The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts - Chapter 30
The world never hands out anything for free.
There is no selfless kindness that someone hands out without reason.
I knew that more bitterly than anyone else, every bone in my body.
But the pain was fleeting.
Supreme Lord Hwang spoke quietly in a whisper.
“Let us do this nicely. Young Master Cheon. You will be able to move without spending a single coin, and we will benefit from Young Master Cheon as well.”
“...”
While the caravan traveled, they conducted five checkpoint inspections.
Yet the moment the lead carriage appeared, the Supreme Lord Hwang’s warm smile and the Dao Robe plus pendant on my Cheonsubaekryeonsa uniform made the guards simply nod and let us pass without a second glance.
The imperial court had an implicit non-aggression pact with the martial world.
And Cheonsubaekryeonsa was the neutral pillar, the very pride and core of the righteous sects.
That was why they were even more reluctant to provoke us.
[Warning: Do not panic. Host, think rationally about gain. Host, remain calm. Host, do not act rashly.]
But I shared the same thought as Mumyeong.
There was no need to risk danger against this group, and no benefit I would gain by doing so.
This situation of being sheltered by them all the way to Baekhakmubong was no loss for me.
The only downside was the mild distaste of being used by others.
Supreme Lord Hwang kept chatting nonstop beside me, his face wreathed in good-natured smiles.
I couldn’t focus on his words.
Again and again my eyes kept returning to the small package of gunpowder nestled against his chest.
An absurdly small amount.
I had no idea what it was for.
Imperial forces strictly managed every material they transported, yet they were carrying this through dangerous territory for no profit? And the quantity was far too little for any demolition work or crafting explosives I could think of.
The purpose remained completely unclear.
“Excuse me… what exactly is that gunpowder bundle for?”
Finally, after a week of traveling with this caravan, my curiosity broke through.
“Oh? You were pretending not to notice, were you? Heh heh heh.”
Supreme Lord Hwang pulled a short sword with a deep groove in its center from his waist.
“A special personal commission from the border general. For large beast use.”
“Large beasts?”
“On the frontier, bears are everywhere. Young Master Cheon like us might not even notice them, but for ordinary people it’s a real problem. Even soldiers, you know.”
-Clink.
The Lord slid the sword flat and wrapped it in paper, then tucked the gunpowder bundle into the groove.
“The general is handing these out to his personal guards. You thrust them into a bear’s neck like this.”
His thick hand mimed gripping the sword hilt, thrusting it forward, then chopping down with the palm.
“One hit and the blade goes straight through. Even a large bear will die instantly. Each one with the gunpowder bundle weighs five coins at most. It was almost worthless, but the general said it’s for emergencies.”
Once the explanation was finished, the Lord replaced the empty sword in his belt.
“Thanks to Young Master Cheon, our progress has sped up dramatically. As thanks, I’ll see you all the way to the entrance of Baekhakmubong. I’ve been there many times, so I know the way well.”
Nothing unusual happened until we were almost at our destination.
The ride felt unnaturally peaceful, almost eerie.
Was the lack of an ambush simply because I was traveling among ordinary people? If I simply reach Baekhakmubong, obtain the Sungnyeonha, and return… that’s the end?
I knew Sungnyeonha was a white flower that glowed with light.
To calm my unease that I might not recognize it, the young secretary at the waiting hall had smiled gently and said,
“You will never fail to recognize it. Do not worry. Just depart.”
“Young Master Cheon?”
His words snapped me from my thoughts.
“Look ahead. That is Baekhakmubong. Two enormous mountain ranges stand there like gatekeepers, don’t they?”
I looked up.
After endless flatlands, two colossal mountain ranges rose abruptly into view.
They looked like two giants standing side by side.
Between them lay a narrow gorge.
On the rock-faced peaks, stubborn little plants had taken root somehow, swaying in the wind and sending a desolate rustle through the air.
The sky above was perfectly clear.
But the moment I stepped past the gorge entrance, within just a few paces, I felt cool raindrops brushing my cheek.
-Swaaah…
Is this… rain?
I wiped the moisture from my face.
-Whirr.
The carriage horses began to whinny in alarm.
The pace slowed gradually.
The rain grew heavier.
The road turned rougher and narrower.
The faint traces of earlier travelers vanished completely.
The calls of mountain birds fell silent.
Soon, the only movement left in the world was the caravan itself.
“No matter how many times I come, it never gets familiar. This place is truly desolate.”
“It is gloomy,” one guard muttered.
Cliffs on either side loomed so high they blocked the sky to a single narrow crack.
The rain that had been falling steadily turned into a downpour.
An overwhelming torrent.
“Oh dear, no matter how many times we oil the paper, moisture is bad for gunpowder. Young Master Cheon, it is time to part ways here.”
Supreme Lord Hwang’s voice rose above the storm.
I stepped down from the carriage.
-Swaaaah.
The downpour intensified.
-Squelch.
Every step sent mud flying and splattering up to my knees.
Truthfully, my resentment toward the Lord had not fully vanished.
I had been used to smuggle gunpowder.
Having my money taken while I was exploited was never a pleasant experience.
But that was one thing. This was another.
I returned a deep bow in gratitude for having brought me this far.
“Thank you for escorting me all this way.”
Under the umbrella supported by a porter, Supreme Lord Hwang laughed heartily.
“Young Master Cheon, please don’t hate me too much. I’m already feeling guilty for bringing you this far! With this, there is no debt between us.”
“Understood. Travel safely.”
The carriage turned to head back the way we had come.
During the ride I had greeted every face I had come to know.
-Swaaaah-.
The downpour grew merciless.
Tempers dropped; white breath puffed from every mouth.
Sound was drowned out by the rain.
Even talking to someone standing right beside you required shouting.
Lamps that should have burned through any ordinary rain trembled like flames about to go out.
“Ah, we don’t do business that loses money. Listen up. Bring this to Young Master Cheon.”
Looking like a drowned rat, I accepted the single coin from Supreme Lord Hwang.
“Thank you.”
“Haha. After you finish everything at Cheonsubaekryeonsa, come find my shop in Baekhansan. We’ll treat you generously. Oh, and speaking of which, I almost forgot! Where exactly is your original sect?”
“Excuse me?”
My voice was lost in the rain.
Supreme Lord Hwang shouted at me, who was looking up with a wet hat on my head.
“Young Master Cheon, before joining Cheonsubaekryeonsa, what sect did you originally belong to—?”
-Schlick.
It happened without warning.
I blinked.
-Puk-ak.
At the same instant Supreme Lord Hwang’s head was severed and the heavy rain reversed, sending a column of red blood shooting up a full zhang.
The Lord’s head, mouth still open as if he had been speaking his last words to me, rolled to a stop at my feet, its face smeared with mud.
“Ah…!”
I met his empty eyes.
I looked up.
Every muscle in my body contracted.
Inside my head Mumyeong screamed.
[Urgent! Host, danger!!!]
“No way…!”
I threw myself beneath the carriage just as everything exploded into chaos.
-Kwathududuk!
“Kuaak! Uwaaaaaak!”
“Ambush! It’s enemies!”
A storm of blades.
Blood sprayed in every direction.
Arms and legs flew.
Heads were severed.
A severed hand swept past my face.
“Uwaaaak!”
“Everyone draw your swords!”
Chaechae-chang! The sound of every guard drawing his blade rang out.
-Perk!
A dagger from nowhere split the forehead of a guard.
-Jjeo-eok!
An axe dropped like lightning shattered the neck of the porter standing blankly beside me, along with his collarbone.
Porters collapsed into the mud, clutching their heads and screaming.
The thick stench of blood filled the air.
At the same time the downpour washed everything away.
“Where are they? Where are they?!”
“The leader has been taken down!”
The captain roared through the rain.
“Don’t panic, form ranks—!”
-Peo-ak!
The captain’s head burst.
-Pababa-bat!
-Tadot, tadadot!
Even in the fierce downpour the sound of dozens of footsteps charging filled the gorge.
“Here they come!”
The guards screamed.
“Where are they coming from?!”
“We can’t see them because of the rain!”
Footsteps echoed, yet no shadows appeared in the gorge ahead or behind.
-Tadadot!
There was no time to hesitate.
The footfalls grew louder and louder, shaking the gorge.
“Above! Above!”
Everyone looked up at the sound.
I looked up as well.
“…Holy shit.”
Time stopped.
It was an impossibly sheer cliff face forming the gorge.
No place to set foot.
Black figures descended the cliffs from top to bottom, filling every inch.
Wearing pitch-black clothes from head to toe.
Black cloaks fluttered behind them, spraying rain.
They looked like a swarm of black rats devouring everything in their path.
-Dduk… dduk-dduk.
The guards’ teeth chattered.
“That… that clothing…”
“No way. No matter how far we are from civilization, this is ridiculous…!”
Everyone stared blankly at the sky.
The porters, drenched in blood and rain, looked up in confusion when they realized the guards were still standing there dumbstruck.
“You bastards!”
Normally we would never have exchanged a glance, yet in the face of death everything was visible.
“What are you doing?! Why are you standing there like idiots?! Aren’t you supposed to protect us?! Can’t you see them coming?!”
One porter stood up and grabbed a guard by the collar, shaking him violently.
-Pababat.
A black wave surged forward.
“Hiiik! They’re coming! They’re coming!!”
Those in the front row turned and fled, screaming, trying to get away from the approaching figures.
The porter shook the guard’s collar again and shouted.
“They’re attacking us! Isn’t it your duty to protect us?! Why are you standing there like fools with your swords drawn?!”
“It’s wrong, it’s wrong…!”
“What?!”
Saliva from the shouting porter mixed with raindrops.
“What’s wrong?! Hurry up and charge forward and stop them! I’m never going to die! I have a wife waiting at home—!”
-Sungdong.
The porter’s neck was torn apart and his head burst apart.
The guard in front of me was covered head to toe in the porter’s brains and blood.
The guard’s dazed eyes slowly regained focus.
“Ma… Magyo.”
The mouth opened.
The guard’s final, desperate scream echoed through the gorge.
“An attack by the Tianma Magyo!”
The Heavenly Demon Cults martial arts — the Heavenly Demon copies martial arts.