So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 345: Fools Can Not Be Taught (3)

Il-mok kept his expression neutral and answered as if none of it was a big deal.

"You guessed correctly. The Blood Cult's crimes have thrown countless lives into ruin, so someone has to do something about it."

That answer piqued Hwangbo Se-hui's curiosity, and she pressed further.

"What was the Western Region like? I've never been there myself, so I'm honestly quite curious."

"The Western Region, huh..."

Il-mok let the words trail off, then started recounting his experiences there as if dredging up old memories.

"Even along the steppe roads leading into the Western Region, there were plenty of nomads who had converted to Islam. But they were just believers in name; every last one of them was no different from a bandit."

The first leg of the journey had been nothing but betrayal and ambushes.

"We pushed through attack after attack and finally reached what you could actually call a city. The most powerful family in that city even invited us as guests, only for them to try to poison our food."

Following the tale of the mounted bandits, he recounted how the Bazakh Family had tried to assassinate them in Samarkand, and even detailed what went down in Merv.

"After all that suffering, we managed to sell our goods for a decent price. But on the way back from Merv to Central Plains, over a hundred bandits came at us. Turns out they were soldiers from the very Omar Family that had bought our goods."

The endless string of ambushes and betrayals left the Hwangbo Family's daughters and Taoist Master Cheongmok with a range of expressions flickering across their faces.

"Shameless, the lot of them."

"Good heavens. The Western Region sounds like a den of villainy."

After Hwangbo Se-hui and Cheongmok finished voicing their disdain, Il-mok just shrugged.

"Traveling through a hellhole like that wasn't for nothing, though. We made enough money to help the common people, and I managed to break through my wall."

The mention of breaking through a wall immediately grabbed both Taoist Master Cheongmok and Hwangbo Yeon's full attention.

"Oh my. You found an opportunity where you least expected one."

"Is that really true?"

Il-mok smoothly answered Hwangbo Yeon's question.

"Didn't you also have a breakthrough during the war against the Blood Cult, Fist Phoenix? It was the same for this Incarnation. The head of the Bazakh Family who attacked us in Samarkand was quite a skilled sorcerer, and that warrior from the Omar Family was a master on the very threshold of the Realm of Truth."

The three of them went quiet after hearing everything, each lost in their own thoughts.

Taoist Master Cheongmok stroked his beard slowly, turning something over in his mind, then let out a quiet sigh and spoke.

"Hmm. You've worked so hard to carve out that trade route to the Western Regions; it would be incredibly rude of us to ask to tag along."

Il-mok breathed a massive sigh of relief on the inside when he heard the Taoist's conclusion.

This was the exact reason why Il-mok had gone into such agonizing detail about all the gruelling things they went through out West.

It was his polite way of saying, 'We busted our asses to open this trade route, so don't even think about trying to ride our coattails.'

Fortunately, Taoist Master Cheongmok was a man with enough sense of shame to let it go without any fuss.

"There's no need to go all the way to the Western Region anyway. Why not start with an escort agency first?"

"An escort agency?"

"That's right. With Qingcheng's reputation and strength, finding clients won't be difficult. It might not bring in enough to give freely to the common people, but it'll be more than enough to feed and clothe your disciples."

Taoist Master Cheongmok chewed on Il-mok's proposal for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.

"Thank you. That does seem worth trying."

***

Armed with the advice he received from the Maitreya Luminous Cult, Taoist Master Cheongmok spent the next few days traveling until he finally arrived back at the Qingcheng Sect.

The atmosphere at Qingcheng felt completely frantic and on edge.

To make matters worse, every single elder and disciple who had been scattered across Sichuan had been summoned back to the sect grounds.

"Did something happen, Sect Leader?"

The Sect Leader, who had been with the elders, answered Taoist Master Cheongmok's question.

"Actually, a representative from the Emei Sect came by yesterday."

"Was it because of me?"

"It was. They came to ask whether what you did was your own decision or the will of Qingcheng as a whole."

The Sect Leader grimaced as he remembered the Emei’s representative who had visited the day before. The Emei Sect had practically been radiating an aura that screamed 'hand over Cheongmok's head on a silver platter.'

"So I told them it was the will of Qingcheng as a whole."

"I'm deeply sorry for the trouble."

"Enough of that. Even if it was your decision alone, how could I ever throw a brother of Qingcheng to the wolves?"

"Sect Leader..."

As Taoist Master Cheongmok looked at the Sect Leader with a moved expression, the Sect Leader cleared his throat and redirected.

"Ahem. So, how did the trip go? Did you find any kind of solution?"

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"And what is it?"

"I was thinking we could try running an escort agency."

The Sect Leader's expression hardened as Cheongmok answered with a serene smile.

"An... an escort agency? That's the best solution you could come up with?"

A wave of regret crashed over the Sect Leader.

‘I picked a fight with Emei because I trusted this man and yet...’

The other Elders seemed to share the sentiment and jumped in one after another.

"Senior Brother Cheongmok, how can someone who calls themselves a Taoist of the great Qingcheng Sect talk about running errands in the secular world for pocket change?"

"Who in their right mind would want to join Qingcheng as a disciple after seeing us like that?"

Cheongmok's pleasant smile faded into a slight frown at their criticism.

"It's certainly better than framing innocent sects as heretics to steal their land, or shaking down commoners for their hard-earned money!"

"Senior Brother! You're going too far! How dare you accuse us of shaking people down?!"

"Silence! Face reality! Wake up and look at yourselves! Did none of you feel an ounce of shame while roaming around Sichuan terrorizing smaller sects?!"

The Elders fell silent at Cheongmok's outburst. Partly stung by guilt, and partly because of something else entirely.

‘So what the Sect Leader said was true.’

‘He really did break through his wall...’

They had been completely overwhelmed by the dense energy radiating off Cheongmok.

"You said disciples won't come because of how we'd look? Let me ask you the opposite. If a disciple wants to join because they saw us shaking people down, is that really the kind of disciple Qingcheng deserves?"

No one had an answer.

As the Elders remained unable to give any answer, the Sect Leader stepped forward.

"I understand your point. That's enough for now."

"I apologize. I was disrespectful in front of you, Sect Leader."

Cheongmok gathered his energy and lowered his head in martial salute.

The Sect Leader gave a small nod.

"Good. So then, who did you have in mind to run this escort agency? Someone needs to be in charge."

"I'll take responsibility for it myself."

The Sect Leader asked back, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.

"You, personally?"

"Yes. I was the one who pushed things to this point through my own stubbornness, so at the very least, I should be the one to see it through. And besides, I feel no shame whatsoever in working as an escort."

Cheongmok answered without hesitation, then added with a gentle smile.

"I think working as an escort and spending time among ordinary people out in the world might do more for me than just cultivating alone up on this mountain, Sect Leader."

It was because of what the Incarnation of Maitreya had told him.

Perhaps somewhere along the way, while wandering the martial world as an escort, he might find the clue he needed to break through his final wall.

The Sect Leader looked at Cheongmok's serene expression and let out a long sigh.

"Haa. Junior Brother, you've never even run an escort agency before. You've never so much as bought anything on your own. Are you planning to run Qingcheng's name into the ground right from the start?"

"......"

Faced with the Sect Leader's painfully accurate logic, Taoist Master Cheongmok looked embarrassed and quietly averted his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

***

A few days later, at the Martial Alliance near Dongting Lake.

Just as Emei Sect's representative had visited Qingcheng, a few Emei Sect disciples arrived at the Alliance bearing a letter.

Stamped with the Emei Sect Leader’s seal, the letter was delivered to Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong. After reading it, Cheok Pae-myeong summoned his Chief Strategist, Gongsun Hyeon, to his quarters.

"Read it."

Following the Alliance Leader's orders, Gongsun Hyeon quickly scanned the contents of the letter. Once he had digested all the information, Gongsun Hyeon gently set the letter down on the table.

"What a convenient turn of events, Alliance Leader."

"Hahaha. You think so too?"

"Indeed. The Maitreya Luminous Cult was already at the top of our list to deal with once the Blood Cult was taken care of."

The Alliance Leader nodded.

"If they'd just fallen in line under us, that would've been one thing, but they clearly had no intention of following my orders."

"They stand in the way of your goal to unite every Orthodox Faction’s sects in the Central Plains. And now they're handing us the justification on a silver platter; it's as if heaven itself is siding with you, Alliance Leader."

"The will of heaven, indeed. Hahaha."

The Alliance Leader's expression was one of deep satisfaction, and he turned to Gongsun Hyeon with a question.

"The only issue is our approach. What do you think? Going by what the Emei Sect Leader wrote, it seems like the Hwangbo Family may be harboring different intentions."

"You're right, Alliance Leader. So at the very least, we need to finish this before Hwangbo Family's reinforcements arrive. Fortunately, the distance between Shandong and Sichuan is considerable, so we should have enough time."

After laying out the timeline, Gongsun Hyeon voiced a concern.

"The only real wild card here is the possibility of the Emei Sect actually losing to the Maitreya Luminous Cult. In your assessment, Alliance Leader, how formidable is the Maitreya Luminous Cult?"

The Alliance Leader recalled his memories.

He had personally visited the Maitreya Luminous Cult not long after the Blood Cult first began stirring.

"The martial arts of that guy calling himself the Incarnation weren't terrible, but he wasn't anywhere near the Realm of Truth yet. A few years might have passed, but guys like that don't just magically jump realms; the Emei Sect definitely won't go down that easily."

"Then it's simply a matter of preparing our forces and arriving in Sichuan before Hwangbo Family's reinforcements do."

Gongsun Hyeon added with a cold smile, "And when Hwangbo Family shows up as reinforcements, we can cut them down alongside Emei Sect, on the grounds that they conspired with the heretical Maitreya Luminous Cult. It will kill two birds with one stone."

"Hahaha. As expected of my Chief Strategist. Just as you say, if we play this right, we can take out that treacherous Hwangbo Family in one fell swoop."

The two shared a quiet, wordless smile for a moment.

Then Gongsun Hyeon clasped his hands in a bow and spoke. "Congratulations, Alliance Leader. Your dream is nearly within reach."

"Hehehe. That's unlike you, Chief Strategist. The work isn't done yet."

"Once the Maitreya Luminous Cult and Hwangbo Family have been dealt with, only one task remains."

Hearing those words, Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong's expression turned grave as he turned his gaze to the west.

To unite the forces of the Central Plains and invade the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

That was the grand ambition Martial Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong had spent his entire life dreaming about.

***

While the Alliance Leader and his Chief Strategist were making preparations to aid the Emei Sect after receiving the letter, over two hundred nuns had assembled in a solemn line before a stone pagoda built over the grave of Abbess Miejue and erected in her honor.

Some wore expressions of grief, others of steely resolve, as they bowed in turn before the pagoda. And when the final rites were done, the Sect Leader turned away from Abbess Miejue's pagoda and walked toward the main gate.

The voice that came from her was laced with Qi.

"Lift the Killing Precepts! The time has come to deliver divine punishment upon the heretics!"

And with that, the nuns of the Emei Sect fell into step behind Abbess Jinqing, marching to war.