Chapter 7
“Come to think of it, I never introduced myself. You even told me your name.”
Even in the morning, with no swelling at all, Je Galhaesu whispered with his beautiful face.
“I am Je Galhaesu. Like you, I have a grudge against the Demonic Cult.”
The Demonic Cult!
Soso, who had been glaring at Je Galhaesu for spouting nonsense since morning, suddenly sobered up.
“Just like you, my dear older brother was kidnapped by the Demonic Cult. It happened five years ago.”
As if speaking to himself, Je Galhaesu calmly began recounting the story of the Demonic Cult.
Five years ago, an incident occurred where several of the most promising young elites were kidnapped all at once.
Cheong Eon-woo of the Cheongseong Sect and Je Gal Sagun of the Je Gal family were among those who suffered. Six more young elites were also taken.
Witnesses all testified that the masked men who kidnapped them used a sword technique that carried the scent of blood.
Everyone who heard of it thought the same thing—
It was the return of the Demonic Cult’s martial art, the Myeolsa Hyeolhyang Sword (灭死血響劍).
It seemed that the Demonic Cult had been quietly hiding, rebuilding its strength.
The world came to call the incident the Eight Blooded Chaos (八人血亂).
The Demonic Cult’s methods were cruel.
For weakened sects like the Cheongseong Sect, the kidnapping of their young elite was accompanied by total annihilation or devastating losses.
And the Demonic Cult was cunning.
For great clans like the Je Gal family, they only targeted heirs when they were alone.
Moreover, they only chose those who, while not yet masters, had immense potential for the future.
Lastly, the Demonic Cult was strong.
None of the young elites who faced them were able to break the sword of the old monster who seemed to lead the masked men.
In a single stroke, the martial world had lost multiple prodigies, and chaos ensued. For the next five years, countless warriors pursued the Demonic Cult.
It wasn’t without results.
Though they never uncovered the main headquarters, they did learn of an institution beneath it called Sama-gak (四魔閣).
It consisted of the First, Second, Third, and Ultimate Demon Halls. Two of them—the First and Second—were discovered and destroyed.
Through captured cultists, tortured for information, they even learned the name of the unit responsible for the kidnappings five years ago.
“…The ones who kidnapped the young elites belonged to the Blood Wolf Unit (血狼隊)—one of the Demonic Cult’s main strike forces. And…”
Je Galhaesu’s calm face suddenly hardened.
Though no one else was around, he lowered his voice to a whisper.
“They say they kidnapped those young elites to create a new Heavenly Demon.”
The Heavenly Demon…!
Soso flinched at the terrifying words.
Je Galhaesu continued with a sigh in his voice.
“To become a perfect Heavenly Demon, one must master the Asura Blood Heaven Sword (阿修羅血天劍). But that martial art carries extreme side effects, making it nearly impossible to learn.”
“…”
“Those kidnapped may not have been masters yet, but many were born with extraordinary martial bones. I think they were forced to learn the Heavenly Demon’s martial art.”
The Heavenly Demon…
Even Soso, who had been nothing more than a ginseng root until recently, had heard the stories.
His power was said to be so overwhelming that with a single casual gesture, he could claim hundreds of lives. His blood-red eyes alone could terrify martial artists into submission.
Yet even such a man had perished fifty years ago when the Demonic Cult was destroyed—though only at the cost of countless righteous lives.
And now another such monster might have been born.
Soso couldn’t help but wonder if the new Heavenly Demon was one of the kidnapped young elites… maybe even Young Lord Eon-woo.
As if reading her thoughts, Je Galhaesu said:
“And now, five years later, the revived Demonic Cult does have a Heavenly Demon. But perhaps he hasn’t fully mastered the art, because he’s never revealed himself. Instead, he hides in the shadows, concealing his identity.”
That could mean Young Lord Eon-woo had become the Heavenly Demon.
The pure-hearted Taoist lord and a beast maddened by blood—it was an impossible combination.
Yet it couldn’t be denied. It was entirely possible.
“Whether one of the young elites became the Heavenly Demon or someone else did, I don’t know.”
“…”
“Even if my brother became the Heavenly Demon, even if my martial arts are weak, I will find him with my own hands.”
Je Galhaesu’s voice dropped low.
“Because of my inborn frailty, I’ve always turned away and fought losing battles. But that doesn’t mean I lacked the will to win. They say where the heart is, the path will be. With that will, I will save my brother.”
To follow the heart wherever it leads.
That seemed to be Je Galhaesu’s true pursuit. Even if that path held suffering and trials.
“When I find my brother, I’ll likely learn where your dear one is too.”
He spoke as though certain of it.
As though taking care of one life was no trouble for him.
Je Galhaesu’s eyes shone like stars in the night sky.
At that moment, it almost seemed this strange man could accomplish great things…
“But, Ssam, what did you look like when you were human? Were you pretty? Your little roots are quite lovely.”
…Not at all!
There was no way this man would achieve anything great!
Soso quickly hid her little roots in Je Galhaesu’s sleeve. His gaze, looking at them as though they were a lady’s delicate hands, was unsettling.
“Ssam, do you not wish to answer?”
“…”
“Very well. Then let’s just laze about on the bed until it’s time.”
True to his nickname of the Slothful Young Lord, Je Galhaesu melded into the bed and began rolling about.
Soso could only watch him.
He was utterly unlike the diligent Young Lord Eon-woo. Yet, after hearing his story, he seemed somehow different.
“I will find my brother with my own hands.”
That strong resolve he showed in that brief moment lingered in her memory.
He even offered to help her, despite knowing so little of her situation.
Though strange, and sometimes utterly absurd, Soso decided to place her hopes in this man.
But then again…
What exactly did Je Galhaesu mean by “until it’s time”?
Late that night, Je Galhaesu finally rose.
Cradling Soso carefully, he left the inn.
Using his lightness skill, he arrived at the cave where Soso had first awakened as an Eternal Snow Ginseng.
He passed without reaction the gruesome corpses of masked men slain by mechanisms, heading further inside.
Deeper within, he came to a space different from where Soso had been.
There, black smoke writhed.
“Ssam, wait out here for a moment.”
Hiding Soso behind a large rock, Je Galhaesu walked straight into the smoke.
Before long, he returned carrying a fainted masked man slung over his shoulder.
“He’s unconscious, caught in a formation. This cave has not only traps but also formations only members of the Je Gal family can undo. On my way to meet you, I found him trapped.”
Curious, Soso peeked into the formation. Beyond the black smoke, something seemed to glimmer for a moment—then vanished as though it had been an illusion.
“By now, he’ll have lost his strength and fainted. He’s no danger.”
Je Galhaesu tossed the masked man to the ground and quickly struck his pressure points.
Almost immediately, the man gasped as his breath returned.
“Khuek!”
Placing Soso back in his robe, Je Galhaesu said proudly:
“If nothing else, I am a master at striking vital points.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you are…”
Soso only half-listened.
The masked man’s eyes shot open.
He tried to move, but with his paralysis points sealed, he couldn’t budge an inch.
“If you answer me truthfully, I won’t let you die in pain.”
Je Galhaesu’s voice turned low and cold, without a trace of his earlier levity.
