Chapter 33: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 1)-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 1)-2
Lee Sam, the village doctor, was yawning in the midday quiet when Namgung So-yeon suddenly burst in, nearly startling him out of his skin.
Seeing a martial artist brandishing a blade and demanding he examine someone, the doctor—thoroughly intimidated—tremblingly took In-ho’s pulse.
After observing his condition, Lee Sam explained that it was a fever and that he needed to rest completely for two or three days.
"We have a long way to go... Can I not just carry him on my back?"
"If you don't mind him arriving as a corpse, be my guest."
"I can stay here, right?"
Quickly shifting gears, she held out payment. Lee Sam immediately opened a room and guided them inside.
"Hang in there, Young Master Kang."
As In-ho let out weak groans of pain, Namgung So-yeon spoke softly, dabbing his forehead with a wet towel.
Perhaps thanks to the herbal decoction Lee Sam had prescribed, In-ho’s breathing stabilized, and the sweat that had been pouring off him began to subside.
After staring blankly at his chest rising and falling, Namgung So-yeon opened the door and stepped out into the clinic's courtyard.
Fweet!
She placed two fingers to her lips and whistled. From far off, a white pigeon came fluttering toward her.
"Even if I told her not to follow, there's no way the Spirit Demon would just stay put... If I can't shake the pursuit, my only choice is to call for reinforcements."
After sending a letter to her colleagues on the Yunnan front, Namgung So-yeon scanned her surroundings.
"I know you're hiding there. Come out."
She spoke toward the empty air, but no answer came.
The only sound was the distant scuffing of Lee Sam’s broom against the ground.
"Ehehe. I just tried it in case someone was actually there. I guess not."
Biting her tongue slightly in embarrassment, she scratched her head a few times and retreated back into the room.
High up in a tree some distance away.
"......"
The Spirit Demon, who had tensed her entire body at Namgung So-yeon’s call, let out a sigh of relief and muttered to herself.
"The Thunder Sword... sometimes it really seems like her brain is made of nothing but muscle."
Throb.
An unpleasant sensation flared in her abdomen, followed by a wave of pain. The internal injuries she had sustained from the woman had not yet healed.
"I'll have to stick to just observing for the time being."
*
The White Tiger Corps of the Murim Alliance.
Composed of the most renowned experts of the Orthodox Sect, it was an organization of promising young masters destined to lead the future of the martial world.
They were currently stationed in Yunnan, facing off against the forces of the Demonic Sect advancing toward the Alliance.
Recently, with the Demonic Sect’s forces beginning to move in earnest under the lead of the Sword Demon, those responsible for the front lines were so busy they barely had time to blink.
In the midst of this, the letter from the Thunder Sword left them in a dilemma.
"If the Thunder Sword went as far as to send a missive like this, shouldn't we send reinforcements?"
She had set out alone on a mission to assassinate the Heavenly Demon, but that had already been deemed a failure since the Heavenly Demon had been spotted on the Yunnan front.
Even her long-time comrades were baffled as to why she was in Sichuan when she had clearly stated she would rejoin them in Yunnan.
"She said she’s protecting someone who escaped from the Demonic Sect. But we don't even know who this person is, do we? Knowing the Thunder Sword’s personality, we can't rule out the possibility that she just rescued some commoner."
Opinion within the White Tiger Corps was split between those who wanted to send people to Sichuan and those who didn't. After a heated discussion, they reached a consensus: they would send two members of the White Tiger Corps along with twenty regular soldiers.
Four days later.
In a village in Sichuan, reached after riding through the night.
Namgung So-yeon rushed out to greet her colleagues with open arms.
"Honestly, Thunder Sword. Just what kind of person are you protecting that you thought to call the White Tiger Corps?"
As the Daughter of the Tang Family snapped at her while pinching and pulling on So-yeon’s cheeks, Namgung So-yeon clapped her hands and introduced In-ho, who was behind her.
As they listened to the introduction, the expressions of the White Tiger Corps members and the twenty subordinates gradually hardened.
Once Namgung So-yeon finished speaking, the Daughter of the Tang Family let out a deep sigh.
"Haa... Thunder Sword. Right now, the Yunnan front is struggling just to hold the line against the Sword Demon’s offensive. And yet, you called away major combat assets just to protect a mere commoner?"
"But... if he escaped the Demonic Sect and the Spirit Demon is chasing him, doesn't that make him an important figure?"
Sensing the hostile atmosphere, Namgung So-yeon spoke in a shrinking voice.
"The Spirit Demon chasing a commoner who hasn't learned a lick of martial arts? That's far too strange a situation."
"Umm..."
"It’s more rational to think this is a trick by the Demonic Sect to plant a spy within the Murim Alliance."
"Watch your words. Young Master Kang is not a spy for the Demonic Sect."
When the mood shifted toward framing In-ho as a spy, Namgung So-yeon moved to stop them.
However, despite her strong protest, the suspicion that had taken root showed no signs of withering.
"The world isn't as beautiful as you think, Thunder Sword. Step aside. I will interrogate this man myself."
Pushing Namgung So-yeon away, the Tang woman’s hand reached for In-ho’s collar.
Or rather, it tried to.
"!!!!"
Sensing a sudden, overwhelming killing intent, she jerked her hand back.
"Who is it!"
As if seizing the very space itself, a murderous aura crept in and filled the clinic.
The sound of footsteps on the dirt ground echoed from a distance.
Step. Step.
Over the small fence made of bush clover, the figure of a woman appeared.
At the sight of her, everyone’s eyes went wide.
"Y-You!"
Soon, the woman standing before the clinic door furrowed her brow as she looked at the crowd surrounding In-ho.
An intangible pressure bore down on them.
Everyone in the clinic was pinned to the ground, while Namgung So-yeon barely held her ground, resisting the aura.
"??"
Then In-ho, who was completely unaffected by the pressure, looked around in confusion until his eyes met the woman’s.
"Ah..."
A brief moment of eye contact. A deep smile spread across the woman’s lips.
"Found you."
Breathing out with excitement, the Heavenly Demon spoke.