Chapter 246
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 246
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Demon Just Wants to Live Quietly (4)
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Gu Yanghui stared quietly at Hong Sundok's face, which he hadn't seen in ages.
Third Senior Brother.
"What a nostalgic way to address me."
There had been a time when they called each other that.
Some had been dragged in against their will.
Others had joined of their own accord.
But before Mount Hua Sect became the name that defined Gu Yanghui,
Gu Yanghui and Hong Sundok had already shared rice from the same pot in the same sect.
"My, Senior Brother, you've gotten so old. What good is all that pure Taoist martial arts of yours?"
She was still the same foul-mouthed junior sister with no manners.
But that simple fact—that people don't change so easily—brought a faint smile to Gu Yanghui's lips.
"I thought the next time I saw you, you'd be trying to devour me, but sadly, you haven't progressed that far."
"You're right. I even came all the way here in my true form."
Hong Sundok flashed a smile laced with regret.
But Gu Yanghui wasn't surprised at all.
That had been her path from the start,
the one her master had given her.
Soon, the two fellow disciples began sipping tea inside the thatched hut.
"Is Eldest Senior Brother still in his grave?"
"Probably."
"What about Fourth Junior Brother? You didn't take him out, did you?"
Hong Sundok let out a sigh.
"Fourth Junior Brother's path is completely different from mine, so there's no reason to touch him. He said he was heading west, so he's probably off playing around with some mechanical princess out there by now."
As he grasped the threads of old connections one by one,
Gu Yanghui began dredging up fragments of the past he had long forgotten and etching them anew into his memory.
His master had been a madman.
No ordinary lunatic would have wiped out the thriving Gu Family overnight, kidnapped him alone, and done what he did.
And the people who gathered under his master?
Looking back now, they were all utter lunatics.
Eldest Senior Brother, so obsessed with Buddha that he swore he'd kill Buddha upon meeting him and eventually slay the master too at the end of that path.
Fourth Junior Brother, so fixated on mechanical arts that he vowed to create intricate mechanisms—like living devices—that the master had only described in words.
And right before his eyes, Third Junior Sister, who just wanted to see the world burn and contain all creation within herself amid the flames.
Even Fifth Junior Brother, who was just plain crazy.
And himself.
Reflecting on it, he too had been mad.
Mad for the Dao, for righteousness.
That was why
his master had passed down Buddha's will and the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts completely to Eldest Senior Brother.
The master had taught Fourth Junior Brother how to craft exquisitely bizarre mechanisms that no array master in the world could replicate.
The master had enlightened him on wu wei and naturalness, then sent him to Mount Hua Sect on his fifteenth birthday, brushing off all traces.
Not long after he left,
the master taught Third Junior Sister every demonic art and sorcery before throwing her into the Demonic Cult.
Their paths and pursuits differed,
but the master wanted only one thing.
A name to bind them, like Cheonoecheon—Heaven Beyond Heaven.
- "Someday, I hope at least one of you reaches the Immortal Realm. That's my only wish."
Through Buddha, through investigating things to attain knowledge, through the Dao, through demonic ways.
Or... through madness, reaching the heaven beyond heaven.
In other words,
passing through the supreme gateway that only those who surpass the Profound Realm and enter the Life-and-Death Realm could glimpse, to become immortals—that was his master's goal.
Honestly,
Gu Yanghui had thought it a pipe dream.
How could a human body become immortal?
And even if one did, what use was leaving ties behind?
He had certainly thought that way.
But now,
"Does Third Senior Brother see his path?"
"...A little."
His master had reached that supreme realm but failed to overcome his lifespan's limit and died in the end.
If death itself wasn't ascension on a crane, then his master's purpose had failed.
But only after reaching a similar realm, a similar perspective,
could Gu Yanghui finally accept that he too dreamed the same dream as his master.
That was why he had seen himself in Baili Yeon and unnecessarily shown her mercy twice.
"By the way, there was Sword Demon's sword outside. Did Senior Brother kill him?"
"He's alive."
"What a shame."
Gu Yanghui furrowed his brow at Hong Sundok, who looked genuinely disappointed.
"So, what brings you all the way here? Our paths diverge, so you're not here to ask for directions."
At that question,
Hong Sundok smiled brightly.
"I'm preparing some fun events here and there. But if Senior Brother gets involved, it might lose some of its appeal."
After deep deliberations on the future of the martial world until dawn, I went to bed with a heavy heart.
That heavy feeling weighed me down even upon waking.
"Chup."
"...".
Opening my eyes to the hot breath first thing in the morning, I was greeted by Luri's seductive gaze as she committed her mischief, lightly draped in a single blanket.
After paying the price to wake me fully, I carried the limp Luri to the bathroom attached to the room, washed her, dried her, dressed her.
Then, carrying her still-limp form downstairs,
"Whew..."
"...".
"Sect Leader, good morning?"
"Eek! It's Luri!"
"So cute! I wanna join the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult!"
"...Wow, she's not even human..."
The inn's restaurant had been fully rented out, and amid Yeon Hongun stuffing his face surrounded by his wives,
I encountered wives I knew,
wives who knew Luri—or were getting to know her—
and wives bold enough to glare at me.
But who am I?
Their lord's water supplier.
The one who holds their lord's weakness.
Geum Sihyeon, who strides confidently anywhere, anytime, ignored such petty malicious glances.
"What do you want to eat? Pick something."
While observing Luri's discerning eye as she reached for the kiosk from my arms, I added a few things I wanted.
Then sat down for a moment to enjoy some leisure.
"Wudang Mountain—wanna go up?"
"No. Legs hurt."
"Didn't you say you wanted to see it?"
"Saw it yesterday."
Not being the outdoorsy type, and with Luri's muscles a bit sore from overuse, I accepted her change of heart.
Well, it was expected.
For a Little Heavenly Demon, crossing the threshold of the Taoist holy site Wudang probably wasn't burdensome... she was just plain lazy about it.
What a finicky princess.
: : Next destination? : :
Taking advantage of Luri starting her eating show, I sent a transmission to Yeon Hongun to follow up on yesterday's discussion.
: : Your ugly mug disgusts me, so I'll tour Wudang Mountain and head straight back to Xi'an. : :
A curt reply came back.
But it was satisfactory.
Dealing with Yeon Hongun would inevitably mean dealing with his wives too, and I wasn't in the mood to see blood.
Good riddance.
.
.
.
After finishing the meal.
"My god, how is your skin this smooth?"
"Twenty-one? Wow, young—so young..."
"Not of this world...! Total mala! Mala papaya! Ah, I want mala tang now..."
Yeon Hongun's wives took turns hugging Luri, bouncing her around, and fully enjoying her softness.
Luri subtly enjoyed the pampering too, so I watched the adoration fest for a bit.
"By the way, does the Sect Leader bully you? Like, pinning you down with his body or anything?"
"I win."
"Oh my, oh my my. Our Luri, total top!"
"I see... sob sob, Luri's not a baby anymore..."
"Yeah. Luri adult."
...Yeon Hongun's wives' gazes toward me were shifting subtly, but I remained unfazed.
She's just a bit short.
Small chest is no crime. It's genetics.
Discriminating based on looks? Where would a girl like Luri find a man? True equality means that.
Equality is flatness.
Flat. Soft. Squishy.
"Babies, time to go."
"...?"
I nearly gagged at the dogshit term that popped from Yeon Hongun's mouth.
Calling women older than him his wives, yet referring to them collectively as "babies"...?
That bastard's truly insane.
The whole world except me is mad.
Didn't they treat two-eyed Geum Sihyeon as abnormal in the one-eyed village?
Same principle.
"Shall we walk slowly a bit before heading out?"
"Yeah."
After bidding farewell to Yeon Hongun's family,
they headed off to tour Wudang Mountain, while we slowly walked in the opposite direction.
The day was still young.
The autumn sky clear, sunlight warm.
The scenery beautiful.
...Hardly any people around.
"No need to rush."
"Yeah."
I planned to stroll leisurely, savoring the inner peace free from paperwork.
Sorry, Narang.
But Seol will help a lot.
Feeling a mix of guilt and gratitude toward Narang, who was handling sect leader duties again, I sent her a comforting message and morning greetings.
Then held Luri's hand and walked at a relaxed pace.
Of course, it wasn't just walking; demonic energy swirled endlessly between our joined hands, flowing in and out.
A bit more time like this,
and the incantation etched on Luri's back would finally be fully under her control.
...Then she'd be a little more docile.
"What're you thinking?"
"About you."
"Hee."
With a straightforward truth that held no lies, I brought a smile to Luri's lips as we walked.
Then, from behind, a familiar energy from our recent companions approached rapidly.
Quite hurried footsteps.
Luri sensed it too, so we stopped and waited for the unexpected guest.
"Hah, huff, hah..."
One of Yeon Hongun's wives.
Soyoung or something? Last name escapes me.
But is it right to call a married woman "junior"?
I don't mingle with married women, so I'm not sure.
"What brings you—"
"H-Help...! Jiangshi...!"
At her desperate cry,
I exchanged a quick glance with Luri.
A moment of unspoken understanding.
"Let's go."
I gave a curt reply.
Damn that Hong Ping.
Whenever something seemed fishy, he stirred up trouble without fail.