Episode 520: Return to the Demon Sect
She plucked a flower from the cliff’s edge.
The cliff where Sam Ho clung was a dizzying drop, with clouds drifting far below.
A biting wind lashed at her cheeks as she hung there.
With the flower clenched between her teeth, she tore it free and tucked the roots into her robe.
These roots would ease her brother’s suffering.
She didn’t know the exact name of the herb, but she was certain it would noticeably reduce his pain.
So, she and Seventeen Ho called it “Demonbane Herb.”
A faint smile played on Sam Ho’s lips.
“Today must be my lucky day.”
One wrong move, and she could have been swept away like a kite with a broken string, but she felt elated.
Her brother had been groaning in pain for days.
This morning, he had coughed up blood, his body trembling uncontrollably.
His skin was clammy with cold sweat.
He always wore a sorrowful expression.
The bright smile he once had was gone.
If only she could see that smile again.
She wanted to make him smile.
If she could be the reason he found his lost laughter, stolen by the world and its people…
Would he smile today?
“Brother! I found the Demonbane Herb!”
The herb was notoriously difficult to find.
One dose could grant a year of relief, but obtaining it was as challenging as plucking a star from the sky.
It grew on cliffs that pierced the clouds, nearly impossible to spot, let alone harvest.
Yet today, she had found it.
She felt as if she could soar through the heavens.
Once she reached the top of the cliff, Sam Ho pushed through the underbrush and ran.
Her brother would be waiting in the cave.
Deep within the mountains, the cave led to a place of breathtaking beauty.
No matter the weather outside, the sky there was always clear.
Flowers bloomed year-round.
Finding such a place with her brother felt like a blessing from the heavens.
One day, after watching her crush an ant, her brother had said, “It’s a pitiful creature. Its fate is no different from ours, trampled without notice. Let’s cherish its life.”
Since then, she had enjoyed watching the butterflies and bees that filled the place.
As she sped through the forest, she paused by a stream to quench her thirst.
Seeing her reflection, she realized how haggard she looked.
Without hesitation, Sam Ho plunged into the water.
Splash!
The water was icy in the chilly weather.
But she didn’t use her inner energy to warm herself.
The cold that seeped into her bones felt oddly refreshing.
After all, she had found the Demonbane Herb today.
She wanted to present it to her brother, clean and beautiful.
If he could smile that radiant smile again, she would feel as if she had the world.
After a brief swim, Sam Ho emerged from the water, only to quickly dive back under.
A group of martial artists was lingering by the stream.
She crept to a shadowy spot and listened.
“Are you sure it’s around here?”
“Yes! There was a witness.”
“Hmm. I don’t see anything.”
“Could they have been mistaken?”
“If there’s even a chance it’s a demon spirit, we must find and eliminate it. Search again!”
“Yes, sir!”
The martial artists dispersed.
Once the coast was clear, Sam Ho cautiously emerged from the water.
Her clothes clung to her, soaked through.
After checking the herb tucked safely in her robe, she summoned her inner energy.
Whoosh!
Her robe billowed as the heat from her energy dried her and her clothes.
“Hmph! You’ll never find us!”
Sam Ho resumed her journey, using her light-footed skills to avoid the martial artists searching for them.
Finally, she reached the cave and navigated its labyrinthine passages with ease.
After climbing a long set of stairs, she emerged into a sunlit valley.
It was a place where flowers bloomed in abundance.
Butterflies and bees flitted about, and a gentle breeze rustled the petals and leaves.
In the midst of this picturesque scene stood a small, tidy house.
Though not large, it looked newly built and well-kept.
With eager steps, Sam Ho ran toward the house.
Just as she rounded the fence to enter the courtyard, a feral roar erupted from inside.
“Brother…!”
Her brother, tormented in her absence, had lost his mind.
As she rushed forward,
Crash!
The door burst off its hinges, flying toward her.
With a swift motion, she deflected the door with her palms.
The shattered pieces scattered across the courtyard.
Inside, Seventeen Ho was chained, his eyes wild and filled with madness.
His hair stood on end, and his clothes had burned away, leaving him bare.
“Brother! I’m back!”
Sam Ho rushed to his side, gripping his shoulders.
But Seventeen Ho was consumed by madness.
“Raaagh!”
The chains rattled as he thrashed, threatening to break.
He had asked to be chained, but now he growled to be freed.
“Brother…! Just a moment. Let me…!”
“Raaagh!”
Smack!
Seventeen Ho swatted the herb from her hand.
He looked ready to devour her.
The chains finally snapped,
Crack!
“Gah! Brother…! Please, come to your senses…!”
“Raaagh!”
His eyes, black as night, didn’t register her words.
As he reached for her throat,
Thud!
Sam Ho struck his chest and leapt back.
“Ugh!”
Seventeen Ho collapsed, coughing up dark blood.
“Are you okay? Brother, please, come back to me…!”
“Raaagh!”
He lunged at her again.
Sam Ho dodged, rolling across the ground.
She snatched up the fallen herb and flew toward him.
She intended to force it down his throat.
“I’m sorry! Brother!”
Wrapping her legs around his neck, she shoved the herb into his mouth.
But Seventeen Ho spat it out, incinerating it with his energy.
Fwoosh!
“No!”
Thud, crash!
He grabbed her waist and slammed her to the ground.
Dazed, Sam Ho sat there, unable to move.
The herb she had worked so hard to find…
She had thought today was her lucky day…
But the herb… the herb…
Her eyes welled with tears, everything feeling futile.
“Raaagh!”
Seventeen Ho, lost to madness, landed before her.
He grabbed her collar, lifting her off the ground.
With a bitter smile, she murmured,
“I don’t know anymore…”
Her tear-filled eyes crinkled with a smile.
At that moment, Seventeen Ho hesitated.
Confusion clouded his features.
Unaware, Sam Ho smiled gently.
“Brother. Let’s leave. To a place where no one can find us.”
She slowly raised her hand, covering his that held her collar.
Thud!
His grip slackened.
Sam Ho, wide-eyed, watched him step back.
“Brother…?”
Seventeen Ho looked around, then at his hands.
With a look of utter despair, he shook his head, meeting her gaze.
“No…”
“Brother… are you okay?”
“I… I hurt you…”
“Brother, cough, I’m fine.”
“No…!”
Seventeen Ho grabbed a shard of the broken door.
It was sharp as a blade.
Sensing danger, Sam Ho screamed.
“No!”
But it was too late.
Seventeen Ho had already slashed his own throat.
Slick! Blood poured forth.
He collapsed, lifeless.
“No, no… Brother… why? Why…?”
Sam-ho rushed over and cradled Seventeen’s head in her arms.
Seventeen weakly wrapped his arms around Sam-ho’s waist.
“You smell… so nice…”
His voice, hoarse and strained, escaped from his torn throat.
Sam-ho smiled through her tears.
“I… I washed up… I’m sorry… If only I had come sooner…”
“It’s a… good smell…”
Seventeen shook his head, a sad smile on his lips.
“I can’t… put you in danger… anymore…”
“Brother, please… don’t speak. There’s… there’s blood…”
Seventeen’s face was growing as pale as a sheet of paper.
He tried to lift his hand to wipe away the tears streaming down Sam-ho’s cheeks, but it fell back, too weak to reach her.
Sam-ho quickly caught his hand and pressed it to her cheek.
“Brother… Brother…!”
Her sobs mingled with Seventeen’s smile, the most beautiful and sorrowful smile in the world.
“Don’t go… Brother. Don’t leave me like this…! You always held my hand and took me with you… Brother… You’re all I have… all I have…”
“I wanted… to protect you… from those who did this to us. No… from this world… I’m sorry… so sorry…”
“No, Brother, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have come today… I was so foolish, thinking only of myself…”
Seventeen slowly shook his head.
For a moment, a false vitality returned to his face, a phenomenon known to occur just before death.
With a smile as beautiful as ever, he spoke.
“You look… so pretty today.”
Those were Seventeen’s last words.
And with that, he took his final breath.
Sam-ho clung to Seventeen’s body, holding him tightly.
In that moment, a warm breeze swept through, scattering petals and sending butterflies and bees into a frenzied dance.
Sam-ho silently screamed in her heart.
In this place of utmost beauty, how long did she weep, engulfed in profound sorrow?
It wasn’t until evening that she slowly rose to her feet.
Her eyes were hollow, as if lost in a distant place.
“Brother… you protected me until the end. Now it’s my turn.”
She turned slowly.
Her brother had shielded her from this world.
Now it was her turn to act.
She could never forgive the world that drove her brother to his death.