Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Mad Demon Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Byeok Cheonwi's declaration of disbandment had barely fallen when the gathered crowd began dispersing without a shred of reluctance.
Those who had banded together under one goal now reverted to their true natures. The righteous factions headed to the right of the secret cave, the unorthodox sects to the left. Like oil and water, they never mixed.
Their numbers had certainly thinned out.
Several righteous warriors whose faces I'd committed to memory just yesterday were nowhere to be seen. The unorthodox side had it even worse. With so many relatively weaker ronin among them, nearly half had vanished.
The price paid for their lives was a fragment of the Iron Gate. If finely divided and distributed, it would amount to a tiny sliver not even a hundredth of the whole.
Was that truly fitting compensation for their lives?
The thought crossed my mind. I'd come here myself hoping to snag a treasure or two martial arts manuals, but watching those souls perish right before my eyes left a strange taste. Well, it wasn't my business. It just soured my mood a touch.
Feeling the weight of Bang Soso on my back once more, I turned my steps toward the carriage we'd arrived in.
Reaching the carriage, I carefully laid her down. Deep in sleep, she breathed softly. Night had already fallen deep anyway, so heading back would have to wait until morning.
Boisterous clamor drifted in from outside. Both the unorthodox camps and the righteous ones seemed to be swapping tales, as if paying respects to those who'd departed first. The dead stay dead, and the living must go on—as if that were the creed.
"Hehe, brooo-!"
Just then, Paeng Daesan stumbled up to the carriage, thoroughly plastered and stinking of booze. His slurred words invited me to join the revelry.
"They've got a drinking bash going over there! Bro, have a shot… Urk, no, don't!"
He glanced at the sleeping Bang Soso and waved me off himself.
"You drink up plenty."
"Yessir! Gotcha!"
What a simpleton. He bellowed his reply the instant I spoke and staggered back to his camp.
Silence settled over the carriage once more. I gently patted Bang Soso's back. Her steady breaths, the faint fragrance of her body drifting softly, and the muffled noises from outside wrapped around me like a lullaby.
Drowsiness started to creep in. My eyelids weighed a thousand pounds, my mind fogging over—right at that moment.
Swish—
An utterly faint presence. Someone stealthily drawing near the carriage.
My senses snapped alert.
I froze every motion, held my breath, and focused on the aura. The intruder was adept at masking their presence, but after fierce clashes with demonic thralls and resonances with peak masters, my sharpened senses couldn't be fooled.
No footsteps. Just the barest crunch of dry leaves crumbling. And the carriage canopy quivering ever so slightly with the shift in air.
The intruder halted right before the carriage.
Quietly, I slipped my hand beneath the thin blanket draped over Bang Soso's body. My fingers closed around the cold hilt of the demonic sword. Ah, that chill, weighty touch.
Swish.
The cloth at the carriage entrance lifted soundlessly.
A silhouette stood outlined against the dark curtain of night.
It was the man from the Hao Clan. Gone was the frantic screamer from inside the secret cave; now he moved with utmost caution and deliberation.
In his hand gleamed a faintly blue-tinged liquor bottle and two small cups. Bamboo Leaf Green.
Our eyes met, and he flinched for a moment before breaking into an awkward, sheepish grin, as if at a loss.
"I just… thought we might share a drink."
His voice came out stiff, like it was squeezed out by force.
"Does someone come to share a drink by creeping up so silently?"
"Heh heh, well…"
He scratched his head with an embarrassed grimace instead of answering, then plopped down familiarly on the carriage floor. I released the sword hilt and sat across from him.
Glug glug.
He poured clear liquor into the two cups. A subtle bamboo scent filled the carriage.
"Truth be told… I came to steal that sword."
He confessed it casually while handing me a cup. His nonchalance drew an involuntary chuckle from me. I took the cup and tossed it back in one gulp. The crisp bite sliding down my throat sharpened my wits.
"Is it wise to so breezily mention the very item you came to steal from me, right in front of its owner?"
He hesitated a beat, then reached for the bottle to refill his cup. I swiftly snatched it away and filled his instead.
He eyed me a moment before speaking again.
"I've changed my mind."
"Changed your mind about what?"
"I have a keen eye for people. You're no ordinary mortal, great hero. And I know enough to value my own neck."
He drained his cup in one go and drew something from his bosom to hand over.
It was a token. Unlike the ones his underlings had collected earlier, this gleamed with polish and fine craftsmanship. The intricate carvings stood out sharp even in the gloom.
"What's this?"
"If you ever need the Hao Clan's aid… use it."
"In exchange for this demonic sword?"
"No. Consider it a gift."
His intentions were impossible to read. Favors in this world always came with strings. Yet his eyes rang true. I pocketed the token securely for now, then picked up the demonic sword from my belt and inspected it.
Why risk everything to steal this? It was just an ominously shaped blade.
"What exactly is this thing?"
"The Mad Demon Sword."
His voice sank low.
"A blade that turns its wielder into a raving demonic thrall. Pure-hearted or wicked, anyone with internal energy who grasps it gets devoured by the demonic energy, loses all reason, and goes berserk."
He studied me intently as he went on.
"At first, when you drew it, I figured you were just some regular physician without internal energy, so it didn't claim you. But stepping into this carriage and facing you… I saw differently. There must be another reason."
"Then why bring the liquor?"
"In case I crossed paths with you unluckily… I figured it'd buy some goodwill. Turns out my luck was rotten today."
He gave a wry smile.
"No, wait… on second thought, my luck was phenomenal."
Watching him waffling back and forth left me inexplicably deflated.
I gazed at the demonic sword again. Truthfully, a physician like me lugging around such a grim relic felt all wrong. Worse, it might paint a target on my back for others after it. I despised needless hassle.
Maybe just hand it over to him.
That very thought had crossed my mind when—
Squirm.
A sinister pulse of demonic energy writhed from the Mad Demon Sword in my grip. It slithered out like a snake, coiling up my wrist.
'What's this pest pulling now?'
I tensed warily, but something felt off. The sword's demonic energy harbored no malice. Instead, it nuzzled close affectionately, like a puppy craving its master's pat.
Ha. An absurd chuckle escaped me. The damn thing felt alive.
I stirred the tiny seed of demonic energy I'd stowed inside me and jabbed at it. No sign of pain—instead, it clung even tighter, delighted.
Well, well, look at you.
An intriguing notion flickered through my head.
I unfurled the modest demonic energy within me wide, like jaws agape. Then I engulfed the oozing clump from the sword whole. It slipped into me without a hint of resistance.
I marveled despite myself. My demonic energy surged stronger. Like dousing dry tinder with oil.
"What's the matter, great hero?"
The Hao Clan man, pouring himself another, cocked his head curiously.
"Nothing at all."
I replied offhandedly and handed him the sword—now just an empty husk of plain iron.
"Here."
"Pardon? You're… giving this to me?"
He blinked in flustered confusion.
"That's right."
He stared blankly between the sword and me a moment, then his face lit up in pure joy.
"Waaah! Thank you, great hero!"
He sprang up and crushed me in a bear hug. But it was strange. The body I'd pegged as rock-hard felt unexpectedly soft. Not chiseled muscle like a man's… more like a woman's.
Before I could process the oddity, he yelped a tiny "Ah!" and yanked away in haste. Even in the dark, his flushed cheeks burned clear.
I grinned and seized his wrist.
"Let me see that face."