Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Ch. 48 .｡.:✧ Poison Demon, Jegal Hwi - 2 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The night before Master’s departure.
As expected, she spent the entire day relaxing with me by her side.
Perhaps all her hard work had been for this, to carve out this time together.
“I won’t see you for a while, so I’ll have my fill of you today.”
‘Liar. Then what about every other night before?’
I had a lot I wanted to say, but I decided not to ruin the mood.
Her usually sharp eyes were soft today.
She dismissed the servants and clung to me from morning till night.
She napped with her arms wrapped around me, woke up occasionally for snacks or read a book.
I spent most of the day dozing on and off in bed, and she didn’t seem to mind.
Or maybe she did things to me while I was asleep.
“Ugh… my back hurts.”
“Of course it hurts, sleeping like that. If it were the old days, I would’ve woken you up at dawn for training.”
She clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
“Master, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Aren’t you going to teach me any martial arts?”
“…”
It felt a bit… inadequate… being the Young Cult Leader and not knowing any martial arts.
Though, the Head Administrator and the others didn’t seem to care.
“I won’t be teaching you.”
I had expected her to start teaching me right away, but her answer surprised me.
“Why not?”
“Because your dantian is completely shattered.”
Her finger traced a path down my bare chest, stopping at my dantian.
“You probably don’t remember, so I’ll tell you. You died by a sword. Your dantian was destroyed in the process.”
“I see.”
So, my body was incapable of cultivating internal energy. That explained why she had never even mentioned martial arts training.
“Your body is still physically strong, and the spiritual energy of this mountain is helping you cultivate some internal energy naturally, but the amount is negligible.”
“You said you glided for a moment when you fell off the cliff? That’s about the extent of your current internal energy.”
Barely enough to glide for a moment.
Wow, so if I hadn’t had even that much, I would’ve fallen to my death.
The thought sent a chill down my spine.
“Even if your dantian wasn’t shattered, I still wouldn’t have taught you martial arts.”
“Why?”
“Because I lost you once because of them.”
Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
She removed her finger from my dantian and gently caressed my stomach and chest with her palm.
“I used to believe that martial arts were meant to benefit the world. To help the weak, to fight against injustice.”
“Isn’t that… generally true?”
“You haven’t changed a bit. But for every act of justice committed with martial arts, there are a hundred acts of injustice committed somewhere else in the world.”
“That’s why martial arts should be eradicated.”
Her voice was firm, as if she were making a vow, not to me, but to herself.
“Come on, look on the bright side. Martial arts are just a tool. It’s the wielder who’s the problem. Look at you. You helped Yeon-hwa, and the other Cult members… ow!”
– Pinch
She pinched my nipple hard, leaving a bright red mark.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Don’t mention other women in front of me.”
She was scary sometimes.
“Yeon-hwa is just a kid! Besides, you assigned her to me as a servant.”
“I assigned her to you for your convenience. Mentioning other women’s names in front of me is a different matter entirely.”
She had some strange rules.
“I was just giving an example…”
I grumbled, feeling unfairly accused.
Usually, she would laugh and try to lighten the mood, but today, she seemed different.
Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at me as if I were a disobedient child.
“They’re mistaken. Since I took on the name Heavenly Demon, I’ve never had any desire to ‘save’ anyone.”
“Then what about everything you’ve done so far?”
“They chose to follow me. I simply destroyed and burned what was in my way. They were the ones who gave it meaning and became my followers.”
That was… complicated.
She continued, “I protect those who follow me, and I abandon those who don’t. I eliminate obstacles, and I punish those who cross the line. That’s how I’ve lived for the past twelve years.”
“You’re being pretty soft on me, considering everything.”
I teased her with a smirk, and she pinched me again, even harder this time.
“You’re really pushing your luck. Fine, it’s true that I can’t kill you.”
She suddenly sat up.
She unbuttoned my clothes and leaned in close.
“But I can torment you, you little fool.”
‘Ah… here we go again.’
I thought as I watched her head move lower.
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The next day, after a night of “torment,” I saw Master off with tired, bloodshot eyes.
All the Cult members lined up to see her off, a truly impressive sight.
“I won’t be long. Rest well,” she said, her face refreshed and smiling.
“Have a safe trip.”
I bowed respectfully, and she gave me a disapproving look.
What? Was that not the right thing to do?
I couldn’t exactly hug her in front of everyone.
As I fumbled awkwardly, she chuckled and offered me her hand.
“I’ll be back.”
I stared at her hand.
Then, slowly, I reached out and took it.
It was a familiar yet strangely unfamiliar handshake.
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The Head Administrator’s office in the Black Heaven Cult.
With the Heavenly Demon’s departure, life in the Cult returned to its usual routine.
The Head Administrator sat at his desk, reviewing the mountain of documents, and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stiff shoulders.
He remembered what the Cult Leader had said to him in the early hours of the morning before she left.
“I have a rather unusual request.”
“Anything, Cult Leader.”
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I want you to find any information you can about time travelers.”
“Time travelers…?”
“People who claim to have come from the past or the future.”
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The Martial Alliance.
The Sword Demon was approaching.
The Yunnan front, which had been a stalemate, had begun to crumble, and the Sword Demon was advancing north, his momentum unstoppable.
Soon, the Black Heaven Cult forces, led by the Sword Demon, would reach the Alliance headquarters.
But the Alliance Leader was confident.
He had a secret weapon.
Namgung So-yeon, now a Blood Demon, had grown exponentially stronger in a short amount of time.
“You summoned me?”
Namgung So-yeon stood before the Alliance Leader, her demeanor noticeably different.
“The Sword Demon’s forces are not far. I want you to lead the charge and eliminate them.”
“Um… I can’t. Young Master Kang wouldn’t want that.”
“What are you talking about?”
The Alliance Leader tilted his head in confusion.
“I have to go somewhere else. I can hear him. Young Master Kang is calling for me.”
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, her voice filled with anguish.
She looked like a madwoman.
No, she had become a madwoman.
The Alliance Leader realized with a jolt that she was no longer under his control.
“Just wait a little longer, Young Master Kang. Your good little So-yeon is coming.”
Without another word, Namgung So-yeon turned and left the Alliance headquarters.
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