Episode 223: Return to the Demonic Sect
“Ha ha ha! Now I see, Master Sa, you’re quite the jovial fellow!”
“Ha ha! You’re too kind! It’s you, Lord Jang, who truly embodies the spirit of a good man.”
Sa Bigang clinked his glass with Jang Hugyeom, showering him with praise.
Jang Hugyeom, in high spirits, took a swig of his drink and lifted the bottle.
“Here, let me fill your glass! I never realized Master Sa was such an impressive person!”
“Ha ha! I do have my moments!”
“Ha ha ha! You’re a delight! Truly entertaining!”
Jang Hugyeom laughed heartily, looking at Sa Bigang.
Could such a fortunate turn of events happen without divine intervention?
Sa Bigang regarded him as a benefactor.
From what he gathered, it seemed his subordinates had saved Sa Bigang from a life-threatening situation.
Of course, he had never sent any subordinates.
Yet, somehow, the one who saved Sa Bigang had mentioned Jang Hugyeom’s name before passing away, claiming they were sent by the Northern Celestial Pavilion’s Lord Jang Hugyeom.
It must have been a misunderstanding, a mix-up with someone from the orthodox sect.
But this small misunderstanding had turned into a stroke of luck for Jang Hugyeom.
Moreover, the one who saved Sa Bigang was cremated, leaving no evidence behind.
Having grasped the situation, Jang Hugyeom decided to use this stroke of luck to solve his immediate problems.
‘Whoever sent those subordinates, I’m the one reaping the benefits!’
Solving the issue of ten million nyang was a relief beyond words.
Considering the stress he’d been under, he felt he could jump out of bed in the middle of the night with joy.
The key now was to maintain this fortuitous misunderstanding.
To do that, he needed to win over Sa Bigang.
“Since you’ve helped me so much, Master Sa, if you ever need my assistance, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Your words alone are a great honor! Ha ha ha!”
Sa Bigang laughed heartily, clinking glasses once more.
The drinking session stretched on.
As they conversed, Jang Hugyeom found himself increasingly fond of Sa Bigang.
The more they talked, the more his affection for the man grew.
After all, whether by mistake or not, Sa Bigang had saved him from a dire situation.
“Should the Black Cloud Gang cause trouble over this, I’ll step in to resolve it.”
“I’d be grateful if you did.”
“Grateful? It’s only right, considering the help I’ve received.”
Jang Hugyeom chuckled heartily.
Just then, the door opened, and a waiter entered with more drinks and snacks.
“Here’s the Yanghe Daqu and sizzling beef you ordered.”
Jang Hugyeom’s smile widened.
Receiving help worth ten million nyang was already a blessing, but being treated so lavishly on top of that left him feeling overwhelmed.
Especially since Yanghe Daqu was renowned as a top-tier liquor.
Most inns didn’t even stock it, and even if they did, it was too expensive to even catch a whiff of.
As the waiter uncorked the bottle, the fragrant aroma wafted through the air.
‘Wow, this is amazing.’
He swallowed involuntarily.
The waiter poured a glass for Jang Hugyeom first.
The sound of the expensive liquor pouring was music to his ears.
Next, the waiter began to fill Sa Bigang’s glass.
At that moment!
Swish!
The waiter suddenly swung a dagger at Sa Bigang’s neck.
Thud!
Amazingly, the attack stopped just short of Sa Bigang’s face.
Sa Bigang had caught the dagger with his chopsticks.
“Is this part of the meal too?” he asked with a smirk, causing the waiter to falter before swinging the bottle down.
“Ah! The precious liquor…!”
Jang Hugyeom exclaimed involuntarily,
Crash!
Sa Bigang, still seated, kicked the waiter’s knee.
The waiter toppled over, the bottle shattering over his head.
Thud!
The rich aroma of the liquor filled the room.
Watching the precious drink spill over the waiter’s head, Jang Hugyeom sighed in exasperation.
“Where do these people even come from…?”
Before he could finish his sentence,
Thud! Thud!
The waiter, who seemed unconscious, suddenly sprang up and lunged at Sa Bigang with the dagger.
Swish!
This time, Sa Bigang flicked his drink at the attacker.
Splash!
The waiter quickly shielded his eyes and lunged with the dagger,
Clang!
The glass flew, shattering against the dagger.
As the waiter staggered back, Sa Bigang struck his elbow, thigh, and shoulder with his fingers,
“Bend, spread, pull back.”
as if correcting the waiter’s stance.
Finally, Sa Bigang pushed the waiter away with a palm strike.
Bang!
The waiter skidded to a stop, clicking his tongue.
“Tsk!”
Sa Bigang chuckled softly.
“Better than yesterday, Bicheon.”
“You’re a ghost, truly.”
The waiter grumbled, pulling at his neck to reveal a mask.
With the mask removed, Dobi Cheon’s face was revealed.
Jang Hugyeom was utterly baffled by the situation.
Then,
Crash! Crash!
The windows shattered as two shadows leaped in.
The intruder, exuding a dark aura, was none other than Seok Tangang.
Swish!
He swung his curved sword diagonally.
In a flash, Sa Bigang vanished,
“Don’t hold your breath while focusing. If you do, your energy flow will falter.”
whispering from behind.
Slash!
Seok Tangang’s sword cleaved through a chair as he spun around,
Swish!
Another attack came from behind Sa Bigang.
It was the Sleepwalking Sword Ghost, Ong Giseung.
Sa Bigang grabbed Ong Giseung’s wrist and pushed him towards Seok Tangang.
Unable to resist the momentum, Ong Giseung’s sword thrust towards Seok Tangang, who blocked it with his own blade in surprise.
Clang!
The clash of swords echoed loudly.
Sa Bigang chuckled.
“Falling for the same trick again. You’re more of a Sleepwalking Sword Ghost than a Sleep Sword Ghost.”
Before he could finish his scolding, the door burst open.
Crash!
Breaking through the entrance was the Blood Fist King, Baek Gongbo.
“Yah!”
He unleashed a flurry of punches.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
But each punch met with Sa Bigang’s palm, nullifying their force.
In a flash, Sa Bigang slipped inside Baek Gongbo’s guard and delivered an uppercut.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Baek Gongbo’s eyes bulged.
“Instead of pushing through like this…”
Sa Bigang stepped back, adjusting his stance, and delivered a short, sharp punch.
Boom!
Baek Gongbo, struck in the face, flew back, nose bleeding, and crashed into a corner.
“A short, snapping punch is more effective. To do that, you need to adjust your energy flow at the point of impact. And…”
Just then, Yusongryeong appeared through the broken window, swinging his massive sword.
Sa Bigang leaped, wrapping around Yusongryeong’s shoulder and grabbing his wrist.
It was a stance reminiscent of when he taught Mok Danhwa at Jeokhaseong.
“Concealing your intent is the most basic of assassination techniques.”
With that, Sa Bigang spun Yusongryeong around.
As Seok Tangang and Ong Giseung hesitated,
Clang! Clang!
Yusongryeong’s massive sword clashed with their blades, sending them flying.
Crash!
“If you can’t handle the weight of the massive sword, feel the flow instead. Flow is momentum. Without getting used to it, the massive sword is just a cumbersome piece of metal.”
”…!”
With those words, Sa Bigang pushed Yusongryeong’s back roughly.
“Ah!”
And with that, the ambush ended.
The new recruits lay sprawled against the wall, sulking.
Sa Bigang scratched his head, looking at the still-bewildered Jang Hugyeom.
“Sorry about that. I ruined a perfectly good evening.”
“What on earth just happened?”
“Just a bit of a lesson. Ha ha!”
“A lesson?”
“Yes, my teaching style. Let’s move to another room. Oh, and leave the cleanup to them.”
With that, Sa Bigang led Jang Hugyeom out of the room.
The remaining recruits lay sprawled on the floor, silent.
**
The man was entirely white-haired.
He had a slender build, with features so delicate they could be described as beautiful.
His skin was pale, almost scholarly in its elegance.
Yet, he was most striking when expressionless.
When he smiled…
“Aaah! Please, spare me! I was wrong! I truly was! Please, just spare… Aaaagh!”
Someone always died in terror.
Perhaps that was why?
The man’s laughter had an unsettling edge to it.
His name was Seol Sumin.
He surveyed the bodies scattered around him with a detached expression.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
“Hmm. Are they all dead?”
His voice was as indifferent as a child squashing ants, when a clear voice cut through the air.
“Brother, something’s moving over there.”
It was the silver-haired beauty.
People called her the “White-Haired Witch.”
More beautiful than Seol Sumin, she was a woman whose youthful appearance belied a certain vulnerability that stirred a protective instinct in men.
She was Seol Sumin’s younger sister, Seol Serin.
Seol Sumin smiled gently at her, though there was something chilling about that smile, his voice was nothing but tender.
“Let’s go, Rin.”
“Yes, brother.”
Where they walked, a middle-aged woman was crawling on the ground, missing a leg.
Her face was ashen.
‘Please… someone, anyone, save me…!’
She cried out in her heart.
She had lived her life fueled by the desire for revenge for her long-dead husband and son, enduring hardships to rebuild the crumbling Weiji family.
She couldn’t die so meaninglessly.
‘Revenge… I must…!’
But despair soon engulfed her.
Thud!
Two shadows blocked her path.
With a heavy heart, she looked up to see the white-haired demons smiling down at her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Seol Serin asked.
“You wretched…!”
“Hahaha! Aren’t you the one receiving divine punishment right now?”
“What…?”
“If you don’t understand, ask in the afterlife.”
In the next moment,
Whizz!
A gust of wind pierced the middle-aged woman’s forehead.
She fell forward, eyes wide open.
Whooooosh!
A chilling wind swept through the courtyard, as if to announce the futility of death.
The wind carried the thick scent of blood.
And so, another family vanished.
Just then, a bird flew in on the bloody wind.
A message was tied to its leg.
As Seol Serin untied the message, a smile slowly spread across her face.
“Brother, look at this.”
Seol Sumin took the message and that familiar, eerie smile appeared.
“Sabi River, huh… Interesting. Shall we return to Cheonsang Palace after all this time?”