Salvation
Yi Jinpyeong had never been one to enjoy listening to other people's long-winded tales. But the story Un Sa-nang described about her childhood friend was surprisingly captivating. On a broad level, it wasn't anything special. Two children born with unmatched talent and beauty in an ordinary village, dramatically reuniting after a long separation—it was the kind of clichéd, classic romance, wasn't it?
But the man in her story was undoubtedly the one who had led her to learn demonic arts. And the expressions and speech she vividly recreated carried an eerie realism, as if the scene itself had been transported there. If her acting alone was that convincing, the shock she must have felt witnessing it firsthand would have been immense.
Un Sa-nang continued. "I had no idea what he meant by 'proof' or what significance it held. But one thing was clear: that overwhelming presence, the destructive energy writhing within him... I'd never encountered a being radiating such intense aura anywhere before. I was convinced—convinced—that he would kill me right then, squashing me like a filthy bug."
"Tears streamed down my face. With wide, glistening eyes and a pitiful expression, I gazed at him. I didn't want to die. I wanted to show him how beautiful I was, how wasteful it would be to kill me. Ridiculous, right? I'd spent my life cursing the very beauty that dragged me into this hellish swamp, yet when I desperately wanted to live, it was the only thing I had to cling to."
"But it didn't work on him at all. Or maybe it did, in a way—since he didn't kill me immediately. With an utterly emotionless face, he looked at me and said, 'Your face seems quite useful. Combined with soul-capturing arts, few in the world could resist it...'"
"He taught me the incantation for Ma An Seop Hon Gong and forcibly infused a strand of qi into my body. A horrific energy I'd never felt before took root inside me. I blacked out for a while, and when I came to, he had vanished without a trace. That was our last encounter."
Yi Jinpyeong couldn't hide his disappointment. After listening so attentively, was that really it—their final meeting? Not a single word about the man's true identity?
"Is that really all? Nothing more about the demonic cult? Why are you working under the Dongbeonhoe? Why hide your identity? Compared to this long sob story you're spilling so convincingly, you seem awfully proactive in all your activities."
"Just wait a little. My story isn't over yet."
"You'd better wrap it up quick. I'm starting to get bored."
Un Sa-nang pressed on. "As soon as I regained my senses, I immediately sought news of my hometown village. It held no good memories, but for some reason, I felt compelled to check. And sure enough, the village had been utterly destroyed just days earlier—men, women, children, all brutally annihilated, reduced to ruins. Yes, not just killed, but destroyed. Even that child's parents were mutilated in the most savage way imaginable, beyond recognition..."
"I was certain then. That was the fate I'd narrowly escaped. And the longer I stayed by his side, the closer I'd get to it. I refused to train the martial art he'd left me. All I wanted was to escape. But my body wouldn't obey. Night after night, hellish nightmares plagued me, filled with hallucinations and auditory torment."
"Then one day, a man calling himself 'Shadow' came to me. He had a similar vibe to him in many ways. He claimed to be his subordinate, sent to check my progress with the soul-capturing arts. He said I'd have to follow his orders from now on. I begged to speak with him directly, but he refused. He said that one was now too exalted to meet just anyone..."
"I rejected his orders, but all I got was cold mockery. 'Do you think you can turn back once you've learned demonic arts? Your only options are to keep cultivating it, end your own life, or get exposed and hunted down miserably like prey. Nothing else.' I had to admit he was right. My fate had been decided for me once again, against my will."
"In the end, I adapted again. He visited periodically to relay orders, and I carried them out faithfully. No contact with anyone else—only through Shadow. It was he who ordered me to relocate my base to Dongjeong Lake, and he who smoothly integrated me into the Dongbeonhoe. In the process, I learned there were others like me scattered across the Central Plains, playing similar roles in an even larger sect than the Dongbeonhoe—far grander ambitions."
Her final words carried profound weight. Yi Jinpyeong asked, "Like the Nine Great Clans or Eight Great Sects, for example?"
"You catch on quick."
Yi Jinpyeong mulled over everything she'd said. It was clear the Demonic Cult, thought extinct a century ago, still existed. The martial art Un Sa-nang practiced was living proof—not some solitary transmission, but a vast organization. Her 'childhood friend' had risen to a key position through some process, mentally dominating people like her and spreading them across the land like a network of points, gathering and disseminating information to manipulate the Central Plains as they wished.
"What about the Dongbeonhoeju? Is he part of the Demonic Cult too?"
"Seeing how Shadow insisted on placing me in the Dongbeonhoe, I thought he might be. But from what I've observed, no. He's just a creature driven by base desires—pure enough to be easily manipulated."
"Then what about this Nine Great Clans gathering? Is it the Dongbeonhoeju's ambition, as Chwi Hwa Bangju theorized? Or should we assume Shadow's hand is involved?"
"Chwi Hwa Bangju's reasoning is sound. But this is likely Shadow's doing too. I heard about the Nine Great Clans meeting here through him—long before the Dongbeonhoeju told his subordinates."
"Why hold it here, of all places?"
"That, I don't know."
"Any chance your old friend might show up?"
Un Sa-nang's eyes wavered. "What are you thinking?"
"Just what this body would think."
The Demonic Cult. What a thorn in his side. Their destructive martial arts, their ruthless disregard for means, their ability to rapidly produce experts. Without Yi Gyeol, the world's greatest, the Central Plains a century ago might have been drowned in blood. What had they missed? Which rat had slipped through? Whatever it was, the ghosts of the past lingered. While his Yi Gajang had slowly crumbled over a hundred years, they'd been building strength in the shadows, subtly seizing control of the Central Plains. Best to cut out the roots before they spread too deep and wide. Or perhaps they already had.
If the man Un Sa-nang described had truly grown into the terrifying existence she fearfully portrayed.
"Are you worried about your old friend's safety, by any chance?"
"No. I'm worried about you."
"Oh?"
"Young master, your martial arts are exceptionally outstanding, and your ability to purge demonic qi is impressive. But I'm sorry to say, from what I sense, you're nowhere near his level. You might get there someday, but not now."
"Yeah. What would you know?"
Un Sa-nang shook her head as if exasperated. "Your confidence is something else. I hope you can back it up. Otherwise, cooperating with you would be pointless."
"Weren't you satisfied just being freed from the demonic qi?"
"As if."
She replied firmly. "Having experienced it myself, I know there are countless others out there—puppets unable to live by their own will. Since you helped me save myself, now I want to save them too."
"Your confidence is something else."
"I learned it from you just now. I'm a quick study."
Un Sa-nang laughed brightly. Now it was Yi Jinpyeong's turn to shake his head.
"So that's everything, right?"
"I've told you all I can."
"This Shadow guy. How much time until he comes looking for you?"
"Normally, there's still some leeway. But with the Nine Great Clans' visit imminent, he might drop by unannounced with new orders."
"Not worried about getting caught?"
"About the demonic qi being gone?" She donned her skin mask and veil in sequence, reverting to the enigmatic woman whose identity and expressions were hidden. "Don't worry. I've been in this line of work longer than I'd like, and surprisingly, it suits me—minus the serving the Demonic Cult part. How was my acting earlier? Pretty convincing, no?"
Unlike her complaints of having nothing but her looks, she clearly had exceptional talent. But Yi Jinpyeong feigned indifference. "It didn't fool me at all. I'd say it's passable at best."
"Sure it would."
With her treatment complete, Un Sa-nang soon returned to the Dongbeonhoe. There was an unexplained gap of a few days, but she'd handle that herself. He trusted she'd cover the traces of the demonic qi well too. A woman who had stubbornly survived an unwanted fate since childhood was strong. And strong women didn't need coddling.
Yi Jinpyeong had freed her from the demonic qi, and in return, she'd bared a truth she'd never shared with anyone. In that moment, they'd forged a silent pact. As a Dongbeonhoe member with her own independent information network, she'd prove a useful blade and hand for him going forward.
The conversation had revealed much, but questions lingered. One thing was certain, though. Yi Jinpyeong decided to accept the Dongbeonhoe's invitation. The core figures of the Nine Great Clans and the heads of countless factions around Dongjeong Lake would all gather in one place.