SYM 29

29

“Hmm.”

Cheong-un inadvertently let out a low hum as he met Eun-hyeon’s eyes.

Eun-hyeon, whom he had expected to be trembling in fear, was very calm.

Though weariness was evident on his face, presumably from the difficult journey here, his eyes remained clear and deep.

The moment their eyes met, he was reminded of his master without realizing it.

His master’s eyes were exactly like that.

Eyes like a clear lake without a speck of dust. When his master gazed at him with those eyes, secrets he wanted to hide would naturally spill from his lips.

But there were things he couldn’t tell even his master.

It was about what happened at the Demonic Cult.

He had been taken to the Demonic Cult because he was born under the Star of Heavenly Destruction.

Those born under the Star of Heavenly Destruction, known as the star of k1llers, were believed to be destined to stain the world with blood, and the Demonic Cult kidnapped all babies born under this star to teach them their martial arts.

Naturally, it wasn’t like the master-disciple relationship in orthodox sects. In the Demonic Cult, they gathered children of cult members and those born under the Star of Heavenly Destruction, making them compete and repeat the cycle of k1lling and being k1lled.

Then, instead of k1illing the child he was ordered to k1ll, he k1lled the instructor and ran away, but no matter how much he fled, he couldn’t escape the vast Tianshan Mountains as a child. His master was the one he met when he was on the verge of starving to death.

His master, a Taoist of the Kunlun Sect, was a humble person in shabby clothes. No matter how fierce and disrespectful he acted, his master remained consistently the same.

And when he really did something wrong or crossed the line, his master would quietly gaze at him with those characteristically clear eyes.

Then he would become helpless before his master. Despite being a mvrderer who had taken several companions’ lives with his own hands, he acted like an innocent child.

Namgung Eun-hyeon’s eyes now reminded him exactly of those times.

Eyes that seemed to observe everything deep inside that one wanted to hide.

For a moment, Cheong-un’s heart raced and his face contorted.

Who was this Young Master of the Namgung family to make him feel this way?

The martial arts of the Demonic Cult diluted human emotions, making both joy and sorrow fade away.

Now, having risen to the position of Heavenly’s Demon, he couldn’t feel strong emotions unless they were related to his master.

But now, for the first time besides his master, Cheong-un’s heart was beating violently.

“I…”

He noticed Eun-hyeon’s lips were red and swollen from the gangging. Looking closer now, there were bruises and wounds all over his body.

Seeing this, murderous intent suddenly surged within him. He thought he had k1lled those men lying on the ground too easily.

“I, I’m fine!”

At that moment, Namgung Eun-hyeon hurriedly grabbed Cheong-un’s hand and spoke.

Cheong-un looked at Eun-hyeon, then at Eun-hyeon’s hand holding his. The bloodless, slender white hand was excessively cold. Come to think of it, despite being so susceptible to cold, the clothes he was wearing were thin. Seeing this, his brow furrowed.

“Your clothes are too thin.”

Cheong-un took off his outer garment and draped it over Eun-hyeon’s shoulders.

It was a Heavenly silk robe specially crafted for the Heavenly Demon within the Demonic Cult. Made of celestial silk, it was a fabric impervious to swords and not something money alone could buy.

Eun-hyeon recognized the Heavenly silk robe at a glance. He had only heard of it but had never seen real Heavenly silk robe before. The moment it was placed on his shoulders, he was surprised at how well it blocked the cold, yet it was so light it was almost weightless.

“This, this is…”

“I don’t need it, so wear it.”

Eun-hyeon slightly furrowed his brow. The Heavenly silk robe was too valuable to accept as a mere gesture of goodwill.

But his condition wasn’t good enough to refuse it. It would be more troublesome if he collapsed from trying to endure the cold.

“If you would tell me your name, I will return this coat along with my gratitude.”

“Where are you hurt?”

Cheong-un ignored Eun-hyeon’s words and asked him a question.

Eun-hyeon let out a brief sigh looking at Cheong-un’s behavior, but couldn’t say anything. After all, he was his benefactor who had helped him.

“I’m not seriously injured anywhere.”

Cheong-un nodded once, then suddenly lifted Eun-hyeon in his arms.

“…Wait, G-great Hero!”

Eun-hyeon struggled as his vision suddenly swayed, but Cheong-un paid no attention and placed him on his shoulder.

Carrying Eun-hyeon like a package, Cheong-un went to the carriage prepared by Yeo Sosan. Yeo Sosan’s carriage was quite large and comfortable.

“It seems difficult alone, so I’ll take you to Hefei.”

“No, Great Hero…!”

Before Eun-hyeon could say anything, Cheong-un lightly pressed his pressure point. Eun-hyeon’s eyes slowly closed and his body swayed.

“Master.”

When the collapsed Eun-hyeon was laid in the carriage, Amhon’s member appeared behind Cheong-un. Cheong-un entered the carriage without even looking at Amhon.

“Let’s return to Hefei.”

“This servant will drive the carriage. Master, what should we do about this place?”

“…Are there any Demonic Cult members in Hangzhou right now?”

“Yes. Yoon Mi-ryeong is running a brothel in Hangzhou.”

The Demonic Cult sent out its members to operate undercover to gather information from the martial arts world.

Yoon Mi-ryeong was one such operative.

“This pig is someone called Yeo Sosan from Hangzhou. I was thinking of erasing everything about him, but it might be better to give him to Yoon Mi-ryeong.”

“As you command.”

Without anyone touching it, the carriage door closed.

Soon after, the carriage departed. Not only was Yeo Sosan’s carriage high-quality, but Amhon’s exceptional skill in driving meant there was barely any swaying.

Cheong-un looked at Eun-hyeon lying in the carriage. Judging by his breathing sounds, he seemed to be in quite a deep sleep.

He had pressed the pressure point thinking it would be better for him to sleep than stay awake, given the physical and mental strain from recent events.

Cheong-un placed his hand on top of Eun-hyeon’s head. He gently pushed his internal energy starting from the Baihui point at the crown to his dantian.

It wasn’t easy to infuse internal energy due to all three meridians being blocked. He moved slowly from the back of  his head to the lower abdomen. Fortunately, it seemed his body wasn’t too badly injured.

“Why do we keep crossing paths like this?”

Actually, he had no intention of showing his true self without using transformation techniques. But the moment he saw Eun-hyeon from afar, there was no time for other thoughts. Even knowing it would be easier to clean up afterward if he appeared as the White-Robed Divine Dragon, he ignored it. He didn’t even regret revealing himself as Cheong-un.

Cheong-un continued pushing his internal energy until Eun-hyeon’s cold body became sufficiently warm.

“I don’t understand the reason either.”

Why you keep appearing in my mind like this.

Cheong-un moved Eun-hyeon’s head onto his lap, and let out a small sigh while brushing his straight forehead.

* * *

“Young Master, are you conscious?”

When Eun-hyeon opened his eyes again, Cheong-un was already gone.

Eun-hyeon bit his lip in inexplicable disappointment before looking at the unfamiliar person before him.

“Who are you?”

“Ah…! I am the physician who came to examine the Young Master on the Family Head’s orders. Call me Physician Yang.”

“What is this…”

His head throbbed as he tried to get up. Physician Yang approached to help Eun-hyeon rise and offered him a bowl of medicinal soup.

“First, drink this. It’s medicine to restore your energy. You can ask questions afterward.”

Eun-hyeon received the medicine in bewilderment and let out a short sigh. Looking at Physician Yang standing beside him, it seemed he wouldn’t let him move an inch before drinking it.

Finally, after downing the bitter medicine in one go and putting it down, Physician Yang cleared away the empty bowl.

“Physician Yang. Please tell me now. What exactly happened?”

“After you went to Chuihwa Pavilion with Great Hero Ha, Great Hero Ha returned with news that you had gone missing.”

Physician Yang shook his head as if recalling that day.

“That day, how angry the Family Head was! I swear I’ve never seen the Family Head so furious in all my time at the Namgung family. The Family Head ordered all of Hefei to be searched, and despite searching thoroughly, we couldn’t find any trace of you.”

“…And then?”

“If you didn’t return, I thought there would be big trouble, very big trouble indeed. Seeing the Family Head’s momentum, it seemed he would turn over not just Hefei, but all of Anhui Province. Then suddenly at dawn, you returned.”

“The person who brought me here…?”

Physician Yang shook his head.

“I don’t know about that. Now that you’ve regained consciousness, I’ll go report to the Family Head.”

“Ah, wait a moment, Physician Yang.”

Eun-hyeon quickly grabbed Physician Yang as he was about to leave the room.

“Then where is Great Hero Ha? I have something urgent to tell him.”

Physician Yang frowned as if troubled and let out a short sigh.

“Great Hero Ha… The Family Head ordered him to leave, so he’s not at the Namgung residence now.”

Eun-hyeon blinked with a blank expression at those words.

Cheong-un… was gone?