Chapter 212: Old Story.

Old story.

This is a story from long, long ago.

Now, many people have forgotten it.

It’s a story almost like an ancient legend, known by hardly anyone.

The old Central Plains, where people didn’t know of the existence called the ‘Demon Realm Gate’ (마경), and only pursued martial arts (무) and chivalry (협).

In an era when the saying ‘the strong survive’ (강자존) fit all too well.

There was a man who yearned for another world.

The man, who was not originally a being of this land,

yearned to return to the place where he originally belonged.

Hoping, please, that he could return to the land where he originally lived.

The man yearned for that for a long time,

and finally, unable to endure it any longer, sought to burn his own flame to open a gate.

A gate that would allow him to return to the place where he originally belonged.

After a very long time had passed,

the man finally discovered a way to open the gate.

In a way similar to how he arrived in this land, but different.

The man cried out in ecstasy.

Not hiding his hope that he could now return.

Eventually, he succeeded in opening the gate by tearing open the void,

but the man immediately despaired upon seeing the gate opened before his eyes.

Because the gate, ripped open across dimensions, was not the gate he had wished for.

Moreover.

The gate brought disaster.

Seeing the disaster pouring out from the torn rift, the man had to collapse.

Not only could he not return to the world he so longed for,

but his selfishness had left a huge stain upon the world.

Later generations named it.

That rift, which pierced through and shot out monsters,

was named the Demon Realm Gate (마경문).

This became the greatest twist that brought change to the Central Plains in later days,

and it remained a disaster unresolved for centuries.

The sin and karma of the man who created it, the ‘Fire Dokkaebi’ (불도깨비), remained for posterity,

remaining as the first karma binding his bloodline.

******************

A few hours (시진) after the incident occurred.

I was on the road heading towards Gu Family (구가) after passing through the Mudong Mountain Range (무동산맥).

Although the aftermath of the events at the Black Night Palace (흑야궁) wasn’t properly concluded,

firstly, as Gu Family belonged to the Orthodox faction (정파), the subsequent situation should be handled after the Murim Alliance (무림맹) arrived at the mountain range.

Since sending Gu Huibi (구희비) safely to the family (세가) was the immediate priority,

the remaining personnel headed towards the family, leaving behind the key members to handle the situation.

And now, I…

was facing a very embarrassing situation.

As I was groaning (끙끙), Namgung Bi-ah (남궁비아) asked me,

“…Are you… having a hard time…?”

“Yeah, a whole lot.”

“Then… should I… hug you…?”

“No, please don’t. I’m already quite embarrassed.”

Ignoring my throbbing headache, I wiped my face.

The subtle gazes from my surroundings were also doing a great job of making my ears turn red.

‘…Fuck.’

The reason I’m this embarrassed.

It’s because I was currently being carried on Namgung Bi-ah’s back.

It was soft, and every time the wind blew, Namgung Bi-ah’s hair hit my nose.

‘…Why does it smell so good?’

The faint floral scent wafting through it was bothersome.

Maybe she put something on?

As my nostrils instinctively started flaring slightly,

Shin Noyya (신 노야) spoke to me in a displeased voice from inside my head.

[You’re just loving it, aren’t you.]

‘…Do I look like I am?’

[Of course. Wouldn’t it be strange if you didn’t look like it?]

At the low grumbling, I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze around.

The surroundings were nothing but fog, but it was too much to keep my eyes fixed ahead.

‘Hmm?’

As I casually glanced around,

I felt a strong gaze from slightly behind.

The source of the gaze was Gu Huibi, who was also being carried, just like me.

The only difference being.

I was being carried by Namgung Bi-ah,

Gu Huibi was being carried by her father.

It was, how should I put it, an utterly awkward sight.

A father carrying someone.

And even more so, that it was Gu Huibi.

‘Why is she looking at me like that?’

As if that awkward situation wasn’t the issue, Gu Huibi was staring at me intently.

No, ‘staring’ seems right?

Gu Huibi, whose eyes were already fierce, glaring at someone was quite intimidating.

[Do you get it now, kid? That’s what it feels like when you glare at someone.]

‘…Why are you suddenly criticizing me?’

Putting aside Noyya, who chimed in as if not to miss anything worth criticizing,

I was merely puzzled as to why Gu Huibi was looking at me like that.

‘She’s the one who said she didn’t want it, so why is she acting like this?’

Because she adamantly refused to be carried by Namgung Bi-ah,

her father simply picked her up and carried her.

Why is she looking at me like that?

‘Do you think I wanted to be carried?’

Gu Huibi couldn’t move freely due to the demonic energy (마기) coiled in her dantian (단전),

and I was in a situation where applying internal energy (내기) was difficult due to the backlash hitting my dantian.

My feeling was that I’d likely be in this state for several more hours.

Perhaps sensing I needed help, Namgung Bi-ah promptly picked me up and carried me.

Besides, Namgung Bi-ah is also a peak martial artist, so carrying just me wouldn’t be burdensome,

but the way people looked at me was just awkward.

[If that’s the case, why didn’t you just ask someone else to carry you?]

‘…You’re right.’

Why didn’t I realize that sooner?

Perhaps it’s because my mind was so preoccupied with other thoughts that it wasn’t functioning properly.

[You just want to make excuses!]

‘…Could you please just be quiet for a moment?’

[Hmph.]

Shin Noyya seemed even more irritated today.

It seemed like there was more to it than just teasing me last time.

What a cantankerous personality. Shouldn’t a Taoist (도인) be more broad-minded?

Anyway, putting aside Shin Noyya’s words,

and the situation of being carried by Namgung Bi-ah,

it wasn’t the time for me to worry about such things.

My mind was already filled with other matters to worry about those things.

‘The Palace Lord of Black Night (흑야궁주) and the Heavenly Demon (천마)….’

Just thinking about this right now was overwhelming.

Why the Palace Lord had the Heavenly Demon with her.

And why the Heavenly Demon was in that state with the Palace Lord.

I had to think about that.

As stated before, the Heavenly Demon, whom I thought originally came from the Demon Realm Gate, was actually already staying in the Central Plains in a young form.

Moreover, what could their objective be?

Every single detail was different from my past life, so how could my mind not be complicated?

‘…The Black Night Palace collapses by the Murim Alliance a few years later.’

It was definitely like that in the predetermined future,

but with this situation unfolding now, I had a slightly different thought.

‘…Perhaps.’

It wasn’t that they collapsed due to the Murim Alliance.

But perhaps they only pretended to collapse?

‘Then, what happened to the Palace Lord?’

If that were the case, was the Black Night Palace Lord truly killed in my past life?

If it wasn’t destroyed by the Murim Alliance, but if the Black Night Palace itself pretended to collapse,

where did the Black Night Palace Lord go in my past life?

‘It’s certain that the Black Night Palace is the root of the Demonic Cult (마교).’

Now that I’ve confirmed that key personnel of the Black Night Palace later become members of the Demonic Cult,

I could see that the Demonic Cult, created and led by the Heavenly Demon, actually originated from the Black Night Palace.

‘What on earth do those guys want?’

It’s an unknown matter.

The Heavenly Demon, regarding the reason for attacking the Central Plains, stated that it was to prove his supremacy and,

also uttered the cryptic words of purifying the defiled Central Plains.

‘Could there have been another meaning within those words?’

Now, everything is a question.

Considering the Heavenly Demon isn’t just an unknowable being,

but was originally a being from the Central Plains,

it became even more inexplicable.

‘Moreover.’

Even the face, almost identical to Wi Seol-ah (위설아).

At the time, they weren’t completely alike,

and due to the vast difference in aura and energy, they felt completely different,

but now, it wasn’t just a resemblance in the face.

Not to mention physical age.

Except for being thinner, even their appearance was identical,

how could this be called a coincidence?

‘…Does this mean the Heavenly Demon is related to Wi Seol-ah?’

Or perhaps Wi Seol-ah is related to the Heavenly Demon.

If that’s the case, I also had to consider the matter of Sword Saint (검존).

Sword Saint had been looking after Wi Seol-ah, thinking of her as his granddaughter,

but there might be another issue hidden within that.

No, I was already certain deep down.

That Sword Saint had some secret.

‘This is bullshit.’

Everything I knew had become tangled into a single ball of yarn.

So much so that I didn’t know where to start untangling it.

If there’s one thing I can be almost certain of here,

‘There is something wrong with the current Heavenly Demon.’

is that.

If you ask why I have such certainty,

it’s because I recalled the information Gu Huibi gave me just before, and the time I encountered the Heavenly Demon.

Gu Huibi said that.

the reason the Black Night Palace Lord kidnapped Gu Huibi was to make the Heavenly Demon absorb something from her, but,

the Heavenly Demon reportedly said he couldn’t do it.

‘Now… he said he couldn’t.’

To be precise, he said he couldn’t eat it.

And, at the moment I faced the Heavenly Demon.

The words the Heavenly Demon muttered while looking at me.

-Mine.

The Heavenly Demon definitely said that while looking at me.

Perhaps it could have been said while looking at the demonic energy in my body,

‘That can’t be it.’

This is a certainty based on intuition.

I recalled, stroking my stomach.

The demonic cultivation technique (마공) attached to my body right now.

It was the demonic technique the Heavenly Demon gave me in my past life,

and the power, like a curse, that followed me even to my regression.

Demonic Path Heaven Absorption Technique (마도천흡공).

In the past, I thought it purely absorbed the demonic energy from demonic stones (마석) to make it my own power,

but now, it absorbs not only internal energy but all other kinds of energy,

and even harmonizes them without conflict.

‘I thought maybe the demonic technique changed during my regression.’

It seems it wasn’t simply for that reason.

I don’t know what happened,

but the reason the Heavenly Demon can no longer do what he originally could,

is perhaps…

because the Heavenly Demon’s power has come to me.

That’s the only conclusion I could reach right now.

Thinking this made me regret missing them even more.

‘I should never have let them get away….’

If I had realized a little sooner,

or if I had been a little more prepared, things might have been different.

“…What’s wrong?”

Did Namgung Bi-ah hear me grinding my teeth?

She asked me in a worried voice.

Looking into those blue eyes, I forced myself to shake my head.

“It’s nothing.”

I tried hard to hide my thoughts as I looked at her.

Since there was nothing I could do right now,

returning to Gu Family was the priority.

******************

A few days passed.

We left the Mudong Mountain Range and were able to arrive in Shanxi (산서).

Partly because it wasn’t a distant region to begin with,

and partly because we pushed ourselves to return quickly.

Regardless, since we safely returned to Shanxi, that alone was fortunate.

As I entered the marketplace (저잣거리) in Shanxi,

Someone called me from behind.

“Little brother.”

At Gu Huibi’s voice, I turned my head slightly.

As soon as I turned, Gu Huibi’s face came into view.

Which makes sense, as Gu Huibi was currently being carried by me.

As expected, my body regained mobility after a few hours,

and I could walk around properly, so there was no longer any need to be carried on Namgung Bi-ah’s back.

Namgung Bi-ah lowered me, showing a disappointed expression,

but I didn’t want to endure this embarrassing feeling any longer.

The problem was.

‘Now that you’re fine, you have to carry me, right?’

Gu Huibi, who had been comfortably riding on her father’s back, immediately called me and ordered me to carry her.

Naturally, I intended to refuse with a reluctant expression, asking why I should,

‘Carry her.’

At my father’s firm words, I had no choice but to accept Gu Huibi and carry her.

‘…What a damn family.’

I thought I had become a bit stronger,

but I was still far from being able to defy my father.

[It’ll take you a long time before you can talk back to your father.]

I nodded at Shin Noyya’s words.

I was aware of my father’s strength.

Also, I knew he was hiding his power while staying at the family estate,

‘Seeing it directly, he’s still the same as ever.’

The Crimson Sky (적천), dyeing the heavens red.

The energy and techniques gathering in his palm.

Not to mention that imposing presence.

It was definitely a strength far beyond being merely called one of the Central Plains’ Top 100 Masters (백대고수).

‘I still have a long way to go.’

It also showed me how far I still had to go.

As I frowned because of that, Gu Huibi, who had called me, continued speaking.

“Doesn’t something feel strange?”

“…What?”

Right after the Heavenly Road’s Orb (천로의 구슬) incident, Gu Huibi hadn’t said anything about me using informal speech (반말) towards her.

Instead, she was even changing the subject, perhaps afraid I’d bring up the orb.

Of course, I had no intention of letting it go, and planned to address it properly once we arrived at the family estate.

“I mean the people. The atmosphere is strange.”

‘Atmosphere?’

At Gu Huibi’s words, I looked around the marketplace.

This was the street I saw right after my regression,

and also where I first met Wi Seol-ah.

‘Strange?’

It felt pretty much the same as usual, hard to say the atmosphere is strange?

“What exactly is strange about it?”

“Hmm… Or maybe not?”

As if dismissing it, Gu Huibi rested her chin on my shoulder, getting comfortable.

“We’ve come this far, can’t you walk on your own?”

“Little brother, your big sister is injured, how could I possibly walk up that terrifying slope on foot?”

I looked at Gu Huibi incredulously,

when Namgung Bi-ah, walking beside me, spoke.

“…Then… should… I carry… you…?”

Gu Huibi frowned deeply, seemingly displeased by Namgung Bi-ah’s words.

“Look at this one? Meddling in a family conversation.”

Hearing her somewhat sharp voice, I immediately spoke to Gu Huibi.

“Why are you snapping at someone offering help?”

“Little brother… Whose side are you on right now? Don’t tell me you’re already defending her just because you’re engaged?”

Seeing Gu Huibi’s expression contort as if shocked, I thought.

‘Seriously, why is she acting crazy…?’

I wanted to throw her on the ground, but since my father was here, I held back.

Calming myself, I continued scanning my surroundings.

Because Gu Huibi’s words were still bothering me.

‘…A strange atmosphere.’

Indeed, there was a faint sense of something different in the marketplace compared to usual.

Though I didn’t know why.

However, before I could worry about it,

I soon found out the reason.

“…Huh?”

Immediately after returning to the family estate.

The one who greeted me wasn’t Wi Seol-ah, nor Tang Soyeol (당소열), not even Elder Yi (이장로).

“Hello, Young Master Gu (구 공자님).”

Long black hair, snow-white skin, and sky-blue eyes that seemed to hold a cold aura.

Slightly upturned eyes and ruby-red lips created a captivating beauty.

“We meet again.”

Snow Phoenix (설봉) Moyong Hi-ah (모용희아).

For some reason, she was staying at Gu Family.