Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 61

Yang Soryeong thought it was a relief that Baekji had regained his memories.

Although Baekji didn't say it, it was clear that True Man Changshan's medicine had been effective.

He was neither the pure Baekji nor the fierce Baekji.

He had become calm in some way. Unlike the previous Baekji, he was very cool-headed.

Although he acted unpredictably, when she looked back later, there was a reason. Although others didn't know, Yang Soryeong, who had been with him for the past year, could feel it.

Although he had beaten Mo Dahou and the others as if to kill them, he had not killed them. Seeing them walk away fine, it seemed they were not seriously injured.

Although she thought it was a relief that Baekji had regained his memories, she was also anxious on the other hand.

'Is he planning to leave?'

There must be a reason why he was recruiting two hundred first-rate warriors.

Yang Soryeong thought that Baekji was preparing to leave the Yang-Bai Merchant Sect.

'Since he has regained his memories, he must be planning to go to the place where he used to live. Before he goes, he's probably going to select warriors to protect the Yang-Bai Merchant Sect.'

Yang Soryeong knew that Baekji was an incredibly powerful master.

A place that had produced such a master must be a great family or sect.

Baekji's status must also be very high.

'For me to continue to act as his master could be a disgrace to Baekji.'

Yang Soryeong thought that Baekji was a heavenly being sent from the sky.

What if she hadn't met Baekji that day?

It was a given that she would have come to the White Mountain Sect for a political marriage. The trouble at the White Mountain Sect would also have happened as it did.

In the midst of that, Yang Soryeong herself would have died without even knowing when.

'If heaven has given me a chance, I must now make my own way.'

Although Yang Soryeong resolved not to hold on to Baekji, she couldn't help but feel a heavy heart.

'You're an adult now too.'

She was already seventeen.

An age where she could fully pioneer her own path. Moreover, thanks to Baekji, she had even learned martial arts.

She had even personally defeated the terrifying Blood Sect members, whom she had not even dared to think of facing before.

As Yang Soryeong was steeling her heart, Baekji came in.

He seemed to be in a good mood.

"I've selected all the warriors for the Yang-Bai Merchant Sect. Two hundred first-rate warriors! Hehehe."

Baekji had something to be proud of.

With two hundred first-rate warriors, there was no place that would dare to look down on them.

Biho ran up like an arrow and rubbed his neck against Baekji's leg.

"Biho! 'Empty Space Cat Step'!"

Baekji grabbed Biho and threw him into the air.

"Meow!"

"Biho, don't bully him."

When Biho fell, crying in fear, Yang Soryeong quickly caught him and put him on the ground.

Biho quickly ran away towards the kitchen.

"Is the martial arts contest all over?"

"Yes."

While having martial arts contests over several days, the martial arts of Ajok, Senior Oh, Jang Sam, and the Seven Plums had improved by leaps and bounds.

As a result of having martial arts contests like real battles until they reached their limits, their lack of experience was filled.

Ajok, Senior Oh, and Jang Sam were not pushed back even when they fought against four first-rate warriors. It could be said that they had now firmly stepped on the threshold of the peak. If they had said that they had only learned martial arts for a year, no one would have believed them.

It was a realm that they would not have been able to achieve no matter how harsh their training was, if Baekji had not increased their internal energy with a medicinal bath and had them undergo 'molting and bone washing'.

To Ajok and the others, Baekji, who did things that didn't make sense, was no different from a god.

"You have to train too, Master."

"Alright."

Baekji personally took charge of Yang Soryeong's training.

The two went to the training ground in the backyard of the Songhua Hall.

While having martial arts contests with Baekji, Yang Soryeong's martial arts were also improving by leaps and bounds.

Clang!

Chae-chaeng!

When they had a martial arts contest, he did not go easy on Yang Soryeong.

Although others didn't know, Yang Soryeong's whole body was covered in bruises.

"Who would know that a disciple is hitting his master? Please tell him not to hit my face."

Only Zhongmei, who applied medicine, knew the truth and sometimes resented Baekji.

In the middle of a martial arts contest, Baekji lowered his bamboo staff.

"Master, what are you thinking? Your mind is elsewhere."

"Yes."

Yang Soryeong was thinking that the reason Baekji was making her train so harshly was also to leave.

Baekji knew like a ghost when she was thinking about other things.

"What are you going to do about Mo Dahou?"

Although Baekji had chased away Mo Dahou and his subordinates, they had come back and were kneeling in front of the main gate of the Yang-Bai Merchant Sect, not moving.

"They've been like that for five days already."

"I know. Living a good life is really troublesome."

"What do you mean?"

He couldn't bring himself to say that if he had killed Mo Dahou and his subordinates that day, there would have been no more to worry about.

Although his heart was set on it, he had endured.

'I might have been a master of the righteous path, for all I know. If I just kill people, it might become a headache later.'

Yang Soryeong said, "If we are to have a merchant guild, we need someone who is familiar with the geography of Sichuan. Brigade Leader Mo might be useful."

"I see. I didn't think of that. Then should we accept him?"

"I'll take care of that. Come and sit here."

Yang Soryeong sat on a chair on one side of the training ground.

Since Baekji was planning to leave anyway, she thought she should be the one to bring it up first to make him feel at ease.

"You're leaving, right?"

"Huh? Yes."

Although it was the answer she had expected, she was still sad that he had answered so simply.

"Where are you going?"

"The Martial Alliance."

Baekji was planning to go to the Martial Alliance.

He couldn't figure out his background from the origin of his martial arts.

The reason he had beaten Tie Yantai and had sent the Blood Corpse Lord flying in one blow was not some divine secret art.

He was just moving as his body was used to, and there was no particular form to it.

Since his whole body was like a dantian, he had tremendous internal energy.

Where his eyes went, his mind went, and where his mind went, his ki went.

If he thought, that was the form.

Although others would say it was the realm of the 'mind sword', Baekji didn't think so.

The realm where one was not bound by forms and styles was called the 'true realm', but since he had lost the forms and styles he had originally possessed, it could not be said to fit perfectly.

If he couldn't know his past through his martial arts, he had to find it through circumstantial evidence.

Baekji, assuming that he had undergone 'rejuvenation', had been observing the flow of his emotions.

When it came to matters related to the Blood Sect, a vein would pop out on his forehead and a killing intent would rise. On the other hand, he was indifferent to the Demonic Cult members and the Martial Alliance.

If he had a grudge against the Blood Sect, it was highly likely that he was from the righteous path.

He had heard that the Demonic Cult had not appeared in the martial world for a hundred years.

After his own reasoning, he had concluded that he had been an absolute master of the righteous path, and that something had gone wrong during his rejuvenation, leading to this state.

If he went to the Martial Alliance, there would be records of the masters of the righteous path. If he looked at their martial arts and recent movements, he would surely find a clue.

Of course, he had no intention of revealing that he had undergone rejuvenation and returning to his original place yet.

But shouldn't he at least avoid the misfortune of beating his own son or grandson to death?

If he didn't even know who he was, there was a high possibility of that happening.

'Surely he's not the Martial Alliance Leader?'

When he had asked Quan Bai how the Martial Alliance Leader was doing the other day, his strange expression and mumbling were suspicious.

Even if the Martial Alliance Leader had gone missing, those under him could be hiding the fact.

'If I were the Martial Alliance Leader...'

He would have gotten out without looking back.

From what he had heard from Quan Bai, the life of a Martial Alliance Leader was not a life.

'To manage all the major and minor affairs of the martial world... unless you're crazy, why would you waste your life on such a thing?'

Even managing one Yang-Bai Merchant Sect was this complicated.

Still, he had to go to the Martial Alliance.

Even if he abandoned his identity, he had to know it before abandoning it.

Yang Soryeong didn't know Baekji's thoughts. She was curious that he was going to the Martial Alliance.

"The Martial Alliance? Why?"

"I have to escort Bai Renguang and Mei Zhongjun. I can't trust Nangong Zhao. If the Blood Sect attacks in the middle and takes them, the reward will be gone too."

"Yes. Is that so?"

"It will take some time. In the meantime, the old man in the lower building and the chatterbox will be there, so you don't have to worry."

The old man in the lower building was Tie Yantai, and the chatterbox was Quan Bai.

"Then will you come back?"

"Of course I have to come. Why do you ask such a thing?"

When Baekji asked back as if it were a matter of course, Yang Soryeong realized that she had misunderstood.

She was so happy that she hugged Baekji.

She was on the verge of tears.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"You're going far away. I'm worried."

"Hey. Why are you worried about me? You should be worried about the Martial Alliance."

"What do you mean by that?"

"No... since the Blood Sect has appeared, won't the Martial Alliance be in trouble?"

Seeing Yang Soryeong's worried eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say that if they didn't cooperate, he would turn the Martial Alliance upside down.

"What about your master's father's whereabouts?"

"Not yet."

Although Yang Soryeong had sent people to find her father, Yang Jongu's whereabouts, there was no news.

"There are no proper brats among the ones who find people for money."

"So I'm thinking of going myself."

Yang Soryeong was thinking of going herself anyway.

"The Yang-Bai Merchant Sect has just been established, so the sect master can't leave her post. Send Senior Oh and Jang Sam."

"Those two?"

"They're not at a level where they'll be beaten up wherever they go now. And they know Guild Master Yang well."

Yang Soryeong was reluctant to use Baekji's disciples for her personal affairs.

"What are you talking about? They're your grand-disciples. They should step up for their grandmaster's affairs."

"..."

"If you don't want to, that's deceiving the master and destroying the ancestors."

* * *

A cutting wind blew.

Zhang Li led the way on horseback, and Nangong Zhao supported the rear of the procession.

Because of the frequent snow that was piling up, they could not pull the carts. They were transporting Bai Renguang and Mei Zhongjun, who were bound, on horseback.

The deputy brigade leader, Zhang Li, the Swift Wind Brigade, and ten warriors from the Sichuan branch's 'Sheng-Ying Brigade' were escorting them.

"Keu. It's really a dog's life when you leave home."

When a headwind blew, Baekji, who had stealthily moved back and was following next to Nangong Zhao, grumbled.

The food was poor, and the sleeping quarters were dirty.

It wasn't because they didn't have money.

It was rare to find a large city with an inn or a tavern where they could spend money freely. The villages they had stopped at on the way had only shabby inns.

'I miss the way of cooking that Zhong Jia unfolds.'

The horse that Baekji was riding was half a size bigger than the others. It was the horse that the Five Dragons Sect Master, Wu Ziqing, had ridden.

So, he was at a height where he could slightly look down on Nangong Zhao.

Nangong Zhao had been riding silently with an expressionless face since they had left.

The Swift Wind Brigade and the Sheng-Ying Brigade members, except for Zhang Li, could not even speak in the cold atmosphere. The fact that Nangong Zhao's status was a direct descendant of the Nangong family, one of the Five Great Families, also played a part.

To an ordinary warrior, the Nangong family was a distant world in a high place.

"Chief Investigator, why are you suffering like this in the Martial Alliance, leaving the comfortable Nangong family?"

"..."

"Is something wrong? Why the long face?"

Nangong Zhao just looked ahead and went.

He had no reason to be happy. The military affairs department was urging him daily, but Baekji had wasted over a month, saying he was selecting and reorganizing the warriors of the Yang-Bai Merchant Sect.

Later, even a warning letter had arrived.

At this rate, far from being promoted, he was on the verge of being reprimanded.

Moreover, not long after they had left, he had found out that Baekji was a chatterbox who surpassed Quan Bai.

Nangong Zhao was a man of few words.

He hated noise.

Not knowing Nangong Zhao's feelings, Baekji advised, "It's good to live according to your innate personality. If you just act all high and mighty, your own life will only become bleak."

"..."

"You weren't like that when you were young, right? I can tell just by looking. You must have been a mischievous brat."

Since he was chattering right next to him, he couldn't not listen. Moreover, it was true.

When Nangong Zhao was young, he had been the troublemaker of the Nangong family.

"Is it because of a woman? The wound of a broken heart, something like that?"

Nangong Zhao's eyebrows twitched.

He spoke as if he were looking into his mind. This brat had no line that he should observe.

He crossed it freely.

The grip on the reins tightened.

If it had been another brat, he would have already slit his throat.

Since the brat was an absolute master, he couldn't do that.

"It's foolish to cling to a past love. The woman has probably already forgotten."

He finally dug into the deep wound.

Nangong Zhao turned his head sharply and glared.

"Huh?"

Baekji's gaze was beyond the front of the group, at the very end.

When Nangong Zhao followed Baekji's gaze, he saw a faint black dot at the very end of the official road.

"It seems someone is being chased. A pretty woman?"

In Nangong Zhao's eyes, it was only a black dot.

An unknown sense of despair washed over him.

Baekji spurred his horse and rushed forward.

(End of Chapter)