2. The Inn Waiter Hides His Magic (2)
"Isn't this going to be a huge disaster?"
With a face drained of all color, Hajin muttered in despair. His plans to settle into life in the Central Plains and dream of a small, happy existence had been shattered in an instant. At this rate, forget running an inn—he was bound to be branded a public enemy of the martial arts world and dragged away.
Above all, the moment he killed a disciple of a prestigious righteous sect, there was no way he could avoid being hunted by the Kunlun Sect. Once caught, wouldn't they just sever his meridians and destroy his dantian?
'Damn it, is this a murder charge...?'
And what about that shout from the old man earlier? What on earth happened?
Just as Hajin was struggling to shake off his bewilderment, a group of masked figures in black burst into the inn.
"Everyone! Protect the elder!"
In an instant, they slit the throats of the remaining Kunlun Sect warriors and quietly surveyed the scene. They seemed to be looking for something, just like the previous group of warriors.
While Hajin was still dazed by the sight, one of the masked men approached him and asked.
"Are you, by any chance, a disciple of Elder Yoo Jin-bang?"
Hajin looked at the masked man, who was gazing at him with trembling eyes.
'What is this guy talking about now?'
Faced with the question of whether he was Elder Yoo Jin-bang's disciple, Hajin’s mind raced.
The old man had never explicitly called him a disciple. However, he had cherished him like a lucky charm, and Hajin had indeed learned inn management and cooking from him. Most of all, he was the only person in this strange land who had reached out to him, and it was through his teachings that Hajin had found his own dream.
'Well, in a broad sense, it wouldn't be wrong to call myself a disciple.'
After a moment of hesitation, Hajin slowly nodded.
To his surprise, the masked man before him began to tremble, as if unable to contain a sudden surge of emotion. It was visible even behind his mask that his eyes were welling up with tears.
"Ah...! I thought the elder had abandoned his cause, but to think he was raising a disciple here! He never gave up his loyalty to the Cult until the very end!"
The masked man shouted, nearly sobbing, and low gasps of awe and emotional murmurs rippled through the other masked figures behind him. Some looked ready to drop to their knees in sheer emotion.
Hajin stared at them with a bewildered expression.
'What is wrong with these guys? Do they have some kind of manic disorder?'
He muttered to himself. He simply couldn't understand the situation.
'Elder Yoo Jin-bang was a kind man, but was he some incredibly famous master chef in the past? I don't think his cooking skills were quite at that level...'
If they had been, the inn would have been on the fast track to success long ago.
Hajin’s mind was in total chaos. The floor of the inn was stained with the blood of a Kunlun Sect disciple, and now these masked men had appeared out of nowhere, calling him the disciple of Yoo Jin-bang and acting overwhelmed with emotion.
He had absolutely no idea how to play along.
Just then, the man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and performed a respectful cupped-hand salute.
"I have failed to show proper respect to the disciple of Elder Ghost Soul Hand until now! I am Yang-jun, the leader of the Law Enforcement Squad of the Heavenly Demonic Cult! It is an honor to meet you, the elder's disciple!"
Yang-jun’s shout echoed through the inn. Hajin’s brow furrowed.
'Wait, who? The Heavenly Demonic Cult?'
Hajin was horrified internally. The Heavenly Demonic Cult—in other words, the Demonic Cult. The guys who go around killing people, eating corpses, and drinking blood. Ah, wait, was that the Blood Cult?
Regardless, they were the massive force that usually appeared in martial arts novels as the axis of evil or the public enemy.
'And what? Disciple of the Ghost Soul Hand? Is it possible that Elder Yoo Jin-bang was this "Ghost Soul Hand" person?'
For a moment, the memory of the Kunlun Sect warriors shouting about his relationship with the Ghost Soul Hand flashed through his mind. He had dismissed it as nonsense back then, but hearing the masked men, it finally made sense. He had been mistaken for a disciple of a Demonic Cultist.
'No way, that kind-looking old man was a Demonic Cultist?'
Hajin tried to maintain a calm expression and opened his mouth cautiously toward Yang-jun.
"Um... Squad Leader Yang? There seems to be a huge misunderstanding. I’m just a regular inn waiter working at this inn..."
But the words he intended to say never made it out of his throat. As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the floor, where the two-severed corpse of the White Crane lay sprawled.
'Ha...'
Hajin let out a deep sigh internally.
'It’s going to be hard to convince them I’m "regular" with a corpse lying on the floor.'
Claiming to be a regular inn waiter in this situation seemed completely unconvincing. In the end, Hajin decided to try clearing up the misunderstanding in a different way. To do that, he needed to grasp the situation first.
"Um, Squad Leader Yang? By any chance, do you know what level of cultivation that person called White Crane had?"
"White Crane was a promising first-generation disciple of the Kunlun Sect, a master who had reached the First-Rate realm. He possessed considerable skill even at his young age."
He had taken down a First-Rate master with a single strike. Since arriving in the martial arts world, Hajin hadn't been able to gauge the level of his magic. He rarely had to fight with his full strength, and the magic he could use was limited due to his mana.
He only knew for certain that it was definitely different from when he was called a "genius mage" in the modern world.
He had no idea how powerful his magic was compared to the martial arts of this world, but it seemed it was at least enough to take down a First-Rate master who had let his guard down.
'Should I just say I got lucky?'
Just then, Yang-jun’s eyes lit up as he looked at Hajin.
"Come to think of it, to face a First-Rate master like White Crane and come out completely unscathed! As expected of Elder Ghost Soul Hand's disciple, you were hiding your immense strength! Did the elder pass down some special secret technique to you?"
"Excuse me...?"
There was awe in Yang-jun’s voice. Seeing this, Hajin despaired internally.
'They won't believe me no matter what I say.'
He realized that no matter what he said, he was destined to be seen as the disciple of the Ghost Soul Hand, not the cook Yoo Jin-bang. Furthermore, he sensed that his future had taken a sharp turn for the worse.
'I killed a Kunlun Sect disciple, and now I'm being called a disciple of the Demonic Cult? My life in the Jianghu is over.'
Just as his world went dark at the thought that his future had been cut short, Yang-jun’s face came back into view. Come to think of it, did he say the Heavenly Demonic Cult?
'Don't they take in fugitives in places like the Demonic Cult? Like people seeking asylum in history books. Would it be better to just go with the Demonic Cult...?'
In any case, having killed a Kunlun Sect disciple, he had effectively turned his back on the righteous sects.
To someone like him, who knew no one in this world, a massive organization like the Demonic Cult might actually provide a sturdy backing.
Thinking he had nothing to lose, Hajin asked Yang-jun again.
"...Well, something like that. More importantly, you’re saying you are members of the Heavenly Demonic Cult?"
"That is correct. The Heavenly Demon Returns! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Submission!"
*Ugh, what a bunch of fanatics.* Hajin swallowed hard and asked the question he was most curious about.
"If I go there, can I open a shop like this inn and live... no, wait. Are there villages there where people live together?"
It would be meaningless if he just opened it. To do business, he needed a market.
"Of course. Near the Ten Thousand Mountains, there is a village called Black Wood Cliff. Many commoners who fled the persecution of the Central Plains have gathered there to form a village, and it has become quite prosperous now."
"Oh?"
Judging by the way he spoke, it seemed to be of considerable size. Hajin made up his mind.
"Then, may I go to the Heavenly Demonic Cult as well?"
At Hajin’s question, Yang-jun’s face brightened.
"Of course! If you are the disciple of Elder Ghost Soul Hand, we welcome you with open arms! In fact, the reason we came all the way to Xining was to escort the elder to Black Wood Cliff."
"...No! Come to think of it, the elder!"
Hajin hurried back into the inn, where he had heard Yoo Jin-bang’s scream earlier. He prayed that the scream had belonged to someone else, and that Yoo Jin-bang had escaped through the back door.
However, inside the kitchen, Yoo Jin-bang lay cold, his eyes still open. His body was covered in sword wounds, proving it had been a brutal fight.
And next to him lay the corpses of the warriors who had swarmed into the kitchen earlier. They were supposedly elders of Kunlun, yet they had been slaughtered miserably. To think he had done this much alone to people who were clearly high-level masters?
"Elder!!!"
Hajin rushed to check Yoo Jin-bang’s condition. But he was already breathless, and there was no response.
The masked man seemed surprised by the sight, his eyes widening before he wiped away tears. After sniffling for a while, he said to Hajin.
"Damn it. We were too late. We should have escorted the elder to Black Wood Cliff! It’s regrettable, but the best we can do is recover his remains. We must report the incident regarding Kunlun to the Cult immediately."
Then, another masked man who had entered the shop with Yang-jun stepped into the kitchen. After assessing the situation, he said with a heavy heart.
"He wasn't the type to be killed by such crude bastards. If only he hadn't destroyed his own dantian to swear loyalty to the Cult Leader before leaving the Cult, or if at least his arm had been intact..."
"You fool! That is an insult to the Cult Leader!"
Yang-jun scolded him, but he looked just as resentful.
Hajin stood silently, looking down at Yoo Jin-bang’s final moments. He was the one who had shown him kindness for the first time after he was dropped into this strange world and had provided him with a way to survive.
If it weren't for him, his life would have been over already. Hajin prayed in silence.
-My simple dream was just to run a peaceful inn and live a cozy life.
The words Yoo Jin-bang always muttered echoed in his ears.
'Thanks to you, Elder, I was able to adapt to this strange land safely. It was a short time, but I am truly grateful for the grace you showed me. That dream of yours, I will surely carry it on.'
He quietly closed Yoo Jin-bang’s eyes and stood up. He realized that his connection to this inn, and to Xining, was truly over.
"Let's go. To the Heavenly Demonic Cult."
* * * A moment later, Hajin stepped out of the inn with a single pack on his back.
"We should be departing now."
Yang-jun scanned his modest belongings and asked, "Is that all you are bringing?"
"Yes, that is all."
At Hajin’s concise reply, Yang-jun nodded without further inquiry and stepped out of the inn. A carriage that looked quite sturdy had pulled up in front.
"It is a considerable distance to Xinjiang, where the Cult is located."
As they climbed into the carriage, a rattling vibration could be felt. Hajin looked out the window at the Kunlun Inn and the scenery of Xining, which were rapidly receding, and thought to himself.
'I am really going to the Heavenly Demonic Cult.'
It was a path he had chosen himself, yet it still felt surreal. From a hunter to an Inn Waiter. And now, he was headed to the stronghold of the Demonic Cult. Life was truly unpredictable.
Just then, Yang-jun, who was sitting across from him, spoke up cautiously.
"Come to think of it, it seems you haven't heard much about the Sacred Cult from the elder?"
Hajin nodded. In truth, he really didn't know. He hadn't even known that Yoo Jin-bang was a member of the Demonic Cult, let alone that he was some formidable figure known as the Ghost Soul Hand.
"Yes, I haven't heard the details."
"In that case, while we travel to the Heavenly Demonic Cult, I shall explain the basics to you. It would be best if you knew what to expect before we arrive."
"I would appreciate that."
Hajin readily agreed.
The information he had about the Heavenly Demonic Cult, vaguely gleaned from martial arts novels, was mostly narrow and negative—depicting them as the archenemies of the righteous sects or a group that plunged the Central Plains into chaos.
Naturally, that was of little help now.
Yang-jun caught his breath for a moment and began to speak in a calm voice. And his very first sentence was enough to leave Hajin speechless.
"Although the Heavenly Demonic Cult uses the character 'Demonic' in its name, it is not a place that prioritizes pure evil as the people of the world commonly believe."
The Demonic Cult wasn't an evil place...? Then what on earth was it?
0 Comments