The Heavenly Demon Who Reigns

Cheon Myeong was able to arrive at the village leisurely before the sun set.

A village that felt secluded at a glance.

From the entrance to the inside, there were mostly only shacks, so one could tell at a glance how small a village this was.

'I've arrived.'

This village was Muhyang.

It had the name Muhyang because there were more foggy days than clear days throughout the four seasons.

"Wow... it's a really small village."

As soon as she entered the entrance, Mihwa said in surprise.

The village where they originally lived was not that large, but compared to Muhyang, it seemed that it would not be an exaggeration to call it a city.

"Is this the place you wanted to come to, Young Master?"

At that moment, Soyeon Sang asked Cheon Myeong.

A secluded village located deep in the mountains.

Since he had not yet heard the reason why Cheon Myeong had come here, Soyeon Sang was still full of questions.

"No, but it should be around here."

"..."

"It's late today, so let's go there tomorrow morning."

Soyeon Sang looked at Cheon Myeong, who was saying that, without a word.

What on earth was there in a place like this?

Before that, Soyeon Sang was wondering how Cheon Myeong had known about the existence of this village in the first place.

"Young Master, but is there a place for us to stay here?"

Originally, Cheon Myeong's party always stayed at an inn when they arrived in a village.

But would there be an inn in such a small village?

An inn is a place that makes money by providing lodging as well as food.

That's why it was a natural phenomenon for inns to be established in places where people from other regions frequently came and went.

"Just by looking, it doesn't seem like there would be an inn here..."

Generally, people from other regions rarely come to a place like this in the mountains.

That's why Mihwa thought that there would be no inn here even if she didn't bother to check.

"But shouldn't there be at least one place to stay?"

"Do you think so..."

"I'll ask the villagers."

"Ah, if it's something like that, I'll do it!"

She couldn't let Cheon Myeong do such a troublesome thing.

Mihwa thought so and told Cheon Myeong that she would step forward, but Cheon Myeong insisted that he would play that role.

"No, I'll ask."

"What?"

"I'll be back in a moment, so you guys wait here."

Before Mihwa could say anything, Cheon Myeong ran forward.

Mihwa watched him blankly.

As expected, Cheon Myeong's personality seemed to have changed a lot from before.

In the past, he couldn't even speak properly to strangers.

Hadn't it taken quite a long time for even her to get close to Cheon Myeong?

The memory of being really happy when Cheon Myeong opened his heart after a year of hard work was still vivid.

'Is it a good change?'

There were many parts that had recently changed from the Cheon Myeong she remembered.

But wasn't that appearance also Cheon Myeong?

Mihwa thought so as she looked at Cheon Myeong talking with an old man.

"There's no inn in our village."

Cheon Myeong briefly explained his situation to the old man and asked about the existence of an inn, but as expected, the answer was as he had expected.

"Then is there a place for me and my party to stay for one night? It seems we'll have to spend the night in this village."

"If it's something like that, stay at the meeting hall."

"Is it okay to use such a place?"

"It's rare for people from other regions to come to our village, but it happens sometimes. We let them use that place every time."

Most of them were cases where they got lost and came to Muhyang.

Of course, Cheon Myeong had come to Muhyang on his own accord.

"Then would it be okay for us to use that place?"

"It's fine. I'll tell the villagers and let you use that place."

"Thank you."

Thanks to the kind old man, he was able to find a place to stay more easily than he had thought.

However, the reason why Cheon Myeong had deliberately stepped forward and volunteered for this was because he had another favor to ask of the old man.

The old man seemed to have lived in this village for a long time, so Cheon Myeong was planning to ask the old man for that favor as well.

"Would it be okay if I asked you for one more favor?"

"Do you need something else?"

"I heard there's a place called Musan around here."

When Cheon Myeong said that, the old man's eyes widened slightly.

Until now, he had thought that Cheon Myeong was also an outsider who had entered this village because he was lost.

But hearing the question just now, it seemed that he had intentionally come to Muhyang.

"Did you come to our village from the beginning?"

"Yes, that's right."

"...For what purpose did you visit our village?"

A sense of caution was clearly evident in the old man's voice.

Knowing that he had come here with a purpose, not because he was lost, a sense of caution naturally arose.

Cheon Myeong also noticed that the old man was wary of him and said the excuse he had prepared in advance.

"Actually, we make a living by hunting."

"..."

"Among them, we mainly hunt spiritual beasts."

"...So you came to our village to go to Musan?"

"Yes, that's right."

Since Muhyang itself was located in a secluded place, there were quite a few medicinal herbs and elixirs in the mountains around here.

So most of the residents of Muhyang made a living by digging up medicinal herbs, and the money they earned by going out to other regions once in a while to sell the medicinal herbs could be said to be the main income of the village.

However, there was a place that even the herb gatherers of Muhyang did not go to, and that place was Musan.

"I don't know what rumors you heard and where you came from, but Musan is a really dangerous place."

"..."

"Musan is always covered in thick fog. That's why the villagers don't go near it."

Muhyang was also famous for its thick fog, but it was not comparable to Musan.

Musan is a place where you can't even see a single step ahead because it's foggy every day, regardless of day or night.

Even the herb gatherers of Muhyang would get lost if they went there, so how much more so for an outsider?

Either starve to death while wandering Musan forever, or be eaten by a dangerous spiritual beast.

It was clear that the man in front of him would die for one of those two reasons if he went in there.

"There were quite a few people who came here for the same purpose as you."

This area is also a place where people are scarce, but Musan could be said to have not been touched by human hands at all.

That's why there were naturally many elixirs, and at the same time, there were also quite a few spiritual beasts that had grown up eating those elixirs.

In a word, it was a place like a treasure trove for herb gatherers and hunters.

That's why there were herb gatherers and hunters who had rushed in with courage after hearing the rumors in the past.

"But none of them came back. I saw it with my own two eyes."

"..."

"You look young, so don't do such a foolish thing."

The old man had sincerely advised Cheon Myeong.

However.

Cheon Myeong smiled lightly, to the point where the old man's serious advice became embarrassing, and said.

"I will sincerely accept your advice, old man."

"..."

"But I came here with the resolve to enter Musan from the beginning."

In the end, doesn't that mean he will ignore his advice and enter Musan?

The old man sighed.

And he said to Cheon Myeong in a low voice.

"I'll advise you one last time. Stop it."

"I'm sorry. I have a reason why I have to go there."

"...Is it worth risking your life?"

"It's worth risking my life."

A firm gaze and voice.

Now, it really didn't seem like Cheon Myeong would change his mind no matter what he said.

"If you're going to say that, I won't stop you anymore."

"Then could you please guide me to the front of Musan tomorrow morning?"

"..."

Even if he refused now, Cheon Myeong would enter Musan by any means necessary.

Thinking so, the old man decided to accept Cheon Myeong's request.

"Okay."

"Thank you. Then for the reward..."

"The reward is not necessary."

"But I think I'll feel more at ease if you receive it."

"If you're going to give me something, come back alive in front of me. That's enough of a reward."

The old man had said that with a slight hint of scolding.

However, as if he hadn't noticed that fact, Cheon Myeong smiled brightly and answered.

"I understand. Then when I come out of Musan, I will come to greet you first, old man."

"..."

They say that if you're ignorant, you're brave.

The old man thought that that was exactly what Cheon Myeong had just said.

* * *

The next morning.

Cheon Myeong's party was walking along a mountain path, following the old man since morning.

Thump- thump-.

The old man was silently leading the way at the front.

Unlike his age, the old man was climbing the mountain without a single sign of being tired.

The old man had once made a living as a herb gatherer, and even now, he occasionally climbed the mountain to dig up medicinal herbs, so this much was like a simple walk for the old man.

'Where is the Young Master trying to go since this morning?'

On the other hand, Soyeon Sang was thinking that to himself as he followed the old man.

He had heard from Cheon Myeong that he would be going somewhere since this morning, but he hadn't heard exactly where he was going.

Thinking that there was no need to ask, Soyeon Sang was still in a state of not knowing where he was going.

However, as he went on, he felt that the mountain was getting more rugged and the fog was getting thicker.

'And he even left Mihwa behind.'

The only people following the old man were Cheon Myeong and Soyeon Sang.

Mihwa was staying in the village and waiting for the two to return.

Of course, when he said he would leave Mihwa behind, there was considerable opposition from her.

But at that time, because Cheon Myeong had spoken firmly, Mihwa had eventually decided to wait for the two in the village.

'Does that mean the place we're going to now is that dangerous?'

What reason would Cheon Myeong have to leave Mihwa behind?

Soyeon Sang thought that it was because the place they were going to was dangerous.

If not, he couldn't think of any other reason to leave Mihwa in the village.

"..."

As that thought came to him, Soyeon Sang unknowingly did not take his hand off the sword he was wearing at his waist.

He didn't know if Cheon Myeong had done so with the intention of protecting Mihwa, but Soyeon Sang's mission was to protect Cheon Myeong, after all.

So if the place they were going to was that dangerous, he would have to strengthen his guard around the surroundings.

Seeing the fog getting thicker, Soyeon Sang's sense of caution could not help but grow.

"We've arrived."

At that moment, the old man stopped walking and said.

And at the same time, the two stopped.

Although the old man said that they had arrived at something, all that could be seen was fog.

'What did we arrive at...?'

Soyeon Sang focused and looked ahead.

Then, the entrance to the forest, which had been hidden in the fog, was barely visible.

And he could tell that the place the old man had guided them to was right there.

'Is he planning on going in there?'

The place where they were standing now was also foggy, but it was not comparable to the entrance seen over there.

That place felt like it had been hit by a cloud.

Because there was nothing to be seen, even Soyeon Sang couldn't help but hesitate at the thought of going in there.

"Thank you."

"..."

"Let's go."

After greeting the old man for the last time, Cheon Myeong said to Soyeon Sang.

Then, Soyeon Sang asked, as if hesitating a little.

"...Are you saying we're going in there?"

"Yes."

"Are we really going in there?"

"Yes, how many times are you going to ask?"

"..."

Why would he ask several times?

Cheon Myeong would surely know the reason.

'Yes, the Young Master must have some thought.'

Cheon Myeong wouldn't be trying to go in there without any thought.

Since he had come here with faith in Cheon Myeong until now, Soyeon Sang decided to trust Cheon Myeong this time as well.

"...Let's go."

Soyeon Sang said in a determined voice.

And when Cheon Myeong moved first, Soyeon Sang also followed behind him.

"..."

In an instant, the figures of the two disappeared.

The old man stared silently in the direction the two had walked.

And he soon shook his head as if it was pitiful.

'It seems he didn't say anything to the woman in his party...'

In a few days, Mihwa would ask the old man.

Why isn't her party coming back?

Then the old man would answer as he had always done.

Her party would not be coming back.

Because there had been several similar cases, such a future was familiar to the old man.

Whoosh-.

Just because it was familiar didn't mean it was nothing.

Rather, it was a sense of futility that arose because it was familiar.

The old man sighed and turned his body to start going back the way he had come.

(End of Chapter)