Chapter 86
I, along with the Heavenly Demon, went to find my mother right away.
The one guiding us was a man named Cheon-young from the Tak Family.
“It’s been a while.”
“…I will escort you.”
Unlike the Heavenly Demon, who greeted him warmly, Cheon-young’s attitude was somewhat blunt and dry.
Of course, he wasn’t being rude in any way.
Still, I strangely sensed a hint of hostility toward the Heavenly Demon from him.
Was he someone close to my mother?
I could only vaguely guess.
After that, the three of us ran through the forest without much conversation.
‘Four? No, five?’
I could faintly detect the movements of those following us—
No, to be exact, escorting the Heavenly Demon.
To keep up with this speed while remaining hidden…
They were truly worthy of guarding the Heavenly Demon.
Tap!
After racing past only trees and grass for a long time, a clearing appeared in front of us.
Cheon-young stopped first, then the Heavenly Demon, and finally me.
“Seonhwa……”
The Heavenly Demon murmured and staggered forward.
Before him stood a small grave.
‘So that’s what they meant by it being newly arranged.’
They said Grandmother had always felt sorry for not placing a tombstone,
because she didn’t even know Mother’s name.
So instead, she filled the surroundings with flowers.
As they had said, it was a flower field in full bloom.
And in the middle of that flower field stood a new tombstone.
Tak Joong-hak’s daughter, Tak Seonhwa.
Roamed like the wind, bloomed like a flower.
It was a gravestone added later by Grandfather Tak Joong-hak.
At first, he had planned to move the grave.
He had almost finished preparations to move Mother’s remains to the pavilion where she had stayed in life.
But just before completing it, he suddenly lost the will to do so and changed his mind.
Now that I had come here, I could understand why Grandfather felt that way.
It was a space nurtured by Grandmother’s devotion for seventeen years.
There wasn’t even a hint of the eerie or gloomy aura often felt near graves.
Rather, it radiated a gentle and warm vitality.
Surely, he wouldn’t have wanted to disturb Mother, who was resting peacefully here.
Thump.
The Heavenly Demon sank down in front of the grave.
A man whom many in the martial world unhesitatingly called the greatest master under heaven.
The absolute ruler of the Demonic Cult who could declare the world beneath his feet.
He began sobbing loudly like a child.
His back looked so sorrowful and wistful that I couldn’t bear to watch and turned away.
This wasn’t a grief that would pass quickly.
What the Heavenly Demon needed was time.
“I’ll go ahead. Please look after the Master.”
Leaving those words to the ones watching us unseen, I left the place in a swift motion.
I decided to postpone my greeting with Tak Seonhwa—no, with Mother—for a little while longer.
***
“What the—? Did Grandma reopen the shop already?”
Upon returning to the main sect, I didn’t head to the Yeong-eun Pavilion,
but instead went straight to Grandma’s noodle shop.
It was to finally act on something I had only resolved in my heart until now.
But the brightly lit interior and the loud chattering could be heard even from outside.
She had clearly promised me she wouldn’t run the shop for a while.
This was cheating.
Fuming, I marched up and flung open the shop door.
“Grandma! Seriously, how could you—huh?”
My voice, raised in frustration, trailed off suddenly.
At the same time, I had a strange thought.
Could this be not just possession… but time travel into the past?
Because the scene unfolding before my eyes was exactly the same as the one I had seen just days ago.
Grandma was busy cooking in the kitchen.
Jeok I-geon and his escort Cheon Gang were busily eating noodles and dumplings,
As was my escort Seo Ryeon.
In front of Pyo Jin-yang, empty noodle bowls were stacked high,
While Gong Pae-cheon sat alone, sipping tea elegantly.
It was the same scene as before, except I was the only one missing.
“My darling, you’re finally here?”
Grandma, holding steaming dumplings in both hands, rushed out from the kitchen.
“Lady Seol-ha, welcome back.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Come sit and eat with us.”
“The dumplings are insanely good today too!”
“The noodle soup is out of this world.”
“I’m just glad it suits your taste.”
“I regret not coming here sooner, seriously.”
“Then just come often from now on.”
What was this warm, happy scene?
Delicious food and endless chatter.
Feeling a little deflated, I stepped inside.
“Seol-ha, you’re having noodles, right?”
“…Yes.”
Something inside felt so empty that I felt like I had to eat something.
Just as I answered weakly and pulled out a chair—
“Master, so what happened to those guys? Were they all taken care of by elder lady Tang?”
Seo Ryeon asked Gong Pae-cheon about Grandma.
In terms of appearance and age, Grandma shouldn’t be called “Elder lady” but rather senior or big sister.
But just like I had grown used to calling her “Grandmother,”
Seo Ryeon had grown used to calling her “Elder lady.”
Except before, she used to be “Elder lady Shin,” but now she had become “Elder lady Tang.”
“Seo Ryeon, what are you talking about? What do you mean by ‘those guys’?”
“Ah, Lady Seol-ha. I’m sorry. I got too caught up in the story.”
“Story?”
“Yes. Master of the Ghostly Soul Pavilion was telling us about the day he first met Elder lady Tang.”
Oh ho, really?
He chose to tell that kind of story exactly when I wasn’t around?
That won’t do.
“Master.”
“Yes, First Young Lady.”
“Please tell the story again from the beginning.”
“…Pardon?”
“Shouldn’t the granddaughter know too?”
Things already felt fishy enough between them—how could I be the only one left in the dark?!
“Y-Yes, well… So…”
Flustered by my intense stare, Gong Pae-cheon stole a glance at Grandma.
Shin Geum was too busy draining the noodles she’d meant to give me and seemed not to hear a word.
“So, it all began when…”
And so, I got to hear about Grandma’s Thousand-Hand Fragrant Poison days—
a story I had never heard from anyone else.
—
There were people in the martial world who belonged neither to the Orthodox nor the Demonic side.
Groups that slyly found their footing between the world’s two dominant forces:
the Orthodox Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult.
These included:
The Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds made up of mountain bandits,
The Chang River Waterway Stronghold made up of pirates,
The Assassins’ Veil made up of assassins,
The Underfilth Sect made up of the lowest of the low,
And the Yunnam Poison Valley, skilled in using strange poisonous insects.
These five sects, outcast by both major factions, had formed an alliance called Sado Union and raised their own banner.
In front of a guest house in Chongqing, a neutral zone in the martial world,
Gong Pae-cheon, Vice-Chief of the Military Affairs Department of the Ghostly Soul Pavilion,
stood looking up at the flag of Sado Union, lost in thought.
“You’re going alone?”
That was when Mae Garim, the new commander of the Shura Corps, approached and spoke.
“Yes, Commander.”
Since the negotiation with Sado Union had concluded smoothly,
his face looked more refreshed than it had the day before.
“I heard you’re heading off on a journey across the world.”
Mae Garim’s sharp gaze seemed to pierce into Gong Pae-cheon’s intentions.
“Did you know about it?”
In truth, Gong Pae-cheon had received a secret order from the Pavilion Chief, to inspect the secret branches of the Demonic Cult during this trip.
“Will you be alright on your own?”
“That would make me less noticeable and more comfortable.”
Gong Pae-cheon replied with a smile and a nod to Mae Garim’s concern.
But Mae Garim’s worry didn’t fade.
It made sense—
Every secret branch of the Demonic Cult was hidden deep within territories of the Orthodox Sect.
Naturally, it would be extremely dangerous.
“I can take care of myself, so please don’t worry.”
“If you say so, I’ll trust you.”
Mae Garim finally accepted Gong Pae-cheon’s decision.
“You’ll have to hide your demonic energy well.”
“Like this?”
Even before Mae Garim finished speaking, the subtle aura of demonic energy that had been emanating from Gong Pae-cheon vanished instantly.
“Hooh!”
“It’s just a minor technique.”
Gong Pae-cheon answered innocently at Mae Garim’s admiration.
“With that smile, you really do look like a scholar.”
Wearing a scholar’s robe only reinforced that image.
“Good luck.”
“Please take care of yourself too, Commander.”
Mae Garim gave Gong Pae-cheon a casual pat on the shoulder
and then ordered the unit to move out.
**
“Gong Pae-cheon separated from the group, you say?”
Sanggwan Su, the Double-Faced Gentleman and master of the Underfilth Sect,
lightly lifted his teacup and asked.
“And the reason?”
“There are two possible reasons I suspect.
First, as the next Master of the Ghostly Soul Pavilion,
he may want to grasp the situation of the martial world for himself.
Second, he’s likely inspecting the Demonic Cult’s secret branches.”
“Both make sense.”
Sanggwan Su narrowed his eyes and twirled the teacup in his hand.
“The next master of the Ghostly Soul Pavilion traveling the martial world alone…”
A tense air seemed to hang around his fingers as he spun the cup.
Clink— crack!
A fine web of cracks appeared on the teacup that had been spinning in Sanggwan Su’s hand,
until it finally shattered into pieces.
“Well then, he must die.
That bastard had the gall to disgrace me with his filthy little tongue.”
Sanggwan Su ground his teeth and glared at the treaty with the Demonic Cult laid out on the table.
Every single character written on that document felt like an insult to him.
“How about letting me handle it?”
The Soul-Stealing Death King, Mak Gon, master of the Assassins’ Veil,
stepped forward from the shadows with a chillingly cold gaze.
“We’ll track him…”
Sanggwan Su brushed teacup shards from his hand.
“And we’ll finish the job.”
Mak Gon’s voice was thick with murderous intent.
Their intentions were already in sync.
The humiliation during the negotiation process, and the massive financial loss—
They were desperate for an outlet.
They imagined that pale, frail scholar’s face—
a man who didn’t even look like he’d ever held a sword—
soaked and stained with blood.
—
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