novelraw Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Chapter 73
“You must return safely, Head Instructor. After we take the followers to a safe place, we will go there as well. So you must return before then.”
Ma Won-chang said, thinking that if he put it that way, Cheon Ha-seong would find it difficult to be stubborn.
Watching his earnest expression, Cheon Ha-seong smiled.
“If you do that, I will never see your faces again. If you don't mind that, then come.”
How often could such words be a threat? And yet, the thought that Cheon Ha-seong would never meet them again was frightening.
Ma Won-chang sighed and said.
“You must be safe. You must return safely. I'm saying that there are so many things you must do in the future.”
“Of course. Don't worry.”
Cheon Ha-seong told them to hurry and left the place first. It was because he thought that if he didn't leave, the others wouldn't be able to leave either.
The followers of the Divine Cult couldn't hide their apologetic feelings, thinking that Cheon Ha-seong was jumping into the fire because of them.
The mood of Ma Won-chang's group was even worse. It was because they thought that if only their skills had been a little better, Cheon Ha-seong would have trusted them and asked them to go with him.
It was as they were setting out with listless expressions and arrived at the designated inn.
The inn was now full of people.
Just as Ma Won-chang's group was telling Sa Un-ak about Cheon Ha-seong, the sound of a door being kicked was heard.
The people inside were all startled by the force of it and looked at each other.
Sa Un-ak and Ma Won-chang's group all drew their swords.
They had thought that the bastards from the Azure Sea Sect had finally come this far. In truth, there was no reason for that to be the case.
Since they themselves were in hiding, they were the ones wondering if others might find this place suspicious; what reason would the martial artists of the Azure Sea Sect have to come and search a closed inn?
Then, Sa Un-ak approached the door first and shouted.
“What bastard are you!”
At that, a voice was heard from outside.
“I'm only trying not to break down the door if I can help it, so hurry up and open it. If you don't, I will break it down at once!”
Sa Un-ak, thinking a fight was unavoidable, firmed his resolve, but among the followers who had arrived earlier, there were some who recognized the voice.
“Doesn't he sound like the person Head Instructor Cheon called 'old senior'?”
“That's right. It must be him.”
As Sa Un-ak was looking at them with a strange expression after hearing their words, the voice was heard again from outside.
“That's right. That bastard Cheon Ha-seong did call me 'old senior'. There's a whole bunch of demonic path followers in here, and if you don't want them all to be captured by the Azure Sea Sect bastards, open the door quickly.”
While wondering what that was all about, at the words that he was an acquaintance of Cheon Ha-seong, Sa Un-ak hurriedly opened the door.
Then, the person who had barged in was someone he had never once seen in the Divine Cult.
With an ageless appearance, he exuded a rough atmosphere. Moreover, as if he intended to overwhelm from the start, he was strongly emitting his energy, and it felt as if one would suffocate from it.
Sa Un-ak was so greatly flustered that he wondered who among those with such a level of martial prowess he did not know.
In Sa Un-ak's view, a person with this level of martial prowess would have to be at least a Protector.
In the meantime, numerous people hurriedly entered from behind him.
“Young Master… Danmok?”
Sa Un-ak's eyes went wide, realizing that the ones who had followed were Danmok Muyeol and the martial artists of the Danmok Demonic Clan.
He would have been surprised even if the people who had appeared were just ordinary martial artists of the Danmok Demonic Clan, but seeing that even Danmok Muyeol, from the family's direct line, had come, he was at a loss for words.
Danmok Muyeol didn't seem to know who Sa Un-ak was, but he corrected his title for now.
“It seems you are a martial artist of our cult. It seems you do not know, as you have been in the Central Plains for some time, but I have become the Young Family Head of my family. Therefore, do not call me Young Master, but Young Family Head.”
Although his attitude and tone were incomparably arrogant, as the Young Family Head of the Danmok Demonic Clan, he was more than qualified to be so.
“Understood. But what brings you here, Young Family Head?”
However, Danmok Muyeol ignored what Sa Un-ak said and looked around at the people inside the inn.
“Are these the ones? The ones who must return to our cult?”
“That is correct.”
“There were carriages outside.”
At that, Sa Un-ak also explained about that.
“Head Instructor Cheon Ha-seong prepared them to take the followers who are here. There are many injured. The bastards from the Azure Sea Sect have gone completely crazy and are trying to capture and kill any follower they find. This time too, if not for Head Instructor Cheon, many people would have died.”
“Where is that bastard now?”
Sa Un-ak's words were cut off by Danmok Yeon.
However, because of the overwhelming energy he felt from Danmok Yeon, Sa Un-ak could not dare to express his dissatisfaction and spoke at once.
“He said he was going to the Azure Sea Sect. Everyone is worried sick that he has gone there alone. It will surely be difficult for him alone.”
However, he could not even finish those words.
It was because Danmok Yeon had suddenly vanished from the spot.
Just then, a telepathic message was heard by Danmok Muyeol.
—You, bastard, take the followers and return. It seems you will have to go back and forth a few more times, so take them and come back out. Ah, and you must take special care of the chef named Paeng Ga-jong. Cheon Ha-seong's wife is pregnant and cannot eat, but I hear she can eat the dumplings that man makes.
“Yes?”
Danmok Muyeol wondered what he had just heard.
However, in the meantime, Danmok Yeon had completely disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.
Danmok Muyeol felt as if he were dreaming.
Until the Family Head had suddenly called for him, Danmok Muyeol had had no idea what awaited him.
Then, seeing a person next to the Family Head, he thought it was strange and joined them.
He began to feel that the atmosphere was strange after he realized the Family Head was treating the mysterious person with extreme difficulty and respect. One could treat another with respect, but no matter how he looked at it, this was excessive.
He hadn't even acted that way in front of the Cult Leader; it was to the point where he thought he might only show such an attitude if he were to see the founding ancestor again.
How could he have known that his thought was somewhat correct?
Hearing that an ancestor who had been born more than a hundred years ago had appeared after hiding without even dying, Danmok Muyeol thought the Family Head was joking with him.
But he couldn't understand why he would tell a joke that was neither amusing nor beneficial.
“…”
Danmok Muyeol trembled finely, as if feeling that shock again.
He had followed because the ancestor who had suddenly appeared had told him to follow at once, but he still didn't fully understand what this atmosphere was.
‘But Cheon Ha-seong's wife is pregnant? Wasn't there a rumor that Cheon Ha-seong was betrothed to the Young Supreme One? Could it be that the Young Supreme One is carrying that bastard's child?’
It was a strange thing that such a thought had come to mind at that moment.
‘Why on earth is he trying to help a bastard like Cheon Ha-seong? Did he lose all his sense after being away for so long? Is he saying he doesn't even know what would be helpful to our family?’
There was no need to even question it. Just one look was enough to know that he didn't know.
‘It would be great if they were left to die here. No. In any case, even if he goes, there's no guarantee that Cheon Ha-seong will return alive.’
He too had heard about the Azure Sea Sect.
The children of the prestigious Demonic Clans had learned about the important sects and families of the Central Plains Murim since they were young. They had to know in as much detail as possible about those they might one day encounter in order to increase their chances of victory.
In particular, since the Azure Sea Sect was the dominant power in Qinghai, which was close to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, he knew about it even better.
‘The Azure Sea Sect is trustworthy.’
When his thoughts reached that point, Danmok Muyeol almost let out a chuckle, wondering what he had been worried about until now.
After a long-cherished wish, he had become the Young Family Head.
Now, he thought that only the Family Head, the patriarchs, and the elders were above him, and he was planning to soon take control of the Council of Patriarchs and the Council of Elders as well. He had already made some progress.
But the sudden appearance of an elder before whom even the Family Head couldn't move was unpleasant for Danmok Muyeol.
‘It would be very good if they all died there together.’
If he had his way, he would have liked to just pretend he knew nothing about taking the followers to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, but since the Family Head already knew, it was difficult to do so.
‘I can't let that old monster continue to control the family.’
Danmok Muyeol's expression changed to one of annoyance.
In any case, thinking that his job would be over once he took the followers, he hurried back to the inn.
“Hurry up. We will depart when the sun sets. We will be going by carriage, so from now on, the person I designate will go around the vicinity, find a place to steal horses and carriages, and come back. And when the sun sets, bring the horses and carriages. We don't know how long it will take if we go on foot.”
Sa Un-ak wondered what he was talking about.
If they did that, it seemed the Divine Cult's reputation would plummet. One could say, 'How would they know we stole them,' but Sa Un-ak somehow didn't feel right about it.
Did Cheon Ha-seong not know of that method? However, he must have not even considered it, thinking that it shouldn't be done that way.
After hesitating, Sa Un-ak finally spoke to Danmok Muyeol.
“Young Family Head, it may be convenient for now, but in the end, it seems the followers will be the ones to suffer the damage. Right now in Qinghai, whenever something happens, it is all blamed on the followers. We haven't even rescued all the followers and are still searching; because of that, the followers who have not yet been found could be harmed.”
At that, Danmok Muyeol lifted his chin, glared at him, and spoke.
“Who does a lowly thing like you think you are talking to?”
At those words, the followers couldn't even breathe properly and lowered their heads.
They didn't know how such a person had come to be here, but they had a hunch that the time ahead would be rough.
Sa Un-ak was at a loss for words. He immediately lowered his head and apologized.
“I am sorry, Young Family Head.”
Sa Un-ak now realized exactly what he had to do from now on.
It seemed Danmok Muyeol had not come to this place because he had wanted to. Therefore, it seemed he would mercilessly discard anyone he thought would interfere with his mission in the slightest.
He even had the thought that it would not be strange at all if he were to kill the injured, throw them on the road, and leave.
That was absolutely not Cheon Ha-seong's will, and he would be sure to accomplish what Cheon Ha-seong wanted. To endure humiliation for that was nothing.
Sa Un-ak sent a telepathic message to his colleagues, telling them to protect the injured as their top priority.
They too, realizing what Sa Un-ak was thinking, firmed their resolve.
Because Danmok Yeon, who had broken his seclusion after a long time, had brought Danmok Muyeol of all people, a crisis had once again come to the followers.
However, Danmok Yeon, completely unaware of what he had done, was in high spirits at the thought that he could massacre the bastards of the Azure Sea Sect with Cheon Ha-seong, and he performed his lightness skill with all his might.