-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Road to Blade Leaf Valley 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Early the next morning, at the Hour of the Rabbit, I sorted through the events of the previous day.
'The Cult Leader accepted my proposal. But he didn't say why, or what I was supposed to do once I got there. He didn't even ask any more questions about the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon… But it doesn't matter. My guess must have been right.'
A private audience with Cheon Mu-jin, the 17th Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It had been precarious, but the rewards were great.
Is this what they call turning a misfortune into a blessing?
First, I had a reason to go to Blade Leaf Valley. Since the order came directly from the very pinnacle of the cult, it was the best justification I could have possibly obtained.
Second, the Cult Leader was now aware of my martial arts.
This was an unexpected gain. The Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon were only passed down to the Cult Leader and his disciples, who were considered potential successors.
Yet, he let me go, knowing I had learned the Divine Arts. This held significant meaning.
The Cult Leader, who had an extraordinary attachment to the martial path, had seen the Divine Arts I had learned. And since it was taught directly by Master Heavenly Demon, he would have been more pleased with it than with what most others could offer.
In that case, the ongoing competition to become the next Cult Leader…
I had essentially created a small crack in that final contest.
The current Cult Leader, Cheon Mu-jin, didn't have the air of a villain as I had thought.
However, if he was a man who insisted only on the law of the jungle, treated the common people like insects, and sought only to reign supreme above all… If that were the case, he might become an enemy in the future.
As I was organizing my thoughts, some time passed, and the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden came to see me.
It was the first time I had seen her face without a veil. Gazing upon her jade-like beauty, I understood why she covered her face during the rituals.
'I thought she'd have a cold demeanor, but she's surprisingly approachable.'
But for some reason, she came with Jang Ryang. The Divine Maiden gave me a look that said not to mind him, then explained the mission.
"The Red Demon Pavilion, one of the five pavilions of our cult, is currently in charge of managing Blade Leaf Valley. However, there is a problem."
"A problem…?"
"On the surface, the Red Demon Pavilion is responsible for Blade Leaf Valley, but in truth, the man known as the Blade Leaf Demon, the head of the valley, is one of the Cult Leader's men."
"If he's one of the Cult Leader's men…"
"The Blade Leaf Demon reported periodically to the Cult Leader about the situation in and around Blade Leaf Valley, separate from the Red Demon Pavilion. However, we lost contact with him some time ago."
"So something's happened."
"Correct. It's not easy to investigate through the Red Demon Pavilion. They are masters of deceit, and if we act rashly, they will erase all evidence and deny everything."
"And that's why I'm going."
"Yes. I will remain here and, as you suggested, conduct an internal audit, keeping in mind the possibility of collusion with the Sichuan Tang Clan. Please report back on the events in Blade Leaf Valley, Young Master."
"I will do so."
An inexplicable favor seemed to emanate from the Divine Maiden's eyes as she looked at me.
"Coincidentally, there was a request for peasant support from Blade Leaf Valley, so you can go pretending to be a peasant. We have prepared a cover identity in consultation with the attendant who will accompany you. Ah, and we cannot provide you with any troops, as the Law Enforcement Unit or the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit would likely be detected in advance, giving them a chance to escape."
"Understood."
I got the gist of it. It seemed the Red Demon Pavilion was colluding with the Tang Clan, and if they acted rashly, Blade Leaf Valley's fate would be uncertain as they'd try to destroy the evidence. So, I was to go first and report on the situation.
Along with the mission, the Divine Maiden gave me my cover identity.
"Huh?"
But my name…
"Jang Ryang."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Alright, this is all fine. The cover identity is great, but why is my name Jang-pal? Did you try to make our names rhyme, Jang Ryang and Jang-pal?"
"T-To avoid suspicion as much as possible. Jang-pal was a friend from my hometown."
"How very thoughtful of you."
"Yes, haha."
"You're laughing?"
The fool let out a good-natured laugh, completely oblivious.
I was so dumbfounded by his behavior that I unknowingly clenched my fist.
Seeing this, the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden chuckled lightly.
"If you leave now, you should be able to arrive within two weeks."
"Understood."
"We will send you mixed in with the peasants, but you must move in absolute secrecy. Of course, even though it's a cover identity, you have the cult's guarantee, so there shouldn't be much suspicion."
I stopped in my tracks and looked back at the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden, who had offered such *grateful* words. She was snickering, finding something immensely amusing.
She was probably laughing because of the name on my cover identity, not out of encouragement.
Looking at her, I cupped my fist and said.
"Well, thank you so very much!!!"
"Hoho. It's nothing."
What an interesting person.
So annoying, really.
But I didn't hate it.
Was it because I had seen her strangely familiar bare face?
***
Time was of the essence, so Jang Ryang and I immediately packed our things and set off for Blade Leaf Valley.
I couldn't neglect my training during the two-week journey, so we let the group of peasants go on ahead and traveled separately.
We had been walking diligently for some time when I heard a strange sound.
It was the sound of a starving stomach. It was so loud it sounded like a wild beast.
"Y-Young, Young Master... it's not what you think..."
"Are you hungry?"
"Ah, yes..."
"From now on, tell me beforehand if you're hungry."
"Yes. I will."
Fortunately, we hadn't left the village we'd arrived in, so Jang Ryang and I stopped by a tavern to eat. I had enough money, so I ordered everything he wanted.
This could be his first and last supper, after all…
"Wow. Is it really okay for me to eat all this?"
"Of course. Right now, you and I are comrades. So don't hold back."
"Thank you!"
"But, Jang Ryang."
"Yes."
"Do you have a family?"
"I don't. In fact, I didn't even have a name. I was just an orphan belonging to the cult, working as a farmer, until I was lucky enough to be sold as an attendant."
"Then who gave you your name?"
"The warrior who managed the peasants just called me whatever came to mind."
"I see."
"Did I say something rude...?"
"No."
I finished the meal while making small talk to get to know Jang Ryang a little better. It took longer than I expected.
Since it was late, we had no choice but to sleep there. And so, the next day, we set off again on our journey to Blade Leaf Valley.
After walking for a while, we came to a wheat field where the stalks grew as tall as a person.
I heard a rustling sound from somewhere.
Jang Ryang didn't seem to notice anything, but I had sensed the presence of followers since the tavern yesterday. This place, with its man-high wheat, was probably their chosen spot to make their move.
I steadied my breath, lowered my voice, and spoke to Jang Ryang.
"Jang Ryang. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"What is it?"
"There are men who have been following us ever since we left the inn, right after we departed the cult's main territory. And they've followed us all the way here."
"What? W-Wha... Really?"
"Yes. So, when I give the signal, run into the wheat field. I'll draw their attention. You run as far as you can and hide. Come back when I've taken care of them."
"Y-Yes!"
Jang Ryang's face turned pale as he answered. Seeing his expression, I felt uneasy.
Had I grown fond of him…?
I had no choice but to quickly prepare a paralytic poison and coat a needle with it.
"And… take this. If anyone grabs you, secretly stick them with this needle."
"Yes!"
"Now!"
Jang Ryang and I leaped into the wheat field at the same time. And then.
"They're running! After them!"
I deliberately trampled the wheat, making a lot of noise as I ran. A group of men with scarred faces emerged and gave chase, most of them coming after me. Their movements were crude; they seemed to be nothing more than third-rate thugs.
"A praying mantis trying to stop a chariot."
I instantly used my lightness skill to lose them, then picked up a few stones and threw them.
*Whoosh*
The stones flew towards them at high speed.
"Ugh!"
I infused them with ki and aimed precisely for their foreheads. The men who were hit collapsed on the spot.
Startled by the flying stones, a few fell behind the group. I instantly closed the distance to them and stabbed them with my sword.
The men collapsed without even having time to close their eyes.
There were quite a few of them, but as I picked them off one by one, their numbers dwindled. The survivors, realizing this couldn't continue, came out of the wheat field and onto the road.
There was some distance between us, so I threw another stone.
There seemed to be someone on their side who knew some martial arts. He knocked the stone away with an axe and shouted. He was probably their leader.
"How many times do you think we'll fall for a childish trick like that!"
"You coward! Stop hiding and come out!"
The men shouted in anger.
'A coward…? Unbelievable. The audacity of these guys.'
To provoke them further, I picked up a few more stones and threw them again.
This time, the stones flew from different directions, and the men frantically swung whatever they were holding to bat them away.
Just then!
Sand was thrown at them. What I had thrown wasn't just stones, but also lumps of sand wrapped in mud.
"Ugh!"
The moment the axe-wielding man cried out in pain from the sand in his eyes, I shot out of the wheat field and charged at him.
He sensed my presence and swung his axe while trying to wipe the sand away.
The panicked, hasty swing of the axe drew an obvious arc. I predicted its trajectory, ducked, and easily dodged it. Then, I immediately kicked off the ground and drove my knee forward.
With the sound of something breaking, the leader's jaw snapped back, and he fell. As a follow-up, I brought his airborne body down fast and kicked him in the head.
It was over in an instant. The head of the axe-wielding leader was a gruesome sight.
The thug who seemed to be the leader's right-hand man was flustered, but he was quick to assess the situation and tried to swing his sword at me.
In that instant, I channeled the menacing energy from my core, unleashing an explosive burst of movement.
The Sun and Moon Sword in my hand was filled with the Heavenly Demon's Ki.
With a wide swing, his neck was slit along with his sword.
"U-Ugh! The boss and the second-in-command are down!"
The remaining men were mere thugs who hadn't even learned martial arts, so I was able to deal with them relatively quickly.
As I stabbed the last man in the chest, I thought my first real combat experience had come to an end. I was sure it was over…
"Stop! If you want this one to live!"
"Y-Young Master…"
An octopus-looking man was holding Jang Ryang hostage with a knife to his throat. The man was clearly agitated by his leader's death. But…
'Damn… He got cut.'
Blood was flowing from Jang Ryang's shoulder, waist, and thigh.
'This piece of trash.'
From my past life to now, I've always hated seeing my people get hurt. And right now, I could definitively say that Jang Ryang was one of my people. How dare he touch Jang Ryang? I resolved not to let him die peacefully.
I unleashed a menacing killing intent, threatening the octopus-headed man as I spoke.
"Listen here. If you kill him, you will die. But if you let him go, I'll spare your life."
I pretended to negotiate with him while looking into Jang Ryang's eyes. But something was strange. The emotion I saw in Jang Ryang's expression was… irony.
Puzzled, I looked closer and saw green blood flowing from the top of the octopus bastard's foot. Oho… Right, the poisoned needle I gave Jang Ryang at the beginning. He had stabbed the man with it. In that case, the effects should kick in soon…
"No! I'm taking him to the village. You stay here and don't follow, or he dies! I'll let him go in the village… Ugh, uh…?"
"Jang Ryang. Let go of him and step aside."
"Huh?"
"It's a delayed-action paralytic poison. The effects are starting now."
"Ah, yes!"
After confirming that Jang Ryang had shaken off his grip and gotten away, I threw my sword, piercing the man's head.
As a Divine Doctor, I had no more mercy for trash like this.
Having finished them all off, I called Jang Ryang over.
"Come here."
Jang Ryang limped over, clearly in pain.
I examined his wounds.
The wounds on his shoulder, waist, and thigh were quite deep. If left untreated, one of his arms and legs could be crippled.
Jang Ryang seemed to sense this as well, his expression stiff.
He probably knew that an attendant who couldn't use their limbs would be cast aside in the cult.
"Jang Ryang."
"…Yes."
"You must not speak to anyone about the formation I am about to perform."
"Huh?"
"I said you must not speak of it. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes!"
In a situation where I didn't know who was colluding with the Tang Clan and hadn't fully grasped the nature of the demonic cult, this was a formation I shouldn't show to others if I could help it, but I had no choice.
I didn't want to lose Jang Ryang, who was my closest aide at present, nor did I want him to become a cripple.
In the end, I bit my finger to draw blood and drew the diagram for the formation. It was a small-scale healing formation I created while studying the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation. The very same healing formation I had used to treat my own body.
Then, I mixed the medicinal herbs I had brought from the Heavenly Dance Family to create a restorative pill and had Jang Ryang eat it. Immediately after, I used the Heavenly Demon's Ki to concoct a topical medicine by brewing lily bulb, angelica root, and eucommia bark.
After applying the medicine to Jang Ryang's wounds,
I drew upon my internal energy and channeled it into the formation.
Just as Jang Ryang was falling into despair, realizing the disaster that had befallen him, he encountered a miracle.