Chapter 119
The interrogation didn’t take very long.
It was something I had done dozens of times before my regression, and the captured Demonic Cultists weren’t of a particularly high level, so it was only natural.
However, there was one issue.
“Brother Cheon, could it be that you’ve had a long-standing grudge against the Demonic Cult?”
The interrogation proceeded so smoothly that not only Tang Sowol, but the rest of the group also gave me curious looks.
After a brief pause, I shrugged nonchalantly.
“There were some incidents in the past. This is the same technique I used with Father-in-law when we interrogated the Demonic Cultist who orchestrated the attack on you.”
“Ah, that’s why!”
“The Family Head must’ve been quite terrifying too.”
“That’s only natural. His daughter’s life was in danger—what sane parent wouldn’t act the same?” Though I had invoked Tang Jincheon’s name, everyone accepted it without much suspicion.
Seo Mun-Hwarin looked over expectantly as if hoping for something more, but when she got no further reaction, she sulked slightly. Still, the situation smoothed over easily.
I turned to Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye, both of whom wore serious expressions, deep in thought.
“We knew the situation was serious, but it was worse than expected. What will you do now? I’d like to continue pursuing the Bloodflame Fist Demon, but... you both seem to have more urgent duties.”
“I’ll return to my clan. This must be reported immediately.”
“Same for me. If it’s alright, may I take a few of the prisoners with me?”
Peng Woojin let out a deep sigh, and Seo Mun-Hwarin gestured toward the cultists we had intentionally left alive. I nodded to them.
“There are still plenty left alive. Aside from the ones we’ll turn over to the Murim Alliance, take whoever you want. But until you reach your clans, we’ll accompany you. The Bloodflame Fist Demon is a persistent one. If you move separately, you may not make it back alive.”
“You’re right. Thank you.”
“Thank you. I will make sure this favor is repaid when I return to my clan.”
Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye bowed quietly.
Unlike their initial confident demeanor, they had become extremely cautious—which was understandable, given what they had just heard.
The information we uncovered through the interrogation had been shocking.
As expected, the Demonic Cult’s goal was to worsen relations between the Peng and Yeon families, and if necessary, to kill Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye in the process.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“To think they would use Poison-induced pill like that...”
The Demonic Cult’s inferior version of a spiritual pill—referred to by their members as the Blood Pill—contained the heart of Poison-induced pill (Poison-induced pill).
It wasn’t made from spiritual herbs or beasts, but by extracting the vital essence of ordinary animals. The process was cruel, and the resulting energy was murky.
Ironically, this made the Blood Pill the perfect place to hide the faintly foreign energy of Poison-induced pill’s heart.
Still, I had no idea what the purpose of placing the heart of an already dead Poison-induced pill, and only the heart, into the pill could be.
The captured cultists knew very little, perhaps because they were merely accompanying the Bloodflame Fist Demon, so it was hard to learn everything through interrogation. Fortunately, there were many to question, allowing at least for some guesses.
As the Peng and Yeon families had already suspected, the Blood Pill itself was merely an ordinary pill with severe side effects. However, the Demonic Cult seemed to have a method to tamper with those who consumed it.
Exactly what kind of trick it was, I didn’t know. Perhaps it allowed them to inflict pain at will on the user, or to perform evil methods using the pill as a medium.
Whatever the method, one thing was certain—it benefited the Demonic Cult, and would bring great harm to the Peng and Yeon families.
I briefly recalled how things unfolded before the regression.
After the deaths of Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye, the two clans fell into a catastrophic relationship—while they stopped short of drawing swords, their feud was at its worst.
In the end, even when one side faced total annihilation, the other did not come to their aid.
Thus, the Peng Clan of Hubei and the Yeon Clan of Jinju were both defeated separately by the Demonic Cult before the Orthodox Alliance could even be formed.
Their destruction had come unnaturally fast, but that wasn’t so different from other places where the Heavenly Demon had intervened directly.
If anything, the difference was that fewer survivors remained in their clans compared to the other fallen sects and houses.
Of course, most of their direct lineage and first-generation disciples were killed, with maybe one or two lucky enough to escape.
But the Demonic Cult was less persistent in hunting down collateral bloodlines and young, weak third-generation disciples.
Thanks to that, a good number survived and were able to bear witness to the fall of their clans and sects.
I wasn’t sure if that was related to the current plan.
Well, it didn’t matter much now.
The Demonic Cultists who had pursued Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye had either been turned into fools or completely subdued.
The only one who had gotten away was the Bloodflame Fist Demon, who fled in terror from Seo Mun-Hwarin’s martial power.
It was a shame we hadn’t killed him on the spot, but... right now, it was more important to ruin the Demonic Cult’s plan than to capture the Bloodflame Fist Demon.
Letting out a long sigh, I turned to the others and spoke.
“For that reason, I plan to head for the Yeon Clan next, since it’s closer. Is that alright?”
“Please proceed as you see fit, Brother Cheon.”
“I’m fine with it too. But won’t it be tough to transport this many prisoners on foot?”
“This One also agrees with you, Cheon Hwi. While it’s a pity we let the Bloodflame Fist Demon escape, protecting those two and delivering this information must take priority.”
Seeing the others agree without complaint brought a small smile to my lips.
“Thank you. And like you said, Seol Lihyang, it would be difficult to bring all these prisoners on foot. But fortunately, this is a riverside village. We’ll travel partway by boat.”
“Boats... I’ve never ridden one before.”
Maybe it was the relaxed atmosphere after the fight, or maybe she was just excited to try something new—Seol Lihyang giggled with anticipation.
Not far from the Yeon Clan’s territory ran a river called Yoha, and this stream connected to it.
Including our group of six and the surviving prisoners, we needed transport for over ten people. There was no way a small village like this would have carriages that large.
It was much better to travel by boat to the nearest point, then send a message and wait for an escort.
“Well then, let’s depart. But before that, we should handle some things first.”
I drew my sword and pointed it at the mindless Demonic Cultists. Watching me, Seol Lihyang hesitated for a moment, then asked:
“You’re going to kill them?”
“Yes. Just so it’s clear, even if we left them alive, they’d die soon anyway—they can’t even feed themselves in that state.”
“Mm. I’m not going to stop you. We saw what these guys did when they burned that village. They deserve to die. It’s just... I got a little scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“That even these guys probably have their own grudges, and since they had no other outlet, they turned to martial arts... but in the process, they hurt others and created more grudges. That cycle—it just felt overwhelming.”
“Let me be clear. Even if resentment and vengeance are important in Murim, the Demonic Cult has long since crossed the line. As Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin said before, what they’re doing is just madness and slaughter.”
“I know that too. It’s just... I nearly died just now, remember?”
“If you mean the fist technique the Bloodflame Fist Demon used—no, you wouldn’t have died from that. I’ll always block it. No matter how many times.”
“Huh? Uh... th-thanks?”
Seol Lihyang blinked, then looked away. After taking a deep breath, she continued.
“Anyway! That’s what I wanted to say. That... I really thought I might die. And I worried—about what would happen to you and Sister Tang if I did.”
“What do you mean what would happen? Obviously, I’d have to get revenge.”
That sort of thing won’t happen in this life. It won’t—but if Seol Lihyang were to be killed for any reason, I would absolutely avenge her. Just like I had in my past life.
Seol Lihyang looked stunned at my immediate answer, then shook her head.
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. That it’d be too much. Of course, I want to live long too, but if something happens, I’d rather just go with Sister Tang and—”
“Stop. Don’t say anything so unlucky. That’s enough of that talk.”
Perhaps it was because I suddenly recalled Seol Lihyang’s end from my previous life. I cut her off with an unusually cold tone.
She flinched, then forced a bright smile.
“Mm. I guess I went a bit far. Sorry. I’ll go with Sister Tang and check on the boats while you finish up here.”
“Alright.”
I reverted to my usual tone, but Seol Lihyang had already darted off, grabbing Tang Sowol’s arm and heading toward the villagers.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I efficiently cut down the mindless Demonic Cultists.
Then I handed the still-conscious ones over to Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye and approached Seo Mun-Hwarin, who had been silently observing from nearby.
“Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin. I have a request.”
“I already know. If the Bloodflame Fist Demon hasn’t given up, his last chance to strike will be during the boat journey. I’ll remain vigilant until we arrive.”
“Thank you.”
“But... you look troubled. It doesn’t seem to be just about Seol Lihyang. This One also wishes to ask something.”
“What is it?”
“This One knows you once had a master from the Seo Mun Clan, like me. And I understand your grudge against the Black Sky Sword Sect.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin looked up at me, her expression more serious than usual.
“But now I see—your grudge against the Demonic Cult isn’t ordinary either. You accepted the risk of ruining your reputation and even your life for This One. I am deeply grateful for that.”
“Helping me like this and watching over my martial arts occasionally is more than enough.”
“This One is not trying to pressure or pry anything out of you. Just... I want you to know. Not only This One, but everyone here is on your side.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, avoiding the faint crimson gleam in Seo Mun-Hwarin’s eyes.
I still didn’t know the reason for my regression. Just thinking of the Heavenly Demon was overwhelming. The Demonic Cult was more meticulous than expected, and their mental restrictions were airtight.
Even I couldn’t help but feel stifled.
But still, I was making progress.
I had become stronger than before my regression, protected people I hadn’t saved before, and was uncovering and preventing the Demonic Cult’s schemes one by one.
I might never forget the past, but I didn’t need to keep reacting so sharply to it.
Taking a deep breath, I spoke.
“I should talk with Seol Lihyang on the boat.”
“That’s a wise choice.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin smiled and gently patted my back with her small hand just as Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang returned.
“Brother Cheon! There aren’t any boats big enough for all of us, so we just borrowed several! Some of the local fishermen will act as guides and oarsmen.”
“I figured as much.”
When fighting the Bloodflame Fist Demon, I had already noticed the docked boats were all similar in size. At most, they’d hold three or four people not counting the boatman.
“Hehe, it’s a bit different from the boat ride I imagined, but at least I get to be on the same boat as Brother Cheon.”
“Ah, sorry. Would it be alright if I rode with Seol Lihyang this time?”
“...Huh?”
My tone and expression were calm, but my answer came a beat late—and it created a subtle pressure, so I quickly added:
“There’s something I need to talk to her about. I’ll head over to your boat right after.”
“Ah? If that’s the case, sure.”
Satisfied, Tang Sowol nodded with a bright smile.
Relieved, I boarded the somewhat cramped boat.
And then—the Bloodflame Fist Demon, whom I had thought long gone, reappeared.
KWAANG!
Together with a torrent of mud and stone as he collapsed the embankment nearby—
The boat carrying Seol Lihyang and me capsized.