Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: Run Away Now
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With his encounter with Mu Chabi as the finale, Hyeok Mulin left Sichuan.
Speeding up, Hyeok Mulin glanced back at Jeok Mugun and Jeok Igum in hot pursuit.
Both warriors seemed to have some skill in lightness arts, keeping up quite well.
Of course, unlike Hyeok Mulin who was running effortlessly, they had to exert themselves fully, both internally and externally, every moment.
'That's even better than I expected.'
As he crossed the Central Plains like this, Hyeok Mulin didn't waste a single moment of that time either.
He was constantly testing Jeok Igum's qualifications to join the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad while on the move.
By having him eliminate obstructive bandits along the way or deal with martial artists who picked fights.
'His younger brother certainly has strengths different from his older one.'
Jeok Mugun and Jeok Igum each had their own uses.
Jeok Mugun was a warrior who disrupted enemies with his formidable martial prowess and rare weapon.
But Jeok Igum, thanks to his experience as an assassin, had never once been detected by others while carrying out missions. He showed great strengths in stealthy mobility and quiet movements.
'Unifying a unit's character entirely is good, but broadening the scope of missions is also a positive direction.'
Composing an entire unit of archers like the Heavenly Wind and Cloud Corps to integrate their identity was one good method.
But the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad had no need for that.
Their sole identity.
That was being the first Heavenly Demon Army to serve Hyeok Mulin.
For accomplishing missions, nothing else mattered in the slightest.
Whether a warrior had what temperament, what weapons they wielded, what characteristics their martial arts had. None of that was worth considering.
Could they prove their martial prowess?
And could they lay down their lives for Hyeok Mulin?
That was all.
The brothers entering the same unit.
"Interesting."
Having observed Jeok Igum like this, Hyeok Mulin gave him a passing mark in his own way.
However, that alone wasn't enough to secure entry into the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad.
Hyeok Mulin had delegated personnel decisions for the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad to Ji Wolhon, and he had no intention of interfering much.
So for Hyeok Mulin, he would only grant permission regarding whether it was fine for this long-term resident of the Central Plains to join the Heavenly Demon Army. Jeok Igum would have to prove himself anew within the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad.
'When I first saw Jeok Mugun at the Demon World Martial God Tournament, I thought it was just a fleeting encounter.'
He had known Jeok Mugun's circumstances roughly at the time.
Thus, whatever choice he made after finding his younger brother, Hyeok Mulin planned to permit it readily. And his decision was to return to the unit.
A life of pride in living as a Divine Demon Blood Death Squad member and Heavenly Demon Army soldier.
That was the greatest honor Hyeok Mulin could bestow upon his subordinates.
Thus, Hyeok Mulin planned to press forward without looking back, just as he was doing now.
His name, his fame, his dignity would be the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad's pride.
Harboring such thoughts, Hyeok Mulin traversed the Central Plains with his two subordinates and soon arrived at the Shin River.
Thereafter, they moved tirelessly toward Heavenly Mountain, and at its end, they set foot in a certain village.
A small village at the base of the path up Heavenly Mountain.
Among the various villages around Heavenly Mountain, it was connected by the shortest shortcut.
But that fact was known only to the higher demons of the cult, so outsiders rarely passed through.
"We'll stay here tonight and set off again tomorrow."
"Understood!"
As it was a small village not of great size, there was only one inn available for lodging.
A cozy inn of two stories with just ten rooms.
Moreover, aside from one room, they were all empty, leaving nine rooms available.
'No wonder.'
It was only natural for a village rarely visited by outsiders. The locals had no need to stay at an inn when they had homes.
Having even one inn for lodging was practically a miracle in that light.
Of course, without distinctions of upper or lower class, every room had just a single narrow, hard bed.
"Let's eat first for now."
Before securing rooms, Hyeok Mulin sat with his subordinates at an empty table and ordered simple thin noodles for three and a plate of dumplings.
That was all the inn could offer anyway.
After placing the order, Hyeok Mulin waited a moment and spoke to Jeok Mugun and Jeok Igum sitting across from him.
"It was quite a long journey. You all did well."
Jeok Mugun, at a loss for how to respond, replied in an apologetic tone.
"Not at all. Thanks to the Cult Leader's grace, I was able to remove the stake that had been embedded in my chest my whole life. I regret that all I can offer is my gratitude."
Jeok Igum, watching from the side, silently bowed his head deeply.
Hyeok Mulin wore a faint smile on his lips.
Then, at that moment.
Thud. Thud.
A woman in a hooded cloak brushed past their table.
And she went straight up to the second floor, vanishing from sight.
Jeok Mugun and Jeok Igum shot wary glances at the woman who had approached so suddenly, then turned their eyes back to the table.
But Hyeok Mulin was already noticing something else.
A small, neatly folded piece of paper lay on the table.
Jeok Mugun and Jeok Igum, spotting it belatedly following Hyeok Mulin's gaze, looked at him with wide eyes.
"Cult Leader, this is...!"
After a moment unable to hide their surprise, they spoke in cold, sunken voices.
"We'll capture her right now."
"......"
But despite their eager tones, Hyeok Mulin merely looked down at the note in silence.
He glanced once at the stairs where she had disappeared, then gripped the paper in his hand.
"Don't act rashly. Nothing has happened yet."
"...Our apologies."
Regaining their composure at Hyeok Mulin's words, they bowed their heads in apology.
Afterward, Hyeok Mulin slowly unfolded the paper.
The single word written on the opened paper was this.
It was just a simple stroke that could be mistaken for a symbol or a letter, but Hyeok Mulin interpreted the writing on the paper based on the inn's state and the woman's movements.
Thud.
Rising from his seat, Hyeok Mulin gave them instructions.
"I'll be right back. Eat first."
With those words, Hyeok Mulin went alone up the stairs to the second floor.
Ten rooms available for lodging.
Hyeok Mulin headed to the tenth room at the end.
He stopped before the door marked with a clear "Ten" on the front.
Tap. Tap-tap.
He knocked on the door there several times, deliberately and slowly.
After pausing to wait, a woman's voice came from inside.
"The door is open. Come in."
At her words, Hyeok Mulin opened the door, and a woman sitting in a chair by the bed came into view.
Click.
Closing the door, Hyeok Mulin gazed steadily at her and said,
"It's been a while. Lady Cheon."
With that, Cheon Seohee slowly removed her hood and placed it on the table, looking at Hyeok Mulin.
"Greetings, Cult Leader."
In truth, Hyeok Mulin had recognized her as Cheon Seohee the moment he saw the handwriting on the paper she left.
He noticed how, while writing the "Ten", she had flicked the end of the stroke away. It was her distinctive style.
Having sensed Cheon Seohee's presence, Hyeok Mulin had come to the room without hesitation.
She too seemed to be waiting alone, as no other presences were felt nearby.
"You've finally returned. Did you enjoy your tour of the Central Plains enough?"
"Well, it wasn't bad."
In fact, Cheon Seohee had been waiting in this village for quite some time for Hyeok Mulin.
She had first gone to Sima Jin to ask about Hyeok Mulin's whereabouts and return schedule, but he had kept everything tightly sealed.
Thus, giving up on getting information from him, Cheon Seohee changed her approach.
Initially, she inferred he had gone outside based on his long absence from Heavenly Mountain. Then, urgent news arrived from the Central Plains.
The Heavenly Demon had subdued the Wandering Sword Saint.
Confirming Hyeok Mulin's location in the Central Plains, she waited here without a specific plan.
Higher demons who knew the shortcut would likely pass through this village when returning to Heavenly Mountain.
And so her wait finally became reality, achieving her goal.
"You were away for quite a long time. Do you know how much of an uproar the world was in over your actions during that time?"
The Heavenly Demon, thought to be holed up in Shin River's Heavenly Mountain, suddenly crushing one of the Three Saints in the heart of the Central Plains.
That move left not only demons but Central Plains folk stunned, unable to move hastily.
However, for Hyeok Mulin.
"It was necessary."
He had returned after shredding the Martial Alliance's scheme to pieces, an outcome the cult couldn't ask for more.
And Cheon Seohee agreed, so she didn't pursue the topic further.
As silence flowed for a moment, Hyeok Mulin parted his lips.
"You've cut off contact all this time, so what brings you here so suddenly?"
Until now, Cheon Seohee had focused on clan affairs without any contact with Hyeok Mulin.
She hadn't avoided him deliberately, but she hadn't initiated any meetings either.
Yet now she had approached him intentionally first, so she clearly had a purpose.
"......"
After a brief silence, Cheon Seohee parted her heavy lips.
"You've already heard that Grandfather has returned to the main household, I presume."
After returning to the Cheon Clan, Cheon Sumyeong had stayed only within the clan's main compound, so news of his seclusion ending hadn't spread yet.
But the Cult Leader's information gathering was unparalleled, so Cheon Seohee was certain he knew.
"Yes."
And proving her thoughts correct, Hyeok Mulin affirmed it without the slightest agitation even as the name Cheon Sumyeong came up.
"As I thought."
Everything had gone as she predicted up to here.
But the truly important part started now.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she fixed a sharp gaze straight on Hyeok Mulin.
"Cult Leader."
In truth, it had taken considerable courage for Cheon Seohee to come here.
The man who had once married her and taken the Cult Leader's seat.
But coldly chose divorce for his own path as a demon and turned his back on the Cheon Clan.
She stared clearly at such a Hyeok Mulin.
And parted her lips with a voice full of certainty.
"Run away from here right now."