Chapter 228
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: Heart Demon
…Why?
It was a situation where everything I’d been absolutely certain of had gone completely off the rails.
Though inwardly flustered by this utterly unforeseen development, I decided first to fight back against the monster assault.
“Hup!”
*Slash!*
I cleaved a small monster charging at me, drooling saliva, straight in two with one strike.
Leaving the monster behind, which hadn’t even managed a proper scream before dying, I searched for my next target. That was when a sight I hadn’t seen yesterday caught my eye.
“Hah!”
Wudang’s Foremost Swordsman, Mu Yeop-ja.
The true pinnacle of the current Wudang and its guardian—he truly lived up to his reputation.
He sharply pierced the deer monster’s opening and thrust his sword into its nape, severing its breath in one go. Then, without pause, he plunged it deep into the eye of the rabbit monster beside it.
-Kieee…!
The rabbit monster collapsed, letting out an agonized cry as it lost its strength.
Witnessing him fell two monsters in the blink of an eye, I couldn’t help but be impressed inwardly.
His movements wasted no energy, swiftly dispatching foes.
Watching the process, I could tell just how seasoned a swordsman he was.
-Kieee-!
“The beasts are retreating!”
With the powerful addition of Wudang’s Foremost Swordsman to our ranks.
Thanks to him, we cleared the monsters even faster than yesterday, and the horde withdrew a bit sooner too.
“Whew….”
As the battle ended, I let out a sigh while relaxing my tensed body.
That was when I noticed my borrowed Wudang robe was soaked in blood, prompting another bitter sigh.
I knew he wouldn’t complain given the circumstances, but still, I’d ruined the borrowed clothes.
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, I clicked my tongue. Then Mu Yeop-ja, oblivious to my feelings, approached me excitedly.
“Come now, with the monsters gone, they won’t return today, right? Let’s hurry. I have so much to discuss with you.”
He was twice my age, yet acting like a child in his excitement.
He was desperate to restore the Tai Chi Radiant Sword as soon as possible, but honestly, seeing a bearded old man like that just creeped me out.
“Ah, yes…. Let’s do that.”
As I forced a smile and replied,
*Thud!*
An ominous sound rang out.
A strangely chilling, heavy thud.
The problem was it didn’t end with one.
*Thud! Thud! Thump!*
…Not only didn’t it end, it was speeding up? What the hell?
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
“Wait a moment.”
“No, where are you going?”
After excusing myself to the impatient Mu Yeop-ja, I headed toward the source of the noise.
The sound had been so loud that a crowd was already gathering.
Amid it all came a shrill cry.
“Senior Brother! Please stop!”
A strangely familiar voice.
Quickening my steps, I soon realized who it belonged to.
“…Daoist Hyun-seong?”
“G-Goon young hero…! You’re here. Please, stop my senior brother.”
Turning at my call, Daoist Hyun-seong lit up with relief and pointed somewhere.
Following his finger, I turned and grimaced at the gruesome scene.
“Hngh! Hup! Haa!”
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
“…Daoist Hyun-jin.”
The figure in my sight was none other than Daoist Hyun-jin.
Covered in blood like the others after the fierce battle, he was wildly hacking at a monster corpse with his sword.
His face contorted fiercely, eyes blazing with fury.
His sword gripped in both hands, swinging wildly.
Above all, the intense killing intent emanating from his entire body.
He looked less like a Daoist priest and more like some butcher.
“Die…! Die…! Die!”
I glanced at the monster he was striking.
Though badly mangled from its original form, the black stripes visible across its body were unmistakably those of a tiger.
Apparently, there had been more tiger monsters besides that damn club-wielding one.
And Daoist Hyun-jin was taking out his rage on it.
-W-What the hell is he doing?
-How should I know? But shouldn’t someone stop him?
I heard murmurs from the other second-generation disciples.
They all knew someone had to intervene, but none dared approach.
“Whew….”
With a small sigh, I strode toward Daoist Hyun-jin.
*Thump! Thud!*
“Priest, that’s enough.”
“Die…! Die!”
“Daoist Hyun-jin!”
He didn’t even hear me, his face twisted like some vicious demon as he kept slashing the corpse.
The body was now mangled beyond recognition, its original shape lost.
Seeing the hilt of Daoist Hyun-jin’s Pine Ridge Sword soaked in blood too, I forcibly pulled him away from the corpse.
“Let go…! Let me go!”
His bloodshot eyes fixed on the monster corpse, Daoist Hyun-jin struggled wildly.
But unable to overcome my strength, he was dragged away.
“Let… go, I said!”
So furious at not being able to vent more, he suddenly swung his sword at me.
I drew my own sword reverse-grip with my left hand and blocked Daoist Hyun-jin’s strike.
*Clang!*
A sharp metallic ring echoed loudly.
At the sound, his face slackened as if regaining his senses, the focus returning to his previously unfocused eyes.
“G-Goon young hero?”
Now seeming to have recovered his reason, he recognized me and widened his eyes.
Soon realizing he’d attacked me, he paled and dropped his sword in horror.
*Splat!*
The Pine Ridge Sword fell from its master’s hand into the pool of blood.
Gazing down at the pine pattern on the hilt submerged in blood, Daoist Hyun-jin hurriedly apologized.
“S-Sorry! I lost my mind…! I didn’t mean to…!”
“I’m fine….”
“You insolent wretch, Hyun-jin!”
A bellowing voice cut off my reply.
This one was familiar too.
Sure enough, turning around, Mu Jin-ja was approaching with blazing eyes.
“To lose control and swing your sword at our sect’s benefactor! Are you worthy of calling yourself a Wudang disciple?!”
“…I have no excuses.”
Face full of guilt, Daoist Hyun-jin bowed his head to hide it.
Mu Jin-ja glared fiercely at his crown before barking again.
“I can’t even look at you! Get back to your room at once!”
“…Yes.”
Thoroughly deflated, Daoist Hyun-jin trudged away with listless steps.
As I watched his retreating back, Mu Jin-ja apologized to me.
“My apologies. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Relieved by my response, Mu Jin-ja clicked his tongue while looking at Daoist Hyun-jin’s back.
“He wasn’t always like this. It seems Hyun-un’s death hit him hard after all.”
“Is that so?”
Nodding at my question, Mu Jin-ja explained Daoist Hyun-jin’s circumstances.
“Originally, Hyun-un and that boy grew up in the same village and entered the sect together. Though not blood-related, I heard he’d followed Hyun-un like an elder brother since childhood.”
“I see, so that’s the story.”
“But now Hyun-un’s gone, and he’s become the new senior brother among the second-generation disciples. Must be weighing on him heavily.”
For someone who’d just yelled harshly, Mu Jin-ja seemed rather sympathetic toward Daoist Hyun-jin.
But someone interjected.
“That hardly seems like mere pressure.”
“Not mere pressure? What do you mean?”
Mu Yeop-ja, who’d approached unnoticed, made Mu Jin-ja twitch his brow.
Ignoring his senior brother’s reaction, Mu Yeop-ja glanced at the mangled monster corpse and spoke gravely.
“Senior Brother, you felt that unnatural killing intent from him just now too, didn’t you?”
“…That.”
Mu Yeop-ja stated firmly as Mu Jin-ja faltered, unable to continue.
“Don’t deny it. He’s clearly fallen into heart demon.”
Heart demon.
The darkness of the mind that, if left unchecked, leads to that infamous qi deviation.
That was the heart demon.
Daoist Hyun-jin had fallen into heart demon?
As I inwardly sighed at Mu Yeop-ja’s shocking words, my eyes fell on Daoist Hyun-jin’s Pine Ridge Sword still submerged in the blood pool.
Bending down, I fished out the sword and looked at the pine pattern on the hilt.
The pine, now crusted with blood into a dark crimson hue.
It was as if it embodied Daoist Hyun-jin’s heart thirsting for blood.
“He must enter secluded meditation immediately to subdue his heart demon.”
“Mu Yeop, but right now, every bit of manpower…”
“You know better than anyone how dangerous a martial artist gripped by heart demon is, Senior Brother.”
“……”
Mu Jin-ja fell silent at Mu Yeop-ja’s words.
After a long internal struggle, his face twisted, he finally sighed and nodded.
“…You’re right. I was so fixated on the immediate threat that I ignored Hyun-jin’s wound. Have him enter seclusion right away…”
“Wait a moment.”
I cut in, interrupting Mu Jin-ja.
Meeting the two pairs of eyes on me squarely, I cautiously asked.
“Before deciding, may I speak with Daoist Hyun-jin alone?”
“…You, young hero?”
Mu Jin-ja raised one brow in surprise, then seemed to think it over before permitting it without objection.
“Now that you mention it, you’re the one who retrieved Hyun-un’s body. And you’re around the same age… Very well. Do as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
As I thanked Mu Jin-ja, Mu Yeop-ja suddenly cut in.
“Wait, wait! Then what about restoring the swordsmanship…!”
“Didn’t you just say with your own mouth how dangerous a heart demon-afflicted martial artist is?”
“……”
“It won’t take long. Please wait just a bit.”
After getting Mu Yeop-ja’s reluctant agreement—hoisted by his own petard—I followed one of the second-generation disciples to Daoist Hyun-jin’s room.
As I walked, I glanced down at the Pine Ridge Sword in my hand.
The pine pattern still stained red.
I rubbed it vigorously with the clean part of my robe.
The crusted blood flaked off the pine pattern, restoring its original color.
Confirming this, I quickened my steps.