Chapter 584: To Kaifeng (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 584: To Kaifeng (3)
That night, I fell into a deep sleep while held in Yeo-hwa’s arms.
I had a strange dream.
A sky where the moon and stars had vanished (Dark Sky).
An earth stained red with the blood of countless people (Red Earth).
And there was an unnamed man looking down at that hellish sight.
Despite the catastrophe where hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, had died miserably, the man’s expression remained infinitely cold.
Not a single flicker of emotion could be found behind his eyes—so much so that one might doubt if he possessed feelings at all.
A silence that reached the extreme.
It was as if something that wasn't human was wearing a human skin.
Close the heart, yet illuminate it with darkness,
Hold the breath, yet do not sever the flow.
Sever fear and incinerate mercy,
Discard lingering regrets and erase your name.
For all that remains is the great providence of the Heavenly Killing Star.
From the man’s utterly alien appearance, I recalled the oral formula of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.
It meant that to be reborn as a true Heavenly Demon, one had to let go of everything, including the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, and all worldly ties.
And that "everything" included oneself.
The ego, submerged in the Demonic, eventually loses its form and returns to the Void.
Thus, the celestial devil descends upon the world.
That is the Heavenly Demon.
The fundamental reason why the former Cult Leaders could not master the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art lay right there.
Common sense dictated that unless one was a fanatic, who would offer themselves as a living sacrifice?
In the first place, religion was something for the lay believers—the poor commoners—to believe in blindly. For those at the executive level and above, it was merely a means to an end.
They followed the religion to live in luxury, yet they were expected to sacrifice themselves for it?
It was a contradiction in itself.
That didn't mean a fanatic could be allowed to learn the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art either.
Unless one possessed the lineage of the Cheon family, which carried the Divine Blood, they could not withstand the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.
'Then what am I?'
I wasn't born with Divine Blood, nor was I a member of the Cult, yet I had mastered the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art without any issues.
Did that mean as long as the body was sturdy enough, Divine Blood wasn't strictly necessary?
I wasn't sure.
However, it was certain that a superior physique was merely a basic requirement; that alone wasn't enough to master the art.
And for good reason—
Gripping a sword dripping with acrid blood, looking down upon the world, and eventually purifying the Central Plains by staining the earth red with the blood of all.
Before I knew it, I was inhabiting the body of the Heavenly Demon.
Because of that, I could vividly smell the nauseating stench of corpses.
It was so real I could hardly believe it was a dream.
—■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.
'Ugh?!'
Immediately after, a bizarre noise echoed in his head, making Kang Hyun-woo reflexively knit his brows.
It was a dissonance that didn't seem to belong to this world, a sound so foul it could melt the brain of even a decent master in an instant.
This was likely the will of Ahriman embedded within the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art that Yeo-hwa had mentioned.
Normally, at this stage, an initiate would lose their sense of self and be reduced to a mere vessel for the Heavenly Demon.
Perhaps the First Heavenly Demon had met such a fate, but unfortunately for the entity, it had picked the wrong opponent this time.
“Ugh, shut up.”
As Kang Hyun-woo tapped the side of his head, the noise vanished as if it had never existed.
At the same time, the Vajra Qi gathered in Hyun-woo’s right hand began to exert tremendous pressure—
BONG—!!!
The profound sound of a temple bell echoed beneath the Dark Sky, and the world began to crumble.
Beyond the world, which shattered into thousands of pieces like broken glass, lay only a void that seemed ready to swallow everything.
And within that darkness, something was staring at Kang Hyun-woo.
—𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬗𐬀
It was a high-dimensional language.
The language of gods, something a mere human body could never withstand.
It wouldn't have been strange for his mind to collapse instantly, but Kang Hyun-woo merely showed a bored reaction.
“What are you even saying? Speak Korean, or if you can't, just piss off and stop bothering me.”
—...
*
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
“...It's a familiar ceiling.”
Opening my eyes to the sound of sparrows, I looked around out of habit.
On a luxurious bed that didn't quite match the Chinese-style guest room, Yeo-hwa was sleeping in my arms, wearing nothing at all.
For the record, we didn't have sex.
Whether it was a side effect of mastering the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art or not, I had passed out the moment I stepped out of the shower.
'...Anyway, I feel like I had a strange dream, but why can't I remember it?'
The fact that my eyes snapped open so early in the morning was definitely because of that, yet I couldn't recall a thing.
Instead, every time I tried to remember, a lingering, unpleasant feeling—like a thick fog in my head—only grew stronger.
In a situation like this, there was only one thing I could do.
Rustle, rustle—
I closed my eyes while gently kneading the sleeping Yeo-hwa’s breasts.
'It looks like it's only Myosi (5 AM – 7 AM), so I should sleep a bit more.'
A woman’s breasts are a panacea.
As I felt them, the lingering discomfort in my chest vanished, replaced by a lazy yawn from my wide-open mouth.
'If it was really important, I'll remember it later.'
At least for now, getting a good night's sleep was more important.
—Where is Gok Muhong?! Come out this instant!!
—O-Oh, Great Hero Jeok... What brings you here so early in the morning...?
—What brings me? What brings me?! Hey, you bastard, how can you sleep after borrowing someone else's money?!
—W-What?! Didn't I pay the interest just the day before yesterday...!
—Not the interest, the principal!!
“...Those sons of bitches.”
Just as he was about to drift back into a sweet slumber, the noise drifting up from the first floor made Kang Hyun-woo sit bolt upright.
A fierce killing intent flickered in his eyes.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared thanks to the soundproofing barrier, but the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Energy had wrecked the barrier last night.
Furthermore, because he had collapsed as soon as he finished washing up, he hadn't had the chance to set up a new one.
And could the pathetic construction technology of the Central Plains block floor-to-floor noise?
No, impossible.
“This better be for a good reason.”
To interfere with his 'happy time'—the moment he could sleep most comfortably.
An uncontrollable rage welled up.
After setting up a new barrier so Yeo-hwa wouldn't wake up, he threw on some clothes and headed down to the first floor.
Sure enough, several men with fierce expressions were surrounding the innkeeper, shouting at him.
“W-Why are you all doing this so suddenly...!”
“Why suddenly? You fucker, are you really asking that? There isn't a person in Maseong who doesn't know about the earthquake that hit this inn last night! Where do you think you're lying?!”
“T-That's...”
“If this inn collapses, what are we supposed to do, dig in the dirt for food?”
Listening to their conversation, Kang Hyun-woo suddenly slapped his forehead.
'Ah, it was because of me?'
He felt a bit embarrassed for getting angry without knowing the full story.
'...I guess I have no choice.'
It felt wrong to just ignore it and move on.
Just looking at their filthy faces, it was clear they were loan sharks associated with the Evil Faction.
If the innkeeper couldn't pay back the money here, he and his family would surely be sold into slavery.
“Hey, why don't you leave it at that?”
“Hm? Who the hell are you... Hehe, what brings a Great Hero of the Orthodox Faction here?”
The Evil Faction is a collection of trash.
Most of them are blockheads with nothing in their brains, but they at least carry 'situational awareness' as a basic survival skill.
Why?
Because if they didn't, they'd likely be killed by other Evil Faction members.
In that sense, Kang Hyun-woo looked like someone you absolutely should not mess with.
His excessively handsome face and the perfect physique visible even through his clothes looked as if they were personally sculpted by the goddess Nuwa.
And that meant there was a more than 100% chance he was a young master from a prestigious family.
No, more importantly, the opponent was a master whose level they couldn't even begin to fathom.
How did they know?
Instinct.
The more a man lived by the blade, the more he tended to trust his groundless intuition.
Besides, even though the Geumjeok Gang was a somewhat famous Evil Faction in Maseong, they wouldn't bother seeking revenge just because a low-level lackey got killed.
“Last night's earthquake was my fault.”
“...Huh?”
“The inn looks like it hasn't been built long. I feel bad for the owner.”
Hyun-woo pulled a pouch from his robe and handed it to the innkeeper.
“Use this for repairs if any problems arise later.”
“G-Great Hero...! Thank you!!”
“It's nothing. It's only right that I give this to you.”
Actually, it wasn't 'right' at all.
To martial artists, an inn was nothing more or less than a public sparring ground they could destroy at will.
However, since martial artists were also the ones who brought in the most revenue, the owners couldn't simply reject them.
“This Gok Mu...! I will never forget the Great Hero's ocean-like grace... Um, ah, hmmm...”
Gok Muhong’s expression turned subtle as he peeked into the pouch.
There were silver ingots inside, but it felt slightly insufficient for the full repair costs of the entire inn.
Carpenters in the Central Plains were experts at inflating material costs, labor costs, and various other expenses.
However, Gok Muhong quickly managed his expression.
If he hadn't been given even this, he would have had to repair the inn with his own hard-earned money, so it was a blessing.
“If you're truly grateful, could you recommend a decent carriage house?”
“...A carriage house, you say?”
Gok Muhong tilted his head.
The man looked like he should have his own private groom, yet he was looking for a carriage house where you couldn't tell if the staff were bandits or drivers?
The expressions of the Geumjeok Gang lackeys eavesdropping nearby also turned subtle.
“...If you leave the inn and walk a bit to the right, you'll find the Jung Carriage House. I hear they're at least somewhat conscientious.”
In this context, 'conscientious' referred to the price, not the driver’s personality.
But Kang Hyun-woo, who had no way of knowing that, simply nodded.
He gave Gok Muhong a light pat on the shoulder and headed back upstairs.
*
Around Sasi (9 AM – 11 AM).
Kang Hyun-woo and Yeo-hwa left the inn and headed toward the Jung Carriage House.
The reason for seeking a carriage house was simple.
Maseong was a city located at the edge of Hubei Province.
In other words, they now had to go to Henan Province, but they had no idea which way to go.
The road from Wuhan to Maseong was well-paved, so there were no issues, but things changed once they entered the northeastern part of Henan.
The rugged mountain terrain was one problem, but the area was also sparsely populated because wild beasts like tigers, wolves, black bears, and leopards frequently appeared.
In such a place, it was easy to get lost if one wasn't careful.
Of course, if he used Fly magic, it wouldn't matter if he didn't know the way, but—
'Then it wouldn't be a journey.'
That was why he decided to hire a driver, but a minor problem arose here.
Creeeak—
“Hmm? Hey, driver. Where are we?”
“Haha!! It seems you still haven't come to your senses.”
“Kekeke, welcome to the Jeoksan Bandit Stronghold!! Strip your clothes and get on your knees right now!!”
“Hey, hurry up and take that bitch's veil off. I can tell just by looking she's something special.”
“From now on, your names are Chun-sik and Chun-bong.”
“Sigh...”
It seemed I had underestimated the character of these primitive Central Plains bastards.