Chapter 238: Now, It's My Turn

TL: FoodieMonster007

"The Smiling Demon!"

I used the Vanishing Step to lunge toward the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. I caught his body just before he collapsed.

I laid him down gently and injected a stream of qi into his chest. His insides were a mess. Blocked and twisted qi and blood revealed a severe internal injury.

The situation was worse than I had thought. My heart sank when I tried to inject more qi for treatment. Using the Returning Sky Strike had completely depleted my inner arts.

I squeezed out what little inner arts I had left. A small amount of qi flowed into the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's body. I tried to clear the blockages, but it wasn't enough. If I left him like this, his qi and blood would run rampant, and the damage would be irreversible.

My heart pounded frantically. I drew up every last bit of my inner arts, and blood surged into my throat. My own body was in bad shape from fighting Yayul Han, but I couldn't worry about myself now.

As I focused all my strength on his internal state, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

I spoke in my usual bright tone. "That was one hell of a fight, wasn't it?"

The two eyes behind the mask smiled.

Without the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, I wouldn't have had such a great fight or achieved such a great result.

"…Yes, it was truly one hell of a fight," he said, his voice unusually weak. He seemed to know his end was near.

"Second Young Lord."

"Yes, the Smiling Demon."

"…I was glad to have met you, Second Young Lord."

His eyes fluttered shut. I squeezed out every last bit of qi I had and injected it into him. That small amount of qi held onto his life like a single drop of water in a desert.

"You have to protect me when I become the Heavenly Demon."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes trembled, full of regret. They told me he was sorry for leaving before he could see me become the Heavenly Demon.

"You know my temper, right? I'll never give up on you, the Smiling Demon. So unless you plan on taking me with you, you'd better hang in there. I won't let you go like this. Pull yourself together."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon tried to hold on, but the situation was beyond his control.

"If you die like this, I'll blame myself for the rest of my life. So don't you die!"

Just then, he coughed up a spray of blood. His qi and blood began to run wild. If I couldn't calm it down, he would die.

"No!"

The thought that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon might actually die drove me insane.

"Please! The Smiling Demon! Hang on!" I desperately squeezed out my qi again and again.

My only thought was to save him. I regressed so I wouldn't lose anyone… I can't lose the Smiling Demon like this.

But I had no more qi left. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's convulsions grew more violent.

My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.

Have I ever cried before?

Just then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon grabbed my hand.

He must have known how much I cared for him, and now, I knew it too.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon slowly raised a hand to his mask, trying to show me his face one last time.

The Smiling Demon's eyes behind the mask were smiling. It was a brighter smile than any he had ever shown me before.

I grabbed his hand to stop him.

"I won't look! I'm not looking because I bet you're more handsome than me! Show me in fifty years!"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed, then coughed up more blood. He gathered his last strength for his final words.

"Second Young Lord… will be a good Heavenly Demon."

He smiled at me until the very end, even as life faded from him.

"I don't regret the time I spent with you, Second Young Lord."

For the first time, I prayed to the heavens.

Save him!

I never prayed when I wandered the Central Plains, unable to find ingredients for the great technique. I never prayed when I was so lonely and exhausted that I wanted to die. I never even prayed when I was on the verge of death.

But now, for the first time in my life, I prayed.

Please! Save him! Just help me this one time!

Just then.

TUK.

Something fell from the grasp of the dead Yayul Han, who sat with his head bowed. It was a box.

I saw something peeking out of the open box and ran toward it.

It was the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng. Yayul Han must have brought it as a birthday gift for the Five Thunder Divine Sword.

With this!

I rushed back and helped the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon sit up. I placed the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng in his mouth.

"Hold on with the ginseng's energy! Just hold on until I complete one circulation!"

Normally, this was a terrible choice. Taking a potent miracle herb like the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng with severe internal injuries would only wreck the body further.

But it was the only way. I believed in the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng, and I believed in the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"The Smiling Demon, use your last bit of strength to chew and swallow it!"

My eyes met the Smiling Demon's.

Don't give up!

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon struggled to chew and swallow the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng.

I immediately began circulating my true qi. It was the most urgent circulation of my life, and time seemed to stretch on forever.

Please! Please!

I had probably said the word 'please' more today than in my entire life.

After completing the fastest circulation of my life, I injected qi into the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon to check his body.

It was a relief. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had used the ginseng's energy to suppress his rampant qi and blood. He hadn't refined the energy with his inner arts, only temporarily suppressed the turmoil with its immense power.

His qi and blood could run wild again at any moment. I had to get him to a demonic physician immediately.

"Thank you, the Smiling Demon," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

I was grateful he held on. I was grateful for a relationship where I could give someone the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng and still be the one saying thank you.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes spoke to me.

Thank you, Second Young Lord.

What more needed to be said?

I untied the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk from around our chests. Then I hoisted the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon onto my back and tied him securely with it.

He did his part. Now, it's my turn.

Hey, Smiling Demon, who gave you permission to leave? On the day a nobody like Yayul Han boards the boat to the afterlife, do you really think I'd let you get on that boat with him?

I enveloped the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's body with my qi to keep him stable, then I started running. I ran with all my might, feeling as if I had learned the Swift Step for this very moment.

Bi Sayin sat in front of the manor's main gate when First Wolf Baek Cheolgi arrived.

"You shouldn't be wandering around alone like this," First Wolf said. "Didn't you promise you wouldn't?"

"Please let it slide just this once."

Bi Sayin had only allowed First Wolf to come here. He was the only person in the world Bi Sayin trusted.

First Wolf looked toward the manor. The smell of blood wafting through the broken walls told him a fierce battle had taken place.

"Whatever you see inside, try not to be too surprised," Bi Sayin said.

"This isn't the smell of blood from just one or two people. Where on earth is this place?"

Bi Sayin said in a low voice, "This is where my future will be decided."

As he walked inside, First Wolf replied, "Then I suppose my future will be decided as well."

The place was a sea of blood, bearing the raw traces of a fierce battle. As First Wolf looked around, he discovered Yayul Han's corpse and froze in horror.

Yayul Han!

First Wolf stared blankly at the corpse, too shocked to move. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Yayul Han is dead? That Yayul Han?

That single phrase was enough to describe him. That Yayul Han.

That wasn't all. Another corpse caught First Wolf's eye.

Even the Five Thunder Divine Sword!

It was the Five Thunder Divine Sword.

First Wolf already knew he was in league with Yayul Han. He didn't know if the Five Thunder Divine Sword was stronger or weaker, but one thing was certain. Yayul Han was the standard by which to measure his strength.

He died by being bisected at the torso?

It was a sight that was hard to believe, even seeing it with his own eyes.

The shocks kept coming. He was startled to see a blood wheel on the ground.

That weapon is a blood wheel. The only one who uses a blood wheel is the Blood Calamity Bringer, isn't it?

First Wolf then recognized the Three Evils.

The only triplets who would associate with these people are the Three Evils!

At this point, Cha Hwan's death was hardly surprising.

First Wolf walked back out of the manor. Bi Sayin still sat in front of the main gate.

"What in the world happened here?" First Wolf asked.

"Sit down."

First Wolf sat beside him, his heart still trembling.

"With these people, they could have declared war on the Murim Alliance," First Wolf said.

It was an exaggeration, but not an empty boast. If they had attacked someone, which murim sect could have stopped them?

When Bi Sayin first saw the scene, he was just as shocked as First Wolf. Even when Geom Mugeuk had promised to kill Yayul Han, a part of him had doubted it.

But Geom Mugeuk had really done it.

The man who used to nag him about eating a balanced meal had accomplished this unbelievable feat.

You are truly…!

The fact that Geom Mugeuk was the Heavenly Demon's son hit Bi Sayin anew. He had done something no successor in history ever could.

"Who on earth did this?" First Wolf asked.

Bi Sayin answered, "I did."

"What?" First Wolf was stunned.

"I'm going to handle this as if I did it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I promised to take care of the aftermath."

"Who actually killed them?"

"You don't need to know that. It's better for you if you don't know, First Wolf."

First Wolf was confused, but that wasn't important right now.

"Fine. Let's say that's the case, but will the Chairman believe that you killed Yayul Han?"

"That's why I called you, First Wolf."

"What?"

"We have to start cleaning up now. We need to figure out how to make them believe I took care of Yayul Han."

First Wolf could tell. Just as Bi Sayin had said, his future and destiny were riding on this.

"My lifelong rival is dead," Bi Sayin said. "But my fight starts now."

Bi Sayin imagined the Demonic Cult invading one day. Could Geom Mugeuk really stop a thousand of their demonic practitioners? And where did this baseless confidence that it would never happen come from?

Bi Sayin missed Geom Mugeuk. He was a terrifying man, but Bi Sayin missed him and wanted to hear his nonsensical jokes.

It was as if he could hear Geom Mugeuk's voice in his ear.

How about it? Didn't I tell you to leave this to me? Now it's your turn. I believe you'll do well, and eat a balanced meal!

When Bi Sayin became the Evil Alliance Chairman, he wanted to tell Geom Mugeuk what his own evil path was.

So you must become the Heavenly Demon, too.

Night fell, but Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon did not return. Seo Daeryong was too anxious to leave the courtyard.

Just then, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman came out.

Seo Daeryong joked, "It seems the two of them are out for a drink to celebrate killing Yayul Han."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman smiled at his absurd joke. "It seems so." Her expression was surprisingly more at ease than Seo Daeryong's.

"Did you happen to have a new dream?" Seo Daeryong asked.

"No."

"But you look so calm."

"You said it wouldn't work, didn't you, Detective Seo?"

Seo Daeryong sighed lightly. "That was true until the sun went down."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman asked, "Are you worried?"

"The Director has never failed to return on time," Seo Daeryong said. "He's the type to always open the door and stride back in as if nothing happened."

Just then, someone opened the door and came in. Seo Daeryong and the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman looked up in surprise. It was only a martial artist from the Demonic Cult who managed the safehouse.

"It's an urgent messenger pigeon from the All-Knowing Hall."

Startled, Seo Daeryong hurriedly took the message and read it.

"It says the Director went ahead to our Cult because the Smiling Demon was injured."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's expression hardened. Seo Daeryong saw this and carefully added, "There was no report on how badly the Smiling Demon was injured."

The Poison King walked out from behind them. "He must be badly injured if they went straight to our Cult." He offered no words of reassurance.

"You, get ready to leave immediately," the Poison King ordered Seo Daeryong.

"……"

Seo Daeryong worried about the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, but he received an order from the Poison King and moved quickly.

Seeing the worried Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, the Poison King made an unexpected offer.

"Let's go together."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman was startled.

"You've never been to our Cult, have you?" the Poison King asked.

"That's true, but."

"Then how about a tour?"

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman understood his unspoken words.

This could be the last time, so go and see him.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman bowed her head respectfully. "I will follow the words of a noble person. Thank you so much for your great consideration."

"Don't mention it. That man, the Smiling Demon, will be happy to see you when he wakes up, Pavilion Master."

"I'll be lucky if he doesn't scold me for daring to come."

"You know better than anyone that won't happen, don't you, Pavilion Master?"

The Poison King snapped his fan open with a sharp sound. Fanning himself gently, he went inside to pack. The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman watched him go and bowed her head once more.

Then she went inside to bid farewell to the women they had rescued. The safehouse's martial artists would see them home safely.

A short while later, the three of them boarded the carriage.

Seo Daeryong shouted from the driver's seat, "Alright, we're off."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's gaze deepened as she looked out of the carriage. She worried about the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and missed him terribly. She could see many things, but she couldn't sense anything about his fate.

It angered her. She could see the fates of others so well, yet she often couldn't see her own.

Was she afraid of going to the Demonic Cult? Of course not. To see the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, she would have boarded this carriage even if it were headed for hell.

Orabeoni, don't die.

She now sincerely meant the words she had always joked about with Geom Mugeuk.

Please take good care of my Orabeoni.

The person holding the reins knew her heart better than anyone. The carriage raced toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult faster than ever before.