028
028
No one forgets their first time.
You might forget the first dish you ever tasted, the first journey you ever took, but you'll never forget the first time you held a woman.
Murder is the same.
A killing—a whirlwind of sensations utterly unlike sexual excitement—often proves unforgettable. Especially the one that steered me irrevocably onto the demonic path.
—I bestow upon you your first mission! You have one week to kill the man tracking the Demonic Cult's movements!
My first assignment after throwing myself into the Demonic Cult was to murder an official called the Inspector. I protested—how could a man whose martial arts barely scraped the third-rate level of the Orthodox Faction kill a government official? But when they told me to quit and leave if I couldn't do it, I staked my life on the attempt.
'Come to think of it, I believe I was alone back then.'
I spent that week gathering information alone. I knew almost nothing at the time, yet I practiced thrusting over a thousand times a day. On the final day of the deadline, I succeeded in stabbing the Inspector from behind.
'What a reunion.'
I can still see the Inspector's face, twisted into a bloody grimace. I don't even remember how many I killed as the Blood Jiangshi, but the Inspector—the man who gave me the experience of my first murder—was, without a doubt, among the top three most memorable kills of my past life.
'I've no reason to join the Demonic Cult now, so I've no reason to kill him. But something he said bothers me.'
I listened in on their conversation from beyond the Divine Spear's detection radius. They were using telepathic messages, but I could eavesdrop without the Divine Spear noticing.
"...So please, senior, trust me a little. Would I ever breathe a word of this to anyone else? If I weren't so tight-lipped, the Paeng Clan would've dispatched an assassination squad long ago."
"Right, right. You mean to say the Paeng Clan daughter isn't actually Chu So-gwang's child, but that someone pretending to be Chu So-gwang has seized the entire Chuso Escort Agency inheritance. My word, what nonsense."
"Ah, you really don't believe me. I have proof! Proof that Lady Paeng Yuwol herself acknowledged!"
"I don't believe such a thing. If that were true, it would mean someone killed Chu So-gwang and then impersonated him from the very moment Paeng Yuwol entered the escort bureau. Do you truly believe your deduction is correct?"
I flinched. I was already surprised that Paeng Yuwol could distinguish between Chu Dae-gwang and Chu So-gwang, but I was even more shocked that the Inspector had torn away the veil of deception and uncovered the truth.
'That fellow is genuinely clever.'
What evidence could convince him of a deduction that even the Divine Spear rejected? I set aside my objective of ascending Wudang Mountain and followed them. The pair entered a room in what seemed to be their base of operations—an inn—and an opportunity presented itself.
"I'm going downstairs for a drink."
"Safe travels."
The Divine Spear had stepped away. I slipped into the room without his notice.
"Tch, my theory is definitely correct... I just can't find the connecting link..."
The Inspector hadn't even noticed my entrance, so intent was he on the wall. Words like 'Cheonhwa,' 'Sagong Hee,' 'Demons,' and 'Sect Leader' were spread out before him. He sank deep in thought, staring at them. I cleared my throat and pressed my blade against the nape of his neck.
"I have questions. If you move... you know what happens."
"......"
The Inspector meekly raised both hands. I caught a subtle motion, as if he meant to tug a string tied to his wrist to summon the Divine Spear, but I had already sealed his pressure points before drawing my sword.
"Call for the child of the Cloud Dragon Crescent Moon Spear if you wish. His martial lineage will end here."
"You know the Divine Spear's martial arts... Are you a long-reclusive master? ...Sir, why would you threaten me like this? I am a man of the government office."
Perhaps because I had deliberately mimicked an old man's voice and named the Divine Spear's martial art, the clever Inspector mercifully mistook me for a hidden master. Conversations with clever folk are always so convenient.
"I came down the mountain after many years and happened to overhear a rather interesting tale. Tell me—did the Paeng Clan daughter bring in a child from an outsider?"
"...Sir, I beg of you. This is merely my deduction. Please, do not go around speaking of this."
"I'm simply asking. Where would I go to spread tales? Keh-keh. You mentioned having proof? Speak."
"Ugh. I truly believe it. The evidence is very clear. ...But sir, why would you take an interest in such a matter...?"
"Curiosity. Keh-keh! Enough; just speak. Before my curiosity kills you."
The Inspector sighed deeply. Facing someone unreasonable, it's better to just comply.
"Chu So-gwang was notorious among his servants for being small. But the Paeng Clan young lady stated that Chu So-gwang's member was as thick as her own forearm. The burned corpse of Chu So-gwang was very small, yet according to the testimony of those who secretly witnessed their couplings, it was truly enormous. ...The most likely hypothesis is that someone briefly disguised themselves as Chu So-gwang. And then, pretending to be Chu So-gwang, they... ahem, with the Paeng Clan young lady..."
"Oho. To summarize in a single phrase?"
"Genital discrepancy."
'That's definitely solid circumstantial evidence.'
I couldn't tell if he was simply connecting dots or had genuinely arrived at the truth, but one thing was certain: this man's insight was far from ordinary.
'To deduce the existence of Chu Dae-gwang... As expected of Paeng Yuwol.'
The fact that the first man I ever killed in my past life turned out to be remarkably competent left me feeling oddly unsettled.
"I see... Understood. My amusement has waned. It's a common enough occurrence in the secular world. More to the point, Inspector, the reason I sought you out is to share one piece of information concerning the one you are looking for."
"As I suspected... you came here knowing something."
"The Eldest Prince."
"......!!"
The Inspector's ears perked up.
"The Demonic—"
"Shh."
I had merely uttered the two words 'Eldest Prince,' but he let out a lament as if he'd realized something profound.
Swish.
I deliberately snapped my fingers to make a sound, then burned the papers on his desk concerning Sagong Hee and Sa-wol.
"Th-this can't be... As I thought, the Demonic Cult..."
"Stop chasing the wrong person and pursue that wretch. See that I don't have to intervene personally. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, understood! ...Sir, what do you believe they are aiming for?!"
The Inspector sought my opinion. I'd simply tossed it out on a whim, suspecting the Eldest Prince's trail, but I didn't truly see what their objective was. Still, if this was indeed the Eldest Prince's doing, a general outline of his intent was visible.
"...The Heavenly Demon has two successors. Seek out the Ma-hwa."
I fed him just enough information before slipping out of the room. The instant I leaped through the window, the Divine Spear's attack came flying at me like a ghost. I deflected the Qi Aura spear blow with the Taiji Wisdom Sword, sending it ricocheting back toward the Inspector.
"Kuh!"
Forced to shield the Inspector, the Divine Spear couldn't pursue me. I turned and headed for Wudang Mountain before he could give chase. Through the shattered glass window, the faint sounds of an argument drifted out.
"I knew it! My theory was correct!! Senior! Listen to me!"
"You madman, you were nearly killed by that unidentified old monster just now!!"
"That esteemed individual was bestowing enlightenment upon me!"
"You crazy bastard!!"
All by himself, the Inspector started in on the Divine Spear, beating the drum and clanging the cymbals, absolutely delighted.
At the foot of the mountain path leading up to Wudang Mountain, I stretched once and took a deep breath of the forest air.
"Aah, I've done a good deed."
I didn't kill the man I'd killed once before. I broke the chain of problems for the one seeking traces of the Demonic Cult—the chain leading from "Sagong Hee → her mother Sa-wol → demon berserkering → Cheonhwa outbreak → root cause is a demon → background is a scheme by the Demonic Cult's Eldest Prince"—and gave him the answer upfront.
Thus, the Inspector no longer had reason to search for Sagong Hee. Their goal wasn't to investigate the cause of the Cheonhwa outbreak, but to confirm the presence of the 'Demonic Cult' possibly lurking behind it.
'I gave him a lead, so he'll leave Wudang Mountain on his own.'
Ma-hwa (Demonic Flower).
That demonic follower of the Eldest Prince, reeking of rotting flesh. If he pursues her, it will certainly lead him straight to the Eldest Prince.
"Hoo... What a man I am, striving for the peace of the Central Plains. Stunning."
I praised myself, then wrapped a black mask around my face.
"Having performed one good deed, I believe I'm now forgiven for doing one bad deed."
I headed straight up the mountain path.
'Time to raid the Wudang secret manuals.'
* * *
"Listen! It's here that the Sword Demon's trail vanished. The Sword Demon has a history with the Wudang Sect Leader. And the Sect Leader did not appear on the day the Hubei Province governor invited the Wudang Sect's members. What does this mean?! It means Taoist Hyeongi had a proper clash with the Sword Demon!"
"But you're saying the Sword Demon, of all people, is the one responsible for catching Cheonhwa? That it spread across Wudang Mountain, and that this is the Demonic Cult's aim? Fool, talk some sense!"
"I'm telling you, it's correct! The Demonic Cult bastards must have infiltrated demons among the infected climbing the mountain and spread the Cheonhwa patients all over Wudang Mountain! Wild animals carry plagues, sure, but mad humans are just as capable! The plague was spread by the Demonic Cult!"
"Even fiction has its limits! However crazy they are, what mad bastards in this world spread Cheonhwa?!"
"They're the Demonic Cult, those bastards!"
"Hey! Even the Demonic Cult is a place where people live!!"
A quarrel erupted in the inn room, but since they fought via telepathic messages, no one could hear.
"You just worry about the identity of that old monster from before! A man who tried to kill you, and you're grinning about it so calmly?!"
"Heh, aren't there plenty of hidden hermits who live as they please in their old age? And you didn't exactly pursue him further yourself, senior. You're a man who would have ditched me immediately and charged into battle if he were a demon."
"...Fine, damn it. I don't know who he was, but to think an old monster like that was hiding on Wudang Mountain. So that was the strange gaze I felt watching us earlier."
"You felt eyes on us and still left me to go for a drink?"
"Well, I'm sorry. A young woman was making eyes at me... ahem."
* * *
Wudang is vast.
And it's a place with a considerably long history.
Countless individuals have set foot in Wudang since its founding by the progenitor Zhang Sanfeng, and the martial arts cultivated by warriors here, along with the secret manuals, must be immense in quantity.
'The Taiji Archive.'
I know where Wudang stores its ancient texts. Slipping into the inner sanctum of the Wudang Sect was easier than undressing a woman with one hand, and I soon arrived before the doors of the Taiji Archive.
'They've placed a formation on it, as expected.'
In the center of the massive stone wall that served as the door was a Taiji symbol. In fitting Wudang style, it was a door that wouldn't yield to force without the Wudang Sect's Internal Energy Art.
'Which is why, the Taiji Wisdom Sword.'
Rumble, rumble.
The stone wall slid open left and right. Beyond the Taiji symbol, which split in half like a curved jade, the stale scent of old dust assaulted my lungs. I brushed the gathering dust off my head and stepped inside.
"Ahem."
Within the archive's cavern, relatively aged tomes were neatly organized. Books containing the secrets of all sorts of martial arts, from the Six Yang Divine Art to the Seven Star Sword Formation to the Duality Sword.
A place that practically contained everything of Wudang.
Yet a place where a single martial art was absent.
'The Taiji Wisdom Sword.'
Sagong Hee hadn't obtained the Taiji Wisdom Sword from the Wudang Sect. As is the case with eight or nine out of ten peerless masters who abruptly appear, she acquired it through a fortuitous encounter in a cave hidden in a valley on a mountainside.
'So, what shall I take first?'
I don't need any Mind Method besides the Taiji Divine Art, and the Taiji Wisdom Sword and Five Elements Sword Formation suffice for sword arts. In that case, I should likely take formations, footwork, and fist arts.
'If it's Wudang, it has to be Taiji Fist.'
The Taiji Sword Empress didn't know Taiji Fist. As an unofficial disciple, she was only familiar with limited martial arts.
But I know Taiji Fist. I killed another Wudang martial artist who knew it and absorbed their blood.
"How slow, even just extending your fist."
"Khuk...?!"
That was how I could receive the fist attack flying at me from behind with Taiji Fist. I deliberately used Taiji Fist to deflect the enemy's strike. The hand techniques were light, so using first-class-expert-level Taiji Fist alone was enough to redirect the surprise attack.
"......!"
My ambusher recoiled in shock. To deceive him, I drew my sword and sent it flying with the Qi-Controlled Sword Art of the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
"Grandmaster!"
The old man immediately threw himself flat on the floor. As I said, cons against clever opponents are always easy.
"Hyeongi, Man Sa-yong pays his respects to the Grandmaster!!"
"Indeed. ...This place hasn't changed a bit from the old days."
I was seeing it for the first time. I turned around, wearing a faint smile and radiating the energy of the Taiji Divine Art.
"The mountain's spirit energy felt disturbed, so I came for a brief visit and discovered that a great calamity has occurred. You've had much to suffer."
"Sob... Grandmaster...!!"
The old man's face was so moved he even shed tears. I felt a pang of guilt for bothering him, but with a dry cough, I introduced myself to the male Wudang Sect Leader.
"I discarded my epithet and name in a bygone twilight. Address me as Mubung (無朋)."
How could the Wudang Sect Leader not kneel before a transcendent master who had returned to youth and wielded the Taiji Wisdom Sword?