The Poison Emperor hurried to Hwa Mujin’s side and offered him an object he had taken from his robes.
-What’s this?
-You think it’s a good idea to show your face?
The Poison Emperor was wearing a paper mask with a black tiger painted on it, which he’d seemingly produced from nowhere.
Mujin glanced down at the mask the Poison Emperor held out.
It was a paper mask depicting the face of the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.
With a smile, Mujin put on the mask just as the Poison Emperor had and leaped onto the roof of the abandoned house.
“Young Lady!”
As Mujin landed on the roof, he heard Hoeno’s whispered voice.
Mujin and the Poison Emperor carefully found positions over the various holes in the roof and peered inside.
“Where’s Dodo?”
“I’m here too, Young Lady.”
A woman rose from a corner.
She approached, limping heavily.
“That leg…”
“Considering it was hit by the Hundred Steps Divine Fist, this is quite mild.”
“How did you manage to lose them in that condition?”
“It wasn’t so much that I lost them, but something must have happened, because they stopped their pursuit.”
“Really? Phew. That’s a relief. We could have ended up locked in the Cave of Repentance. They must have searched the entrance several times. Those persistent damned monks. How did they even know to look for us?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m glad we were able to escape.”
The woman nodded at Hoeno’s words, then slumped to the floor and unfastened the sword at her waist.
“After all the trouble we went through to get it, this sword feels even more precious.”
-Of course it’s precious. It’s the sacred artifact of a sect.
Just then, Mujin spoke with his internal energy, his voice echoing throughout the abandoned house.
“Wh-who’s there?!”
Startled, the woman shot to her feet, drew the sword, and frantically looked around.
-You’re sure you set up the sound barrier? It’ll be a problem if the sound leaks out.
At Mujin’s telepathic message, the Poison Emperor nodded.
Mujin then dropped through a large hole in the roof.
-Thud.
As he landed, the three people inside grew wary, checking to see if he had brought anyone else with him.
“I was watching to see what kind of thieves crawled out to steal a sacred artifact, and it turns out they’re from Heavenly Mountain. Not just men, but a whole gang of you.”
In response to Mujin’s words, Hoeno drew his sword, pointed its tip at him, and spoke.
“Insolence! Do you know who you’re speaking to?!”
“I have a pretty good idea. You must be that foolish Chu-bok’s granddaughter, right?”
“…”
At the mention of the name Chu-bok, Hoeno momentarily tilted his head.
But the woman holding the Demonic Spirit Sword scowled and opened her mouth.
“How dare you! How dare you speak my grandfather’s name so casually!”
“Whatever. I saved you from being dragged to the Cave of Repentance, so hand over that Demonic Spirit Sword.”
As Mujin pointed at the sword, the woman took a step back.
She wore an anxious expression at the words of the strange man who coveted the sword she had gone through so much to obtain.
“You should think carefully before you act! If you walk away now, Heavenly Mountain will consider you a benefactor who saved us from danger. But if you make the wrong choice, you will become an enemy of Heavenly Mountain.”
Hoeno tried to use their background to pressure him.
But he had chosen the wrong opponent.
Mujin was a man who threatened others, not one to be bothered in the slightest by the threats of others.
“Amusing. Someone said the same thing to me once. Thanks to them, I ended up brawling with you Heavenly Mountain demons quite a lot. Well, looking back, those are fond memories. So I’ll overlook your little outburst. Just hand over the sword, and nothing will happen. The foolish young lady can enjoy her travels and return to Heavenly Mountain. I’ll recover the sacred artifact. A happy ending for everyone.”
The woman holding the Demonic Spirit Sword retorted.
“The master of this sword died thirty years ago! What makes you think this sword is yours?”
“The Master of the Demonic Spirit Sword is certainly dead. But that doesn’t change the fact that this sword is the sacred artifact of the Demonic Spirit Sect. Naturally, the Demonic Spirit Sword belongs to the next sect leader. Child. Your desire to give your grandfather a special birthday present is commendable, but he won’t be very pleased even if you bring him this sword. Hand it over while I’m still being nice.”
At Mujin’s words, she clenched her teeth.
Her rising energy revealed her intention to fight.
Just then, something strange happened.
As her energy swelled, a dark shadow began to settle in her eyes.
“Tsk, tsk. Do you know why it’s called the Demonic Spirit Sword? Because if someone who can’t handle demonic energy carelessly imbues the sword with their power, their spirit will be devoured by the amplified demonic energy.”
-Swish!
“Huk! Y-Young Lady!”
Hoeno barely dodged the woman’s blade as it suddenly slashed at his back, his eyes widening in shock.
“Tsk, tsk. For Chu-bok’s granddaughter, her demonic energy is pathetic. Has she already lost her mind?”
“Wh-what is happening?”
Hoeno asked Mujin as he watched the woman, who was now leaking a sinister demonic aura and killing intent, her expression vacant.
“What do you think? Her spirit is being devoured by the Demonic Spirit Sword.”
“Th-then what will happen to her?”
“She’ll die. Either at someone else’s hand, or by having every last drop of her life essence sucked dry by the sword.”
!!!
“Please save her!”
“I told you to hand it over when I asked nicely. Why covet something you can’t even use?”
At Mujin’s words, Hoeno rushed forward and knelt before him.
“Please, save her! If you save the young lady’s life, I’ll do anything! Please!!”
“Your sword.”
Mujin said, looking down at Hoeno, who was kneeling with his head bowed to the floor.
Hoeno looked up at him, not understanding.
“Give me your sword. I left mine behind.”
Hoeno hesitated at Mujin’s words.
-Schlick!
“Kyaa! Young Lady! Get a hold of yourself!”
The woman slashed the arm of the one called Dodo and aimed her sword at her with unfocused eyes.
“Y-Young Lady…”
“If you don’t hurry, it’ll be too late. The Demonic Spirit Sword has already tasted blood. If that woman dies by its blade, you won’t be able to separate her from the sword without cutting off her arm.”
At Mujin’s words, Hoeno quickly and respectfully offered his own sword.
Mujin swung Hoeno’s thin-bladed sword, which had a handle made of bamboo, through the air.
-Swish-swish-swish!
“It’s light.”
With that, he approached the woman whose spirit had been consumed by the Demonic Spirit Sword.
Mujin strode forward confidently.
As he approached, radiating an intense aura, the woman turned her blade towards him.
The moment she reacted to his powerful presence and thrust her sword, Mujin’s blade moved swiftly, striking the Demonic Spirit Sword away.
-Clang!
“Tch.”
Although she staggered from the force of the blow, the woman didn’t let go of the sword.
Mujin clicked his tongue at how deeply she had fallen under the sword’s influence in such a short time, then shot forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
-Clang-clang-clang! Clang!
Though she stumbled, the woman swung the sword as if her arm had a will of its own, but Mujin blocked every single one of her attacks as if he knew her moves in advance.
-Tap-tap-tap!
Having completely entered her space, Mujin dropped the borrowed sword and used two fingers to rapidly strike the pressure points on her wrist.
-Clatter!
Only then did the woman drop the sword.
“Huh? Agh!! Wh-what are you!”
As light returned to her unfocused eyes, she was startled by the sight of the strange man in the Great Sage mask right in front of her and scrambled backward.
“Ugh! Why does my hand….”
“It’s going to hurt. When you wake up tomorrow, not just your hand but your whole arm will be numb. It’ll last about half a month, so don’t strain it and you’ll be fine.”
With those words, Mujin picked up the Demonic Spirit Sword.
-Ziiiiiiiiing!
The moment Mujin grasped it, the Demonic Spirit Sword let out a long, ringing cry.
The sound was like a wail of agony.
“Young Lady! Are you alright?”
Hoeno rushed to the woman, avoiding Mujin, and checked on her.
“What happened?”
“Your spirit was being devoured by that demonic sword. It was almost a disaster.”
“Me? My spirit was devoured? Me?!”
“Yes. It would be best to give up on that sword. If that benefactor hadn’t helped us, something truly terrible would have happened.”
Looking around in disbelief, her gaze fell upon the other woman, who was clutching a rather deep gash on her arm.
“Dodo! That… don’t tell me… Did I do that?”
“It was not your will, Young Lady. Please don’t worry about it.”
Watching her loyal servant, the young lady bit her lower lip and shifted her gaze to Mujin.
“Whoa, whoa. Easy there. You’re just surprised, it’s your first time feeling the touch of a Heavenly Martial Body.”
Mujin spoke as if calming an animal, stroking the length of the Demonic Spirit Sword’s blade with two fingers.
-Ziiiiiiiiing!
As another scream-like ring echoed, the woman, having regained her senses, spoke in a sullen tone.
“Are you really its master? The sword seems to be rejecting you.”
“You have a good eye. It is rejecting me. My body, born with righteous energy, is the polar opposite of this thing. So of course I’m not its master. Didn’t I tell you? The owner of this sword is the next leader of the Demonic Spirit Sect. I’m just holding onto it until it reaches his hands.”
Even with Mujin’s explanation, she didn’t look convinced.
“Give it up. Like I said, your grandfather won’t be happy even if you bring it to him. Instead, give him this message: The lineage of the Demonic Spirit Sect has not been broken. That will be the greatest gift for your grandfather’s birthday.”
As Mujin turned to leave, Ju Chae-jin, the youngest granddaughter of the Sun Moon Divine Cult’s leader, spoke up.
“Just who are you?”
“That’s none of your business. It’s better for you if you don’t know who I am.”
“No! I have to know. Your real identity.”
Mujin replied without turning back.
“Child. You are not qualified to know my identity. If you really want to know, master your grandfather’s Divine Arts of the Sun and Moon and then come find me. If you can do that, I might tell you my name.”
As he opened the door of the abandoned house and stepped outside, Ju Chae-jin shouted at his back.
“Hwa Mujin! I already know your name! I told you I want to know your identity, not your name!”
Mujin’s steps halted abruptly.
Then, he turned around.
The look in his eyes, not hidden by the Great Sage mask, was completely different from before.
As his aura, dripping with killing intent, became unnervingly palpable, Hoeno stepped in front of Ju Chae-jin and said.
“Please, don’t. We are people of Heavenly Mountain. We are not the type to spread useless rumors in the Central Plains.”
Despite his words, Mujin’s gaze remained fixed on Ju Chae-jin behind Hoeno.
“How did you know?”
“Did you ever think it’d be stranger not to know? We came down from Mount Song together. Same clothes, same voice. Isn’t it a bit shameless to expect me not to recognize you just because you covered your face? Besides, you said it yourself. Heavenly Martial Body.”
“Ah!”
As if just realizing it, Mujin crumpled the paper mask in his hand and took it off.
“Tsk. Consider yourself lucky. If you weren’t the blood of the Sun Moon Divine Cult’s leader, I would have killed you without a doubt. I know you’re at that foolish age, but stop worrying your grandfather on Heavenly Mountain and go home.”
As he turned away again, Mujin’s killing intent vanished as if washed away.
“Hmph! It’s my business where I go!”
“Fine. Then play around a bit more. Hoeno, was it? You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“You!”
“Young Lady! You must not provoke him any further.”
Hoeno stopped Ju Chae-jin, remembering the chilling killing intent he had felt just a moment ago.
As Mujin walked away, his figure vanished in an instant, leaving the three of them staring at the empty space where he had been.
“What do you plan to do with that sword?”
The Poison Emperor asked as he caught up to the rapidly moving Mujin, who answered nonchalantly.
“I’ll have to find a disciple for the Demonic Spirit Sect and keep it safe until they’re ready.”
“Without using it?”
“You heard me. I can’t use it in this body.”
“I see. But… are you planning to continue the lineage of the Demonic Spirit Sect?”
“Why? You wish the lineage of my sect was severed?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“My master took me in when I was an orphan wandering the streets and raised me to be a great warrior. If the sect’s lineage ends with me, I’ll be beaten to death by my master even in the afterlife.”
The Poison Emperor nodded at Mujin’s words.
The demonic arts of Mujin’s—no, Jeongcheon’s—sect, passed down to a single disciple, were fearsome even to him.
Though they acted like friends now, the memory of his first encounter with the Divine Demon Jeongcheon was still vivid in his mind.
‘Is such a monster about to reappear in the martial world?’
“More importantly, are you sure it’s alright that they know your identity?”
“You heard what that man said. They’re certainly not the type to spread useless rumors in the Central Plains.”
“You trust the words of the Heavenly Mountain demons?”
“From my experience, they’re more trustworthy than the warriors of the Nine Great Sects.”
Knowing the history of the Divine Demon Jeongcheon, the Poison Emperor had no retort.
And so, Mujin and the Poison Emperor returned to their inn room.
Mujin wrapped the Demonic Spirit Sword in thick cloth and tied it securely inside Masok’s bundle.
He didn’t know when it would see the light of day again, but he was satisfied to have recovered his sect’s sacred artifact.
The next morning, when Mujin came down to the first-floor eatery, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the party waiting for him.
Two handmaidens were standing behind Seomun Jin-hui, just as before.
Just as he was about to send them a telepathic message filled with killing intent, Mujin paused.
-It’s not them.
Even without the Poison Emperor’s message, Mujin had also sensed that something was amiss.
Looking at Seomun Jin-hui’s grim expression, Mujin spoke.
“Did… something happen?”
At Mujin’s question, Seomun Jin-hui forced a smile and replied.
“You noticed right away, I see. I was so foolish that I only realized this morning what others could see. It turns out my handmaidens had been kidnapped and held captive all this time.”
“Then the ones who were with you until now…”
“Were mysterious strangers of unknown identity. I have already sent word to the Shaolin Temple.”
“How strange. It seems to be related to the theft of the Demonic Spirit Sword.”
“Yes, I think so too. Still, I was able to see you, Family Head Hwa, so I must now return to Mount Song. It seems Shaolin will have many questions for me regarding this incident.”
“You’ll have your hands full.”
“Yes. It’s all because of my foolishness. I hope we meet again.”
With those words, she departed with her handmaidens.
The elders from the Qingcheng and Emei Sects also clasped their fists in a bow toward Mujin.
“We also have unfinished business at Shaolin, so we must go up with them. Something else might happen.”
“We will see you again in Xichang.”
“Yes. Until we meet again.”
And just like that, the entire party left.
“Everyone… let’s just have a light meal and go back.”
At Mujin’s words, Masok quickly ordered food.
“By the way, Family Head.”
At No-sak’s call, Mujin turned his gaze to him.
“What is it?”
“Did something happen last night?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“It’s just… those women…”
No-sak gestured with his eyes toward a table where two women in red casual attire were eating, staring intently in their direction.
Mujin recognized them instantly.
“Ha. She’s got some nerve. Just like her grandfather’s granddaughter.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Mujin shook his head and waited for their meal.
