Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: A Stubborn Disciple
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“Damn it!”
Neung Un-bi grumbled, sitting on the narrow wooden porch of the shack.
Shaking his head, Wang Cheon wore an I-knew-this-would-happen expression as he gently rubbed the bruised area around Neung Un-bi’s eye with an egg.
He had truly been beaten black and blue.
Not just his firm muscles, but even his bones felt like they had softened.
And to think he had shrieked and screamed so loudly…
Was this the true nature of the Cult Leader?
He had beaten his beloved disciple without a shred of mercy.
If the Great Protector and Wang Cheon, who had been waiting outside, hadn’t intervened with all their might upon hearing his screams, he would have already been boiled in a bubbling cauldron and served as a health tonic.
Still, did he really have to get even angrier while hitting him?
“My master truly seems to lack patience.”
“…”
Wang Cheon shot Neung Un-bi a look of disbelief at his grumbling.
He brought it all on himself…
Probably ten out of ten people would point their fingers and say it was his own fault.
“You got beaten even more because you threw those talismans at the end, Third Young Master.”
“Ah, Wang Cheon! How can you not grasp my intentions!”
“…”
“That was the final step! It was a disciple’s earnest loyalty, born from concern for his master’s health.”
“Pfft! Third Young Master, that’s not called loyalty. It’s called a curse.”
“Your words are harsh. Do not distort my good intentions.”
“…”
Wang Cheon could only shake his head.
Distort?
The Cult Leader was a demonic practitioner, and one at the very pinnacle of the art.
Throwing useless Taoist talismans at such a man was an act inexcusable even in death.
And why did he have to do it with all his might while being beaten?
It was only because the Cult Leader cherished the Third Young Master that it ended there. Anyone else would have long since become a corpse, their limbs torn apart and scattered across the fields.
“But still. If he was going to beat his adorable disciple like that, he could have just left it at that. Why did he have to order everything confiscated and burned?”
Neung Un-bi grumbled, his cheeks puffed out, as he looked around his small room.
They had truly taken everything, not leaving a single speck of dust behind.
The Great Protector, under the Cult Leader’s orders, had brought a horde of warriors from the Protectorate Hall and confiscated everything—talismans, books, even the Taoist robe he was wearing…
“It was so hard to get all of that…”
“You should be grateful you weren’t thrown in the dungeon, you know?”
“Don’t you start, too.”
Neung Un-bi wore a hurt expression, and Wang Cheon let out a deep sigh.
What was the point? You can only have a conversation if the other person makes sense.
“This is oppression. He could at least respect a person’s private life.”
“You took it too far. Frankly, a disciple of the Demonic Cult mimicking a Taoist? The late former Cult Leader would rise from his grave and roar in anger.”
“But it was necessary, I tell you.”
“Stop talking crazy.”
“Ahem! Have you noticed your speech has become increasingly devoid of courtesy lately? Though I treat you as a brother and we speak informally, I am still a disciple of the Cult Leader.”
“Of course you are. Just think of me as an earthworm. I feel like I’ll get an ulcer if I can’t even squirm after being stepped on so much.”
Neung Un-bi fell silent at the sharp retort.
He understood.
They were close, beyond the typical master-servant relationship, and more importantly, he had caused the man an incredible amount of trouble.
“Third Young Master, first, please take off those clothes. And speak like you used to. Do you think dressing and talking like a Taoist makes you one?”
Neung Un-bi pouted at Wang Cheon’s continued complaints.
What was wrong with his attire?
Though it was torn from the struggle, it was the last Taoist robe he had managed to keep from being taken.
“What on earth are you lacking? All you have to do is train diligently! You, who lacks nothing in talent or physique!”
“…Me? Don’t be ridiculous. What can I do since I became a wreck after my Qi Deviation?”
“Lies.”
“…”
“Do you think I don’t know that you’re hiding your true strength?”
Neung Un-bi flinched at Wang Cheon’s disbelieving gaze as he scanned him from head to toe, and asked back.
“You knew?”
“Don’t act so surprised. Others might not know, but you know that I know, don’t you, Young Master? You always have me by your side during training.”
“I was just kidding.”
At Wang Cheon’s rebuke, Neung Un-bi grinned mischievously and winked.
Truthfully, he had tried to hide it. But with Wang Cheon constantly by his side, he couldn’t help but be found out.
He wasn’t skilled enough yet to deceive the man’s keen eye.
“Third Young Master, I’m begging you like this. Just try a little. Please? Who’s asking you to become the next Cult Leader? You just need to secure a reasonably high position, right? Then I, too, can reap some of the benefits by your side.”
“My dear man, so you intend to use me as a tool for your own success?”
“Is that so wrong? After all the messes I’ve cleaned up for you, I think I’ve earned that much!”
“Hmm, now that you mention it, you have a point. But!”
“…?”
“That’s that, and this is this. I cannot give up now. No matter what hardships and trials come my way, this time, I will absolutely not back down.”
As Neung Un-bi shot up to his feet and clenched his fists, vowing his resolve, Wang Cheon couldn’t hide his uneasy expression.
This was deeply unsettling.
It seemed he intended to continue his Taoist act to the very end, even knowing it was a lost cause.
Suddenly, all the past troubles flashed through Wang Cheon’s mind like a revolving lantern.
Every time Neung Un-bi did something, what came back to him were reprimands, written apologies, curses… and… p-pay cuts!
“No!”
“Whoa! You scared me.”
Neung Un-bi nearly jumped out of his skin as Wang Cheon suddenly yelled.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“The pay cuts… I mean, anything! Please, don’t even dream of doing anything.”
As Neung Un-bi stared at him with a baffled look, Wang Cheon spoke in a voice thick with sorrow.
“Third Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“That day, the day after you woke up from your Qi Deviation.”
“What about it?”
“You suddenly got up and started sweeping the front yard, didn’t you?”
“That did happen. I’ve always been fond of cleanliness, and I wished to start over from the very bottom, relearning the basics…”
“Thanks to that, all the maids and servants in your residence were summoned and given a severe scolding.”
“Hmph, those cruel people. What did they do to deserve that…”
“Deserve it? Nothing! Of course, they did nothing wrong. But what did everyone say?”
“…”
“They said there was an uproar because you hadn’t managed things well enough for the Young Master to feel it was dirty. I nearly lost my head back then, too!”
“Boundless…”
“Stop, just stop! It’s not like you’re cursing me, but that damn chant gives me the creeps. And was that all? What was it? Relearning the Demonic Sword from the beginning? With downward strikes?”
“Of course…”
“Of course? You really don’t know?”
“…”
“Because everyone thought you’d lost faith in the demonic arts, the elder who was teaching you was demoted and is now guarding some remote border! In that freezing place!”
“Thanks to that, I was able to escape the Elder Council’s surveillance.”
“Of course, that part turned out well, but… that’s not the point! Do you know what kind of rumors started spreading from then on?”
“…?”
“That the Third Young Master is finished.”
“I have no regrets if they think so. It means all my efforts are finally paying off.”
As Neung Un-bi just laughed heartily, Wang Cheon sighed and shook his head.
He doubted the man even understood what he was saying, but he couldn’t just let it be.
It was a waste to see the promising third disciple of the Cult Leader end up like this, and more importantly, his own life was on the line.
If the Third Young Master went astray, it was obvious he would be the one to take all the blame.
“Third Young Master. May I, as your elder, presume to say a word?”
“…Speak. I doubt there’s a need to listen, but I shall endeavor to do so.”
“What the…”
Wang Cheon barely swallowed the curse that almost escaped his lips at the sight of him, not a shred of sincerity in his expression.
“Hah, fine. Fine. Our Demonic Cult is full of strange characters, and all sorts of incidents happen. But this one is absolutely not okay.”
Judging by how long-winded Wang Cheon was being, he must have been truly anxious.
“The Cult Leader himself scolded you for this. No matter how excessively curious you are, or how you’re more fickle than a teenage girl, you absolutely cannot continue with this nonsense.”
Neung Un-bi’s eyes narrowed at Wang Cheon’s long-winded speech.
Was that… an insult wrapped in nice words?
No matter how informally they behaved…
“Do you know I got another pay cut because of this?”
“Did you? You’ve been treated unfairly.”
“And whose fault do you think that is?”
“Mine?”
“Yes. You know it well. This is the third time. On my pittance of a salary.”
“Hmm, to call five silver pieces a month a pittance, that must be a truly large rat.”
“…”
“But since it happened because of me, I can’t help but feel sorry. However, even with the pay cut, your salary can’t be that small, and more importantly, isn’t your family wealthy? If it’s still not enough, I’ll occasionally chip in with a bonus.”
“Oh, thank… that’s not the point! I’m really going to get fired this time. The Great Protector said so. If I let the Third Young Master keep causing trouble and upsetting the Cult Leader, he’ll fire me. Would you be happy if I lost my job?”
“Hhmm.”
Neung Un-bi nodded as if he understood.
In other words, to save his own skin, he would monitor his every move and report it to the Great Protector.
The bastard.
After all the time they’d spent together…
But he wasn’t one to hesitate in the face of such a transparent, empty threat.
“My, that is truly unfortunate. But what can be done? Even as the Cult Leader’s disciple, I cannot overstep my authority and meddle in the organization’s management. I will cheer you on, no matter what position you end up in.”
Wang Cheon flinched, slightly taken aback by the cold words.
He had pleaded so earnestly, but it hadn’t worked at all. In that case, he had to try another method.
He would appeal to the compassion and sympathy that every human being possessed…
“Third Young Master?”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know? That I have five younger siblings to look after…”
“Ah! Didn’t you say that even your youngest recently married into a wealthy family and is now living very, very well?”
“…Who said that?”
“Weren’t you the one who was bragging about it just the other day, grinning from ear to ear?”
“D-did I? Did I really?”
“Of course! You boasted so much my ears were about to fall off. That’s why I attended the wedding and gave a generous wedding gift, wasn’t it? It was probably worth a whole cow.”
“W-was it? Haha, I’ve been getting forgetful lately as I get older.”
Seeing that things weren’t going his way, Wang Cheon scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
“Ah! Right, did I ever mention that I have an ailing mother?”
“Who? So Seol-ok-su? I met her when she visited the main fortress a while back. She was showing off her skin, boasting about how she looked even younger thanks to her youth-preserving arts.”
“…She, uh, is scheduled to fall ill starting tomorrow.”
“…”
“…”
A moment of silence.
Realizing he couldn’t win against Neung Un-bi with his words, Wang Cheon pouted, his lips jutting out sullenly.
Tsk, tsk. To think a member of the Demonic Cult would resort to appealing to sentiment.
How pathetic…
“You must have it tough.”
“Damn it! And whose fault is that?!”
“Oh? A rather provocative response. Though we speak informally, if my Taoist studies were just a little less advanced, that remark would have earned you torn limbs.”
“…I apologize. ‘Damn it’ was too much.”
“I’m glad you realize it.”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, Wang Cheon’s shoulders slumped as if he had lost the whole world.
“My friend, you should rest. You seem to have exhausted yourself mentally.”
“And whose fault is that…”
Wang Cheon grumbled to the end, but Neung Un-bi simply smiled and patted his shoulder.
How could he not know how the man felt?
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand his plight, but it was bitter that he couldn’t grant his request.
Because the person he was now was of the Demonic Cult, yet not of the Demonic Cult; he was Neung Un-bi, yet not Neung Un-bi.
Cheok Wol-rin.
It was the cherished name that the few who knew him used to call him.