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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Kunlun Sect (2)
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"Welcome."
Upon arriving in Xining, they immediately moved to a manor called Wu Family Manor.
This was one of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's branches in Qinghai.
"We'll be in your care."
"Of course. Your quarters are already prepared."
The master of the Wu Family Manor greeted Neung Byeokmun and Mok Jagyeong before guiding the group to the guest rooms he had prepared for them.
"Finally, we can get some rest."
As soon as they reached the rooms prepared by the manor's master, the group looked themselves over and muttered.
They were filthy, having traveled for days without a proper wash, sleeping outdoors.
They were all eager to wash up, rest, and have a drink.
"Get some rest. We leave tomorrow, by the way."
Neung Byeokmun said, looking at the group.
"We're leaving tomorrow?"
Murmurs of complaint rose from the crowd at the news of their immediate departure.
But Neung Byeokmun paid them no mind and continued.
"Then you can fall behind here."
With that, Neung Byeokmun headed to his room.
The young martial artists' faces hardened at his words.
"Lady Shin, what do you say? Care to join me for a drink?"
As the Shadow Demon Brigade Leader left, Jang Hu, the Heavenly Demon's second disciple, approached Shin Yehyang.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline. We leave tomorrow, so you should drink in moderation as well, Young Master Jang."
But Shin Yehyang seemed to have no intention of drinking with him.
Jang Hu's face twisted, but she immediately turned her gaze to Jinmyeong.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I was thinking of asking for a spar..."
Shin Yehyang was answering Jinmyeong's question when she sighed, watching Jang Hu and his group head outside.
"It seems we'll have to postpone that for another time."
"I don't recall ever agreeing to it."
"Is that so?"
Shin Yehyang replied nonchalantly to Jinmyeong's words.
It seemed she had no intention of accepting his refusal.
"I'm sure we will."
"We'll see."
Jinmyeong thought that as long as he didn't agree, the spar would never happen.
Unless, of course, the Mad Demon forced them to.
"Let's wait and see."
With that, Shin Yehyang turned away.
"Ah, there you are."
At the same time, Mok Jagyeong approached Jinmyeong.
Beside him was Biyoung, the Heavenly Demon's fifth disciple.
"Let's go out for a meal together."
Mok Jagyeong said with a bright smile.
It wasn't a request.
"I'm tired, so..."
Of course, Jinmyeong had no intention of going, so he refused and turned away.
"Come now. Isn't it good for brothers to share a meal? We can talk about what's to come."
But Mok Jagyeong blocked Jinmyeong's path.
"You're coming, aren't you?"
"Sigh. It seems you'll keep this up even if I don't want to go."
"That's right. I plan to bother you until you agree to come, junior brother."
Jinmyeong sighed.
He wanted to ignore Mok Jagyeong's casual reply.
But it was clear he would be pestered even if he ignored him and returned to his room.
"Ah, Lady Shin, would you like to join us?"
Mok Jagyeong called out to the departing Shin Yehyang.
Shin Yehyang, who had been walking toward her room, stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the three of them.
*'She probably won't go.'*
Seeing Shin Yehyang's expressionless face, Jinmyeong thought she wouldn't join them.
"I will."
But contrary to his expectations, she readily nodded and approached.
*'But what's the relationship between Biyoung and Mok Jagyeong?'*
In the end, the ones who appeared in the novel were Mok Jagyeong and Biyoung.
The other disciples all seemed to have died, but Biyoung alone survived.
*'They weren't lovers.'*
It wasn't that the two had a special relationship.
If anything, Biyoung had taken a liking to the protagonist.
*'It was absurd, really.'*
She had grown fond of him after clashing with him a few times on missions.
To be precise, the protagonist had said something to Biyoung, but the line was so cheesy he had erased it from his memory.
*'Well, that's why she helped the protagonist enter the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult easily.'*
Which ultimately led to her death at Mok Jagyeong's hands.
*'Come to think of it, all the people who helped the protagonist are here.'*
And Shin Yehyang, who helped the protagonist during a crisis in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, was right before his eyes.
*'Speaking of which, what should I do?'*
He wondered whether he should get close to Shin Yehyang or just watch from the sidelines.
*'She's someone who eventually betrays the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.'*
Shin Yehyang harbored a deep hatred for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
*'But looking at her now, she doesn't seem to hold that much resentment.'*
It feels a little strange.
She's completely different from how she was in the novel.
*'Didn't it say she had a scar on her face?'*
It was described as hideous because of that, but looking at her now, her face was anything but hideous.
In fact, she was quite beautiful.
*'Could what I thought before be right after all?'*
The novel didn't go into detail, so he couldn't know for sure.
But he suspected it was related to Mok Jagyeong becoming the cult leader.
*'Putting aside the current Heavenly Demon, something must have happened to the Mad Demon.'*
Other than that, there was no reason for her to hate the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Besides, the Mad Demon didn't even appear in the novel.
Until he met the Mad Demon, Jinmyeong hadn't even imagined a position like Vice Cult Leader existed in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
*'None of that matters. The problem is that Shin Yehyang holds the key to obtaining that sword art.'*
What Shin Yehyang gave the protagonist wasn't just the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts and the Heavenly Demon's Finger.
In fact, compared to this, the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts and the Heavenly Demon's Finger were almost dispensable.
*'The Sword of the Heavenly Demon.'*
It wasn't a real sword, but a sword technique.
A sword technique comprised of a single form.
A form created by the first Heavenly Demon and refined by his successors.
*'A single form, yet they said a swing of the sword could cleave mountains and part the seas.'*
The key to the hidden cavern where that sword art lay dormant.
And the person who held that key was Shin Yehyang.
*'The author said that sword art was strong enough to be ranked in the top three in this world.'*
Meaning it could become the strongest sword art depending on who wielded it.
*'But I don't know if there's even a way to get close to her.'*
To obtain that key, he needed to befriend Shin Yehyang, but he couldn't think of any way to do so.
How was he supposed to befriend a woman with such a cold face who never spoke to anyone?
*'Should I really spar with her?'*
He had refused earlier, but now he wondered if he should accept her request for a spar to get closer to her.
*'I should think about that slowly for now.'*
Lost in thought as he walked, he realized they had arrived at the tavern Mok Jagyeong had in mind.
"Qinghai is famous for its yangjangmyeon. You should try some, junior brother."
As soon as they arrived at the tavern, Mok Jagyeong ordered a variety of dishes.
Without asking for anyone else's opinion.
But both Shin Yehyang and Biyoung seemed to find it perfectly natural.
"Alright."
Jinmyeong didn't bother refusing either.
"And drinks?"
But he had no intention of drinking, so he shook his head at the question.
"Hmm. It seems you really have changed."
After finishing the order, Mok Jagyeong looked at Jinmyeong with an interested smile.
"The junior brother who loved alcohol so much is refusing a drink."
"I suppose I changed after losing my memories."
Jinmyeong answered nonchalantly, but Mok Jagyeong shook his head.
"It's rare for a person to change just from losing their memories."
Mok Jagyeong didn't think people changed even if they lost their memories.
"Unless they were deceiving everyone else."
He was implying that Jinmyeong had always lived a lie, and losing his memories brought out his true self.
"Why would you go that far..."
Jinmyeong shook his head as Mok Jagyeong scanned him with sharp eyes.
It seemed Mok Jagyeong thought Jinmyeong had been deceiving the world with his incompetent persona.
*'It's just that the person inside has changed.'*
They wouldn't believe him even if he told them.
And he had no intention of telling them anyway.
"Is there any reason for me to deceive the world?"
"Hm."
Mok Jagyeong chuckled at Jinmyeong's question.
"True. There's nothing to be gained from deceiving people."
"There's no need to act like that to the point of being abandoned by our master."
Mok Jagyeong nodded, agreeing with Jinmyeong.
It would be one thing to hide his abilities to a certain extent, but there was no need to appear completely incompetent.
"Though it's more accurate to say our master isn't that interested in us, anyway."
Having already taught them martial arts, it was the Heavenly Demon's nature to wait for them to grow strong on their own.
He wasn't the type to hold his disciples back and train them until they became strong.
"The reason Master didn't summon you to the Cult Leader's Hall wasn't because he abandoned you, but because you lacked the ability."
If Jinmyeong had mastered martial arts to a certain degree, the Heavenly Demon might have summoned him and given him a suitable mission.
*'They seem like the same thing, though.'*
He wasn't sure what the difference was between not being summoned due to a lack of ability and being abandoned for being weak.
"In any case, there's no need to say you were deceiving people before, or that this is your true self."
Because he had shown himself to be incompetent, not a single elder supported him.
If it weren't for the Vice Cult Leader, Jinmyeong would still have no power base.
In other words, he wouldn't even have been able to enter the competition for Young Cult Leader.
"Right. You'd fail to build a power base while trying to lower your brothers' guard."
Although Mok Jagyeong nodded in agreement, he still didn't seem to fully believe Jinmyeong's words.
He was still watching Jinmyeong with sharp eyes.
"For example, you might have actually had no interest in becoming the Young Cult Leader, so you acted that way to avoid attracting the attention of your brothers."
"If that were the case, I wouldn't be stepping up like this now."
Besides, even with the rumors of his incompetence, hadn't martial artists still come to kill him?
"Let's stop this. I have nothing more to say on the matter."
Jinmyeong said, glancing at Biyoung and Shin Yehyang, who were listening to their conversation.
"And it seems Lady Shin is getting bored."
Biyoung was listening with interest, but Shin Yehyang had her eyes closed, looking completely uninterested.
"Besides, the food we ordered has arrived."
Just as Jinmyeong said, a waiter was bringing their food.
"Tsk. As expected of those Demonic Cult bastards, so loud. They really have no manners."
It was just as they were about to eat the yangjangmyeon Mok Jagyeong had recommended.
Such a voice reached Jinmyeong's ears.
And it seemed Jinmyeong wasn't the only one who heard it.
The others also stopped, their hands frozen on the way to their mouths, and turned their heads toward the source of the sound.
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