The Heavenly Demon Came to Visit (3)
The atmosphere in the training grounds failed to return to normal even after Hwaryeong had led the Heavenly Demon away. The sight of the Heavenly Demon—who was rumored to appear as a raid boss someday—speaking casually with Hwaryeong was enough to rattle everyone’s souls. Even Hak Yeong-chung, who was supposed to be leading them, stood staring blankly at the spot where the two had disappeared, so the others were no better.
The silence that had formed because no one knew what to say was broken by Siyugeom.
“It seems what Na-seol said was true after all.”
At the sound of her name, Seol-ah snapped out of her daze and lifted her head from the shoulder Hwaryeong had patted.
“…You didn’t believe it?”
“Well. About half of it.”
A few days ago, Na-seol had told them that the Heavenly Demon had visited their territory. The Heavenly Demon had taken an interest in the Cheonma Singong that Hwaryeong used, sought her out, and after exchanging techniques the two seemed to have formed a friendly relationship. The Heavenly Demon had also taken a liking to Baru and might visit the territory again just to see her.
Looking back, every single detail had been true, yet when the sect members first heard the story they hadn’t believed it could all be fact. It was simply too absurd. How could the Heavenly Demon, who almost never left the Demonic Cult, appear at Mount Hua? At the time, the members listening to Na-seol had thought she must have been seeing things from overworking herself in training.
“No one believed it?”
When Seol-ah asked while looking around at the others, everyone simultaneously averted their eyes. Seol-ah fell into serious contemplation about what her image must be like for things to have turned out this way.
“No, it’s just that we thought the Heavenly Demon couldn’t possibly show up.”
“Right. Sorry. But even if our positions were reversed, it would’ve been hard to believe.”
“At least now we know it’s true.”
Listening to their excuses, Seol-ah let out a deep sigh. What was she supposed to do with these people? Just as she was about to say something to the shameless lot, a message arrived. It was from Hwaryeong. She wanted to ask something and told Seol-ah to come to where Baru was sleeping.
Seol-ah had been planning to vent her frustration on the others, but Hwaryeong was the highest priority on her list.
“Just you wait.”
Leaving those words behind, Seol-ah headed toward Hwaryeong.
What she found there was Baru, now in human form, staring at the Heavenly Demon as if she were looking at an insect, the Heavenly Demon licking her lips with a regretful expression, and Hwaryeong sitting between them, pipe in mouth, looking utterly detached.
“Sorry for interrupting your training.”
“No, it’s fine! Training isn’t that important anyway!”
“It seems you’ve traveled quite a bit around this world.”
“Yes! Of course! There’s almost nothing I don’t know in the world of Hwaryong Muin!”
“That’s why I wanted to ask—if you know any restaurants in the orthodox faction’s territory that make good yubu, could you recommend one?”
The moment Seol-ah offered to find places that served good yubu dishes, she provided several locations. The explanations were somewhat excessive in detail, but thanks to that I was able to decide on a place without much trouble.
“Thank you.”
“No! It’s nothing! If you have any more questions later, just send me a message!”
After saying that and leaving, Baek Hwaryeong, who had been standing nearby, spoke up in surprise.
“That child is also an outsider?”
“She is.”
“Yet she seems to know more about Murim than most people who actually live here.”
Unless it was a sect like the Beggars’ Union or Hao Clan, there probably wasn’t anyone with more information than Seol-ah. From what I’d checked before, she really did know all sorts of things.
“But still, do we really need to go out to eat?”
While I was manipulating the menu to head to the place Seol-ah had recommended, Baek Hwaryeong suddenly said this.
“What do you mean, ‘really’?”
“This seat doesn’t dislike eating, but in the end, food is all the same wherever you go, isn’t it?”
What nonsense was she spouting?
“You only think that because you’ve never eaten at a proper place.”
Unlike me, Baek Hwaryeong was someone born and raised in Murim. So she had no idea how delicious modern food could be. If she had been an ordinary Murim person, she would have felt the influence while users flooded in and spread knowledge of the outside world, but unfortunately Baek Hwaryeong had never been exposed to that influence. After all, there were no users when she roamed Murim, and by the time users properly set foot in this world, she was already holed up in the Demonic Cult. That was why she said such things. That all Murim food was the same.
Poor thing.
“Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”
“I’ll make sure you never say something like that again. So follow me.”
Even though I held out my hand, Baek Hwaryeong looked reluctant. She still wouldn’t believe me even when I said I’d show her something new.
“If you still think the same after eating at the place I take you to, I’ll help you pet Baru.”
“…Min-ga?!”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“Where did my own opinion go?!”
Seeming to like my offer, Baek Hwaryeong grabbed my hand.
“Then let’s go. To eat something delicious.”
The place we teleported to using the function was Hangzhou, one of Murim’s major cities. It had once been a great city under the orthodox faction’s influence, but after I swept through the orthodox sects and weakened their power, it became a place free from anyone’s control. A city ruled by capital rather than factions, it was a suitable place for me—an enemy of the orthodox sects—to wander, but Baek Hwaryeong was an exception. She was this world’s Heavenly Demon, after all. The massacre she had carried out in the orthodox sects had sent massive shockwaves through Murim. There was hardly anyone in Murim who didn’t know about her. Even right after I had just left the Demonic Cult, whenever I appeared in a city, every martial artist there would come pouring out. If Baek Hwaryeong appeared in Hangzhou in her true form, it would obviously cause great chaos.
“So you want me to use the Disguise Art?”
That meant I needed to change her face. Inner energy could be hidden, but faces couldn’t.
“Yes. You should know how to use it, right?”
“I do, but do I really have to? After all, you and I look exactly the same.”
I was at a loss for words to answer Baek Hwaryeong’s question. After all, she and I were perfectly identical in appearance. There were slight differences, but nothing significant.
While I was trying to figure out how to persuade her, Baru, perched on my head, spoke up.
“The atmosphere is different, Heavenly Demon.”
“Atmosphere?”
“Yes. You may not realize it yourself, but you carry a savagery that feels like it would cut you if you so much as touch it. Even without your wicked inner energy, anyone could tell it’s you.”
“Hah. Then what about Min-ga?”
“This fellow sharpens up sometimes too, but usually she’s relaxed and leisurely. Unlike you.”
Listening to Baru’s words, Baek Hwaryeong nodded to herself as if she understood something, then brought her hand to her face.
Crack. Crack.
The viewers started freaking out at the sight of Baek Hwaryeong touching her face. Was it really that hard to watch? I didn’t think so, but since all the viewers reacted the same way, I turned my head away from Baek Hwaryeong. After a while the sound stopped and I turned back to see a woman standing there with a slight frown.
She had delicate, thin lines overall and looked so fragile that she might break if touched, yet she still carried the sharp aura that Baek Hwaryeong possessed.
“I’m not sure since it’s been a while, but did it work well?”
“Yes.”
“You look like a completely different person.”
Baek Hwaryeong walked down the street outside while rubbing her face. Her face felt tingly from forcibly moving the bones. In the past, when she roamed Murim with her face exposed, so many things happened that she never expected to use the Disguise Art again. Still, she didn’t regret using it. The street scenery she hadn’t seen in so long was surprising enough to make her forget the pain.
Baek Hwaryeong had visited Hangzhou before. Since the orthodox faction’s influence had reached here, it had been one of her target cities. Back then, Hangzhou had certainly been a large city, but not enough to surprise Baek Hwaryeong. But now? Countless people walking the streets. An endless procession of carriages with no gaps. The mouthwatering smell of food wafting from everywhere. Buildings so tall they seemed to touch the sky.
This was Hangzhou? Had the city developed this much during the ten years she had been holed up in the Demonic Cult?
Baek Hwaryeong kept looking around like someone who had just come up from the countryside.
“Here.”
When her other self stopped, Baek Hwaryeong stopped as well. It was a shop on the ground floor of a tall four-story building. The wooden sign read “Yubu Specialty Shop” in Chinese characters, and the place was bustling with people.
“Do you have seats inside?”
“Yes. I’ll show you to a table.”
Once inside, Baek Hwaryeong paused for a moment at the symphony of smells tickling her nose and looked around. One person sitting at a table caught her eye as they ate. What they held with chopsticks was a soft, yellow food. It glistened on the outside from some kind of sauce and looked incredibly appetizing.
“Min-ga.”
“What is it?”
“What is that?”
“Yubu. The same thing you brought.”
Yubu? That? It was completely different from what the Demonic Cult’s chef had made!
Perhaps surprised by the shock on Baek Hwaryeong’s face, the person eating in front of her smiled and spoke to her.
“Is this your first time seeing proper yubu?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Then try a bite of this. You’ll be surprised.”
“Is that all right?”
“Of course.”
Accepting the man’s kindness, Baek Hwaryeong took the yubu he offered and popped it into her mouth. The moment the yubu touched her tongue, she felt something was different. The flavors were far too varied. Sweetness. Saltiness. A hint of sourness. Flustered by the feast of flavors she had never experienced in the Demonic Cult, Baek Hwaryeong carefully chewed the yubu with her teeth. At that moment, the seasonings inside the yubu burst forth and filled her mouth. Unable to handle the wave of wondrous taste, she chewed carefully for a long while before swallowing and spoke in a barely audible voice.
“…It’s delicious.”