**Chapter 02: The Life of the Weak**
*Clop. Clop. Clop.*
Mount Howang, located at the edge of Hubei Province.
The small village nestled at its foot was submerged in the lethargy of the afternoon.
"Is this the place?"
I rode my horse into the village at a leisurely pace, following the information provided by the Owner of the Dream Pavilion. The sky was clear with a few drifting clouds, but the silence enveloping the village was deep and heavy.
A silence where an ominous energy lurked beneath the surface of apparent peace.
"This bastard."
I felt it instinctively.
It seemed the lecherous demon had struck in this village as well.
*Clop. Clop. Clop.*
Reaching the center of the village, I spotted a small inn. I tethered my horse and stepped inside.
*Creeeak.*
The old hinges were caked with the passage of time, and the sound startled the waiter, who had been nodding off, causing him to jump to his feet.
"Welcome! This is the Howang Inn!"
I stood at the doorway and swept my gaze across the interior.
There were only five tables.
As the village was small, it was the kind of inn that catered to the occasional traveler.
"Great Hero! Please, come this way! It may look humble, but our master’s cooking is top-notch!"
The waiter, who guided me with a friendly demeanor, wiped a dusty table with a filthy rag.
I plopped into a chair and set my Iron Sword down beside me.
"What’s good here?"
"The clear soup and the soup dumplings are excellent! The roast duck is also great!"
The waiter, having glanced at my Iron Sword, replied with a spirited voice.
"I'll have those, then."
"Yes! Will you be having any alcohol?"
"Anything will do. Is it possible to stay for a few days?"
"Of course! We have very clean rooms prepared!"
I pulled an iron coin from my pocket and handed it to the waiter.
"Then prepare a room as well."
"Hehehe! Understood! Great Hero!"
The waiter bowed deeply, his mouth stretching into a wide grin. He then ran straight to the kitchen and shouted my order.
Perhaps it was because they hadn't had a customer in a long time.
The fat cook, who also served as the owner, poked his head out of the kitchen, gave me a quick look, and retreated back inside.
A short while later.
Perhaps the waiter’s words weren't just empty boasting, as a mouth-watering aroma wafted from the kitchen.
"Great Hero! I’ve brought the alcohol first!"
"Good."
I took the bottle from the waiter and poured it into a chipped cup.
It was a thick, cloudy rice wine common in the countryside.
I lifted the cup and tossed it down my throat. It was a bit sour, but it was enough to wash the dust from my throat.
"Ahhh."
"Is it to your liking?"
"It’s fine."
"Hehehe! I’m glad! If you need anything else, please let me know! I’ll go prepare your room!"
"Wait."
I called out to the waiter as he turned to leave.
"Yes! Great Hero!"
"Is there something going on in this village? The atmosphere feels rather dark."
"Well… that is…."
The waiter fidgeted with the old rag in his hands, mumbling to himself.
I pulled out another iron coin and held it out to him.
"Hehehe. Thank you, Great Hero."
The waiter glanced toward the kitchen and quickly tucked the coin away.
I poured another cup of rice wine.
"Speak."
"You see, in the last few days, two of the village girls have died."
"Two girls?"
I feigned ignorance.
Perhaps loosened by the coin, the waiter even pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Yes! They weren't even sick! In a village where there are so few people, having them die one after another like this has everyone worried that the Mountain God is angry."
Even as his mouth moved busily, the waiter’s eyes were fixed on my cup.
I handed the cup of wine to the waiter.
"Have a drink."
"Oh! No, I couldn't! If I drink while working, the master will scold me!"
"I’m forcing you to drink it, so it’s fine."
"Forcing me? Oh my! If the Great Hero is forcing me, then I have no choice…."
The waiter quickly took the cup with both hands.
He was young, but he downed it in one go with quite the flair.
"Ah! I wish I had some snacks. I should have brought out some dried appetizers."
"Keep telling me what you were saying."
"Ah! Yes! Where was I?"
"That the Mountain God is angry."
"Ah! Right! The Mountain God!"
The people here weren't complete fools.
The fact that rumors of an angry god were circulating after people died meant there were specific signs.
"You see, the bodies of the girls who died…."
"The bodies?"
"How should I explain this? They were said to be completely withered… what did they call it…."
"Mummified?"
"Ah! That’s it! Mummified! Yes! They said they died looking like mummies!"
"Hmm…."
Mummified.
People naturally dry out after death.
However, for that to happen without enough time passing was an extremely rare situation.
*It means their essence was drained….*
Damn it. It didn't seem like an ordinary lecherous demon.
A bastard who takes a woman's essence like a mosquito sucks blood.
This lecherous demon wasn't just violating women to satisfy his lust; he was practicing the Art of Replenishing Yang through Yin.
If a mosquito uses a straw to suck blood, this guy had the straw attached to his crotch.
"He’s even crazier than I thought."
"Yes?"
"Nothing. Get back to work."
"Ah! Yes!"
The waiter stood up, smacking his lips as if he were still craving more.
"If you’re curious about anything else, you should meet the Village Chief."
"Where can I find him?"
"Just follow the road to the very last house."
"Got it."
"I’ll bring your food!"
"Right."
The waiter scurried into the kitchen.
A small commotion could be heard from the kitchen, likely because he had been caught drinking on the job.
"To think the Art of Replenishing Yang through Yin actually exists."
A technique to increase one's internal energy by draining a woman's essence.
I had encountered it in novels and games in my past life, but this was the first time I had heard of it in this life.
"Or maybe it’s not."
I lifted my cup, then set it back down and drank the rice wine straight from the bottle.
The cloudy wine trickled down through my coarse stubble.
But if it were true.
If the Art of Replenishing Yang through Yin was truly possible.
"I can't take this lightly."
I had taken this request with a light heart.
But if I left him alone, he was the type to cause a great disaster.
* * *
After finishing my meal and unpacking, I went to find the Village Chief as the waiter had suggested.
The sunset, slowly painting the western sky red, added a touch of elegance to the pleasant autumn breeze.
*Step. Step. Step.*
The villagers avoided me, wary of the strange outsider.
Reaching the outskirts, I saw a thatched house with a yard.
"Is anyone home?"
I announced my presence from outside the wicker gate.
An old man sweeping the yard straightened his back and turned to look at me.
"Who are you?"
His face was so wrinkled it was a wonder he was still alive.
His dark, sun-scorched face looked even gloomier, perhaps because of the lecherous demon.
"I came because I have something to ask."
"Hmm. I have nothing to help you with. There’s nothing here, so go back."
The Village Chief was also full of wariness.
I looked at the back of the Village Chief as he tried to enter the house and said,
"I am from the Murim Alliance."
"Eh?"
The Murim Alliance, a coalition of the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, and other powerful righteous sects.
A sturdy pillar that looks after the hardships of the common people in place of the corrupt officials and blocks the atrocities of the Demonic Cult and the evil factions.
I had never actually been to the Murim Alliance, but how would a village chief in the middle of nowhere know that?
"Are you really from the Murim Alliance?"
"That is correct. I am Jang Woo-gil of the White Dragon Unit of the Murim Alliance."
"Ohhh!"
I showed the Village Chief the identification plaque I always carried.
The Village Chief rubbed his gray pupils and leaned forward.
"It really has a dragon carved on it?!"
"Indeed."
The Village Chief wouldn't be able to tell, but this plaque was the one actually used by the Murim Alliance.
More accurately, it was a replica so good it was hard to distinguish from the real thing.
*They really are good at this kind of thing.*
I marveled at the Beggar Sect's craftsmanship once more and tucked the plaque back into my chest.
The Village Chief spoke politely, his attitude having changed completely.
"But what brings a high-ranking person from the Murim Alliance all the way here?"
"I heard there was a calamity in the village."
"Ah… yes. Two of the village girls suddenly lost their lives…."
"That was not because the Mountain God was angry. It was the work of a demonic villain. I am pursuing him."
"I-is that true? That those children were killed by a demonic villain?"
"Yes. I would like to see the bodies to confirm if it is the one I am chasing."
The Village Chief’s small eyes widened.
"Oh my! Ji-sun has already been cremated! Ah! But you can still see Cho-hyang!"
"Can you guide me?"
"Of course! Of course! Please, follow me!"
The wrath of the gods cannot be avoided.
Neither can the wrath of the strong.
But since a master capable of catching him had arrived, the weak, filled with hope, ran vigorously on his old legs.
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