SYM 94
by Emerlyn“Is it my fault that Cheong-un hates the orthodox sects? Because of the old me…”
Cheong-un hated the Demonic Sect because of his childhood, when he was kidnapped and abused.
But Cheong-un hated the orthodox sects just as much.
When he was Seo Eun-hyeon, Eun-hyeon was often swindled or backstabbed by people from the orthodox sects.
At the time, he couldn’t help but trust anyone who mentioned the orthodox sects. Even after being betrayed by those he considered brothers in Kunlun, he would still trust anyone who claimed to be a Martial World orthodox figure. Cheong-un grew up seeing this, so it’s no wonder he developed a stronger aversion to the orthodox sects.
“Hoo… Still, we can’t resolve this matter on our own.”
As Eun-hyeon stood up, the water in the tub churned violently. His skin was red from the hot water.
“Since the Demonic Sect can’t step forward, it’s difficult to reveal the whole truth. The world will be suspicious of any announcement made by the Demonic Sect. Unless we inform the Martial Arts Alliance of the full story and ask for their help in advance, they might even interfere…”
Even if the Demonic Sect announced that this had happened, people wouldn’t easily believe it. The Martial Arts Alliance might even try to frame the Demonic Sect as the culprit, claiming they were fabricating rumors.
Hadn’t they already done something like that once in collusion with the Hongbaek Sect and the government? When a murder occurred at Chwihwa Pavilion, they blamed it on the Demonic Sect without any evidence.
To prevent that, it would be much easier to involve the Martial Arts Alliance from the start.
Eun-hyeon’s mind was filled with thoughts of what to do next. He muttered his plans as he got out of the bath.
* * *
When he returned to his room, Cheong-un was waiting.
“Cheong-un.”
“Are you just arriving now? I was about to go look for you since you hadn’t come out for so long.”
“…I was organizing my thoughts in the bath.”
“Master, are you planning to inform the Namgung Clan about this matter?”
Looking into Cheong-un’s eyes, Eun-hyeon felt a little nervous.
“I know you don’t like it. But no matter how I think about it, it seems best to contact the Martial Arts Alliance together and resolve this with the orthodox sects. That’s the only way to save everyone.”
“…Everyone.”
Cheong-un looked at his Master with a strange expression.
His Master acted as if everyone was equal.
How could people be equal?
Those born noble are noble, and those born lowly are lowly. But his Master acted as if they all had the same value of life.
That must be why he saved him. He found that aspect frustrating, but he didn’t dislike it.
“I understand. I will have the Demon Physician send the recipe for the antidote. But I will not contact the Martial Arts Alliance directly. That is for you to do, Master.”
“Okay! I’ll do that. I was planning to contact the Namgung Clan anyway.”
“Master.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t expect me to associate with the orthodox sects, including the Martial Arts Alliance. All I can do is share the antidote recipe, and that’s it.”
“…Cheong-un.”
“I will continue to pursue the Hongbaek Sect personally. I will not stand by and watch them defile your corpse.”
Eun-hyeon swallowed hard at his words. It was the first time Cheong-un had mentioned Seo Eun-hyeon since meeting him.
“But I will not work with the orthodox sects on any of that. I will act alone, and I will not share information.”
“Cheong-un, wasn’t it decided that the orthodox and unorthodox sects, and even the government, would join forces to deal with the Hongbaek Sect?”
Cheong-un shook his head firmly at Eun-hyeon’s words.
“That’s why I’m sharing the antidote.”
“The Hongbaek Sect’s power is stronger than we thought, and they use techniques we don’t know. Wouldn’t it be better to join forces? And I just had a thought, maybe preparing the Rite in Beijing is a trap itself.”
The Hongbaek Sect must know that all the sacrifices were released during the last Rite. The fact that they sent sacrifices using the same method was unsettling.
“I am also considering that. It may be a trap. But even if it is a trap, we can just deal with it, can’t we? I am more wary of entrusting my back to someone I cannot trust.”
Eun-hyeon sighed.
The “someone I cannot trust” must be referring to the orthodox sects, including the Martial Arts Alliance.
No matter how many times he spoke, it felt like the answer would just go around in circles, so Eun-hyeon reluctantly gave up.
“First, I will write a letter to the Namgung Family Head, so deliver it to the Namgung Clan.”
“Leave it to me. I will deliver it quickly.”
Eun-hyeon nodded and looked at Cheong-un.
He suddenly wanted to ask what he had talked about with Seo Eun-hyeon that night in front of the bridge at the Night market in Xi’an. But somehow, the words didn’t come out.
Instead, he sat down at his desk. He picked up a brush, roughly ground some ink, and quickly began to write a letter to the Namgung Clan.
It contained a simple greeting, followed by an explanation of the current situation and a question of whether they could help with this matter.
“Master, since we have to go to Beijing where everything is happening anyway, tell them to meet us at the Yunlin Inn near Beijing.”
“Yunlin Inn?”
“It is an inn secretly run by the Demonic Sect near Beijing. It is quite large, so everyone will easily recognize it if you tell them to come to the Yunlin Inn.”
“I understand. Okay, I’ve written everything, including the part about meeting at the inn.”
Eun-hyeon handed over the letter with a tired expression, and Cheong-un accepted it.
“You seem tired, so get some rest for today.”
“Yes, I should.”
Eun-hyeon lay down on the bed. The quiet night deepened.
* * *
The next day, Eun-hyeon and Cheong-un headed to Beijing. This time, Cheong-un rode in the carriage with Eun-hyeon, and Yoon Ju-myeong was the coachman.
Since the distance from Xi’an to Beijing was quite far, they were changing horses from time to time as they traveled.
“The antidote…”
“I have told them to send the antidote recipe to the Namgung Clan. I have sent someone with light body skill to go directly, so it will probably arrive almost at the same time as your letter, Master.”
“…Thank you.”
Eun-hyeon whispered softly.
He knew that Cheong-un probably wouldn’t have gone this far if it hadn’t been for him.
To give out the antidote researched by the Demonic Sect without any conditions.
If someone from the orthodox sects had the antidote instead of Cheong-un, would they have given it out without any compensation?
He now knew very well that not all orthodox figures followed chivalry and righteousness.
That’s why he was even more grateful and sorry to Cheong-un.
“You don’t need to thank me for such a thing, Master. It’s only a matter of time before the Tang Clan or the Martial Arts Alliance would have created the medicine anyway.”
“Even so, it’s true that you’ve done a favor that you didn’t have to do.”
“As long as you are my Master, what you want is what I want.”
At Cheong-un’s firm words, Eun-hyeon nodded with a slightly flushed face.
“Oh, except for having to be with those orthodox bastards.”
Cheong-un added playfully. Eun-hyeon smiled slightly when Cheong-un, who had been stiff the whole time, joked. He felt that the tense atmosphere had finally eased and become a little softer.
“But Beijing, huh? We can’t go inside for now and have to meet near there. You’ll be going as Ha Yeo-un, right?”
“I suppose I will.”
Eun-hyeon nodded.
It wasn’t intentional, but somehow he was traveling around the Central Plains with Cheong-un.
In his previous life, he had spent almost all his time in Kunlun and Tian Shan, so traveling around the Central Plains like this was both amazing and fun.
“This trip is unusually quiet to the point of being boring.”
Eun-hyeon didn’t know, but the Demonic Sect members who served Cheong-un were moving busily, clearing out bandits or anything that might hinder the carriage’s progress.
They contacted Demonic Sect branches along the way to prepare horses in advance and maintain the roads.
Thanks to the busy Demonic Sect members, Eun-hyeon was able to ride in the carriage comfortably without much shaking. As he did so, he gradually became sleepy.
“You can sleep if you want.”
“Okay…”
Eun-hyeon was originally weak and slept a lot. This time, he fell asleep without even answering properly.
In that way, a few leisurely days on the carriage passed. They arrived at the Yunlin Inn on the outskirts of Beijing.
Looking at the large three-story inn, he felt anew how amazing the Demonic Sect’s capabilities were.
“Welcome.”
As Eun-hyeon and Cheong-un entered the inn, a waiter approached and bowed.
“The guests who are waiting for you two have arrived.”
At the same time, a familiar face appeared in front of Eun-hyeon.
“Eun-hyeon!”
“…Father. Eun-wang.”
Namgung Family Head and Eung-wang had already arrived there, waiting for Eun-hyeon.
Seeing their faces after a long time, Eun-hyeon smiled slightly without realizing it.