Chapter 419: The Fiery Demon

Tang Mujin approached the nuns of the Emei Sect who had remained at the Tang family estate, asking them to recount what had transpired.

A nun, appearing to be around forty, stepped forward.

“I am Bokhye,” she introduced herself.

Though they hadn’t spoken much before, they were familiar enough with each other from passing encounters.

“Yes, I remember meeting you last time.”

“Thank you for remembering. I stayed at the estate the longest that day, so I can give you a decent account of the events.”

With a bitter expression, Bokhye began her tale.

“After the head of the Tang family and the leader of the Yongdu Sect left, the remnants of the Demonic Cult were quiet for quite some time. But a few days ago, everything changed suddenly. They stormed the estate without warning.”

Bokhye seemed to have much to say, but she focused on the most crucial points, understanding Tang Mujin’s urgency.

“We were never equipped to withstand their force. Not long after the battle began, it felt like the Emei Sect might be wiped out right there.”

“I see.”

“We thought of retreating, but it wasn’t easy. The walls of the estate are unusually high, and there are so many mechanisms… And those mechanisms don’t discriminate between friend and foe. We couldn’t leisurely dismantle them while under such fierce attack from the Demonic Cult’s warriors.”

Bokhye paused for a moment before continuing.

“Then, Venerable Weiji destroyed the wall on the opposite side of the main gate.”

She glanced toward the back of Weiji’s grave, where the wall had indeed been broken.

It seemed deliberate that the grave was placed near the wall Weiji had demolished.

“Venerable Weiji risked everything to disable the mechanisms, ordered everyone to escape, and then advanced again. With his striking appearance and attire, he drew all eyes to himself, blocking the Demonic Cult’s warriors with his exceptional skills.”

“So that’s how the Qingcheng and Emei sects managed to retreat.”

“Yes. Thanks to Venerable Weiji’s efforts, enough of us survived to keep our line alive. Though the damage was so severe that closing our doors was inevitable…”

How long would they remain closed? Twenty years? Thirty? Or even longer?

Closing the doors inevitably leads to decline. While the Qingcheng and Emei sects might survive by closing themselves off, their influence would never be the same once they reopened.

Still, it was better than being completely annihilated. Venerable Weiji’s sacrifice was not in vain.

The Taoists of the Qingcheng Sect and the nuns of the Emei Sect would have to regard Venerable Weiji as their benefactor.

Tang Mujin asked Bokhye, “What about the enemy’s losses?”

“Venerable Weiji tried to unleash his ultimate power, but he couldn’t achieve his goal.”

Bokhye tactfully expressed that Weiji hadn’t managed to inflict significant damage.

After all, there’s only so much one person can do. There must have been at least two supreme masters among the Demonic Cult’s warriors, and holding them off alone was already a remarkable feat.

Yet, the fact that Weiji couldn’t unleash his ultimate power weighed heavily on Tang Mujin’s heart.

In the past, Weiji had one wish: a glorious and beautiful end.

He wanted to be remembered in people’s minds at his most beautiful and radiant, fearing that his memory would become tarnished. He secluded himself in a cave, waiting for death, so strong was his desire.

And then, Weiji was given a cruel opportunity.

A chance to sacrifice himself with dazzling martial arts, opening a path for others to escape.

A chance to be praised by the warriors of the Qingcheng and Emei sects, and by the martial world of the Central Plains for years to come.

Surely, it was the kind of death Weiji had most desired.

To unleash his ultimate power, he had to let go of any lingering attachment to life. Faced with the opportunity he had dreamed of, Weiji should have been able to unleash it.

But he couldn’t.

Weiji had held onto something.

What that attachment was, no one could say for sure.

How deep or complex it was, no one knew.

But Tang Mujin had a guess about who was at the heart of that attachment.

He turned around.

Jang Il-nam, or rather, the Blood Rain Guest, stood motionless, listening to the story.

“The rain prevented the Demonic Cult’s villains from setting fire to the main building of the estate. But they destroyed all the main beams, causing the building to collapse. Some people stayed behind to clear the debris bit by bit. Anything valuable was moved to the warehouse.”

“Thank you.”

Tang Mujin expressed his gratitude to Bokhye with a respectful gesture, then spoke to the Blood Rain Guest.

“Sir, please go inside and rest.”

Tang Mujin was exhausted from traveling a long distance and staying up all night by the Blood Rain Guest’s side.

But the Blood Rain Guest must have been even more drained. Intense emotional turmoil can be incredibly tiring.

The Blood Rain Guest nodded.

He looked at Weiji’s grave, then at the broken wall.

He turned and headed toward a small dwelling by the training ground, a place with a small hole covered by a scroll.

Tang Mujin thought that the scroll would never be removed again.

Tang Mujin took a brief nap. He awoke shortly after sunset.

The fatigue clinging to him was still there, and he wished he could just lie down and sleep until morning.

But now was the time to act.

‘It seems the rain has stopped.’

Tang Mujin moved stealthily out of the estate.

He brought a mask, just in case.

His heart was boiling with anger.

‘They acted all friendly to my face, then attacked the estate as soon as I left?’

Tang Mujin had left the estate to find someone.

The remnants of the Demonic Cult. Specifically, he was looking for Gwang Yeom-ra and the Left Guardian.

Among the Demonic Cult warriors who remained in Chengdu, the only significant figures were Gwang Yeom-ra and the Left Guardian.

Surely, they were involved in this situation.

Of course, the news that most of the Demonic Cult warriors had left Chengdu had been relayed by the Qingcheng Sect’s Taoists.

But Tang Mujin believed that some remnants might still be around.

‘Even if I can’t find Gwang Yeom-ra or the Left Guardian, there must be some remnants left. I won’t let them off easily.’

However, not long after stepping into the night streets, Tang Mujin sensed a somewhat familiar presence.

’…Could it be?’

To make matters worse, the presence was coming from the alley where he had previously spoken with Gwang Yeom-ra.

There were two people in the alley, and one of them was unmistakably Gwang Yeom-ra.

But the other was not the Left Guardian.

It was Ma Ga-deung, a bandit from the Demonic Cult whom Tang Mujin had once captured and imprisoned in the Emei Sect’s underground.

At least Gwang Yeom-ra was there.

Tang Mujin’s eyes blazed as he looked at Gwang Yeom-ra.

‘Brazen fool.’

Tang Mujin approached Gwang Yeom-ra, his resolve steeled, ready to use his soul-binding technique if necessary.

Gwang Yeom-ra, who had been crouching, noticed Tang Mujin’s approach and turned to look at him.

At that moment, Tang Mujin saw something unbelievable. Gwang Yeom-ra’s eyes glistened in the moonlight.

Tears. Gwang Yeom-ra was crying.

He wasn’t sobbing loudly, but tears were definitely there, glistening at the corners of his eyes. It was certainly not a normal situation.

It’s rare for a man to cry, even rarer for an older man, and even more so for a martial artist of Gwang Yeom-ra’s caliber.

What followed was even stranger.

In the past, whenever Gwang Yeom-ra met Tang Mujin, he would greet him with a sly smile.

‘You’re here?’ he’d say, or something similar.

But today, Gwang Yeom-ra’s first words were different.

“Tang Family Head…!”

Tears streamed down Gwang Yeom-ra’s cheeks as he spoke.

Tang Mujin, taken aback, hesitated and took a half-step back.

”…What is this about?”

Gwang Yeom-ra patted the ground beside him, inviting Tang Mujin to sit.

Naturally, Tang Mujin didn’t approach so easily.

Gwang Yeom-ra muttered, “Do you doubt me too…?”

His voice was thick with sorrow.

By now, Tang Mujin was at a loss.

Gwang Yeom-ra wasn’t a fellow righteous warrior, nor were they blood-sworn allies.

They were merely cooperating out of mutual interest, so suspicion was only natural, especially in a situation like this.

Tang Mujin snapped at Gwang Yeom-ra.

“After what happened at the estate, did you think I’d just smile and forgive you?”

Gwang Yeom-ra looked flustered.

“It wasn’t me. Didn’t the Taoists and nuns at the estate tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Typical of the righteous sects…”

With a deep sigh, Gwang Yeom-ra began to explain the situation.

Dang Mujin stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, nodding slightly.

“Speak.”

Gwang Yeom-ra spoke gloomily.

“Yeon Sa-wook and I… I mean, the Left Guardian quickly noticed you were gone. But we didn’t show it in front of the subordinates. We had an unspoken alliance, so we didn’t share our weaknesses.”

Dang Mujin recalled what Bok Hye had told him.

Bok Hye had clearly mentioned that after Dang Mujin and Hong Geol-gae left, the demonic cult’s warriors had been quiet for a while.

It seemed the facts weren’t being twisted.

“Go on.”

“But after a while, even the subordinates started to notice you and Hong Geol-gae were missing. As you might have guessed, the reason the demonic cult didn’t attack the Tang family was because of your poison skills, right? Then whispers about attacking the Tang family started to surface again, but I made excuses to hold them off.”

“But they attacked in the end, didn’t they?”

Dang Mujin asked, and Gwang Yeom-ra shouted in frustration.

“Do you think I led the attack?”

“So, did your subordinates ignore you and attack the Tang family, or did the Left Guardian act on his own?”

“No, it was the Great Guardian.”

“The Great Guardian… the leader?”

“No, a new Great Guardian. We thought he followed the leader, but he turned towards Sichuan.”

Gwang Yeom-ra buried his head in his hands.

“The Great Guardian asked me why we were hesitating when it was clear we could break through… I realized it immediately.”

“Realized what?”

“That bastard was suspicious of me. The subordinates must have reported everything they found suspicious to him. The Great Guardian came to confirm it himself.”

Dang Mujin thought to himself.

‘Isn’t that just karma?’

But instead of voicing his thoughts, he urged Gwang Yeom-ra to continue.

“So what happened?”

“The Great Guardian, with suspicion in his eyes, insisted on attacking the Tang family. What could I do? I joined in…”

In the end, they attacked the Tang family together.

A single drop of transparent sweat trickled down Dang Mujin’s hand.

But there was a reason Gwang Yeom-ra was recounting the attack on the Tang family to Dang Mujin.

“I was just pretending to fight, but the more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. I was sure of it. The Great Guardian would report everything that happened in Sichuan to the leader.”

Dang Mujin nodded.

In a situation where both sides were sharply opposed, playing both sides like a bat wasn’t something just anyone could do. It was fortunate if you weren’t abandoned by both.

Gwang Yeom-ra continued his story.

“If that story reached the leader’s ears, what do you think would happen? Even if we cleaned up the Tang family and returned, my life would be in serious trouble. The leader might even try to eliminate me.”

Dang Mujin asked with genuine curiosity.

“So what did you do?”

“When the Great Guardian was distracted by the fight, I tried to sneak up and stab him in the back.”

Dang Mujin thought, this guy has really gone to the edge.

But it was a clever solution. If someone was going to report you, eliminate the one planning to do it.

“Did the Left Guardian help?”

“No. The Left Guardian’s loyalty to the leader is unwavering. If you were there, he might have sided with you out of loyalty, but without you, he wouldn’t have joined my plan. So I left him out. Luckily, I had someone else to help me.”

“Who?”

Gwang Yeom-ra gestured towards Ma Ga-deung, who gave an awkward smile.

‘That guy?’

But Dang Mujin quickly understood. Wasn’t Ma Ga-deung the one who fled the cult because he didn’t want to learn demonic arts?

He’d heard Ma Ga-deung was quite content living underground with the Emei Sect.

“So, did you manage to take out the Great Guardian?”

Dang Mujin asked, and Gwang Yeom-ra replied with a hint of injustice.

“No. That cunning bastard wasn’t off guard at all! He blocked my sword as if he was expecting it. Can you believe that?”

Dang Mujin found it hard to understand why Gwang Yeom-ra felt wronged.

In such situations, shouldn’t one feel shame rather than injustice?

Still, given the atmosphere, Dang Mujin played along.

“That’s unfortunate. So what did you do?”

“When the atmosphere turned cold, I ran.”

Gwang Yeom-ra looked relieved after finishing his story.

He must have been through a lot of mental anguish. Though it was his own doing.

Dang Mujin summed up the entire story in one sentence.

“You got caught playing both sides, failed to backstab, and ended up with nowhere to go.”

It was a harsh criticism.

But Gwang Yeom-ra smiled brightly.

“Let’s say I’ve found a new home in the orthodox sects after wandering. I’m glad I can finally help you sincerely.”

“Weren’t you crying earlier? Wasn’t it because you were sad about being kicked out of the cult?”

“It was regret for the past. I wish I had become an orthodox warrior sooner…”

The idea of bringing someone like Gwang Yeom-ra into the orthodox sects was tempting.

But Dang Mujin didn’t rush to decide Gwang Yeom-ra’s fate.

There were three reasons.

First, he didn’t know what crimes Gwang Yeom-ra had committed in the orthodox sects before fleeing to the cult.

Second, it wasn’t up to Dang Mujin to decide if the orthodox sects would accept Gwang Yeom-ra.

Lastly, even if he were to accept him, it was better to let him stew a bit before agreeing.

So Dang Mujin replied nonchalantly.

“I’ll think about it.”

Dang Mujin leaped onto the roof of a nearby building.

Gwang Yeom-ra, not expecting Dang Mujin to reject him, called out in a panic.

“Master Dang, Master Dang! We weren’t like this!”

Being called “Master” by someone at least twenty years older was a strange feeling.

But Dang Mujin replied coldly.

“Just wait.”

He gave Gwang Yeom-ra a subtle look before heading back to the Tang family estate.