Chapter 31 : The Flower That Bloomed on the Mountain Path

Chapter 31: The Flower That Bloomed on the Mountain Path

It had been the difference between you and me.

When you were of the Demonic Path and I was of the Hundred Paths, her death had been something I could understand all too easily.

But now that I myself stood on the Demonic Path, it was an unjust killing, a violation of humaneness and a betrayal of moral principle.

Faced with that irreconcilable gap, Yul Han was taken aback.

Justice had to remain the same no matter who the subject was, no matter how one’s position changed. That was because the meaning that ran through justice was impartiality—fairness that leaned toward neither side.

Yet every time he looked back, the memories that sprang forth were not fair. That meant… they had not been justice.

The same was true of her death, which he had just moments ago understood so easily.

Which meant that the Yul Han of the past, of his previous life, had been neither just nor a righteous hero.

That realization shook the definition he had imposed upon this body—“a demonic butcher, senselessly strong and driven only by slaughter.”

‘Perhaps… perhaps he too, the original owner of this body, had his own reasons….’

Once his perspective widened like that, the deeds of the Kongtong Sect—things he had seen only as the merciless massacres of a blood-crazed demonic fiend—began to look different.

The confusion shook Yul Han more deeply than he had expected.

After all, even his long-held notion that “the Hundred Paths are righteous, the Demonic Path is evil” was being overturned entirely.

Yul Han’s turmoil carried on through the night and into dawn.

Because the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult remained seated outside instead of entering the carriage as on other days, Flashing Light Blood and Cold Blade Blood took turns making sure the campfire did not go out, watching his mood.

It was not as though anyone would suffer from the cold without a fire, but somehow it felt like they had to do it.

That was because the Vice Cult Leader, sitting with his gaze fixed far away, looked terribly lonely.

Perhaps because of that, Flashing Light Blood blamed himself, thinking that his own words had stirred up painful memories from the past, while Cold Blade Blood pitied him, believing he was a man sorrowfully reminiscing about a love he had failed to protect.

Of course, both of them were mistaken—but thanks to that, Yul Han found a foothold for steadying his wavering heart.

He realized that there were comrades who lit a fire for him, who stayed up through the night together, watching over him with worried eyes.

Even if he had not been a righteous hero, there had been brothers in the past who had shared death with him—and even now, there were those who silently stood by his side.

And there was also the Blood Wolf, constantly rubbing its head against his leg.

For no reason at all, his chest felt warm. He knew that they did not truly understand his worries, his shock, his fear, or his confusion.

And yet…

“It’s warm.”

At Yul Han’s words, spoken after a long silence, Cold Blade Blood hurriedly added more firewood, and at last a smile returned to the lips of Flashing Light Blood, who had been restlessly worried.

Looking at them—and at the Blood Wolf, wagging its tail furiously and rubbing its head against him without restraint—Yul Han thought,

‘Yes. If the past was not just, then I can become just from now on.’

After all, even a beast that once craved blood was trying to change—so how much more so a human being?

Thus, that small change of heart and seemingly insignificant realization calmed Yul Han’s turmoil and brought peace to his mind.

Perhaps because of that, his hand as he stroked the Blood Wolf was gentler than on other days.

Of course, that was somewhat different from the Blood Wolf’s own perspective, which trembled in fear every time he was petted and had to act cute just to survive.

From the next day onward, the journey continued without much incident. There had been a small disturbance in Shaanxi, but aside from that there were no notable clashes.

The same held true when they passed through Gansu, where the Kongtong Sect was based, after crossing the lands of Mount Hua in Shaanxi.

After all, with the strength the Kongtong Sect had left, they could no longer afford to provoke Yul Han and bear the backlash that would follow.

Thus, after passing through Gansu in relative peace and entering Cheonghae—the land of the Demonic Path—the situation changed completely.

As the carriage traveled along the main road, people poured out from the demonic martial sects nearby, scattering flowers and cheering.

As chants like “The Butcher of the Hundred Paths” and “Emperor Salyejin” rang out again and again, Yul Han’s expression hardened.

He had realized why they were cheering.

He had slain the Number One of the Hundred Paths, pushed all the way into the very heart of their territory—the Martial Alliance—and killed dozens of their martial artists once again.

It must have felt exhilarating to them.

If someone from the Hundred Paths had done the same thing to the Demonic Path, he too—Yul Han of his previous life—would have cheered just as loudly.

But now he understood the danger of it, the injustice of it.

And so all of it was “unrighteousness.”

“Let us leave the main road quickly and take an uninhabited mountain path.”

Flashing Light Blood, who had been driving the carriage in high spirits, buoyed by the people’s cheers, froze at the cold voice of the Vice Cult Leader.

He realized that something had displeased him.

Cold Blade Blood seemed to sense the same, for he quickly spread out a map and searched for a route.

“There—if we turn toward that mountain, the path continues through the hills. Let’s go that way.”

At Cold Blade Blood’s words, Flashing Light Blood hurriedly steered the carriage off the main road. The demonic martial artists who had been lined up along the road, waiting, stared at the retreating carriage with puzzled expressions.

The mountain path was quiet.

Naturally so—there were no demonic martial artists bold enough to follow the carriage of the Vice Cult Leader, infamous for his foul temper, into the mountains without even knowing why.

It was a bit disappointing that there were no more cheers from fellow demonic martial artists or flirtatious glances from pretty women, but the leisurely mountain scenery was not bad either, so Cold Blade Blood had no real complaints.

As for Flashing Light Blood, he was someone who would not hesitate even if the Vice Cult Leader said they were going to hell, so whether it was a quiet mountain path or a bustling main road made no difference to him.

Thus, as the carriage traveled along the silent mountain path, it suddenly came to a halt.

There was still plenty of time before nightfall, so it was not to make camp.

Perplexed, Yul Han leaned out of the carriage window.

In his line of sight, he saw Cold Blade Blood trying to remove someone who was blocking the mountain path some distance ahead.

“What is going on?”

Yul Han’s question was answered by Flashing Light Blood, seated on the driver’s bench, in an awkward voice.

“A woman is sitting in the road blocking the way… Cold Blade Blood is trying to move her, so please wait just a moment, Vice Cult Leader.”

Flashing Light Blood’s words only deepened his curiosity, and Yul Han stepped down from the carriage.

“A woman?”

“Yes. Even if it’s a mountain path, blocking the road and having a drinking bout—she’s a completely deranged bitch—”

At the way he hurled abuse at a woman he did not even know, Yul Han’s brows knit slightly.

Noticing this, Flashing Light Blood hurriedly bowed his head.

“…My apologies.”

As Flashing Light Blood remained bowed, Cold Blade Blood returned. The problem was that he had failed to clear the road.

Seeing the woman still blocking the path and drinking, Flashing Light Blood asked,

“Why did you come back like that?”

“She’s totally insane. She says she won’t move no matter what.”

Perhaps because curses had slipped from Cold Blade Blood’s mouth as well, Flashing Light Blood glanced at Yul Han with a flustered expression.

But this time, instead of frowning, Yul Han began walking toward the woman blocking the road.

“I-I will handle it, so—”

“It’s fine. I’m curious what her story is. I’ll go myself.”

Having said only that, Yul Han walked forward slowly, and the Blood Wolf followed after him, its tail swaying gently.

In the end, Flashing Light Blood and Cold Blade Blood, who had exchanged looks, followed behind as well.

When Yul Han drew closer, he confirmed that the person was indeed a woman—quite, no, exceptionally beautiful.

The problem was that such a beautiful woman was—

“Wha’ ya lookin’ at? Never seen a woman before?”

“Hm… she’s drunk.”

“Yeah, I’m drunk. Whatcha gonna do ’bout it? Pick a fight, huh! Bastard.”

“And foul-mouthed too.”

“Yeah, I’m amazin’. So what? Huh! Bastard.”

Mumbling incomprehensible words and guzzling straight from the bottle, the woman was so thoroughly drunk that she could barely keep herself upright.

Her gaudy palace-style outfit clashed with the deep mountain surroundings, and her behavior and speech did not suit her beautiful face at all. Yul Han let out a baffled laugh.

From behind him, Cold Blade Blood approached and spoke quietly.

“She swears really well. She’s a total crazy bitch.”

Just as Yul Han was about to caution him for going too far, the woman, perhaps having heard Cold Blade Blood’s low voice, snapped her head up sharply and glared with blazing eyes.

“What, crazy bitch? You wanna die, you son of a dog? I’ll rip you to pieces, you bastard. I’ll tear you apart!”

At the stream of profanity that hardly seemed like it could have come from a woman’s mouth, Yul Han’s eyes widened. Cold Blade Blood, who had somehow managed to understand it, snorted.

“What? What did you say! You crazy bitch! And did you see it? My little— no, never mind. You crazy bitch!”

Cold Blade Blood looked oddly wounded, and Flashing Light Blood patted him on the back. Shaking his head at the sight of the two of them and smiling bitterly, Yul Han stepped toward the woman.

“Don’t come any closer, bastard. I’ll kill you if you do.”

What the woman pulled out from inside her palace attire was a rather ornate sword. But so drunk was she that she held it upside down, repeatedly trying to draw it by gripping only the end of the scabbard.

Clicking his tongue at the sight, Yul Han stepped into his footwork. In the next instant, he had appeared behind the woman.

As if he had teleported, the Vice Cult Leader crossed several zhang in a single step. At that ability, Cold Blade Blood and Flashing Light Blood clicked their tongues in amazement.

As the two watched in shock, Yul Han pressed the woman’s acupoint.

When the woman fell limp in his arms, slipping into sleep, Cold Blade Blood asked,

“You’re not planning to sleep with that crazy bitch… right?”

At how one could live a life that produced such a comment just because he was holding a woman, Yul Han shot Cold Blade Blood an unpleasant glare.

In that instant, the killing intent that burst forth from Yul Han was so intense that even Cold Blade Blood flinched and had to retreat several steps.

Looking at him, Yul Han clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. She’s a drunk woman. I don’t know what happened, but she must have her reasons. I only intend to let her sleep in the carriage until she sobers up.”

Realizing that his words had displeased the Vice Cult Leader, Cold Blade Blood hurriedly bent at the waist.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Passing by the hastily apologizing Cold Blade Blood with rough steps, Yul Han laid the woman down in the carriage.

“It seems we should rest here for today. Is that acceptable?”

At Yul Han’s question, Flashing Light Blood hurriedly bowed his head.

“Yes. It’s not by a water source, but our water bags are full, so it shouldn’t be bad.”

“Then let’s rest here.”

At Yul Han’s words, Flashing Light Blood bowed his head.

“Yes, Vice Cult Leader.”

Naturally, Cold Blade Blood, who had committed a fault, also bowed without a word.

And so, an unplanned night outdoors took place on an unnamed mountain path at the entrance to Cheonghae.

In Hojo, the first city one encountered after crossing Gansu and entering Cheonghae, a group of martial artists were moving busily, each holding a torch.

“Still haven’t found her?”

“Yes. The young lady’s whereabouts cannot be found anywhere.”

“How could you have handled the escort so carelessly!”

At the sharp-featured man’s bark, the reporting man lowered his head.

“I apologize. She said she wished to bathe, so I kept some distance from the room for a while… it was my subordinate’s mistake.”

“We must find her before this night passes. Deploy more men, and if necessary, seek help from the Temple of the Mad Gale.”

“Won’t that cause unnecessary talk?”

“I don’t care if people talk! The Temple of the Mad Gale knows well enough that the young lady is not going there of her own will. The problem is if we fail to reach the Temple of the Mad Gale within three days. If that happens, it won’t be resolved by just your life or mine being taken. So find her. Find her no matter what!”

At the sharp-featured man’s command, his subordinate answered hurriedly.

“Yes, Pavilion Lord!”

As the man turned away, dozens of men who had been waiting nearby began expanding the search area along with him.