052
052
With the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering concluded, there was no reason for the Demonic Cult's Little Princess to remain in Hubei.
Though the Little Princess had shown conduct no less honorable than any Orthodox faction, she had been somewhat heavy-handed. It was a result of the overwhelming gap in their martial arts, but had it not been for the Divine Doctor's disciple, several women's futures as martial artists would have been shattered.
"You expect us to simply let remnants of the Demonic Cult leave like this!"
"No, let's end this amicably. Please."
Of course, Murim warriors wouldn't just obey because the Murim Alliance Leader said so.
"Alliance Leader, stay out of this! If you keep siding with the Little Princess, we will not stay idle!!"
Ultimately, as soon as the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering finished, the Little Princess concealed herself with what was practically—but not officially—the Alliance Leader's help. Amid the crowd's fascination with the Number One Flower of the Black Path and the intense scrutiny of the Demonic Cult's presence, the Little Princess sought out the Flying Heaven Three Demons and flew straight to their safehouse.
"What the—?! She went into the woods and vanished!"
"Damn it, there's definitely a formation set up there!"
"Find her!!!"
None of those who chased the Little Princess could locate her refuge. They'd figured out there was a formation, yet no one could actually break it.
"What is this...?"
But the refuge near Wudang Mountain that she returned to had been turned upside down. Who in the world could have come and gone from a place accessible only to the Little Princess and the Flying Heaven Three Demons via the Mihonpyoshik Gungwijin?
"What in the world happened here...?"
"You have returned, Little Princess."
From the woods near the refuge, the Flying Heaven Three Demons stepped before the Little Princess, wearing bamboo hats. She was horrified at the wounds covering their bodies. There was no blood, but the marks of a beating covered them.
"What in the world happened to you?"
"We were beaten by an Orthodox faction master."
"...Are you speaking of that Wudang hermit Taoist?"
"That's right. He toyed with the three of us completely. And as you can see."
Illusion Demon pointed under his own chin. His long, flowing beard had been trimmed neatly, and his wild hair was combed back cleanly. The look was far from the dotard who'd been drifting in and out of lucidity; he could easily pass for a handsome older gentleman.
"He took our lives. He killed the Flying Heaven Three Demons."
"Elder...? What do you mean?"
"I wasn't the only one."
"Young lady, I'm Bandit Demon."
Bandit Demon removed his hat. He had deliberately grown his beard to hide his face, but his skin was now clean without a single blemish, and his shortened hair fully revealed the look of a noble young master.
"That man killed the Flying Heaven Three Demons and gave us new appearances. All he did was cut our hair and trim our beards, but..."
"Oh my. Both of you look much more handsome. Then..."
"......"
The Little Princess's gaze shifted toward Blade Demon, but Blade Demon stubbornly refused to remove his hat to the very end. Bandit Demon flicked his Black Fan toward Blade Demon's hat, and the bamboo hat soared into the air.
"Ah."
The Little Princess covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at Blade Demon's head. The crimson light of the setting sun reflected off Blade Demon's scalp, gleaming brightly.
"K-hrm!!"
Blade Demon flushed red all the way to the crown of his head. The Little Princess couldn't understand the situation at all. Why had the other two become a handsome youth and a distinguished older gentleman, while only Blade Demon had become completely bald?
"What in the world happened overnight...?"
"The hermit Taoist took our names. He said we didn't deserve to be killed and cut our hair instead of our necks. So now, we are no longer the Flying Heaven Three Demons."
"Pardon?"
"Even the name 'Flying Heaven Three Demons' was taken from us. Strictly speaking, we're just the Three Demons now."
"What in the world...?"
A Wudang Taoist hadn't executed the Flying Heaven Three Demons, but had taken their name? It was clearly strange. It was full of questions she couldn't understand or accept, but no one aside from those involved could know the truth.
"Damn it, young lady. We don't understand either. What kind of Taoist calls himself the Lust Demon?"
Blade Demon cried out, pounding his chest in indignation.
"That's right! He was filthy strong! My Shadow Escape Tracking Blade was defeated without landing a single blow! He left the titles the Heavenly Demon bestowed on us and the names our parents gave us, but he took the name and hair of the Flying Heaven Three Demons, telling us to be reborn! But why did he have to cut my hair like this?! And what's worse, he personally groomed the other two before leaving!!"
"......"
The Little Princess pressed her quivering lips tightly shut. Objectively, the other two looked so much better that you'd say the cut suited them far more. The same was true for Blade Demon.
She swallowed her words along with a dry gulp, thinking that telling him it suited him would be incredibly rude, and that she might lose a supporter of her own.
"What in the world was his purpose...?"
"He was the master of that Taiji Flower you fought. He likely saw through the mission that had been assigned to us."
"Mission?"
"It was an order to defile that woman if it looked like you would lose to the Taiji Flower. Orders sent down from above."
The Little Princess bit her lip, stopping herself from snapping back.
"Did my father truly say such a thing?"
"That's right. The orders came directly through the Eldest Prince."
"This...."
The worst expectation had become reality. But questions she couldn't understand began surfacing in the Little Princess's mind one by one.
"Was my father's command truly such a filthy and vile act?"
"We know what you're thinking—whether the Eldest Prince might have lied."
"Then it's one of two things. Either the Eldest Prince's mastery of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art has grown enough to impersonate the Heavenly Demon, or... assuming he wouldn't commit such a mad act, the Heavenly Demon is dirtying his own hands to secure your victory."
The Little Princess's thoughts grew tangled. But what troubled her most was the major confusion: the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering's results had become quite ambiguous.
"I, I'm out of the Six Phoenixes."
"Out? You mean you gave up by choice?"
"So it's like...."
The Little Princess gave a thorough account of everything that happened at the martial arts arena, omitting nothing. The Three Demons listened intently, but cold sweat ran down their backs.
"Used different sword arts with Sword Control?"
"Two swords in hand and two more via Sword Control at the same time?"
"Damn, to think we couldn't witness such an incredible duel with our own eyes."
The Three Demons clicked their tongues in regret. Then they came to their senses and remembered who they had fought.
"...We fought directly against that master, damn it."
"Damn, he really was the master then? If they use the Taiji Wisdom Sword's Sword Control together, what else could their relationship be if not master and disciple?"
"Keh-heh-heh! Little Princess, we're sorry. We..."
The attacker's identity was the very person who'd raised the Taiji Flower. According to what was known to the world, he was Taoist Hyeonja, but there was also the possibility that he'd simply borrowed that name. Illusion Demon recounted everything that happened to them to the Little Princess.
"You say the three of you lost... despite using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"
"Of course. The opponent had flown into a rage. Blade Demon had gone wild saying he'd rape the female disciple, so it would have been more than understandable if he'd killed us. Ku-heh-heh, it was truly terrifying, and I'm still surprised I'm in my right mind."
"It's truly been a long time since you elders acknowledged an opponent like that."
"Damn it, how could we not acknowledge him? Facing a master of the Profound Realm takes your breath away to the point you feel like you're dying."
"The Profound Realm...."
The Little Princess lowered her head. It was a distant realm she had yet to reach, the state of Transcending Demon that the Heavenly Demon had attained. By stages, she still had to pass through the Peak Realm and the Harmony Realm. The Little Princess had always walked in the shadow of the path that her father and elder brother had taken.
"I understand. Then let us return to the Heavenly Mountain."
"Ah, about that...."
The Three Demons hesitated, exchanging glances with one another. Ultimately, Blade Demon—who, after furiously scratching his head in frustration, grew embarrassed when he accidentally rubbed his bare scalp—stepped forward and spoke.
"A new mission has been assigned to the Little Princess and the Three Demons. You are to remain here for two days, then welcome a new 'Demon' who will guide you."
"...A mission? Did the Eldest Prince deliver this by any chance?"
"No. He personally exchanged messages with the Heavenly Demon via messenger pigeon."
Illusion Demon conjured an eagle shaped by illusion techniques. The Little Princess untied the knot on the parchment bound to the eagle's ankle with nervous hands.
"There's only one person who'd use such paper for a messenger pigeon—my father. ...Come back? What?"
行.
The paper, which cost as much as a house to bring in from the Western Regions, had only a single character written on it.
"So, listen carefully..."
* * *
Inside a cave thick with darkness. A place filled with dark, sinister energy, where a middle-aged man of robust build sat in the Full Lotus Position facing the wall. His whole body was full of wounds, and he was arranging the golden hair that flowed down with his fingers.
Click-clack, click-clack.
The sharp sound of heels echoed from the entrance. A woman dressed in beautiful crimson robes that seemed fit only for palace ladies knelt before him and presented a box.
"Ma-hwa has returned after completing her mission, Heavenly Demon."
"...Right. Good work."
The middle-aged man, the Heavenly Demon, grabbed his hair and tore it off roughly. The golden wig reverted to its original black color the moment it hit the ground.
"Whose is it this time?"
"It belongs to a Kongtong Sect Taoist. I pulled out the hair and even cut the beard to attach it."
"Really? Khrm. Let's see."
The Heavenly Demon put the wig made from the Taoist's hair on his head. And as soon as he put it on, the hair began to turn golden.
"Tch. Another failure."
"I'm sorry, Heavenly Demon."
"It's nothing for you to be sorry about. The root cause is my own state of Transcending Demon."
Whether it was a backlash from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art reaching its peak, or the geographical location of the Demonic Cult bordering the Western Regions, no one knew. But as a side effect of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the Heavenly Demon had gone bald, and the qi flowing from his Upper Dantian always dyed any wig he wore golden.
"I guess it only works with my own hair..."
"Stay strong. Next report. The Little Princess has become the Number One Flower of the Black Path."
After Ma-hwa's report, the Heavenly Demon's eyes sparkled.
"Huh, so she couldn't win in the end?"
"If she'd meant to kill, she would have struck first. But the Little Princess isn't that kind of person, is she?"
"That's true. Heh, she needs someone by her side to soothe her heart. Did I give pointless orders to the Sky-Soaring... no, the Gwi-cheon Three Demons?"
"The Gwi-cheon Three Demons?"
"Yes. The name 'Sky-Soaring' has been withdrawn. By No Demon."
"......!!"
Ma-hwa furrowed her brow. As the only person in the Demonic Cult aside from the Heavenly Demon who knew of No Demon's existence, she couldn't understand what he meant.
"That's impossible. No Demon is...."
"That's right. But he walked through the Mihonpyoshik Gungwijin, didn't kill the Flying Heaven Three Demons, and coerced Illusion Demon into sending this letter."
Ma-hwa received the paper from the Heavenly Demon and checked the contents.
"Oh my... Pfft. I was wondering why you suddenly started training your Inner Energy. Your body must have been itching, I take it?"
"Yes. He broke the forms of the Heavenly Demon Chain Palm with Taiji Wisdom Sword. How could I not find a way to counter?"
The letter contained the sword paths of the Taiji Wisdom Sword and the oral formula for the Heavenly Demon Chain Palm. Just from reading the characters, the Heavenly Demon immediately sensed that his technique had been countered and could gauge the opponent's identity.
"He called himself the Snooping Taoist Mubung. At the same time, he said since he hasn't yet received a title from 'me', he's No Demon. Damn it, instead of thinking about Ascension, that Taoist bastard is soaked in lust. Truly the end times."
"Snooping... Pfbt. I think I know what kind of personality he has."
"Yes. The problem is that this bastard proposed a trade to me. A trade I have no choice but to accept, with no room to maneuver."
"Hmm... aside from you being on the receiving end, there's nothing bad in it for you, Heavenly Demon, or the Little Princess, or the Three Demons. Except that the Eldest Prince will bleed for it."
It was chilling how it benefited everyone while only a single person suffered loss. Ma-hwa immediately sensed from the Heavenly Demon's expression that he was inclined to accept the trade.
"He wouldn't have let it benefit the one who spread the plague in Wudang. The man's a tricky high-level player. Every action of his carries intent."
"He isn't just sex-crazed?"
"...That, he is. He says he'll dare to personally instruct my daughter and raise her to the Harmony Realm within four years. That bastard's clearly aiming for that."
The Heavenly Demon gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.
"He's definitely planning to take my daughter as his wife!"
"Oh my! Is the crazy scheme you've always wished for finally happening?"
"Ku-ha-ha! That's right. I'd always hoped the Little Princess would go to Hubei, fall for an Orthodox faction brat, and say, 'I will make a century-long vow with this person!', but if this is how it's happening, I'll acknowledge it. Hm. Yes, indeed."
"Give me your daughter?"
The Heavenly Demon laughed like a child, and like a Mountain Demon.
"The man who claims the Heavenly Demon's daughter must be stronger than the Heavenly Demon. If he's to be Shia's match, he must at least be stronger than me! Heh heh, my body was itching because that Alliance Leader bastard kept pulling out of things. This is perfect. I'll get to move my body for the first time in a while."
"Goodness. Men, I swear."
Ma-hwa shook her head from side to side.
"So, Heavenly Demon, what's the mission? It seems like there's one more page. Why won't you show that one to me?"
"......K-hrm!"
The Heavenly Demon loosened the front of his robes and leaned back, shying from Ma-hwa's approaching touch. In his hand, the hidden paper was crumpled.
"Ma-hwa, this is, well...."
"Heavenly Demon. Don't forget that on the Heavenly Mountain, I'm the only one who can match you in bed?"
"...Hmph! Fine! If you can defeat me, I'll tell you!"
The Heavenly Demon threw Ma-hwa onto the bed. Ma-hwa giggled, sticking out her tongue with fox-like eyes.
"Heavenly Demon, did you forget? When it comes to the bed...."
Softly, Ma-hwa used both feet to lower the front of the Heavenly Demon's trousers. So deft that even the Heavenly Demon didn't realize it for a moment.
"I'm the best under heaven."
"Find the Hair-Growth Herb from the Eastern Region? Oh my... Pfft! Are you Qin Shi Huang?"
"Do not laugh...."
The Heavenly Demon had been defeated in a bedchamber martial duel by Ma-hwa.