32 - Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect

Chapter 32 **The Annihilation of the Paewang Sect overnight.** The aftermath was significant. In some ways, it was an inevitable outcome. How could the sudden fall of a sect with unchallenged power in Hamyang County go unnoticed? Yet, the obliteration of the Paewang Sect had a far greater impact on the martial world than anticipated. First and foremost, sects that had been suppressed and silenced by Paewang's might began to creep out from the shadows. No longer was it just an emergence; they engaged in battles to seize the rights and advantages once held by the Paewang Sect. Like wolves running rampant after the tiger that ruled the mountain was slain. But that wasn’t all. Even the sects and merchants near Hamyang County began to eye the situation with interest. Medium-sized sects affiliated with BiCheon Alliance. Sects and dark factions that had been under Paewang's influence. And even those aligned with the Murim Alliance. Their relentless scramble turned Hamyang County into a chaotic mess. The person responsible for creating this near-apocalyptic situation, however, was living comfortably within the BiPung Trading Group. “Yawn.” Cheonhui lay sprawled on the bed in a separate building that Go Gye-young had prepared, lounging idly like someone with nothing better to do. Sinking into the soft fabric, much unlike the hard floor of a wooden shack, he muttered with a languid expression. “I’m bored.” It had already been ten days since he stayed with the BiPung Trading Group. During this time, he had done nothing but eat, sleep, and practice his energy circulation exercises twice daily. Initially, it was bliss. To feast to his heart's content and lounge on a soft bed after a long period. But the monotony lost its charm after just a couple of days. As ten days approached, he grew weary. Finally unable to endure the boredom, he abruptly sat up from the bed and grabbed his robe. “Maybe I should get some fresh air.” Walking the long corridors, he left his room in the unusual time outside of meal hours. “Oh!” Running hurriedly towards somewhere, Go Gye-young and Yeon Su-ran came face-to-face with him. Perhaps taken aback by the sudden encounter, the two greeted him with a start. “It’s been a while, benefactor.” “Good to see you again, benefactor.” Cheonhui observed their gestures. Go Gye-young, seemingly pleased to see him, had a bright smile on his face. On the other hand, Yeon Su-ran forced a smile, though it looked stiff and uneasy, almost as if she were afraid. Cheonhui, familiar with their contrasting attitudes, replied with a casual greeting. “It’s been a while.” Go Gye-young’s eyes widened joyfully at Cheonhui's greeting, and he grinned broadly again. “Hahaha, it’s unusual to see you outside of meal times. Did something happen?” Go Gye-young asked in a hushed voice, cautious of any eavesdroppers, and Cheonhui answered indifferently. “I just came out because I was bored.” “Hahaha, shall I assign a servant to accompany you then...?” “No, there’s no need,” Cheonhui declined firmly while looking directly at Go Gye-young. In just a few days, Go Gye-young seemed to have transformed again. ‘He was cordial from the start, but not to this extent.’ The change began the day the news of Paewang Sect’s annihilation spread. Back then, Go Gye-young seemed intimidated like Yeon Su-ran beside him, but after reaching a certain point, he became hospitable and treated Cheonhui with utmost respect. “Brother,” Yeon Su-ran called Go Gye-young at that moment. “We don’t have much time.” “Ah, that’s right!” Suddenly recalling the reason for their hurried pace, Go Gye-young bowed to Cheonhui. “I apologize. We have a prior commitment and must be on our way.” “Alright, take care.” Despite his indifferent tone, Go Gye-young maintained his smile and added, “If you ever need assistance or funding from our trading group, please seek me out.” Go Gye-young said this final word before departing, with Yeon Su-ran following behind him. Cheonhui watched them go and propped his chin on his hand. “Assistance or funds, huh... It might come in handy later.” As he pondered distantly about the future, he resumed his walk. The air was filled with faint cries of exertion. “Eh?” Intrigued by the noise, he instinctively changed his path to follow the source. Before long, the scene unfolded before him: Jeok-geum and Seol-ran were sternly instructing the remaining MaeHwa Sword disciples. “Focus! How can you counterattack if you lose sight of your opponent’s sword tip?” “Yes, understood!” “Yes!” Jeok-geum was teaching Jeok-un and Jeok-jae, while Seol-ran critiqued Jeok-bi’s sword practice. “Jeok-bi senior! I told you to also pay attention to your footwork before swinging the sword!” “Haha, it seems simple when you say it... but actually doing it is quite confusing.” Seol-ran sighed and covered her face with her hand at Jeok-bi’s embarrassed expression. “Haa, that’s why I was...” Observing Seol-ran's interaction with Jeok-bi, Cheonhui approached them. “What are you doing?” The five MaeHwa Sword members flinched. “Master uncle?” “What brings master uncle here...?” Seol-ran and Jeok-geum awkwardly began to ask when Cheonhui cut them off. “I asked what you’re doing.” Detecting the tension in the air, both quickly stood stiffly at attention, like trees rooted in place, and responded crisply. “We are teaching martial arts!” “We are instructing in martial arts.” Cheonhui glared at the two sweating profusely, narrowing his eyes. “Teaching martial arts, huh?” With a look of disbelief, he scrutinized Jeok-geum and Seol-ran and then turned his gaze to the other MaeHwa Sword members. “You’re teaching them?” “Yes, although...” “They asked for guidance, so we started teaching them...” As their voices trailed off under Cheonhui's skeptical expression, their confidence deflated. Cheonhui clicked his tongue in disbelief. “What a world, what a world. You guys teaching others...?” At the sudden change in Cheonhui's demeanor, Jeok-geum and Seol-ran's faces darkened as if a dagger had pierced their hearts. “The help from my junior sister and senior brother was invaluable.” “They were indeed quite helpful.” “I’m just too dull to fully absorb the teachings of my junior sister.” The remaining members of the MaeHwa Sword group quickly responded to the visible shift in their expressions. “Everyone…” “Senior brothers…” Their supportive words brightened Jeok-geum and Seol-ran’s faces, dissipating the gloomy atmosphere surrounding them. A heartwarming moment for them all. But not for Cheonhui. ‘What are these guys doing?’ He felt no emotion. Instead, he observed them with a disdainful gaze, a mischievous thought bubbling up in his mind. ‘Perfect timing, since I’m bored anyway.’ He swiftly put his plan into action. “How about I teach martial arts instead?” “......!” “Gasp!” This suggestion left Jeok-geum and Seol-ran momentarily frozen. “Really?” “We would be grateful!” “Would you actually teach us, master uncle?” In contrast, the remaining members turned to him with hopeful eyes. “Why? Don’t want it?” The three shook their heads vigorously. “Not at all!” “Certainly not.” “We’d be thankful for any guidance you can provide.” The three expressed their gratitude fervently, overwhelmed by emotion. Previously, they dismissed Cheonhui as merely their young master uncle, but that was no longer the case. The divine presence he displayed while saving the BiPung Trading Group, and the fall of the Paewang Sect. Cheonhui was undeniably their master uncle and an individual they deeply respected. Having him personally instruct them was a rare opportunity. Trembling with joy, the trio bowed deeply to Cheonhui in unison. “Please guide us well!” Cheonhui let their words wash over him, casually lifting the sword sheathed at his waist. “Alright, let’s start with you.” He gestured towards Jeok-un with the hilt of his sword and called him over. “Come here.” “Yes!” “I’ll be your opponent. Show me your martial arts with all your might.” Jeok-un hesitated. “Aren’t you going to teach us martial arts?” “I need to see what you've learned before I can teach you anything.” “Oh, understood.” Cheonhui scrutinized Jeok-un’s feeble aura, adding a word of caution. “Don’t hold back. Show me everything you’ve got.” “All my strength? Are you sure?” The underlying concern in Jeok-un’s voice made Cheonhui chuckle. “Worried I might struggle against your skills?” “Well...” Jeok-un recoiled slightly at Cheonhui's spot-on jab, prompting a firm response. “Nothing of the sort will ever happen, so don’t waste your breath. Use your full power and exert all your inner strength.” “I-I understand.” Jeok-un drew his sword, focusing his energy intently, vastly different from before. Showing his mastery in the Nine Palace Steps and Cheonryu Sword Technique with confidence, he moved fluidly, his techniques flawless and precise—a stark contrast to his previous struggles against the Paewang disciples. “Well? Even though you can wield martial arts properly, you couldn't execute it when it mattered against those ruffians, could you?” Cheonhui murmured with a hint of sarcasm as he watched Jeok-un advance, only to suddenly step forward, deliberately keeping pace. Thump! The slashing motion of the sword scabbard precisely struck Jeok-un’s unprotected left flank. Crack! “Ughhh!” Caught off guard, Jeok-un cried out in pain, his body folding over as something cracked loudly. Ssssk— Clutching his side, Jeok-un dropped his sword, hitting the ground in agony. “M-My ribs…” Cheonhui watched him writhing in pain, and casually remarked. “So, you can’t manage to perform under pressure in real combat, huh?” Jeok-un trembled with shame, his back heaving. “Pathetic.” Cheonhui cast a disdainful look as he shifted his gaze to the startled Jeok-jae and Jeok-bi. “Both of you, come at me together.” Jeok-jae and Jeok-bi flinched but promptly calmed themselves with deep breaths, charging toward Cheonhui. A moment later. “….” All three members of the MaeHwa Sword lay prostrate on the ground, defeated by a single strike. Cheonhui, standing over them, spoke. “Next.” With no immediate response, he furrowed his brow, raising his head to glare at Jeok-geum and Seol-ran. “What are you two doing?” Startled by his gaze, they pointed at themselves, lips trembling. “Me?” “Us as well?” Cheonhui’s eyes grew colder. “Are you trying to avoid this?” Both vehemently shook their heads. “No, not at all.” “Absolutely not!” Seeing their vigorous nodding, Cheonhui slung his sword scabbard over his shoulder and remarked. “At least, you two performed better than these three in actual battle.” Jeok-geum and Seol-ran’s faces brightened momentarily when they received a rare compliment from Cheonhui. But their faces fell as he continued. “But for someone who has learned from me for five years, isn’t that way too pathetic?” While he didn’t show it, Cheonhui felt slightly annoyed. He had taught them a few things while they served him. And yet they struggled against mere thugs? Jeok-geum and Seol-ran began to sweat. “It’s just that…” “You see, it was our first real combat…” “Stop with the nonsense. You think such excuses work in life-or-death battles? Your head would be rolling before you know it.” Cheonhui’s sharp words left the two feeling breathless, swallowing their intended replies. He hammered his point home with a final clincher. “Have you grown complacent because I’ve eased up recently?” Jeok-geum and Seol-ran’s faces turned pale. Recalling Cheonhui’s past lessons, their minds went blank. “N-No, not at all!” “That’s not it...” “It must have been easy for you then. Otherwise, if you’ve really been learning from me, you wouldn’t have struggled against those thugs...” Cheonhui’s tone suddenly shifted. Faced with the overwhelming presence that was entirely different from the one encountered when teaching the others, Jeok-geum and Seol-ran's faces immediately turned pale. “So next time, I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again. I’ll teach you properly.” With the emphasis on “properly,” Cheonhui’s entire aura erupted, releasing an intense inner energy. “Defend yourselves well.” Realizing it was too late to reason, Jeok-geum and Seol-ran hastily summoned their energy and raised their swords. But despite their resistance, all that ensued were the relentless sounds of blows and screams. Thwack! Thwack! “Aaagh!” “Tsk, can't you even dodge this?” “If you could go a bit softer...” “What? Softer? Why don’t you ask your enemies for that too?” “B-but it’s too fast!” “Too fast? Maybe you’re just too slow.” Dismissing their complaints, Cheonhui continued to swing his sheath relentlessly, letting off steam. And his sheath didn’t just target the pair. “Urgh!” “M-Master uncle, we are just…” “If you’ve woken up, get up.” Cheonhui used the sheath to press the acupoints of the MaeHwa Sword members who had pretended to faint. “Argh!” “S-spare us…” “Don’t worry. You won’t die.” Half an hour into this “training,” disguised as a martial arts lesson, with Cheonhui leading the relentless beating. “Urrgh—” “Please, just stop…” “Master… uncle.” “Please….” Cheonhui looked down at the five trembling on the ground and withdrew his sheath. “To think you’re whining just from this. Maybe I should tell the head to find new disciples for the MaeHwa Sword.” If the barely conscious ones heard that, they would surely react. He dusted off his hands, prodding the prostrate figures with his sheath. “Those who aren’t up by the count of three will get beaten again…” Sensing an imminent threat to their lives, the five sprang up instinctively. “We’re up!” Cheonhui smirked at their immediate recovery. “Seeing you get up so quickly, you must be fine. Let’s go harder then.” The MaeHwa Sword members' faces turned ashen with dread at his suggestion, but Cheonhui continued unfazed by their fear. “So, shall we… I mean, continue our martial arts practice a bit more? Don’t you agree?” “N-no, that won't be necessary.” “We’ve had enough…” “No, you still lack.” With a slightly satisfied expression, Cheonhui lifted the sheath once more. Despite their frantic hand gestures to protest... His sheath moved faster. Thwack! Thwack! “Aaagh!” As Cheonhui’s so-called “training” resumed, the sounds of impact and cries filled the BiPung Trading Group. And from afar, a pair of eyes quietly watched the scene unfold.