Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 170

The palace-robed beauty frowned and blamed Oh Jeong-ri.

"Jeong-ri, I told you not to call me that anymore. We are a married couple."

"Ah... Jeong-ha. What can I do about what's become a habit?"

Although the palace-robed beauty, Seomun Jeong-ha, looked very dignified, when she spoke to Oh Jeong-ri, it seemed as if her voice was mixed with a nasal sound... and Oh Jeong-ri's voice, which responded to this, was extremely greasy.

Baekji, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms, said, "So you two are a married couple?"

The demonic person and the 'Silent Saber' also looked at the two with interest. The guests of the So family did not know each other's personal details, only their faces, as they did not usually interact.

Oh Jeong-ri, with a serious face, said, "We held a wedding for just the two of us before the gods of heaven and earth a while ago."

"Yes... congratulations. But... although the Seomun family is not one of the five great families, it is a renowned family that has joined the Martial Alliance... is it okay for a person from that family to be in the Demonic Cult?"

At Baekji's words, Seomun Jeong-ha said, "I am an outsider who has left home. It has been a long time since I left home. There will be no one in the Seomun family who remembers me now..."

Seomun Jeong-ha's voice became moist.

Oh Jeong-ri held Seomun Jeong-ha's hand tightly.

"Jeong-ha... I'm sorry. We will definitely... be able to go back."

"No, it's okay now. They say my father has passed away. No one will remember an old promise."

Baekji, who was listening to the two's conversation, became curious.

"What promise?"

Oh Jeong-ri said with a serious face, "It was a promise that if I... defeated Jeong-ha's father, he would officially allow our marriage. But... now it has become a distant matter."

"Why?"

"Jeong-ha's father, the head of the Seomun family, passed away a while ago."

Tears welled up in Seomun Jeong-ha's eyes. It seemed she was thinking of her dead father.

Seomun Jeong-ha, the precious daughter of the Seomun family, had fallen in love with Oh Jeong-ri, a member of the family's household.

When the head of the Seomun family found out about their relationship, he was furious, but when his daughter begged, risking her life, he had no choice but to give in.

Instead, he set a condition. He said he would accept Oh Jeong-ri as his son-in-law only if he mastered martial arts within twenty years and became a martial artist who surpassed him.

Oh Jeong-ri, on that path, wandered the world, looking for a martial art that would surpass the Seomun family. In the meantime, the head of the Seomun family tried to force his daughter to marry, and Seomun Jeong-ha ran away from home, and while looking for Oh Jeong-ri, she ended up taking refuge in the 'Yao-yao Sect' outside the pass.

Oh Jeong-ri, who found out about this later, went to the 'Yao-yao Sect', and the 'Yao-yao Sect' released Seomun Jeong-ha on the condition that they would keep their secret agreement with the Demonic Cult's So family instead.

"Wow... this is a true love story. If this were to be put on stage, it would be a masterpiece comparable to 'Gang-sang-yeon-hui'. For lovers to be united in a den of demons..."

Baekji, who liked love stories between men and women, had tears in his eyes.

"By any chance... was there no demonic person who was aiming for Miss Seomun? There has to be a brat like that for the story to be more dramatic... ah, there must have been. The brat that the head of the Seomun family was trying to match her with. That brat must have been a hypocritical gentleman of the Righteous Path, right? That's why she ran away... right?"

As Baekji was giving a passionate speech, Oh Jeong-ri became serious.

"Ahem, ahem... you are rude. To treat the sorrowful life story of the two of us as a story."

"Ah, sorry... I was so moved... but if he was the head of the Seomun family, he must have been a master... has he already passed away?"

Seeing Seomun Jeong-ha's age, it seemed the head of the Seomun family would not have been over seventy, so when he asked, Oh Jeong-ri's complexion hardened.

"That's right. The head of the family was already in the late 'true realm' twenty years ago. There is no way a person like that would have already reached the end of his lifespan... there must be a story."

At Oh Jeong-ri's words, Seomun Jeong-ha turned her head, and her shoulders shook slightly. She was shedding tears, thinking of her father.

"Hic... it must be because of his disobedient daughter that he died early from a broken heart."

Even though she was old, it seemed she could not help her tone, which was like that of a naive young lady from a noble family. Oh Jeong-ri comforted her and said, "That can't be. I will definitely find out what happened."

Baekji frowned and then asked. He had a thought that flashed by.

"When did the head of the Seomun family die?"

"It's been about two months. It's been a month since I heard the news, and it was a month before that."

Baekji thought for a moment and then took out a wooden box from his bosom.

"What is that?"

"I heard the story of the two of you, and I can't just stand by. I'll give you a gift to congratulate your marriage."

"..."

"Looking at you, you seem to be at the mid-'true realm'... if you eat this, you will immediately rise to the 'flower realm'. You have to defeat the head of the Seomun family. That's how you can go back."

At Baekji's words, everyone was surprised. To think that there was a medicine that could raise one from the 'true realm' to the 'flower realm' in one go.

Moreover, the fact that there was a person who would hand over such a miraculous medicine as if it were a candy... was something that could not even be imagined.

If someone else had said it, they would not have believed it, but since Baekji, who was an absolute master, said it, it was tempting.

"Is that true? From the 'true realm' to the 'flower realm'?"

"I'm telling you. This is a rare miraculous medicine made by mixing a hundred medicinal herbs."

Everyone stared at the wooden box. The demonic person even, swallowed his saliva.

But.

Oh Jeong-ri was a gentleman.

"The head of the Seomun family has passed away. There is no one to accept the match..."

"Someone else must be doing it. Since he said you could have the wedding if you defeated the head of the family, you can just defeat the current head of the family."

"..."

At Baekji's words, Oh Jeong-ri and Seomun Jeong-ha looked at each other.

Baekji, who saw the sinister light flowing from the demonic person's eyes, said, "You have to strike while the iron is hot."

When Baekji opened the wooden box, a 'Blood Exhausting Pill' with a strange smell came out. Baekji picked it up and then, 'tuk', flicked it with his finger.

"Huh?"

As Oh Jeong-ri was surprised and opened his mouth, it went in.

"Hurry and go and circulate your energy. It will take three days."

* * *

The main road from Sichuan to Hubei.

A large carriage was running. On the carriage was a flag that said 'Martial Alliance'.

"There is a village in front. How about we take a short rest?"

Zhang Li, who was running in front, stopped his horse and shouted towards the carriage.

"I'll go and check first."

Quan Bai and Seongcheon, who were following from behind, ran forward.

The return of the Alliance Leader.

There were dozens of warriors, including Zhang Li. In addition, there was a party that had been joined by the Martial Alliance Elder Qiu Ganyang, the Outer Hall Master Gu Hyeong, the Fengyun Pavilion masters Quan Bai and Seongcheon, Nangong Zhao and Tang Yunseol, and Senior Oh and Zhang San.

Behind them were not only the masters of the Outer Hall but also the Shaolin and Wudang sects.

And in the carriage was the best in the world, the Martial Alliance Leader, Zheng Yunbai, who could not be trifled with even if all those masters were combined.

So the journey was bound to be smooth.

But Quan Bai was careful and careful again. There would not be just one or two forces that did not want the Alliance Leader's return.

That's why he always went ahead first, checked the food, and then took care of the lodging.

Quan Bai and Seongcheon entered the village.

The village was peaceful. No, it was too peaceful.

"That's strange."

Quan Bai, with an unknown ominous feeling, took out a pair of iron judge's pens and held them. Seongcheon looked around and then asked, "What's wrong?"

"Isn't it strange? It's too quiet."

"It's a small village. What's there to be noisy about?"

"Is that so?"

Although Quan Bai wondered if he was being too sensitive, he did not let his guard down.

Then he realized what was strange.

"Look at the people's movements."

At Quan Bai's words, Seongcheon looked around and, 'heumchit', was surprised.

"It is a bit strange."

People were coming and going on the market street, but their movements were regular.

Even the person who was drawing water from a well and filling a water bucket was just repeating a regular motion.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

The sound of the blacksmith's hammer also sounded regular, as if a bell were being rung, and the hand that was stirring the noodles in a large pot at a noodle shop was also regular.

Adults and children alike were walking around with a regular gait. It was as if it were a village of dolls, with no vitality.

Quan Bai felt a shiver run down his spine with a creepy feeling.

"This is not normal."

Seongcheon also seemed to feel the seriousness and untied the axe from his waist and held it.

Quan Bai asked a young man who was passing by, "Hey, where is this?"

The young man looked at Quan Bai, smiled gently, and said, "This is Gangha Village."

"Is there an inn in the village where we can stay?"

"It's not big, but there is a clean inn. Please follow me."

Without even being asked, the young man took the lead and went on his way.

Although Quan Bai and Seongcheon followed, they stopped after a short while.

"This is it."

The young man, bowed and then went on his way. It was as if he had been a person who had been planning to guide them from the beginning.

Quan Bai's ominous feeling grew stronger and stronger with the strange sense of alienation.

When the two entered the inn, a waiter came out, and he also approached with a regular gait that was neither hurried nor slow.

"Welcome. Do you need a room?"

"How many rooms are there?"

"Since there are no guests, all the rooms are empty. You can choose and stay as you wish."

"Hmm..."

Although he could not say anything specific, Quan Bai let out a groan at the sense of alienation that seemed to be on the surface.

The two looked around the market street a little more and then came back and reported.

"By any chance..."

Shangguan Ming, who had heard the two's report, looked at the Alliance Leader. The Alliance Leader and Shangguan Ming had heard from Baekji about the strange incident that had occurred at Mount Maje.

"I'll have to go and check myself."

The Alliance Leader's party entered Gangha Village. The people moved calmly, even though armed warriors were coming in a line.

Even a small child approached with a fearless expression and touched the sword that a warrior was wearing.

Strangely, no one stopped him.

The Alliance Leader got out of the carriage and stood on the market street.

"......?"

Those who were coming and going stopped. They all looked at the Alliance Leader and then suddenly ran at him.

They rushed at the Alliance Leader, holding the knives they had been using to chop fish, the hammers they had been using to strike iron, and even the ladles they had been using to stir noodles.

"What are you doing?"

Although Zhang Li shouted, drew his sword, and blocked them, it was no use.

Teong!

A warrior struck the hammer of a blacksmith who was rushing forward and put his sword to his neck. But the blacksmith did not stop and rushed forward, and his neck was cut.

Chwa-ak!

Although his artery was cut and red blood spurted out, the blacksmith just struggled and tried to rush forward.

"Keu-reu-reu..."

The sound of the blood flowing back into his throat was heard. The blacksmith took a few more steps and then collapsed.

Everyone was at a loss for words at the extremely bizarre sight.

It was not just the blacksmith. Not only those who were holding tools, but also unarmed women and children rushed towards the Alliance Leader. The crowd, which was gathering like moths to a flame, did not even scream.

"Just pass by!"

The Alliance Leader, who could not watch any longer, hastily entered the carriage.

"Clear the way. We're leaving right away!"

Shangguan Ming, who was following, got on the carriage and shouted.

At that, the warriors, including Zhang Li, shot forward and pushed away the people who were rushing at them.

"Don't kill them! Just subdue them."

Zhang Li shouted. The warriors, following the order, pressed the people's blood points or struck their legs to push them away and opened a path. The carriage passed quickly through it.

Dudududu.

The carriage hastily left Gangha Village.

Senior Oh, riding his horse, followed and whispered to Zhang San.

Mixed with the sound of the horse's hooves, it was not clear what he was saying.

Zhang San pursed his lips and sent a telepathic message.

―Telepathy! Use telepathy!

Senior Oh, 'ah', sent a telepathic message.

―Isn't it a bit strange?

―It's very strange. Does that look normal? They look like people without souls!

At Zhang San's words, Senior Oh shook his head.

ㅡNo, the Alliance Leader... he's an absolute master, so why is he running away?

―Aigoo. He's not running away, he's avoiding it. Do you avoid poop because you're scared of it? You avoid it because it's dirty.

―Hmm. Is that so?

Senior Oh, who had expected the Alliance Leader to unfold his divine might and to subdue many people at once, was quite disappointed.

And yet, he nodded his head.

"As expected, the Alliance Leader is the best great hero in the world. He must not have used his hands on the powerless common people."

But there was also someone who thought differently.

'That's strange... I can't feel any energy from the Alliance Leader.'

Nangong Zhao was inwardly puzzled. It was Nangong Zhao, who had become sensitive to energy after reaching the 'flower realm'. Although he knew that the Alliance Leader's realm was the 'natural realm', which he could not sense... it was still strange that he could not feel anything at all.

'By any chance... has the Alliance Leader lost his martial arts?'

When he thought so, he was reminded of what Baekji had said, telling him and Tang Yunseol, as well as Senior Oh and Zhang San, to stick to the Alliance Leader's side.

* * *

Oh Jeong-ri came out of the guest room only after three days.

"Really... really, have you reached the 'flower realm'?"

The demonic person, who saw Oh Jeong-ri, whose gaze had become infinitely deep, unconsciously let out a groan.

It was Oh Jeong-ri, who had been inferior to him until just a few days ago... but now he had a depth that he could not fathom.

Oh Jeong-ri went to Baekji and bowed.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will repay your kindness with this one body."

"What's the big deal. Give that one body to your wife... and just do me a favor later."

Baekji waved his hand as if it were nothing.

"Let's leave right away."

It was Baekji, who had been fidgeting while waiting for Oh Jeong-ri to finish his energy circulation training. He immediately packed his luggage and was leaving the inn, but Wu Ha was standing in front.

"What's the matter? Weren't you going to the Central Plains?"

He had seen the Kunlun Taoists and the people of the Martial Alliance's 'Dragon and Phoenix Society' leave the inn two days ago.

Wu Ha said in a calm voice, "I am also going to the Heavenly Mountains."

(End of Chapter)