Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Gocheon Village
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Mu-heun, along with Pa-sun, Un-pyo, Seol Ha-ryeong, and Gu Yang-baek, left the Heavenly Mountains and headed for the Aksu Prefecture. Within the prefecture was a village called Gocheon.
Pa-sun, who had investigated Gocheon Village in advance, explained.
“Gocheon is a fairly large village that developed around an oasis.”
He briefly recounted the village’s specialties and characteristics. The important thing was that the Aksu region, once managed by the Red Demon Pavilion, would now be under Mu-heun’s administration.
Before leaving the Heavenly Mountains, Mu-heun recalled what Jin Mu, the Leader of the Bright Heavenly Demon Unit, had said.
[Among the areas managed by the Red Demon Pavilion is a village called Gocheon. It now falls under your jurisdiction, Lord Dragon Demon, so I hope you will stop by on your way to check on its condition.]
However, with a long journey to Sichuan ahead of him, Mu-heun didn't have time for a thorough inspection.
‘…I have a long way to go. How can I attend to every single detail? I’ll just have a look around and move on.’
Mu-heun decided that staying for a day would be fine and informed his companions.
“We’ll be staying the night at the Songrim Inn, just outside Gocheon Village.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Mu-heun’s word, the group headed straight for the Songrim Inn.
They intended to get rooms as soon as they entered, but Pa-sun and Un-pyo requested to share the room next to Mu-heun’s, so one was arranged for them. Aside from those two, Mu-heun, Seol Ha-ryeong, and Gu Yang-baek each took a room for themselves.
After securing the rooms, Mu-heun ordered every dish the owner of the Songrim Inn, Lee Hwa-sol, could possibly make. He also asked for their finest liquor.
He had brought a substantial amount of money from the Heavenly Dance Family, so providing a good place to sleep and a hearty meal was well within his means.
“For now, please make yourselves comfortable. I’m just going to my room to organize my things.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Haha, feel free to eat while I’m gone, but you must not cause any trouble or draw attention to yourselves. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
Their eyes were glued to the magnificent feast being prepared, so their response was thunderous.
‘They must be tired from the journey down the Heavenly Mountains.’
In truth, the reason for their swift reply was that Mu-heun had become their de facto superior the moment they left the main cult.
Although Mu-heun was the youngest among them, age was irrelevant to those accustomed to viewing the world through the lens of the strong ruling the weak.
To them, Mu-heun was simply an absolute powerhouse and their superior officer.
Not only was he a powerful warrior, but he had also been granted full authority by the main cult, so Pa-sun and Un-pyo, as well as Seol Ha-ryeong and Gu Yang-baek, had all pledged absolute obedience to his command.
However.
Mu-heun simply thought their eyes were captivated by the food.
‘Heh, it’s good to be young.’
Mu-heun slowly climbed the stairs to his room on the second floor. As soon as he entered, he locked the door, opened the window, and called for Cheon-hyang and Hyeok.
Cheon-hyang entered in the form of a black owl, but immediately changed its feather color back to white. It then folded its wings over its chest like a servant and spoke.
[You’ve finally called for me!]
“That I have.”
He infused the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, Hyeok, with a copious amount of ominous Heavenly Demonic Energy. The sight was almost sacred, like the spreading flames of a sacred fire. For Cheon-hyang, he prepared a grand feast of fragrances.
A banquet table made of Myriad Fragrances.
As the scent slowly unfurled, a fully plucked chicken appeared before them. Its head and feet were gone, and its cavity was filled with a masterful blend of medicinal ingredients like sweet rice, jujubes, deer antlers, garlic, wild ginseng, and deodeok root.
The chicken, thoroughly boiled in bubbling water, floated up and was soon nestled perfectly in a large ceramic bowl. Well-aged sauces were drizzled over it, and the hot flesh peeled away, flying straight into Cheon-hyang’s mouth.
The Heavenly Fragrance Owl savored the aroma with an expression of pure bliss. The exquisitely intricate harmony of scents created the illusion of actually eating, and it drove Cheon-hyang wild.
[Kkyak! This is amazing! Master!]
“Heh heh, yes. You may go now.”
[Yes! I pledge my eternal loyalty!]
“I know, now go. Take Hyeok with you.”
[Yes, sir!]
After tending to Cheon-hyang and Hyeok, Mu-heun figured the meal would have been served by now. He left his room and began to descend the stairs, one step at a time.
But…
The atmosphere was strange. A chilling silence had fallen. The inn’s tables were smashed here and there, and the food Mu-heun had ordered was spilled all over the floor.
Pa-sun, Un-pyo, Seol Ha-ryeong, and Gu Yang-baek stood with grim expressions, their faces cast in dark shadows.
From behind them came a sound like fists pounding against the inn’s wall, accompanied by harsh curses.
“Hey, you old hag! If you can’t pay up, then hand over that granddaughter of yours!”
“P-please… spare… me.”
*Smack!*
A muscle-bound pig of a man with an axe tattooed on his bald head struck the old innkeeper, sending her flying into a wall.
“What the hell is this dog of a bitch mumbling about!”
She was already covered in blood. Her face was a mess of cuts, and she had few teeth left in her mouth.
Having reached the bottom of the stairs, Mu-heun noticed a blood-stained tooth at his feet. He bent down and picked it up.
A single, half-shattered tooth. It was obvious where it had come from.
‘Why…?’
Mu-heun gritted his teeth, his hand clenching. It was a fundamental rule of the martial world not to interfere without knowing the full story. But there was no time to assess the situation.
“Hey, you pathetic bitch, you still don't get it? Huh? If you don’t have money, bring me your granddaughter!”
“I… I-I… I’m… sor-ry…”
‘Telling her to pay her debt with her granddaughter…’
But no matter the circumstances, the man’s actions were beyond the pale. The old woman could no longer speak properly. With her teeth knocked out and her face a bloody pulp, what could she possibly say?
It was a clear case of the strong trampling the weak.
“What are you saying, you pathetic bitch? This isn't working. I'll find your granddaughter myself, so you can just die here. Hmm? That’d be easier, right?”
The bald man with the axe tattoo raised his fist, preparing to smash the old woman’s head.
Just then.
*Crack.*
“Huh?”
Mu-heun caught the man’s fist just before it reached the old woman’s head. An instant later, Gu Yang-baek of the Killing Palace severed the man’s arm at the wrist, leaving Mu-heun holding the dismembered fist in mid-air.
At the same time, Seol Ha-ryeong froze the man’s body halfway, immobilizing him.
Pa-sun brought the tip of his spear to the man’s neck and pricked it lightly. A thin line of blood trickled down his throat, while Un-pyo swung his broadsword, cleaving the man's instep.
*Slash!*
“Kugh! Ah… ah…”
The bald man’s body was frozen, his wrist was gone, and his foot was split open. Unable to even scream properly, his face contorted in mind-numbing agony as he made strange noises.
Just then, Mu-heun threw the man’s own words back at him.
“What are you trying to say, you pathetic bastard? This isn't working. I'll find your backer myself, so you can just die here. Hmm? That’d be easier, right?”
Mu-heun drew the Sun and Moon Sword and carved a gentle arc through the air.
The man’s head fell to the ground, his frozen, contorted expression intact as it rolled across the floor.
*Thump, thump, thump…*
***
Mu-heun quickly treated the old woman. He applied a salve to help her wounds close, gave her a pill he had made to restore her energy, and inserted needles, infusing her with his internal energy to circulate the medicine throughout her body.
His every movement was perfectly coordinated and fluid.
He administered the medicine, timed precisely when it would take effect, and then placed the needles.
He continued to adjust her breathing, pulse, and the flow of her energy without the slightest error, successfully pulling the dying old woman back from the brink of death.
Lee Hwa-sol, the owner of the Songrim Inn, thanked him profusely for saving her grandmother, bowing her head and folding at the waist again and again.
“The immediate danger has passed. She won’t die, but make sure she receives proper care from now on.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“It’s nothing. More importantly…”
Mu-heun could see that Lee Hwa-sol was trembling with fear, so he had to ask.
“Who was that bald man, and why did this happen?”
“Th-that is…”
It seemed she was too afraid of retaliation from the man’s associates to speak freely. Mu-heun had anticipated this and tried to reassure her.
“It’s alright. We are not as weak as you might think, so please, speak your mind.”
But Lee Hwa-sol’s response was unexpected.
“Are… are you gentlemen from the Divine Cult?”
“…!”
“Ah, I see you are.”
Damn it! He hadn't revealed his identity, unsure of the cult’s reputation here, but she already knew.
“That’s right. This may be an unnecessary worry, but let me be clear. We have no intention of harming you or your inn, and we certainly don’t expect anything in return for what just happened.”
“Eh…?”
‘Was that the wrong thing to say? But she knows we’re from the Demonic Cult. Did I not need to reassure her?’
“Oh, no, it’s not that. Since you are from the Great Luminous Cult, I was merely thinking I should treat you with even greater respect.”
“Hmm…”
Right. In the Central Plains, the Demonic Cult was just that—a demonic cult. But this was Xinjiang, a land that coexisted with them. It seemed the cult’s image wasn’t so bad here in the Aksu Prefecture. Relieved, Mu-heun spoke again.
“Then, please answer my earlier question.”
“Well… when the Divine Cult was in charge, things were never this bad.”
“This bad? Are you saying what just happened is a common occurrence?”
“Yes, it is.”
Sensing the conversation would be a long one, Pa-sun interjected.
“My Lord, perhaps we should clean up the inn first and then listen.”
“Yes. Let’s help clean up.”
Mu-heun’s party cleaned the Songrim Inn with incredible speed. They then made a makeshift bed for the old woman and laid her down. Finally, they gathered around a round table to listen to Lee Hwa-sol’s story.
“The Songrim was originally under the protection of the Red Demon Pavilion. Back then, as long as we paid our taxes on time, they wouldn’t kill villagers or storm into the inn and set it on fire.”
From what he gathered, the Red Demon Pavilion had collected heavy taxes, but at least they hadn't killed people. So, it seemed that after the bad guys left, even worse ones had arrived.
“But a few months ago, the men from the Red Demon Pavilion said they no longer had the resources to manage this area and that they had handed it over to other factions that had drifted into the region. I heard there are five of them: the Yangdu Faction, the Taewol Gang, the Heuksan Clan, the Heukyo Sect, and the Hwacheol Alliance.”
“What do you mean, ‘handed it over’?”
“The ones who usually come to the Songrim Inn are from the Taewol Gang. They’re the ones with axe tattoos on their heads, arms, backs, or legs, like the man you just saw. They said the five organizations collect tribute from Songrim, and then give a portion of it to the Red Demon Pavilion.”
Hwang Cheol-ung, the Red Demon Pavilion Lord. After his defeat and subsequent imprisonment following the audit at Blade Leaf Valley, he must have made this choice to reduce his manpower needs.
“That’s why, when you killed that bald axe-head the moment you arrived, I thought perhaps you were new members of the Divine Cult.”
She said she had overheard some men from the Yangdu Faction talking while drinking at the inn.
—At some point, we stopped having to pay tribute to our superiors! Hahaha! It’s a good thing, isn’t it? But! Good fortune like this won’t last long, will it?
Hearing this, Lee Hwa-sol had predicted that something had happened to the Red Demon Pavilion, and that another force from the Divine Cult would eventually arrive.
‘So that’s why she wasn’t scared, but calm.’
“So, what have these factions been doing to this village?”
“The Yangdu Faction and the Taewol Gang mainly demand exorbitant tribute. They beat people to death, like you saw with the old woman, and they kidnap children to sell them as slaves in the Western Regions.”
Hearing Lee Hwa-sol’s words, Un-pyo couldn't contain his fury and spoke.
“I’ve never seen such bastards who deserve to be torn limb from limb.”