Chapter 12
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 5.3
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Juyang City
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"The sword's power was that immense. Even in the Second Hierarchy, few blades matched its ferocity, but the side effects were severe... Only one in ten ever succeeded in mastering it."
Mastering the Subduing Demon Sword Art meant casting aside one's humanity to become a demon.
Yet its foundation lay in Taoism, creating a clashing dissonance that even those with the steadiest minds could scarcely endure.
Those who sought to learn the Subduing Demon Sword Art fell into two categories.
"One who craves revenge against the demonic cults. And one deeply immersed in Taoist cultivation."
The former would burn themselves out alongside the demons, reduced to ashes. The latter would endure and witness its ultimate truths.
An Hoe fell into the latter.
"Without the Two Forms Divine Art, I might have been swept away by that madness myself."
Through this Two Forms Divine Art, he had achieved great success with the Subduing Demon Sword Art, awakening its true essence.
He had transcended the blade wielded by a demon—he could now wield the demon itself.
"Naturally, its ferocity and brutality are beyond compare."
In terms of raw power alone, it was at least double. The demon-subduing force had increased more than tenfold.
"Countless Taoist masters sought to perfect this Subduing Demon Sword Art."
They believed it might even cleave through the Heavenly Death Star.
'An impossible feat.'
No matter how formidable the Subduing Demon Sword Art, the Heavenly Death Star had transcended incarnation to become the thing itself—a being not far removed from a Demon King.
An Hoe knew just how absurd a Demon King was. He judged the sword art alone insufficient.
"Even perfecting the Nine Yang True Scripture would barely make it an even match?"
And that only if An Hoe, who had reached the Divine Martial Realm, were the one fighting.
Otherwise, he'd lose ten battles out of ten.
No—surviving at all would be a challenge.
"I've laid the groundwork, at least..."
After devising a plan to thwart the Mi Family Clan's rebellion, An Hoe had devoted himself fully to the Subduing Demon Sword Art.
Its initiation began with infusing the blade with demonic essence.
Infusing a blade with demonic essence sounded grandiose, but it wasn't.
One simply kept the sword close at all times, imagining demons lurking within it.
"At first, you feel nothing. But persist, and eventually malice begins to stir from the blade."
The sensation starts so faintly you'll wonder if it's imagination.
Over time, the malice grows stronger, sharper.
That's when the true ordeal begins.
"You can't even sleep or rest properly. It feels like letting your guard down will let that malice cleave you in two."
The nightmare ends when you realize that malice flows from within yourself.
"In that moment, you understand the demon is coiled inside you."
In simple terms, this process embodies demonic malice into the flesh ahead of schedule.
True embodiment meant An Hoe had no choice but to learn it through his body alone.
"Brings back memories."
An Hoe had drawn his sword day and night, keeping it by his side.
With it came an intense malice.
Even this, however, was moderated so his body wouldn't break down.
In truth, the malice on day one paled tenfold compared to the final day's—measurable in numbers.
"Why on earth is the young master doing something so dangerous?"
Song Hwa naturally questioned the young master's latest eccentricity.
But she neither tried to stop him nor pried further.
Compared to his past antics, this barely raised an eyebrow.
"It's finally starting to settle into my body."
Thanks to that, he initiated the Subduing Demon Sword Art just one day before the caravan's departure.
Even he, who had ascended to Divine Martial, had taken nearly ten days.
With initiation so arduous, one could imagine the difficulty of advancing further.
An Hoe's case was different, however.
"The hard part's over."
He hadn't chosen the Subduing Demon Sword Art solely for its overwhelming power.
Rather, advancing it relied less on physical factors.
The demon ceaselessly disrupted his mind.
Seeking to twist its master, to fill his thoughts with itself.
Dreams—moments of unguarded consciousness—were natural prey.
-Kieeeek!-
The moment the demon invaded An Hoe's dream, it realized its grave mistake.
"Hahaha. What a cute little thing."
-Grrr!-
An Hoe's dreamscape was no place for a newborn demon to handle.
Grain upon grain of sand—fiends far more terrifying than itself littered the realm.
Dominating those fiends were Demon Kings.
The most horrifying... the Evil Gods.
-Kaaak... Gack... Gack!-
Not even facing their true forms—just echoes from An Hoe's subconscious—the demon felt suffocated, on the verge of collapse.
Yet the true horror was its master, toying with it nonchalantly amid all this.
"Heh heh. Thanks to you, tonight wasn't boring. Quite entertaining, even."
-Cough... Crunch...
"Yes, yes. I get it. I'll send you off, so no need to rush."
He grasped the crumpled, broken demon in both hands, shook it, patted it, mended it with reluctance, then flung it away.
-???-
Only belatedly did the demon realize it had escaped the dream.
Too shocked to react, it lay rigid.
Awakening, An Hoe learned the situation and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk tsk. I warned you... yet you court your own suffering."
Even a perfected demon would struggle there. For a newborn to plunge in unharmed was fortunate.
-.....-
Perhaps the ordeal was too severe?
The demon dared not raise its voice, even under his rebuke.
It could only prostrate before a master harboring the absurd in his mind.
So unlike the demon that had tormented his past self relentlessly—An Hoe smiled.
-Clatter!-
Song Hwa, diligently serving the gluttonous young master his usual feast, asked curiously.
"You're up early, young master. Did you have a good dream?"
"Not good, but something amusing happened."
"Amusing?"
What could be amusing this early?
She pondered briefly before dismissing it as another of his odd jokes.
"Is the caravan trip supposed to be this easy?"
"Easy is good, isn't it? You want it hard?"
"No! Of course not! It's just... so different from what I heard."
More people in the caravan cherished Song Hwa than expected.
Her endearing personality—sharp-tongued yet kind-hearted—and lovely looks drew affection naturally.
So when she joined the young master on the trip, everyone had offered their two cents.
Yet the journey had been so comfortable it made her wonder if this was right.
She hadn't even camped overnight once, despite deadlines usually demanding it like meals.
"This trip isn't rushed for deadlines. If it were, you'd have roughed it outdoors once or twice by now."
"I see."
'Though that's not the whole story.'
Manager Wang Sam was deliberately taking a safe route.
Not to coddle An Hoe's first trip.
To prepare for worst-case scenarios post-branch establishment.
Landslides blocking paths, forcing detours—he wanted to gauge arrival times.
Turning seven days into ten was for that reason.
Seemingly minor, but vital intel for merchants where trust reigned supreme.
"Impressive."
An Hoe affirmed why his mother entrusted this man.
"This is Juyang City!"
Song Hwa beamed, surveying the city.
Two days past the expected arrival, her reaction made sense.
The advance staff, who had secured temporary lodging, sighed in relief upon sighting the caravan.
"You're safe. Thank goodness. We were worried..."
"A big city like this in the prefecture, plagued by bandits?"
"We nearly blundered ahead blindly."
"Sorry. We tried spreading word, but hiring help was tough."
"Understood. Sounds like no ordinary bandits."
"Dozens of caravans hit. Over ten others fretting like us, from what I hear."
Wang Sam shook his head at the report.
His smooth entry to Juyang City felt less assured now.
'The bandits' scale exceeds expectations. Juyang's response is odd.'
Normally, even without full extermination, they'd muster troops to at least pretend clearing the area.
But the staff's words suggested even that much was lacking.
"They've got goods and manpower. What's the holdup?"
He fretted outwardly, relieved inwardly.
Without reflecting on past mistakes via this test run, they'd be in dire straits.
Not entirely bad, though.
Their cargo was startup funds for the branch.
Current shortages plaguing Juyang City meant premium prices.
Wang Sam's prediction held true.
Their goods sold out in under two days—at double the estimate.
"Hahaha! Strong start, Manager!"
"Seen their faces?"
"Yep. Grousing about prices, yet scrambling for more. Hilariously contradictory."
The merchants, bonuses in hand, reveled accordingly.
Song Hwa watched from nearby, smiling warmly.
Having bonded during the trip, their joy lifted her spirits.
An Hoe, the trip's true lead, showed little elation.
His usual languid face observed silently.
"Not happy, young master? Word is, it's a huge success."
"I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Sigh."
Song Hwa sighed at the reply.
His words rang hollow against his apathetic demeanor.
Not sulking, though—so she doubled her own cheer, clapping to boost the mood.
'Sister Song hasn't changed a bit.'
An Hoe chuckled inwardly at the sight, then scratched his chin in mild distress.
This tied to his burgeoning headache: the bandits.
From reports, they were far more formidable than assumed.
'High chance the Greenwood Seventy-Two Bandit Strongholds back them.'
Greenwood wasn't mere bandits.
It referred to that colossal network.
Countless mountain dens dotted the land; only the elite earned entry.
Such forces didn't emerge from thin air.
"Likely remnants of Red Dragon Stronghold."
An Hoe's hunch stemmed from court affairs.
Eradicating a lair like Red Dragon Stronghold was no simple task.
Time and resources aplenty—it ended with slaying leaders, torching the base.
"So that's where the survivors fled—to the Mi Family's bosom."
Ill tidings.
With Mi backing, they'd rebuilt much of their lost strength.
"Showing up now means the Mi Family's moving faster than expected."
He muttered, nodding after a moment's thought.
They couldn't ignore White Crane Elder ascending to Prime Minister, swelling royal influence.
"They know delay only strengthens the foe."
Such audacity had shaken the kingdom in the original timeline.