Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

The woman sitting across from him stiffened. 

Soon, she hid her unease and asked with a smile. “When did you realize?”

That question made Woon-seong smile. 

It was such an obvious play. 

Since when? He’d known from the beginning. 

Of course, that was not what he said. 

But the woman was able to guess a lot from his snickering. 

“So you knew from the beginning.”

“Yes. Not only did I realize you were acting, I also know the so-called Black Way people are with you.”

“That’s quite the sharp eye you have there,” she complimented. 

Woon-seong calmly gazed at her. 

There were three men at different tables, drinking by themselves. 

One was dressed like a merchant, another like a martial artist, and the third as a local resident. 

“And of course I also know that the three people behind me are the same people as the Black Way men from before.”

The three men flinched. They then glanced furtively at Lim Soo-yeon. 

Lim Soo-yeon muttered “fools” and then shrugged. 

“He knows everything. Just come here.”

At her words, the three men stood up and awkwardly shuffled over. 

The one disguised as a merchant raised his hand, which was large as a cauldron, and scratched the back of his neck. 

“Haha. You even saw through our face changing art. Was our acting that bad?”

“He realized it so easily…”

“You have quite a sharp eye there, young sir.”

All three of them walked over to the table. 

Of course, they did not forget to properly introduce themselves. 

“I am Kwak Soo-dong.”

That was the handsome man disguised as a merchant. 

“Woo Jo-ryang.”

That was the name of the swordsman with a wispy beard, who now had a large bruise on his forehead. 

“Yup Pyung.”

The man with the slim chin was the last one to greet Woon-seong. 

They didn’t know who Woon-seong was, but they greeted him in order. 

The last one to introduce themselves was Lim Soo-yeon, the youngest and only female. 

“I am Lim Soo-yeon.”

“My name… is Hyuk Woon-seong.”

Woon-seong also shortly introduced himself. 

With those over, it was time to talk. 

None of those gathered around the table knew where to start. 

After a bit, it was Lim Soo-yeon who spoke first. She tilted her head and asked, “By the way, how did you know we were from the Justice Blood Sect?”

Woon-seong looked back and forth between the three men. 

“First i thought it was just an annoying fuss, but the three of you were exchanging glances. I assume you were sending messages to each other. That’s how I realized.”

Lim Soo-yeon sighed. They were messaging each other for a split second, but he realized that?

“You could’ve just come see me, what was with this useless acting?”

“This was a test.”

“A test?”

Lim Soo-yeon nodded, glancing back at the three men. 

“Yes. If you ignored the situation and didn’t help me back there, we wouldn’t have contacted you.”

The young woman then threw away her disguise as a disciple of the Jewel Sword Sect and picked up the bottle of alcohol, downing it straight. 

Wiping away the liquor with her sleeves, she continued.

“Just as the name implies, the Justice Blood Sect is a sect that conducts justice and righteous acts. So it was necessary for us to test if you were worthy. If you were a righteous man that is worthy of joining our sect.”

Woon-seong laughed to himself. 

A righteous man?

That is the last thing I am. 

I didn’t even help her for that reason at all… I only moved because I knew they were from the Justice Blood Sect. 

I’ll just let them believe what they want. 

But before that…

There was something that had caught his attention. 

“A test of righteousness to become a member of the Justice Blood Sect? I don’t know why I need to become a member of your sect.”

The four others exchanged looks. 

“Aren’t you the master of the Fifth Jade Knife?”

“The Fifth Jade Knife?”

At that strange name, Woon-seong tilted his head. As if something suddenly came to mind,  he grabbed the knife strapped to his waist. 

Only the fifth piece of jade was colored black. 

“Are you talking about this knife?”

“Yes! That is the Fifth Jade Knife.”

So the knife was the ‘Fifth Jade Knife’ because the fifth piece of jade was black. 

How straightforward.

“Is this knife related to becoming a member of the Justice Blood Sect?”

Lim Soo-yeon stared at him incredulously. “What the… Did you come find the Justice Blood Sect knowing nothing? Even with the Fifth Jade Knife?”

“I was simply told to take this knife and find the leader of the Justice Blood Sect in Yichang.”

Lim Soo-yeon sighed deeply, slumping onto the table.

It was Kwak Soo-dong who explained further. 

“The master of the Fifth Jade Knife has been one of the seven leaders of the Justice Blood Sect for generations. There are a total of seven knives that are engraved with curved jades. And the masters of each knife act as the leaders of the Justice Blood Sect. Officially, the master of the First Jade Knife is the leader of the Justice Blood Sect, but we call the seven of them the Seven Masters.”

Master of the Fifth Jade Knife and the Seven Masters.

Woon-seong engraved those words into his mind. 

Then does that mean my master was one of the leaders of the Justice Blood Sect?

But Master was the sect master of the Spear Master Sect. How could he have been part of a different sect?

Woon-seong became a little confused. 

However…

“Is there a chance that the Justice Blood Sect is called a sect, but is more like an alliance?”

Lim Soo-yeon suddenly perked up, smiling. “What? You did know about everything!”

Woon-seong nodded to himself. 

I see. That was it. 

So if the Justice Blood Sect is more of an alliance, it makes sense how Master was a part of it. 

But then why did he join such a sect, which is basically a secret organization?

And even keeping it a secret from his own apprentice… 

What is the purpose of this Justice Blood Sect?

“Whatever. I don’t care about that. Anyways, since I passed the test, am I allowed to meet the leader of the Justice Blood Sect?”

Lim Soo-yeon shook her head. “No. You can’t.”

“…?”

Woon-seong’s eyebrows twitched. 

He had done something annoying to contact the Justice Blood Sect, even humored them by drinking here. 

He could not believe that he wasn’t allowed to meet their leader. 

All his hard work was in vain. 

Woon-seong tapped the table with his fingertips. 

Tak—tak—tak. 

The table trembled as his qi unfolded, slamming into the area. 

At that moment, the four people seated felt like a steel wall had slammed into their bodies, making it hard to breathe. 

Unlike before, they faced unsurmountable pressure. 

The young man before them was stronger than they thought!

As expected of the new master of the Fifth Jade Knife!

With an irritated tone, Woon-seong asked, “And why can I not meet the Leader when I passed your little test?”

Lim Soo-yeon trembled at his cold and harsh tone. 

Only Kwak Soo-dong was barely able to respond. 

“The test you passed is for entering our sect. You have yet to be acknowledged as the new master of the Fifth Jade Knife, which means you are not allowed to meet the Leader and the master of the First Jade Knife.”

Woon-seong took a deep breath. 

The situation was starting to really annoy him. 

He was not patient because he liked these people. 

If only these people weren’t related to my master’s will…

I need to be patient. It’s not only to have revenge against Jwa Do-gyul and the Martial Alliance, but also the rats hiding in the shadows!

Woon-seong tamped down on his killing intent, but did not lighten the pressure. 

“Alright then. Then tell me how I can meet the leader of the Justice Blood Sect.”

Trembling, Lim Soo-yeon answered him. “I-I’ll contact him. If he allows it, you’ll be able to meet him.”

Woon-seong nodded, gathering all the energy that had been stifling the room. 

“Good. Contact him now.”

***

Soon, Woon-seong had separated from the group and returned to his room at the inn. 

He couldn’t leave until the response from the First Jade Knife’s owner came anyway. 

Lying on his bead, he sighed and shook his head. 

Everything was so complicated. 

The Justice Blood Sect. 

A group my master was a part of. 

What is the purpose of this organization?

And is the Cult of the Inverted Sky really behind Jwa Do-gyul?

And while the world has gone astray, what have the Orthodox martial artists been doing…

He had so many questions and no answers. 

What if the Cult of the Inverted Sky is behind Jwa Do-gyul?

If that poison that killed Master came from the Imperial Palace through the Cult of the Inverted Sky… 

It means that this world will soon be engulfed in chaos and bloodshed. 

It only makes sense that those who created such a deadly poison, took over the Imperial Palace,  and planted themselves in the shadows of the Orthodox society are not decent people…

In the end, this all goes back to finding out what the Inverted Sky is. 

Woon-seong closed his eyes. 

If I contact a nearby branch of the Demonic Cult, I can tell Sang Gwan-chuk to research related matters.

It doesn’t matter if there’s no one behind Jwa Do-gyul. 

I just need to stab my spear through their hearts, just like Jwa Do-gyul’s.

But if they’re really related to the Imperial Court… 

Then I’m left with no choice but to cooperate with King Jinseong. 

The moment I’m done with the Justice Blood Sect, I should go meet King Jinseong. 

As Woon-seong’s thoughts slowly organized, the night deepened. 

***

Longzhong Mountain. [1]

A hawk flew through the night air without rest. 

Once it arrived above the mountain, it swerved through the sky, accelerating as if it had found something. 

A man in the forest raised his arm, welcoming the bird to settle on his arm. 

The man was old and dressed more like a scholar. 

“Good job.”

The old man stroked the head of the hawk, taking out a piece of jerky to feed it. 

As the hawk ceased, the old man untied the scroll attached to its leg. 

He read the message slowly. 

After a while, a complicated look entered his eyes. 

“The master of the Fifth Jade Knife, who disappeared long ago, has appeared once more…”

[1] Longzhong Mountain is part of the Ancient Longzhong scenic area, located in Hubei. It was the residence of Zhuge Liang.