Chapter 18: The Demonic Path of Yichang
Flames roared up in every direction.
Blades swung without pause.
And with every strike, chunks of flesh were cruelly severed.
"Looks like a battlefield."
Seo Yu-gyeom, who had swiftly plated the Dongpo Pork, exhaled a breath.
It had been about a month since he began living as a cook.
Truthfully, after the Vice Leader left, he had remained wary of the Deathshroud for a time. They were not the sort of organization to give up so easily.
However, no more assassins came looking for him.
Knowing the Deathshroud’s ways, Seo Yu-gyeom guessed that the Vice Leader must have sacrificed something within the organization to settle the matter.
Just as he himself had done, the Vice Leader must have truly regarded him as a disciple.
When Seo Yu-gyeom had been staring at the Dongpo Pork for a while, Jin Seong-un poked his head into the kitchen and spoke.
"Get to work."
"…Let me catch my breath. Just a bit."
Customers kept coming without end.
As he handled the endless orders, Seo Yu-gyeom felt as though he were facing waves that kept surging no matter how many he cut down.
Handing the plate of Dongpo Pork to Jin Seong-un, he asked,
"The earlier customer ordered Dongpo Pork too, right? How was their reaction?"
Instead of words, Jin Seong-un raised his thumb. Until now, not a single customer had complained about Seo Yu-gyeom’s cooking.
Even in Jin Seong-un’s eyes, his cooking was flawless.
But Seo Yu-gyeom still looked at the retreating plate of Dongpo Pork with a dissatisfied gaze.
.
.
.
Today’s business ended in prosperity as well.
Thanks to increasing the daily supply of liquor and ingredients from the Merchants’ Association, they rarely ran out of materials first.
"Good work."
The two sat facing each other in the now-empty inn.
Sharing a bottle of liquor at the end of an intense day had become part of their routine.
Bamboo Leaf Green filled each other’s cups.
The mingling of the food aroma lingering in the inn and the sweet fragrance of the liquor brought a sense of ease.
"By the way, you said there’s a place called the Prosperity Association?"
Seo Yu-gyeom no longer hid his face. Now that the Deathshroud’s pursuit was over, he could freely roam the marketplace.
Among the rumors he heard, the name Prosperity Association came up often. Listening closely, it seemed they had been relentlessly harassing the merchants.
Seo Yu-gyeom asked in a subtle tone,
"That group you killed… that was you, right?"
He was fairly certain. Jin Seong-un had established himself here, and the Prosperity Association had apparently bullied him.
Seo Yu-gyeom had witnessed Jin Seong-un’s martial prowess firsthand. The petty Black Path thugs of Yichang could never have handled him.
Jin Seong-un nodded without hesitation. Since he had already revealed that the other was a Deathshroud member, there was no reason to hide it further.
"I hear the Prosperity Association’s leader’s father is the leader of the Southern Black Lotus."
"Is he that famous?"
Truthfully, Jin Seong-un knew little about Hubei’s murim. After all, it hadn’t been long since he had come from another region to open an inn.
In contrast, Seo Yu-gyeom, who had lived as an assassin, was well-informed.
"Hubei isn’t small. It’s got the Wudang Sect, the Jaegal Clan, and even the Murim Alliance headquarters. Of course, hidden in the shadows are places like the Deathshroud’s branch or the Hao Sect."
"I see."
"Securing a place as Black Path in Hubei isn’t easy. From what I know, the Southern Black Lotus’ leader is a master at the peak of peak-level. His temperament is supposed to be vicious too."
Seo Yu-gyeom grinned mischievously as he spoke, wondering if even Jin Seong-un might be a little intimidated by the mention of a peak-level master.
But contrary to his expectations, Jin Seong-un simply nodded with his usual dry expression and said,
"So what should I do then?"
"What do you mean?"
"I killed his son, so won’t he come for revenge? I don’t know exactly how great a peak-level master is, but if a special-class assassin from the Deathshroud says that, then he must be strong."
Seo Yu-gyeom clicked his tongue softly.
What was a peak-level master? Even in the massive forces like the Nine Sects and Five Great Clans, their numbers were few.
They were the kind who would be treated with respect anywhere in the world, even in the imperial palace.
Just becoming a top-level master meant everyone in the nation would know your name, but a peak-level master could slaughter over a dozen such top-level masters single-handedly.
"Of course, it depends on the martial arts they’ve mastered and their personality. But an assassin who fights from the shadows, or a peak-level master from the Tang Clan of Sichuan who mainly uses poison and hidden weapons, could easily kill dozens of top-level masters alone."
"Oh…"
Jin Seong-un let out a low murmur of admiration. Though it was his way of showing surprise, the reaction only left Seo Yu-gyeom speechless.
"I’d like to see the size of your liver someday."
"Is this that moment?"
As he spoke, Jin Seong-un reached for the Black High Sword.
‘That moment’ referred to the time when Seo Yu-gyeom was overcome by the Heaven-Slaying Star’s impulse and consumed by killing intent.
Seo Yu-gyeom himself had once told him—if that ever happened, to cut him down.
"Are you insane?"
Clicking his tongue, Seo Yu-gyeom refilled Jin Seong-un’s cup.
In any case, there had never been a moment in his life this peaceful, so he found his recent days to be truly satisfying.
It was then.
Both men’s gazes turned toward the door at the same time.
Seo Yu-gyeom, a special-class assassin born with the Heaven-Slaying Star.
Jin Seong-un, born with the Heavenly Martial Star and taught by Martial Gods.
Both possessed senses surpassing their current realms.
"You hear that?"
"Let’s go."
Jin Seong-un strapped on the Black High Sword, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Seo Yu-gyeom took the Heaven-Slaying Dagger.
Though fish scales still clung to the dagger, striking like this would make the wounds fester—perhaps even more effective.
They caught the sounds of blades clashing and faint bursts of qi.
Following their senses, they arrived at a place where a group was facing off.
Each one was a martial artist, so the ordinary townsfolk had long since fled.
"Looks like a fight broke out? Isn’t that someone you know over there?"
Where Seo Yu-gyeom pointed stood Oh Jeong-san, the Chairman of the Jingzhou Merchants’ Association, and Vice Chairman Jang Tae-seok.
Oh Jeong-san, holding a sword with a Taiji emblem, glared straight ahead and asked,
"What is the meaning of this?"
His voice was low as he spoke.
He was himself a master who had reached the pinnacle, someone who could carry himself with a certain air.
Yet the man facing him snorted without the slightest trace of fear.
"Are you saying you’ll block a father trying to find out who killed his son? Is that the righteous path’s so-called justification?"
It was Cheol Woo-myeong, Black Division Captain of the Southern Black Lotus.
He had come to Yichang by the order of Jo Rae-ak, the Southern Black Lotus’ leader.
After all, the Prosperity Association’s leader had been killed by an unidentified demonic practitioner.
As a father, the Southern Black Lotus leader had every right to seek the truth behind his son’s death.
For the righteous path, which valued proper cause, it would be difficult to block him—at least, as long as the Southern Black Lotus’ warriors didn’t harass commoners.
Oh Jeong-san fell silent for a moment, at a loss for words.
From the distance, Seo Yu-gyeom, who had been watching, said,
"You lost in words there."
Since there were many masters present, their gazes turned toward Seo Yu-gyeom.
Seo Yu-gyeom quickly ducked behind Jin Seong-un.
Suddenly having all eyes on him, Jin Seong-un scratched his cheek with an index finger.
Upon spotting Jin Seong-un, Oh Jeong-san felt a twinge of anxiety.
That demonic practitioner was Jin Seong-un himself.
If the Southern Black Lotus found this out, chaos would break loose again.
The martial artist who had killed the son—Jin Seong-un.
And the father seeking vengeance—the leader of the Southern Black Lotus.
Such clear cause would greatly reduce the Wudang Sect’s room to intervene.
After a moment’s thought, Oh Jeong-san said firmly,
"The demonic practitioner has already fled."
"I heard you were the last to fight him. If someone like you could make him flee, isn’t it embarrassing to even call him a demonic practitioner?"
The Southern Black Lotus warriors chuckled at that.
Likewise, from the distance, Seo Yu-gyeom added,
"Ooh."
Indeed, when it came to verbal sparring, Black Path thugs were good at it.
How could a righteous path Taoist, raised and trained in a proper environment, possibly outtalk a man like that?
Seo Yu-gyeom spoke in a low voice to Jin Seong-un.
"Just tell him to drop the words and go to swordplay. You won’t win in a talk anyway."
"…Stay quiet."
Regardless, Seo Yu-gyeom seemed to be enjoying himself.
At that moment, Oh Jeong-san, his face slightly flushed, subtly raised his qi.
The Black Division Captain smirked as though he’d been waiting for this, and instead sheathed his sword.
"Go ahead, kill me. Then it’ll be said that, as a father seeking the truth behind my son’s death, I was slain by a depraved Taoist from the Wudang Sect."
The world would point fingers at him.
Oh Jeong-san let out a deep sigh, forcing himself to calm down.
Then, with an impressed expression, the Black Division Captain smiled and said,
"I’m just here to investigate, so let’s not make unnecessary trouble. What did the demonic practitioner look like?"
"I don’t feel like telling you."
"Come now, don’t be childish. The quicker we finish and leave, the easier it will be for you."
Reluctantly, Oh Jeong-san spoke with a sour expression.
"He was a little taller than me, with red hair."
"Highly likely he’s trained in demonic arts."
"Surprisingly young—looked to be around twenty. Whether it was rejuvenation or something else, his martial prowess was nothing like his appearance suggested."
"Not rejuvenation—it’s a trait of demonic arts. Could he be from that damn Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? His weapon?"
"A great saber."
He had deliberately mixed truth with lies.
The Black Division Captain nodded in satisfaction.
"Quite detailed."
"I have children of my own. No matter if you’re of the unorthodox or demonic path, I understand your feelings as a father—so I’ve shown the minimum courtesy as a human being. But!"
Oh Jeong-san suddenly infused his voice with qi and shouted.
This was loud enough for not only the martial artists present but also the townsfolk who had already fled to hear.
"If you cause trouble during your investigation or harass innocent people, I will not stand by as one of the righteous path. I say this clearly—both the Wudang Sect and the Murim Alliance will keep a constant watch on you."
"Oh, how scary. Anyone would think you were a direct disciple of the Wudang Sect."
It was a blatant mockery aimed at Oh Jeong-san, a secular disciple, but he wouldn’t be provoked twice.
Oh Jeong-san grinned and replied,
"If you’re confident, why don’t you give it a try?"
After a long while of contesting their presence through sheer force of will, the two groups eventually dispersed.
Oh Jeong-san deliberately did not glance at Jin Seong-un or Seo Yu-gyeom. There was no need to plant suspicion in the Black Division Captain’s mind.
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom also headed back toward the inn.
As they walked down the now-quiet nighttime streets, made peaceful thanks to the martial artists’ earlier disturbance, Seo Yu-gyeom lowered his voice and said,
"That was dull. This is why both the righteous path and the Black Path are all talk. If it were an assassin, there’d be no pointless words—just one swift slice!"
"Do you miss those days?"
"Ahem. Of course not."
As they walked side by side, Jin Seong-un asked,
"What kind of people did you usually kill?"
It had been weighing on his mind for a while. Even if it had been just a job, if Seo Yu-gyeom had shed the blood of countless innocents, that past wouldn’t simply vanish.
Realizing what Jin Seong-un was concerned about, Seo Yu-gyeom answered in a calm tone,
"They were all martial artists. The Deathshroud has different tiers, and we don’t just kill anyone. Honestly, I feel no guilt. The moment someone joins the murim, they can’t be free of grudges and debts. They’re people who grasped a blade knowing that. They were just unlucky, that’s all."
Jin Seong-un nodded. Somehow, he felt a little more at ease.
By the time they reached the vicinity of the inn—
"Hey, you there."
The voice was deep and threatening.
It was the warriors of the Southern Black Lotus.
Of course, Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom had sensed their presence long before, so they weren’t surprised.
Seo Yu-gyeom deliberately widened his eyes and replied,
"Huh? Us?"
"Yeah, you. When the Captain and the Merchants’ Association Chairman were talking earlier, weren’t you mumbling something?"
"Hmm, did I?"
Seo Yu-gyeom tilted his head repeatedly.
Then the men approached, exuding the air of hunting dogs that had spotted prey.
Suddenly, one man clapped a hand onto Seo Yu-gyeom’s shoulder and said,
"Looking at you, I bet you’re popular in the pleasure quarters. How about you introduce us to a good one and have some fun with us?"
It was obvious what these Black Path thugs were up to.
Since they’d been told not to harass commoners, they’d simply go to a pleasure house and cause trouble while throwing around the Southern Black Lotus’ name.
The pleasure houses were generally closely tied to the Black Path, so no matter what they suffered, they couldn’t raise their voices.
They often skipped paying for drinks, and it wasn’t unusual for them to beat or harass the courtesans. Occasionally, when the madam or another guest couldn’t stand the disturbance and said something, it would escalate into a fight.
Naturally, the other party would end up dead or crippled. The Black Path’s members, regardless of their martial prowess, tended to be brutal in their methods, and if their opponent didn’t know martial arts, the abuse was often worse.
When Seo Yu-gyeom didn’t respond, the Black Path man deliberately put on a serious face and said in a low voice,
"Why the look? Don’t play coy, man. You know which woman in Yichang is the best, don’t you?"
As he said this, he wore a lecherous smile and pressed his hand on Seo Yu-gyeom’s shoulder with more force.
Looking at the man’s face up close, Seo Yu-gyeom couldn’t help but think of his Heaven-Slaying Dagger.
Then, staring at the hand on his shoulder, Seo Yu-gyeom tapped the back of it twice with his index finger and said,
"How about you move this pig’s trotter first?"
Beside him, Jin Seong-un rubbed his forehead.