Part 1

Chapter 36. The Blood Demon

When she turned around, she saw Han-won with his fists clenched.

Han-won’s face was flushed red.

He stammered.

“……Thank you for saving me.”

He couldn’t even lift his head.

He seemed embarrassed.

A retainer assigned to guard a direct descendant had ended up owing his life to one. It was an extremely shameful matter, yet Han-won wanted to express his gratitude nonetheless.

In truth, a guard should not hold his own life dear. Of course, life was precious, but to show that openly was a disgrace. One had to think it an honor to give up their life for the Clan Head or for the Tang Clan.

Regardless of whether that was truly possible, the outward attitude required of the Four Guardian Units, including the Black Tiger Unit, was to uphold that mindset.

So for Tang So-hwa, who had lived her entire life at the center of the Tang Clan, this was the first time she’d heard such words.

An awkward air lingered, but once Han-won opened his mouth, he didn’t stop.

“I thought it would be an honor to die in the line of duty, but when I actually faced death, I wanted to live.”

Thinking he had nothing to lose, Han-won shut his eyes tightly.

“Shamefully, I wanted to live. And when I opened my eyes, I felt relieved. I don’t know why you sacrificed such precious Yeonju Pills to save us. But I still wanted to thank you.”

At Han-won’s words, Tang So-hwa recalled returning to Sichuan after the Blood Sect incident. That day, when countless corpses had formed a mountain. Among those corpses, this Han-won may have been one of them.

He probably wanted to live then, too.

Maybe not just him…

As So-hwa fell silent, Han-won slowly lifted his head.

Because of the shadows cast by the bamboo grove, the girl’s face looked dark. He began to regret speaking, wondering if he’d said something unnecessary—when a calm voice tickled his ears.

“The Yeonju Pill isn’t precious.”

Her voice, carried by the wind, was even and steady.

“There’s nothing more precious than a life, so don’t treat some item like it’s worth more.”

As Han-won opened his mouth in a daze, the Tang Clan’s direct descendant descended the stairs.

Han-won let out a hollow laugh.

“Not precious, you say, Young Lady.”

Do you have any idea how much monthly salary we’d need to save up just to get something even remotely similar to that pill?

Well, for someone born with a silver spoon and raised without want, the prices of the world must feel different, so it made sense that she might not know its value.

Scratching the back of his head, Han-won made his way down from the pavilion, frowning.

Those words kept bothering him.

That there’s nothing more precious than a life.

Without realizing it, he had placed his own life below the Yeonju Pill—but she had lifted it above.

He didn’t know whether it was because the Young Lady didn’t understand the value of the Yeonju Pill, or because he didn’t understand the value of a human life.

Without thinking too hard, Han-won made his way to his quarters. For now, he intended to scout the area before Yun-jin returned.

Everything had begun to move according to Tang So-hwa’s plan. For now.

***

The room, decorated with dark red cloth and black wood, looked like a battlefield soaked in blood.

The red wallpaper was, in fact, a fabric dyed with real human blood.

Long ago, outside the Central Plains, in a place called Outer Regions, there existed five palaces. The rulers of these palaces were called Palace Lords, and they each governed vast territories with unique martial arts handed down from their ancestors.

Some were born with unusual energies like yin or fire, while others mastered bizarre sorcery and formations.

The Palace Lords each ruled areas as large as Sichuan or Hubei alone, which gives a sense of the extent of their power.

The leader of Profound Mystery Pavilion, kneeling with a body full of wounds, looked up at the red wall.

A wall decorated with the blood of the five Palace Lords who once ruled the Outer Regions.

Just looking at it filled the leader’s heart with fear.

Even those once mighty beings met such a humiliating end—who could possibly stand against the Blood Demon?

Fear soon turned into reverence. The leader, like all members of the Blood Sect, held genuine reverence for the Blood Demon.

He waited in silence, not even daring to breathe loudly, until the Blood Demon awoke.

Though he bore deep wounds inflicted by the Black Sky Demon, he gave no thought to healing.

To die in front of the Blood Demon would be the greatest honor.

In fact, just a few days before he arrived, the Lord of the Intelligence Hall had lost his head in this very room.

The leader did not expect to survive.

Rather, he was deeply grateful that the Blood Demon had called him to take his life personally.

It meant that the Blood Demon still had something to ask of him.

Did it not mean he was still needed as a member of the sect?

In the pitch-dark room, only the quiet breathing of the Blood Demon could be heard.

There was no way to tell how much time had passed.

It felt like an eternity, but it might have been only a moment.

It was when a maidservant entered to refill the lamp oil.

“You’re quite something.”

A low voice echoed through the room.

“I heard you faced the Black Sky Demon and still made it here alive.”

The leader pressed his forehead to the floor hard enough to break it.

But since he had not yet been questioned, he did not open his mouth.

Rising from the bed, the Blood Demon spoke in a drowsy voice, still not fully awake.

“I called you because I was curious—whether the Black Sky Demon had grown old, whether the information from the Intelligence Hall was wrong, or whether you’ve grown stronger.”

All three were true.

The Black Sky Demon had aged, the records about him had long ceased, and the leader had grown stronger after being personally taught martial arts by the Blood Demon.

Hearing the Blood Demon state the obvious, the leader felt a strange emotion.

Perhaps… he might be spared.

“In truth, I considered erasing the Intelligence Hall before you arrived, but the records you’ve gathered in Profound Mystery Pavilion over the years were too valuable to discard.”

The leader swallowed dryly.

The Intelligence Hall—aside from the three martial units under the Blood Demon, it was the only group called a “hall.”

That alone showed how much the Blood Demon valued the Central Plains.

Although their martial prowess didn’t even reach the toes of the Blood Demon’s forces, the Intelligence Hall was treated as an equal, and its Lord was given significant influence.

“Do you know why I taught Blood Arts to you, talentless children of Profound Mystery Pavilion?”

When the leader of Profound Mystery Pavilion kept his mouth shut, sensing the mood, the Blood Demon chuckled and spoke.

“It was so you wouldn’t die.”

It was a voice laced not with concern, but with scorn.

“Even if the records stored in Profound Mystery Pavilion were to vanish, as long as the knowledge remains in your minds, you could reproduce it with your hands.”

The Blood Demon dropped his smile as he continued.

“But all of them are dead, save for you.”

A heavy silence followed.

“Not knowing you were still alive, I brought the Lord of Intelligence Hall to Profound Mystery Pavilion to see whether he truly understood what you’d created. I didn’t ask him more than a few times, but he answered incorrectly three times.”

The Blood Demon let out a weary sigh.

“If someone in charge of information doesn’t even properly know what they have gathered, there’s no reason for them to exist. So when I heard you were still alive, I killed him on the spot.”

His gaze slowly lifted. The moment his eyes met the leader’s, the Blood Demon curled his lips and spoke.

“From today, you are the Lord of Intelligence Hall.”

The leader flinched at those words. The Blood Demon continued, paying no mind to his reaction.

“However, Profound Emptiness Pavilion under Intelligence Hall will be separated from it starting today.”

The Profound Emptiness Pavilion was located in the Central Plains. They gathered information and passed it on to Profound Mystery Pavilion, which organized the records and reported to the Hall Lord.

But if there was no Profound Emptiness Pavilion, with no new information to report, what work would there be?

Perhaps managing or preserving the remaining records.

Lost in thought, the leader swallowed dryly.

The Blood Demon had said he didn’t want the members of Profound Mystery Pavilion to die. Because the records of Profound Mystery Pavilion had to be preserved.

To the Blood Demon, the members of Profound Mystery Pavilion were not people.

He himself was nothing more than a record to be kept.

The thought that he might be imprisoned in the archive forever crossed his mind, and the Profound Mystery Pavilion member stared at the Blood Demon.

If things went as the Blood Demon wished, it would be a pain worse than death.

Just as the leader’s face turned pale, someone spoke from outside the door.

“The Lords of Red Blood Hall and Blue Blood Hall have arrived.”

With a weary expression, the Blood Demon gestured.

When the doors opened, the Lords of Red Blood Hall and Blue Blood Hall, standing outside, clasped their hands together neatly.

With hearts grateful for being summoned, they quickly stepped inside.

Passing by the leader who knelt on the floor, they naturally came to stand before the Blood Demon, awaiting his words.

“What about the Lord of Main Blood Hall?”

It seemed the Blood Demon had summoned all three of the martial units.

But one person was absent.

The Lord of Red Blood Hall answered with a grimace like a sinner confessing a mortal crime.

“He said his mission in the North Sea isn’t finished yet and asked for your understanding, Blood Demon.”

“Asked for my understanding, you say.”

The Blood Demon let out a laugh.

“He must’ve rudely said not to annoy him with orders to come and go while he’s working.”

The Lord of Red Blood Hall fell silent.

He had considered going to the North Sea himself to drag the man back, but that lunatic had only said, to tell the Blood Demon to give him only one order. Whether he wanted him to finish the task he was assigned or to quit and return. The Lord of Red Blood Hall had, of course, answered the latter—but the Lord of Main Blood Hall had laughed and told him not to speak nonsense. And then, he really did stay in the North Sea.

The Lord of Red Blood Hall, who returned alone, had expected the Blood Demon’s wrath, but instead, he laughed heartily.

“This is why I like Haerak. He’s not doing it for me, but he knows what I want better than I do.”

The Blood Demon had already made up his mind, but the arrogant actions of the Lord of the Main Blood Hall had given him greater certainty.

“This year, I was going to send the Red Blood Hall to Guangdong, the Blue Blood Hall to Sichuan next year, and the Main Blood Hall to Hubei three years later. But the situation has changed. Because of the trouble those Profound Mystery Pavilion bastards stirred up, Blood Sect’s movements in the Central Plains have been exposed.”

His gaze, tinged with amusement, fell on the leader of Profound Mystery Pavilion.

“They say the Murim Alliance is forming a pursuit unit to track us down together… Who knew that the cracks we’ve been widening for so long would close up like this all at once.”

The leader couldn’t meet his eyes and bowed his head.

The Blood Demon looked away from the leader.

“With things like this, I must change the plan.”

He looked at the two Hall Lords standing before him and spoke.

“I’ll send the Main Blood Hall to the Central Plains first.”

The two Hall Lords flinched at those words.

The Lord of Red Blood Hall, in particular, didn’t look pleased.

Among the three martial units, the Red Blood Hall was originally supposed to be the first to go to the Central Plains.

Knowing how important it was to go first and secure a foothold, the Lord of Red Blood Hall unintentionally objected to the Blood Demon’s command.

“But I’ve already dispatched a few Red Blood Hall members to Guangdong.”

The Blood Demon’s gaze landed on the Lord of Red Blood Hall.

The Hall Lord immediately shut his mouth.

Instead of scolding him, the Blood Demon curved his dark red lips and said,

“Pyo Wol-ah, don’t be greedy. For the time being, we’ll have to sacrifice a few tails to those Murim Alliance bastards, so it’s better for you to go after things settle down.”

He brushed aside the long hair trailing to the floor. With his mind already cluttered, the hair blocking his view annoyed him.

Sensing the Blood Demon’s agitated mood, the Lord of Red Blood Hall tightened his lips in tension, and the Lord of Blue Blood Hall, relieved not to have spoken, quietly awaited the next words.

In a subdued voice, the Blood Demon shared his thoughts.

“For now, we’ll cut ties with the main sect and let the Murim Alliance think they’ve achieved their goal. It’ll probably take years. In the meantime, the only one who’ll move the way I want without listening to my orders is Haerak.”

Ironically, the Lord of Main Blood Hall—whom he trusted the least—was the one most likely to act exactly as he intended.

He craved wealth more than doctrine, so he’d adapt to the Central Plains like a fish in water. And since he had no qualms about killing followers without permission, he’d sever ties the moment he suspected exposure.

The Blood Demon looked at the two loyal Hall Lords standing before him.

Paradoxically, he couldn’t trust these loyal followers.

Because they valued the sect’s teachings, if forced to choose, they would surely falter. In the worst case, they might even send a communication back to the main sect, unable to decide.

The Blood Demon intended to cut all ties between the Central Plains and the main sect for the time being.

When choosing a fish to release into a remote lake, a wild mongrel grown untamed looked more dependable than a carefully raised ornamental one.

Looking at the visibly tense Lord of Red Blood Hall, the Blood Demon smiled.

“Pyo Wol.”

“Yes!”

With his hand off his head, the Blood Demon gently laid his hand on the bedside and spoke softly.

“You’ll take over the North Sea.”

“Yes. I won’t let a single one escape.”

Some of the escaped Profound Emptiness Pavilion members had been caught by Murim Alliance bastards at Emei Mountain, but most had fled to the North Sea. One of them had apparently had a stroke of fortune and mastered the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace, making pursuit quite difficult. It had been bad enough to warrant personally sending the Lord of Main Blood Hall.

Having handed over the mission to the Lord of Red Blood Hall, the Blood Demon turned his gaze to the Lord of Blue Blood Hall.

“For now, the Blue Blood Hall will assist me and the Lord of Intelligence Hall with training.”

***

Part 2

At those words, the leader, who had been pressing his head to the floor, raised his head.

However, the three others continued their conversation as if unaware of his presence.

To be precise, the two Hall Lords were attentively listening to the Blood Demon’s words.

“I know the Tang Clan has a few medical texts from the Yeonju Group, but those are all records from when the Yeonju Group was based in Qinghai. After they relocated to Emei Mountain, there shouldn’t be any records remaining. So, how did the Tang Clan figure out that the Yeonju Group was at Emei Mountain?”

The Blood Demon let out a groan as he stroked the silk of the bedding with his fingers.

“I’ve heard they deduced it from a note left behind by a messenger bird, which they happened to obtain, but that’s strange too. How would a girl who’s never stepped outside the Tang Clan estate know that the phrase referred to a mountain?”

The Blood Demon’s dark red pupils slid downward.

“What do you think, Lord of Intelligence Hall? Does Profound Mystery Pavilion possess information I don’t know about?”

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(T/N): Changed Yuhyeon Pavilion to Profound Mystery Pavilion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep