Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 31

—–CROW—– 

The Swift Wind Trading Company’s day began much earlier than usual.

The servants were busy disposing of the bodies and repairing the damaged buildings, trying to recover from the previous day’s disaster.

“Let’s all do our best!”

“I’ll take care of the building repairs, so you handle the bodies.”

Jeok-geom greeted the servants bustling around the Swift Wind Trading Company and muttered,

“Sigh, things have gotten complicated.”

Their original mission from Mount Hua Sect was to protect the Swift Wind Trading Company from the Hegemon Clan’s pressure.

But the situation had changed.

They had discovered that the Hundred Ghosts Castle was backing the Hegemon Clan, making it impossible for them to resolve the situation on their own.

‘We sent a letter to the sect, but I don’t know if we can hold out until then.’

He couldn’t help but sigh.

Against the Hundred Ghosts Castle, it was impossible for them to hold out on their own.

They needed the help of the elders.

And the only person who could protect them and the Swift Wind Trading Company until then was Cheon-hwi.

“I can only rely on Senior Disciple.”

Lost in thought, he arrived in front of Cheon-hwi’s room.

He knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Senior Disciple, are you awake?”

After a short wait, he heard rustling sounds from inside.

Then, the door creaked open.

Cheon-hwi, looking rather disheveled, scratched his head and spoke,

“Yawn, what is it? Is the food ready?”

Jeok-geom smiled awkwardly.

“Yes, everything is prepared.”

“Really? Okay.”

Cheon-hwi slammed the door shut.

Jeok-geom stared blankly at the closed door and muttered hesitantly,

“…Will he be alright?”

A while later, inside the Swift Wind Trading Company building.

Munch—

Cheon-hwi was quickly devouring the food neatly placed before him.

He was mainly focused on the pork dish, Hong Shao Rou, and the duck dish, Zhangcha Duck.

‘The seasoning is perfect.’

He was in a good mood.

The food, even more lavish than last night’s dinner, satisfied him.

“As expected, meat is the best for breakfast.”

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen smiled awkwardly.

There was no meat in front of them; their plates were filled with vegetables.

Well, this was how it was supposed to be.

Except for the titled disciples, most disciples at the main sect ate like this.

Jeok-bi, glancing at his fellow disciples, stealthily reached for his chopsticks.

Jeok-jae glared at him as he tried to sneak a piece of Hong Shao Rou.

“Senior Brother.”

“Senior Disciple is eating it, so just one piece…”

“I’ll report you to Master.”

Jeok-bi immediately withdrew his chopsticks.

“Hahaha, just kidding, Junior Brother. Just kidding.”

Jeok-bi said with a laugh, but inwardly, he was crying tears of blood.

‘That stick-in-the-mud.’

As Jeok-bi was inwardly cursing Jeok-jae.

“I’ve sent a letter to Mount Hua Sect. We should receive a reply in about ten days…”

Go Gye-yeong, who had finished his meal, began speaking to Cheon-hwi when.

Murmur—

A commotion erupted outside.

Then, he heard running footsteps in the distance, and the closed door swung open as a man rushed in.

“T-Trading Company Leader!”

Go Gye-yeong frowned.

He had specifically instructed them not to interrupt while he was hosting a banquet for their benefactors.

His gentle demeanor vanished, and he barked at the man,

“What is it, during our meal?!”

Under normal circumstances, the man would have apologized and retreated, but he spoke urgently,

“T-The Hegemon Clan…”

Go Gye-yeong’s expression hardened at the mention of the “Hegemon Clan.”

“Did the Hegemon Clan attack?”

Yeon Su-ran and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who had been eating, jumped to their feet.

“N-No. The Hegemon Clan…!”

Go Gye-yeong, seeing the man gasping for breath, grabbed his shoulder and shouted,

“What happened to the Hegemon Clan?!”

The man’s face turned pale at Go Gye-yeong’s roar, and he began to tremble, seemingly overwhelmed.

Yeon Su-ran and Jeok-geom stopped Go Gye-yeong, seeing the man about to faint.

“F-Father.”

“Father! You’ll kill him!”

Go Gye-yeong, snapping out of his rage, released his grip and called out to the man,

“A-Are you alright?”

“G-Gasp! I’m fine.”

The man, regaining his senses, stared wide-eyed at Go Gye-yeong.

The atmosphere calmed down slightly, and Go Gye-yeong, unlike his earlier outburst, asked cautiously,

“What happened to the Hegemon Clan?”

The man’s eyes widened.

“T-The Hegemon Clan… has been annihilated!”

“…!”

The room erupted in commotion.

“What?”

“A-Annihilated?”

“What do you…”

Go Gye-yeong, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, and Yeon Su-ran were all shocked.

Go Gye-yeong asked again, just to be sure,

“I-Is that true?”

“Yes. I couldn’t believe the rumors, so I went to check myself, and there was a crowd gathered. It seemed like they were annihilated last night.”

Go Gye-yeong’s mind went blank.

The Hegemon Clan was one of the top five clans in Shaanxi Province, with over five hundred disciples.

Yet, they had been annihilated overnight?

Then, he suddenly thought of one man.

“W-What happened to the Hegemon Clan Leader?”

“He is presumed dead.”

Silence descended upon the room.

Who was the Hegemon Clan Leader?

He was an exceptional expert, almost unmatched in Shaanxi Province, and a shrewd leader who had brought the Hegemon Clan to its current position.

Yet, he was dead?

What kind of expert could have…?

They all thought the same thing and flinched simultaneously, thinking of one person.

Sweep—

All eyes, except the messenger’s, turned towards one person.

Munch—

Cheon-hwi, frowning at their stares, spoke,

“What are you looking at? Never seen someone eat before?”

***

A man in blue and white Taoist robes was strolling around the Hegemon Clan headquarters as if he owned the place.

“So the rumors are true…”

Ha U-jin’s face hardened.

He had rushed over after hearing the news of the Hegemon Clan’s annihilation, but the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

Corpses were piled up like mountains, and the dried blood on the ground gave off a reddish hue.

“…Horrific.”

He wrinkled his nose as he spoke.

The stench of rotting corpses assaulted his nostrils.

He covered his nose and continued his examination.

The state of the corpses was gruesome.

Some had their heads crushed, others had their necks broken.

And others were riddled with holes, sharp metal fragments embedded in their bodies.

‘Hidden weapons?’

Ha U-jin picked up a fallen fragment and examined it.

He frowned at the crudely made fragment, which didn’t seem like a typical hidden weapon.

“What brings the Flying Swallow Sword Monarch to this place?”

He turned his head at the familiar voice.

A middle-aged man with a sly smile stood a short distance away.

“…The Reclusive Slayer.”

Ha U-jin dropped the fragment and stood up.

“What brings you here?”

“Hahaha, I was passing by on business and heard the rumors.”

“Business nearby?”

Ha U-jin’s face hardened slightly.

The Reclusive Slayer was one of the Four Lords of the Hundred Ghosts Castle.

If he was personally involved, it was definitely no ordinary matter.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Ha U-jin glared at him and asked,

“Did you do this?”

“Did I do this?  Bwahahaha!”

The Reclusive Slayer burst into laughter.

Ha U-jin added,

“Did the Hundred Ghosts Castle, feeling threatened by the Hegemon Clan’s growing power, take action?”

The laughter stopped abruptly.

“That’s going too far.”

“Do you think it’s a joke?”

The Reclusive Slayer’s face turned cold.

“Are you underestimating the Hundred Ghosts Castle?”

“…Just a hypothetical question.”

A subtle tension filled the air between them.

But neither of them pressed the issue further.

Crossing this line meant all-out war.

As they glared at each other, the Reclusive Slayer unexpectedly backed down first.

“If you’ve examined the scene, you know I didn’t do this.”

“…”

Ha U-jin remained silent.

He already knew that the Reclusive Slayer wasn’t responsible for this massacre.

He wouldn’t leave behind such traces.

Ha U-jin turned around abruptly.

If he wasn’t the culprit, there was no need for further conversation, and he didn’t want to even make eye contact with anyone associated with the Hundred Ghosts Castle.

‘I need to find the culprit before the Reclusive Slayer.’

Ha U-jin, feeling a sense of urgency due to the Reclusive Slayer’s appearance, began searching the corpses for any remaining traces of martial arts when.

Flick—

The Reclusive Slayer shifted his gaze.

He was looking at the most gruesome corpse among the mountain of bodies.

Skin torn to shreds, eyeballs and innards protruding.

The Reclusive Slayer stared at the corpse, once known as the Rotating Blade.

‘What in the world happened? Not only did the Cold-Faced Blade Demon die at the Swift Wind Trading Company, but the Hegemon Clan has been annihilated.’

Unlike his earlier jokes with Ha U-jin, his mind was in turmoil.

He had left the Hundred Ghosts Castle and come here to proceed with the next stage of the plan after the Hegemon Clan’s mission, but…

‘Annihilated.’

He felt his throat tighten at the failure of a mission that should have been a guaranteed success.

Moreover, the cost of failure was high.

The Cold-Faced Blade Demon was an expendable pawn, but they had invested considerable effort in nurturing the Hegemon Clan.

As the Reclusive Slayer examined the scene, he gleaned some information.

‘The culprit was alone…’

The Reclusive Slayer frowned.

The traces indicated that a single person had caused this massacre, but…

There were too many inconsistencies.

‘There are no traces of martial arts being used.’

His head spun.

The Hegemon Clan wasn’t a small sect.

Even he would have left traces if he had annihilated this many people overnight.

‘Who could have done this…?’

While the Reclusive Slayer was struggling to identify the culprit, Ha U-jin was equally perplexed.

There were no traces of martial arts, but the marks left on the corpses were horrific.

“Such brutal methods.”

He couldn’t help but frown.

Not only were the methods brutal, but the state of the corpses was gruesome. The traces indicated a one-sided massacre, as if the culprit had toyed with hundreds of opponents.

‘This wasn’t done by someone from the Orthodox Sect.’

He was certain.

But anyone who saw the state of the Hegemon Clan would think the same.

Having reached this conclusion, he turned to leave the Hegemon Clan headquarters.

At the same time, the Reclusive Slayer also moved.

‘I must inform the Castle Lord.’

There was no point in staying here any longer.

He needed to focus on mitigating the losses incurred by the Hegemon Clan’s downfall.

Soon, both of them left the Hegemon Clan headquarters, heading in opposite directions.

Both thinking the same thing: that the culprit was someone from the Demonic Sect or a demonic martial artist.

—–CROW—– 

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