episode_0010

She wasn’t moving at all, looking as if she had died right there. “She’s not dead, is she?” “Of course not. She just fainted because her Jangtae acupoint was pressed.” “Then when will she wake up?” “Well, I think she’ll wake up soon.” He hadn’t imbued a deep amount of internal energy in the first place, so the acupoint would soon release.

Sure enough, the woman, called Junior Sister Baek, soon began to twitch, drooling from her mouth. Barely regaining consciousness, she eventually met Cheongun’s eyes. Junior Sister Baek glared at Cheongun with sharp, angry eyes. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. This was because Hong Soyeon had sealed her Mute Acupoint. When Cheongun gestured to Hong Soyeon, Hong Soyeon immediately released her acupoint.

“Haa… Hmph…! Damn it!” As soon as her acupoint was released, Junior Sister Baek cursed.

“Calm down. Ah, perhaps you can’t calm down? Well, I suppose you never expected to be blindsided like this.” “Shut up.” “First question. When I ask, just answer the question.” “What if I don’t want to?” “Then you’ll die.” “Kill me. I have no lingering attachment to my life.”

Cheongun stroked his chin. Unlike Hong Soyeon, who would sell out even her comrade(?) to survive, this woman had no attachment to life. That’s how Demonic Cultists usually are. Unnecessarily stubborn and blindly devoted. But is their loyalty deep? Surprisingly, it’s not. It’s not deep loyalty, but submission born of fear. Because they know better than anyone what fate awaits a traitor in the Demonic Cult. But there was a magic phrase that could make even such Demonic Cultists flinch. It was this: “Shall I cripple your dantian first?” “……”

For a martial artist, the source of power is undoubtedly internal energy. And that internal energy steadily accumulates within a bodily organ called the dantian. What kind of people are Demonic Cultists? Aren’t they the ones who crawled into the Demonic Cult, willing to endure all sorts of insane side effects, just to gain some martial arts? To lose the internal energy they gained through all that hellish suffering in an instant? It’s practically no different from a death sentence. Moreover, the moment the dantian is destroyed, all the side effects from cultivating demonic arts must be repaid in one lump sum. Their bodies would crumble, their minds would break, and they would become cripples. In some ways, the destruction of the dantian could be said to be more terrifying to them than death itself.

“Did the Flying Shadow Gate send you?” He held up three fingers. As if counting down, he folded one finger. Then he folded another. Just as he was about to fold the last remaining finger. “…Yes.” Cheongun smiled brightly and spoke softly.

“The Flying Shadow Gate, huh… No wonder your movement technique seemed unusual. What was the name of the Flying Shadow Gate’s unique movement technique? Was it Flying Shadow Movement Technique?” Cheongun grinned, bending down to meet her gaze. “Flying Shadow Divine.” “……” “How is the movement technique name Flying Shadow Movement Technique?” “Stop it.” “Flying Shadow Movement Technique. Flying Shadow Step. Flying Shadow Heart Art. Flying Shadow Sword.” A grinding sound. Suddenly, a thick vein bulged on the woman’s temple.

“Next question. Your name?” “…Baekseol.” “Hmm.” Cheongun nodded. He already knew all of this anyway. He had known for a long time that she was sent by the Flying Shadow Gate, and Hong Soyeon had already told him her name. The problem was the next question. Cheongun also didn’t know many things. Just because he was a transmigrator didn’t mean he knew everything about this world. Moreover, by chance, hadn’t he installed a custom mode before his transmigration, gaining a cheat key specifically for Demonic Cultists, named ‘Demon Eradication’? He needed to slowly dissect and understand how much the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s prestige had risen comparatively, and how the worldview had become twisted.

“Why did they send a spy here?” “That…” “One, two, three.” “Namgung Hwi.” “Namgung Hwi? Why him? Are you planning an assassination?” “That’s right.”

Cheongun suddenly fell into thought. Namgung Hwi was the young master of the Namgung family and also the branch leader here. He wasn’t merely a man with a flashy appearance and empty titles. His martial arts had also reached the initial stage of the peak realm, an achievement worthy of being called a young master. How rare was a young master who had cultivated orthodox martial arts? Orthodox martial arts were, quite literally, a late bloomer type. Even if the initial achievements were humble, as time passed and cultivation deepened, it solidly laid the foundation to become an absolute master. They spared no expense in pouring everything beneficial into training, and since they only practiced theoretically proven techniques, their safety was unquestionable. However, it also took a long time to reach the desired goal. This was why the elders of a sect would go wild when they saw a young martial talent. Because an old man, even if he cultivated orthodox martial arts, would take an eternity to achieve his desired results. To expand a sect’s influence, the presence of an absolute master was crucial. And to nurture such an absolute master, young and talented individuals were needed.

On the other hand, Namgung Hwi? Good background, peak martial arts, and young too! He was, truly, a rising star. And the Demonic Cultists were wickedly sending spies to plot an assassination, just to mow down this one young sprout. Cheongun looked at Baekseol and Hong Soyeon and said, “These guys are impossible. I don’t know about anything else, but how dare they try to kill my patron? Wait. Now that I think about it, something’s off. Namgung Hwi isn’t some random dog’s name; would they send only such shoddy assassins for such an important mission?” “You bastard!” “Just tell me honestly. More people are coming, aren’t they?” “Ha! If I tell you who, do you think you can do anything about it?” “So who is it? Why can’t you speak? Shall I cripple your dantian? Cripple it? I’ll really cripple it?” “W-wait. I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!” “You should have said so earlier.”

Hong Soyeon, who had been watching silently, thought to herself, ‘Hmm. I made a good decision to betray them.’

****

Deep in the night. With a whoosh. Cheongun, using his movement technique, landed in the middle of a forest. Abandoned shrines were usually located deep in secluded mountains. This was because of a superstition that building a shrine in a place with chaotic energy would disrupt yin and yang, inviting disaster, so they were usually built deep in the mountains and then abandoned, seldom visited. This particular abandoned shrine was filled with yin energy. It was a place covered in moss and vines, left untouched for decades. On the path leading to the shrine, five masked men sat around a bonfire, chatting. Just then, one man, conspicuously bald on top, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Did you see that earlier?” “I did! That brat, when his mother’s neck was cut right before his eyes, he foamed at the mouth, screaming about revenge with his little fern-like hands!” “Did that happen? So what did you do?” “What else? I sent him to join his mother!” “Hahaha! At least he won’t be lonely on his way! Indeed, it’s better to die by your hand than to live as an orphan.” The men boasted of their evil deeds, bursting into roaring laughter.

Just then, a shadowy figure walked out of the darkness. “Damn it, did you just talk smack about me?” The shadowy figure was Cheongun. Cheongun trudged inside. “Who are you?” “I asked first. Did you just talk smack about me?” “What are you talking about?” “You just said it’s better to die than to live as an orphan, didn’t you?” “What does that have to do with you?” “I’m an orphan, you damn bastard.” At his words, the man blinked, his face stunned. He wondered if this guy was crazy. Of course, that was only for a moment; soon, he slung a broadsword over his shoulder and bared his teeth. “Hah, an orphan brat dares to come here without fear?” “What are you saying? You piece of trash.” “…If you open your mouth again without understanding the situation, you’d better be prepared.” “You’re the one who needs to be prepared. All of you will die by my hand.” “You bastard!” A thud—! The man, unable to contain his rage, slammed the broadsword he held in his hand onto the ground.

“Kill him!” That one word, ‘Kill him!’, acted like a trigger. The men scattered in all directions, then immediately charged, as if to surround Cheongun. The killing intent radiating from their eyes heavily pressed down on the air. Any ordinary martial artist would have been intimidated by this momentum alone.

Cheongun roughly brushed his fingers through his side hair. A few strands of hair caught between his fingers. As he infused them with the true qi of the Heaven and Earth Primordial One Qi Art, each strand of hair glowed with sword qi, hardening as stiff as steel. And a moment later. As Cheongun swung his fingers downward, as if striking, the embedded hairs shot out like hidden weapons.

“!!!” The face of the man who had been performing his movement technique contorted. He tried to slow down for a moment, but it was already too late. A rapid fluttering sound—! Dozens of hair strands shot out like arrows, piercing into the man’s crown. The hairs embedded themselves densely, as if planting seeds in dry soil. This was the Maogong Sword Art.

The man’s body stiffened. Blood streamed from his eyes, which stared with a sense of futility. A moment later. “Ugh…” A splat—! The man toppled forward. The men who had been following recoiled in surprise. “…Who are you?” “What? Want me to plant some hair for you too?” “Bullshit!” The four hesitant men soared into the air like a flock of pigeons.