Reincarnation of the Demon - Chapter 26



Only Noblemtl

Entering Hanam

Rumors travel faster than feet. The beggars of the Open tried to block out rumors of battles involving the Seongol, but as always, rumors slowly leaked out of the closed mouths of humans and spread throughout the world.

During the few weeks that Maehwageombong and Yongun went to Hanam alone, the rumors did not stop.

As expected, the biggest topic of conversation was the existence of Seon-gol. Records and legends of Seon-gol were everywhere. If anyone could survive, they were said to be a genius sent from heaven who would make a mark on the history of the Central Plains.

Half of them couldn’t believe that the genius had actually appeared, and the other half admired the Hwasan faction for not using such a being for their own martial arts and instead willingly stepping forward to save his life.

However, some of them questioned the process, as they could not figure out why the Hwasanpa returned to Shaanxi while going to Hanam.

In the very faint, wind-blown conversation, there was even a joke that a god or a divine doctor had extended the life of the sage.

Of course, in the Central Plains, where martial arts were the norm, people were even more impressed by the powerful martial arts skills of the Cheongun Jinin who had stepped forward to protect the ancestral home.

Cheon Yu-bang, 22nd rank. Cheong-un Jin-in, one of the highest ranking Cheon-yeong-i-gyeongs, faced two Cheon-yeong-i-gyeongs, 42nd rank and 27th rank, at the same time.

The overwhelming force actually covered up the rumors of a mysterious man who had been visited by the child of Seon-gol himself.

An unstoppable rumor. If so, it was also a work of openness that slightly opened up the branch of the rumor that was flowing.

It was thanks to such secret operations that the fact that Cheongun Jinin was by Seon-gol’s side was initially covered up.

That’s why there weren’t many people in the Central Plains who truly knew the truth about what happened that day with Seon-gol.

But steadily, the truth also began to spread throughout the Central Plains, albeit more slowly and with greater force than the rumor.

About a man.

**

The feeling of Hanam was quite different from that of Hubei. The same refined and spiritual energy flowed, but perhaps because of the yang energy of Shaolin, Shaanxi was a bit warmer and more energetic.

It seemed to be the fault of the Yongbongjihoe. The spirited leaders of the political factions gathered from all over the Central Plains. Young political faction members who came to Shaanxi with the dream of proving their abilities and making their name known were everywhere.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“very.”

Yongwoon clicked his tongue and replied, “Tsk, Tsk. The reason why I felt uncomfortable was none other than the beauty of the Plum Blossom Sword.

Her bamboo stick was destroyed in the battle with the supernatural. Since Eun-Hwi-Mok had returned to the volcano with Cheong-Un-Jin-In, there was no need to hide her identity, so she revealed her face.

A disciple of Ohwa (五花), Maehwa Geombong, and Hwasanpa Jangmunin. In Hanam, the holy land of the Jeongpa, his name tag shone brightly.

“And the plum blossom sword has also come. She has the appearance of a fairy…”

“But who is that man?”

“You can’t tell by looking at his face. It’s probably some unknown Prince of Flowers trying to cling to me again.”

Yongwoon’s face distorted. It was a completely different kind of contempt than the one he had received as a demon, but it felt just as dirty.

‘I can’t just kill them all.’

If I do that, I’ll end up staring at a wall in an unknown mountain in Shaolin for the rest of my life, becoming mentally ill and dying.

Plum Blossom Sword smiled as if she was embarrassed. It was something she was used to. Those who were more interested in her appearance than her actual skills.

It was just a shame that I couldn’t tell them the story of the dragon prince.

‘He’s a great person.’

“Usually, I don’t pay any attention to those kind of messy people, and they know that. If I talk to Yong So-hyeop in a friendly manner, their interest in So-hyeop will soon die down.”

Yongwoon said, his sour expression not fading away.

“You don’t know a man’s heart at all.”

Indeed, the flames did not go away. No, rather, Geombong’s smile and affectionate words towards Yongwoon made his interest heat up even more.

“What am I seeing now? Is it not the plum blossom sword that is smiling at Confucius, my age?”

“If she’s not a nine-tailed fox disguised as a swordsman, then she’s a plum blossom swordsman. But how can she talk to a man so nicely?”

“In case you are threatened-”

Now even hostility was rising. Maehwageombong was flustered and tried to protest, but seeing Yongwoon’s enlightened expression, she also kept her mouth shut.

She apologized with a sullen expression.

[Sorry…]

[No need to be sorry.]

I wasn’t really surprised by Yongwoon’s telepathy skills. I didn’t think I would be surprised if Yongwoon had learned the magic of immortals based on what he had already shown me.

Yongwoon sighed and asked her to change the subject. His gaze toward them as they continued to walk did not disappear, but he had decided to just give up.

[By the way, how would you like me to call you?]

[yes?]

[Geombong, Nam So-hyeop, Geombong So-hyeop… I guess you have a favorite name. We were together for quite some time before coming from Hubei to Hanam, so calling me Geombong or you all the time… seems a little unloving.]

Maehwageombong looked at Yongun without realizing it. Wasn’t this the first time he had heard of such consideration? Seeing Yongun looking at him with such a trembling expression, Maehwageombong couldn’t help but laugh again.

[Dragon So-hyeop always surprises me.]

[Was that too much of a waste of consideration? I’m sorry. A woman I used to know didn’t like being called “young lady”-]

[No. Actually, I don’t like nicknames like Bong (鳳) or Hwa (花). The reason I came to the Yongbong branch this time is because I have a sore throat and I’ve heard some strange rumors… I came because I wanted to change my nickname.]

A gentle smile. Although she clearly had not entered the world of color through her will alone, it seemed as if she could smell the scent of plum blossoms just from that smile.

[Please call me Gyu-rin. If that makes you uncomfortable, Yong…You can call me however you want.]

It was considered rude for others to call each other by the names given by their parents. Nicknames were created to show respect. Calling each other by names was something that only very close friends would do.

Whether you’ve known each other since childhood or are lovers.

Can’t help it? You could say that. The young lady doesn’t like it. She was the previous disciple of Jang Moon-in, who had mastered the Jahashin technique.

The honor of the swordsmanship was not hers alone. Hwasan, one of the nine factions, was within her.

Calling oneself a young lady. That is something that even the Hwasan faction would despise. That is why Geombong did not call others young lady or princess.

I don’t like Sojoo. Sohyeop and Geombong are tough. We fought together and stayed together for a month. So what can I do?

What Yongwoon didn’t know was that the reason for this conclusion was only made after that brief moment of silence, and that he was the first outsider to whom Geombong had admitted his name.

[…Okay. Kyu, um, Rin, please call me Yongun.]

The passion of youth was indeed dangerous.

The scent of non-existent flowers, so strong that it could be considered a hallucination, made me cough involuntarily, and my cheeks got hot… It was so strong that I even forgot about the hostility of those around me.

All that was visible to others was the two of them silently looking into each other’s eyes and smiling at each other. As the group of people following them became more and more bizarre, only then were there people who stopped them.

“Your Majesty the Sword Master!”

The two titles by which she called Plum Blossom Swordsman were the two things she hated the most, so Plum Blossom Swordsman’s expression quickly hardened.

A group of young people appeared, cutting through the crowd. In front of them was a man with a confident expression.

“You are still beautiful! Do you remember me?”

“…Hwangbo Jinheon, nice to meet you.”

Hwangbo Jinheon. The eldest son of the Hwangbo Family in Shandong. Although he did not make it to the top ten, he was one of the most prestigious families in the closest sect, and Hwangbo Jinheon himself was a promising talent in the top twenty of Jamryongbang.

Although Maehwageombong had feelings that were opposite to the expression he had shown to Yongwoon, he could not treat him coldly. It would have been embarrassing for his teacher to blush over something like this.

“I am truly honored that Your Majesty the Sword remembers me! But who is the prince next to you?”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Yongwoon. The group led by Hwangbo Jinheon and everyone around him looked at him.

Yongwoon, who had taken the lottery ticket dryly, also gave a vague answer.

“I am a nameless scoundrel from Guangxi.”

Jinheon’s eyebrows twitched slightly. His tone and behavior were rude, something I had never heard before. His expression was completely insincere, which was enough to irritate me.

“…Haha! You’re from Guangxi, so you might not have heard of our Hwangbo family’s reputation! I understand.”

Hwangbo Jinheon’s interest quickly waned. His body, the angle at which his head was tilted. As soon as he realized that Yongwoon was just a country bumpkin with nothing to show for him, he immediately excluded Yongwoon from his attention.

As if he didn’t exist. Yongwoon raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

“Young lady-”

“Jinheon Sohyeop, please call me Geombong.”

“Hmm? Oh, I made a mistake. Anyway, we are currently gathering the martial arts sect members of the Jeongpa to have a friendly get-together. So- Geom Bong, please come too. It’s called Cheonuihoe.”

An arrogant name. It was so vain that it was easy to see how useless it was.

I respected the Hwangbo family. To this extent, I could refuse.

“Unfortunately, I just arrived in Hanam, so I think I need to get over my hangover first. I also need to show Yong…So-hyeop the way to Maeng. So-”

A good excuse. At least that’s what Geombong thought.

However, what she missed was that Huang Bo Jinheon, who lived like a king of Shanxi, was arrogant and reckless like most of the people of the Se family.

A gentle refusal was not in his vocabulary.

Yongwoon shook his head.

A little below the tenth degree. Humans like to look down rather than up. They look down and see their inferiority while straining their heavy heads.

That is why, rather than being a Sipjeong, the life of a loser in Shanxi was more intense for Hwangbo’s Confucius.

“Your Majesty, you are showing the way! I will send a servant. Your Majesty, you will recover from the fatigue at the inn where I am staying!”

Indeed, several people around him frowned at Jinheon’s words. Arrogance. The desire in his eyes that he didn’t hide.

If Cheongunjinin had seen that gaze, Hwangbo Jinheon would not have been able to participate in this Yongbongjihoe. The elder would have broken his bone.

However, he could not afford to disgrace the Grand Duke of Hwangbo Sega. Elder Yun was not here at the moment, and Geom Bong was not in that kind of mood.

It wasn’t Yongun.

“I hope Confucius will pay attention to the situation.”

A splash of cold water was poured on the atmosphere. It was something familiar to Yongwoon, but not to others.

The 12th floor of Jamryongbang, Hwangbo Se-ga. Even Geom-bong couldn’t give him a harsh rejection.

“…What?”

The voice was quite low. Yongwoon was just annoyed. Time was money.

“Literally. Didn’t Geombong refuse? Then go quietly and do Cheonuiheunjin Cheonchiheunji.”

It was harsh. It was an insult. Even Maehwageombong was embarrassed and tried to stop Yongwoon, but it was already too late.

“Do you want to die?”

The momentum along with the words pressured Yongwoon. The momentum was quite majestic, as if he had not taken the elixir in vain.

“Hey, look at this.”

Same external view. Yongwoon wasn’t oppressed to that extent. The reason he clicked his tongue was because there was a murderous intent in the momentum that was oppressing Yongwoon.

Geombong’s eyes hardened. It was Hanam. The center of the political faction, right in front of Maeng. It was clearly crossing the line to waste one’s life on something like this.

What stopped her from coming forward was Yongwoon’s voice.

Yongwoon relaxed his shoulders. That was all. His shoulders were just a little hunched. No, rather, it felt refreshing.

It was a natural thing. There was no need to go as far as the Yin Blood Sword Warrior. As a magician, I received the killing intent.

When a person most intensely wants to kill someone.

That is when you feel your own death approaching, and when the one who will lead that death is right before your eyes.

These are the people who were paralyzed by the devil and used as test subjects. They are vicious criminals. They have all killed people and know what it means to kill.

They die, slowly, in a mindless magic experiment that destroys their bodies.

The intense pain, the shame of disappearing into thin air in a confined bed. A death that approaches slowly, humiliatingly, painfully.

Compared to that intense, cursed gaze filled with resentment, this…

‘Should I just break my arm?’

Yongwoon, who was worrying, suddenly became curious.

How is my life?

There aren’t many times when I’ve intentionally killed someone. When Ma-ui and Yong-un killed someone, they were indifferent. They just did it because it was necessary. There was no need for killing spirits to stab someone in the forehead.

Let’s give it a try. I’ve killed before and died before.

Living is like air to him. He thought back to the past.

I thought back to the life I had received, the time I had killed someone. Finally, I thought back to the moment right before I died.

The very last of the last, the life force that he had taken out as he died.

Yongwoon and Hwangbo Jinheon met eyes. Yongwoon’s momentum was slightly relaxed-

Ta-tat!

Plum Blossom Sword quickly moved away from Yongwoon.

Her eyes trembled along with the hand that had drawn the sword. The sword that had reflexively popped out was half taken out of its scabbard.

The others did not move. The expression “could not” was correct.

As soon as they were hit, all the muscles in their bodies froze. They didn’t dare to move.

Hwangbo Jinheon, who was hit directly by the bullet, fainted.

He was foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back, his groin area slowly became wet, and he collapsed in a hideous state.

Time passed. Only time passed. The sound of Hwangbo Jinheon’s head hitting the ground soon disappeared.

Yongwoon scratched his head. First of all.

“Would you please put this sword away?”

Yongwoon turned his head. The sword was touching his Adam’s apple.

The man with the sword glared at Yongwoon without lowering his hand.