Chapter 181

Jeok Wigang asked,

“You’ll listen to your father from now on, won’t you?”

“Yes!”

“And you’ll dress properly?”

“Yes!”

“You’ll study hard, take the imperial examination, too.”

“Yes!”

“Promise me.”

“Yes! I promise!”

Standing ramrod straight, the young man answered every question with vigorous enthusiasm.

“If you break your promise and I hear you’ve started acting strangely again, we’ll have another talk.”

At the words another talk, all the color drained from the young man’s face.

“I’ll keep my promise no matter what!”

Jeok Wigang beamed at his emphatic answer.

“Looks like he’s completely cured.”

“Good heavens....”

The county magistrate could hardly believe it.

So many physicians had tried and failed to cure his son.

“How in the world did you do it?”

Jeok Wigang thought for a moment, then looked at the young man.

“You tell him.”

The son bowed his head and began to speak.

“The truth is... I was never insane.”

“What?”

The county magistrate jolted at the shocking confession.

“W-what do you mean, you were never insane?”

“I pretended to be mad because... I hated you, Father.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Mother... died because of you. I couldn’t bear it. I was suffering, but you seemed completely unaffected, and I resented you for it. So... I acted that way because I wanted you to feel at least a little of the pain I was feeling.”

The magistrate was stunned.

“Your mother’s death wasn’t my fault. She had been ill for years....”

“I know. But you could at least have stayed by her side. Every day you said you were too busy with official duties, and you barely even showed your face.”

“T-that was because... affairs of state kept me so busy....”

“If you had cared for Mother even half as much as you cared for me after I ‘went mad,’ she wouldn’t have died so lonely.”

“I’m sorry....”

Seeing his father apologize seemed to soften some of the anger in the young man.

“It’s fine.... Truthfully, watching you suffer never made me feel very good either.”

“Then you should have stopped.”

“I don’t know.... At some point, I became confused about whether I was merely pretending to be mad or had actually gone mad. After that, if I went even one day without acting that way, I became anxious.”

“Good heavens....”

“I knew I was hurting other people, but I couldn’t stop.”

“And now?”

“After getting beaten, my head cleared right up.”

“What? W-what do you mean, beaten?”

“That gentleman over there beat me.”

At those words, the county magistrate glared fiercely at Jeok Wigang.

His son hurried to intervene.

“Please don’t look at him like that. He is my benefactor. He cured me.”

“What are you talking about? You just said he beat you!”

“It hurt, but strangely enough, I felt relieved afterward. No one had ever disciplined me like that before. He was the first person who truly meant it when he corrected me.”

The magistrate finally stopped glaring at Jeok Wigang, though he still looked far from pleased.

Someone had struck the son he had treasured like a jewel.

Just how hard had Jeok Wigang beaten him to knock him back to his senses?

Part of the magistrate wanted to use every scrap of authority he possessed to teach the man a lesson.

Ye Yahyeon took one look at his expression, grinned, and displayed the token hanging at his waist.

“I’d forget about using your authority, if I were you.”

The moment the magistrate saw the token, he recoiled.

“Th-the Dragon Emblem Token!”

“You really are a county magistrate. You recognized it right away.”

“W-why is a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard here...?”

“Consider yourself fortunate. If you’d been abusing your authority and mistreating the people, today would have been your last day in office.”

The magistrate bowed deeply.

“Thank you, my lord!”

He had truly come within a hair’s breadth of disaster.

“And you should consider it an honor. Do you have any idea who personally disciplined your son?”

“What?”

Someone whom a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard addressed with such extreme respect?

“He is the Grand Tutor Regent, second only to His Majesty.”

“Th-the Grand Tutor Regent?”

An imperial edict had been issued.

A new office called Grand Tutor Regent had been created, and its holder stood directly beneath the Emperor.

He had even been granted the Imperial Command Tablet, along with an imperial command stating that the Grand Tutor Regent was to be treated as though the Emperor himself were present.

The county magistrate immediately threw himself to the ground before Jeok Wigang.

“Gyeong Taeseung, County Magistrate of Baili County, pays his respects to the Grand Tutor Regent!”

“Please get up.”

“Yes!”

Gyeong Taeseung sprang to his feet and stood before him with impeccable deference.

Jeok Wigang said,

“Other than matters involving your son, you seem to be an honest official who governs for the good of the people. I’ll let this incident pass quietly.”

“Th-thank you!”

“Make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“I-I will engrave your words upon my heart, Your Highness!”

Leaving the deeply bowing magistrate behind, Jeok Wigang turned to his son.

“Tomorrow, dress properly and come to the textile shop.”

“Yes, sir.”

*****

With the dispute settled, Jeok Wigang headed straight for the Heavenly Yin Gate.

The moment he arrived, Jin Muryang came running out.

“You’re here, Elder Brother.”

“I heard something interesting happened?”

Jin Muryang grinned.

“I knew you’d be interested. Come inside first. I had the boys prepare a feast.”

“Anyone watching would think this was your sect.”

“I merely gave them a little education.”

“Let’s go in.”

The Heavenly Yin Gate disciples stared in astonishment as Jin Muryang practically fawned over Jeok Wigang.

That terrifying man was behaving deferentially toward someone?

Then just how powerful was that young man?

Jin Muryang led them into a room where a massive table was covered edge to edge with food.

“Why did you prepare so much?”

“I tried it earlier and it was delicious. I thought you should have some too, so I told them to bring out everything good.”

Ye Yahyeon and Baek Ryeongso immediately backed him up.

“He’s right. The food really is excellent.”

“Really? Then let’s try it.”

Hearing that, Jeok Wigang sat down.

Just then, Hyeol Sagwang, Gate Master of the Heavenly Yin Gate, entered the room.

“I found the Baeksan liquor!”

He proudly set an entire cask down in front of Jin Muryang.

Jin Muryang barely acknowledged him and instead smiled brightly at Jeok Wigang.

“Elder Brother! This liquor is incredible. Try some!”

He lifted the entire cask and filled Jeok Wigang’s cup to the brim.

A sweet fragrance of alcohol tickled his nose.

“Oh! Smells good.”

“Right? Wait until you taste it. It’s fantastic.”

“Is that so?”

Jeok Wigang drained the cup in one go.

“Ah! That’s good!”

Jin Muryang looked delighted by his approval.

Hyeol Sagwang, meanwhile, stared at the scene in shock.

Who was Jin Muryang?

An absolute monster who had toyed not only with Hyeol Sagwang himself, but even with the protectors of the Sichuan Divine Cult.

Yet here that terrifying expert was pouring drinks and bending over backward for a young man who looked barely twenty.

“Hey!”

Hyeol Sagwang snapped out of his daze at the shout.

“What are you doing? Get over here and greet Elder Brother.”

“E-Elder Brother?”

“He’s the man I serve. What are you waiting for?”

“What? Ah—yes!”

Still unable to make sense of the situation, Hyeol Sagwang hurried over and prostrated himself before Jeok Wigang.

“H-Hyeol Sagwang, Gate Master of the Heavenly Yin Gate, pays his respects, my lord!”

Jeok Wigang asked,

“How did you become involved with the Sichuan Divine Cult?”

“They contacted me first. They said they had wonderful news to share.”

“Wonderful news?”

“Yes. They said the Four Divine Demons disappeared because they were seeking to attain a new realm. They claimed the Four would soon descend upon the world again, reduce Heavenly Martial Castle and the Heavenly Martial Emperor to ashes, and make the world belong to them.”

Jeok Wigang gave a faint laugh.

“That’s entertaining. Keep going.”

“Th-they also said sects that joined early would receive enormous benefits. Once the Four Divine Demons returned to the world, they would personally recognize the sects that followed them and grant those sects the power to rule the Central Plains.”

At that, Ye Yahyeon turned to Jin Muryang.

“You planning to give them that?”

“Are you insane? I barely have enough strength to keep myself alive.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Hyeol Sagwang tilted his head at their exchange.

Were they offended by all this talk of the Four Divine Demons?

Come to think of it, they had reacted the same way before.

Jeok Wigang looked at Jin Muryang, Ye Yahyeon, and Baek Ryeongso.

“You three really know nothing about this?”

All three practically jumped.

“Absolutely nothing! If we’d known, we would’ve gone there first and smashed the whole thing apart!”

“Exactly! What kind of nonsense is this...? A divine cult devoted to worshipping us? It’s so embarrassing I can barely show my face!”

At Ye Yahyeon’s use of us, Hyeol Sagwang stared at him as though he had lost his mind.

What?

Why was he talking as if they themselves were the Four Divine Demons?

Now that he thought about it, every time the Four Divine Demons were mentioned, these men had shown nothing but indifference.

Any ordinary person from the Central Plains would have paled, tried to silence the speaker, or refused to hear another word.

Could it be...?

No.

Surely not.

As Hyeol Sagwang stared at them, Jin Muryang noticed.

“Why are you looking at us like that?”

“What?”

Hyeol Sagwang flinched.

A sudden chill ran through him at the thought that his suspicion might actually be correct.

“It’s probably exactly what you’re thinking.”

Jin Muryang grinned.

Hyeol Sagwang went pale.

“W-what exactly do you think I’m thinking?”

“That we’re the Four Divine Demons.”

Hyeol Sagwang swallowed hard and asked cautiously,

“Y-you’re... not, right?”

Jin Muryang chuckled.

“I literally just told you. It’s exactly what you think.”

“Y-you’re one of the F-F-Four... Divine Demons?”

Jin Muryang nodded.

Hyeol Sagwang’s gaze slowly shifted to Ye Yahyeon.

Ye Yahyeon smiled and waved.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the Poison-Mandate Divine Demon.”

The Poison-Mandate Divine Demon.

The terror of whom it was said that no living thing remained wherever he passed....

Baek Ryeongso spoke indifferently.

“I’ll pass.”

“Why? Formation-Annihilating Divine Demon is such a magnificent title.”

“F-Formation-Annihilating Divine Demon!”

The terrifying figure rumored to burn a person’s soul away while they were still alive.

“And that bastard over there—the one you’ve become closest to—is the Ghost-Annihilating Divine Demon.”

Hyeol Sagwang no longer had the strength to be surprised.

His gaze finally moved to Jeok Wigang.

Then that man must be the last of them.

The Heaven-Conquering Divine Demon.

Just as the thought crossed his mind—

“That man isn’t the Heaven-Conquering Divine Demon.”

Was Jin Muryang a ghost?

Could he read minds?

“He’s the one who took us Four Divine Demons in.”

Took them in?

Jin Muryang walked over to Hyeol Sagwang, who had collapsed onto the floor, crouched in front of him, and met his eyes.

“Well? How does it feel seeing the real thing?”

“A-are you really them?”

“Of course. Why, do we look fake? Ah! I suppose these faces are disguises, so maybe ‘fake’ isn’t entirely wrong.”

“D-disguises?”

“Right. It would be troublesome if people recognized us, so we changed our appearances and have been living like this.”

“Then... you’ve been active all this time?”

Jin Muryang nodded.

Goosebumps rose across Hyeol Sagwang’s skin.

The entire martial world had been completely deceived.

Only now did he understand why these people had treated the Sichuan Divine Cult as a joke and shown not the slightest fear at the mention of the Four Divine Demons.

“When are these bastards going to show up, anyway?”

“This waiting is getting tedious. If only we knew where they were, we could go find them ourselves.”

“They’ll come eventually.”

Speak of the tiger and it appears.

Jin Muryang grinned.

“Looks like they’re here.”

A smile also spread across Ye Yahyeon’s lips.

“Their qi isn’t bad.”

“Heh heh. It’d better not be. If you’re going to impersonate us, no one would believe you if you sent a bunch of nobodies.”

“I wonder who this cult leader is. Think it’s someone we know?”

“Could be.”

“We’ll have our answer soon enough.”

Jin Muryang turned to Hyeol Sagwang.

“What are you doing? You’ve got guests outside. Go greet them.”

“What? Y-you want me to go alone?”

“Why? Scared?”

Hyeol Sagwang nodded.

Jin Muryang sighed.

“Good grief. Fine. I’ll come with you.”

“Thank you.”