The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Yi-gang had been carrying the Divine Demon Disk all along.

He had obtained it from the time he met White Monkey Demonic Hand and White Hand Demonic Emperor, so one could say he had it for quite a long time.

Although he couldn’t determine its exact use, it was clearly a precious item of the Demon Cult.

Despite that, he never kept it away from his body. This was because it was the very object in which Zhang Sanfeng’s spirit was embedded.

Naturally, he was careful even when entering Huangtian Palace.

If the Seven Great Immortals were people of the Demon Cult, they might recognize the Divine Demon Disk. He kept it hidden in his clothes to avoid exposure.

But who would have thought that the Divine Demon Disk would suddenly pop out as if drawn by a magnet?

The string that fixed it to his waist was pulled taut.

What appeared before his eyes was even more absurd.

With the arrival of Yo Myung-sa, Zhang Sanfeng, who had hidden himself within the Divine Demon Disk, sprang out in surprise.

「Aaaah! Priest!」

The movement of the Divine Demon Disk did not seem to be a normal occurrence.

Otherwise, there was no reason for Zhang Sanfeng, in his spiritual state, to be shaken like this.

Yi-gang, though in this bewildering situation, maintained a calm expression.

‘Are you trying to achieve nirvana…?’

「What nirvana are you talking about?!」 Zhang Sanfeng shouted loudly.

It seemed that even Yo Myung-sa hadn’t intended for this to happen, as she looked utterly shocked, her eyes bulging.

At that moment, Yi-gang brushed his hand against the willow leaf throwing knife hidden within his sleeve.

He had concealed it after the Guardian had shot it out as a warning a moment ago.

If Yo Myung-sa intended to cause a disturbance, he was prepared to slit her throat first.

“A-are you from that place?” Yo Myung-sa shouted, at that moment.

No, it was more of a whisper than a shout, as if she were worried someone might overhear.

Yi-gang halted the hand that was about to draw the knife.

He quickly processed his thoughts.

What could Yo Myung-sa be thinking? He analyzed her reaction, her gaze, and each word she used.

The first one to possess the Divine Demon Disk was White Monkey Demonic Hand.

The ones who pursued it were warriors of the Demon Cult, among whom was White Hand Demonic Emperor, an elder-level Supreme Peak martial artist.

Yo Myung-sa’s demeanor was particularly secretive.

There was a certain expectancy reflected in her eyes. The slight curl of her lips hinted at it.

「Does she mistake you for someone from the Demon Cult?!」

‘…’

It seemed so. But that alone wasn’t enough.

Based on the explanation Yi-gang had heard from the martial artists of the Kunlun Sect, the affiliation of White Monkey Demonic Hand and White Hand Demonic Emperor was clearly…

“…”

“…”

The silence grew too long.

If this stillness continued any longer, it would go beyond maintaining gravity and start appearing suspicious.

One word, the first word, was crucial. A word that could erase suspicion without shattering the other’s delusion.

Indeed… The Forest Lord of the Azure Forest had mentioned that there were words akin to identification among the followers of the Demon Cult.

Yi-gang murmured softly, “…The Divine Demon descends.”

Then, Yo Myung-sa responded, “To conquer the world…!”

The Divine Demon descends, to conquer the world

A saying that if the Heavenly Demon descends, the world will be overturned.

To the Seven Great Immortals, who truly believed in the revival of the Heavenly Demon, Yi-gang’s words carried deep resonance.

Yo Myung-sa immediately bowed deeply.

“I have been waiting.”

The start wasn’t bad. Yi-gang felt a sense of relief inwardly.

Even the Divine Demon Disk, which had been vibrating intensely, soon calmed down.

「How shameless. It’s an astonishingly brazen sight. Deceiving a Demon Cult sorcerer! And by a Taoist from the Azure Forest!」

‘Please be quiet.’

「For my successor to praise the Heavenly Demon! Oh, how lamentable! How infuriating!」

Although Zhang Sanfeng seemed to understand the situation, he appeared frustrated. This was probably natural, considering his adversarial relationship with the Heavenly Demon.

In the midst of this, Yi-gang was startled by the word ‘successor’ mentioned by Zhang Sanfeng.

He had never shown such an attitude before, but it seemed he regarded Yi-gang as his disciple deep down.

However, that wasn’t important right now.

Yo Myung-sa was looking at Yi-gang with a gaze full of curiosity.

Yi-gang decided to speak first before she could ask any questions, “The True Demon Palace is keeping an eye on this place.”

“Yes…”

There wasn’t much of a reaction.

He had mentioned this because he recalled that White Monkey Demonic Hand, who possessed the Divine Demon Disk, and White Hand Demonic Emperor belonged to the True Demon Palace. Did he perhaps say the wrong thing?

Or perhaps, it was simply because he had stated an obvious fact.

“The Vice Palace Master… told me to wait. Did the person who sent you here happen to be the Vice Palace Master?”

“…”

“Could you possibly tell me your true name?”

“I cannot say.”

Yi-gang didn’t respond to whether the Vice Palace Master had sent him.

It was clear that various speculations and doubts were still swirling in Yo Myung-sa’s mind.

At this point, Yi-gang decided to take a bigger gamble.

“The White Hand Demonic Emperor sent me.”

“The White Hand Demonic Emperor…! I see! So that’s why…”

Yo Myung-sa seemed genuinely surprised.

After pondering for a moment, she nodded as if she had come to some understanding on her own.

“I thought he had retired from the front lines. So, that was the reason.”

Yi-gang just nodded, keeping his words to a minimum.

To avoid suspicion, it was better to raise new questions than to provide perfectly fitting answers.

When trying to deceive someone, the more lies are piled on, the more the words become like a patchwork quilt—clumsy and coarse.

Yo Myung-sa was adding her own imagination to the name “White Hand Demonic Emperor” that Yi-gang had thrown out.

Additionally, Yi-gang gained a valuable insight.

‘It seems they have had no contact with the Demon Cult.’

「What do you mean?」

‘If they had been in regular contact with the Demon Cult, they would have already known that the White Hand Demonic Emperor is dead.’

「Indeed!」

If Yo Myung-sa had shown any signs of suspicion, Yi-gang was prepared to act immediately.

“Then, did the White Hand Demonic Emperor also report to the Vice Palace Master…?”

“Enough.”

Yi-gang did not allow any further questions.

“Report on the current progress.”

“Yes.”

Yo Myung-sa quickly bowed.

Judging by her respectful attitude, it seemed her position within the cult wasn’t very high.

She began to cautiously divulge valuable information.

「Who would have imagined things would unfold this way?」

As Zhang Sanfeng said, it was a situation no one could have imagined.

“…For that reason, Yi-ryong opposes any direct harm to the Emperor. It’s because he is concerned about the aftermath.”

Zhang Sanfeng was right.

There was a fragment of the Heavenly Demon’s spirit in this imperial palace.

However, the place where that fragment resided was beyond what Yi-gang and Zhang Sanfeng could have imagined.

“The Emperor’s blood.”

“Yes, that’s correct. What we had only suspected turned out to be true. I can’t even begin to imagine how the Heavenly Demon accomplished such a great feat…”

“As a sorcerer, what is your opinion?”

Yi-gang was genuinely curious.

The Emperor’s blood was just a concept.

There was no direct connection between the current Emperor, Gyeongmun Emperor, and the Song Dynasty’s Emperor during the time of the Heavenly Demon. There wasn’t even a physical bloodline linking them.

Then how could the Heavenly Demon’s spirit fragment reside in the current Emperor’s blood?

“I think it is a sha on the concept.”

“Sha?”

Sha. This word was used in terms like xiōngshénèshà.

Shamans often said, “You’ve been struck by a sha,” or “A sha has been cast.”

If it were to be substituted with a similar word for easier understanding, it might be akin to the term “curse.”

“Yes, he has cast a curse on the Emperor’s blood.”

The Heavenly Demon cast a curse on the concept of the ruler of the Central Plains.

That was why, even after hundreds of years, the soul of the Heavenly Demon could still reside within the Emperor’s blood.

“It was just a hypothesis, but we have finally proven it to be true.”

Yo Myung-sa looked excited.

Yi-gang was also shocked.

How could a mere human perform such a feat?

「Yes, for him, it’s possible…」

Zhang Sanfeng affirmed the possibility.

However, if that were the case, the problem lay in what was to come.

To extract the fragment of the Heavenly Demon’s soul, they would have to draw the Emperor’s blood.

In other words, the Emperor might have to be killed.

“When is the operation planned?”

“…It’s scheduled after the Longevity Festival.”

“I see. What is the reason the Emperor summoned King Gye-yeong here today?”

Yi-gang’s next steps would depend on the information he could extract from Yo Myung-sa.

At that moment, “That is…”

Yo Myung-sa’s gaze briefly flicked upward.

Then, she immediately looked down again.

“…The Emperor has been fickle. The demonic Qi has invaded all the way into his bones.”

The pause in her speech was so brief that it barely seemed unusual.

Yi-gang’s expression didn’t change.

“The symptoms of Demon’s Horn Disease have appeared.”

“You recognized it!”

Yo Myung-sa lowered her head, seemingly impressed.

Then she took something out from her robes and looked at it.

Yi-gang glanced over and saw that it was a small clock.

It wasn’t an object from the Central Plains. It must have come from the Western Regions.

“Excuse me, I’m running out of time, so I have to go. Could you wait here for a moment?”

“Very well.”

“If you need regular reports in the future…”

“I am always at Yongzhao Palace. I will be waiting for contact.”

“Understood.”

Yo Myung-sa bowed with a loyal demeanor.

It was a satisfactory outcome for Yi-gang as well.

By an incredible coincidence and stroke of luck, Yi-gang managed to deceive a member of the Seven Great Immortals.

“I will remain loyal… My devotion is more towards the safety of the cult than to the Seven Great Immortals.”

Moreover, Yo Myung-sa seemed dissatisfied with the Seven Great Immortals’ structure centered around Yi-ryong.

If she could be continuously used as an informant, things might be resolved more easily than anticipated.

「Turning misfortune into a blessing, things have gone well. Haha!」

However, things had gone too well.

Yo Myung-sa slowly stood up and turned around, intending to head toward the door.

Yi-gang looked up at the ceiling for a moment and then down at the floor.

“Phew…”

He let out a long sigh.

It was before Yo Myung-sa even had the chance to open the door and leave.

In an instant, Yi-gang considered several possibilities.

Among them was what to do if the worst-case scenario happened.

The conclusion was reached.

He had to make a choice.

Even if something had to be sacrificed because of it.

“Yo Myung-sa.”

Moderately intelligent people had a major weakness.

They tended to underestimate others.

“…Yes.”

However, Yi-gang continued to doubt Yo Myung-sa, just as she had constantly doubted him.

“How did you know?”

Yo Myung-sa froze on the spot.

She had just realized a moment ago that Yi-gang was not a member of the Demon Cult.

“…”

Yi-gang was certain of it.

There could be several reasons for this.

Perhaps with her keen intuition, Yo Myung-sa sensed at some point that he was lying.

Or perhaps it was because the clock she took out from her robe, though she pretended to check the time, had actually stopped…

“Hmm.”

「Things are unfolding like this again…」

If he were to deal with Yo Myung-sa here, things would certainly go awry.

Since he couldn’t wipe out all of the Seven Great Immortals today, he might have to escape the Forbidden City immediately.

「Priest, what are you waiting for?」

However, he couldn’t just stand still out of fear.

“Yiik!”

As Yo Myung-sa turned her body and scattered hidden weapons, Yi-gang’s hand flew toward her nape.

The dagger he held flashed, and drops of blood splattered.

---

“Ouch.”

The Honorable County Princess looked at her hand in surprise.

Blood was welling up from the tip of her finger.

The flower that Wi Mi-hyeon from the Seven Great Immortals had handed to her had thorns.

Seeing the blood, the Honorable County Princess was too startled to even get angry.

Instead, the Crown Prince beside her jumped up in alarm.

“O-oh! Sister! Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine…”

Wi Mi-hyeon quietly approached.

She took out a white cloth and wiped the Honorable County Princess’s finger.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

“I’m fine…”

“Wild roses have thorns. Let me apply some ointment for you.”

Saying this, she naturally wrapped the blood-stained handkerchief in paper and tucked it into her robe.

The Honorable County Princess, seeing her so calm, could never have imagined that all of this was intentional.

As Wi Mi-hyeon applied the ointment, the bleeding stopped quickly.

“Really, you should be more careful…” said the Crown Prince while glaring at Wi Mi-hyeon.

If this had not been Huangtian Palace, where the Emperor resided, he might have shouted.

At that moment—

“Aaaaah!”

A woman’s scream echoed from not far away.

Everyone in the hall turned to look toward where the scream had come from.

Yi-ryong was among them.

“…Yo Myung-sa.”

He gritted his teeth.

“Jeok-woong, Heuk Seok-gye! Follow me!”

He began to run in the direction of the scream, his black clothes fluttering.

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