Episode 364: Return to the Demonic Sect
A shabby inn nestled at the foot of a small mountain.
“Here are your noodles!”
The innkeeper’s assistant placed two bowls on the table with a cheerful voice before turning away.
Sabikang, with a stern expression, spoke up.
“Hold on.”
“Yes?”
The assistant flinched and turned back, only to find Sabikang staring intently at the noodle bowls.
“Why is it that you only serve noodles here?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. While we do specialize in noodles, we’ve run out of ingredients for everything else. Hehe.”
The assistant scratched the back of his head sheepishly and smiled apologetically.
Even after the assistant left, Sabikang didn’t touch his chopsticks, continuing to glare at the noodles. Meanwhile, Churyang had already started eating with gusto.
As Churyang slurped his noodles noisily, Sabikang asked casually, “How’s the taste?”
“Pretty good! This place isn’t bad at all. I might even go for a second bowl.”
“Do the noodles feel like they’re wriggling or sliding down your throat in a peculiar way?”
Churyang tilted his head, puzzled. “Are you taking gourmet lessons these days?”
“Never mind. As long as that’s not the case.”
Sabikang waved his hand dismissively and poked at the noodles with his chopsticks.
Poke. Poke.
Churyang watched Sabikang’s actions with a look of bewilderment.
As Sabikang lifted the bowl to sniff it, the old monk sitting next to Churyang clicked his tongue and spoke.
“There’s nothing wrong with it, just eat.”
Sabikang flinched and stared at the monk before asking, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“Hunger is something you control with your mind. When you reach a certain level of enlightenment, you don’t feel hunger or thirst.”
Sabikang sighed lightly and began to eat the noodles slowly. Fortunately, he didn’t sense anything amiss while eating.
Sabikang asked, “What’s your name?”
“Jegal Seon.”
Sabikang paused and asked, “From the Jegal family?”
“Well, I left a long time ago, but yes, that’s my origin.”
“I see.”
Sabikang nodded, understanding. The Jegal family was renowned for their intelligence, making it no surprise that someone from there would master such intricate arts.
However…
“The family must not have been pleased.”
The monk, Jegal Seon, chuckled and nodded. “Indeed. It was more like I was expelled than left voluntarily.”
“I can imagine. They probably accused you of dabbling in dark arts.”
In truth, mastering the art of Qimen Dunjia wouldn’t be frowned upon in the Jegal family. To criticize it would be to deny their ancestor, Zhuge Liang, who was well-versed in such arts.
But, as with anything, excess can be worse than deficiency.
Jegal Seon likely ventured beyond the norm, into the realm of forbidden arts.
Jegal Seon didn’t deny it. “I’ve always been fascinated by various arts since I was young. Not just Qimen Dunjia, but also illusion arts, soul manipulation, formations, and divination. I learned to read fortunes and faces as a basic skill.”
“But wouldn’t anyone from the Jegal family be interested in those things?”
“To some extent, yes. But I took it too far. While others might read the stars to predict the future, I would manipulate the elements to change outcomes. It’s a different level altogether. I even created some unique techniques.”
Sabikang nodded, understanding. Though Jegal Seon called them ‘unique techniques,’ they were likely considered forbidden arts.
Perhaps he even dabbled in the great arts of the demonic realm.
Sometimes, those with excessive intellectual curiosity engage in dangerous pursuits without a second thought.
But when one crosses the line of common understanding, people tend to react with fear and caution.
If kept moderate, it might be seen as a fascinating skill, but if excessive, it becomes a deceitful art that deceives others.
“Hmm, he might have learned forbidden arts or the great arts of the demonic realm. Not that he’d admit it if I asked.”
Jegal Seon glanced at Sabikang and spoke nonchalantly.
“Of course, I wouldn’t answer even if you asked.”
“Have you learned mind-reading too?”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Then how did you know?”
“Your face screams curiosity. How could I not notice?”
Sabikang clicked his tongue and changed the subject.
“How did you come to know Jeong Ryugwang, the head of the Hao Clan?”
“After leaving home, I had nowhere to go. I ended up mingling with beggars and vagrants. Among them was Gwang-ah, whom I taught a few things. Later, he joined the Hao Clan, perhaps because they recognized his talent.”
Jegal Seon chuckled, reminiscing.
“Though Gwang-ah never fully mastered the arts I taught him, he was still quite capable.”
“You didn’t just teach him Qimen Dunjia, did you?”
“Of course not. I combined various techniques based on Qimen Dunjia and eventually created my own.”
“I see. What did you name this technique?”
“The technique I created is called… ‘The Greatest Genius of the Central Plains, Jegal Seon’s Heaven and Earth Harmonizing Art.’”
“Pffft!”
Churyang spat out his noodles in surprise.
He quickly apologized, “Ah, I’m sorry.”
“No need. It’s understandable. Even I got goosebumps when I first thought of the name.”
“Wow…”
Churyang stared at Jegal Seon in disbelief.
‘There’s someone else like Master…’
Meanwhile, Sabikang looked at Jegal Seon with sparkling eyes.
“Indeed! A magnificent name! It sounds like an extraordinary technique just from the name!”
‘Oh dear.’
Churyang’s jaw dropped.
Regardless, Sabikang and Jegal Seon seemed to get along splendidly.
“You recognize its true value. Gwang-ah kept insisting on changing the name, but I refused.”
“You did well. People often fail to grasp the true meaning and just wag their tongues. It was the same when I first tried to establish my academy.”
“Really? What was the name?”
“The Supreme Invincible Sabikang Demon-Slaying Academy.”
“Oh! Indeed! A remarkable name! Truly impressive.”
“You have a knack for naming things.”
“I’ve learned something from you.”
Jegal Seon stroked his beard with a serious expression.
Churyang, having forgotten about his noodles, muttered to himself.
‘Why do they connect over such things?’
**
The construction of the Demon-Slaying Academy in Wuhuan was progressing smoothly without major issues.
As a specialized institution to counter the Demonic Sect, its scale was beyond imagination.
Though it couldn’t compare to the main headquarters of the Justice Alliance, it was still one of the largest in the entire Central Plains.
Naturally, the various factions already established in Wuhuan couldn’t help but be conscious of the academy.
However, they couldn’t openly criticize the academy, which had the official support of the Justice Alliance.
As a result, many factions harbored subtle jealousy and envy without showing it outwardly.
In fact, some leaders within the Justice Alliance hadn’t completely let go of their wariness towards Sabikang, subtly encouraging the factions in Wuhuan to keep him in check.
Over time, some factions began to openly find fault with the academy.
Particularly, the fact that the academy’s members didn’t distinguish between orthodox and unorthodox sects was a point of criticism.
Especially since the battle at Seohwa Plain had ended not long ago, the orthodox sects’ animosity towards the unorthodox was at its peak.
Many factions in Wuhuan had lost disciples in the battle at Seohwa Plain.
Eventually, as the construction neared completion, there were incidents of workers being harassed and martial artists causing trouble over trivial matters.
In response, Maeseollan instructed the Heaven-Slaying Brigade and the Newborn Division to patrol the area and handle any incidents appropriately.
One day, while Gok Bo-ok and Baek Gong-bo were patrolling near the construction site, Gok Bo-ok grumbled incessantly.
“The world has changed. Unorthodox scum mingling with orthodox martial artists.”
Baek Gong-bo retorted sharply, “Hmph! The world has changed indeed! In the past, orthodox trash would have run at the mere shadow of an unorthodox martial artist.”
“Ha! Run? More like avoiding filth.”
“Ridiculous. Hiding behind the facade of righteousness, always doing cowardly things while pretending to be clean…”
“Have you seen the filthy things unorthodox scum do? If it weren’t for the instructor… no, the headmaster, you’d be dead by my hand already.”
“Orthodox folks are all talk, aren’t they?”
“You little…!”
Gok Bo-ok was about to unleash his inner power when someone suddenly rounded the corner and collided with Baek Gong-bo.
“Ah!”
A woman stumbled and fell, landing hard on her backside.
Seeing this, Gok Bo-ok twisted his lips in disapproval and scolded Baek Gong-bo.
“What are you doing? Knocking over a lady like that. Honestly, those ruffians from the unorthodox sects…”
“What are you talking about? She was the one who ran into me first…”
But Gok Bo-ok, uninterested in Baek Gong-bo’s excuses, approached the woman and offered his hand.
“Are you alright, miss?”
“Ouch… I’m fine.”
The woman stood up, rubbing her sore backside. She was quite striking, appearing to be around the same age as the two men. Judging by the expensive sword at her waist and her neat attire, she seemed to belong to a reputable faction in Wuhuan.
She shot a sharp look at Baek Gong-bo and demanded, “Don’t you know how to apologize?”
“You’re the one who ran into me first. Why should I be the one to apologize?”
Baek Gong-bo raised an eyebrow defiantly, and the woman looked at him incredulously.
“Unbelievable!”
She gave him a once-over, then nodded as if she understood something.
“So, you’re one of those unorthodox troublemakers causing a stir in Wuhuan these days?”
“And what if I am?”
“Clearly, being an uneducated rogue means you have no manners whatsoever.”
At this point, Baek Gong-bo’s face flushed with anger.
Gok Bo-ok, who had been watching, chuckled and tried to calm the woman.
“He’s always been like this. Please, try to understand.”
Then he turned to Baek Gong-bo, feigning sternness.
“You uneducated fool! Apologize at once.”
“What the…”
Baek Gong-bo gritted his teeth, while Gok Bo-ok signaled with his eyes for him to apologize, a victorious smile playing on his lips.
But Baek Gong-bo, his pride wounded, had no intention of apologizing.
‘These people… really…!’
Crossing his arms, Baek Gong-bo spoke stiffly.
“No. I should be the one receiving an apology.”
“What kind of person are you? Why should I apologize?”
The woman retorted, her temper flaring, as Baek Gong-bo glared at her with even more determination.
“You ran into me without looking, so it’s clearly your fault. And you should also apologize for calling me an unorthodox rogue.”