Episode 221: Return to the Demon Sect
“I almost died.”
Churyang muttered, staring blankly into space.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
Sabigang patted him on the shoulder.
“But you blocked it twice, didn’t you?”
“That doesn’t help at all.”
“No, it does. All you need to do is buy us a little time by blocking one or two attacks. That’s the role of a bodyguard.”
“No, I think I’m just a burden. I’m not cut out to be a bodyguard…”
“Not at all. You did great today.”
“No, I didn’t! I’m not qualified to be a bodyguard! I could put you in danger!”
“Well, I think you did just fine.”
“Master! I think you trust me too much. The fact that I blocked anything was pure luck. I should quit being a bodyguard…”
“Do you want a beating?”
Sabigang’s expression turned icy.
Churyang swallowed hard.
Finally, with a face on the verge of tears, he spoke.
“Master… please spare me. I really almost died. It’s hard enough just taking care of myself, let alone being a bodyguard.”
“It’s okay. That’s the fate of a bodyguard.”
“That doesn’t explain anything!”
Churyang shouted in frustration, but Sabigang just chuckled and looked up.
The stars in the night sky seemed ready to spill over at any moment.
Eventually, Churyang sighed deeply and stepped closer, resigned.
“What exactly are you planning to do next? Are you really going to turn them into monsters?”
“Of course. We need to make them into something even more monstrous.”
“All for that time, right?”
Churyang had heard bits and pieces about the invasion of the demon realm in the underground training room.
It was still hard to believe, but after witnessing magic firsthand, it was difficult to dismiss entirely.
Churyang sighed softly.
“But even if you turn them into monsters, won’t it just benefit the Blood Sect?”
“At this rate, it might. That’s why I plan to take a key position in the Blood Sect.”
“What? Even in the Blood Sect?”
Churyang’s eyes widened as he looked at Sabigang.
Wasn’t Sabigang already appointed to a key position as the Chief Inspector in the Justice Alliance?
But a martial artist from the Justice Alliance taking a key position in the Blood Sect?
Is that even possible?
If the Justice Alliance had overthrown the Blood Sect, it might be conceivable.
Even if they unified the martial world, they couldn’t completely absorb the dark sects, so a martial artist from the Justice Alliance could take a key position to keep an eye on them.
But in a situation where the two factions coexist in tension, taking a key position in the Blood Sect?
It sounds absurd, yet somehow, if it’s Sabigang, it might just be possible.
Churyang cautiously asked.
“What position are you aiming for?”
“Isn’t there an empty spot?”
“Don’t tell me… you’re aiming for the Vermilion Bird position?”
If there’s an empty key position in the Blood Sect, it would be the leader of the Vermilion Bird Hall, wouldn’t it?
After the death of the Vermilion Bird Hall’s leader, Akcheon Goe, the position remained vacant.
It wasn’t because they couldn’t find a suitable replacement.
The leader of the Blood Sect had declared the position would remain vacant for a while to honor Akcheon Goe.
This was also intended to prevent internal power struggles within the Blood Sect.
Sabigang shook his head.
“No.”
“Haha, I knew it. Aiming for the Vermilion Bird Hall leader position out of the blue is ridiculous. I must have been talking nonsense…”
“The Azure Dragon. I want the Azure Dragon position.”
“What? The Azure Dragon posi—what?!”
Churyang screamed in shock.
He quickly looked around and lowered his voice.
“The Azure Dragon? What are you talking about? There’s no Azure Dragon Hall in the Blood Sect.”
“That’s right.”
Sabigang admitted readily.
Churyang’s words were true.
There was no position representing the Azure Dragon in the Blood Sect.
They had the White Tiger Hall, Vermilion Bird Hall, and Black Tortoise Hall.
But there was no Azure Dragon Hall.
That’s because the leader of the Blood Sect is known as the Black Dragon.
Two dragons can’t coexist in one organization.
So, the hierarchy starts with the White Tiger Hall.
“But an Azure Dragon Hall?”
Churyang blinked in confusion as Sabigang turned to him.
“Just because it doesn’t exist doesn’t mean it can’t be created, right?”
“Haha… I suppose that’s true…”
Churyang’s lips twitched.
A sense of foreboding crept over him.
Is it just his imagination, or does the future look like a path of hardship?
‘Did I choose the wrong master?’
Whether Sabigang knew what Churyang was thinking or not, he asked.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, no reason. Just…”
“Do you think it’s really cool? You must feel lucky to have chosen such a master, right?”
“Haha… ha… of course. I must be a really fortunate guy.”
Churyang forced a smile.
‘Fortunate to die…’
Of course, he didn’t say that out loud.
**
Hongyeom handed a list to Sabigang.
“Here’s the detailed report on the individuals you mentioned.”
“Good work.”
Sabigang opened the list and skimmed through the contents.
At some point, his eyes narrowed.
“Hmm. There’s nothing specific about Yoon Cheon-hwa?”
“There’s no one without a speck of dust when you dig deep enough. But this is the first time I’ve seen someone like that.”
“Does that mean there’s no way in?”
“Based on our investigation, we haven’t found any peculiarities. We’ll look into it further.”
Hongyeom replied politely, and Sabigang nodded faintly.
Then Churyang, standing nearby, interjected.
“But Master, who are these people?”
“They’re the ones who might become my hands and feet someday.”
“Help, you say…”
“I told you, I want a key position. To do that, I need to recruit them one by one.”
Sabigang stood up with a meaningful smile.
“Shall we start with this one? It seems like the easiest to resolve first.”
Sabigang pointed to a name on the list.
It read ‘Jang Hu-gyeom’ and ‘Leader of the Northern Sky Pavilion.’
**
Jang Hu-gyeom clenched his fists, trembling with anger.
He looked at his subordinates sprawled around the inn, a look of despair on his face.
They were all groaning from various injuries.
Meanwhile, a young man sat at the table where Jang Hu-gyeom had been eating, legs crossed.
The young man casually took a swig from a bottle and glanced at Jang Hu-gyeom.
“Leader Jang, why don’t you come over and sit down instead of just standing there?”
“Was this really necessary?”
Jang Hu-gyeom shouted in frustration.
The young man frowned slightly.
At the same time, the martial artists surrounding him exuded a palpable killing intent.
The young man cracked his neck and stood up.
Jang Hu-gyeom flinched and instinctively took a step back.
‘Damn it! To be humiliated by this young brat!’
The more he thought about it, the more infuriated and humiliated he felt.
Who was he?
Wasn’t he the leader of the Northern Sky Pavilion in the Blood Sect?
And yet, to be treated with such disdain by a young upstart!
Of course, the young man’s backing wasn’t insignificant either.
He was Joo Ki-hyeon, the deputy leader of the Black Cloud Gang.
The Black Cloud Gang was one of the factions supporting the Blood Sect.
So, no matter how high Jang Hu-gyeom’s position as the leader of the Northern Sky Pavilion was, he couldn’t treat the deputy leader of the Black Cloud Gang lightly.
Moreover…
“Can you really shout like that when you’re in debt?”
“Ugh.”
Jang Hu-gyeom gritted his teeth.
The problem was this accursed debt.
A staggering ten million nyang!
A few months ago, he had made a bet with Joo Ki-hyeon at the life-and-death arena.
What started as a small wager had ballooned, and by the time he came to his senses, it had reached eight million eight hundred thousand nyang.
With interest piling up, it had now risen to ten million nyang.
Since the day he incurred the debt, Joo Ki-hyeon had hounded him like a demon.
Having committed the act, Jang Hu-gyeom had no choice.
They say even family can’t interfere in money matters.
His days were miserable, making his position as the leader of the Northern Sky Pavilion seem meaningless.
And today, that demon of a man had shown up at a gathering, causing this chaos.
“Ugh.”
Jang Hu-gyeom let out a faint groan and spoke.
“Give me a little more time.”
“Well, I do have my limits, Leader.”
“I’ll pay it back as soon as possible.”
“I’ve already waited three days. And what is this? You have money to eat with your subordinates at an inn, but not to pay back your debt?”
Joo Ki-hyeon sneered as he looked around.
Jang Hu-gyeom endured the humiliation and replied.
“It was just a gathering after three months.”
“Sigh, Leader. Why are you so difficult to deal with? I’ve told you before, let’s not make this hard. You must have realized by now…”
”…”
Jang Hu-gyeom bit his lip until it bled.
He didn’t know what he might do if he opened his mouth any further.
But he couldn’t silence Joo Ki-hyeon.
“By the way, how is Miss Jang doing these days?”
Jang Hu-gyeom’s expression flinched.
‘This bastard is after my daughter again…!’
Suppressing his rising anger, he spat out his words.
“She’s… doing well.”
A lecherous grin spread across Joo Ki-hyeon’s face.
“It’s been quite a while since I last saw Miss Jang. Well, if she were to come by again and show her filial piety, perhaps we could consider reducing the debt your lord owes…”
Jang Hu-gyeom couldn’t hold back any longer and drew his sword.
“You filthy…!”
Clang!
In an instant, the warriors standing by Ju Ki-hyeon unsheathed their swords and surrounded Jang Hu-gyeom.
Clang, clang, clang!
A chilling aura filled the air, suffocating and oppressive.
Jang Hu-gyeom trembled, gripping his sword tightly.
Humiliation and rage churned within him, yet he couldn’t move a finger.
It wasn’t death he feared.
It was the thought of his family being burdened with the debt after he was gone.
They say debt can enslave even the soul.
In the tense atmosphere, Ju Ki-hyeon rose slowly.
“Now, now, let’s all calm down. Why make things so difficult?”
“Don’t you dare mention my daughter with that filthy mouth of yours.”
“Well then, why don’t you pay up?”
“I will pay. Just give me one more day…”
Smack!
Ju Ki-hyeon slapped Jang Hu-gyeom across the face.
His eyes were bloodshot with anger.
“Ugh…!”
“Do you think ten million nyang is just a dog’s name?”
”…!”
“You don’t seem to grasp the situation… Sigh, let’s do it this way.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Kneel before me right now and bow your head to the ground ten times. I’ll knock off five million nyang. Depending on how you do, I might even reduce it by another million.”
Jang Hu-gyeom gripped his sword tighter.
But that was all he could do.
Seeing him remain motionless, Ju Ki-hyeon shrugged and turned away.
“Well, pride doesn’t fill your stomach, does it? Are you trying to act like one of those righteous sect fools? Oh well, let’s teach him a lesson.”
With that, he began to walk away.
The Black Cloud Gang warriors moved toward Jang Hu-gyeom.
“Wait… hold on.”
Jang Hu-gyeom’s trembling voice stopped Ju Ki-hyeon.
As Ju Ki-hyeon turned back, Jang Hu-gyeom slowly sank to his knees.
His expression was as if he were chewing on dirt.
‘Endure it, you must endure!’
If he could cut the debt in half with just one act of humiliation…
Just as his knees were about to touch the ground,
A hand stopped him.
He turned instinctively to see a familiar face.
“You are…?”
He remembered.
It was Sa Bi-gang, the instructor from the Justice Alliance.
Sa Bi-gang spoke bluntly.
“A man shouldn’t kneel so easily.”