Chapter 240: Deung Hwaun’s Past

“Hmph! I never thought I’d run into a traitor of the Palace in a place like this. I only came here to look for fabric, but finding a traitor must be Heaven’s will. I let you be because you were sticking to the Third Young Master, but now that his thread has run out, it’s time to take your life.”

I stared silently at the woman radiating killing intent.

“Young Palace Mistress.”

As soon as I said it, the woman drew her sword and lunged at me.

“Hmph, how dare you call me with that filthy mouth of yours!”

She launched a sharp strike, and I blocked it by unfurling silk.

But because of the Forbidden Restriction placed on me by the Demonic Master, I couldn’t use my internal energy properly.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Even so, I blocked the sword strikes effectively with the silk, as befit a seasoned fighter.

But the sword imbued with sword qi began to shred the silk to pieces.

“Die! A traitor of the Palace deserves to die!”

Just as her sword was about to pierce my chest, someone knocked her blade aside.

Clang!

She retreated, her face contorted with viciousness.

The Demonic Master looked at the woman attacking me and murmured in surprise.

“Young Palace Mistress of Ihwa Palace, Man Inhwa.”

“Hmph, the Third Young Master’s lapdog is now playing husband to Deung Hwaun?”

The Demonic Master replied with killing intent swelling.

“You must have a death wish.”

Her sword moved dazzlingly, launching an attack on Man Inhwa.

But at that moment, a sinister energy surged toward the Demonic Master.

The four-pronged dark energy wasn’t something one could deflect easily.

The Demonic Master infused sword qi into her blade and swung.

Zzzing!

Her vibrating sword deflected the four tendrils of dark energy like a coiling dragon.

Four figures landed to the left and right of Man Inhwa, facing the Demonic Master.

“Falling Flower Yin Sword?”

“Oh, you recognize the secret technique of us elders? How commendable. It’s been over ten years since we turned our backs on the martial world.”

The Demonic Master offered a clasped hands greeting.

“I greet the esteemed seniors, the Four Twin Demon Lords, famed figures of the Demonic Path.”

“To block our attack, you must not be a nobody.”

“The martial world calls me the Demonic Master.”

“Hmm, a name I’ve heard before.”

The Four Twin Demon Lords, rare identical quadruplets, practiced the same martial arts and moved in perfect unison, unleashing cooperative techniques that were famed as unparalleled in the murim.

They had joined Ihwa Palace decades ago and had not reappeared in the martial world since.

But when Man Inhwa returned to the murim, they were dispatched as her bodyguards at the behest of the Palace Mistress.

Knowing he couldn’t handle them if they attacked in unison, the Demonic Master tried to talk his way out.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. We juniors shall take our leave.”

“What are you saying? A misunderstanding? That woman is a traitor to the Palace. I was always going to track her down and punish her. Guardians, seize that wench.”

As the Four Twin Demon Lords began to move at Man Inhwa’s command, the Demonic Master spoke up.

“Hmph, the Young Master Yong will be arriving soon. Do you think we came here alone? Even for you seniors, subduing us would take at least a hundred moves—and by then, Young Master Yong will have arrived.”

The Demonic Master knew Yong Hwarin had cut off Man Inhwa’s ear and used that knowledge to his advantage.

“Y-Yong Hwarin is coming?”

Man Inhwa, who had been brimming with killing intent, suddenly shuddered as if struck with chills.

“Guardians, it seems we’ll have to catch that woman later.”

Puzzled, the Four Twin Demon Lords asked,

“Young Palace Mistress, is he the one who cut off your ear?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, good. We’ll capture him and get revenge for you.”

“No… the two Elders will take care of him.”

The Four Twin Demon Lords frowned at that.

They now understood why she hadn’t trusted them alone and had brought along two Elders from the Palace.

Originally, they had questioned the need to travel with the Elders upon leaving Ihwa Palace.

“There’s no reason to attract attention here, since we have a mission.”

Recalling her assignment, Man Inhwa withdrew.

In truth, hearing Yong Hwarin’s name had made the part of her ear with the fake prosthetic burn.

The thought of possibly losing her nose too if she faced him made her want to leave this place quickly.

“You’d better be prepared.”

Man Inhwa hurled a curse at me and exited the fabric shop.

Once they were gone, the Demonic Master let out a sigh of relief.

“Who knew just saying Young Master Yong’s name would send such tough opponents running?”

He had only mentioned Yong Hwarin on a whim, but seeing Man Inhwa retreat in panic left him dumbfounded.

‘How vicious must he have been to make Man Inhwa like that?’

The Demonic Master knew that Yong Hwarin, though from the orthodox side, had a ruthless side.

He rather liked that about him.

He wasn’t overly timid or sloppy.

There was none of the stiff arrogance of some noble youth raised on perfect teachings, which was surprising.

“We should leave. Once she finds out Young Master Yong isn’t here, Man Inhwa might come back.”

I nodded and stepped out of the fabric shop.

The desire to buy fabric had long since vanished.

“Let’s head back now.”

But I shook my head.

“Wait.”

Just as I was about to say something, the Demonic Master spoke first.

“I can’t grant you any more favors.”

He had no intention of letting me go freely anymore.

“That’s not it. I think we should follow Man Inhwa.”

The Demonic Master frowned.

“What do you mean by that? Follow her?”

“Just hear me out.”

I quietly explained my reasoning.

“Why do you think Man Inhwa appeared in Jeongju? Do you really think she came for revenge against Yong Hwarin? I thought that at first too. But not only the Four Twin Demon Lords, even two Elders left the Palace—”

“Seeing that, this isn’t just a simple act of revenge. Even for a Young Palace Mistress, Ihwa Palace doesn’t recklessly send out Guardians and Elders for vengeance. There’s some hidden secret behind this.”

The Demonic Master listened to my words, then replied.

“Fine, let’s say there is something going on. But what does that have to do with us?”

At those words, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

In truth, it had nothing to do with the Demonic Master.

But I quickly found an excuse.

“You still don’t get it? This matter is definitely related to Young Master Yong. The Sky Ocean Merchant Union isn’t involved in a simple power struggle either. Other sects are getting involved, and it’s escalating into a factional war. We can’t view Man Inhwa’s appearance in this situation as mere coincidence.”

Indeed, the name Yong Hwarin had an effect not only on Man Inhwa, but also on the Demonic Master.

After a moment of thought, the Demonic Master nodded.

“That does seem likely.”

Then he subtly changed the subject.

“But were you once of Ihwa Palace?”

The question made me visibly flinch.

To me, Ihwa Palace was practically a forbidden word.

“Yes, it’s where I was born and raised.”

“Then why does Man Inhwa call you a traitor?”

I gave a bitter smile. How could there not be a long story behind that?

“I don’t feel like talking about it.”

“As you wish.”

The Demonic Master didn’t press when I showed reluctance to speak of the past.

“Let’s trail them. You follow my lead.”

He stepped out of the fabric shop as he spoke.

“But I don’t know where we’d even begin to look.”

I answered.

“We just need to check other fabric shops. Man Inhwa loves clothes. She won’t give up easily.”

As expected, we found Man Inhwa selecting fabrics at another fabric shop.

Even in this situation, she was picking out fabrics—something the Demonic Master couldn’t comprehend.

Keeping enough distance to stay out of the Four Twin Demon Lords’ senses, he and I followed them.

A short while later, as Man Inhwa entered a teahouse, I murmured,

“That’s strange. Man Inhwa never enters teahouses. She only drinks the tea she carries herself.”

“That means she’s meeting someone.”

We entered the teahouse and sat at a table opposite from Man Inhwa, keeping our eyes on her.

The Four Twin Demon Lords were seated at another table across from her, drinking tea.

Perhaps because it was a rare outing into the murim, the Four Twin Demon Lords looked cheerful.

As I had said, Man Inhwa didn’t order tea and simply sat down.

Before long, someone approached Man Inhwa’s table.

He bowed and greeted her.

Seeing him, the Demonic Master and I looked at each other.

It was a face we knew all too well.

“Isn’t that one of Young Master Lee’s subordinates?”

“Yes, he’s one of Ma Jeung’s closest men. But why is he meeting Man Inhwa?”

“Can’t you tell? He’s a spy for Man Inhwa. Even though Ihwa Palace hasn’t openly acted in the murim, they’ve deeply infiltrated other sects with operatives like him. You didn’t know he was a spy for Ihwa Palace, did you?”

The Demonic Master tilted his head.

“But that’s odd. I thought Man Inhwa had deep ties with the Heavenly Demon Sect, even allying with Eum Sajeok.”

“That was a union of convenience. Anyway, can we eavesdrop on their conversation?”

The Demonic Master shook his head.

“I already tried, but the Four Twin Demon Lords have blocked sound with qi veil. I can’t hear anything.”

“Too bad. We could’ve learned something from their talk.”

After finishing their tea, the Four Twin Demon Lords stood, and so did Man Inhwa.

“Let’s go. We need to confirm something.”

The Demonic Master, having caught a portion of the conversation not shielded by qi veil, hesitated.

Should he follow them, or just head back?

But those words—we need to confirm something—weighed on his mind.

In the end, he decided to trail them quietly.

“Where is that?”

The Demonic Master asked, and I shook my head.

“I don’t know either.”

We watched as Man Inhwa and the Four Twin Demon Lords slipped over the wall of a manor like noble thieves.

“If they’re moving like that, it must mean something is there.”

Not long after they infiltrated the place, a violent clash of energy erupted, and the roof of the manor quaked.

“There are martial artists inside the manor equal to the Four Twin Demon Lords.”

I spoke cautiously.

My tone implied that we shouldn’t get involved in this battle needlessly.

“The fact that Man Inhwa met with Ma Jeung’s subordinate before coming here means this place is connected to Lee Yung.”

I nodded.

“You’re right. Let’s just observe what’s happening.”

Emphasizing once more, I moved to a better vantage point.

Climbing onto the roof of the house across the street, I looked down into the manor.

Boom!

The Four Twin Demon Lords were blown out of a room.

The door shattered into pieces from the energy clash and scattered in all directions.

The Demonic Master swallowed dryly as five men stepped out through the broken wall.

Behind them followed a girl, holding a sword tightly against her chest.

Strangely, the girl had her eyes closed, yet she moved naturally.

My eyes lit up.

“Isn’t that the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword?”

Both the Demonic Master and I had once been tasked with collecting the Four Great Divine Items, so we knew what the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword looked like.

“I didn’t expect Lee Yung to entrust the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword to a child like her.”

I said, and the Demonic Master replied.

“They’re not ordinary people. They’re the Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners.”

I looked at him in shock.

“Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners?”

“I never thought I’d see one in person.”

I rarely saw the Demonic Master look so tense.

The Demonic Master was a peak-level martial artist who didn’t fall short even compared to the heirs of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The eyes of the Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners all glowed with a blue hue, emitting eerie energy.

“Are they jiangshi?”

I asked, unfamiliar with the term Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners.

“They’re not jiangshi.”

“Well, I’ve never seen jiangshi move so freely like that.”

The five Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners clashed with the Four Twin Demon Lords once more.

With each clash, the Four Twin Demon Lords were pushed back a step or two, proof of the immense internal power and martial prowess these enemies possessed.

“The Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners (鬼靈魔人) are spiritually connected to that girl behind them. She doesn’t rely on sight, but shares her senses across space, feeding that perception to the Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners. She reads the Four Twin Demon Lords’ martial arts through qi sense and transmits that to them.”

Hearing this, I opened my mouth in disbelief. I had never heard of such martial arts before.

“I didn’t know such a martial technique even existed.”

“That technique is one of the secret arts of the Heavenly Demon Sect. I thought it had been lost, but it seems Lee Yung has restored it.”

“That would explain why he entrusted the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword to them.”

I could now understand why Lee Yung had handed over his prized White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword to them.

“Then how does that girl detect the flaws in martial techniques?”

“She might see as well, but the one who controls the Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners must possess exceptional qi sense and the ability to read qi waves like a bat. To achieve that, they raise them from childhood in darkness and train them in a specialized energy cultivation technique.”

“Just hearing about it is horrific.”

“That’s why it’s a forbidden technique even in the Heavenly Demon Sect. It’s inhuman in how it cultivates martial power. You could call it a true demonic art.”

“So she controls the Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners using qi waves and qi sense.”

“Exactly.”

True to the title Demonic Master, his deep knowledge of martial techniques left me in awe.

He had the ability to grasp most techniques after seeing just a few moves, and even recognized a long-lost demonic art.

“So what do we do now?”

I asked, watching as the Four Twin Demon Lords and Man Inhwa, after several exchanges, ended up injured and retreated.

The Demonic Master thought for a moment, then spoke.

“They’re not opponents we can handle. We couldn’t even beat the Four Twin Demon Lords, so how would we beat them? Now that we know where the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword is, we only need to report it to Young Master Yong. He’ll know what to do. In this case, it’s better to use our heads than our strength.”

I agreed.

“Well, Young Master Yong is certainly brilliant when it comes to using his head.”

I said with a slightly sarcastic tone. I had suffered a bit under Yong Hwarin, so I couldn’t speak kindly of him.

But as the Demonic Master glared at me, I shut my mouth before I could say anything worse.

I knew he liked Yong Hwarin, so I couldn’t speak ill of him in front of the Demonic Master.

“Let’s go back. At least we gained something from following them.”

“But once they leave this place, won’t we lose track of them?”

I asked, and the Demonic Master smiled faintly.

“Do you know what the Ghost Spirit Demonic Practitioners feed on?”

“What is it?”

“They feed on human vital energy. Because of that, it’s easy to locate them. Places with many deaths are likely where they hide. That’s why they aren’t so hard to find.”

“Oh, so that’s why we saw several funeral houses on the way here.”

Once again, I looked at the Demonic Master with eyes full of admiration for his knowledge of martial arts.

Leaving those eyes behind him, the Demonic Master stepped away from the manor.

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