Chapter 41
Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Blood Demon's Test
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stepping outside, he was greeted by a garden of exotic flowers and mystical herbs in beautiful bloom.
Manmaheon.
The name alone suggested a gathering place for all manner of evil spirits, but in reality, it was decorated like a paradise.
*Babble, babble.*
Following Jin-seol, he walked past a sprawling flower garden to a small pond. A picturesque pavilion stood before it.
Inside the pavilion, a tea table was set, and an old man with the air of an immortal sat with perfect posture.
“Sit here.”
The old man naturally extended a hand, gesturing to a seat.
His voice was very low and soft, yet it held an irresistible power.
As Bu Eun-seol took his seat, the old man pointed to a teacup and said,
“Drink.”
Those who have spent their lives commanding others naturally possess an overwhelming aura.
Bu Eun-seol could surmise that the old man before him not only held a high position but had also commanded countless people.
“This is Jade Flower tea. I picked and dried the leaves myself.”
*Gulp.*
After taking a sip of the tea, Bu Eun-seol set the cup down, and the old man asked,
“What do you think?”
Judging by his expression, he wanted an appraisal of the tea's flavor.
After a moment of thought, Bu Eun-seol said curtly,
“I can't really say.”
“You can't say?”
“I've rarely had tea before.”
The old man, who seemed to be already aware of Bu Eun-seol's personal history, spoke with a puzzled expression.
“Even if the life of a mortician is harsh, surely it can't be that bad. Do you mean to say you couldn't even afford a proper cup of tea?”
“It was a place that handled those who died on the road with no family.”
Bu Eun-seol continued impassively.
“Most of the work came from the magistrate's office, so they only paid us enough to cover the cost of a coffin.”
“Hoh.”
“More than anything, I disliked going to inns. I ate my meals at home and drank clear water instead of tea.”
“Why is that?”
“I hated receiving looks of contempt.”
Bu Eun-seol's eyes clouded over as if recalling those times.
“The stench of death never left me, so I was often thrown out of inns. Even if I was lucky enough to get in, I had to gulp my food down like water.”
“I see.”
The old man wore a bitter smile, as if disappointed.
“The Oolong tea from Geommi Mountain, where Nang-ya-gak is located, is the finest under heaven. I was hoping you would compare it with my Jade Flower tea.”
The old man smacked his lips and looked at Bu Eun-seol.
“But from the looks of it, you haven't even been treated to a proper meal, let alone Oolong tea.”
“I was too busy training in martial arts as soon as I entered.”
“I suppose so. Nang-ya-gak doesn't even treat you like a disciple if you can't properly learn their martial arts.”
The old man chuckled and said,
“Then for today, just enjoy my tea to your heart's content. You can give me your critique next time.”
And he refilled Bu Eun-seol's cup.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I only heard that this is where the Master of the Hall of Elders resides.”
“Master of the Hall of Elders? Nonsense. I'm just the most idle of the old men who are too stubborn to die.”
This old man was none other than an elder of the Demonic Cult, the Master of the Hall of Elders, Jeok-bung.
The Blood Demon, Jeok-bung.
He was one of the Three Demons of the Three Demons and Three Sages—masters said to have reached the pinnacle of the martial world, second only to the Two Celestial Emperors of Righteousness and Demonic.
He had roamed the martial world for a long time, building a fearsome reputation, and the number of righteous masters who had died by his hand was beyond count.
To think that this Peerless Demonic Lord, with his terrifying reputation, was an old man with the air of an immortal.
“Bu Eun-seol, a disciple of Nang-ya-gak, pays his respects to the Master of the Hall of Elders.”
As Bu Eun-seol stood and offered a formal bow, Jeok-bung narrowed his eyes.
“You're a little different from what I've heard.”
And he brought up a topic slightly different from the praise he had heard until now.
“I heard you began your martial arts training late, but your joints and muscles are all supple. What's more, your foundation in internal energy is solid.”
It seemed Jeok-bung could discern Bu Eun-seol's physical constitution and level of internal energy with just a single glance.
‘Is he testing me?’
After a moment's thought, Bu Eun-seol replied.
“As a child, I learned a breathing method while playing a game of getting into coffins.”
“A breathing method?”
“It was only after I entered the Gak that I learned it was a qi circulation technique.”
“So it's not that you started your training late, but that you didn't realize you had been training since childhood.”
“That is correct.”
“I see, so that's how it was.”
Jeok-bung's answer was ambiguous, carrying two possible meanings.
One was, ‘I knew it,’ and the other, ‘I never would have guessed.’
“You worked as a mortician in Hwangju Prefecture all this time?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Jeok-bung's eyes were fixed on Bu Eun-seol.
But his gaze seemed to look past Bu Eun-seol, toward some distant place, profound and remote.
“Well, such things aren't important.”
A sharp glint spread from Jeok-bung's eyes as he muttered under his breath.
“I'll get straight to the point.”
The light shooting from his eyes felt as if it were piercing through Bu Eun-seol's body.
“When you finish your training at Nang-ya-gak, come to the Main Hall.”
“The Demonic Hall… you mean?”
“That's right.”
Clink.
Brushing a drop of water from the teacup lid, Jeok-bung's eyes grew even sharper.
“Although Nang-ya-gak is considered one of the Ten Demonic Sects, its structure is not suitable to be called a proper faction.”
His voice did not seem to come from his mouth, but rather to strike down from the heavens like a thunderbolt.
“There may be no better place to learn martial arts. But for achieving one's ambitions, Nang-ya-gak is far too small a stage.”
Clink.
“A great man should play in a great arena, shouldn't he? By the time you finish your training at Nang-ya-gak, it will be about three years from now.”
Clink.
Throughout his speech, Jeok-bung repeatedly brushed off the lid of Bu Eun-seol's cup.
“When that time comes, I intend to speak to the Cult Leader and recommend you as a member of the Dark Heaven Squad.”
The Dark Heaven Squad.
Along with the Cheon-sal and Myeol-hon Squads, it was one of the Demonic Cult's most elite units.
The Dark Heaven Squad, in particular, was an elite unit directly under the Cult Leader, possessing the ultimate authority to deal with ‘anything’ that stood in the Demonic Cult's way.
And he was going to put a greenhorn fresh out of Nang-ya-gak into the Dark Heaven Squad?
“I don't know if you're aware, but joining the Dark Heaven Squad is, without exaggeration, seizing the best connection to becoming a future leader of the Demonic Cult.”
Clink.
Brushing off the teacup lid once more, Jeok-bung asked impassively,
“What do you say? Will you accept my offer?”
After a moment of deep thought, Bu Eun-seol met Jeok-bung's gaze and said calmly,
“I refuse.”
*Click.*
At that moment, Jeok-bung's hand, which had been brushing the teacup lid, stopped.
He had simply stopped the act of brushing the lid.
But in that instant, an inexplicable sense of dread and crisis enveloped the surroundings.
The tranquil air of the pavilion grew heavy as lead, and the bright sky seemed to be stained black.
“Your reason.”
The hint of a smile vanished from Jeok-bung's eyes.
That alone seemed to transform his appearance from that of an immortal to the visage of a devil.
“As of now, I don't have the luxury to think about such things.”
“Luxury?”
“Mastering the martial arts of Nang-ya-gak requires staking my life every single day.”
Bu Eun-seol replied in a calm voice.
“If such a position were guaranteed to me before I even finished learning…”
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Bu Eun-seol said in a firm voice,
“I would fall into complacency and be unable to achieve greatness in the martial arts of Nang-ya-gak.”
“Huhuhu…”
Jeok-bung, who had been letting out a low chuckle, suddenly burst into a wild laugh.
“Huhuhuhu… Hahahaha!”
His laughter, which shook the heavens and the earth, was imbued with an unimaginably powerful internal energy.
“Uwahahaha! Wahahat!”
As the wild laughter echoed, the very axis of the earth seemed to tremble, and the clouds looked as if they were being swept away to the far corners of the sky.
A tremendous shockwave shook his body, making Bu Eun-seol's organs tremble and the sweet taste of blood rise in his throat.
“Good.”
Cutting off his laughter abruptly, the sharp light in Jeok-bung's eyes vanished, replaced once more by a gentle aura.
“As a martial artist, your attitude is impeccable.”
Clink.
Nodding, Jeok-bung once again swept the teacup lid gently.
At that, the oppressive air that had crowded the pavilion seemed to be purified once more.
“I will be watching.”
*Click.*
Having closed the teacup lid completely, Jeok-bung said in a low voice,
“To see what kind of person you've become in three years.”
Then, he fixed his gaze not on Bu Eun-seol, but on the flower garden.
It was a silent dismissal.
“Then.”
After a deep bow, Bu Eun-seol turned around.
And he slowly retraced his steps along the path he had come.
*Drip, drip.*
With every step he took, large beads of sweat fell from Bu Eun-seol's forehead onto his clothes.
He had maintained an impassive expression the entire time, but his upper garment was soaked through with cold sweat.
‘If my excuse hadn’t been convincing…’
Biting his lip, Bu Eun-seol walked on slowly.
When he had said the words ‘I refuse,’ an indescribably immense killing intent had enveloped his body.
What if, at that moment, his reason for refusal had seemed trivial to Jeok-bung, or if he hadn't liked it?
‘That old man would have snuffed out my life instantly.’
*Drip.*
Another large bead of sweat trickled from his forehead down his cheek.
A wall. For the first time, Bu Eun-seol felt an immense wall.
The Master of the Hall of Elders, Jeok-bung.
He possessed a transcendent aura, completely different from any master Bu Eun-seol had seen before.
A formidable power capable of crushing Bu Eun-seol like an insect with just the flick of a finger.
‘Becoming a master of the martial world is such a high and perilous path. I've been far too lucky until now.’
In the Demonic Cult, in the martial world… there existed monstrous superhumans who had reached unimaginable heights.
He felt it in his bones that he still had a long way to go to achieve his revenge.
*Creeak.*
As Bu Eun-seol finally stepped out the door,
*Swoosh.*
A faint shadow materialized behind the pavilion where Jeok-bung was sitting.
It was a frail-looking young man in scholar's robes. It was Sim-wol, the one who had guided Bu Eun-seol to Manbakdang.
“This is the first time I've seen someone reject your offer so flatly, Elder.”
Without turning his head, Jeok-bung said impassively,
“What was your impression of him?”
“He certainly has the ability to back it up.”
Sim-wol's voice was serious.
“The first four moves may be one thing, but blocking Great Lord Go's final move was by no means a coincidence.”
“Wasn't that the Fire Rain Sword Art, anyway?”
“It is a killing sword technique that even its creator, Cheon Un-gwang of the Peerless Lightning Strike, has yet to perfect.”
Sim-wol, his head bowed, narrowed his eyes.
“If someone could use it in such a short time just by being taught, Cheon Un-gwang wouldn't be a Clan Head, but at least a Vice Sect Leader.”
Sim-wol said in a very grave tone.
“He is the one the Fire Rain Sword Sect had marked as their successor. I can't say about other things, but when it comes to swordsmanship, he clearly possesses genius-level talent.”
“Hmph.”
Jeok-bung snorted softly.
“For now, we watch. Let's see which path he chooses.”
“Understood.”
Bowing his head, Sim-wol's form faded away again.
As if nothing had happened, Jeok-bung slowly picked up his teacup.