Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 53

Baekji had Tie Yantai chase away Wu Tai and the martial forces of the White Mountain Sect and the Meixian Fang, who were outside the estate.

Nangong Zhao called the martial force that had been hiding in the outskirts of the estate and strictly guarded the White Mountain Sect's prison.

Wu Ziqing, after having a cup of tea with Baekji, gave up twenty of the horses he had ridden and returned.

He even had to give up his favorite horse, the best of them all.

As Wu Ziqing was leaving, he spat from a distance.

"I will never even urinate in this direction again. Military Advisor Ge!"

The man with the goat's beard hurriedly bowed his head.

He also had to be careful when Wu Ziqing was excited.

"We came to congratulate the new sect master of the White Mountain Sect. The gift is twenty horses! If any strange rumors spread, you will all die!"

"That will not happen."

* * *

Yang Soryeong did not even eat dinner and shut herself in her room.

When it was time for dinner, everyone gathered in the dining hall.

Yang Soryeong did not come out, and Baekji was also not seen.

Since the two were not there, no one picked up their chopsticks.

Only a heavy silence flowed.

"How is our grandmaster?"

Jang Sam asked Bangbang.

Since Bangbang was also from the Yang Merchant Guild, she was sniffling and crying at the news that Yang Jongu had been murdered.

"She's just sitting there. I'm worried she'll turn into a stone statue."

"Our delicate grandmaster... The shock must be great."

Jang Sam clenched his fists. He regretted not having beaten Mei Zhongjun more.

"That wicked brat, I should have beaten him more. I should have beaten him half to death."

"He's already more than half dead... Even if you kill him, the dead won't come back."

At Ajok's words, everyone closed their mouths.

It was Senior Oh who broke the silence that had fallen again.

"The reason I want to become a great hero is..."

Senior Oh said with sincerity.

"It's because I hated being pushed around because I had no power. There are so many bad guys. I will travel the world and punish them all."

"..."

Ajok said, as if spitting out the words, "To do that, you have to be tough."

Ajok stood up from his seat, looked at everyone, and said in a loud voice, "The reason we are alive and eating dinner today is all thanks to our master. What do you think would have happened if our master wasn't here?"

"..."

"We would have died."

Gayan, the first of the Seven Plums, said.

Since she had been at the White Mountain Sect for a long time, she knew well how cruel Bai Renguang was.

If Baekji hadn't been there, Bai Renguang would have killed everyone remaining in the estate.

And yet, the reason she had remained was because of her faith in Baekji and Yang Soryeong.

Gayan had not forgotten that Yang Soryeong had said they would escape together through the escape route if a dangerous situation arose.

Even if Gayan hadn't said it, everyone knew that it had been very dangerous.

After sending the servants away, saying that Bai Renguang was attacking, Ajok had gathered everyone and had said.

-Although our master is an incredibly powerful master, he cannot handle a hundred, a thousand people alone. Since we have received martial arts from our master, we must also fight with our lives on the line.

Although they had all steeled their resolve together, it would be a lie to say that there was no anxiety in a corner of their hearts.

Perhaps that was why they had worked even harder on the household chores.

The reason Senior Oh had gone to Tie Yantai and had flattered him was also with the ulterior motive of gaining an ally.

As a result, thanks to Baekji having Tie Yantai catch only the leaders in an instant, the situation had ended well.

"But we can't expect it to be like this forever. How long will our master look after us?"

"..."

"Some of us might die fighting."

"..."

"If we meet a strong enemy, we might all die!"

"..."

Even Senior Oh, who would normally have rebelled against the cold words of Ajok, just listened.

"Still, we chose this path. We ourselves asked our master to teach us martial arts."

"..."

"Now we are neither servants nor maids. We are martial artists with swords and sabers in our hands. We must think and act like martial artists in everything! A martial artist who cuts down the enemy when he meets one, and who knows how to take a sword for a friend! That's us!"

"..."

"We must train hard, fight hard, and have a hard heart! That's how we live!"

"..."

"What are you going to do? Will you walk the path of a martial artist, or will you continue to live as maids and servants?"

Although Ajok's voice was usually gentle, it was now so loud that it could be heard all the way to the lower building of the Songhua Hall.

Tie Yantai, who was drinking the alcohol given by Menghua, nodded as if in agreement with Ajok's words, and Menghua whispered, "That brat is the second worst. He's the one who suggested taking the property of the Hongmeng Brothel. Although he looks frail, he has a fierce side, so you have to be careful."

"..."

Tie Yantai drank his alcohol without a word.

Zhong Jia heard Ajok's words from the kitchen.

Zhong Jia wiped his tears and rubbed his bald head with his hand. Then, he struck the cutting board with his kitchen knife. A thick piece of beef was cut in two at once.

'Cooking for all people! That is my path!'

Yang Soryeong also heard Ajok's words from her residence.

'That's right, I can't just depend on Baekji forever. Yang Soryeong! You have to walk your own path!'

Yang Soryeong stood up abruptly.

She knew what she had to do.

Before that, she had to eat.

Yang Soryeong went out to the dining hall.

"Grandmaster!"

"Sect Master!"

Yang Soryeong said to Ajok, "Ajok, you said that for me to hear, right?"

"..."

Yang Soryeong said to everyone, "Ajok is right. As long as we hold a sword, we won't be able to avoid fighting. But tonight, everyone is fine. Let's eat with a happy heart. Zhong Jia made it delicious, and he'll be sad if we let it get cold like this."

Dadadadak!

The sound of Zhong Jia chopping meat came from the kitchen.

When Yang Soryeong picked up her chopsticks, everyone picked up their spoons and chopsticks and began to eat.

"But where is Baekji?"

Although Yang Soryeong asked, no one could answer.

"Did he go to ride a horse?"

Senior Oh muttered.

* * *

Nangong Zhao and the Martial Alliance's 'Swift Wind Brigade' surrounded the White Mountain Sect's prison in layers and camped.

Nangong Zhao sat in his tent, illuminated by a bonfire, with a wooden box in front of him, lost in thought.

Inside the wooden box were the 'Blood Sun Sword Manual' and other suspicious demonic arts.

They were the manuals that Baekji had given him after catching a forest keeper named Ximen Suo in the early evening and locking him in the prison.

'Although they are demonic arts, they are martial arts that can reach the absolute realm. But he handed them over without any greed? How can that be?'

Any martial artist would want to obtain a secret art. Although the Blood Sun Sword Manual was a demonic art, it was a martial art with tremendous power. It was doubtful whether there was any martial artist who would give up such an opportunity.

But since Baekji had handed them over so readily, he was suspicious.

Having lived as an investigator for the military affairs department, he suspected and analyzed everything.

If he had his way, he wanted to open the manuals and check them.

Frankly, it would be a lie to say that he was not curious about the secret arts.

If he could gain even a single insight, it could help him improve his achievements.

Nangong Zhao had been in conflict for half an hour.

Baekji had warned him.

-Don't even think about looking at them. Once you fall in, it's a straight path to cultivation insanity! A wide-open road.

Looking at the state of the man named Ximen Suo whom Baekji had caught, he could not rule out that possibility.

His restless eyes, which were constantly shaking, were occasionally tinged with a blood-red light.

He had said that he had already become like that even though it had not been long since he had learned the Blood Sun Sword Manual.

'Let's abandon greed. I have the martial arts of the Nangong family. Didn't my ancestors leave a great mark on the martial world with just the martial arts of the Nangong family?'

Nangong Zhao gave up cleanly, wrapped the wooden box well, and hid it by wrapping it around his lower abdomen.

Nangong Zhao left the tent and checked that the prison was securely locked.

The more he thought about it, the luckier he was.

It was like a fortune he had picked up for free.

He had caught a clue to track the Blood Sect and had even obtained the martial arts of the Blood Sect.

These days, when the martial world was peaceful, it was difficult to get an opportunity to achieve merit. With this incident, the possibility of him becoming the next 'Eight Immortals Gate Master' had increased.

The Eight Immortals Gate, which was directly under the military affairs department, was an organization that handled information gathering and special missions.

Investigators, including Nangong Zhao, also belonged to the Eight Immortals Gate.

If Nangong Zhao, who was now in his late twenties, became the Eight Immortals Gate Master, he would be the youngest to hold a key position in the Martial Alliance from the Nangong family.

At that thought, his heart ached.

'So what.'

The face of a woman flashed before his eyes.

Nangong Zhao shook his head as if to shake off the woman's face.

'Get a grip. The Blood Sect might come!'

The Blood Sect might come to retrieve the manuals.

Nangong Zhao stayed up all night with his eyes open.

In the early dawn, when the darkness had not yet lifted, Yang Soryeong came.

"Sect Master Yang, what brings you here at this hour?"

"This is the White Mountain Sect's prison."

Hearing that, it was so.

Yang Soryeong was the owner.

"Please open it. I need to see Mei Zhongjun."

Yang Soryeong's voice was extremely calm.

'Is she going to take revenge?'

If she wanted to personally avenge her parents' killer, he could not stop her.

When Baekji had tried to kill him the day before, he had strongly advised against it because the Ten Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Huashan were nearby.

Now, the situation was different.

After Mei Zhongjun was imprisoned, Nangong Zhao had gone to the Ten Plum Blossom Swordsmen and had explained the whole story.

In addition, he had also conveyed Baekji's words that the Twin Swords of Meixian had died while trying to assassinate Bai Renguang. Nangong Zhao had even taken one of the White Mountain Brigade members to confirm that Baekji's words were true.

When the chief investigator of the Martial Alliance's military affairs department had conveyed it, staking his position, the Ten Plum Blossom Swordsmen had obediently withdrawn.

Now, if Yang Soryeong said she would kill Mei Zhongjun, there was no one to stop her.

Clank.

When Nangong Zhao opened the iron gate of the prison, Yang Soryeong entered. When Nangong Zhao tried to follow, Yang Soryeong stopped him.

"You don't need to follow."

After dismissing Nangong Zhao, Yang Soryeong entered the prison.

Bai Renguang, Ximen Suo, and Mei Zhongjun were imprisoned in different cells.

Yang Soryeong stood in front of the cell where Mei Zhongjun was imprisoned. She could see Mei Zhongjun beyond the iron bars.

At the sound of a presence, Mei Zhongjun, who had been leaning against the wall, bound by iron chains, raised his head.

"..."

"Where is the grave?"

Yang Soryeong's voice cracked.

"..."

"Please let me collect my father's body."

"Hmph! You bitch are the cause of all this trouble! Even if that brat's body is collected, Zhaoling will be the one to collect it."

In Mei Zhongjun's mind, the image of Mae Yeoncheong, holding the young Yang Zhaoling in her arms and crying and clinging to him long ago, came to mind.

She had asked him to kill Zheng Qing and Yang Soryeong.

If Yang Jongu had taken the two and had kept them at the Yang Merchant Guild, Mei Zhongjun would have killed them too. But Yang Jongu had said it was a one-night mistake and had asked him to turn a blind eye, and had cast the mother and daughter out of the merchant guild.

If Yang Soryeong had been a son, he would have killed them no matter what Yang Jongu said.

But she was a daughter, and since Mae Yeoncheong was young, she could have a son. He didn't want to incur Yang Jongu's resentment by killing the mother and daughter.

Since the Yang Merchant Guild was growing rapidly at the time, the fact that he desperately needed Yang Jongu also played a part in this decision.

'If it weren't for this bitch?'

There would have been no entanglement with the White Mountain Sect, and there would have been no monster called a disciple in the first place.

Then he would not have ended up in this situation.

Although it was a conclusion he had reached, trapped in his own greed, Mei Zhongjun had fallen miserably and had lost his judgment.

The more Mei Zhongjun thought about it, the more he regretted not having killed the Yang Soryeong in front of him.

At Mei Zhongjun's words, Yang Soryeong's gaze turned cold.

"What I am saying now is not a request."

A cold voice.

"If I cannot find my father's body, you will die. I don't care whether you get the Yang Merchant Guild or not. I will surely destroy the Meixian Fang as well. Have you thought about what will happen to your precious daughter, Mae Yeoncheong, and your granddaughter? Will they be able to live?"

"You, you bitch dare to threaten me!"

Yang Soryeong said with an expressionless face, "You threatened people, and even killed your son-in-law. But for me to threaten you... you say 'dare'? What are you? The Meixian Fang Master? One of the top one hundred masters? Is that so great?"

"You bitch who deserves to be torn to shreds. If I get out of here, I will surely kill you."

"No!"

Yang Soryeong said flatly, "If you don't confess where my father's body is, and who was involved in the assassination..."

"..."

"This will be your grave."

It was a calm voice, devoid of emotion.

"I will give you until the hour of the horse to think. You have three hours left. I hope it will not be the last hours of your life."

(End of Chapter)