The Phantom Demon's Descendant (3)
“The Phantom Demon?”
When Seomun Hwan reacted with more surprise than she’d expected, Hongran misunderstood.
She thought he was afraid of the Phantom Demon.
And it made sense. Even after thirty years, the scars of the war the Phantom Demon had unleashed still lingered clearly across the martial world.
Things had improved somewhat now, but just ten years ago, many people would tremble at the mere mention of his name.
Hongran spoke as if savoring his reaction.
“Rumor has it that right before his death, the Phantom Demon used the Ihon-daebeop to resurrect himself. A technique that transplants his soul into another person.”
“Huh?!”
Seomun Hwan looked slightly flustered and mumbled awkwardly.
“……The Ihon-daebeop? Does something like that even exist?”
“Of course. I personally consider the possibility extremely low. No matter how powerful the Phantom Demon was, manipulating souls would have been difficult. It is true that he researched the Ihon-daebeop, but he never completed it.”
She was right.
He had once prided himself on being the greatest under heaven, yet no matter how much he studied the Ihon-daebeop, he had never produced results.
It was an unstable, incomplete art.
He had only used it out of desperation when his body could no longer be revived.
A kind of gamble.
He certainly hadn’t expected to be reincarnated as the third young master of the Seomun Clan.
At least I wasn’t born as a dog or a pig. That’s a blessing.
Hongran wasn’t finished.
“That’s why we’re focusing more on the second possibility.”
“……And what would that be?”
“Someone is impersonating the Phantom Demon.”
“Impersonating? Who would dare?”
A faint trace of anger colored Seomun Hwan’s voice.
“We can make an educated guess. Even though the Phantom Demon is dead, his martial arts still remain.”
“……Ah!”
He understood what she meant.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult still had the Phantom Palace, which specialized in illusion techniques.
The current master of the Phantom Palace was probably…….
One of my disciples.
In his previous life, he had taken seven disciples in total.
He had killed four of them with his own hands. Three remained alive.
Of course, none of them had possessed talent that could rival his own.
But after thirty years…….
If someone had the audacity to call themselves the Phantom Demon, only one name came to mind.
His first disciple, Cho Muryang.
The disciple he had cherished more than any other and taught with utmost sincerity.
The traitor who had stabbed him in the heart from behind.
And his only blood relative.
If it’s that bastard, he could probably imitate me well enough.
But even that left some questions unanswered.
“If they were truly from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they wouldn’t have approached us like this.”
Hongran looked genuinely surprised.
“You know more than I expected. Is the Seomun Clan’s intelligence network really that impressive?”
“That’s none of your concern. Your answer?”
Hongran hesitated for a moment before replying.
“You’re right, Young Master. If they were using the power of the Demonic Cult, they would have moved either far more secretly or far more boldly. But…… what if it was to avoid the eyes of the Cult Leader?”
“In secret? Are you saying he’s fallen out with the Cult Leader?”
He considered it briefly.
It’s not entirely impossible.
His first disciple had earned great merit by killing his master, but the fact that he was still a disciple of the Phantom Demon hadn’t changed.
The Cult Leader was cunning but cowardly.
Having personally witnessed his overwhelming martial prowess, would he really have left the Phantom Palace alone?
Wouldn’t he have tried to eliminate them, just as he had?
The first disciple is clever and bold. He might have struck first before he could be targeted.
Building his own external faction as a precaution?
Using his master’s—the Phantom Demon’s—name?
It was entirely plausible.
Seomun Hwan asked with sharp eyes.
“Evidence? Do you have any concrete proof?”
“Hehe! That is top secret. If you want that information, you’ll have to pay a fair price.”
Hongran fluttered the booklets Seomun Hwan had handed over.
“I sincerely hope these martial arts are worth that much.”
“Hmph! If you knew their true value, you’d be shocked.”
“In any case, Young Master, if you ever encounter a martial artist who uses illusion techniques, please be careful……”
As she spoke, Hongran suddenly seemed to recall something and stared intently at Seomun Hwan.
Now that she thought about it, the method he had used to subdue them had felt suspiciously similar to illusion techniques.
The other Haomun members who had stepped back seemed to share the same thought; they tilted their heads in confusion.
“Young Master, perhaps……”
“Taoist arts!”
Seomun Hwan shouted abruptly.
“……Pardon?”
“What I used was the sacred Taoist arts proudly passed down by the Kunlun Sect. It’s on a completely different level from something like illusion techniques. Obviously!”
“But what we experienced was clearly……”
“Have you ever learned Taoist arts?!”
“N-no, I haven’t.”
“Then don’t talk about it.”
“……”
Hongran could only blink rapidly.
It felt off somehow, but his words made a strange kind of sense.
“……Someone who has inherited the profound martial lineage of the Kunlun Sect would never resort to such sinister arts.”
“Exactly.”
“Understood. Still, please be cautious. Even after twenty years, no one has discovered a way to counter the Phantom Demon’s wicked techniques.”
Of course they hadn’t.
The martial arts he had created were fundamentally different from anything that had come before.
Obviously. The very concept was different.
Still, if his first disciple had truly begun to move, he would need to refrain from using illusion techniques from now on.
If that bastard discovered his true identity, he would attack without hesitation.
It had been convenient and easy, so he used it often, but there were plenty of other martial arts he could use instead.
Since he was pretending to be a descendant of the Kunlun Sect, their sword arts would work, or if not…….
Maybe I should combine swordsmanship with illusion techniques? If I create the Phantom Demon Illusion Sword—no, the Seomun Illusion Sword…….
Seomun Hwan seemed to like the idea that had suddenly occurred to him and nodded unconsciously.
After leaving Mongwolru, Seomun Hwan did not return home immediately.
Instead, he turned his steps toward the back alleys of Pungsan.
The Black Dragon Sect’s leader, Dongjeongwi, greeted him with an awkward smile.
“So what brings you here today…… Young Master.”
The other gang members also stood pressed against the walls with their heads bowed low, looking like guilty criminals.
The atmosphere suggested that meeting Seomun Hwan’s eyes might cost them their heads.
Seomun Hwan plopped down on the tiger-skin chair that originally belonged to Dongjeongwi and spoke.
“I see a lot of new faces. Has the family grown? Looks like your circumstances have improved.”
“It’s all thanks to your generosity, Young Master.”
They still didn’t know who Seomun Hwan really was.
He had used the same technique on them as he had on the Haomun members—one that prevented them from recognizing his face.
But Dongjeongwi groveled before him.
It was only natural. After all, Seomun Hwan had effortlessly defeated three masters that even they couldn’t possibly contend with.
Honestly, for lowly street thugs like them, the blade right in front of their eyes was far more terrifying than some distant emperor.
“You’ve been carrying out my orders properly, yes?”
“Of course, Young Master. As instructed, we’ve completely taken over the streets of Pungsan.”
After repelling the attackers who had invaded this place, Seomun Hwan hadn’t simply left.
Once he confirmed that those bastards were controlling the back alleys to plot something, he had decided to finish the job himself.
In that sense, Dongjeongwi was incredibly lucky.
Not only had he been spared, but he had also learned martial arts so profound that he could never have dreamed of them in his lifetime.
“How’s your progress in martial arts?”
“Well…… I’ve only just reached the second stage.”
“Really? You must have more talent than I thought. I figured you’d barely manage the first stage.”
“Th-thank you. By the way……”
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Why did you have to give me a technique that uses coins……”
What Seomun Hwan had taught Dongjeongwi was a martial art that used coins as throwing weapons.
Coins all had uniform shape and weight.
No one would suspect that the coins someone carried were meant to be used as hidden weapons.
Seomun Hwan himself had used the technique several times in the past, and the level of the art he had passed on was quite high.
Even so, the reason Dongjeongwi was complaining was…….
“It’s such a waste.”
Dongjeongwi was as much of a miser as his nickname suggested.
He hated spending coins.
“J-just from training, I’ve already ruined thirty-seven coins.”
“Sigh!”
Thirty-seven coins amounted to less than a twentieth of a day’s earnings.
Considering the level of the martial art, it was an absurdly trivial cost.
Seomun Hwan spoke with clear disdain.
“The reason I chose you was because you had the loyalty to step forward yourself to protect your subordinates. Unlike those other scumbags who only talk about loyalty. But if you’re not qualified, I’ll give the position to someone else. Is that what you want?”
“N-no! I’ll work harder!”
Dongjeongwi bowed his head even more obsequiously.
“As I said, the protection fee won’t exceed a set percentage.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!”
“You may increase the Black Dragon Sect’s numbers as you wish, but only teach the martial arts I gave you to those you can trust.”
“Understood!”
Gathering street thugs would only ever produce more street thugs.
When he had first recruited them, he hadn’t intended to use them for anything important.
They were meant to be little more than guard dogs for the house.
But if his first disciple’s forces had truly begun to move, the situation changed.
The Phantom Demon’s illusion techniques operated on an entirely different principle from ordinary martial arts.
Of course, he hadn’t taught his disciples everything, but he had left behind most of the important theories, logic, and the majority of his techniques there.
That meant simply having a good nose for danger wouldn’t be enough to protect even his own home.
Fortunately, no one in the world understood how to counter illusion techniques better than he did.
That was precisely why he had come here.
“I’m going to teach you a new martial art. Make sure every single one of your subordinates learns it without fail.”
“A new martial art, you say?”
Dongjeongwi knew exactly how incredible the martial arts Seomun Hwan had given him were.
His eyes sparkled with greed for more power.
“May I ask what kind of art it is?”
“It’s eye arts.”
“Eye arts?”
Dongjeongwi tilted his head, then asked cautiously.
“Does it shoot flames from the eyes or something?”
“……”
“Or maybe just making eye contact kills people……”
As he spoke, Dongjeongwi’s eyes gradually filled with anticipation.
It seemed he truly believed he might learn such an amazing technique.
Seomun Hwan said in exasperation.
“It’s just an art that lets you see a little better.”
“See better? You mean it improves your eyesight?”
Dongjeongwi pouted in clear disappointment.
“……Just think of it that way for now.”
He had planned to teach them eye arts that would make them resistant to illusion techniques.
They should gain immunity to most common illusions.
As long as his first disciple didn’t come personally, it would at least buy them enough time to send a warning.
I should teach this to the clan and Haomun as well.
You must know your enemy to win a battle.
The single piece of information that the ones lurking around his family were impersonating the Phantom Demon had already made today’s visit to Haomun worthwhile.
When he stepped back onto the street and looked up at the sky, he saw a full moon.
It was the same red moon that had hung in the sky the night he died in his previous life.
A few days later.
Seomun Hwan was riding in a luxurious carriage headed somewhere.
Clatter! Clatter!
How much time had passed?
As always, Deokheum’s voice woke him.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“……Mmm!”
“We’ve arrived in Hangzhou!”
“Haaam! Already?”
At Deokheum’s call, Seomun Hwan, who had been sprawled out sleeping in the carriage, stirred.
When he opened the carriage window, a dazzling cityscape filled his view.
Ornate inns with red lanterns hanging even during the day,
silk skirts fluttering from every window of the pleasure houses,
and street vendors displaying fragrant flowers, medicinal herbs, expensive books, and porcelain to tempt customers.
This was Hangzhou.
A blessed land situated along the Qiantang River, known as the artery of the southern martial world.
Countless merchant ships came and went along its waters, making it a commercial paradise that never slept, no matter the season.
“It’s always such a flashy place.”
Deokheum looked puzzled at his words.
“Young Master. When have you ever been to Hangzhou before? You’re always stuck at home and hardly ever visit other cities.”
“I have been here.”
“When?”
“A very long time ago.”
“……You’re boasting again.”
“I can hear you.”
“I said it so you would hear! Anyway, please straighten your clothes. You’ll soon be meeting many of the young talents attending the Yongbong Gathering, won’t you?”
The Yongbong Gathering.
It was a social event for the younger generation of the martial world, recognized by all as the most prestigious of its kind.
Quite literally, a gathering of the dragons and phoenixes of the next generation.
From every sect and clan, only those whose names already carried weight in the martial world—and who showed true potential—were invited.
It was here that people determined who was a true “dragon” and who was a true “phoenix.”
It was a place everyone dreamed of, but not just anyone could enter.
Simply having your name added to the list brought the attention of the entire world, and those who shone within it were acknowledged as people who would one day rewrite the history of the martial world.
“And they invited someone as amazing as me. Haaam!”
“The Clan Head and Madam have high expectations. Please do well.”
“Do well at what? It’s not like I’m attending a martial tournament.”
“You know exactly what I mean. Don’t you need to meet a nice young lady soon and get married, Young Master?”
After the broken engagement with Baekri Seonhwa, the family had been diligently searching for a new marriage prospect.
In fact, matchmakers had come quite regularly, and most of them offered better conditions than the Baekri Clan.
But Seomun Hwan had rejected every proposal, using the excuse that he needed to focus on training in the Kunlun Sect’s martial arts.
In such a situation, when an invitation arrived from the Yongbong Gathering—where all the greatest talents and brilliant young ladies of the world would gather—how could they possibly let it pass?
At his parents’ earnest request, Seomun Hwan had finally come here.
“What a fuss over nothing.”