Episode 488: Return to the Demon Sect
“The Black Ghost…?”
Cheon Sae-myung turned to see a man, known as the Black Ghost, huddled under a ragged cloak, desperately avoiding the sunlight. Indeed, he hadn’t stepped out from the shade of the trees.
A disease that causes one’s skin to burn in the sun? In all his life, Cheon Sae-myung had never heard of such an ailment.
Sensing Cheon Sae-myung’s skepticism, Jang Dok-soo continued, “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. If you’re doubtful, you can see for yourself.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Without hesitation, Cheon Sae-myung approached the cloaked man.
“Grrr…!”
The man bared his teeth and growled.
Cheon Sae-myung spoke gently, “I mean you no harm. I just want to check your pulse.”
Jang Dok-soo interjected, “Checking his pulse won’t tell you anything. The quickest way is to expose his skin to sunlight.”
With that, Jang Dok-soo swiftly moved behind the cloaked man. As the man turned, Jang Dok-soo unleashed a gentle gust of energy.
Thud!
The cloaked man stumbled out of the shade.
Sizzle…!
Astonishingly, his skin began to smoke and burn in the sunlight. The man grimaced in pain and quickly covered himself with the cloak, retreating to the shade.
Though brief, Cheon Sae-myung had seen it clearly.
“His skin really does burn…”
Jang Dok-soo, looking pleased, asked, “You saw it, right? He’s suffering from a rare disease. But his mind isn’t stable, so we’ve had a hard time bringing him along.”
Jang Dok-soo and Jang Dok-gon approached the man, who was visibly on edge.
Cheon Sae-myung hesitated. Should he just walk away, or should he help this unfortunate man?
“Is this a test of my vow to live a life of repentance?”
He looked up at the sky. Meanwhile, the cloaked man was being dragged away by the two, his skin sizzling in the sunlight, yet they seemed indifferent.
Finally, Cheon Sae-myung made up his mind and stepped forward.
“Wait.”
The two stopped and turned.
“What is it?”
“I know someone who might be able to treat him.”
“Someone who can treat him? Who?”
“There’s a person at the main hall who teaches medical students. He once served as the head of the medical division in the Justice Alliance. There’s no one under the heavens with greater medical skills.”
He was referring to Jin Baek. Although Jin Baek wasn’t currently at Yongcheon Hall, he doubted the two would know that.
The two exchanged glances, surprised by this turn of events, and then nodded at each other before approaching Cheon Sae-myung.
“Very well. We’ll leave him in your care.”
“Will you?”
Cheon Sae-myung was relieved by their unexpected compliance, but their next words made his expression harden.
“But as you know, there are too many irresponsible people these days. What if you don’t treat him and sell him as a slave instead? Of course, we don’t think you’d do that, but you never know.”
“What are you getting at?”
“We’d like a sort of responsibility fee.”
“A responsibility fee?”
“Yes, even when adopting a dog these days, people pay a fee.”
“How much are you thinking?”
“Three thousand nyang should suffice.”
“What?”
Cheon Sae-myung’s eyebrows shot up. A responsibility fee? This was nothing short of human trafficking.
Seeing Cheon Sae-myung’s shocked expression, the two quickly added, “I’m sorry, but without that fee, we can’t hand him over.”
“This is absurd…!”
Cheon Sae-myung swallowed his rising anger and replied calmly, “I only have thirty nyang on me. I’ll give you all of it.”
“That’s not enough. A human life can’t be valued at thirty nyang.”
“Are you trying to cause trouble?”
Cheon Sae-myung subtly gathered his energy, and the two exchanged glances again.
In an instant,
“That’s not going to work!”
Shiiing!
Jang Dok-soo suddenly lunged with his sword.
Cheon Sae-myung leaped back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Jang Dok-gon soared into the air and descended like a comet.
Cheon Sae-myung quickly drew his sword to block.
Clang!
Sparks flew with a clear metallic ring.
Cheon Sae-myung extended his left hand.
Boom!
“Aaagh!”
Jang Dok-gon screamed as he was thrown to the ground.
Jang Dok-soo shouted, “Gon! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, brother.”
But despite his words, Jang Dok-gon was drenched in cold sweat.
Meanwhile, Cheon Sae-myung looked at his left hand, deep in thought.
“Hmm. It seems my inner strength has increased.”
Not only that, but his body felt lighter than before his journey. His martial arts had improved during his travels.
Cheon Sae-myung scolded the two, “In these chaotic times, with the demon sect invading, how can you engage in human trafficking? Aren’t you ashamed before the heavens?”
“To hell with the heavens! We’re busy enough dealing with people!”
“Brother, what do we do now?”
“What else? We finish him off and leave quickly.”
“Let’s do it!”
The two charged again, shouting in unison.
Cheon Sae-myung clicked his tongue.
“Even in these times, you’re no better than the demonic sect. In fact, the demonic sect might be better than you!”
“Shut up!”
Jang Dok-soo flew at him, sword slashing vertically.
Cheon Sae-myung dodged and countered with a reverse grip.
Shiiing!
Sparks flew again.
Jang Dok-gon seized the opportunity to attack.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed sharply.
But as time passed, the fight tilted in Cheon Sae-myung’s favor.
He slashed, stabbed, dodged, and slashed again.
Even against two opponents, Cheon Sae-myung held his ground.
In fact, the two were being pushed back.
Finally, Cheon Sae-myung’s sword cut deep into Jang Dok-gon’s thigh.
Splat!
“Aaagh!”
Jang Dok-gon staggered back, and Jang Dok-soo shouted, “Gon!”
In that moment, he felt a chill down his spine.
Cheon Sae-myung appeared behind him, his sword piercing through his chest.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Brother!”
Jang Dok-gon cried out.
Cheon Sae-myung withdrew his sword from Jang Dok-soo’s heart, flicking the blood off the blade before turning to Jang Dok-gon.
“Still think he’s worth three thousand nyang?”
“You… you…!”
Jang Dok-gon stumbled back.
Then, suddenly, he turned and lunged at the cloaked man.
“Grrr…!”
Jang Dok-gon held his sword to the man’s neck and shouted, “Come any closer, and I’ll kill him!”
“Your true nature shows.”
“Shut up! This is all your fault! You should’ve just minded your own business!”
Shiiing, thud!
“Ugh…!”
Jang Dok-gon looked up at the sword embedded in his forehead.
Moments later, he collapsed.
Cheon Sae-myung walked over, retrieving his sword from Jang Dok-gon’s forehead and flicking the blood off once more.
“Are you alright?”
”…”
The cloaked man watched warily, but at least he didn’t run away, recognizing that Cheon Sae-myung had saved him.
“I mean you no harm. Come with me to Yongcheon Hall. You can stay there until I find someone to treat you.”
“Grrr…”
“How did you end up with such a terrible disease? Is it related to the demon sect’s invasion in the northern regions?”
“Grrr…”
“Relax. Let me check your pulse.”
Cheon Sae-myung took the man’s wrist.
“Hmm, this is strange. It seems like you’ve practiced martial arts, but something’s suppressing it. I can’t tell what it is. Did you take the wrong medicine? It doesn’t seem like a case of inner demon possession… What happened?”
Rumors had spread that many from the Justice Alliance had perished during the demon sect’s invasion. Some survivors had reportedly fallen into inner demon possession due to the trauma.
Could this man be one of them?
“By the way, even if I wanted to free you from those chains, I can’t find the key. There’s nothing I can do.”
These weren’t ordinary chains; they couldn’t be broken with mere sword energy.
Even after searching through the belongings of the man who had everything, there was no sign of a key.
“Once we reach Yongcheon Hall, the master there should be able to break these. Let’s go.”
In the end, he set off again, taking the ragged man with him.
His original plan to head straight to Yongcheon Hall was slightly altered along the way.
As they neared a village, the man’s stomach growled like thunder.
So, Cheon Saemyung stopped at a village inn to buy the man dinner.
Slurp. Munch.
The man devoured the food as if he hadn’t eaten in days, making Cheon worry he might choke.
“He must have been starving.”
The more he observed, the stranger this man seemed.
Perched on a high tree branch, Aranius squinted at the distant buildings.
“Is that the place?”
“Yes, that’s Yongcheon Hall.”
“And the nearby summoning site?”
“It’s just a short ride away. There’s no entrance, so it hasn’t been discovered yet, but Count Adler plans to fully open it at midnight tonight.”
“Good. Once the monsters start emerging from the summoning site, we’ll lead them to attack Yongcheon Hall.”
“Understood.”
“Who should we be wary of there?”
“A man named Eun Giryung, the master of Yongcheon Hall. But I don’t think he’ll pose much of a problem.”
“Good. If something happens at Yongcheon Hall, he’ll come running, no matter the distance.”
Aranius smirked.
It was the perfect plan to provoke the man and lure him out without having to go all the way to the main headquarters of the Justice Alliance.