Chapter 66: Have You Upheld Your Convictions? Part 7

– Crackle, crackle.

Anyone who has camped in the forest even once knows this.

A campfire goes out more easily than one might think, so it needs constant tending. You have to poke it with a fire stick, add more logs, and shield it from drafts.

This is also a job that requires a lot of effort, so when camping with several people, one person usually sits by the fire to keep it going.

While wandering the border regions killing demonic spirits, the person who always held the fire stick was Cheong Seo Rin, the daughter of Cheong Jin Myeong.

Cheong Jin Myeong would often bolt upright when he lay down to sleep at night.

When the exhausted members of the Black Moon Unit who were covered in blood from killing demonic spirits all day lay down to rest, he would always remember the empty eyes of that girl sitting by the fire.

– Father.

It was when Cheong Jin Myeong who had returned from slaying dozens of lower demonic spirits during the day sat by the fire. Cheong Seo Rin was wrapped in a shabby cotton cloth, poked the fire with a stick, and spoke in that vacant voice.

– Can we stop hunting demonic spirits?

The Black Moon Unit members who had lost their hometown were like family to Cheong Jin Myeong, and it was his belief to take responsibility for the Black Moon Unit which shared the same wounds until the end.

Having lost their hometown and possessing no skills other than killing demonic spirits, it was too late to shake off the label of being a cursed group of demonic spirit hunters.

If they wanted to start a new life now, they would have to go to a distant land where no one knew them, and a lot of money was needed for that.

However, it also troubled him that his only daughter had to wander around with these demonic spirit hunters at such a young age.

– We have our old house in Anyang province.

There was no particular emotion in the words of his only daughter, Cheong Seo Rin.

But the meaning behind them was heavy.

In truth, it would have been easy to free himself from all obligations immediately.

He could just turn a blind eye to everything related to the Black Moon Unit and, under the cover of night, take Cheong Seo Rin to a distant land to settle down.

He could abandon his position as the Black Moon Unit leader and just farm and then he could find a good person for his daughter.

However, Cheong Jin Myeong couldn’t do that.

He had to uphold his convictions.

“…Your Highness, it seems there is some misunderstanding.”

In fact, if Seol Tae Pyeong had to name the person he valued the most after his sister, it would have to be Yeon Ri.

She was the most crucial person in killing the Plague Demonic Spirit.

Although various emotions could accompany this interpretation, Seol Tae Pyeong’s regard for Ah Hyun was purely due to the importance of her position as the Heavenly Maiden.

However, what were Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s thoughts?

She had witnessed the interactions between Seol Tae Pyeong and the mistresses of the four great palaces dozens of times, and not only had her peculiar sense of guilt towards Seol Tae Pyeong been triggered, but the urgency of the situation left her in a state where she couldn’t think straight.

The current situation led Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun to a certain conclusion.

What should I do? He seems to like me.

Of course, when Seol Tae Pyeong heard Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s assumption, he couldn’t help but frown.

“………”

“…Tae Pyeong-ah, I am a woman too, so making such a face is too much…”

“Wh-What kind of face did I make?”

“It was like you had discovered a squashed insect corpse on the road.”

“………”

Seol Tae Pyeong didn’t know how to respond, so he decided not to answer at all.

Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun quickly shook her head to dispel her embarrassment and turned her gaze to the Moon Demonic Spirit who was twisting its body grotesquely.

At that moment, the Moon Demonic Spirit suddenly raised its head. Its terrifying red eyes were bulging with veins.

As soon as it saw Seol Tae Pyeong, the Moon Demonic Spirit flinched and trembled.

Seol Tae Pyeong was equally taken aback. The Moon Demonic Spirit’s appearance unmistakably resembled that of Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang.

Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun was unsure where to begin explaining, but Seol Tae Pyeong seemed to understand without needing an explanation.

The king of the Demonic Spirits who even tried to swallow the Heavenly Dragon was the Plague Demonic Spirit. No matter how much the Heavenly Dragon’s power rewound the time, that couldn’t completely eliminate the Plague Demonic Spirit’s memories and soul.

The proof was the Moon Demonic Spirit before his eyes who took on the form of Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang.

Seol Tae Pyeong drew his Jade Leaf sword.

As a warrior who subdued enemies through pure physical strength, he was at a disadvantage against Taoists.

Their spiritual and divine powers were unaffected by physical force, so this allowed them to easily subdue opponents from a distance using their Taoist magic. This was why most warriors did not favor battles against enemies with Taoist allies.

Of course, Taoists were scarce, as it took many years of training on a sacred mountain with clear energy to become even barely proficient in Taoist magic. The White Immortal of the White Palace who received treatment equivalent to that of an upper third-rank official, could speak on equal terms with an upper first-rank official because of the rarity of Taoists.

Therefore, for a warrior to gain the upper hand against a Taoist, they needed a way to counteract Taoist techniques.

The Jade Leaf sword left to Seol Tae Pyeong by White Immortal Lee Cheol Woon filled that crucial gap for him as a warrior.

Whoooooosh!

The rising demonic energy tried to engulf the entire Heavenly Jade Pavilion, but when Seol Tae Pyeong swung the Jade Leaf sword widely, that ominous energy vanished as if it had never been there.

Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran whose bent back was trembling flinched and halted its movements.

Seol Tae Pyeong then kicked off the ground and closed the distance in an instant.

When he saw it up close, he was convinced.

No matter how he looked at it, Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran had taken on the appearance of Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang.

It had recreated Jin Cheong Lang in her strongest form. Or at least just as the Moon Demonic Spirit had observed her strongest form to be.

That form was from when she sincerely communicated with Seol Tae Pyeong and held onto him until the end.

He understood why Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun hadn’t informed him about the true identity of Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran beforehand.

Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun had witnessed Seol Tae Pyeong slay Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran countless times over the years.

There were times when Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun managed to handle Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran herself, but there were also times when Seol Tae Pyeong had to wield the sword.

Somewhere in the flow of the past.

Having to cut down Jin Cheong Lang, with whom he had shared a deep connection, must have been a heavy burden on his heart.

And so, Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun did not want to make Seol Tae Pyeong kill Jin Cheong Lang.

Whooosh!

Leaping between the numerous rocks of Heavenly Jade Pavilion, Seol Tae Pyeong landed in front of the Moon Demonic Spirit and drew his Cold Iron Heavy Sword with his other hand.

Unlike the arm holding the Jade Leaf Sword, the hand gripping the Iron Heavy Sword had veins bulging prominently. The Cold Iron Heavy Sword was too heavy to wield with one hand, but Seol Tae Pyeong managed somehow.

Whooosh! Clang!

However, a rock suddenly shot up from the ground and blocked Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword.

When Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran rolled her red eyes and wielded her power again, numerous rocks rose up and surrounded her in a protective circle.

Whooosh!

Bang!

But when Seol Tae Pyeong twisted his body and delivered a powerful kick, most of the rocks shattered into pieces.

Through the scattering rock fragments, Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran’s form emerged.

Veins bulged here and there, and although she wore shabby clothes … even in this grotesque appearance, Jin Cheong Lang’s unique vibrancy seemed to remain.

Seol Tae Pyeong’s brows furrowed for a moment at that sight, but he gritted his teeth and shook his head as he dug through the rocks.

Thud thud thud

Warrior commander Jang Rae struck the reins hard with Crown Prince Hyeon Won seated in front of the saddle.

The horse galloping across the plains of the Imperial Garden was picking up speed. If they continued at this pace, they would reach the outer post.

However, the enemy’s pursuit would not end here. Jang Rae was prepared for this.

Whooosh!

Cheong Jin Myeong was chasing Jang Rae on horseback from far behind.

Jang Rae tried to increase the horse’s speed as much as possible, but Cheong Jin Myeong pulled a short bow from his back and aimed at Jang Rae.

Swiiiiiish!

Thwang!

Jang Rae quickly drew his sword and deflected the arrow, but protecting Crown Prince Hyeon Won made his movements restricted. Eventually, Jang Rae lost his balance and fell off the horse.

Thud! Crash!

Jang Rae gritted his teeth and tightly hugged Crown Prince Hyeon Won to somehow cushion the impact.

However, falling from a horse at full speed was more painful than expected. Since he had absorbed the impact meant for the Crown Prince, Jang Rae had to suppress the scream that was about to escape.

“Grrk!”

Cheong Jin Myeong who was wearing a white hood landed and charged toward Jang Rae.

Clang!

Jang Rae successfully blocked Cheong Jin Myeong’s long sword with his own, but the searing pain suggested he might have fractured a bone.

“Run! He’s alone!”

He pushed his sword up and shouted at Crown Prince Hyeon Won who was still rolling on the ground.

Crown Prince Hyeon Won stood up, gripped his dirt-covered heavenly dragon robe, and stared at Jang Rae.

Those eyes were so empty that it sent shivers down Jang Rae’s spine. It made him wonder if the prince might just stay still.

However, Crown Prince Hyeon Won eventually ran across the plain just like Jang Rae had instructed.

The moment Cheong Jin Myeong drew a dagger from his waist and started to follow, Jang Rae sprang to his feet and swung his sword.

Clang! Clang!

Blood trickled down Jang Rae’s forehead. The impact from the fall had been more severe than he had anticipated.

Nevertheless, Jang Rae kept swinging his sword and blocking Cheong Jin Myeong’s movements.

“You! Whose orders are you following to attack the Crown Prince?!”

They both knew there was no way Cheong Jin Myeong would answer such a question. Jang Rae’s only goal was to prevent him from pursuing Crown Prince Hyeon Won any further.

Eventually, Cheong Jin Myeong took a poison pouch from his clothes and scattered it. The area was instantly enveloped in a bluish smoke. It was a blood poison that sapped one’s strength.

Oh no!

Jang Rae quickly covered his airways with his sleeve.

However, he couldn’t avoid Cheong Jin Myeong’s ensuing attack.

Cheong Jin Myeong kicked Jang Rae in the lower abdomen, shook him off, and ran in the direction Crown Prince Hyeon Won had fled.

General Seong Sa Wook would be chasing after him urgently. There was little time left.

This was the only chance to kill Crown Prince Hyeon Won. If he missed this opportunity, the entire journey with the Black Moon unit would be for nothing. The dream of starting a new life would disappear.

“Stop! Damn it! My strength…!”

Jang Rae tried to disperse the poison’s effects and struggled to catch Cheong Jin Myeong, but he lacked the energy to stop him.

Even if the not-yet-adult Crown Prince Hyeon Won ran with all his might, he stood no chance against the Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong.

As Cheong Jin Myeong ran a bit further, he spotted Crown Prince Hyeon Won at the edge of the forest within the plain.

The heavenly dragon robe was covered with dirt and the disheveled headband painted a pitiful picture.

Cheong Jin Myeong rushed forward and grabbed Crown Prince Hyeon Won’s arm.

“Ugh!”

The sharp pain radiating from his clenched hand forced Cheong Jin Myeong to furrow his brow.

Then, Cheong Jin Myeong yanked his arm and flung Crown Prince Hyeon Won to the ground on the opposite side.

Thud!

Crown Prince Hyeon Won rolled across the dirt and caught himself on the ground.

“……”

Cheong Jin Myeong looked down at Crown Prince Hyeon Won with his sword drawn.

Right in front of him was the future ruler of Cheongdo.

A single strike of the sword could end his life. Humans were indeed such fragile creatures.

Even the future master of the heavenly dragon who was destined to command the world and place all beneath him would die if his throat were pierced by a blade lying on the street. It would be as if he had never existed in the first place.

Cheong Jin Myeong no longer felt uncomfortable with this fact.

Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong had lived his life committing countless killings, regardless of whether they were demonic spirits or humans. Now, the name of Crown Prince Hyeon Won would simply be added to that list.

And so … the Black Moon Leader approached Crown Prince Hyeon Won.

The sharp tip of his sword was aimed at the Crown Prince of Cheongdo.

Before concluding everything… Cheong Jin Myeong met eyes with Crown Prince Hyeon Won.

“……!”

At that moment, Cheong Jin Myeong took a deep breath.