SYM 82

“Ugh… Cheong-un, why are you in such a good mood?”

Eun-hyeon grumbled, looking at Cheong-un, who had been grinning since earlier.

It wasn’t that Cheong-un being in a good mood was something that would make him feel bad, but the way he smiled every time their eyes met was somehow strange.

It felt like he had some bad scheme in mind.

“It’s nothing, Master. Please try some of this today. It’s your favorite thousand-year-old egg.”

Eun-hyeon looked at the food placed in front of him and pouted sullenly.

It had already been four days since he had been trapped in this manor, only focusing on recuperating. During that time, Eun-hyeon had been repeating a life of eating and sleeping, as if being raised by Cheong-un.

“I can’t take it anymore. Cheong-un, let’s go to Xi’an.”

“…Yes?”

“My body is almost completely healed now, but I can’t stand being stuck here just eating and sleeping. When I first left the Namgung Clan, I was going to do some sightseeing, but I didn’t get to see much and only suffered a lot. Now, even if it’s just now, I have to go out and see what the Martial World is like!”

Eun-hyeon became more and more impassioned as he spoke and stood up.

Even when he was in the Namgung Clan, he hardly ever left the house. And when he did go out, he was always caught up in some kind of incident. When he thought about it, he had hardly ever enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the marketplace.

“Cheong-un! Let’s go to the Xi’an marketplace! I heard there are many sweets in Xi’an, right?”

“Well, if it’s Xi’an, Mount Hua is also nearby. How about we look around Mount Hua first? Mount Hua has rugged mountains, but the scenery is outstanding.”

“No. I’m sick of mountains, both when I was in the formation and when I was kidnapped this time. I don’t want to go near a mountain for a while.”

Cheong-un gave a bitter smile at Eun-hyeon’s words.

He could understand why Eun-hyeon was sick of mountains.

“Alright. Then let’s take a look around Xi’an city. There are many things to see and eat in Xi’an. The night market that opens late at night in Xi’an is also worth seeing.”

“Oh, a night market?”

Cheong-un smiled as he saw Eun-hyeon’s eyes light up.

Seeing him like that, he seemed more like a child than a Master.

But what did it matter? After all, he was his. Every little breath, every touch, was all his.

Once it was decided to head to Xi’an, preparations proceeded smoothly.

Eun-hyeon was already sitting in a carriage less than two quarters of an hour after saying he wanted to go out.

Eun-hyeon shook his head as he looked at the unusual black horse and the large carriage.

“When did you prepare all this? There was nothing here when I first came to the manor.”

“While Master was sleeping, the children of the Demonic Sect were working busily.”

“…Impressive.”

Kunlun and the Demonic Sect had always been in fierce opposition over the Tianshan Mountains.

No, in fact, the word “fierce” was an understatement. The Demonic Sect was powerful enough to rival the entire orthodox Martial World. But in any case, it was true that they were always conscious of each other, sharing the huge Tianshan mountain range as a playground.

The reason why the swordsmanship of Kunlun, a Taoist sect, resembled that of the Demonic Sect, becoming savage, rough, and even filled with murderous intent, was all because of that.

Eun-hyeon, as someone who had once been a part of Kunlun, thought he knew something about the scale of the Demonic Sect.

But that thought was completely shattered as he traveled with Cheong-un.

Just looking at the Amhon who were following him as his bodyguards was enough. One Amhon seemed much stronger than Hwahong, whom the Namgung Family Head had personally assigned to him.

And then there were the Demonic Sect’s hideouts and branches scattered throughout the Central Plains. Their scale was not comparable to that of the Lower gate or the Beggars’ Sect.

The Demonic Sect had already established its own independent communication network throughout the Central Plains and was gradually encroaching on the Central Plains through various operations.

Were the elders of the orthodox Martial World even aware of this?

If the Hongbaek Sect hadn’t suddenly appeared, it would have been the Demonic Sect that would have taken the lead in unifying the Central Plains.

“Isn’t Master curious about where I live? How about we go to the Demonic Sect’s headquarters instead of Xi’an?”

Cheong-un smiled as if he had guessed Eun-hyeon’s thoughts. It sounded as if he would give Eun-hyeon the Demonic Sect itself if he wanted it.

“…I told you, I’m sick of mountains for a while.”

“Haha, well, even though many people live in the headquarters, it’s still a mountain. Then, enjoy people-watching to your heart’s content, and tell me when you get tired of it. There are many things to see at the headquarters as well. Tens of thousands of people live there, so it’s close to a big city.”

Tens of thousands of people. Eun-hyeon was startled and looked at Cheong-un.

“Is it okay for you to say these things to me so casually?”

“Did you think I would keep secrets from Master? If you have any questions, ask me anything. I’ll answer anything until we pass through the Xi’an city gates.”

Eun-hyeon frowned slightly at Cheong-un’s words.

Just then, the city gates began to appear faintly. In front of them was a long line of people and carriages.

“Are all those carriages in front trying to enter Xi’an city?”

“That’s probably the case. Due to the incidents caused by the Three Evils of Shaanxi and other large and small ominous events in the city, the inspection has become stricter. If Master wishes, we can move up the line a bit, but we will attract attention once we get inside.”

“Ah, I don’t want that.”

Eun-hyeon was dressed plainly with Cheong-un to avoid attracting attention on purpose.

“You said you’d answer anything until we arrived at the city gates, right?”

“Yes. Is there anything you’re curious about regarding me?”

“…How did you end up in the Demonic Sect? What happened after I died?”

Cheong-un smiled bitterly.

He knew that Eun-hyeon was curious about that. But because his Master was cautious and considerate, he didn’t expect him to ask that question right away.

Was this also an effect of the poison making him more honest?

“Does Master know why I was initially kidnapped by the Demonic Sect?”

Eun-hyeon shook his head. When he was young, Cheong-un would always keep his mouth shut about what happened in the Demonic Sect, no matter how much Eun-hyeon coaxed him.

He was so happy spending time with Eun-hyeon that he didn’t even want to think about what happened in the Demonic Sect. If they talked about those things, he felt like Demonic Sect bastards would pop out from somewhere.

“…The Demonic Sect’s long-standing wish was to create a Heavenly Demon. A Heavenly Demon refers to someone who has mastered the Demonic Sect’s Martial Arts to the extreme, and there have only been three such people in the Demonic Sect’s history.”

“…Heavenly Demon. Is such an existence something that can be created?”

“We can’t create talent, but we can gather children with potential, can’t we? That’s why the Demonic Sect has always been looking for children born under the Heavenly Star of Massacre.”

“Ah…!”

Eun-hyeon had heard a long time ago that the Demonic Sect took children born under the Heavenly Star of Massacre.

The Heavenly Star of Massacre was called the worst ominous star. Children born under the Heavenly Star of Massacre, who held the fate of the Heavenly Star of Massacre, often became infamous murderers. Even if they occasionally escaped that fate, they would become generals who led wars, and they could not escape the fate of killing.

And they were gathering those children of the Heavenly Star of Massacre to create a Heavenly Demon?

“At first, there were so many children that I didn’t even know how many there were. But soon, they disappeared one by one. It was obvious what happened to the disappeared children, but no one said it out loud. You had to kill to avoid being killed. I didn’t want to die, so I chose to kill others. I survived by killing and killing again until there were only 11 of us left.”

Eun-hyeon looked at Cheong-un.

Cheong-un was speaking as if it was nothing, but in Eun-hyeon’s eyes, it felt like the young Cheong-un was shedding tears.

“It was just another training day, but I don’t know why I wanted to stab the instructor to death that day. Maybe it was the destiny of someone born under the Heavenly Star of Massacre, but that day, my desire to kill was boiling over. Even the instructor who had treated us so harshly couldn’t do anything when his vital point was stabbed with a knife. The first time was difficult, but after that, it was easy. The surviving children, without anyone telling them to, all attacked the instructor and killed him with one mind. And when we cut off the lifelines of all the lower-ranking instructors who were watching us, we started to run away.”

Eun-hyeon saw the image of the young Cheong-un in front of him.

Cheong-un, who was like a small, dirty stray cat when they first met. Even with a thin body that revealed his bones because he couldn’t eat well, his eyes were so sharp, like a general on the battlefield.

“That’s how I met Master. Master took in a beast and turned it into a human.”

Eun-hyeon swallowed hard.

He felt like he knew without seeing how much murderous intent was hidden beneath that gentle smile that Cheong-un was showing.

“So what happened? After I died, I mean.”

“After Master passed away… Ah! We’ve arrived at the checkpoint, Master.”

Eun-hyeon clicked his tongue as he looked at Cheong-un, who was smiling sweetly.