Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Demonic Cult
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When Dang Mujin came to his senses, the first thing that entered his eyes was the uneven ceiling of the Poison Blood Cave.
'I guess I survived this time too. Did Mok Wana bring me here?'
Dang Mujin sat up and looked to the side. His eyes met those of a stranger.
'...Huh?'
Before Dang Mujin could ask who he was, the man rose silently from his seat and left the Poison Blood Cave without a word.
'...What kind of person is that?'
Dang Mujin looked around.
Unexpectedly, Mok Wana was nowhere to be seen. She had said she never went out of the Poison Blood Cave, but it seemed she did when something came up.
A short while later, footsteps approached from outside the cave. He thought it might be Mok Wana returning, but an unexpected figure appeared. The Grand Protector. His mere presence seemed to fill the entire cave.
The Grand Protector dragged a chair over and sat down beside Dang Mujin.
"How is your condition?"
Dang Mujin lightly moved his body and took a deep breath. He felt no issues, either physically or with his internal energy.
"I'm fine. What happened?"
"Mok Wana told one of my subordinates that you had gone out and hadn't returned even after quite some time had passed. My subordinate searched the area thoroughly and found you."
"So that's what happened."
The Grand Protector asked again.
"By the way, what were you doing collapsed in that place?"
Dang Mujin recalled his memory and explained the situation step by step.
Lately, while researching the poison birds morning and night, he had been scouting around the Cult Lord's Residence once each time. He had spotted a suspicious man sneaking into the Cult Lord's Residence. The Grand Protector listened quietly to Dang Mujin's story.
"...That guy was strange. He had a black bead in his mouth, and it seemed like the bead was neutralizing the poison birds' toxin."
"I see."
"Oh, right. Was there no black bead clutched in my hand?"
The Grand Protector shook his head.
"No. I didn't hear anything like that."
Dang Mujin bit his lower lip slightly.
In that case, was the bead still back there? He wanted to return immediately and check if the bead was there.
The Grand Protector spoke to Dang Mujin.
"By the way, did you get a look at the face of the man you encountered?"
"His nostrils were unusually large... Aside from that, nothing distinctive. I'm not great at remembering faces anyway."
"In that case, was there any clue that could reveal his identity?"
"His martial prowess seemed to have surpassed the wall of peak realm."
"Is that so. You were lucky to survive. Heaven's fortune favored you."
The Grand Protector placed both hands on his knees and stood up.
"I'm sorry you had to go through such an unfortunate incident."
"It's fine."
He thought it was just polite words, but there was more to it.
"You should stay out of the Poison Blood Cave for a while and recover in the village. There are plenty of empty houses there, so pick one and rest easy. The festival will be starting soon, so you won't be bored."
"Pardon? There's nothing wrong with my body."
The Grand Protector's expression turned stern.
"That doesn't guarantee there won't be problems in the future. Especially after clashing with someone of unknown identity. What assurance is there that he won't come looking for you again?"
"That's— you're right."
"It's safer to stay among the crowds."
"I see. Understood."
As Dang Mujin agreed, the Grand Protector made one final request.
"I'll investigate this matter thoroughly, so don't go blabbing about it to others. We have no way of knowing who might be connected to that man."
"Understood."
Dang Mujin complied readily, and the Grand Protector rose and left the cave.
Dang Mujin took off his outer robe.
He had survived somehow, but it had been a battle against a peak realm expert. It couldn't have ended without a scratch, especially with such a messy finish.
Dang Mujin ran his hands over hard-to-see areas like his side and shoulder.
'Of course.'
Fresh blood came away in a few spots. Scratches from where the blade had grazed him.
They weren't deep cuts, but some stung when touched. Probably abrasions from rolling on the ground.
'At least no deep wounds. That's a relief.'
At that moment, a faint presence stirred behind him.
Dang Mujin jumped in surprise and looked back.
Mok Wana was hiding in a corner of the cave, peeking at him furtively.
Dang Mujin hurriedly grabbed his robe and put it on as he spoke.
"What the— where'd you come from? You weren't here earlier."
Mok Wana hesitated a moment, then pushed a desk leaning against the inner cave wall.
"Here."
As the desk moved aside, a small hole hidden behind it was revealed.
It was just barely waist-high. But it seemed quite deep inside, as the end wasn't visible.
"A cave within a cave?"
"I didn't make it on purpose. It was here when I first came to the Poison Blood Cave."
She must have been using it as a personal space or hideout.
Just as she was wary of the Three-Eyed Demon, she must have hidden because the Grand Protector made her nervous.
"What's inside that cave?"
"Nothing much."
"Can I take a look?"
"No."
The immediate refusal came without hesitation. Of course, Dang Mujin didn't insist on seeing inside.
It was Mok Wana who had told the Grand Protector's subordinate that Dang Mujin hadn't returned. In a way, she was his lifesaver.
Dang Mujin grinned.
"You said you never go out of the cave, but you went out because you were worried about me?"
"No."
"I heard you told the Grand Protector's subordinate."
"That guy came to the Poison Blood Cave. He brings wall barley rations once a month."
Dang Mujin's eyes narrowed.
'Even though she knew I hadn't come back on time, she didn't want to go outside herself.'
If the subordinate hadn't visited on time, Dang Mujin might be dead by now.
Dang Mujin considered saying something to Mok Wana but changed his mind.
No point arguing over something in the past. Besides, he had survived thanks to her telling the subordinate.
Dang Mujin packed his things as he spoke.
"I'm heading down to the village."
"The village? Why?"
"You must not have heard the Grand Protector. He said I should go to the village and take it easy for a while."
Dang Mujin didn't invite Mok Wana to come along to the village. She didn't seem inclined to leave the Poison Blood Cave with him anyway.
"Hmm... Okay. You'll come back, right?"
"If needed."
Mok Wana stared at Dang Mujin quietly, then nodded with a small sigh.
*
Dang Mujin settled into an empty house in a corner of the village and focused on his training.
He didn't need a sparring partner. These days, he could get decent results just from visualization. Dang Mujin had plenty of combat experiences to reflect on.
He wasn't a stranger to surviving fights against equals or superiors.
He had lived through them thanks to luck, but such luck couldn't be grasped without sufficient skill. Dang Mujin took pride in his abilities.
'Even if you gathered all the first-rate experts across the Central Plains, none would have fought as many peak realm masters as I have.'
Dang Mujin closed his eyes.
In the darkness, the wide-brimmed hat man charged at him, targeting Dang Mujin. He wasn't holding the strange bead in his mouth this time.
He breathed naturally, unleashing his full power, and Dang Mujin, swinging his sword to meet him, was soon defeated.
This time, Dang Mujin held a poison-coated needle in his hand. The Heavenly King Needle Case was in his bosom too.
Now a faint possibility emerged. He swung his sword, threw daggers, launched needles. After repeated defeats, Dang Mujin miraculously claimed victory.
But it didn't mean he had surpassed the peak realm wall to subdue the opponent. It was just succeeding in exploiting a weakness through an extremely low probability and multiple factors aligning. Even in his imagination, Dang Mujin couldn't break through the peak realm barrier.
'Still, this is pretty good.'
Dang Mujin opened his eyes, stood, and stretched contentedly.
The outside was noisy.
Dang Mujin leaned by the window and peered out. People were walking the streets with bright expressions. Today was the start of the festival.
The festival would last four days from today. Dang Mujin stepped out and mingled with the crowd.
People were drunk from midday, chattering loudly without a care. Merchants, caught up in the mood, took payments haphazardly. They left their shops unattended without worry of petty thieves.
The excited crowd would occasionally glance up at the sky out of habit. A habit formed since the poison birds appeared.
If a poison bird flew low overhead now and then, people would hurriedly hide indoors or scatter.
It wasn't mere fuss. Elders and children who inhaled that poison gas often fell mildly ill. Of course, Dang Mujin could sense the faint poison too.
Then, one person's gaze fixed on the sky. Others followed suit, lifting their heads, and Dang Mujin turned his eyes upward as well. A poison bird was flying low.
"Whoa!"
"Get the kids inside!"
As people panicked, the poison bird vanished toward the Cult Lord's Residence. The poison gas in the air was faint, so within a quarter hour, the streets would fill up again as if nothing happened.
Dang Mujin watched the flying poison bird intently.
But instead of reaching the Cult Lord's Residence, the bird landed midway, at an awkward spot.
Dang Mujin gauged the landing site. It was familiar. Near the Poison Blood Cave.
And Mok Wana was still in the Poison Blood Cave.
"Tch."
Dang Mujin immediately unleashed his lightness skill and raced toward the Poison Blood Cave.
The distance between the poison bird and the cave was at most thirty or so paces.
Since it had just landed, the poison gas hadn't spread far, but if the bird stayed there long, things could get serious. The Poison Blood Cave could become a second Cult Lord's Residence.
As he ran, Dang Mujin picked up a fist-sized stone and hurled it with full force using his momentum. The stone flew true, striking the bird's rear.
"Squawk!"
He worried the enraged bird might charge, but fortunately, it didn't.
Startled by the stone, the poison bird flapped into the air, releasing another burst of thick poison gas that enveloped the surroundings.
'How does a bird like that even exist in this world.'
Dang Mujin covered his nose with his inner arm and dashed to the Poison Blood Cave. Even inside, the poison gas was quite thick.
This level wouldn't be fatal for Dang Mujin, but Mok Wana was different. Prolonged exposure could be dangerous.
'Am I too late? No. This much shouldn't be lethal.'
Without hesitation, he entered the Poison Blood Cave and flung open the door. There was Mok Wana, slumped limply in a chair in the corner.
'Already in a coma?'
He had to get her out. Dang Mujin swiftly hoisted her onto his back.
At that instant, Mok Wana's body stiffened against his back, and he heard a deep inhalation, like someone just waking from sleep.
Mok Wana spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Dang Mujin? What's going on all of a sudden?"
Dang Mujin didn't answer and checked the air inside the cave. As expected, a considerable amount of poison gas permeated it.
'Not in a coma then?'
No, that didn't fit either.
Mok Wana was accustomed to poison, so she might not have fallen into a coma. But she couldn't react so casually.
Dang Mujin half-dropped her to the ground and spoke in a low voice.
"Stay still. Don't resist."
"Why all of a sudden?"
Dang Mujin pressed down on her right shoulder with his left hand, gripped her wrist, and channeled internal energy into her.
He felt Mok Wana's internal energy circulating smoothly through her body. If she had inhaled the poison bird's toxin, it couldn't flow this smoothly.
'She didn't inhale the poison bird's toxin? How?'
In that moment, Dang Mujin noticed something odd. The nature of her internal energy was strange.
Then it hit him. It wasn't that there was no poison gas in her body. The poison and internal energy were coexisting.
But unlike Dang Mujin or the Strange Physician, her internal energy wasn't controlling the poison. The poison was simply flowing through her meridians alongside the internal energy. He'd never heard of such a thing.
Dang Mujin's right hand seized Mok Wana's nape.
"What are you?"