Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 147

"Of course, I understand Shangguan Ming's position. It must be his loyalty to protect the Alliance Leader's safety. But... isn't it because of his stubbornness that an attempt to eliminate the Alliance Leader has occurred?"

Yunhe said with a light sigh.

"After the decisive battle with the Blood Demon, the Alliance Leader is unconscious, and it is unknown when he will recover. In fact, he is already old, and even if there were no problems, it is time for him to hand over the position of Alliance Leader. But since Shangguan Ming does not accept this, things have become complicated in many ways."

"Where did he smuggle the Alliance Leader to?"

"The Yang-Bai Merchant Sect! It is a sect where a person named Yang Baekji, the disciple of the Alliance Leader, is the Honored One."

"..."

"We have come to escort the former Alliance Leader to the Alliance. His contribution to the martial world is not small, so we cannot let him stay in a foreign land. That is why we have sought the cooperation of the renowned Qingcheng and Emei of Sichuan."

Zhang Ming tried to gauge Yunhe's intentions.

'So Shaolin and Wudang are trying to gain a justification by securing the former Alliance Leader.'

If the renowned Qingcheng and Emei of Sichuan were to step forward after Shaolin and Wudang, they could create the appearance of the nine sects respectfully escorting the former Alliance Leader.

Of course, the main players would be Shaolin and Wudang, and Qingcheng and Emei would just be there to make it look good.

Zhang Ming snorted inwardly.

'Hmph! Do they think Qingcheng is a pushover...'

He had no intention of playing the clown at someone else's party. Zhang Ming said coldly, "The Yang-Bai Merchant Sect and Qingcheng have a slight connection. I would like to avoid a situation where we turn red in the face."

"If so, isn't that even better? If Taoist Master Zhang Ming were to arrange a meeting, Wudang would not forget it."

Although Yunhe even brought up the honor of Wudang, Zhang Ming cupped his fists and bowed his head.

"I am sorry. I have also just come to convey the intentions of my sect. Also, since an elder of my sect is coming, I must go to escort him, so it is difficult to accept the Taoist Master's request."

It was a polite refusal. Zhang Ming immediately turned and left.

"It seems this is not a place for Emei to interfere."

Zheng Qing of Emei also threw in a word as if to add on and followed him out.

Yunhe just looked at the backs of the two as if he were dumbfounded.

Wu Tian said bluntly, "How did the nine sects come to this? Isn't this no different from being complete strangers?"

Wu Tian, who had thought that Qingcheng or Emei would gladly listen to his words, was very hurt when they left, contrary to his expectations.

Yunhe, who had more experience in the martial world than Wu Tian, immediately composed his expression and said, "What can we do when our intentions are different? If Shaolin and Wudang step forward to escort the former Alliance Leader, there will be no shortcomings."

"Hmph! They say the nine great sects, but in fact, if there were no Shaolin and Wudang, the two great mountain ranges, how would they act as great sects?"

As Wu Tian was grumbling, the inn waiter approached hesitantly.

"Great Master, Taoist Master... if you are done with the separate room, I would appreciate it if you would vacate it..."

"What does that mean?"

"As you know, there are many people in Joga-hyeon these days. The separate rooms can be used on an hourly basis."

"What? What does that mean?"

Wu Tian asked back with an expression that said he was hearing all sorts of strange things.

"You don't know the situation here in Joga-hyeon. Since the second-ranked of the Ten Great Masters of the martial world, the immortal Mado, had a martial arts contest, martial artists have been flocking, so there are no empty rooms in any of the inns. There are even people who are sleeping outdoors."

Wu Tian had also heard something about it.

He had snorted when he heard that the second-ranked of the Ten Great Masters, Mado, was having martial arts contests for money, but it seemed to be true.

"The secular world is truly corrupt! To receive money in exchange for a martial arts contest..."

At Wu Tian's words, the waiter's lips curled.

Thanks to Mado, many guests had flocked, and they were enjoying a boom. Ten times more people had flocked to watch than to have a martial arts contest.

That's why in Joga-hyeon, they called Mado an immortal and revered her. Not only were her martial arts high, but her beauty was outstanding, like a fairy who had descended from heaven, so everyone admired her.

The waiter, who was offended that a rough-looking monk was slandering the immortal, said bluntly, "The Taoist Master from Qingcheng said he would only use it for an hour, so I have taken a reservation for the next guest. I would appreciate it if you would vacate the room quickly."

"Is there such an absurd case? To kick out a guest."

As Wu Tian frowned, Yunhe stood up and said, "I understand. We will be staying at this inn, so please give us a room."

"I'm sorry, but as I said, there are no rooms. The rooms are full with long-term guests."

"Heo..."

Yunhe was at a loss.

Even if he were to bring up the Wudang Sect to the young waiter, it would only damage his honor.

"What should we do..."

"There are many inns on the newly built street over there. If you go there, there might be an empty room. But you'll have to hurry. A famous theater troupe from the Central Plains is coming today, so people from the nearby regions are flocking."

"Ahem..."

At the unprecedented poor treatment, Wu Tian and Yunhe could only let out a sigh of 'ahem'.

* * *

It was complete darkness. He couldn't tell how much time had passed.

There was no sign of Zhuo Ming and Zhu Zhanyan, who had been captured with him. The sense of isolation of being trapped alone in an underground prison...

It was a method to suppress the spirit before an interrogation.

'Hmph! Do you think I'll fall for a trick like this?'

Hyuk-ryeonhu ground his teeth. He held onto his spirit, which was about to succumb to the darkness, and desperately looked back at the situation.

Since he had come in a carriage with covered windows, he couldn't tell where this was.

Seeing that it was a journey of over a month, there was a high possibility that he had come to the Martial Alliance. Because that brat was the disciple of the Alliance Leader.

'If so, there will be room for negotiation.'

Because I am the great young master of the Hyuk-ryeon family who will become the Young Lord of the Demonic Cult in the future.

It is worth enough for the Martial Alliance to hold me hostage.

On the other hand, he became anxious.

'What if they kill me, saying they'll cut off the bud this time?'

'Let's just think of one thing! If I just get through this crisis, I will become the Young Lord. The heavens are giving me a final trial...'

'That brat... I will kill him with my own hands.'

Hyuk-ryeonhu did not know that he was getting tired from all sorts of thoughts.

Around the time his mental strength was at its bottom.

Cheol-keong―.

The sound of a door opening was heard.

"Why is it so dark?"

"Prisoners are originally kept in a dark place. It means they should look at the darkness and reflect on their own darkness."

A slightly young man's voice, a sweet woman's voice...

He thought he knew who it was. That brat, the disciple of the Alliance Leader... and the voice of the woman who had led the group that had brought him here.

In the bright lamplight, things could be seen faintly. The sound of someone coming down the stairs was heard.

"They'll be stained by the darkness instead of reflecting. Make it bright from now on. You have to guide them with a bright light."

He heard Baekji's words, and then his figure appeared in front of the iron bars.

Baekji, looking at Hyuk-ryeonhu, clicked his tongue.

"Look at that. He's completely stained by the darkness. What are you going to do if you make a person like that?"

Then he covered his nose and waved his hands.

"He was a handsome and rich-looking young master... to become like this in just a few days... he even smells."

Baekji took a step back and then spoke to him.

"Hey, Great Young Master Hyuk-ryeon. Are you in your right mind? I didn't know you were receiving such treatment. You are the great young master of the Hyuk-ryeon family, the second-ranked of the twelve guardian families of the Demonic Cult... I promise to make improvements."

A light of resentment poured out of Hyuk-ryeonhu's eyes.

"Cut the crap. What do you want?"

Baekji tilted his head this way and that, looked at Hyuk-ryeonhu, and then said, "You're of the 'Heavenly Vein'. That's why you're looking at the 'flower realm' at that age."

A strange light flashed in Hyuk-ryeonhu's eyes. Very few people knew about the 'Heavenly Vein'. Most just knew him as a martial arts genius.

"The 'Divine Doctor' must have told you. That's right. I am the 'Heavenly Vein' of the Hyuk-ryeon family!"

"Oh! Amazing!"

"Aren't you also of the 'Heavenly Vein'? You wouldn't be able to have such martial arts otherwise."

"That's right. I'm a top-grade 'Heavenly Vein' among the 'Heavenly Veins'."

At Baekji's words, Hyuk-ryeonhu frowned.

"A top-grade 'Heavenly Vein'? Is there such a thing?"

"You don't know? If you continue with a pure bloodline, a top-grade 'Heavenly Vein' with even more outstanding talent among the 'Heavenly Veins' can be born. It's different from a mixed-blood 'Heavenly Vein' like you."

"What! You brat! How dare you treat me like a mixed-blood!"

Hyuk-ryeonhu flared up and shouted. To him, who had lived as the great young master of the Hyuk-ryeon family, to be called a mixed-blood, this was the first time he had been insulted like this.

"Ah, ah... calm down. I didn't come here to talk about this. There's something else I'm curious about."

"Hmph! You won't find out anything."

The offended Hyuk-ryeonhu snorted and turned his head away.

"You'll have to tell me. Otherwise, I'll feed you a truth-telling pill... but it has severe side effects for masters. Your mind could go back and forth..."

Grind.

Hyuk-ryeonhu ground his teeth. That's right, he had wondered why this brat wasn't torturing him, and he had a secret weapon.

A truth-telling pill...

Hyuk-ryeonhu also knew about the aftereffects of truth-telling drugs.

Most truth-telling drugs make you fall into a hallucinatory state, confess everything, and then go crazy or die.

"You vicious brat! What do you want to know!"

"The death of the Young Lord! The truth behind it... I'm curious about things like that."

The 'Divine Doctor' had said that the Hyuk-ryeon family had interfered with the 'Great Reincarnation Art'. If that was true, Hyuk-ryeonhu would also know something.

"What?"

At the unexpected request, Hyuk-ryeonhu asked back. Baekji put his bamboo staff through the iron bars and, 'tong-tong', tapped Hyuk-ryeonhu's head.

"You're not very smart. Why do you think I'm asking?"

Hyuk-ryeonhu, as the bamboo staff played on his head, came to his senses.

'That brat is the disciple of the Alliance Leader... he wants to know about the internal strife of the Demonic Cult. He might even be planning a strategy to invade the Demonic Cult.'

I have to show the solidarity of the Demonic Cult.

"Hehe... you brats think there's only the Heavenly Demon in the Demonic Cult? The true power of the Demonic Cult comes from the twelve guardian families. Remember that whether the Young Lord dies or not, the power of the Demonic Cult will not change."

"Hmm. Was the Young Lord such an insignificant figure? Why on earth did he die?"

"..."

"The 'Divine Doctor' said that the Hyuk-ryeon family sent assassins and killed him."

"..."

"Is the power struggle in the Demonic Cult also severe?"

"Hmph!"

Hyuk-ryeonhu snorted and then said, "He killed my grandfather. He was said to be the greatest prodigy of the Hyuk-ryeon family. He deserved to die for framing and killing him out of jealousy for his talent."

What, what is this brat saying?

"My grandfather and a woman from the Bi family were in love with each other. But that brat from the So family tried to take the woman, using the authority of his father, the Cult Leader. When the woman killed herself, he framed my grandfather for killing her and had him killed."

Wow, he's put together a plausible story.

Hyuk-ryeonhu continued in a tone of righteous indignation, "The Hyuk-ryeon family has not forgotten. The resentment of the greatest prodigy of the Hyuk-ryeon family who was unjustly killed by the So family! And we have just repaid that debt."

"Yes... so there was a story like that. So you led the assassins yourself?"

Hyuk-ryeonhu shook his head.

"The main family secretly trained assassins. They did it."

"The Young Lord was a master of the life-and-death realm, and you're saying you could kill him with just assassins?"

"Hehe... that brat stole the family's 'Great Soul Weaving Art' to break through the life-and-death realm. But he would never have dreamed of it. The fact that that 'Great Soul Weaving Art' was incomplete... when that brat was going crazy from cultivation deviation, the family's assassins gloriously died with him. The Young Lord fled the scene, but he was eventually found as a corpse. The Hyuk-ryeon family does not live in debt."

Hyuk-ryeonhu obediently confessed what he knew. Since the opponent was the Martial Alliance, he thought there was no need to hide the assassination of the Young Lord.

Rather, he was trying to subtly show off that the power of the Hyuk-ryeon family was strong enough to kill the Young Lord.

Baekji nodded his head.

He had found out almost everything related to the reincarnation.

"Since the Young Lord is dead, the Hyuk-ryeon family will succeed to the position of Cult Leader. If you harm me, you will become the top priority target for assassination by the Demonic Cult."

Although Hyuk-ryeonhu continued to chatter, Baekji did not answer.

Baekji's head was spinning busily.

The fact that Hyuk-ryeonhu knew the facts in a distorted way meant that the entire Hyuk-ryeon family knew it that way. Would the Hyuk-ryeon family have carried out the great deed of assassinating the Young Lord alone?

'At least a few families must have agreed.'

(End of Chapter)