Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 13

Both matters mentioned by General Manager Ximen were not easy.

Chasing the Blood Sect's culprit, who possessed martial arts capable of felling one of the top one hundred masters of the Central Plains, Bai Renguang, was a dangerous task that required risking one's life.

The Blood Sect was a wicked group that had emerged about thirty years ago and had stained the martial world with blood for twenty years.

Although rumors of their demise had circulated after they suddenly disappeared about a decade ago, their cruelty still remained in the minds of martial artists.

Informing the Qingcheng Sect of True Man Changshan's death was also a very awkward task. If the Qingcheng Sect became suspicious, it would be difficult to return alive.

"Both matters are related to the safety of the White Mountain Sect. We must catch the culprit and find the spiritual pill to save the Young Sect Master. Also, we must personally catch the one who killed True Man Changshan to save face for the White Mountain Sect in the martial world and before the Qingcheng Sect."

"Returning True Man Changshan's remains seems simple enough."

Hu Yeonjo said.

"Of course, it is not a difficult task. However, it would be even better if we could persuade the Qingcheng Sect to join us in searching for the Blood Sect."

"Will the Qingcheng Sect step in? They don't get involved in the affairs of the martial world."

Mo Dahou muttered. The Qingcheng Sect was a sect renowned for its aloofness. Their aloofness was so extreme that it bordered on arrogance.

It was unlikely they would be interested just because the White Mountain Sect was fighting the Blood Sect.

"Since True Man Changshan was killed by the Blood Sect, wouldn't they naturally step in?"

"They might. But they won't act with us. They might even try to investigate us. Because the appearance of the Blood Sect is so sudden."

General Manager Ximen replied to Hu Yeonjo's words.

Hu Yeonjo nodded. He too was half-convinced, half-skeptical about the sudden appearance of the Blood Sect.

Just because the Blood Hand Grand Seal appeared didn't mean the Blood Sect had appeared.

General Manager Ximen sighed and said, "The Sect Master seems to have made a momentous decision in the face of the sect's crisis. It seems he intends to have the two brigade leaders each take on one task and make the one who achieves it first the successor to the sect master."

General Manager Ximen threw out the bait. It was a transparent ploy, but they couldn't openly oppose it.

Mo Dahou and Hu Yeonjo realized they were in the same boat. Whether General Manager Ximen's words were true or false, the White Mountain Sect was in a crisis.

Only if the White Mountain Sect existed could they even aim for the position of sect master.

"I will chase the culprit."

Mo Dahou stepped forward first.

"The Great Light Brigade is more skilled in pursuit."

Hu Yeonjo also stepped forward to catch the culprit.

"Wouldn't it be better for Brigade Leader Hu to handle the simple task?"

Mo Dahou said to Hu Yeonjo, alluding to Hu Yeonjo's earlier comment that returning True Man Changshan's remains was a simple task.

"A gentleman is said to risk danger in times of difficulty."

When Hu Yeonjo replied slyly, General Manager Ximen stepped in.

"Let's do this. The White Temple Brigade will take the north, east, and south to track the culprit. The Great Light Brigade will return True Man Changshan's remains to the Qingcheng Sect and look for traces of the culprit along the way."

"That sounds good."

Mo Dahou nodded.

He was keeping in mind that the culprit had fled with the spiritual pill.

'It's a lost spiritual pill. Who would say anything if I ate it?'

That was why he had volunteered to take on three directions.

Hu Yeonjo also had his own calculations.

'If it's the Blood Sect, they likely fled to the west. If I take this opportunity to establish a connection with the Qingcheng Sect and catch the culprit, the position of sect master will be mine.'

The two, each with their own calculations, accepted General Manager Ximen's proposal.

The two rose from their seats.

General Manager Ximen cupped his fists towards Yang Soryeong and said, "Acting Sect Master, please give the order."

They had discussed it amongst themselves and were now just asking for her to ratify the conclusion. They had not once asked for Yang Soryeong's opinion.

This was what General Manager Ximen meant when he said he would take care of everything.

It was clear that General Manager Ximen was also trying to use Yang Soryeong as a puppet.

Yang Soryeong blinked her large eyes and said, "Brigade Leader Mo, please lead the White Temple Brigade and track the culprit. Brigade Leader Hu, please return True Man Changshan's remains to the Qingcheng Sect."

As Yang Soryeong recited the results of the meeting like a parrot, General Manager Ximen and the two brigade leaders were pleased.

Thinking that the acting sect master was theirs to control, they bowed with gentle expressions.

"We will follow your orders."

After the meeting, Mo Dahou and Hu Yeonjo left the main hall.

General Manager Ximen sighed.

He had succeeded in sending the two tigers outside for now.

Now, he had to solidify the inside with Yu Mungwang at the center.

"Brigade Leader Yu, double the number of the White Mountain Brigade. I will provide sufficient funds."

"I understand."

General Manager Ximen said to Yang Soryeong, "Since you have become the acting sect master, you should move your residence to the Sect Master's Hall, but since the Sect Master is still alive, you will have to stay at the Songhua Hall for the time being. The White Mountain Brigade will stand guard, and we will ensure there is no lack of anything."

"Do so."

Yang Soryeong wanted to leave the White Hall Great Light as soon as possible.

Seeing a person's neck being cut and rough men growling, she was completely out of her mind. It was a difficult position for a young woman to handle.

"We will send back the Yang Merchant Guild's wedding delegation for now. This is not a situation to hold a wedding."

"Yes."

Yang Soryeong answered perfunctorily and staggered as she stood up. Her mental energy was exhausted.

Baekji approached and placed his hand on Yang Soryeong's Mingmen point. A warm energy spread through her body, and Yang Soryeong regained her strength.

"I wish to be quiet, so I would appreciate it if people did not come and go from the Songhua Hall unless it is absolutely necessary."

"I understand."

General Manager Ximen said.

The White Mountain Brigade also escorted them on the way to the Songhua Hall.

As Yang Soryeong entered the Songhua Hall, she called for Baekji.

"Follow me."

"Didn't you say men can't enter the Songhua Hall?"

"I am the acting sect master now. If I command it, it is so."

"I see."

Yang Soryeong called Baekji, served him tea, and asked, "How did you know?"

Yang Soryeong had not forgotten what Baekji had said. At the time, he had been rambling, and she didn't know what he meant, but as she listened to the meeting in the White Hall Great Light, she recalled Baekji's words.

"Yes. I went to find a martial art for you to learn, Master, and... ah!"

Baekji took out a booklet from his bosom as if he had just remembered.

"You must know martial arts too, Master. That's how you can survive in this harsh place."

When Yang Soryeong looked, it was a secret manual with no title.

"What is this?"

"Umm. So..."

He couldn't bring himself to say the terrifying name 'Blood Sun Sword Manual'.

"It's a pretty good sword technique called the Heavenly Fragrance Butterfly Sword. It has a heart method too, so you can just train according to this."

Yang Soryeong stared at the secret manual for a while and then nodded.

"Alright, since I've married into a martial arts family anyway, it would be good for me to know martial arts too. Thank you."

Yang Soryeong took the secret manual and asked again, "So... you went to find this martial art? Where?"

"I don't know the details."

"You did it, so why don't you know?"

"I forgot."

Baekji made a foolish expression.

Yang Soryeong burst out laughing. When he was at a loss for words, he would try to get out of it like that.

"Don't abuse your amnesia. I can see right through you."

"Really? Anyway, let's just say I forgot."

"Then just tell me what you can."

"It was night, and I was looking for a place to sleep, and I found a stone chamber below the cliff in the back. I went to sleep, and suddenly a fight broke out."

"You said True Man Changshan harmed the Sect Master?"

"Yes."

"General Manager Ximen's words were different."

"He lied."

"Why would he?"

"So he can get the White Mountain Sect in his grasp. Power play! General Manager Ximen is playing a power game."

Yang Soryeong thought for a moment. Since she had personally seen General Manager Ximen use her to stop Mo Dahou and Hu Yeonjo from acting out, Baekji's words made sense.

"Is the Sect Master alive?"

"He's probably not dead. But it won't be easy for him to live either. He was hit really hard, right on target."

Baekji explained, demonstrating the technique True Man Changshan had used.

"Since he was hit like this, he probably won't wake up for half a month."

"And the Young Sect Master?"

"True Man Changshan fed him his own blood. So he probably won't die. But he's gone mad, so he won't be able to function as a person."

Baekji added at the end, "It will be difficult to hold the wedding too. He might try to eat you if he sees you, Master."

Yang Soryeong shuddered.

"That's why you have to learn martial arts. If the Young Sect Master goes berserk, you have to be able to subdue him."

"Phew..."

Yang Soryeong sighed.

Until she came to the White Mountain Sect, she had thought she would marry the Young Sect Master and live the life of an ordinary woman.

But now that this had happened, she couldn't know what the future held.

'I can't be bitten to death. I have to learn martial arts.'

Yang Soryeong made up her mind.

"You learn martial arts diligently too. To live here, you need strength."

"Alright. You learn martial arts, Master, I'll learn, and my disciples will learn too. Should we start a sect too?"

"A sect?"

"Yangbai Sect!"

It was a sect name made by combining Yang Soryeong's surname 'Yang' and the first character of his own name.

"Don't do that. Starting a sect is just a hassle. Let's just learn quietly."

"Alright, let's keep the Yangbai Sect a secret sect."

Baekji summed it up simply.

Yang Soryeong thought for a moment and then said, "I need to know what General Manager Ximen is thinking. To do that, I need to know what happened to the Sect Master and the Young Sect Master."

"Should I go find out?"

"You can't just wander around. The White Mountain Sect is in an uproar right now, so security will be tight. I'll ask General Manager Ximen."

"He'll lie. I saw him earlier, he lied without even blinking."

"Still, I can find out."

Yang Soryeong was smart too. Since she had heard from Baekji what had happened to the Sect Master and the Young Sect Master, she would be able to figure out the situation through the other's lies.

"Let's just sleep for today and find out tomorrow. You go and sleep too."

Yang Soryeong said and stood up.

Baekji left the Songhua Hall and came to his own quarters.

Ajok and the others were waiting and asked, "What on earth happened?"

"The Sect Master and the Young Sect Master are hovering between life and death, and the White Mountain Sect is on the verge of splitting into two, no, three."

Baekji summed it up accurately.

"Gasp! Then what do we do?"

"Just eat the food they give you and train hard in martial arts. We don't know when an enemy might attack."

"We're just holding stances now, so when are we going to learn martial arts and fight enemies?"

"Umm. That's right. You all are too weak right now. This won't do. Let's go out and train."

"It's the middle of the night."

"What does it matter? If you're dead, you can't train."

Baekji drove Ajok and the others out to the backyard.

"Aaaah."

"Keee."

Groans and screams echoed through the backyard of the lower quarters of the Songhua Hall all night.

* * *

Wu Ping left the White Mountain Sect in a hurry without even looking for Yang Soryeong.

Yang Soryeong requested to see General Manager Ximen, but she only received a message that he was busy and would come later.

The Songhua Hall was truly quiet.

The outside was heavily guarded by the White Mountain Brigade, and the only ones who came and went were the servants who brought food.

Yang Soryeong practiced martial arts with Baekji, and being very intelligent, she understood much faster than Ajok and the others.

However, martial arts are not learned with the head alone. Although Yang Soryeong was healthy, learning martial arts required more than that in terms of physical strength.

She trained diligently, but her stamina was lacking, so her sword kept drooping.

"You have to thrust like this here. That's how you can use the next move."

Baekji corrected Yang Soryeong's posture, spitting as he spoke.

"How do you know all this so well? Were you a master before you got amnesia?"

"I guess so."

After devouring the martial arts manuals in Bai Renguang's study, Baekji's martial arts improved by leaps and bounds, as if a dam had burst.

Whatever he thought of became a form.

"Phew. This is hard. Let's take a break."

Yang Soryeong lowered her sword. The exhaustion was evident on her face.

"Umm. This won't do. I have to do something."

"What are you talking about?"

"Both you, Master, and my disciples are too weak in energy."

"Of course. We've just started learning internal energy."

"Your stamina is weak too."

"That's why we're doing physical training in the morning and evening."

"That's not enough."

"Then what do we do?"

"Let's go to the back mountain. We'll do special training there."

"The back mountain? General Manager Ximen won't let us go."

"Couldn't we just say it's too hot here and we'll stay at the back mountain just for this summer?"

"I'll try talking to him."

Since General Manager Ximen wasn't coming, Yang Soryeong had to go.

When Yang Soryeong left the Songhua Hall, the White Mountain Brigade warriors blocked her.

"How dare you block the path of the Acting Sect Master. You shouldn't do that. Hurry up and guide us to General Manager Ximen."

Baekji said.

The White Mountain Brigade warriors looked at each other, and then one of them led the way.

"I will guide you."

The White Mountain Brigade warrior guided them to General Manager Ximen's office.

"He has stepped out for a moment but will be back soon."

The warrior guarding the office said.

"We'll go in and wait."

"You can't..."

"You shouldn't block the path of the Acting Sect Master."

The guard warrior tried to stop them, but Baekji pushed past him with Yang Soryeong in front.

(End of Chapter)