Arrival at the Heavenly Demon Cult
Following the grandma who got off first without a word, I stepped down from the carriage and found myself surrounded by dense bamboo. A cliff rose behind us, while the opposite side held the cave entrance the carriage must have come through.
"Follow me carefully."
"Neng."
I wondered if we had come just to sightsee the cliff, but the grandma walking ahead placed her hand on the wall beside it and began feeling around.
Grind, grind, grind!
Soon the rock split open, revealing another cave entrance.
"Oh."
"Hold my hand. We will arrive in an instant, so do not worry."
Taking the hand she offered, I felt rough yet warm skin. Holding it tightly, I stepped into the cave, and the scenery changed in a flash.
Pushing through bushes as tall as a person, a magnificent sight unfolded before me.
"Wow."
Giant halls spread in every direction. Unlike the dirt floors of Hefei, the ground here was paved with stone.
"This is the Heavenly Demon Cult, located in the Heavenly Mountains."
"It's so cool."
"Heh heh. You must be tired from riding the carriage all day, so the treatment can wait until tomorrow."
"Neng."
—Chik, chik.
"Hoo—"
When the air is this clear, I always feel like smoking.
"Young lady, I will show you to your quarters."
"Yes, thank you. By the way, where is grandma going?"
"I must go meet the leader here."
With those words, the grandma vanished from sight in an instant.
"You mean the Cult Leader of this sect, the Heavenly Demon."
"Hmm."
Following the vice-leader, I looked around and realized we stood at the highest point. Far below the endless staircase, a village-like settlement spread out.
"Young lady, you may stay here tonight."
"Yes, thank you."
The place he guided me to was a pitch-black hall.
"Then I will take my leave."
Just like the grandma, the vice-leader disappeared in an instant.
"Hoo— Black Dragon Hall?"
"Keuk!"
"Yeah, it's ridiculously huge."
In front of the towering hall that made my eyes spin, the words "Black Dragon Hall" were written in majestic script.
"Hoo—"
While I was smoking and admiring the hall, loud noises erupted from behind. Turning around, I found several figures already right in front of me. Everyone in this place seemed to have eaten ghosts for breakfast.
"Hm? Who might you be, young lady?"
The newcomers were all white-haired old men. I must have misread "Black Dragon Silver Town" as "Black Dragon Hall."
"I'm... um····."
Thinking I looked scared, they smiled on their scar-covered, intimidating faces. That only made them scarier.
"This old man is called Sword Demon."
"Poison Demon."
"Fist Demon."
"Chief Strategist of the Cult, Red Thunder."
"Spear Demon."
Their answers differed, but they all shared bright red faces. They had clearly been drinking heavily. Still, the fact that they introduced themselves properly to someone as young as me made them seem far more rational than grandma had described.
"Hmm."
The nicknames these people used were all cringey "Demon" titles. I had no idea how to introduce myself.
"Ah, right."
When I took out the jade the grandma had given me, the old men's mouths fell open.
"I came with the grandma who gave me this."
"Ha, grandma?"
"What is your relationship with the Supreme Elder, young lady?"
"I'm sort of a doctor. Grandma's back was bothering her, so I fixed it for her."
The old men exchanged glances, clearly confused.
Grind!
"Keheo."
"Come on, grandpa. Stop making weird noises and just exhale."
"Hoo—"
Grind!
"Keheo. Ah, that's refreshing."
"Sword Demon grandpa, how many hours do you train a day?"
"All day."
"Oh dear, grandpa. That's qi circulation addiction. That's why you got scoliosis."
"Eh!?"
"If you sit with your legs twisted like that, your spine has no choice but to curve. From tomorrow, stop training while sitting and switch to lying-down postures instead. And only do the circulation phase."
"Eh!?"
Kwaaaang—!!!
Even amid the conversation, a thunderous crash erupted from the side.
"Kahaha! Fist Demon, your body's gotten nimble! Did your prime finally arrive?"
"Khaha! My body doesn't feel like my own anymore, yeah."
Kwaaaang—!!
"That's enough!"
The grandpas who had been wrecking the floor all turned to look at me at once.
"Grandpas, you've been drinking, right? I'll boil some spicy hangover soup, so stop and come over here."
They gathered belatedly. What struck me most here was how tasteless the food was. Even salt was expensive, so most dishes were painfully bland. The only decent ones were soy-sauce based, and even those were limited to the pricier options.
The enormous gate that soared without regard for the sky opened with a heavy sound. The gazes of the people lined up below, centered on the Heavenly Demon seated on a black chair, all turned toward the figure who had just entered.
In this situation, anyone in the vast martial world would struggle to even breathe under the pressure. Yet the woman walked in with lively steps, completely unbothered by their stares.
"Hello."
Hearing her voice, the Heavenly Demon immediately recognized the lively guest. It was a voice that could enchant anyone who heard it. Exactly the person the Supreme Elder had described.
Her hair resembled beautiful peach blossoms; if the Mount Hua Sect saw it, they would claim a plum blossom had bloomed. Her beauty was so striking that even the phrase "nation-toppling beauty" felt inadequate. Any title of "foremost beauty" would wither beside her. She was a temptress.
"Burp. Oh my, I must have eaten too heartily this morning."
That matched the Supreme Elder's words perfectly. If she kept her mouth shut, she would be no different from a heavenly fairy.
"Baek Seol full too? Oh dear, our little one's belly is all puffed up."
The baby rabbit on her shoulder merely licked its cheeks, yet she kept chatting away. Though she was the guest she herself had summoned, nothing contradicted the Supreme Elder's description.
"Divine Doctor, I called you here to treat the Young Cult Leader."
"Neng. Does it hurt a lot?"
"····This must never be spoken of outside these walls."
"Yes. So where does it hurt? If you keep dragging it out, the Young Cult Leader or whatever will be tap-dancing straight to the underworld."
Grind.
I had to endure. According to the Supreme Elder, this woman was the Young Cult Leader's only lifeline.
'Supreme Elder. Your words had better be right.'
"Hoo."
The Heavenly Demon let out a deep sigh, and the image of his child flashed through his mind.
"The body is melting away."
"Melting? Hmm·····. Necrosis? Rhabdomyolysis?"
The playful woman vanished in an instant, replaced by the serious Divine Doctor deep in thought.
After staring into space for a long while, she raised her head and met the Heavenly Demon's gaze.
"I can't tell just from hearing about it. I need to see it directly."
"Wise words. However, I should warn you in advance—everyone who nursed the Young Cult Leader had their bodies melt away as if infected."
"Neng. That's fine."
Even after hearing the terrifying news that the melting disease was contagious, the woman called Divine Doctor answered calmly without so much as blinking.
"If you save the Young Cult Leader·····."
"Neng."
After a brief pause, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a heavy voice.
"I will grant you access to the Heavenly Demon Cult's treasury."
"Oh."
"Enter and take whatever you desire····."
"As much as I want?"
The Divine Doctor's jewel-like eyes sparkled before the Heavenly Demon. Reading the madness in that gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine. If he finished that sentence, it felt as though the ancient Heavenly Demon Cult would be uprooted pillar by pillar.
"One thing you desire····."
"Aww. Baek Seol, when you grow up, don't become someone who goes back on their word, okay? These days, that kind of behavior gets you impeached for abuse of power."
Woo— For a moment, the Heavenly Demon wondered if he had misheard.
"Two things····."
—Woo.
He had not misheard. He had heard it clearly.
'Have these old folks gone mad as a group?'
The ones booing him were the lined-up elders. The Heavenly Demon nearly lost his reason and struck their heads, but it was regrettable that he absolutely could not. They were the foundation stones supporting the Heavenly Demon Cult. The reason they stood here with such bent waists was simple—they were damn strong.
The Heavenly Demon Cult revered absolute strength above all else, a place even the martial world, which operated on the logic of power, found extreme. And now the great elders of such a place were winking at the Divine Doctor and giggling.
'How on earth did she tame those stubborn old folks?'
Looking closely, their bent waists had straightened, and from eyes that once held only boredom, bright red light now poured forth vigorously. The Heavenly Demon, who had nothing to envy, found himself wanting to ask her the method at this very moment. Already too strong for any generational change, they had become even more impossible to deal with.
"Three things. No more."
—Ohhh!
The Heavenly Demon seriously considered asking the Divine Doctor to treat his high blood pressure first.
"Kya, Heavenly Demon grandpa is the best."
"Ha, grandpa?"
Even searching the deepest records of the martial world, the words "Heavenly Demon" and "grandpa" had never been combined before.
"My kids, Merry Christmas♡♡"