Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 142 – Collect (2)

Translated by : moonchildkhz

***

It was very late.

They had run out of ingredients and there were no customers left.

The chef was doing the last bits of work, preparing to finish off the day.

In such a situation, a late visitor had arrived.

Why does this situation feel familiar?

Kang So-san opened his mouth, skillfully speaking to the customer without sounding embarrassed at all.

“My apologies, but the kitchen is closed—”

Kang So-san never finished his sentence.

His mouth fell open.

He knew who this late visitor to the Golden Sunset Inn was.

“You’re here!” Kang So-san shouted, smiling brightly.

There was a polite and slightly cold response, “You do not have to shout like that.”

The owner of the voice was Woon-seong. He was not in the Black Dragon Robe which symbolized the Heavenly Demon, but in plain clothes to keep his promise.

“Haha.”

There was very little warmth in Woon-seong’s words, but Kang So-san still laughed.

“Ah!”

At that time, Kang Ye-ha, who had come outside to check on the commotion, exclaimed. “You are here, sir.”

Is that still my sister? Kang So-san wondered as Kang Ye-ha left the kitchen area and quietly greeted Woon-seong.

Woon-seong nodded lightly. His eyes soon turned to the sword in Kang So-san’s hands.

It was a scrap sword, but it seemed that the grip was worn. The boy must have worked hard with the sword for a long time.

Then I’ll check if he’s completed his assignment.

The plan was to have Kang So-san inherit the Spear Master Sect. Of course, that was only if Kang So-san could pass Woon-seong’s test.

The Spear Master Sect’s foundations are in academia. No matter how hard you try, if you are not talented, you will never be able to go far. That is why I need to know how far you’ve come in this short time.

Recalling the conditions for the Spear Master Sect, Woon-seong told Kang So-san, “Then let me check right now.”

“Yes?”

Woon-seong had barely entered the inn, but he was already asking to see the boy’s progress.

Kang So-san was surprised.

Woon-seong replied, “Why? Are you not confident?”

Actually, Kang So-san wasn’t confident. There was some accomplishment, but he was not confident that he could make a mark on the wall.

But if he said he wasn’t confident, it was likely Woon-seong would turn around and leave.

“Oh, no.”

Kang So-san gripped his scrap sword tightly. He then realized he was overly tense and slightly relaxed his hands.

When Woon-seong saw that, something meaningful flashed through his eyes.

It was hard to tell, but there seemed to be some direction to the force applied.

Meanwhile, Kang So-san was staring at the blade marks left by Woon-seong.

Yes, you can do it, Kang So-san told himself.

You must replicate that mark. That way, you can learn how to be strong and protect your sister.

But what if I fail?

Even though he was determined, it was natural for a lump of anxiety to form in his heart.

Kang So-san shook his head.

Let’s focus.

It was not just about drawing energy into the sword, but also about how to draw on more power.

A lot of thoughts crossed his mind.

Suddenly, a thought stuck to him. It was something a local merchant named Mr. Guang had told him several years ago.

“You don’t just need strong arms to lift a large rock, but strength from the soles of your feet and ankles…”

Kang So-san began to concentrate.

From the lowest point of his body, a mysterious energy began to flow.

From ankle to waist, from waist to shoulder.

And then from shoulder to wrist.

He sent the strength into his arms, like drawing water from a well.

At that moment!

Scrape—!

Kuakuakua—!

With a slightly cutting sound, Kang So-san’s sword dug into the wall of the inn. However, he continued to push down without hesitation. When the sword was pulled back, there was a new mark on the wall of the inn.

It was similar to the one Woon-seong left, but a little more rugged.

Woon-seong contemplated.

Did you use your entire body to cover your lack of stamina?

It was not enough to say that it was good. But couldn’t he tell that the boy was trying his best, physically and mentally?

Given that the period of time was less than one year, it was quite an accomplishment given that he had only been taught one core technique.

Instead of praising Kang So-san with a satisfied expression, Woon-seong merely said, “Not bad.”

The boy had a long way to go.

If he got praised and was satisfied with just this, then there would be no further development. Nevertheless, was he happy to hear Woon-seong’s words?

Kang So-san had a bright smile on his face. The same was true of Kang Ye-ha, who was watching from the side.

“It’s not there yet, but it’s a decent imitation.”

“Then…”

Woon-seong nodded. Kang So-san had done his part, so it was Woon-seong’s turn to keep his promise.

But there was one important problem remaining.

Woon-seong raised his finger and pointed at the ground.

“What will you do about this inn?”

Kang Ye-ha responded without losing her smile, “Us siblings will return here one day.”

Instead of handing the inn to another person, they decided to just close for the time being. At first, they thought about selling it to someone else, but eventually changed their minds.

This was a place their parents had struggled for a long time to have. It was the Kang sibling’s home.

They could not sell it away so easily.

So they decided to temporarily close.

They did not know when, but they would eventually return to this place.

Of course, Woon-seong did not say anything. I have no right to decide in the first place.

This inn belonged to the two siblings. Still, it was somewhere they had lived for a long time, could they truly just close and leave?

After leaving the Qilian Mountains, Kang Ye-ha continued to stare in the direction of the inn and Kang So-san gripped his sister’s hands tightly.

The Cult of the Heavenly Demon’s camp was not far from where Kang So-san and his sister lived.

But that was by the standards of a martial artist.

It would be hard for two siblings who had never trained in martial arts to travel such long distances.

“Huff. Huff. ”

Kang Ye-Ha gasped for breath, sweat dripping from her chin. Kang So-san helped his sister, encouraging her.

However, Kang So-san was also struggling.

Looking at them, Woon-seong lightly tapped on their shoulders.

A breath of warm qi permeated into their bodies, through his hands. It quickly spread through their bodies, stabilizing their breathing.

Feeling it’s astonishing ability, the two siblings opened their eyes and bowed. “Thank you, esteemed sir.”

Woon-seong nodded lightly and looked up at the sky. It was taking them too much time to move.

I have no choice then.

Whee!

Woon-seong let out a low whistle. The sound rose and echoed into the sky.

And soon.

Flap-flap.

A flying animal dove through the clouds towards Woon-seong.

It was a black eagle.

A giant black eagle, seeming to have a wingspan of a meter and a half.

The bird dropped like a stone, shooting downwards. It then flapped its wings in front of Woon-seong, wind billowing around it.

Due to the eagle’s large wings, the winds were quite strong. In addition, the glossy feathers of the bird were clear to see.

“Wow.”

Kang So-san’s eyes were wide as he exclaimed in amazement. I’ve never seen such a large bird before.

Kang Ye-ha did not make a sound, but she was similarly amazed.

What Woon-seong had called for was a quaint creature called the Thousand Li Black Eagle.

Sang Gwan-chuk had asked Woon-seong to use it if he ever needed to contact him, since it was always roaming the skies above Woon-seong and the Strategist.

Of course, it was always flying high in the sky, unnoticed by others.

As the Thousand Li Black Eagle settled on his forearm, Woon-seong took a small piece of beef jerky out of his pockets and fed it to the bird. He then tied a letter to its leg and threw it back into the air.

The black eagle swirled into the air, immediately disappearing into the distance as a black dot.

Kang So-san and his sister watched in curiosity.

Thud, thud, thud.

It was about two days later that an earthquake occured.

Kang So-san and his sister were still following Woon-seong through the mountains.

At the sudden sound, the two siblings froze.

They realized that the sound could not be from just one or two horses.

The sound of such a large number in the mountains…

The two siblings trembled as they thought of mountain bandits. The reason they stopped walking was because of fear.

Just as they stopped walking, so had Woon-seong.

Of course, his reason was different from theirs.

Woon-seong’s gaze shifted towards the direction of the horses. It was coming from exactly opposite of where they stood.

In the meantime, the sound of rumbling worsened.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

The horses were getting closer.

As time went by, the group finally appeared.

It was a group riding black horses, each man had a weapon in hand.

They also seemed to be wearing armor and devilish masks.

But it wasn’t a devil.

It was merely someone who looked like a devil. The armor and the masks were not ordinary.

The armor was high quality from just one glance and also looked quite polished, gleaming in the light.

Could that have actually caused even more fear? The two siblings trembled.

Woon-seong’s lips curled when he saw the group.

At that moment, the group of riders rushed towards Woon-seong, then stopped all at once.

The riders leapt into the air, then bowed and shouted before Woon-seong.

“Hail the Immortal Heavenly Demon, we greet the Cult Leader, zenith of all demonic practitioners!”

Thirty people shouted at once, including the one at the front, the sound echoing through the mountains.

The two siblings turned to Woon-seong in surprise.

Woon-seong was casually receiving their gazes and greetings.