Chapter 136
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Demon and Ghost (1)
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“Urrgh!”
Jang U-hwi’s face was flushed red after heaving his guts out several times.
“Damn it. My stomach is in knots.”
Disheveled clothes, a reddened face, and coarse language so unlike him.
He was the very picture of a drunkard. A young man standing a fair distance away pinched his nose at the stench of alcohol.
Jang U-hwi roared.
“What are you looking at, you son of a bitch?! Get lost!”
He couldn’t even pronounce his words properly. The young man scowled and turned away.
Spitting crudely, Jang U-hwi sneered.
“Bastard! How dare you… huh?”
Unable to keep his balance, he staggered repeatedly before finally collapsing with a thud. Of all places, he fell right where he had just spewed a torrent of vomit.
Seemingly dumbfounded by his own actions, he stared blankly for a moment, then broke into a grin.
“What does it matter? My life’s already in the gutter.”
Leaning his head against the wall, he looked up at the sky.
The night sky was dark, so full of clouds that not a single star was visible.
“Yeah, this is just like you. You came out into the world to make a name for yourself, only to end up in this sorry state…”
He had somehow caught the eye of Hong Gwan and joined the Red Snake House, and with his knack for handling affairs, he had quickly risen to the position of General Manager.
The fact that it was a house belonging to the Demonic Sect bothered him, but wasn't it a prestigious family in these parts? Though unsettling, he had been happy, thinking that the heavens hadn't abandoned him after all.
But what was this? A single monster dispatched from the main headquarters of the Demonic Sect had laid waste to the family he had just managed to settle into.
‘Just my luck.’
He was now at a point where he didn't care what happened. No matter how much he struggled and tried, didn't he fail in the end? At this rate, he felt there was no point in fighting so hard to live.
But that thought was fleeting.
“…”
Jang U-hwi let out a deep sigh.
“You’re pathetic, you fool.”
He had always despised people who wallowed in despair after a great setback, yet here he was, doing the very same thing.
Forcing himself to get a grip, he stood up. Though it looked fine on the outside, the Red Snake House was rotting from within. The lord was bedridden, the second-in-command was dead, and the elders were busy scheming and fighting over interests amidst the chaos.
“I have to be the one to hold things together.”
Not for the sake of the Red Snake House, but for his own. This was no time for this.
*Woong.*
He was so drunk it was hard to even properly circulate his internal energy. He wasn't yet skilled enough to blow away the alcohol with his vital energy, but he felt a little more sober.
‘Huh?’
As he walked, steadying himself against the wall, he suddenly felt that the alley had grown darker.
‘What is this?’
Jang U-hwi lifted his head.
“Hah!”
A burly man in a wind cloak was leaning against the wall in front of him.
He was dressed like a common wanderer of the martial world. But the reason for Jang U-hwi’s shock was something else entirely.
The atmosphere.
It was more desolate than an endless desert and more menacing than boiling molten iron. The cold winds of the distant North Sea would feel like a warm spring breeze compared to the man's gaze, and the scorching summer sun would be dimmer than a firefly's light against the gleam in his eyes.
His attire was common, but this indescribable aura was unlike anyone else's. Not even the demons of the Divine Cult could exude such an otherworldly presence.
“You’re the General Manager of the Red Snake House, correct?”
A chill ran down his spine.
Just hearing the voice made his legs go weak.
His instincts screamed at him to run, but his body, drained of strength, was frozen and refused to move. It was difficult to even open his mouth.
*Flash!*
A bluish glint flared in the man's eyes.
Jang U-hwi's face, which had been flushed from the alcohol, instantly turned pale.
‘A ghost?’
*Shing.*
A longsword, hidden by the wind cloak, was revealed.
“So you are.”
Jang U-hwi summoned all his strength to open his mouth.
“Who… who are you…?!”
*BOOOOM!!*
He couldn't even finish his sentence before he exploded to his death.
He had literally burst apart. The man had only pointed his sword, yet Jang U-hwi's body was torn to shreds as if hit by an explosive shell, scattering in all directions.
Fresh blood drenched the alley walls. Shreds of flesh seemed to tremble in the cold.
Sheathing his sword, the man turned around.
*Sssk!*
Simultaneously, three men appeared behind him. Unlike the swordsman in the wind cloak, they were dressed in black battle robes, their appearance neat and sharp.
“Where are the men?”
The men answered in unison.
“They are currently on standby, fifty li from the Red Snake House.”
“The Red Snake House’s surveillance has weakened. It should be safe to approach another thirty li.”
“There are no reinforcements from the Seven Houses. It seems they haven’t spread the news yet.”
The man in the wind cloak nodded.
“And the Demonic Cult bastards?”
“It’s unclear. But we believe they would have intervened already if they knew.”
A brief silence.
The man spoke again.
“It doesn’t matter whether they know or not.”
A powerful confidence resonated in his casually spoken words.
“Tell the men to advance to within five li of the Red Snake House’s territory by midnight tonight.”
The man, Mok Gang-in, Vice Lord of the Sword Palace, spoke.
“By sunrise tomorrow, the Red Snake House will be in our hands.”
***
Seo Ryang and Ma Dongpil traveled at an incredible speed. Yet, there was a sense of leisure about them.
Seo Ryang never intended to rush.
He ran with all his might when they were moving, but rested properly when they stopped. He always ate until he was full and made sure to get a good three hours of sleep.
Ma Dongpil was puzzled.
“Young Master.”
“Yeah?”
“Is it alright for us to be moving so leisurely?”
“I don’t really think we’re being leisurely. Think about how much ground we’ve covered in two days.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“There’s no need to be hasty. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, you should never neglect rest.”
“That is true.”
“You should remember this too. It’s similar in any field, but for a martial artist, timing is crucial.”
“Timing?”
“I’m talking about seasons. If you’ve trained to death, there are also times you need to play to death.”
Ma Dongpil couldn't help but smile.
“What are you smiling at?”
“That doesn’t sound like something you would say, Young Master.”
“Why? Am I not allowed to give advice?”
“Of course not. It’s just that I’ve never seen anyone work as tirelessly as you, Young Master.”
“Bullshit.”
How could Ma Dongpil not understand Seo Ryang’s advice? Everyone had their own approach to their craft, but it was essential to rest properly when it was time to rest.
What was surprising, however, was Seo Ryang’s demeanor.
‘He doesn’t seem like someone about to undertake something huge.’
Whether he proposed a deal or overpowered them into servitude, his relationship with the Red Snake House was already strained. To put it bluntly, it wouldn't be strange if swords were drawn.
It was astonishing that he wasn't particularly tense, even while heading to such a dangerous place. When a person is tense and rushed, it's hard to rest this comfortably.
But Seo Ryang wasn't as relaxed as Ma Dongpil thought.
‘This is really bothering me.’
Seo Ryang thought as he diligently chewed on rabbit meat.
‘The Red Snake House in its current state shouldn’t be a difficult target to handle.’
It wasn't a simple guess, but a conviction-like assumption.
Hadn't he already turned the place upside down once as an inspector? Although he had lost his temper because of the Flying Demon King’s disciple, he had a good grasp of the Red Snake House's strength.
‘Dongpil, Geumho, and I are obviously not enough.’
Even if it was rotting, one of the Seven Houses was still one of the Seven Houses. The lord was bedridden and the second-in-command was dead, but their remaining forces were intact.
A transcendent master could turn the tide of an unfavorable battle in an instant, but for a mere three to face a group armed with hundreds of masters was like throwing an egg at a rock.
However, he thought it would be easy to handle because he was going to make a deal, not to fight.
If the deal fell through, he could just walk away. Unless the Red Snake House had gone mad, they wouldn't dare touch the Cult Leader's disciple who had visited them a second time.
Though they would be incredibly pissed off.
‘So why do I feel this sense of caution again?’
Could the Red Snake House have set a trap? But how would they know he was coming?
‘I really don’t get it.’
Lost in thought, he didn't even realize he had finished the meat.
Seo Ryang threw the bone he had been sucking on into the campfire.
“Young Master.”
“What?”
“What about Geumho…?”
Seo Ryang turned his head and looked at Geumho.
About a dozen paces away, Geumho was licking the fur of a dead tiger. It was clear he hadn't killed it to eat, so Seo Ryang had no idea what he was doing.
Seo Ryang shrugged.
“He’s taking its death energy.”
“Pardon?”
“He caught a tiger once before, right?”
“Ah, yes. It was on Mount Heng…”
“The tiger is the king of the mountains. Its life force is incomparable to other beasts.”
Ma Dongpil’s face stiffened.
“Don’t tell me Geumho is using some kind of Essence-Draining Demonic Art…”
“Does that make sense? How can an animal learn martial arts, no matter how spiritual it is?”
*Somehow, I feel like Geumho could,* Ma Dongpil thought.
“There are many beasts overflowing with life force. The reason he specifically hunts tigers is because the ones he’s caught so far have killed many people.”
“They were tigers that caused a tiger menace?”
“Yes. A ghost has attached itself to the tiger’s original essence. Unless a creature’s upper dantian is as developed as a human’s, it can’t become a ghost. Geumho takes the tiger’s essence, tainted by the ghost, and makes it his own power.”
Ma Dongpil couldn't understand.
“By ghost, do you mean a spirit…?”
Seo Ryang scratched his head.
“To be honest, I don’t know for sure either. I just said that because I couldn't think of a better word. What’s certain is that Geumho doesn't kill tigers just for fun, but for his own sake.”
“But what do you mean by death energy? You said he takes the original essence, so what is death energy?”
“Look over there.”
Seo Ryang pointed to the ground around where Geumho was crouched.
Ma Dongpil tilted his head.
“Is there something wrong over there?”
“You have no observation skills. Look carefully, man.”
“I don’t really… huh?”
Ma Dongpil’s eyes widened.
After staring at the area around Geumho for a while, he looked back at the ground where he stood.
“The grass where Geumho is seems taller and tougher than the grass here?”
“And flower buds have even bloomed.”
“H-How?!”
“I told you. Geumho takes the original essence tainted by ghosts. But original essence is only original essence when it’s alive. Once dead, it gradually becomes tainted with death energy and disappears. You know that, right?”
“Ye-es.”
“Geumho takes only the core of the death energy and disperses the remaining impurities into nature. In a way, he’s accelerating the cycle.”
“Accelerating?”
“When a living thing dies, it becomes fertilizer and enriches the soil. Geumho acts as an intermediary, speeding up that change. That’s why the tiger’s corpse looks like that.”
Ma Dongpil shifted his gaze to the tiger’s carcass.
*Crack!*
Like a dried-up tree breaking, the tiger’s head snapped off and fell. Almost no blood came from the broken neck.
Ma Dongpil looked at Geumho with wonder.
“He truly is a magnificent spiritual beast.”
“He’s magnificent, but there’s no need to be that surprised.”
“Pardon?”
“Look at my Unhindered Arts. The Purification Art of the Unhindered Arts serves to remove the turbid energy from the air, right?”
“Ah! So Geumho’s existence is like the Unhindered Arts.”
“To put it simply, something like that.”
Seo Ryang leaned back comfortably against a tree.
“In any case, he catches tigers that cause trouble, and it’s good for the land. Geumho is doing a good thing.”
Ma Dongpil nodded with a smile. But in the midst of it, a question suddenly popped into his head.
He catches tigers, and it's good for nature.
‘Then what about Geumho?’
What value does the existence of Geumho hold for us, for this world?
Is he a safe being, or a dangerous one?
“We have one day left. Get some good rest, and we’ll leave in half a day.”
“Understood. Ah! There’s one last thing I’d like to ask.”
“You sure have a lot of questions. What is it?”
“Why did we take this particular path? It feels like we’re taking a bit of a detour…”
“Oh, that?”
Seo Ryang’s eyes deepened.
“I’m retracing our escape route, just in case.”
“Escape route?”
“Yeah. It’s to prepare for any contingency. If a fight breaks out at the Red Snake House, we’ll have to run like hell, won’t we? I’m taking this detour to check if there are any variables along this escape route.”
Leisurely, yet thoroughly prepared.
Ma Dongpil was once again impressed by Seo Ryang’s meticulousness.
“If you understand, then you should get some rest too. I’m going to get some sleep.”
“Ah, yes! Please rest well.”
***
Half a day later, the two men and one beast set off.
They had been running without a break for an hour when it happened.
“Huff, huff!”
In the distance, a blood-soaked woman could be seen running toward them.
Seo Ryang’s eyes widened. So did Ma Dongpil’s.
“…The robber bitch?”
The situation was unfolding in a way they had never anticipated.