Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 18

—–CROW—– 

Late evening, bathed in the blue moonlight.

Rustle— Rustle—

Jeok-geom was rummaging through the forest surrounding Mount Hua in the near-total darkness.

“Gasp, gasp.”

Exhaling deeply after running continuously, he pricked up his ears.

Perhaps because it was nighttime, the surroundings were quiet.

However, he could intermittently hear the chirping of insects along with rustling sounds.

“Phew—”

Placing his hands on his knees and catching his breath, Jeok-geom quickly scanned his surroundings.

Overhanging branches and leaves completely obscured the already dark landscape.

Jeok-geom hurriedly circulated his Plum Blossom Qi Art’s internal energy and focused it in his eyes.

His vision gradually brightened.

‘This is better.’

As if a faint light had been cast amidst the pitch-black darkness, he nodded, satisfied with his slightly improved vision, and focused his eyes further.

“But I heard it was around here…”

Jeok-geom scratched the bridge of his nose as he looked around.

What he was searching for was a recent nuisance that had been increasing in numbers.

Wolves.

But he couldn’t see any.

With a troubled expression, Jeok-geom recalled the conversation he had with Cheon-hwi after Hyeon-do left.

“Then go catch a wolf.”

“…A wolf?”

He had stared wide-eyed at Cheon-hwi’s unexpected request.

What he wanted was martial arts training, not hunting.

But Cheon-hwi’s reply was firm.

“Why? Did you think I’d teach you martial arts right away?”

“N-No?”

“What martial arts training can you do in your current state?  You couldn’t even execute your techniques properly because you were nervous during the match.  What’s the point of training?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but what does that have to do with hunting wolves…?”

“What you need most right now is practical experience.”

He didn’t understand what practical experience had to do with hunting wolves, but he couldn’t ask.

‘What are you doing? Go already.’

Cheon-hwi had glared at him and given him an order that sounded more like he was being dismissed.

Just then.

Rustle—

The bushes in front of him rustled loudly, and a wolf emerged.

“Finally…”

Jeok-geom’s face, which had brightened at finally finding a wolf, hardened.

The wolf, illuminated by the blue moonlight, was a chilling sight.

Growl—

A savage growl emanated from between its sharp, blood-red teeth, and a raw, untamed killing intent exuded from the wolf.

‘I shouldn’t have underestimated it.’

Cold sweat trickled down Jeok-geom’s back.

Unlike the mere beast he had imagined, the chilling aura emanating from the wolf made him involuntarily tense up.

‘It’s just a beast.’

As he tried to regain his composure and swallowed nervously.

Dash!

The wolf lunged at him with lightning speed.

“Gasp!”

Thud—

Jeok-geom hurriedly retreated, drew his sword, and swung.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the wolf and Jeok-geom crossed paths. The wolf spun around and landed gracefully on all fours.

At that moment.

“Ugh!”

Jeok-geom groaned and looked down.

Red blood flowed from a gash on his right shoulder, torn by the wolf’s claws, and dripped onto the ground.

‘I was careless.’

His eyes darkened as he looked at the wound, which was deeper than he had expected.

It was a mistake.

If he hadn’t been so tense, he could have avoided the injury and even cut down the wolf.

At that moment.

“…!”

It hit him like a bolt of lightning.

The mistake he had just made was the same mistake he had made when he lost at the Five Mountains Gathering.

He had repeated the same mistake.

And in a real battle where he could lose his life.

“You idiot.”

Jeok-geom chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He finally understood why Cheon-hwi had told him to hunt wolves.

To cultivate the mental fortitude to withstand tension and pressure.

He was to experience a real battle, where his life was on the line, to train his mind.

“I made the right decision to ask Senior Disciple for his teachings.”

Jeok-geom’s eyebrows curved upwards like a crescent moon as he grasped Cheon-hwi’s hidden intention.

He roughly tore off his dangling sleeve and tightly wrapped it around his bloodied hand and the hilt of his sword.

Then, this time, he was the one to attack.

Clang!

Bright sparks flew under the moonlight.

As Jeok-geom battled the wolf.

Tap—

Seol-ran frowned as she chased after a white rabbit.

“…Are rabbits this fast?”

She muttered and bit her lip.

Having played tag with the rabbit for almost half an hour, she shook her head and recalled Cheon-hwi’s order.

“You, catch a rabbit.”

“Why do I have to catch a rabbit instead of a wolf?”

She had been upset at the time.

She had thought he was asking her to catch a rabbit because he deemed her incapable of hunting a wolf, a ferocious beast.

“Why? Because your footwork was lacking compared to your swordsmanship during the last match.”

She had fallen silent at his following words. It was the same advice she had received from Elder Cheon-hyang before.

And that wasn’t all.

Cheon-hwi’s subsequent explanation had struck her like an arrow.

“The most important things for a martial artist are eyesight and footwork.  Since it’s evening, you need sharp eyes and agile footwork to hunt a swift rabbit.  You understand, right?”

She had blushed and lowered her head at his pointed words.

Even if she hadn’t known, she was the one who had asked for his teachings.

Yet, she had not only belittled the effective method he proposed but also tried to refuse it.

She was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do.

However, his next words had washed away her embarrassment and instead bruised her pride.

“Catch it before sunrise.”

His tone, as if implying she wouldn’t be able to catch a rabbit before sunrise, had fueled her determination, and she had immediately set out.

And now.

Whoosh!

She channeled her internal energy into her feet and lunged at the fleeing rabbit.

Dust and dirt flew everywhere.

Seol-ran, her face buried in the ground, frowned and raised her head when she felt nothing in her hands.

Hop— Hop—

The rabbit, hopping in place in the distance, looked at her and snickered.

Then, as their eyes met, it ran away.

This was the fourth time this had happened.

Her face hardened as she watched the rabbit hopping away.

The rabbit suddenly stopped running, keeping its distance and watching her, as if toying with her.

“…”

Seol-ran glared at the rabbit, which tilted its head at her. A chilling voice escaped her lips.

“…I won’t let you get away.”

***

As the two struggled, Cheon-hwi was humming a tune while lying on a rock.

“Hmm, hmm. Tonight, I’ll finally have some meat.”

The purpose of the hunting tasks he had assigned to his two subordinates was simple.

He wanted to eat meat.

But he had given them plausible reasons, fearing they would object if he simply told them to hunt, and it had worked.

“Well, it’s not entirely wrong.”

Cheon-hwi muttered quietly.

It was true, after all.

He drooled as he imagined the juicy meat he would soon be savoring.

“When are they coming back?”

Just then, he sensed approaching presences and sat up.

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran, looking exhausted, were trudging up the mountain path.

“Huff, huff. Senior Disciple!”

“Senior Disciple.”

Their voices reached him simultaneously.

He opened his eyes and saw Jeok-geom covered in blood and Seol-ran covered in dirt.

“I caught it.”

“…I caught it.”

Looking quite disheveled after their arduous efforts, they walked up to Cheon-hwi and carefully placed the hunted wolf and rabbit on the ground.

Jeok-geom, who had been kneeling, suddenly looked up, his eyes shining.

“I understand your intentions, Senior Disciple.”

He looked up at Cheon-hwi with bright, admiring eyes.

‘…He’s the spitting image of Ghost Demon.’

Cheon-hwi, meeting Jeok-geom’s intense gaze, was reminded of Ghost Demon.

‘No.  Ghost Demon is gone now.’

He shook his head slightly, erasing the image of Ghost Demon, who had joined the Heavenly Demon Cult out of admiration for him.

He was a figure of the past and had nothing to do with his current self.

“Oh? Good for you.”

Cheon-hwi replied nonchalantly.

“As expected of Senior Disciple Cheon-hwi.”

However, Jeok-geom simply smiled, his eyes filled with admiration.

‘I made the right decision to ask Senior Disciple.’

As Jeok-geom was feeling satisfied.

“…I was lacking, Uncle.”

Seol-ran also apologized.

She too had initially questioned his order, but now she was filled with admiration and awe at Cheon-hwi’s insight.

‘It was very helpful.’

She had realized her shortcomings while chasing after the pesky rabbit for over an hour.

‘To think footwork is this important.’

She had always believed that mental cultivation and swordsmanship were the most important aspects of martial arts.

But now, her perspective had completely changed.

The importance and effectiveness of footwork.

What good was high-level internal energy and excellent swordsmanship if her sword couldn’t even reach her opponent?

Cheon-hwi looked at her sparkling eyes, then at the dead wolf and rabbit lying in front of them.

‘Tsk, what? Just one each?’

Cheon-hwi’s expression soured.

He had expected them to struggle with the hunt, but just one each?

He quickly corrected his expression.

‘It’s better than nothing.’

He tried to think positively.

It was still meat.

It was a feast compared to the Bigokdan he had been eating for nearly ten years while researching the Eternal Immortal Reign Supreme Law, and the grass he had been eating since becoming this body.

The thought of those tasteless things made his mouth feel dry and bitter.

“Ugh.”

He frowned and spat on the ground, then uncrossed his arms.

‘If it weren’t for the martial arts manuals in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion, I would have tasted meat a long time ago.’

He could have hunted anytime, but his thirst for martial arts, greater than his appetite, had drawn him to the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion.

His desire for achievement took precedence over his appetite.

Cheon-hwi spoke again.

“Then here’s the second order.”

The two, who had been momentarily flustered by him spitting on the ground, quickly looked up at Cheon-hwi’s next words.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

After hearing their replies, Cheon-hwi leaped off the rock and landed gracefully.

As Jeok-geom and Seol-ran admired his amazing footwork, which was as light as a feather.

Grin—

Cheon-hwi’s pearly white teeth showed.

“Build a fire!”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

They uttered dumbfoundedly.

Cheon-hwi raised an eyebrow and repeated,

“Are you deaf? I said build a fire.”

“A-A fire?”

“Understood!”

Snapping out of their daze, the two moved in unison and quickly gathered firewood to start a fire.

A moment later.

Crackle— Crackle—

The wolf and rabbit, skewered on large branches, were roasting over the crackling fire, emitting a smoky aroma.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Cheon-hwi hummed as he stared at the roasting meat.

‘That’s the smell!’

As Cheon-hwi couldn’t hide his delight, Jeok-geom and Seol-ran fidgeted nervously across from him.

As they tended the fire, they glanced around furtively, fearing that their current actions would be discovered.

Whoosh—

They flinched even at the faintest sound of the wind and carefully exchanged glances.

‘Senior Brother.’

‘Junior Sister.’

‘Senior Brother, you have to say something…’

Pressured by Seol-ran’s gaze, Jeok-geom gave in.

“S-Senior Disciple.”

“What?”

Perhaps because he was about to eat meat after so long, Cheon-hwi’s voice was gentle.

“Even though our sect’s rules are more lenient compared to other Taoist sects, roasting meat and eating it on the main mountain is still a bit too much…”

“So?”

Flinch!

Jeok-geom flinched at Cheon-hwi’s cold voice, which cut him off.

But Cheon-hwi wasn’t finished.

“Are you telling me not to eat?”

Sweat trickled down Jeok-geom’s forehead as he stared at Cheon-hwi.

Cheon-hwi’s cold eyes, as deep and dark as an abyss, were fixed on him.

“Gulp. N-No, Senior Disciple.”

“Stop talking nonsense and get back to work.”

“Yes, Senior Disciple.”

Jeok-geom quickly resumed roasting the meat.

A while later, a delicious aroma filled the air as the meat was cooked through.

Gulp—

Seol-ran and Jeok-geom swallowed.

They too had been tired of eating only vegetables for years, and the sudden aroma of meat was too tempting.

As they were mesmerized by the smell, Cheon-hwi grabbed a piece of the golden-brown meat. The moment he bit into it.

‘This is it!’

Juices exploded in his mouth.

Cheon-hwi smiled brightly, chewing the meat, and his hands moved faster and faster.

After devouring half of the meat in one go, he patted his stomach and smiled.

“Ah, that was a treat.”

Cheon-hwi, picking a piece of meat stuck between his teeth, looked at Jeok-geom and Seol-ran and chuckled.

“What are you doing? Eat if you want.”

“But Senior Disciple, even though our sect’s rules… gulp.”

“Eating meat on the main mountain is…”

“Suit yourselves if you don’t want to eat.”

As Cheon-hwi spoke mischievously and was about to toss the remaining meat into the forest.

Grab.

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“Y-You’re not just going to throw it away, are you?”

“Senior Brother is right.”

“But you said you didn’t want to eat it? Then I should throw it away. What else should I do with it?”

Their eyes wavered, and then they reached for the meat.

They cautiously put it in their mouths.

“…!”

“…!”

Their eyes widened as they chewed and swallowed the meat.

Then they started devouring the remaining meat.

Munch— Gulp!

A while later, Cheon-hwi approached the two, who were sitting with satisfied expressions next to the remnants of bones and ashes.

“Delicious, wasn’t it?”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran flinched.

Blinded by their appetite, they had forgotten that they had just eaten meat.

As their faces paled with guilt,

“Then…”

As they trembled and looked up, Cheon-hwi’s pearly white teeth, illuminated by the blue moonlight, filled their vision.

“You’re accomplices now, too.”

—–CROW—– 

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