The Heavenly Demon Who Reigns

"What did you just say?"

Soyeon Sang asked Cheon Myeong.

Then, Cheon Myeong answered with a calm face.

"I'm planning to go on a trip."

"..."

Soyeon Sang's face went blank after hearing the answer.

A trip all of a sudden at a time like this.

It was absurd to be so leisurely when he should be engrossed in training to catch up with the children of the Five Great Demonic Families.

"Why a trip all of a sudden..."

"There's a place I want to go."

"Do you have to go... now?"

"Yes, I have to go now."

Soyeon Sang was at a loss for words again.

Could it be that Cheon Myeong was already tired?

Although he had been training continuously every day to become stronger, Soyeon Sang thought it was still too early to rest.

'It's not good to train excessively without rest, but...'

But that didn't mean he should go on a trip.

It was a rest in the sense of letting the body, tired from training, recover.

Moreover, Cheon Myeong seemed to have forgotten one important fact.

"Young Master, with all due respect, the reason you left the main headquarters and came here was not just to play freely..."

"But there's no law that says I have to stay here, right?"

"..."

"Or did the leader give you such an order?"

He didn't remember receiving such an order.

But wasn't that part included in the order to escort Cheon Myeong?

He just hadn't asked the leader about it because he hadn't expected Cheon Myeong to say he would go on a trip like this.

"He didn't, right?"

"He didn't, but..."

"Then it's fine."

Cheon Myeong said as if it was nothing, but to Soyeon Sang, this matter felt very serious.

"With all due respect..."

"What's with all the 'with all due respect'? Don't use those words when you talk to me from now on."

"...Then I'll just speak plainly."

Soyeon Sang took a breath and started talking again.

"Even considering your status, Young Master, it doesn't seem very good to move around carelessly outside of this place."

No matter how much Cheon Myeong had been completely pushed out of the candidacy for the young leader, the fact that he was the son of the leader remained unchanged.

So if his identity was unfortunately revealed, he wouldn't see a good end.

Wasn't that why they had come to this small village and deliberately set up a house in a secluded place?

For Cheon Myeong's safety, he had to avoid wandering around unnecessarily.

"That's why you're here, Soyeon Sang."

"...?"

"If something dangerous happens to me, you, as my escort, will protect me, right?"

"That's true, but..."

"Then there's no problem. I'll do my best not to reveal my identity anyway."

But there was no need to deliberately put himself in a dangerous situation.

Cheon Myeong should be well aware of that point.

Soyeon Sang couldn't understand why Cheon Myeong's stubbornness wouldn't break even after he had said this much.

"Young Master."

"Why?"

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yes, I have to go."

"..."

Cheon Myeong answered with a firm face.

In the end, Soyeon Sang had no choice but to bend his will.

"I understand."

The fact that Cheon Myeong wouldn't bend his will like that must mean there was a reason.

He wouldn't have thought so in the past, but from the appearance Cheon Myeong had shown him recently, Soyeon Sang had developed that kind of trust.

So he had no choice but to trust and follow.

Soyeon Sang answered with the belief that Cheon Myeong would not do anything to disappoint him.

"Thank you."

When Soyeon Sang said that, Cheon Myeong smiled and expressed his gratitude.

Cheon Myeong felt grateful to Soyeon Sang because he knew how much thought Soyeon Sang had put into his answer as his escort.

"..."

The reason why Cheon Myeong suddenly said he would go on a trip.

Of course, he didn't say it because he really wanted to rest.

'Soyeon Sang, I won't do anything to disappoint you.'

Of course, that was also possible only if things went well according to his own thoughts...

He didn't know.

He had no choice but to leave the rest to his luck.

* * *

Cheon Myeong was silently walking along a mountain path.

And Soyeon Sang and Mihwa were following behind him.

Crunch- crunch-.

In the silence, only the sound of stepping on fallen leaves was heard little by little.

And mixed in with that sound from time to time was a rough breath.

The owner of that breath was Mihwa, and her face also looked quite tired.

"Haa... haa..."

The mountain path was not so rugged, but after walking for an hour without rest, it was a level that was sufficiently difficult for an ordinary person.

But because she didn't want to be a burden, Mihwa didn't tell Cheon Myeong that she was tired.

She just forced herself to hide her rough breath and diligently followed from the very back.

Swish-.

At that moment, Cheon Myeong turned around.

Then, he could see Mihwa's figure with her head bowed and her shoulders heaving.

And at the same time, Cheon Myeong stopped walking.

"Let's rest here for a while."

When Cheon Myeong said that, Soyeon Sang also stopped walking.

Compared to Mihwa, Cheon Myeong and Soyeon Sang showed no signs of being tired at all.

Mihwa thought that Cheon Myeong was taking a rest because of her, and even though her breathing had not yet calmed down, she forced herself to speak.

"Young Master... if it's because of me, it's okay, so you can just go... it's okay."

"There's no need to hurry anyway. It seems we can reach the village before the sun sets even if we go slowly."

"Still..."

"And I was actually a little tired too. Look, you see the sweat here, right?"

Cheon Myeong said that and pointed to his forehead with his finger.

Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

In fact, if he circulated his internal energy, he could have climbed the mountain path more comfortably without sweating, but Cheon Myeong didn't do that.

Because if he didn't even sweat, Mihwa would not be able to accept this rest at all.

And he was also planning to train his body at the same time.

"Right?"

"..."

"So you rest comfortably too. Let's go again after resting a bit."

"...Thank you."

When Cheon Myeong said that, Mihwa put her hands on her knees.

And with her head bowed low, she began to breathe out the breath she had been holding in all this time.

"..."

Cheon Myeong watched her silently.

As expected, he knew she would be in such a tired state.

"Please take me with you! I will never be a burden!"

Before coming here, Mihwa had said that firmly, so Cheon Myeong had brought Mihwa with him for now.

Of course, that didn't mean he thought Mihwa would be a burden.

Not only was there no need to hurry, but Mihwa was also very helpful on the journey in many ways.

If it had been just Cheon Myeong and Soyeon Sang, two men, how would they have survived every meal... it was really hopeless to think about.

It would be fortunate if they could stop by a village, but how could they solve their meals if they had to sleep outdoors?

For reference, both Cheon Myeong and Soyeon Sang had no experience in cooking.

'They would have had to chew on jerky to appease their hunger, or even if they were lucky enough to catch an animal, they would have burned it most of the time.'

Of course, they could have survived, but there were really many convenient things because of Mihwa.

In any situation, Mihwa had made delicious food for every meal.

To Cheon Myeong, who had no knowledge of cooking, it really felt like magic.

Now that he knew that convenience, if he were to go back to the past, even if Mihwa didn't say she would follow him first, Cheon Myeong felt that he would have brought Mihwa with him first.

'And just in case something happens to Mihwa if I leave her alone.'

While Cheon Myeong and Soyeon Sang were away, Yakhyeon might hit on Mihwa again.

Of course, after Cheon Myeong had taught him a lesson at that time, Yakhyeon had really not shown his face at all, but there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be another guy like Yakhyeon, so there was no harm in being careful.

"Soyeon Sang, you rest a bit too."

"Yes, I understand."

Although he said that, Soyeon Sang was still standing in his place and guarding the surroundings.

Because of the reason that he had to escort Cheon Myeong, Soyeon Sang did not neglect to guard the surroundings wherever he was.

Cheon Myeong sometimes thought that that appearance felt excessive.

But since a skilled person like Soyeon Sang wouldn't need to rest, he decided to just leave him alone.

Thud-.

Cheon Myeong sat on a moderately flat place among the surrounding rocks.

'It seems we'll be arriving soon.'

The place Cheon Myeong was heading to was a village located around the border between Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.

It was a village called Muhyang, but because its scale was so small, it was not even properly marked on the map.

If Yakssobang had not been discovered, even Cheon Myeong would not have known of its existence.

If they went a little further from where they were resting now, they would probably be able to arrive there.

'We're making good progress.'

It could be said that they were making good progress since they hadn't even encountered the common bandits on the way here.

Of course, the reason for that might have been Soyeon Sang.

Look at that appearance.

If a bandit were to appear in front of him while he was guarding like that, wouldn't that be the moment that guy's life ended?

No matter how many bandits attacked in a group, they would not be a match for Soyeon Sang.

'By the way... I'm getting a little anxious as we're about to arrive.'

Yakssobang is located in a place called Musan, near Muhyang.

If they arrived in Muhyang today and started searching from tomorrow morning, they would be able to find Yakssobang sufficiently.

But as the time got closer, Cheon Myeong's worries began to grow.

"..."

What Cheon Myeong was worried about was not the result of going there and finding nothing.

Of course, that was also one of his worries.

But on the way here, Cheon Myeong had developed another worry.

'The future I know is about eighty years from now.'

At that time, Yakssobang was already in ruins.

But what about now?

He had heard that when the Martial Alliance discovered the site of Yakssobang, it seemed to have been destroyed a long time ago, but he didn't know exactly when that was.

Then, eighty years before that, there was a possibility that Yakssobang was not in ruins.

Cheon Myeong hadn't thought of that fact before coming here.

'If I go there and Yakssobang is still intact...'

If he went there and openly asked for elixirs, would they be happy and give him elixirs?

It was highly likely that they would not.

No, they would definitely not give him elixirs willingly.

"..."

Cheon Myeong had come here for the purpose of obtaining elixirs.

But if Yakssobang was still intact, he would run into various problems.

'Should I take the elixirs by force?'

Fortunately, Yakssobang would not be very skilled in martial arts.

Moreover, since Cheon Myeong also had Soyeon Sang, there was no possibility that this side would be pushed back by force.

'Then it would be a little uncomfortable.'

Even if it was a place that would be destroyed in the future, if he became the cause of it, wouldn't the future change as a result?

Thinking so, Cheon Myeong couldn't help but feel uneasy.

'...But I have no choice but to do it.'

The martial world is a cold world of the law of the jungle.

Taking someone's life to get what you want is a common occurrence in the martial world.

At least, the world Cheon Myeong had lived in was like that.

'I will take it even by using force.'

Cheon Myeong quietly resolved to himself.

Even if he had to kill the people of Yakssobang, it was something he had to do to survive in the future.

Now that he had made that resolution, if such a situation really came, there would be no hesitation in the sword he swung.

"..."

Cheon Myeong's eyes were saying that right now.

(End of Chapter)