Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Demonic Realm of the Solitary Bamboo Forest (1)
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Until now, I'd had neither the time nor the need to think about it, but there was one thing I was realizing anew.
The scenery of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the home of the Divine Cult, was second to none.
The sprawling trees in the wide-open view, the majestic mountain ridges, and the forests covering them were like a landscape painting.
The air was unbelievably fresh. It was impossible to believe this was the den of the most vicious demons imaginable. I couldn't understand why the people living in such a breathtaking place were all so rotten.
“Whew! This is nice!”
I meant it. Perhaps because I'd thought it was a place I'd never visit in my life, it felt all the more beautiful.
Cheon Hajin, who had been sniffing the air, broke into a wide smile.
“The scent of bamboo is nice, too.”
As he turned, his eyes fell upon countless bamboo stalks standing in rows.
Each stalk was so thick and tall it seemed to pierce the sky. Some were so abnormally thick they resembled logs.
‘What a view.’
They say that upright bamboo is a symbol of loyalty.
I could see why the ancient sages loved bamboo. Just looking at it made my heart pound and the hair on my body stand on end.
My chest grew hot.
So hot that I wanted to burn it all to the ground.
“...You son of a bitch.”
Drip.
Blood dripped from his chin. He had bitten his lip so hard it was covered in wounds.
“I ask for a simple trip outside, and you demote me instead? Are you even human, you bastard?!”
Cheon Hajin's shriek echoed through the bamboo forest.
Hey, who said anything about cutting ties? I just said I wanted to go out and get some fresh air!
What in the world did I do to deserve being stuck in a place like this?!
As Cheon Hajin clutched his head in despair, a shadow appeared behind him.
"Forgive my impertinence, Young Master, but that was a dangerous thing to say."
Cheon Hajin turned his head. His murderous gaze would put a predator staring at its prey to shame.
But the middle-aged man looking down at him didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
"What did you just say?"
The man bowed his head respectfully.
"Cursing or speaking ill of the Cult Leader is, in itself, grounds for immediate execution. The young masters and mistresses are no exception."
"Hey, you!"
"Speak."
Cheon Hajin, who had been seething,
finally turned his head away, his breathing slowly calming.
"I wasn't cursing the Cult Leader."
"..."
"Don't misunderstand."
"Is that so?"
Damn it! Damn it!
They say it's not a crime to curse a high-ranking person... well, maybe not the emperor... or even a king... but someone important, when they're not around.
Thinking about it just makes me angrier. Does he think he's royalty or something? I can't even curse him behind his back?
‘Fuck, to these gloomy bastards, he's higher than the emperor.’
He's not just royalty; they call him the incarnation of a god.
I get it, but frankly, I don't care. He might be a god to you, but to me, he's just one ridiculously huge martial artist.
Of course, the problem is that said huge martial artist is an unprecedented, monstrously powerful master.
Muttering to himself, Cheon Hajin glanced at Ma Dongpil.
The man was as stoic as a thousand-year-old rock. Even with the wind blowing like this, not a single strand of his hair moved.
Is that a mask? If not, how can a human being be like that?
"You're from the Hall of Protectors?"
Ma Dongpil knelt on one knee.
"I, Ma Dongpil, Third Squad Leader of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon's Hall of Protectors, greet you."
"A Squad Leader from the Hall of Protectors is going to be my personal guard?"
"It is an undeserved honor, Young Master. To be entrusted with the protection of one of our Cult's revered figures is the glory of three lifetimes."
Cheon Hajin screamed internally.
Forget three lifetimes, forget glory, forget all those brilliant words! I don't need any of that! Just get away from me!
He looked into Ma Dongpil's eyes.
His face was expressionless, but his gaze burned like a flame, making him unbearably intimidating.
"I swear by Papiyas that I will protect the Third Young Master with my life."
Don't... please...
‘These fanatics!’
I hate the Divine Cult. I really, really hate it. What have you people given me besides despair?
So what if the scenery is nice? Bullshit! The beautiful scenery just makes me feel like I'm being mocked even more!
"Young Master, the weather is growing quite cold. Perhaps you should go inside and warm yourself?"
"I'm admiring the bamboo. Don't disturb me."
"As you command!"
This guy, so needlessly serious.
After snorting three times in a row, Cheon Hajin turned back to the bamboo forest, a look of emptiness suddenly on his face.
‘Anyway, damn it, what do I do now?’
The Solitary Bamboo Forest, was it?
I didn't even want to know what this place meant to the Divine Cult. What was important was that I had no idea what that bastard Cult Leader's intentions were in sending me here instead of my perfectly fine residence.
Worse, the Solitary Bamboo Forest was located even deeper in than the Hall of Horned Dragons, where the Cult Leader's disciples resided.
At this point, I would have been more at ease being thrown in prison.
‘Should I really just burn it all down?’
If I don't have a place to live, won't they have to move me somewhere else? The air seems dry, too. A single spark would set this place ablaze in an instant.
Wait, now that I think about it, that's not a bad idea.
A sinister look crossed Cheon Hajin's face.
‘It's even alluring.’
Just imagining it is thrilling. I want to burn down every single building in the Divine Cult.
‘...’
Cheon Hajin let out a long sigh.
‘Get a grip, you crazy bastard. If you start a fire, what's your excuse going to be?’
These people wouldn't buy excuses like 'I was trying to grill some meat and burned it all down' or 'a sudden lightning strike set it on fire'.
‘Let's try to think of something more productive.’
His trembling pupils stilled, and color returned to his pale face.
His expression, which had instantly shifted to one of serious contemplation, was reminiscent of a seeker of truth.
‘Right, maybe I made a mistake from the very beginning.’
I was so obsessed with the idea of escaping that I failed to properly read the atmosphere of this place.
That in itself was ridiculous. If I was going to run, I should have first figured out what kind of place this was.
‘I took it too lightly.’
Regret cut deep. Had the man who was so meticulous in his days as an assassin become a fool?
Perhaps it was due to the obsession created by my prejudice against the Divine Cult. They were infamous in the martial world for their wickedness, so I might have unconsciously judged them all to be the same.
‘I had no awareness of my position as the Third Young Master, nor did I know what I could do with that title.’
Maybe the Divine Cult is just a place where people live, like any other sect. There might be many timid and kind people like Aeng-hwa.
Giving it a lot of leeway, it might not be a bad place to live.
But! Even if that's true!
‘I still can't live here.’
Just as four-legged animals have a reason to live on land, fish have a reason to live in the sea. People might be people everywhere, but the Divine Cult is just not for me.
Crucially, after being blessed with the luck of a lifetime and gaining a second chance at life, I didn't see why I had to be tied down to an organization.
Cheon Hajin's eyes darted around.
‘Since it's come to this, let's not try any obvious ploys like asking to go out. It's not going to work anyway.’
Hmm...
Still, just in case, maybe I should check?
"Hey, Mr. Ma."
A look of bewilderment flickered across Ma Dongpil's face.
Mr. Ma? It was an unfamiliar address. He couldn't recall ever being called that by a superior.
Fearing his bewilderment might show, he bowed his head lower than usual.
"Yes, Young Master."
"Are you going to bow your head like that every time I call you? It makes me feel awkward."
"My apologies, Young Master. It is proper etiquette when addressing a revered person."
"..."
"..."
"Fine. Let's leave it at that. I have something to ask you."
"Please, ask what you will."
"As you know, it's been a little over three months since I recovered from Qi deviation."
"Yes."
"I feel suffocated. Extremely suffocated and stifled. So, I'd like to go outside the Cult's grounds and get some fresh air."
"..."
"Is there something like a permit I need to get?"
Ma Dongpil slowly raised his head.
His face was still as stiff as a mask, but anyone could see the bewilderment in his eyes.
Cheon Hajin frowned slightly.
"Why? Is the process complicated?"
"Well..."
"Ah, no need to be cautious. Just speak freely."
Ma Dongpil flinched as Cheon Hajin leaned in with an expectant look.
The emotion that followed his bewilderment was confusion. He wondered how someone who had lived in the Divine Cult for over a decade could not know this.
But since a person of high rank was asking, it was his duty as a subordinate to answer with all sincerity.
"Since you ask, I will dare to speak."
"Good, good."
"Basically, leaving the Cult is only possible when an official order is issued from a superior."
"An official order? Where does that come from?"
"It is issued by the inner fortress's Office of the Grand Marshal."
"Huh? The Office of the Grand Marshal?"
"That is correct."
"Alright. So I just have to go to the Office of the Grand Marshal?"
"That is not the case."
"What? You said it's issued by them. Shouldn't I just go there and get permission?"
"Normally, yes."
"Hurry up and explain."
"An order handed down from the Palace of the Demonic God takes precedence over the Office of the Grand Marshal. By custom, it is known to be nearly impossible for the disciples to leave the Cult's grounds without the Cult Leader's permission."
"..."
"For you to leave, Third Young Master, you must go not to the Office of the Grand Marshal, but to the Palace of the Demonic God. If you have an audience with the Cult Leader and obtain his consent, there is no need to get permission from the Office of the Grand Marshal."
"I see..."
"Indeed."
"Yeah... thanks for the explanation."
"I do not deserve such words."
Ma Dongpil, who had bowed respectfully, looked at Cheon Hajin with eyes full of doubt.
In that brief moment, Cheon Hajin's face seemed to have aged a good ten years.
Is there some trouble weighing on his heart? After a moment's hesitation, Ma Dongpil spoke cautiously.
"Forgive me, Young Master, but the day is growing colder. I am deeply concerned it may harm your well-being..."
"Alright, fine, let's go in."
"As you command!"
And so, guided by Ma Dongpil, Cheon Hajin entered the Solitary Bamboo Forest.
Perhaps because he was completely dazed,
Cheon Hajin did not see it. The flicker of tension that crossed Ma Dongpil's stoic face.
The day he would learn why Ma Dongpil kept mentioning the weather and urging him to go inside quickly.
On that day, Cheon Hajin would seriously contemplate whether or not to grab Lee Cheonsang by the collar.
Swoooosh!
The bamboo leaves rustled back and forth in the blowing wind.
It was a gloomy night.
***
That night, Ma Dongpil knelt before a man.
"...And that concludes my report on the Third Young Master."
"You've done well."
Shadows fell across the face of Mu Dam, who stood before the window.
"Your duty is of great importance. Continue to serve him with all your heart."
"Yes."
"You may go."
"..."
"Is there something else you wish to say?"
After a moment's hesitation, Ma Dongpil ventured a question.
"My Lord."
"Yes."
"I apologize in advance for this irreverent question. However, as his personal guard, basic information about my charge is essential, so I dare to ask."
"Speak."
"Could it be that the Young Master's memory was damaged after his Qi deviation?"
A look of curiosity formed on Mu Dam's face.
"Why do you ask such a question?"
Ma Dongpil recounted their conversation in the Solitary Bamboo Forest in detail.
Mu Dam, who had listened in silence, replied.
"Third Squad Leader, I understand why you asked that question."
"..."
"However, do not worry too much about it. The one you serve now is no ordinary leader, but one of the seven who could one day seize control of the Cult."
"..."
"He may have simply needed someone to joke with. Or perhaps he truly has lost his memories. But that is as far as it goes. Do not entertain any further doubts."
Mu Dam smiled faintly.
"This is also why guarding the successors is so difficult. That is why I specifically dispatched you."
"...Yes."
"You may return."
With a short bow, Ma Dongpil vanished like a ghost.
A chilling look passed over Mu Dam's smiling face.
‘Memories...’
He took out a book that was tucked away on a bookshelf.
It was a list of medicinal herbs prescribed to patients within the Cult over the past three months by the Blood Soul Pavilion, the inner fortress's medical hall.
Grip.
As Mu Dam calmly scanned the list, a thick vein suddenly bulged on his jaw.
‘Could it be?’