Little Demon Reversion to Youth

Chapter 175

Baekji approached the 'Little Ghost', who was still emitting smoke from his seven orifices.

"Hmm... to remove the soul and train the seven ethereal souls. It's a novel way to make a 'jiangshi'."

Although he had been greatly injured by the 'divine energy' of the Kunlun Mountains, the 'Little Ghost' had not died. Baekji placed his hand on the 'Little Ghost's' head and performed the 'Great Soul Spirit Art', placing a restriction on his spirit.

A moment later, when Baekji removed his hand, Oh Jeong-ri asked, "Are you sure he's dead?"

Oh Jeong-ri, who had directly clashed with the 'Little Ghost', asked out of an old woman's concern that he might come back to life.

"He's already dead, how can he die again? Since his seven ethereal souls are broken, he will gradually fade away. But since he shouldn't run wild, I've placed a restriction on his spirit."

"Oh... is that possible?"

Oh Jeong-ri was impressed. To place a restriction on a spirit... he realized anew that the Demonic Cult was indeed skilled in strange, evil arts. At the same time, he came to believe that Baekji was definitely a descendant of the So family.

"Let's take this brat. Then the 'Great Ghost' will follow on his own."

In the meantime, Wu Ha woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he sat down. Oh Jeong-ri and Seomun Jeong-ha supported Wu Ha.

"The 'Yin Wind Twin Ghosts'......?"

"We caught the 'Little Ghost'. The 'Great Ghost' ran away."

At Oh Jeong-ri's words, Wu Ha looked at Baekji with a proud face. It was a face as if to say, 'I did well, right?'.

'Did you see? I caught what you couldn't catch...' A sense of rivalry could also be seen.

"You did well."

When Baekji stroked Wu Ha's head, his face turned bright red.

"Be polite."

Thwack!

Baekji hit the back of his head.

"What kind of way is that to talk to your older brother?"

* * *

He never did meet the 'Blood Wind Squad'.

It was because Baekji had insisted on going with the 'Mainland Merchant Sect' caravan. The demonic person and the 'Silent Saber', unable to stand following the slowly moving caravan, had gone ahead, saying they would inform the So family that Baekji and Wu Ha were coming.

In the evening, they would light a bonfire with the caravan members and eat roasted lamb, and they would sleep on wool in the tents provided by the merchant sect.

Zheng Xingbiao and the caravan's guards treated Baekji with the utmost respect. The only person who received the same treatment as Baekji was a young man called Young Master Yuan.

Although Young Master Yuan had been offended on the first day when Baekji had ignored him, it did not last long.

From the second day, he had been hovering around Baekji, and after a few days, he was always sticking to his side.

Baekji did not refuse either.

From Young Master Yuan's bundle of luggage, snacks came out endlessly. Even now, the two were whispering while chewing on dried fruit.

"Are you really not thinking of becoming a guard? I'll give you the best treatment."

Young Master Yuan was in the middle of persuading Baekji to become a guard.

"You're saying that because you don't know the martial world, but I am a person of the Demonic Cult. If I guard you, the brats from the Righteous Path will come and harass you. The 'Mainland Merchant Sect' will be ruined."

"What on earth did the Demonic Cult do so wrong to be on such bad terms with the Righteous Path?"

Baekji put a dried fruit in his mouth, chewed, and said, "They say they fought a long time ago. The grudge still remains."

"Are you saying they are still carrying on the grudge of the previous generation?"

"Yes... to a martial artist, a grudge is... like a debt to a merchant. Wouldn't you collect the debt of the previous generation?"

"I would!"

Young Master Yuan said firmly. Baekji said, "The brats who have learned martial arts always live with the thought of fighting. Why? Because they have to practice the words of the sage that if you have learned and have mastered it, you must sometimes fight. A grudge is a good justification for a fight. That's why the fights don't stop."

Although it was a statement that didn't make sense, Young Master Yuan listened diligently.

He could not carelessly listen to the thoughts of a master like Baekji.

"If there is no Demonic Cult, there is no Martial Alliance. Because there is a Martial Alliance, the Demonic Cult members are also living, sticking together. If there are no fights, there is no need to learn martial arts to the point of breaking your bones. If you have learned martial arts with difficulty, you can feel a sense of accomplishment only when you beat someone down. That's why the Demonic Cult and the Martial Alliance have no choice but to pretend to be on bad terms."

"I see..."

Young Master Yuan nodded his head with a disappointed expression.

"You are a merchant. You have to keep the middle well. You have to be good at walking the tightrope between this side and that side to get a big profit. If you only help one side, the other side will try to take your neck. Got it?"

Young Master Yuan had said he was a direct line of the 'Mainland Merchant Sect'. Baekji had firmly instructed him for the future.

"In that sense, it is a very desirable thing to have an exchange with me. I am of the Demonic Cult's So family... ah, I don't know if you know. The head family of the twelve guardian families of the Demonic Cult is the So family. The Heavenly Demon has come from the So family for generations. I am a direct line of that So family. I am of a noble status that cannot do things like guarding the 'Mainland Merchant Sect'. So give up and just live as someone I know."

"Then can I open a trade with the Demonic Cult?"

"Of course. Do you have any more snacks?"

Young Master Yuan took out a 'hwagwaja' (flower-shaped confection) from his bundle of luggage this time.

"Oho, this is unusual. It's a very pretty snack."

"Come and visit Hangzhou later. I'll give you a lot of delicious things."

"Alright. I'll remember that. Taoist Wu Ha... try this. It's quite delicious."

Baekji threw a 'hwagwaja' to Wu Ha. Wu Ha caught it in a hurry and then frowned.

"If you only chase after what is sweet to the mouth, you will soon be with a demon."

"What are you talking about? Why does a demon come out when you're eating a snack? If you don't want it, give it here."

Wu Ha quickly bit the 'hwagwaja'.

"It's okay, just once."

Baekji and Young Master Yuan were silent for a moment as they were eating the 'hwagwaja'.

Then Zheng Xingbiao approached.

"Young Master Yuan, I have something to tell you."

Zheng Xingbiao, as if he were not happy about the two hanging out, had been wandering around and had interfered whenever he had a chance, taking Young Master Yuan away.

As Baekji was left alone, Oh Jeong-ri said, "It seems we have to part with the caravan now. We must go north."

"Are we already there?"

'Ugh... he has no sense of time at all.'

Oh Jeong-ri inwardly let out a groan. It had taken nearly a month to travel a distance that would have taken ten days if they had hurried.

"Since the demonic person and the 'Silent Saber' have gone ahead, they will be waiting at the So family. Perhaps from other families as well... it seems they have come out to meet us... it will be inconvenient if there are caravans."

He euphemistically conveyed that other families might send assassins.

"How many have come?"

"......?"

"Yes. I came slowly so that they would come out to meet us. Great Hero Oh, go and take a look."

"Ah!"

Oh Jeong-ri was surprised.

'He had a plan all along.'

He realized that the intention of coming slowly on purpose was to test the twelve families.

'Well...'

The martial prowess of Baekji he had seen was truly absolute. He did not know if there was anyone who could be his opponent besides the Demonic Cult Leader.

"Ah, by the way! Everyone, know this. From now on, I am at the 'true realm'."

Then he raised his energy to the extent of the 'true realm'. The bulging of his 'taiyang' point was a typical characteristic of the early 'true realm'. As one went to the later stage, the 'taiyang' point would subside, and when one entered the 'flower realm', it would become flat.

"You have to be careful with your mouths. You must not let it be known that I am an absolute master. Hmm... killing them to silence them is the best..."

Baekji looked at Oh Jeong-ri, Seomun Jeong-ha, and Wu Ha in turn and licked his lips. Oh Jeong-ri's spine turned cold.

'I had forgotten for a moment that this brat is a demon head.'

The worst demon head in the history of the Demonic Cult was the Young Lord, So Ya-hu. If one made a slip of the tongue, he would beat them to the point where they would crawl, regardless of their age. Was it for nothing that he was called the 'Little Demon'? What more could be said of the grandson who had inherited that blood?

Oh Jeong-ri stroked his own neck and said politely, "A guest's mouth is heavy. It has been quite a while since I have lived, pretending not to see what I have seen and not to hear what I have heard."

"Uh? That's just a saying. I'm not saying I'm really going to kill you to silence you. Just talk as usual. It's strange that you're suddenly being so polite. I'm much younger than you."

"Ahem, ahem..."

Oh Jeong-ri let out a dry cough and stealthily stepped back.

The next day.

At the crossroads, Baekji said to Zheng Xingbiao, "Don't you want to go and see the Heavenly Mountains?"

Next to him, Young Master Yuan's eyes sparkled.

"Alright. Are you inviting me?"

Zheng Xingbiao hastily stepped forward and waved his hands.

"Although my heart is eager, my schedule is tight... Young Master Yuan, we also have to hurry on our way."

Young Master Yuan was disappointed, and Baekji was sad.

"Yes. But we've eaten from the same pot for a month... it's sad to just part. If you can stop by on your way back after finishing your trade, then stop by."

"Shall I?"

Young Master Yuan's eyes sparkled again. And he quietly approached, took something out from his bosom, and handed it over.

"By any chance... even if I can't stop by, come and find me at the 'Mainland Merchant Sect' headquarters in Hangzhou later. I'll give you something delicious."

"Alright. Hehehe."

Wu Ha, who was listening from the side, closed his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"Immeasurable Buddha! The affection between a man and a woman is also just a momentary dream after it has passed... how foolish, how foolish..."

At those words, Young Master Yuan was startled.

Thwack―!

Baekji hit the back of Wu Ha's head.

"She's disguised as a man because she has her reasons, so is it okay to expose her like that?"

Young Master Yuan's face turned bright red.

"Uh... um. Um. You knew?"

"Aigoo... with a chest that sticks out like that, who wouldn't know?"

At the explicit expression, Young Master Yuan's face turned bright red.

"You, you... ca-cancel! Don't come!"

Young Master Yuan went away without even looking back.

"Th-then... go well."

Zheng Xingbiao, barely managing to say goodbye, followed. The caravan, unlike before, disappeared at a much faster speed.

As they went up the north road from the crossroads, the speed was still not fast. Baekji said that since it was his first time in the Heavenly Mountains, he had to go while looking at the scenery.

Oh Jeong-ri, who knew that it was a means to lure the enemy, did not say much. However, since it was time for a welcome party from the So family to come, but there was no news, he was secretly worried.

As he was frequently going forward to check the front, Baekji said, "They won't come from the So family. Don't wait."

"What does that mean?"

Baekji frowned.

"I heard that my grandfather, in the past... as soon as he heard a brat ask a question back, he beat him to death... haven't you heard, Great Hero Oh?"

There was no way he didn't know. Because it was a representative atrocity of the Young Lord that was talked about in the Demonic Cult.

"Don't forget that I am of that bloodline. If you focus on my words, there will be no such thing as asking a question back."

"I understand."

Oh Jeong-ri answered with a reluctant expression.

"I told the 'Silent Saber'. The direct line of the So family will go with its own strength. So I told him there was no need to send people."

"Ah, I see."

"Don't worry. Wu Ha will do well."

Oh Jeong-ri almost said, 'what does that mean?' again. He bit his molars and looked back and forth between Wu Ha and Baekji without a word.

Wu Ha also looked at Baekji as if to say, 'what does that mean?'.

"The So family is taking Wu Ha to put him forward as the Young Lord. So he has to open the way himself."

"Honored One So is also of the So family's bloodline."

"I told you. I am going to offer incense at my grandfather's memorial tablet. Since I have asked them to widely publicize my pure intentions... surely there will be no brat who will misinterpret my intentions and start a fight."

Wu Ha interrupted.

"I am also not interested in the position of Young Lord. I am just... going to grasp the root of the demon and to plant the true 'Tao'."

"Hehe... he's not in his right mind. To a demonic person, the true 'Tao'... the 'Three Immortals of Kunlun' are truly amazing people. How can they make a child into this state?"

Baekji shook his head.

"Anyway... I am at the 'true realm'. I will only fight to the extent of the 'true realm'... so you take care of the rest. You have to survive to preach the 'Tao' or whatever, right?"

Baekji, while speaking, looked ahead. At the top of a sloping hill, four people were standing. It was a middle-aged man wearing a red robe, a young man also wearing a red martial arts uniform, and two martial artists in red light armor who seemed to be guards.

"The Hong family!"

Oh Jeong-ri let out a groan.

The Hong family, one of the twelve guardian families of the Demonic Cult, had appeared.

(End of Chapter)