my Demonic Qi as he was a Fusion Realm martial artist.
After all, I remembered him not being able to do or say anything against the Heavenly Demon when he was the Green King in my past life.
I smirked after staring at him for a bit.
“You seem rather frustrated.”
“You should’ve lived a good life.”
Tang Duk ground his teeth and glared at me with a sharp gaze, but he was immediately suppressed by my control of his body.
“Ugh…”
The pain he felt in his heart must have been no joke as he started to drool.
I thought to myself after seeing him.
“So he’s not choosing death in the end, huh?”
Despite being humiliated like this, Tang Duk still didn’t choose death.
Was it for his revenge?
Or was it because he feared death?
Whichever it was, it wasn’t a bad thing for me. However, I would’ve let him go if that’s what he wanted.
“Oh, of course, when I said let him go, I meant let him kill himself.”
It was true that Tang Duk’s strength would help me in the future, but I had no plans to stop him from killing himself.
Plus, the bastard didn’t seem to have any intention of dying right now.
He was probably looking for a chance to escape my grasp.
“Judging by that, he was a pretty determined guy.”
“This bastard is one thing… but I have another job to do before reaching the Tang Clan.”
The spy that Tang Duk sent to the Tang Clan’s crew.
I was wondering when I should get rid of the bastard…
When I thought about the bastard, a useful idea passed through my mind.
I suddenly had a good idea.
* * *
It has been four days ever since we started sailing through this river.
It would’ve originally taken us two days to cross it, but we had to take a safer route due to the Demon incident, which is why it was taking longer than expected.
We would’ve arrived at the Tang Clan already if that never happened…
After finally reaching land, we got on the carriages that were prepared by the Tang Clan’s crew.
The carriages here weren’t directly from the Tang Clan, and they were both prepared by the Tang and Pei Clans.
Was it because we arrived in Sichuan, but especially the lands of the Tang Clan?
It felt like the carriages were much bigger than before.
It probably meant that we were in a safe zone now. It was a good thing.
“Do you think it’ll take us around five days?”
Moyong Hi-ah, who was in the same carriage as me, slowly waved her fan and spoke.
“It should be around that. It might take us four days if we’re short.”
“…Aren’t you a bit familiar?”
“It’s just a feeling.”
I leaned against the seat and closed my eyes.
I briefly knew how long it would take because I traveled to this land so many times in my past life. I knew that we only had a few days left to go until we arrived at the Tang Clan.
We could arrive earlier if we went faster, but that probably wasn’t going to happen. Even if the Poison King was impatient, he wanted to ensure that everything went well.
It’s not like I had anything to do anyway, so it was fine for me as well.
“…Well, I didn’t really have much time to spare, to be honest, but what could I do?
“I at least had to pretend like I was at peace.”
When I closed my eyes to rest, Moyong Hi-ah continued to speak.
“Young Master Gu.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think will happen from now on?”
I stared at Moyong Hi-ah while slightly opening my eyes.
The reason was simple. If she asked any other people…
“I don’t know?”
“I’m not sure!”
They all gave her the same answer, and only Cheol Jiseon would’ve been a candidate to hold a conversation with Moyong Hi-ah.
However, it felt like Moyong Hi-ah was distancing herself from Cheol Jiseon.
When I asked her why she was treating him so poorly, she responded with a rather cold expression.
“I don’t like losers.”
For some reason, I felt offended after hearing her cold response.
Cheol Jiseon wasn’t around when she said this, but I still felt sorry for him.
“Although… it’s not like I found this conversation any easier than others.”
Moyong Hi-ah was a smart girl.
Even if she wasn’t as smart as the brain of the Demonic Cult, the Man of Heaven, her talent was acknowledged by many.
Because of that, I found it hard to hold a conversation with her.
“I probably wouldn’t have had anything to say to her if I didn’t have any experience with her in my past life.”
I didn’t think I was dumb, but I definitely lacked the brain to hold conversations with smart people like her.
I always had the choice to refuse her conversation, but I didn’t because of one reason.
“How can I when she likes it that much?”
It was problematic how Moyong Hi-ah seemed so cheerful every time she held a conversation like this, which was rare to see from her.
“From now on?”
“Yes.”
“What are we talking about again?”
“A Red Demon appeared. What do you think will happen from now on?”
Moyong Hi-ah spoke to me with sparkling eyes.
A Red Demon’s appearance.
The Poison King even sent a letter to the Murim Alliance reporting this incident.
“Hmm…”
What do I think will happen?
“It’ll be a disaster.”
It was obvious.
Red Demons were much more difficult to hunt compared to Blue Demons.
It required at least high Peak Realm martial artists who were strong and fast enough.
Of course, it was possible for a pack of first-rate martial artists to bring it down as long as they were well-trained, but that was only possible if they were taught how to hunt these demons down.
Because of that, it was more common for a group of Peak Realm martial artists to hunt these demons down.
That’s the problem.
Martial artists were commonly called masters after reaching the Peak Realm.
There may have been extremely many, but they weren’t that common.
In reality, people gathered up in shock to see a Peak Realm martial artist in less popular areas.
Yet it was only possible to hunt such a demon down with multiple Peak Realm martial artists?
There would be a major change in the demon hunting method, and that basically meant the reorganization of swordsmen.
Master martial artists will be more in demand, and their value will increase.
If something that was kept the same for hundreds of years in the Central Plains is changed,
“Then it would be waves of disasters.”
It meant disaster.
At the very least, I was able to know that from my experience in my past life.
Moyong Hi-ah slightly nodded after hearing my answer.
“…As I expected, you had the same idea as me.”
It wasn’t really an idea of mine, since I actually experienced it myself.
But she’s happy with my answer, so…
“You must be busy too.”
“Uh, yes.”
“I assume this incident was already reported to the Moyong Clan.”
“…”
Moyong Hi-ah widened her eyes for a moment after hearing my words, then smiled.
She still had those seductive eyes.
“How did you know?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
This too was obvious.
People wanted profit.
It didn’t matter if they were merchants or not.
This applied to everyone.
Even if the Red Demon’s appearance meant danger to the world, there were bound to be people who looked to profit from it.
It was especially like that for those in higher classes.
“The Poison King is an example.”
The Poison King sent a letter to the Alliance.
Would that arrive on time?
At the very least, it wasn’t going to be late.
The Poison King didn’t want the world to become a mess after all.
However…
“This incident will most likely be reported to his own clan before anything else.”
This was information.
A Red Demon appearing was massive news.
Finding such a piece of information before beggars and Hao Sect alone held an unbelievable value to it.
It meant that they were able to act before anyone for profit.
But was it only the Poison King that did this?
Moyong Hi-ah definitely did it as well, and the same went for the Pei Clan.
I didn’t think it was a bad thing.
That’s how people lived after all.
Because of this thought, I was reminded of something I had forgotten about.
“Oh, I should’ve sent a letter too.”
I already knew everyone would be quick on doing this, yet I didn’t send one myself.
It’d be late if I sent it now… What should I do?
I don’t think Father will be mad at me though.
“Hmm…”
As I frowned due to my concerns,
“It didn’t look like you sent one, is that right, Young Master Gu?”
Moyong Hi-ah mentioned exactly what I was thinking of.
“…How did you know?”
“I just found out by coincidence.”
I looked at her suspiciously after hearing her. Coincidence, you say?
At least make it believable. As always, this lady was as scary as ever.
How the hell did she know that I didn’t send a letter?
When I continued to stare at her speechlessly, she spoke to me with a smile.
“So I sent it for you.”
“Hmm? Wait, what?”
“I sent it to Lady Mi using my name, that’s fine, right? I thought that would be the fastest way.”
“Eh?”
I wondered what she was talking about.
…She sent a letter in my place?
“Mother-in-law last time—I meant Lady Mi, she…”
“Hey, what did you call her just now?”
“She asked me to inform her if anything happened to you, so I sent her a letter myself.”
“Can you answer my previous question?”
I continued to ask her what she said before, wondering if I misheard her, but Moyong Hi-ah continued to only say what she wanted as if she couldn’t hear me.
It would only hurt my mouth if I continued, so I let out a sigh, leaned against the seat, and closed my eyes again.
However, the situation turned out, I was grateful she did such a thing, so it was fine in the end.
It’s not like Moyong Hi-ah would’ve written anything weird in the letter.
“…”
I quickly opened my eyes and asked Moyong Hi-ah right away.
“…You didn’t write anything else in the letter besides the incident, right?”
Moyong Hi-ah flinched after hearing my word.
What is that reaction? Why are you acting like that? You are making me nervous.
“You…”
“Oh, you must be tired, Young Master. You should sleep already.”
“Wait, that’s not the important part…”
“The seat is pretty hard, right? Do you want to use my legs as a pillow?”
“Hohoho.”
Moyong Hi-ah, trying to pass it off with a smile, gave me the chills in the back.
…She didn’t do anything strange, right?
I had to pray that she didn’t.
* * *
A bird flapped its wings in the sky.
After descending smoothly, the bird went closer to a young man standing still, watching the sunlight.
When the young man reached his arm out, the bird landed right on it.
The young man, who was used to this, untied the letter that was tied to the bird’s leg.
After opening the letter, the young man started to read what was inside.
There were at most six to seven lines written in it.
However, it had information that shocked the young man.
After slowly reading everything,
“Haha.”
The young man started to chuckle without realizing himself.
His eyes twisted into the shape of half-moons with his smile, and his glowing red pupils became hidden shortly after.
“The flow has changed.”
The Blood Demon chuckled happily.
A change he so desired had finally occurred, so how could he not be happy?
What happened?
The Blood Demon was reminded of a young man’s face.
There was only one person that came into his mind.
Well, he couldn’t really be called a person anymore.
“Chuckle…”
The Blood Demon chuckled at the thought.
“Is it thanks to you, or because of me?”
Was it his doing, or the Blood Demon’s fault?
Whichever it was, the Blood Demon saw it as a positive thing.
“I’m hoping a lot from you.”
He prayed that Gu Yangcheon continued doing what he was doing.
He wanted him to grow and become as big as the sky.
That was the Blood Demon’s desire.
Only then…
“I’m sorry for making you wait.”
The Blood Demon folded the letter and put it in his pocket after noticing a presence.
He fixed his outfit and turned around.
When he turned around, his red pupils changed into normal black pupils.
“It’s no problem at all. I’m quite honored to meet you.”
“I want to hear why you wanted to see me, Meteor Sword.”
The old man showed a wary expression after hearing the Blood Demon.
“I want to hear why you wanted to see me, Meteor Sword.”
The old man, no, the Sword of Wudang, the Leader of the Wudang Sect, and a representative swordsman in the Central Plains, spoke to Jang Seonyeon in front of him.
In response, Jang Seonyeon spoke with a soft smile.
“I’m here as I dared to have a deal that I wanted to make with you.”
“You, to me?”
The Sword of Wudang smirked after hearing Jang Seonyeon.
The Harmonic Sword stepped down from his position as the Alliance Leader, and the Meteor Sword’s reputation was losing its light compared to before.
However, not even the Harmonic Sword, but his son had a deal to make with the Sword of Wudang?
The Sword of Wudang wasn’t amused at all.
He already had a headache because of the Sleeping Dragon.
“I apologize, but—”
Right as he was about to leave as he didn’t want to waste his time,
“I heard that you wanted the Alliance Leader position.”
But he stopped his feet after hearing what Jang Seonyeon said.
After seeing the Sword of Wudang’s reaction, Jang Seonyeon spoke with a bigger smile than before.
“I believe I can help you with that… Are you interested?”
The Sword of Wudang’s pupils started to shake after he heard Jang Seonyeon. It didn’t matter how Jang Seonyeon found out.
It was well-known information that the Sword of Wudang dreamed of becoming the Alliance Leader.
“Meteor Sword… Are you trying to play around with the elderly?”
The Sword of Wudang’s voice was mixed with anger.
It was only a young man who was barely the age of twenty.
Moreover, he was the son of the Harmonic Sword, who was the previous Alliance Leader.
Yet, Jang Seonyeon was trying to make a deal on this?
The Sword of Wudang couldn’t understand.
He showed his anger, but the Meteor Sword still had the same smile as before.
“Please hear me out. You can punish me if you want to after we achieve our goals.”
The Sword of Wudang stared at Jang Seonyeon for a moment.
He wondered what to do.
However, he didn’t think for long.
He was more than willing to hear him out if that was the only thing he had to do.
Moreover, he was able to punish him like Jang Seonyeon said if it was anything pointless.
With that thought, the Sword of Wudang changed his mind and decided to stay.
A red light suddenly lingered around Jang Seonyeon’s eyes for an instant, but the Sword of Wudang failed to notice.