Chapter 5
Six years
"My son!"
Namgung Sanyeong had two children with Tang Hosan.
The first, her eldest daughter Tang Gyujin, had already shown such remarkable talent that not only her own clan, the Tang family, but even other orthodox sects kept an eye on her. She was so renowned that in Sichuan’s martial world, there was no one who did not know the name Cheonyeopseonja (Thousand Leaves Immortal).
Her second, Tang Yuchang, was the same. Though not quite at the level of his sister, with his outstanding talent as a rising star he had already earned the nickname Amyeong Gijae (Shadow Prodigy).
It was said that far from tarnishing their father’s reputation, the siblings had only brought him greater glory. For this, the Tang clan praised them as Hobu Hoja (Tiger Father, Tiger Children).
To Namgung Sanyeong, who did not share good harmony with her stiff, stone-like husband, these children were the proudest extensions of herself.
"Have you been well all this time?”
"When exactly did you come out? Did you achieve what you desired?"
Before the patriarch’s visit, Tang Yuchang had volunteered to enter secluded training for half a year. It was because he did not wish to show an unworthy appearance before the Dark Lord.
"I am still lacking, but I have managed to reach minor achievement in the Dark Shadow Energy."
"Splendid, my son! I knew you would succeed!"
Namgung Sanyeong pulled Tang Yuchang into a tight embrace.
Dark Shadow Energy, once unleashed, became as stealthy as a shadow itself, and so was counted among the clan’s top martial arts.
That he had managed even a minor achievement in it was nothing short of a source of pride.
After enjoying that brief reunion—
At the words Tang Yuchang then spoke, one of Namgung Sanyeong’s eyebrows twitched.
"I heard about that illegitimate boy. They say he spewed vile words at you, Mother?”
"…Do not even mention that vile brat. Ungrateful for the grace of being raised, and yet he dared to show such an attitude! I will not stand by—"
"That is precisely why I bring this up."
"Hmm?"
"If he truly has someone backing him, then trying to dig it out now would only be a case of striking the grass and startling the snake. That would not do, would it?"
Striking the grass and startling the snake—when the snake flees upon hearing the grass beaten.
"Yes. You are right. If there is someone eating away at the Guryong branch family, we must drag it out by the roots. And how do you plan to do that?"
"At the patriarch’s visiting ceremony, I will recommend that illegitimate brat to him."
"...What?"
Tang Yuchang hid his lips behind the folding fan in his hand and smiled.
It was something she had never once considered. Namgung Sanyeong’s eyes widened on their own.
"Then wouldn’t his backer also proudly raise their head along with him? I do not know how they intend to use that illegitimate brat, but—"
"They will surely feed him some kind of medicine to make his level appear impressive. To have his share acknowledged, his backer will have no choice but to reveal themselves... and at that moment, we shall sweep them all up in one go, is that it?"
"Yes. Exactly so."
Namgung Sanyeong, reading Tang Yuchang’s thoughts, burst into laughter.
"Hohohoho! What a convincing plan that is. If that is the case, then no matter how desperately that boy struggles, he will fall out of the patriarch’s favor and be cast out of the clan, will he not?"
"Indeed."
"But still, this could easily become a burden for our Guryong branch family. The patriarch may grow furious, saying we cannot even control one child and only suffer internal discord."
"That all depends on how we frame it. We will merely be presenting the illegitimate boy out of brotherly affection. If that bastard then causes trouble, all the blame will fall squarely on him.”
Moreover, in the process, the contrast would make Tang Yuchang and his sister shine even brighter.
“An ‘accident’? And what do you intend to do?”
At Namgung Sanyeong’s question, Tang Yuchang gave a sly smile. It was a smile much like his father’s.
After hearing the entire detailed scheme, Namgung Sanyeong let out a deep sigh—satisfied, yet with a hint of regret.
“Haah! Your sister must also come to her senses like you. In all other matters she is so sharp, yet when it comes to that boy, she simply cannot.”
“That is only because her nature is too kind. But once she goes through this matter, will her thoughts not change as well?”
Their eldest, Tang Gyujin, was the only one in the Guryong branch who showed any favor toward Woonhwi. This was always a source of regret for Namgung Sanyeong.
Clatter!
At that moment, the door suddenly opened. It was the head maid.
"I beg your pardon for intruding so abruptly, but I have urgent news to report."
"What is it?"
"A message has arrived that in ten days’ time, the eldest young lady will be coming to Guryong County."
"Gyujin? She said she would arrive in time for the ceremony, so it seems she is finally on her way. Hohoho. But what is the problem with that?"
"Well, it’s just that—"
"Speak clearly!"
Namgung Sanyeong furrowed her brows in unease. The head maid lowered her head.
"I do not know where she heard it, but the young lady was told about the White Pavilion affair and is said to be greatly enraged—"
"What?"
Namgung Sanyeong’s eyes blazed fiercely.
At that very moment, she failed to notice a spider crawling up the window above her.
* * *
Swish! Shhh-shhh-swish—
Inside the narrow room of the White Pavilion. For the past two months, I had not stepped outside even once, silently devoting myself to training.
I moved my body with force.
That momentum carried the savagery of a tiger chasing down its prey with all its might, biting into its lifeline.
Pabababak!
Violent Tiger Twelve Strikes. One of the advanced foundational techniques passed down among wanderers, it wielded the fists, palms, fingers, and feet—every part of the body—as though they were deadly weapons. Mastering it was by no means easy.
In truth, screams were bursting out from within my body.
Forcing unused muscles into motion, pushing tendons to their limit with sharp, snapping movements.
Yet there was no martial art better for tempering the body in a short time than this, one that steadily improved the physique.
Every day I swallowed Mangryeonghwan, cleansing my meridians and blood channels, strengthening my body through extreme muscle training that pushed me to the very limits. That was the result I forged.
But—
—“Are you speaking of the Heavenly Demon Cult? But has it not already been six years since the Heavenly Demon vanished?”
I had no time to rejoice in these changes.
It was because of what I learned of recent Jianghu history through Hyung-sam.
Six years!
It had already been six years.
Since Yeon Woonhwi died.
—“Because of that, the Heavenly Demon Cult has now split among the Nine Great Demon Lords, and I hear civil war has broken out…”
I had suspected that there might be a discrepancy between the flow of real time and the time within the Origin Spirit Reincarnation.
But never did I expect the difference to be this great.
It was my mistake to naively think the gap would be no more than a month or two at most.
The world had already become completely different from the one I knew.
The Cult was in the midst of civil war, while the Demonic Alliance was each attempting to seize power in their own way.
Meanwhile, the Central Plains were watching for an opportunity to eradicate the Heavenly Mountains once and for all.
It was an age of chaos.
Where it would not be strange if something were to explode at any moment.
That was why my heart grew impatient.
I had to leave this Guryong branch family as soon as possible, even a single day sooner.
And so an obsession circled in my mind—that I must learn more details about the Cult’s current situation.
“…No. Not yet.”
But soon I set those thoughts aside.
If I made a wrong move now under the identity of “Tang Woonhwi,” it could lead to an irreversible disaster. No matter how urgent things seemed, this was the time to restrain myself.
I had to slowly grasp the situation and wait for the right opportunity.
No doubt those so-called Hwaein, or whatever they were, had a hand in the Cult’s division.
“The only attempt I could possibly make would be to contact one of the secret branches. But even that carries far too much risk.”
There should be hidden branches of the Cult even here in Sichuan. If I stopped by them, I might learn more in detail.
Perhaps I could even discover something about the whereabouts of my master, who was said to have gone missing.
That much was the limit.
That was the only attempt available to me for now.
But I could not be satisfied with that alone.
It was possible that even then I might fail to uncover his whereabouts. Which meant—I needed more information.
A way to obtain high-level information related to my master without drawing Hwaein’s attention.
Only one method came to mind.
“The Dark Lord’s visit.”
The visit of that giant, once counted alongside my master among the Ten Great Experts of the world.
Was there no way I could make good use of this?
Tap!
“Fuu—”
After executing all twelve forms, a long exhale escaped me, heavy with the taste of iron.
It still felt like my movements were far from polished.
Recalling the points that needed correction, I once again unfolded the Violent Tiger Twelve Strikes.
My goal was the completion of the Violent Tiger Twelve Strikes.
And to reach that, the road ahead was still long.
* * *
How long had I been immersed in martial arts?
My body drooped like water-soaked cotton.
I tossed one of the few remaining Mangryeonghwan into my mouth, then sat cross-legged again and circulated the Dark Dragon Heart Method.
Now, it felt as though it had become one with me—my inner energy began flowing along its familiar paths.
One cycle, two cycles, three cycles…
As the energy made several rounds, I exhaled turbid qi and fatigue from my body.
After this, I could maintain my stamina to some extent without even eating food.
Of course, unlike what was rumored, it wasn’t as though I ate nothing at all.
When I finished my breathing exercise and opened my eyes, a cluster of spiders had placed a Bigeokdan pill down before me.
"What, this again? I told you to bring me something else! I’m going to die of boredom from this. Do you really want to follow your friends to the grave?"
As I frowned, the leader spider flinched in fright.
「Th-the kitchen security is t-t-too strict these days! Sneaking things out, this was the best I could manage from the secluded training hall! Please believe me, young cult master!」
Not all of the elders had been turned into specters through Mangryeonghwan.
Those who were originally weak-willed and easy to control, or those who had been forced to cooperate with Hwaein’s threats, I had kept aside. I was now using them in this way, quite usefully.
Even something like a spider or an ant—once I planted my will into them, they became excellent couriers, secretly delivering food and water.
As a bonus, they also brought me back information about the internal situation of the branch family.
"Ugh, this really tastes filthy. Anything new to report? Like how far the Dark Lord has come?"
As I chewed the foul-tasting Bigeokdan, I asked, and the leader spider nodded its head vigorously, saying it did indeed have news.
「Tang… Yujang? Yucheong?」
“You mean Tang Yuchang.”
A few months of living as spiders, and it seemed their intelligence had devolved right along with it.
「Ah, right! That was the name! Anyway, that son, Tang Yuchang or whatever, has finished his secluded training and returned.”
“It was about time. According to schedule, the Dark Lord’s visit isn’t far off now. Don’t tell me that’s all?”
「N-no! It seems that brat is plotting something together with the madam, against you, young cult master.”
“Plotting?”
I tilted my chin, urging it to go on, my curiosity piqued.
Brightening, the leader spider eagerly spilled everything it had seen and heard.
“They want to drown me during the ceremony? Because they think I have some kind of backer behind me?”
「That’s correct!」
“Those brats, writing their own novel.”
A hollow laugh slipped out, but from the perspective of that mother and son, it wasn’t strange for them to reach such a conclusion.
A fool who had always been so easily pushed around suddenly flipped his eyes and started snapping back—of course they would think I had someone backing me.
Who would ever suspect that the young cult master of the Heavenly Demon Cult had possessed me?
That was the reasonable judgment to make.
「So what will you do now, young cult master? You’re not someone who’ll just sit there and take it, are you?」
“If used well, this could actually paint quite the picture.”
There’s nothing easier than taking a scheme you’ve already uncovered and using it to smash them over the head.
“Recommendation, was it.”
But soon, my interest waned.
“Well, I don’t think there’s really any need for me to do anything.”
「H-huh? What do you mean by that?」
“Do I really have to explain it to you?”
「N-no! I just asked out of curiosity, pay it no mind. Hahaha!”
To that fellow, my hot-and-cold temperament must have felt like being thrown back and forth between a freezing bath and a boiling one.
Even if I was going to use him, I had to step on him like this from time to time—only then would he remember his place. After all, demonic outsiders like these were fundamentally the kind who specialized in backstabbing.
In any case, my conclusion remained the same.
For now, there was no need for me to do anything.
Wouldn’t they take it upon themselves to recommend me to the Dark Lord?
And me, once the Little Heavenly Demon—was there any chance I would fail to catch the Dark Lord’s eye?
Even if I were to take action, it would be enough to simply play along with their assumptions, ensuring they never waver from their thoughts, while quietly setting the stage from behind.
Rather, it seemed like a good idea to use this opportunity to aim for selection into the Special Forces.
After that, I could feign death during extreme training and discard my identity, or perhaps become the Dark Lord’s disciple and approach the very heart of the Central Plains’ martial world.
Either way, it would make gaining access to high-level information much easier, and finding the whereabouts of my missing master would be far more manageable.
There were countless things I could do.
Which meant, for now, there was only one thing I truly had to do.
Just one—bring my body to its peak condition within the next few days.
I prepared myself to resume training.
「…Monstrous.」
The leader spider shook its head in dismay, as though sickened.
Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God
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