Chapter 188 Hwasan (8)
A Korean starts any conversation with just four words, and that's plenty.
No, but fuckin' really.
Those four words cover every damn emotion a Korean feels.
And right now was no different.
No, but fuckin' really.
Order doesn't matter.
As long as it expresses my utter bewilderment.
I'm dead meat.
If even Paeng Yu-gun was saying that much, the rumors had probably spread far and wide already.
And Jin So-cheong had even sent letters via messenger pigeons?
It probably wasn't from the Blood Cult. If it were Blood Cult business, she'd have gotten my permission first. So this was just her passing along info, pure and simple.
With the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's intel network, word would reach Yi Se-ryeong's ears within a week, guaranteed.
Who was Yi Se-ryeong, anyway?
I'd blocked her with every trick in the book for now, but at her core, she was a yandere obsessed with the Heavenly Demon.
And not just anyone—she was the absolute ruler of the Murim Returner world.
One wrong move, and I'm truly fucked.
Of course, I wouldn't die.
But I'd never escape until I did.
Not physically, not mentally. I'd spend my whole life in this Murim Returner world, and Pa Cheon would never reclaim his body.
And I've got the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy in me.
The moment she got her hands on me for real, that energy would be exposed—it was only a matter of time. Hell, in Murim Returner, she'd already sensed something off about Mu Jin.
If war hadn't conveniently broken out right then, I'd have been busted on the spot. And once that happened, obsession or not, I'd be marked for punishment.
No, but even Paeng Yu-gun was ridiculous.
Doesn't it even register that Pa Cheon Sword is a cursed blade?
Right then, as if reading my mind, Paeng Yu-gun spoke casually, like it was no big deal.
"That sword being cursed? Well, you're smart enough to handle it yourself, aren't you? You're no novice to be controlled by some demon blade."
"......You're right."
"Good. Then we'll skip that."
"Do you really think that?"
I was so flabbergasted that I actually pressed him on what I'd normally brush off.
Paeng Yu-gun tilted his head, puzzled.
"Huh? Of course. In anyone else's hands, it'd drown the world in blood. But in yours? No issue at all. Hell, it's reassuring."
Paeng Yu-gun didn't trust easily—he tested people repeatedly—but once he did commit, he committed fully.
A sword that had toppled nations in ancient times, and he felt relieved I had it?
Pride swelled for a moment.
"Anyway, that wench is shameless. The nerve."
"......I think there's a misunderstanding."
"Jin So-cheong and I have no relationship whatsoever."
"Save the bullshit. You're awake now, so circulate your qi, recover properly, and then we'll hear your side. What the hell was all that about?"
With that, Paeng Yu-gun huffed like a sulking kid and stormed out.
The moment he left,
Piiik!
Mugyeok-i came zipping into my room with his signature cry. The shrunken little guy plopped down on my bed.
Pecking at the spot in front of me like he was worried sick.
"Hey, buddy. I'm fine."
I stroked Mugyeok-i. He chirped happily, piiik!, belched a puff of flame like a satisfied burp, then flew out of the room.
Pa Cheon.
Pa Cheon was still silent. Even tapping the sword got no reaction.
With no one sensing around, I called out quietly.
"Sa Wol."
Like back when I'd check in every five minutes with a casual "You there?"
"Yes, Young Master."
Sure enough, Sa Wol slipped soundlessly into view.
"Explain what happened."
"......You were found unconscious. Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa had grabbed you, flown you back to the room, and was guarding it—no one could approach."
"Even Paeng Yu-gun couldn't push through?"
That explained why the little guy rushed in right after Paeng Yu-gun left.
"Did Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa block Jin So-cheong too?"
"......Yes."
Makes sense.
Passing out meant someone could've checked my pulse and discovered the blocked meridians—but Mugyeok-i had prevented that.
This is why a well-raised divine beast beats ten Tak Horaks.
I'd have to feed him all the fire he could eat soon. Cheol Mu Geuk would've been perfect for it right now—flames tastier(?) than ordinary ones.
Should've stroked him more earlier.
Anyway.
"No."
"......Pardon?"
"About Jin So-cheong. I mean it's not true."
Sa Wol was dragging her words, clearly displeased.
It pissed me off too.
"Blood Cult energy must've seeped in, making her spout nonsense. I'll set it straight."
"Understood."
Right then.
Tak Horak burst through the door, beaming proudly.
"Division Leader! Just like you ordered, we rounded up every last messenger pigeon— Young Master! You're awake!"
"......"
"......"
Sa Wol's ears were beet red.
With my TOEIC-level 900 Sa Wol skills, I clocked the situation instantly.
Worried about me suffering from the bullshit rumors, they'd captured every pigeon carrying news of my "romance" with Jin So-cheong.
No way.
They handled it without me even asking.
I was moved.
"Th-that's because! We couldn't risk upsetting you!"
"You did great. Saved me a headache. One less worry now. If this reached Her Excellency's ears, it could've sparked a massive misunderstanding."
Sa Wol had truly averted disaster.
To put it simply, it felt like one foot in hell, then yanked back out.
"......Yes. I was concerned about that too."
Sa Wol snapped back to her poker face. Pro through and through.
Tak Horak, meanwhile, shot me a "Did I do good?" look.
Suddenly it hit me—Tak Horak, you absurd bastard.
"Tak Horak."
"Yes, Young Master."
"You're headed to Punishment Cave when we get back."
"Pardon?"
The reason I could leave the cult for the murim was to complete tasks qualifying me as the Heavenly Demon's betrothed.
Yet this guy delivers flowers to Jin So-cheong?
When I called him out, his face drained white. He bowed repeatedly, apologizing, even volunteering to march into Punishment Cave—the place he hated most—himself.
His pure loyalty was great, but his brain going pure sometimes was the problem.
Anyway.
"I need some rest. Don't let anyone in, no matter who."
"Understood."
Once they were both gone, I sat up fully.
Pa Cheon.
Still no response from Pa Cheon.
That was why I'd barred visitors.
No reaction from the core of my survival? Big problem.
"Pa Cheon."
Even calling aloud got nothing.
What the hell's wrong?
This wasn't like that time he sulked(?) and ignored me briefly.
How to describe it?
From earlier, it felt oddly like talking into a dead phone line.
Wait, connection severed?
My link to Pa Cheon came from him absorbing my blood, forming a subordination contract.
On a hunch, I dripped fresh blood onto Pa Cheon.
That instant.
[Gasp!]
Pa Cheon's voice returned.
"Pa Cheon?"
[Demon, it's you!]
Pa Cheon's voice brimmed with unprecedented joy at me. Beyond familiarity—like I was his lifesaver.
He floated up, spinning wildly like he'd regained freedom.
"What happened? What was that?"
[Until you called me back... I was in some space.]
"What kind of space?"
[An endless void. No up, down, left, right—just empty white nothing.]
Pa Cheon continued.
[In that void, my soul started tearing apart. The sensation of it fraying, wearing down... indescribable. Every horrific pain you can imagine, multiplied, still falls short.]
"You okay now?"
[Yes. You called me back. Suddenly your voice rang out, and the world returned to normal.]
Probably from reapplying the blood.
[The torn soul... mended. But unstable. Can't push hard for a while.]
Basic flight and energy absorption were fine, but intent-based stuff was iffy.
Like some kind of internal injury.
I had a rough idea why.
"Probably the treasure artifact's restriction."
Pa Cheon Sword devours the life of all but its master. But earlier, it attacked me.
Not intentional—more an accident.
Who could've predicted the absorbed blood energy wouldn't discriminate friend from foe?
Intent's one thing; results are another.
[Breaking the restriction damaged my existence?]
In simple terms, the contract nullified, nearly erasing Pa Cheon with it.
"Yeah. The blood reformed the contract."
[Hmm.]
I eyed him cautiously.
Contract or not, with restrictions like that, it was basically subordination.
Me possessing his body and lording over him? Could rub him wrong.
But Pa Cheon's reaction surprised me.
[That soul-tearing sensation... painful, yet like a clue to a new realm. My soul detaching, fragments merging with the world—like becoming one with it. In the end, essence, energy, spirit's divisions are artificial. Ultimately, the three become one—]
Muttering to himself, Pa Cheon slipped into a trance.
Normally I'd welcome it, but I smacked him out of it urgently.
[Demon! What the hell?!]
"Enlightenment's great, but pull that now and you'll go mad."
[......True. Thanks.]
In wuxia, rushing enlightenment backfires—deviation into devil being classic.
Pa Cheon had no body for that, but after soul-tearing? He wasn't stable.
Still, him—halfway to Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, super peak-ish—upgrading was huge.
Proof he could reach Heavenly Demon-level "next realm."
"Let's handle Hwasan first."
I sent word I'd fully recovered. Soon, Gwang-yeon came.
He bowed deeply. I whispered a puppet command for him to hear, then transmitted:
- No slipping. Agree with everything I say.
Gwang-yeon assented.
"Let's go."
And so I headed to Mae Hwa Hall, the meeting room for Hwasan Sect's heavyweights.
Pretending to be the Heavenly Demon