Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Upholding the Will
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The dark night passed, and the dawn's light began to illuminate Blade Leaf Valley. As light shone upon the once pitch-black pavilions, the darkness naturally receded.
As if it had always been bright.
The head Mu-heun held aloft was not merely that of Golden Fang Poison Claw. It was the darkness that had once cast its shadow over Blade Leaf Valley, the despair, the virulent poison.
“The source of Blade Leaf Valley's suffering...”
Golden Fang Poison Claw, the dreadful darkness, had been sundered by the sword symbolizing the sun and moon, just as the meaning embedded in the Sun and Moon Sword suggested, and had finally vanished.
“No longer exists.”
As if it had never existed in the first place.
Just then, a roar cut through the air.
Though their internal injuries from the poison had not healed, though blood still flowed from the wounds inflicted by their enemies, though they coughed up mouthfuls of blood... the disciples of the Blade Leaf Demon who stood there shouted.
It was the echo of hope.
The roar of the Blade Leaf Demon's disciples, of those who loved Blade Leaf Valley.
They let out joyous shouts, as if their own physical conditions were of no concern.
“Did... did we really do it?”
“Is that really... the head of Golden Fang Poison Claw?”
“We... we did it.”
“He's... Golden Fang Poison Claw is dead.”
“We've defeated all those who trapped us and brought harm to Blade Leaf Valley.”
“How... how could this happen...”
“How? Wasn't it that young man who freed us from prison and treated us?”
“Then, isn't this all thanks to him?”
“I heard he's the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, and his name is Baek Mu-heun.”
“Baek Mu-heun...!”
“Lo-long, long live!”
“That's right, long live!”
“Long live Baek Mu-heun!”
“Long live!”
“““Long live!”””
The Blade Leaf Demon and all who had been treated for their wounds before joining the battle praised Baek Mu-heun's name and cheered for him. To them, Baek Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, was no different from a savior who had rescued their master and their martial brothers.
However, no battlefield has only victors.
If there are winners, there must also be those who have clearly met defeat.
Although most were already dead, with only about twenty remaining, the forces loyal to Golden Fang Poison Claw despaired at the sight of their dead leader's head.
“Is Lord Golden Fang Poison Claw dead?”
“Can't you tell by looking at his severed head? We're finished.”
“Gu Cheong...”
“His entire body, except for the head, melted away...”
“Is that so...”
It seemed as though the darkness that had covered Blade Leaf Valley had now shifted to them. Seeing no point in further resistance, they laid down their weapons.
The Blade Leaf Demon's joy was brief; he quickly began to manage the situation.
“Subdue those who surrender and gather them in one place!”
The Blade Leaf Demon's shout drew a clear line across the battlefield where joy and despair intersected.
After swiftly securing the prisoners, the Blade Leaf Demon issued orders with perfect coordination.
“We will now quickly secure Blade Leaf Valley. What happened here must not leak out, so from this moment, the valley is sealed.”
They had not yet dealt with everyone behind the scenes. Unsure of what tricks the Red Demon Pavilion and the Tang Clan might pull, they needed to buy time until Mu-heun reached the Divine Cult with the evidence he had asked Byeok-gi to secure.
“Clear away the dead, and interrogate the living for information. Then, open the storehouses of Blade Leaf Valley and bring out all the food and medicinal herbs.
With these, we will treat the peasants poisoned by the Bewitching Soul Herb and restore Blade Leaf Valley to what it once was. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Blade Leaf Demon!”
“Then, move out.”
“Sir!”
Hearing the command, the Blade Leaf Demon's subordinates moved, and the situation gradually came under control.
Only then did Willow collapse where she stood, weeping.
The Blade Leaf Demon saw his granddaughter and approached her.
“It feels like we've been reborn.”
“Gra-grandfather...”
The Blade Leaf Demon gently embraced his granddaughter with his large hands.
There were no words of comfort,
nor any of rebuke.
Only the warmth of her grandfather's embrace conveyed his heart.
Asking if she had suffered.
Telling her it was all right now.
That it wasn't her fault.
That they could start living again.
Blade Leaf Valley, poisoned by the Tang Clan's toxins, was detoxified by the Divine Doctor.
Mu-heun etched the entire scene into his eyes. If he had been the Divine Doctor before learning the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon... would any of this have been possible?
It would have been impossible.
This was a result achieved through the martial arts Mu-heun possessed. But if he had been merely a warrior, would this have been possible?
That, too, would have been impossible.
Had he possessed only powerful martial arts, he might have been able to deal with Golden Fang Poison Claw, Gu Cheong, and their remnants, but he would not have been able to save the Blade Leaf Demon, his granddaughter, and all his disciples.
That was undoubtedly a result achieved by the medical skills of the Divine Doctor.
*The Divine Doctor… and the Heavenly Demon.*
Just then, the Blade Leaf Demon approached Mu-heun.
“Mu-heun.”
“Yes, please speak.”
*Thud!*
The Blade Leaf Demon knelt on one knee and spoke.
“Truly... truly, thank you.”
“Not at all. I, too, am alive thanks to you, Blade Leaf Demon. Please rise.”
“You are surely a new wind of change for the Divine Cult, but that path will be anything but smooth.”
“...”
“However, you will not be without followers on that path. From now on, I and Blade Leaf Valley will support you, no matter what.”
“...Thank you. I feel as though I've gained a staunch ally.”
For the first time, Mu-heun had been acknowledged by a powerful figure in the Demonic Cult. It was a rather unfamiliar feeling, but he thought to himself,
*This feels pretty good...*
And so, Mu-heun recalled.
*Upholding a will.*
I experienced death once, but was given a new life. The condition was to carry on the will of my master, the Heavenly Demon, and to set the Demonic Cult... no, the Divine Cult, straight.
But if I set it straight, is that the end of it?
No, it wasn't. Master Heavenly Demon rose to become the strongest under the heavens and created the organization known as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
And yet, his will was not carried on.
All my master left behind was power and an organization.
In the end, it is people who carry on a will.
My master must have realized that as well, which is why he resorted to such an unconventional method.
He took a soul like me as his disciple, taught me, and then had me possess Baek Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, who was on the verge of death.
He took measures to ensure the Divine Cult would once again inherit his will.
Ultimately, I arrived at a single conclusion.
Even if I change the Divine Cult, it will only be a temporary fix.
The beginnings of the Orthodox Sects were likely no different from Master Heavenly Demon's, but what about now? Scum like Golden Fang Poison Claw run rampant, and in Sichuan, they try to turn children into Poison Blood Demons.
It was the same for any organization.
What's important is not simply changing things and being done with it, but ensuring that the changed will endures for a long, long time.
That cannot be achieved with great power alone, nor can it be achieved with righteous ideals alone.
It requires power, ideals, and time.
To have my will carried on,
I must ultimately surpass Master Heavenly Demon.
Of course, this is just the first step,
but this life will be different from my last.
As Mu-heun made this vow, the Blade Leaf Demon spoke to him.
“What should be done with Golden Fang Poison Claw's corpse?”
“I was thinking of keeping it until I report to the Cult Leader. Would that be all right?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Mu-heun took the corpse of Golden Fang Poison Claw and stitched up the damaged parts with a needle and thread. He drained the blood, leaving only the flesh, and removed the internal organs, which would rot easily. However, he left the area known as the dantian intact.
Then, he completely covered the surface with smoke from burning wood and cured the inside with salt, preserving it to prevent decay.
At that moment, a memory flashed through Mu-heun's mind. It struck him like a sudden bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
It was knowledge that the young Mu-heun had studied, the very technique that had ruined Baek Mu-heun's life.
Reanimated corpses.
Among that knowledge, a fragment he never expected remained: the legendary reanimated corpse that could only be created with Heavenly Demonic Ki... the Heavenly Demonic Corpse.
Not yet. Not yet.
There are things that must be done now.
Leaving the Blade Leaf Demon and his subordinates bustling about, Mu-heun set off to find the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree that was said to be in Blade Leaf Valley.
He had certainly read about it in a text. He would know it by its appearance.
He walked along the stream that had given birth to the village of Blade Leaf Valley. According to the text, the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree grew near the source of the water, in the crevices of a great mountain range where the water emerged.
Indeed, when he followed the waterway to its end, he knew. Standing there was a being on a completely different level from the other trees.
Its leaves were a vibrant blue-green, emitting a soft glow in the dawn light. The trunk was covered in a pattern as hard yet smooth as a dragon's scales, with hundreds of lines spiraling upward as if someone had twisted it toward the sky.
Its roots were thick and immense, seeming to stretch deep into the earth.
*It's exactly as I saw in the text...*
“I've finally found it.”
The great cause he had dreamed of in his past life. The final piece was here. He had begun his research out of a desire to heal all diseases and injuries, and it was this legendary tree, the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree, that had shown him it was possible.
That tree was now right before his eyes.
Mu-heun looked back on the dream he couldn't achieve in his past life.
“If I hadn't received support from the Sichuan Tang Clan when I was researching the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation, would the outcome have been different?
No, if I hadn't sought advice from various sages for my research... if I had just studied on my own, would the Sichuan Tang Clan never have come for me?
No, if I hadn't harbored that great cause in my heart from the very beginning, would things have turned out differently?
Perhaps I should have trained in martial arts from the start, instead of dedicating myself to scholarship.
Was all of it a mistake?”
Of course not.
There's no point in dwelling on the past, but what was wrong was clearly the Tang Clan, and the world.
I must let go of what has already happened. From now on, I will think only of setting things right.
The fruit of the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree was just beginning to bud.
“There are still about three weeks until the fruit fully ripens... I will come to see you every day. No one will be able to take you.”
With that vow, Mu-heun returned to Blade Leaf Valley.
* * *
The prisoners were locked in the dungeons, the Bewitching Soul Herb secretly cultivated by the peasants was slated for disposal, and the captured martial artists were repairing the damaged buildings.
Byeok-gi handed the evidence to Mu-heun.
“This is the evidence secured from the dispatch office. It seems Gu Cheong acted as the link between the Red Demon Pavilion Lord and Golden Fang Poison Claw. These letters document the process.”
“This is definitive proof... Thank you very much. You've done a great service.”
“That's not something I should be hearing from the savior of Blade Leaf Valley...”
“Haha, Master Byeok-gi, or should I go back to calling you Chief Byeok?”
“Haha... I haven't officially been reinstated yet.”
Just then, the Blade Leaf Demon called out to Mu-heun and Byeok-gi from a distance.
“Mu-heun! Chief Byeok! I have something to discuss, come to my office!”
Hearing the Blade Leaf Demon's words, Mu-heun said to Byeok-gi,
“I suppose I can call you Chief Byeok now, right?”
“Haha... I suppose so...”
“Let's head to the office.”
“Um... Master Mu-heun, no, Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, truly. I had given up on everything... but after hearing your words that day, I was ashamed of myself for giving up.”
“Don't be ashamed, Chief Byeok. It is thanks to the evidence you secured that Blade Leaf Valley can finally greet a true dawn.”
“......Thank you.”
Byeok-gi suppressed his surging emotions and bowed his head to Mu-heun, who lightly patted his shoulder before heading to the office.