Chapter 211: Narrow Escape from Death (2)

As I unleashed my movement arts and dashed ahead, Namgung Yoo and Baek Cheonggye shook their heads.

They couldn’t believe I still had the internal energy left to unfold movement arts after expending so much Protective Energy.

‘To surpass this old man’s cultivation… I can’t believe it even though I saw it myself.’

Even Baek Cheonggye, who had been confident in his cultivation, was amazed by my ceaseless flow of True Qi.

Even when my True Qi was depleted, I never collapsed because my Tai Chi Dantian would naturally accumulate energy through the two Laogong Points and the Yongcheon Point.

I had never fought until all my True Qi was drained, so I didn’t know before—but through this battle, I realized the profound nature of the Tai Chi Dantian.

‘But Protective Energy… it really drains like a broken jar. I won’t be able to use it unless it’s a truly dangerous moment.’

After running for a while, during a short break, one of the Three Chivalrous Sisters asked,

“Young Master Yong, who are the people following behind us?”

“They’re the ones who saved me and Ah Yoo.”

“Ah Yoo? Who’s that?”

Jeong Daji tilted her head, unfamiliar with the name.

When I looked at Namgung Yoo, Jeong Daji murmured with a surprised face,

“Ah Yoo… Don’t tell me you mean Sister Namgung? That’s something only close friends say.”

I smiled and replied,

“Ah Yoo and I have decided to be friends.”

“Wow! You’re going to be friends with a girl? That’s quite the decision.”

Even though martial arts taught that men and women were equals, reality was different.

So, to see me acknowledge Namgung Yoo as my friend made me appear as someone remarkable.

Breaking social norms might be easy in words, but doing so through action was not.

That’s why such people were called pioneers.

Jeong Minji felt two conflicting emotions when she heard me call Namgung Yoo “Ah Yoo.”

One was jealousy that I seemed closer to Namgung Yoo than herself.

The other was relief—now that Namgung Yoo had become my friend, she wouldn’t become my lover.

“Sister Namgung is lucky. She has such a reliable friend.”

Her words were half-teasing, but Namgung Yoo felt a strange emotion.

I left the chattering women behind and spoke to Baekseom.

“My Contract House Request isn’t over yet.”

“I know. A Contract only ends when the client cancels it.”

“We’ll be returning to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. Those bastards have only retreated for now. We don’t know when they’ll attack again. I’ll be counting on you then as well.”

“Then we’ll retreat first. Once we reorganize our forces, we’ll contact you. I’ll leave a few men by your side. Use them if you need to get in touch.”

Baekseom had to retreat at least to report to the Captain.

“They don’t seem like ordinary people. Are they assassins?”

When Jeong Minji asked, I didn’t respond.

“They’re people with circumstances.”

Seeing me avoid the question, she didn’t bring up the Blood Green Unit again.

That was the least Namgung Yoo could do to show me respect.

It had been a day full of trials.

We truly hovered between life and death several times and barely survived.

Had luck not been on our side, today, the Kirin River would’ve become our grave.

“Elder, how is Eum Sajeok?”

“I sealed his Blood Channels, so don’t worry too much. Judging by his altered speech and behavior, it seems your Soul Reaping Art is working.”

“That’s a relief.”

I approached Namgung Yoo, who was so exhausted she was nearly lying down.

“Ah Yoo, I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier—did you get the antidote for the Jiangshi Poison?”

Namgung Yoo raised her upper body and nodded.

“Yes. The Division Leader gave it to me.”

“That’s good.”

Not only had we escaped Eum Sajeok’s trap, but we also secured Hoi Unkyung’s antidote. Though the battle was perilous, we hadn’t lost anything.

As Namgung Yoo struggled to rise, feeling like she weighed a thousand catties, Jeong Minji offered her a pill.

“This is used in our branch. It’s especially effective at stabilizing Qi and healing internal injuries.”

Jeong Minji had seen Namgung Yoo in pain and handed her one of her own precious pills.

“It seems valuable. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“There’s nothing more precious than a friend. It’s fine.”

Seeing Jeong Minji speak so sincerely, Namgung Yoo smiled.

“Thank you.”

She took the pill and began a short Qi circulation session.

After about two hours, True Qi began flowing again from her once-parched Dantian.

“This is really good medicine.”

As she passed by, Jeong Suji couldn’t help but mutter in disapproval that her sister had given such a precious remedy to Namgung Yoo.

“Of course it is. I wouldn’t even give it if my own sister were injured. Sister Namgung, you really hit the jackpot.”

At Jeong Suji’s chilly remark, Namgung Yoo gave a bitter smile.

“Second must be angry.”

“Second is always angry at people.”

At those words, Jeong Daji cut in.

“That’s right, especially toward pretty women or handsome men. But it’s strange, considering how much she likes someone like Young Master.”

When Jeong Daji spoke ill of her, Jeong Suji responded.

“Let’s go. I’m getting uneasy leaving the Sky Ocean Merchant Union for so long.”

“Hmph, didn’t you say before you wouldn’t care even if Miss Hoi died? Your mood swings are worthy of a first-rate expert.”

As Jeong Daji sneered, Jeong Suji raised her fist.

“You’re dead!”

Their bickering momentarily brought peace to Yong Hwarin’s battle-weary mind.

I expanded my movement arts and approached the Demonic Master.

I thought I wouldn’t have a chance to speak with him once we returned to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, so I planned to ask now.

Matching his speed, I said,

“Elder, you didn’t finish what you were saying earlier. Please tell me about the Four Great Divine Items.”

The Demonic Master paused briefly, organizing his thoughts on where to begin.

“You know Eum Sajeok stole the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm from Jeong Family Manor. Didn’t the three sisters of the Jeong Family say anything about the item?”

“They didn’t know much. Just that it was a treasured heirloom of the clan.”

“Then you haven’t heard anything from the Reverend Arhats?”

“Same there.”

Since the Demonic Master also had to rely on speculation based on his limited information, he asked what they knew.

As the energy of the Thousand-Poison Antidote Pill gradually subsided, Baek Cheonggye, the East Evil Division Leader who had been following us, spread his movement arts and shook his head.

He knew I was skilled enough to form Protective Energy, but seeing the two of us converse as if walking across flat ground still didn’t feel normal.

However, the Three Chivalrous Sisters and Namgung Yoo had seen such sights often, so they weren’t surprised.

Adjusting his True Qi with difficulty, Baek Cheonggye finally managed to speak to the beautiful young woman beside him.

“Young lady, who is that person speaking with Young Master Yong?”

Jeong Minji smiled at him.

Thinking she wasn’t skilled enough to answer while using movement arts, he turned his head.

“That is the Demonic Master Seok Jamyung.”

As she answered calmly, Baek Cheonggye asked again.

‘Heavens, even the women around Young Master Yong are all top-tier experts.’

“And who are you, young lady?”

“I’m Jeong Minji, the eldest daughter of Jeong Family Manor.”

“Ah! So you're one of the Three Chivalrous Sisters! An honor to meet you!”

Seeing the beautiful women beside Jeong Minji, Baek Cheonggye nodded.

‘So the three sisters of the Jeong Family really are famed for their beauty.’

Without any adornments, they possessed a natural elegance.

Each sister also had distinct traits, making them easy to distinguish at a glance.

‘Around Young Master Yong gather only righteous and first-rate martial artists. He is surely walking the path of a hero.’

Baek Cheonggye judged people by who gathered around them.

He had lived long enough to know this evaluation seldom missed its mark.

Just as a tiger cannot live with wolves, and wolves with sheep, it was the way of the world.

That was a rule the human world could not escape.

Evildoers could not mingle with the righteous, and the righteous could not blend with villains.

Even more so, petty men could not dwell among noble ones—it was no different.

‘The Demonic Master is a member of the Four Demonic Heavens. One could argue that having such a demonic figure close means Young Master Yong leans toward the demonic path… but the Demonic Master is the only such person around him. That means Young Master Yong has the capacity to embrace even demonic and unorthodox forces. A narrow-minded man can never become a hero. A hero must fundamentally be broad-minded, magnanimous, and upright. In that sense, Young Master Yong is the very image of a hero.’

That was Baek Cheonggye’s judgment of Yong Hwarin.

One did not become a hero simply by wishing it.

A selfish, self-centered mind could not embrace the pain of others or sacrifice itself.

Such a person would never be praised as a hero.

‘He risked his life for Miss Namgung simply because they are friends, and he would rather die than accept dishonor. He truly possesses a heroic spirit.’

Baek Cheonggye thought perhaps the greatest fortune he had found in the murim was meeting these people.

“There has never been a sect that worships the Four Guardian Deities as its protector gods.”

I agreed with those words. I had read many books, but no sect or martial art like that had ever been recorded.

“But once, at Eum Sajeok’s residence, I secretly watched him meet with someone. They spoke privately, and I followed them in stealth.”

Back then, the Demonic Master had hoped he might overhear some news of his daughter and eavesdropped on their gathering.

Having trained in the Dragon Concealment Heavenly Art, the Demonic Master believed he had successfully evaded their attention.

“I saw something very strange there. It was a map, with the Four Great Divine Items drawn at the four corners. And in the center, there were unexpected characters.”

“What did they say!”

I grew tense, my voice rising.

Fortunately, since we were dashing with movement arts, only the two of us could hear those words.

The Demonic Master hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should speak or not.

It was because the weight of what he was about to say was not insignificant.

“Young Master Yong, what I’m about to say may be just a fragment of a much larger truth. And I can’t even be certain of what it truly means. So I hope you won’t misunderstand just because of what I tell you.”

In that instant, I realized what the Demonic Master was about to reveal wouldn’t be simple.

Otherwise, there’d be no need for him to preface it like that, as if to soften the blow.

‘What kind of name could make the Demonic Master this tense?’

I drew even closer to him.

He used telepathy to ensure only I could hear him.

—The name written there was Demonic Castle.

Upon hearing that name, I was so startled that the flow of my True Qi was cut off in an instant.

Because of that, my footing tangled and I nearly stumbled, only just regaining my balance.

That was how shocking the Demonic Master’s words were.

‘Demonic Castle?’

Demonic Castle was known in murim history as the origin of the demonic path—a kind of utopia for demonic practitioners.

A hundred years after the murim began using era names, during the Muyang Era, those of the demonic path gathered under the name Demonic Castle. They established it to realize their ideals.

According to the legends, Demonic Castle was led by five key figures.

They were sworn brothers, four of whom rallied behind the swordsman Gun Cheonbo of the Phantom Star Sword, appointing him as the Castle Lord and seeking to create a world ruled by the demonic path.

That was the extent of what the world knew.

Records about Demonic Castle were scarce to begin with, and what little there was had mostly been lost to time.

As I abruptly halted mid-movement, the group looked at me in surprise.

“Let’s rest for a moment.”

My face showed deep contemplation, and the group refrained from disturbing me, allowing me time to think alone.

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