Episode 181: The Demon

Everyone around was frozen, as if turned to stone.

There was no need for a discerning eye to understand Yujin Gwang’s martial prowess. Even someone who had just picked up a sword could sense it instinctively.

The final move Yujin Gwang displayed was not something an ordinary martial artist, or even a moderately talented one, could achieve through effort alone.

It was a move that concluded everything, yet people felt it was more akin to a metamorphosis than a mere sword strike.

And indeed, it was true. A martial artist who had honed himself endlessly had finally broken free from his cocoon, spreading his wings with his sword.

“A new master has been born.”

In front of the astonished crowd, Yujin Gwang clutched his father’s lifeless body and wept until he fainted.

Whether from blood loss or exhaustion, it was clear he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.

Dang Mujin quickly approached Yujin Gwang to assess his condition.

“His wounds are serious. We need to get him somewhere safe and treat him.”

But Yujin Gwang wasn’t the only one who needed attention. They couldn’t just leave the body of the Flash Sword, Yu Gwanil, behind.

“Do I have to take care of both of them? And what about Baek Hyang-a?”

Dang Mujin frowned as he thought of Baek Hyang-a.

He was no longer the naive healer he once was. He had become a martial artist who could return kindness with kindness and respond to malice with his sword without hesitation.

Kindness for kindness, malice for malice. Dang Mujin had etched the teachings of his master deep into his heart.

However, those teachings couldn’t be applied to Baek Hyang-a. She had never harmed him or shown any malice.

The problem was that Dang Mujin’s view of Baek Hyang-a was different from how she saw him.

Dang Mujin had killed her father, and now, with his companions, he had killed her master, Muryangja.

Though Dang Mujin bore no grudge against Baek Hyang-a, she had every reason to hold one against him. He was conflicted.

“Should I kill her to prevent future trouble, even if she’s done nothing wrong to me?”

What decision would his master have made?

He didn’t know. Dang Mujin had to find the answer himself.

But his contemplation was cut short. He could feel the eyes of many people on him.

Dang Mujin looked around.

Hundreds of martial artists from the Hwan Gol Gak had emerged, watching him and his companions.

The atmosphere was tense, like the calm before a storm.

It felt as if even the slightest movement could trigger a dire situation.

Dang Mujin made a pragmatic decision.

If he killed Baek Hyang-a here, it wouldn’t be surprising if the enraged martial artists of the Gongdong Sect attacked them. He decided to let go of any lingering thoughts about Baek Hyang-a.

“Yes, sparing her is the right choice.”

Hyeon Gong, unaware of the relationship between Dang Mujin and Baek Hyang-a, reached the same conclusion. Baek Hyang-a should be released.

The only difference was that, unlike Dang Mujin, Hyeon Gong was even friendly towards her.

He withdrew his sword from Baek Hyang-a’s neck and whispered, “Miss, though the situation has turned out this way, there was no malice intended. Take care.”

With that, he returned to his companions, hoping to meet Baek Hyang-a again someday, not forgetting to flash a charming smile.

In the tense atmosphere, Namgung Myung whispered to Dang Mujin, “Hey, you’re not going to make a one-armed man carry someone, are you?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Dang Mujin hoisted the body of the Flash Sword, Yu Gwanil, while Hong Geolgae carried the unconscious Yujin Gwang.

The hundreds of martial artists from the Hwan Gol Gak continued to stare intently at Dang Mujin and his group.

They felt the suffocating tension. None of them were in peak condition. If those martial artists attacked, they wouldn’t escape unscathed.

Or rather, they could escape, but only by abandoning Yujin Gwang and Yu Gwanil.

But Dang Mujin hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Please, don’t attack.”

He swallowed hard and took a step forward. Yet, the martial artists of the Gongdong Sect did not react to his movement.

Finally, as Dang Mujin and his group moved out of their sight, no one attacked.

They had survived another ordeal.

As Hyeon Gong withdrew his hand and returned to Dang Mujin’s side, Baek Hyang-a’s legs gave out, and she sank to the ground.

Even as Dang Mujin and his group disappeared from view, she remained seated, unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

Baek Hyang-a clenched her fists with all her might. Her nails dug into her palms, bringing a dull pain.

Yes, it was reality.

“Master.”

The news of her father’s death had been a shock, but this was even more devastating. Unlike her father, Muryangja had died right before her eyes.

Muryangja had been a strict teacher, but he had also treated Baek Hyang-a with genuine kindness.

He had shown her the vast world and the possibilities that lay ahead.

Others might say differently, but to Baek Hyang-a, Muryangja was a great teacher.

Her mind was a blur. If nothing happened, she felt she could sit there for a month or even a year.

But she sensed the heavy footsteps of hundreds approaching. The martial artists of the Gongdong Sect were closing in.

Were they coming to offer a comforting hand to her in her grief? Or to take care of Muryangja’s body?

Baek Hyang-a looked up and realized both her guesses were wrong.

What she faced was not a comforting hand but a gaze filled with disdain.

It wasn’t a mistake. Amidst the murmurs, she heard a low voice.

“Is it because of her that the sect leader died?”

Though there were many leaps in logic, there was a significant amount of truth in the statement.

If Baek Hyang-a hadn’t been captured by Hyeon Gong, Muryangja might have easily toyed with Dang Mujin’s group and emerged victorious.

The murmurs carried clear dissatisfaction and anger.

“Is this really okay for the Gongdong Sect? Weren’t they supposed to be a prestigious sect?”

“They promised to let us live proudly, to walk with our heads held high in Luoyang or Chang’an, and to tell our families we’re righteous martial artists.”

When an organization is built around a single overwhelming presence, it means that when that center collapses, the organization crumbles.

The core members of the Gongdong Sect wouldn’t waver at Muryangja’s death. They had a solid structure and a firm belief in their martial arts. They could stand on their own without Muryangja.

But the martial artists of the Hwan Gol Gak were different. They relied half on hope for the future and half on coercion to stay.

But they had just witnessed their hopes crumble and were freed from coercion. Nothing held them back now.

Someone shouted with a voice full of resentment.

“After all the grand promises, all we get to see is our sect leader falling to some nobodies?”

A few martial artists from the Gongdong Sect’s main branch raised their voices.

“That’s going too far!”

Under normal circumstances, they might have cowered at the rebuke, but not now.

The angry voices of the martial artists grew louder.

“Too far? Give me a break. Who are you to lecture us when your true colors are showing?”

“Enough! I’m going back to live as I did before. Who needs to be a martial artist in my life?”

Sensing the situation was getting out of hand, Yaryul Dalum shouted in a booming voice.

“Stop! Calm down!”

While he couldn’t calm them with just words, he managed to capture their attention.

Fortunately, Yaryul Dalum had a relatively good reputation among the martial artists who had been forcibly brought here.

Someone looked at Yaryul Dalum and grumbled.

“Why are you stopping us now? To hold us back?”

“No. I won’t stop you.”

“Then what?”

“I’m asking you not to drag those who wish to stay with you. Those who want to remain in the Gongdong Sect, come to me!”

A few people hesitantly made their way through the crowd to join him.

But out of the hundreds of martial artists, only about a dozen approached Yaryul Dalum.

The rest decided to leave the Gongdong Sect and return north. Even some of the martial artists from the main branch who had come to the Hwan Gol Gak chose to leave.

Faced with this dismal outcome, Yaryul Dalum quietly bit his lip. The split lip bled, leaving a metallic taste in his mouth.

The martial artists of the Hwan Gol Gak, about to leave, paused. They felt they deserved compensation for the past few months.

“Are we leaving empty-handed?”

“Of course not!”

The departing martial artists rushed into the Hwan Gol Gak, grabbing anything of value.

Still unsatisfied, some set fires as they roamed the grounds. The wooden buildings of the Hwan Gol Gak were quickly engulfed in flames.

“Look at it burn!”

“Haha!”

The departing martial artists mocked the Gongdong Sect as they passed by Baek Hyang-a, heading north. Leaving behind the life of a righteous martial artist, they returned to the life of a rogue.

Baek Hyang-a sat still amidst the throngs of people moving away, like a rock in a flowing river, watching the burning Hwangolgak.

How much time had passed?

With a loud crash, one of the pavilions of Hwangolgak collapsed in flames. The noise jolted Baek Hyang-a back to her senses.

Her arms, back, and hands throbbed with pain. She must have been kicked or trampled by the crowd while sitting there.

As Baek Hyang-a staggered to her feet, Yaryul Dal-eum, who had been waiting for her to rise, approached and offered his hand.

“Shall we return to Gongdongpa?”

But Baek Hyang-a silently pushed his hand away. She had no intention of returning to Gongdongpa with him.

The place she belonged was not Gongdongpa, but by her master Muryangja’s side.

Without Muryangja, Gongdongpa was neither a place she desired nor a place she could return to.

Of course, Yaryul Dal-eum couldn’t fathom her thoughts.

“Will you stay a bit longer before returning?”

“No.”

Baek Hyang-a replied curtly, then hoisted Muryangja’s body onto her back and stepped inside the walls of Hwangolgak.

The buildings that still stood were engulfed in bright red flames. Those that had already fallen continued to spew thick black smoke.

The weight of Muryangja’s lifeless body pressed down on her. His body was too cold to be called warm. The smell of blood and the acrid scent of the fire filled the air.

Baek Hyang-a thought this place was hell.

She staggered toward the building where the fire burned the fiercest.

“It’s dangerous!” Yaryul Dal-eum’s voice called out. But Baek Hyang-a did not retreat.

She approached the precarious structure and laid Muryangja’s body into the flames.

It was an impromptu cremation of her master, but Yaryul Dal-eum couldn’t stop her.

Baek Hyang-a watched her master’s body consumed by the fire for a long time before lifting her gaze. The sight of red embers soaring into the sky amidst the black smoke was hauntingly beautiful.

She turned her back on Hwangolgak and walked out. Yet, the flames still burned in her eyes.

She had stayed at the Jeweon Baek family home, as her father had wished. But her father was dead, and the Jeweon Baek of her memories was gone.

She had followed Muryangja to Gongdongpa. Now, both Gongdongpa and Muryangja were in ashes.

Staying put wasn’t the answer, nor was following someone else’s lead.

A story she had heard somewhere came to mind: eventually, everyone must walk alone.

Baek Hyang-a realized it was time to find her own path.

Yaryul Dal-eum, watching her closely, asked, “Miss Baek, where will you go?”

“To hell,” she replied.

She unfastened the sword from her waist and laid it on the ground.

It was a sword she hadn’t drawn even in the face of her master’s death. She wouldn’t wield it again.

Baek Hyang-a glanced at Yaryul Dal-eum and the south where Gongdongpa lay, offering a bittersweet smile.

“I won’t go alone.”

The demon walked north.