The Soul of the Heavenly Demon (1)
Ma Cheol-gun’s lips brushed against the mysterious woman’s, and though it was just a fleeting touch, a thrill like lightning coursed through his entire body.
He had met many women before, but never one as enchanting, as captivating as her. She seemed like the ideal woman every man dreamed of.
It was their first kiss.
Driven by instinct, Ma Cheol-gun dared to be bolder. He wrapped an arm around her waist, his other hand reaching for her chest.
But just then, she gently pushed him away.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
He complied without protest. Just kissing those beautiful lips felt like a dream.
“Shall we go for a walk?”
“Let’s.”
They stepped outside together. The guards stationed outside were taken aback by the sight of the woman. No one had entered the leader’s quarters, yet here she was.
“Don’t worry. I invited her discreetly. No need to follow us.”
“Understood.”
Ma Cheol-gun left the leader’s hall with the mysterious woman. The full moon in the sky seemed especially mystical that night.
“You told me before to come find you.”
“I did.”
“Where should I go?”
“You’ll have to find that out yourself. You have the strength to do so, don’t you?”
Her words were both encouraging and vague.
“Alright, I’ll find you.”
His determination was evident, and she smiled mysteriously.
Walking silently beside her was enough to make him happy.
The guards on patrol were astonished. It wasn’t just surprising to see the leader strolling with a woman, but her beauty was breathtaking.
Ma Cheol-gun relished their reactions.
Where did such a beautiful woman come from?
As expected of the leader!
He felt their admiration and respect.
It was different from when she had secretly visited his quarters. He felt proud and elated. Honestly, he was happier than when he became the leader.
‘I’ve lost my mind.’
Even as he thought that, he was undeniably happy. He was certainly infatuated with this woman.
As they wandered through the grounds, they arrived at the armory. Ma Cheol-gun followed her lead, not suspecting she had brought him there intentionally. There was no reason for it.
He explained as he looked at the large building.
“This is the armory, where we store the alliance’s weapons.”
“I’d like to see it.”
“That’s easy enough. Let’s go.”
He led her inside. The guards outside bowed in greeting, their surprise evident once more, which pleased Ma Cheol-gun again.
They entered through the door.
As they walked down the empty corridor, the woman stopped.
“Wait a moment.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to do it again.”
She gently pulled him closer.
Realizing she wanted to kiss him, Ma Cheol-gun closed his eyes.
The first kiss had been his doing. But now, as she initiated, his heart pounded.
The moment he felt her touch on his body.
Softly, suddenly.
Ma Cheol-gun collapsed against her, asleep. She had expertly pressed a pressure point.
As if on cue, the door at the end of the corridor opened, and men emerged. The leader had a blue snake tattoo on his forehead.
Another man with a snake tattoo on his arm followed.
They placed Ma Cheol-gun on a wheeled cart and pushed it around the corner, disappearing from sight.
The woman watched them go, then walked to the window. She gazed at the night sky with indifferent eyes.
She reached out her hand.
The full moon seemed close enough to touch, though it was impossibly far away.
The door opened, and the men wheeled in the cart with the sleeping Ma Cheol-gun.
“Lay him on that bed.”
The speaker was Yang Jeong-hui, a renowned expert in the dark arts, one of the top five in the central plains.
He had been involved with this organization for a long time, but this was the first time he was undertaking such a significant ritual.
Jung-ho was already lying on another bed, either drugged or subdued, sleeping peacefully.
This ritual was far more complex than the one Im Yeon-jeong and Jeong So had attempted with the manual. They needed to erase Ma Cheol-gun’s soul and implant the soul of the Heavenly Demon into his body.
A person dies the moment their soul vanishes. If they failed to implant the new soul at that precise moment, the ritual would fail. It had to be done with perfect timing.
Despite this, the setup in the room was much simpler and fewer in number than those used in previous rituals.
There are many ways to perform such rituals, but Yang Jeong-hui preferred to handle things personally. It was a testament to his confidence in his skills.
After laying Ma Cheol-gun on the bed, the men with snake tattoos left the room.
Now, only two people remained.
Besides Yang Jeong-hui, there was Geom-ya, sitting in a corner, drinking.
“You don’t have to be here.”
Yang Jeong-hui said, to which Geom-ya replied indifferently.
“I’d like to leave, but I have orders. Just pretend I’m not here and do your work.”
“Understood.”
Yang Jeong-hui busied himself with preparations. For a ritual of this importance, it was common to have two or three assistants.
But this time, he had to conduct it alone. It would be much harder, but he had to focus. Success would bring great wealth, but failure meant his life was forfeit.
A new incense was lit, and various devices in the room began to move.
Yang Jeong-hui undressed Ma Cheol-gun and inserted acupuncture needles into his body.
As the ritual began in earnest, another person entered the room.
It was Cheon So-seon.
Yang Jeong-hui paused and greeted him respectfully. He knew how crucial Cheon So-seon was to the organization.
“You’re here.”
“Please take care of it.”
Cheon So-seon also greeted Yang Jeong-hui with respect. This ritual was something they had prepared for a long time, a matter of life and death for the organization.
“I’ll do my best.”
After exchanging greetings, Cheon So-seon approached Geom-ya.
“It’s been a while, Elder Geom-ya.”
Geom-ya nodded in acknowledgment.
Even so, Cheon So-seon added a word.
“Please take care of things.”
“What do I have to do? Just drink. Care for a drink?”
“I’m fine.”
Geom-ya took a swig from the bottle he offered.
Cheon So-seon sat a little distance away. He knew Geom-ya’s martial arts were on par with his own.
Aside from his grandfather, Geom-ya was the strongest person he knew in the organization. Of course, that’s why he was involved in this.
Cheon So-seon leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
The ritual would take a long time to complete.
Half a shichen later, I and the head cook pushed two carts out of the kitchen. The carts were loaded with dishes we had prepared together.
The head cook’s name was Jo Myeong.
He had been working as the head cook for the martial alliance for thirty years.
I felt sorry for him, but I had to threaten him.
“If you try anything foolish, you’ll die by my hand.”
It was a threat for his own good. As long as he helped me, he would be safe.
With his help, we prepared the dishes. As expected of a skilled cook, he managed to create excellent dishes even with my assistance.
We took the mechanism used to transport weapons down to the first basement level.
It was a vast storage area. Dozens of display cases filled with weapons were arranged throughout.
We pushed the carts between the display cases.
At the end, we reached a relatively spacious area where the Twelve Masters stood. Behind them was a single door.
That must be it!
I sensed that the ritual was taking place inside.
“We’ve brought the meal.”
We placed the dishes on a side table.
“Wait a moment.”
Two of the Twelve Masters came out and checked the dishes with silver needles.
I noticed a strange energy emanating from the room behind them.
If the ritual had already begun, rescuing the child beforehand was a failure.
I never imagined they would proceed with the ritual so quickly. If I hadn’t met Geom-ya, I would still be trying to find a way into the secret chamber beneath the leader’s hall.
“You may leave now.”
“Yes.”
As we turned to leave with the empty carts, the door behind us opened.
“Hold on.”
The person who emerged was Geom-ya.
“Did you bring any alcohol?”
“No. Shall I bring some?”
“Bring a few bottles.”
“Yes.”
I stood behind Jo Myeong, hiding my face. As he was about to go back inside, he turned around again.
“Wait. You there, behind.”
“Yes.”
I revealed my face. He remembered me.
“Aren’t you the one who asked me for directions to the library earlier?”
“Oh, you’re that person?”
I acted as if I had just recognized him.
“Why are you here?”
Geom-ya’s expression turned sharp.
Just then, Jo Myeong spoke up.
“This young man was supposed to meet me at the library.”
I quickly chimed in.
“I got lost because I’m not familiar with the area.”
Geom-ya still looked suspicious.
“This is the East Wing area, though.”
Jo Myeong replied calmly.
“I was going to introduce him to the cooks in the West Wing. You can send someone to verify.”
His actions were so natural that even I, who knew he was lying, found myself almost convinced.
After glancing back and forth between me and the cook, Geomya turned and went back inside.
“Make sure to bring something strong.”
As I was about to enter the room, I caught sight of another figure through the open door. It was Cheonsoseon, stepping out to see what was happening outside.
Cheonsoseon and Geomya.
Outside, the formidable Twelve Masters.
And who knew when the old man might suddenly appear?
On top of that, the grand ritual had already begun.
It was, without a doubt, the worst possible situation.
I returned to the kitchen with Jo Myung.
“Why did you stand up for me?”
“I’ve been with the Martial Alliance for thirty years, and I’ve been in this kitchen for twenty-two of those. In all that time, I’ve never seen anyone conduct such a bizarre inspection. If you were truly a villain, you would have killed the assistant cook. But you only put him to sleep. What on earth is going on?”
“To put it simply, there’s a pest in the kitchen. Nasty bugs that devour all the ingredients.”
The kitchen metaphor hit home.
“Then we need to catch them.”
Jo Myung’s eyes sharpened with determination. It didn’t seem like he was trying to weasel out of anything.
“When do you need the meal ready by?”
“By tomorrow afternoon.”
In other words, the grand ritual would conclude before tomorrow evening.
“First, go prepare the drinks and bring them over. Make sure the meal is ready too.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit.”
I realized that barging in with brute force wasn’t the wisest choice. A different approach was necessary.
“In the meantime, I could report this to the higher-ups.”
“Those people are notorious villains in the martial world. The reason they can pull off such stunts here is because the leaders of the Alliance are involved.”
I explained the situation calmly, hoping he would believe me.
“If you expose this, you’ll lose your life. The Martial Alliance, which nourishes the martial world, and your kitchen here for the warriors, will never be able to serve a proper meal again.”
Jo Myung stared at me, torn between belief and doubt.
“Can you resolve this?”
“I can.”
His hesitation didn’t last long.
“I can tell the freshness of ingredients at a glance. You seem like a pretty fresh one.”
I chuckled and extended my hand to him. He grasped it firmly.
I left the Martial Alliance immediately.
I went straight to Gong Suchan and collected three hundred thousand nyang.
With the hefty sum in hand, I headed to the Black Market, the very place where I had previously purchased elixirs and protective gear.
The Black Market’s Wuhanjibu was the largest of its kind in the central plains.
The manager who greeted me wore a confident smile.
“If it’s not here, it doesn’t exist in the world. So, what do you need?”