Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 139

Hyuk-ryeonhu flinched in surprise.

'That brat came looking for the 'Divine Doctor of Life and Death'?'

It had been over a year since he had come to the Central Plains to find the 'Divine Doctor of Life and Death' and had been wandering. He had barely found out that she was hiding in the upper reaches of Dongting Lake and had searched the area thoroughly.

Then, in Yuankang County, he had heard that there were women who came with medicinal herbs once a month to buy food and other things, and had waited.

Seeing Baekmae's party, he had approached them, thinking 'just in case', and seeing them deny it, he was on the verge of being certain.

"If you had just stayed still, we would have met... but because you were acting up, Big Sister Baek just left with suspicion. It's all your fault."

As Baekji blamed him as if it were a matter of course, Hyuk-ryeonhu really felt as if he had done something wrong.

He remembered that brat throwing money around to win the favor of Baekmae's party.

Baekji, for his part, carefully observed Hyuk-ryeonhu's expression. Seeing his eyeballs roll, he knew that his guess was correct.

The 'Divine Doctor of Life and Death' and the Demonic Cult had a deep connection.

Hearing Hyuk-ryeonhu ask Baekmae to convey his promise to the 'Divine Doctor', he had made a guess, and he had really come to find the 'Divine Doctor of Life and Death'.

Hyuk-ryeonhu, noticing that Baekji was observing him carefully, thought, 'acha'.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Although Hyuk-ryeonhu denied it belatedly, it was already too late.

"Really? Then go back. If you ask them to take you on that raft over there, they will."

Baekji pointed at Gong-chil's boat, which was watching from a distance.

Hyuk-ryeonhu thought for a moment. Since he knew that Baekji was a master of a much higher level than himself, he did not have many choices.

"Alright. Let's have a temporary truce. I will give you this boat, and when we meet the 'Divine Doctor', I will speak first."

"That's for the 'Divine Doctor' to decide. It's not for you to decide."

"..."

"We don't even know if the 'Divine Doctor' will meet us, so isn't it ridiculous for us to argue about who goes first? Let's find her first and then think about it."

Hyuk-ryeonhu had no choice but to nod his head.

"Alright."

Although they had agreed to go together, Hyuk-ryeonhu did not come down from the mast.

He was trying to take the mast hostage, as he did not know when Baekji would break his promise.

Baekji said to the captain, "You heard him. Everything is settled. Hurry and steer the boat."

"That boat has disappeared."

While Baekji and Hyuk-ryeonhu were fighting, Baekmae's boat had disappeared somewhere. This was a mountainous region, so the width of the lake was narrow, and there were many waterways that went into the valleys.

"Do you know a place called the 'Dragon's Nest Valley'? They said she went there."

The captain's face changed.

Seeing the direction in which Baekmae's boat had disappeared, he had guessed, but he had wanted to avoid it somehow.

"There are many reefs there..."

"I know. You said the waterways are rough, right? Let's just go to the entrance."

The sleek boat adjusted its sails again and slid quickly across the lake.

A moment later, he saw Baekmae's boat going towards a valley with continuous high cliffs.

It was a terrain where waterfalls fell from both cliffs, and the wide valley water that had wound around the side of the mountain joined.

Water mist rose from all directions, and even reefs and small islands in the middle could be seen.

Baekji shouted at Baekmae's boat, "Big Sister Baek! It's dangerous, so don't go there! You don't have to go!"

Baekmae's boat seemed to flinch for a moment.

Baekji waved his hand and shouted, "It's all been exposed! Come here and let's talk!"

Baekmae's boat soon sped up again and entered a crevice in the cliff. It was a terrain that could not be known unless one got close, as the cliffs overlapped.

"Wow. There was a place like that."

Baekji's boat stopped on its way.

"Why are you stopping?"

"Look over there. There are so many whirlpools, how can we go in?"

When Baekji looked, there were indeed whirlpools everywhere where the river and the lake met.

The captain, sweating profusely, said, "No one can enter this place unless they know the waterways. A boat like this will sink in an instant. Please spare me."

"Yes. I have no choice. Turn the boat around. Let's go to Yuankang."

At that, Hyuk-ryeonhu, who was holding the mast, shouted, "What are you talking about? To give up. You're saying you can't even get through that much current?"

"He said it's dangerous. I think we need to come with a bigger boat."

The captain chimed in.

"That's right. That place is like the sea. This boat can't go."

Although Hyuk-ryeonhu did not want to back down, he had no choice. The initiative had passed to Baekji, and the captain was also in agreement.

He suppressed his anger inwardly and looked around.

Hyuk-ryeonhu had his two guards track them from the land. Seeing the terrain, it would not be easy, but he had no choice but to place his hopes on them.

The sleek boat arrived at the pier of Yuankang County twice as fast as it had come.

Hyuk-ryeonhu, even though he was docked at the pier, did not come down from the mast.

"Now, come down. Surely you wouldn't hit me in a place with so many people like this."

Although Baekji spoke, he pretended not to hear.

"You're like a monkey. Do as you please. I'm going to eat."

Baekji disappeared towards the street. Watching his back, Hyuk-ryeonhu ground his teeth.

He, who was born as the eldest son of the Hyuk-ryeon family, the second-ranked of the twelve guardian families of the Demonic Cult, had been recognized as a prodigy and had been revered by all.

He had never been humiliated like this.

The thought of calling his two guards and attacking him together crossed his mind, but he soon discarded it.

'Endure it. I must endure it...'

It was not a situation to risk danger because of his pride.

He had received a carrier pigeon saying that the Young Lord was dead and that he should return quickly.

A new Young Lord would be elected from among the rising generation of the Demonic Cult, and the most likely candidate was himself.

Among the twelve guardian families, the So family's line had been cut off. Although there were ten families other than the Hyuk-ryeon family... there was no one among the rising generation who surpassed him.

His greed to even achieve the feat of capturing the 'Divine Doctor of Life and Death' had been the cause of his misfortune.

If he just endured this humiliation...

Returned to the cult, won the competition for the Young Lord, and...

Received the 'Heavenly Demon Divine Art'...

'I can kill that brat too.'

Whether he knew Hyuk-ryeonhu was glaring at him or not, Baekji trudged to the Suryu Inn.

* * *

Baekmae's boat was hidden between the cliffs of the 'Dragon's Nest Valley'. If Hyuk-ryeonhu and Baekji had continued to chase, she had been thinking of abandoning the boat and fleeing by land. But they did not chase.

"I am the only one who knows the waterway that passes through that whirlpool. So don't worry."

Although the captain had boasted, Baekmae could not help but worry. It was safest to abandon the boat at the 'Dragon's Nest Valley' hideout and return by land. But the boat had a month's worth of food and other household goods. It was not an easy task to carry all of this and go up the steep cliff path by land.

But she was also reluctant to go out by water again. Hyuk-ryeonhu and Baekji might be hiding somewhere and waiting.

In the end, she had no choice but to go out and scout for herself.

Around sunset, Baekmae climbed the cliff and looked towards the lake, but the boat was not seen.

'To think those two were a team.'

Through this incident, she keenly felt the 'Divine Doctor's' words that the martial world was a dangerous place. The face of Baekji, who had smiled brightly, came to mind.

'To deceive me with an innocent face!'

So it was even more detestable.

To even go so far as to tattle on Hyuk-ryeonhu's identity as if he were concerned about Baekmae's party and to try to gain her trust.

Baekmae was so angry that she picked up a stone at her feet and threw it towards the lake. Then she felt a movement on the ridge to the lower right. Although it was quite a distance, she felt something approaching this way quite quickly.

Her heart sank.

'They're coming by land, taking a detour!'

Baekmae hastily descended the cliff and got on the boat.

"Hurry and go. The enemy is coming."

The captain was troubled.

"It is already getting dark. How can we pass through that whirlpool at night?"

"If we stay here, we will all be caught."

Baekmae was anxious.

The 'Divine Doctor' had said that there were many who were after her. That's why she had lived in hiding.

'That person is the benefactor who saved my life.'

She would rather die than let the 'Divine Doctor' be in danger.

Baekmae, after thinking again, pleaded with the captain.

"If we are caught here... we will probably suffer a great deal."

The captain also understood what she meant and steered the boat out of the hideout. It was early evening, but there was no wind.

"This is impossible. There is no wind. It will take at least an hour for the mountain wind to come down."

"Then stay as far away from the cliff as possible."

No matter how much of a master the chaser was, he would not be able to jump a distance of thirty 'jang' (approx. 90 meters).

Baekmae raised her inner vision and looked at the top of the cliff. Indeed, the figures of two people could be seen. They were the ones who had been Hyuk-ryeonhu's guards.

Seeing that they had arrived so quickly, they were also clearly masters.

'What a fool! I should have abandoned the boat earlier.'

Now she could not go by land either. Since Hyuk-ryeonhu and Baekji might be hiding somewhere outside, she was now surrounded.

.

.

.

Two people standing on the cliff were looking down at the boat.

"What should we do?"

Zhuo Ming asked Zhu Zhanyan, who was next to him.

"Can you jump down to the boat?"

"It's possible if I get help once in the middle."

When he flew, if Zhu Zhanyan threw a stone, he could step on it and jump again.

Zhu Zhanyan looked at the lake in the distance and muttered, "Why did Young Master Hyuk-ryeon go back?"

The original plan was for Hyuk-ryeonhu to reassure Baekmae's party and pretend to go back, while they would follow them by land.

Of course, they were not going back completely, but were supposed to follow from a distance. But when he had looked earlier, he had gone to Yuankang County.

And he was hanging from the mast with difficulty.

The two had not seen Baekji and Hyuk-ryeonhu fight. Since they had seen it after the situation was over, they could not understand Hyuk-ryeonhu's actions.

Although the two were guards, their status in the Hyuk-ryeon family was not low.

They were the two who were evaluated as the most outstanding among the masters that the Hyuk-ryeon family had put their heart and soul into training.

"Let's subdue them first."

"Let's do that. I was getting tired of just chasing."

Zhuo Ming flew. He flew ten 'jang' (approx. 30 meters) in an instant.

Around the time Zhuo Ming's body, which was flying through the air, was about to fall, Zhu Zhanyan threw a fist-sized stone.

Hwik―.

Zhuo Ming stepped on the flying stone, gained strength, and flew another ten 'jang'.

Zhu Zhanyan threw another stone.

The remaining distance was about five 'jang'...

It seemed he would be able to get on the boat with this jump.

At that moment.

Shwik―!

A dagger flew from the boat. It was thrown by Baekmae.

"Heok!"

Zhuo Ming, while dodging the dagger, missed the stone and fell straight down.

At the moment of crisis of falling into the water, a black reef came into view. Zhuo Ming desperately paddled his arms, descended towards the reef, and then jumped again.

Shwik! Shwik!

Daggers flew in succession, but in front of Zhuo Ming, who had already drawn his sword, they were useless.

Ting, ting!

Zhuo Ming simply deflected the daggers and got on the boat.

"Don't move if you don't want to die."

Zhuo Ming scanned the boat with cold eyes.

Baekmae and the other six plums, as well as the sailors, were frozen in fear, as if they had met the god of death.

It was the first time they had seen a master who had flown thirty 'jang'.

Zhu Zhanyan, seeing Zhuo Ming land on the boat, shot up a signal flare.

Hyuk-ryeonhu, who was running by land from a distance, saw that signal flare.

* * *

Baekji ate dinner at the Suryu Inn and then came to the pier again.

Gong-chil's raft came into the pier. The sleek boat had returned long ago, but he had only just arrived.

"You were already here. It wasn't fast... but I brought the horse accurately."

Gong-chil untied Oh-ryong and brought him down, and seeing Baekji's travel attire, he asked stealthily, "Young Master, are you going to take a boat at this hour?"

Gong-chil looked at Baekji with expectant eyes.

After suffering for a day and hitting the jackpot, he wanted to earn another share.

"That's enough. I'm not taking that boat."

"There are other boats."

Gong-chil pointed at a boat moored at the pier.

It was not a big boat, but it was enough to take a horse and ride.

"What? There was a boat like that, and you put me on a raft?"

"That's... my older brother Gong-yuk's boat..."

Gong-yuk's eyes flashed, and he stepped forward.

"This time, I will serve you."

Ah... what's the use of being an absolute master...

For some reason, I feel like I'm constantly being ripped off by a naive civilian.

(End of Chapter)