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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Two Clasped Hands
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The first night Mu-heun and Pa-sun arrived at Blade Leaf Valley.
Gu-cheong, the dispatched administrator of Blade Leaf Valley and a warrior of the Red Demon Pavilion, arrived at a weathered yet elegant pavilion on the outskirts of the valley.
A man with long, purple fingernails was already there. The man, wearing a black hat, made no particular movements, yet he exuded the calm confidence of a seasoned master.
Although his face was hidden by a mask, the wrinkles on his hands and around his eyes clearly marked him as an aged master.
Gu-cheong bowed deeply to the unidentified old master, who looked down at him from his seat in the pavilion and spoke.
"Are the preparations complete?"
"Yes. Everything has been prepared without a hitch. The Bewitching Soul Powder just needs to be cultivated and transported. The product you're anticipating is also proceeding smoothly. This is all thanks to the cooperation of the Tang Clan and Lord Golden Fang Poison Claw."
The old master's identity was none other than Golden Fang Poison Claw, the very man Mu-heun had been searching for. The two seemed familiar with each other, naturally continuing their conversation about the product.
"Kekeke. Yes, the Bewitching Soul Powder is one thing, but I will not tolerate even the slightest error with that other item. You are aware that if any word of this leaks, my deal with the Red Demon Pavilion Lord will be over, are you not?"
At the mention of the Pavilion Lord, Gu-cheong swallowed dryly.
"O-Of course not. The Pavilion Lord may find it difficult to act directly, but he has stated that he is by no means taking this matter lightly. Furthermore, to prevent any leaks, those involved in the cultivation will be eliminated as soon as it is finished, so you need not worry."
"Keke. One can never be too careful with the cleanup. Make sure the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult doesn't catch wind of this and cause trouble for my clan. As long as you do that, I will continue to handle Blade Leaf Demon as I have been."
"I will be thorough."
"You may go."
"Yes."
Gu-cheong bowed his head and cupped his fist. As he turned to leave, his expression hardened.
'That old fool, who does nothing but dabble in poison, dares to speak of the Divine Cult just because he has a deal with the Pavilion Lord... They stand to gain a great deal, yet they refuse to take any risks and only seek profit... How irritating.'
Though resentful, Gu-cheong didn't dare voice his objections to Golden Fang Poison Claw.
'Then again, without them, we couldn't have brought Blade Leaf Demon to this state. And if Blade Leaf Demon were still in power, it would have been difficult for us to completely take over Blade Leaf Valley.'
Golden Fang Poison Claw watched the scheming Gu-cheong walk away, sneering from behind.
'Red Demon Pavilion Lord. You offer to create an elixir using the Bewitching Soul Powder as a lure, and you lose your mind. But the Tang Clan's true goal is only the fruit of the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree. Until then, I'll be counting on you, minions of the Demonic Cult.'
Unaware of each other's true thoughts, Gu-cheong finished his report to Golden Fang Poison Claw and returned to his dispatch office. A messenger from the Red Demon Pavilion Lord was waiting for him there.
"What is it?"
"Sir Gu-cheong. The Red Demon Pavilion Lord is sending the Ghost Shadow Unit as reinforcements to Blade Leaf Valley."
"The Ghost Shadow Unit? Ah, I understand. Please convey my thanks to the Pavilion Lord."
"Yes. And... the Pavilion Lord said to tell you that failure will not be tolerated."
"Ah, I understand. Of course. Tell the Pavilion Lord that Blade Leaf Demon and his subordinates, as well as the cultivation and product preparation, are all proceeding smoothly. Add that he will be able to receive the goods soon."
"Yes. Ah, and..."
"What is it?"
"He also said that due to an internal audit within the cult, this will be the last of the reinforcements. He added that only you, Sir Gu-cheong, should know of this, and that you are not to inform Golden Fang Poison Claw."
"An internal audit? Ah, I see."
'An audit from the main headquarters, all of a sudden?'
Gu-cheong felt an ominous premonition.
He also recalled that this wasn't the only such sign.
'Those two farmers who claimed to have met a master from the Divine Cult are bothering me...'
"Is Hye-gang outside?"
"Yes, sir."
"There are some people who need to be watched."
"I'll select some men and assign them."
Gu-cheong gave a subtle glance, and his subordinate, Hye-gang, understood his meaning and nodded. It was an order to simply determine if there was anything suspicious.
"Assign some men to Golden Fang Poison Claw from the Tang Clan as well. Have them watch him while pretending to serve him."
"Yes. Understood."
'That damn old man from the Orthodox Sects. He's using us, joining hands with the Pavilion Lord, yet he makes no overt moves himself. We need to watch him to make sure we don't get stabbed in the back.'
Gu-cheong's men monitored Mu-heun and Pa-sun's every move, writing daily logs on small slips of paper for their surveillance reports.
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Day One.
The two wake up in the morning and farm.
After farming, they head to the mountain valley in the evening.
They eat and drink in the valley.
The alcohol seems cheap.
They drink themselves silly and then go home.
A completely unremarkable routine.
Day Two.
The two went to the mountain valley again today.
They were talking about something in the valley and started fighting.
One of them seems to be a better fighter; he beat the other one up and went home humming.
The one who got beaten up curses the other guy resentfully.
What a bunch of clowns.
Day Three.
It seems they've decided to seriously determine who's superior.
It's hilarious how they fight every day.
Still, watching a fight is the best entertainment.
Day Four.
It's getting boring.
One guy just keeps hitting, and the other just keeps getting hit.
To an observer, they're both about the same level.
But among themselves, the gap seems to be widening.
.
.
.
Day Seven.
I don't need to watch them anymore.
I should report to Gu-cheong that it was a pointless worry.
They're just ordinary farmers who can't even get along.
-
Looking at what he'd written, the spy decided the surveillance could end and left to report to Gu-cheong.
***
With the surveillance loosened, I was now talking with Un-pyo in a hidden shelter.
"Do you know about Gu poison?"
"Yes. Ah, I haven't introduced myself. I am Baek Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family."
"The H-Heavenly Dance Family?"
"The Heavenly Dance Family is a house that studies various disciplines such as history, medicine, and formations. Among them, I have researched Gu poison extensively."
"Is that really true?"
It was true.
Of course, it wasn't Baek Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, who had studied it, but me, as the Divine Doctor, at the request of the Tang Clan when I was in Sichuan.
"Those bastards are vicious... After feeding Gu poison to Cho-wol, he dared to threaten my master. He said if he dropped his weapon and surrendered, he would spare his subordinates."
"So Blade Leaf Demon couldn't bear to abandon his granddaughter."
"That's right. It was an obvious lie in hindsight, but unfortunately, my master loved his granddaughter dearly. And they didn't stop even after neutralizing him."
"So the other disciples were all captured as well."
"Yes. After that, my master's disciples—my senior and junior brothers—all docilely consumed the poison and were locked in the underground prison! Despair has fallen upon Blade Leaf Valley ever since."
"The underground prison..."
It had to be the same underground prison I saw then.
There was likely no one to invade, and those inside were all too poisoned to have the strength to escape, so even if there were no gaps in the guard schedule, it was still managed loosely.
"But, Sir Un-pyo, how were you able to escape?"
"I, I... was scouting another area at the time."
Just then, a suspicious-looking man next to him spoke.
"That's not it. He was slacking off, skipping both training and his mission, so I hid him."
"...I-Is that what happened?"
I see. The man who hid Un-pyo was named Byeok-gi. He used to be the general manager of Blade Leaf Valley. After Blade Leaf Demon was captured, he started working as an ordinary farmer while looking after Un-pyo.
"Those bastards gradually ate away at Blade Leaf Valley. They deceived the innocent farmers, telling them it was a fine spice, and distributed the Bewitching Soul Powder little by little, getting them addicted. Most of them now exist only to work in exchange for the powder."
"...I see."
"They don't know what they're eating, nor what they're cultivating."
"Then why are they cultivating the Bewitching Soul Powder here?"
"The farmers here are all grateful to my master, so isn't it to exploit them freely? And if they frame these farmers for the crime of cultivating Bewitching Soul Powder and then kill them, all the evidence will naturally disappear..."
'Just as I thought... They're keeping them and Blade Leaf Demon alive so they can be framed later.'
"Now, I have told you everything I know. So answer me. Who is this master from the Divine Cult?"
"Sir Un-pyo..."
"...?"
I spoke with a conflicted expression.
"It is true that we came from the Divine Cult to investigate, but in truth, there is no unidentified master of incredible skill. That was a lie I made up to gather information about this place."
"Th-Then, the master from the Divine Cult? You deceived me!?"
"It was necessary in order to grasp the situation in Blade Leaf Valley and report back."
"Excuses!"
I could see it.
The way Un-pyo's expression contorted.
"I will explain everything."
Filled with apology, I explained everything to Un-pyo step by step. Of course, I didn't tell him the complete truth.
The story was that two months ago, I met the Heavenly Demon Founder in a dream, was chosen by the Sacred Fire, and am now carrying out the Cult Leader's orders.
I even told him that it was Pa-sun and I, not some master from the Divine Cult, who came here under the Cult Leader's command and defeated the group of thugs.
"Damn it, what are you talking about!"
Un-pyo was considerably flustered. He also felt betrayed. Gu-cheong, who currently controlled Blade Leaf Valley, was at the peak level, but Golden Fang Poison Claw of the Tang Clan, who was backing him, was a transcendent master.
He had pretended to be calm, but he knew that Blade Leaf Valley didn't have much time left.
And now, to be told that there was no master from the Divine Cult, that it was just the two of them on an investigation.
'He must be dumbfounded.'
"It's too late to report to the Heavenly Mountain now! The Red Demon Pavilion might even frame my master!"
He was right. Time was short.
In short.
'This matter must be resolved here, by our own hands.'
However, with just me, Un-pyo, and Pa-sun, it was an impossible task. The situation was hopeless. Or so it seemed.
First, I decided to persuade Un-pyo.
"Sir Un-pyo, did you truly believe a peerless master from the Divine Cult would come here to help?"
"Wh-What! You shameless...!"
I could feel the anger in Un-pyo's voice, but I remained composed and spoke firmly.
"I asked if you truly believed that by hiding here and asking for help, a master from the Divine Cult would save you and Blade Leaf Valley."
"Th-That...!"
In truth, Un-pyo himself must have known. The idea of some unknown master from the Divine Cult helping Blade Leaf Valley was a preposterous fantasy.
The Divine Cult was a place of survival of the fittest. It followed the ruthless logic of the strong devouring the weak more than anywhere else. What's more, the various factions were currently watching each other's every move.
Seeing as even the administrator dispatched from the main sect was in on it, the Red Demon Pavilion had clearly already made its move. Would a master from the Divine Cult help Blade Leaf Valley under such circumstances for no reason?
Impossible.
Even a fool would know that.
"This was a deliberate trap. The fact that the warrior sent from the main headquarters for administrative purposes is also one of them means they have a powerful ally within the Divine Cult. You know this, don't you?"
"That..."
Blade Leaf Demon was a heretic of the Divine Cult.
He had proven his worth through his strength, but he grew tired of the internal political struggles and petitioned the Cult Leader to leave the Heavenly Mountain and manage Blade Leaf Valley himself.
What master from within the cult would come to help such a man? It would be hard to expect even in the Orthodox Sects, let alone in the Demonic Cult.
I saw through Un-pyo's thoughts and spoke.
"Whether we lied or not is not what's important right now. What matters is whether we can resolve the situation in Blade Leaf Valley."
"...I was grasping at straws! But you've mercilessly crushed that hope! It's all over now!"
A face steeped in despair. The shadow of death already loomed over Un-pyo's face. The same was true for Byeok-gi, who stood beside him.
As I practiced the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, I also inherited the will that Master Heavenly Demon wished to pass down. To me, Blade Leaf Demon held a special meaning.
Master Heavenly Demon had asked me, but I had no confidence in my ability to change the Divine Cult. Yet, here I had seen a member of the Demonic Cult who had properly inherited Master Heavenly Demon's will.
It was the first time since I'd possessed Baek Mu-heun's body.
Blade Leaf Valley, which had undergone such a change, was also special. Seeing Un-pyo give up already, abandoning such people, made anger surge within me.
I unleashed a menacing aura and slammed my fist on the ground.
- CRACK
"...!"
A quiet explosion of demonic energy accompanied the impact.
My eyes gleaming with an unwavering light, I spoke.
"Will you sit back and wait for death? Or will you fight alongside me to overcome this?"
Un-pyo felt as if he could hear an unseen voice.
- If you have a purpose, the means will follow. Isn't it too irresponsible to give up now? If you were going to give up like this, why did you learn martial arts, and why did you cultivate your strength?
It wasn't telepathy, yet he had the illusion that the man before him was speaking those words. It was a clear sign that he was shaken.
I walked up to Un-pyo, extended my hand, and said.
"If you give up because you think there's no way, then it's over. I have a plan. Not all paths are blocked yet."
Hearing my words, something seemed to come to Un-pyo's mind.
[ Un-pyo, if you don't know which path to take, just charge ahead. The moment you give up because you think there's no way, that's when it's truly over. ]
Words that Blade Leaf Demon had once told Un-pyo.
That same will now came from the mouth of the man before him.
Un-pyo was not a clever man, but he had sharp instincts.
All his instincts were telling him.
That it was better to follow this man than to sit and wait for death.
"Do you truly have a way to save Blade Leaf Valley?"
"I do."
"Then I, Un-pyo, will follow you from this moment until we reclaim Blade Leaf Valley."
Un-pyo took the hand I offered.
The hand I shook with Un-pyo that day would surely become a handshake with Blade Leaf Valley itself.