Chapter 85

설가 is still just skin and bones now as he was a week ago, with his eyes all sunken in.

But why does he seem… prettier?

Qing’s observation skills are right at his level.

If someone was sneaking around the house, switching up the furniture and sneaking off with little bits of food, I reckon I wouldn’t even notice for a week, thinking it was just my imagination.

If I can tell, there’s got to be something groundbreaking going on, right?

What is it? Why does he look like he’s gotten prettier?

Did his nose get a bit narrower?

And his face seems a tad more oval too.

Qing scrutinized Seolga’s face carefully.

And then, he finally noticed the big difference.

Yeah, it’s the eyes!

Seolga originally had long, stretched-out eyes with pupils as tiny as grains of rice, looking like something straight out of a freak show.

But now, what the heck is going on with those eyes?

What kind of dude has—ugh, seriously?

Qing thought with disgust.

What are those eyelashes…?

Of course, Qing didn’t just keep this to himself.

He could never hold back.

“Did you get eyelash extensions or something?”

Seolga replied calmly.

“It’s a side effect.”

“So, the Girl’s Joyous Mirror is from the fairy technique, but is it really this potent?”

Wasn’t it said that the Girl’s Joyous Mirror was crafted by fairies from the secret techniques of martial arts?

But really, how does beauty stat even work?

Even if Qing had chosen to be a guy, the beauty stat would still be the same.

Back then, when beauty went up, it just meant looking better, not necessarily prettier.

Seolga cleared up Qing’s inquiries.

“It’s because I cultivated the Moonjade Maiden Technique.”

“The Moonjade Maiden Technique?”

When Qing was confused, the people in the world could instantly recognize that ignorance.

“It’s a vile demonic art that turns you into a woman. I learned the Surabingchen Demonic Art as a substitute. I had no idea my Girl’s Joyous Mirror came from the orthodox teachings. I thought Hwanhui Palace was just a place for lustful womanizers.”

The Girl’s Joyous Mirror was a divine skill that subdued the demonic and transformed it into pure True Energy.

It also followed the Dao’s principle of moderation.

Once the Girl’s Joyous Mirror suppressed and refined the Surabingchen Demonic Art, the original Moonjade Maiden Technique was revived.

The term “jade woman” means a woman as pure as jade—one who is pure both inside and out.

The moon symbolizes purity and great yin, and the essence of it signifies righteousness.

This is the study of a refined and pure beauty.

Essentially, it was the selective symbiotic target of the Girl’s Joyous Mirror.

“Uh, so what does that mean?”

“It means the shattering of the demonic Surabingchen has restored the achievement of the Moonjade technique that was scattered and lost. No, in fact, my achievements have even increased.”

Right. That’s how it should be…

I’m the abnormal one. Just me. All alone.

Qing quickly pushed down the surge of feelings in his heart.

That was the expected trait of innate martial arts characteristics possessed by the indigenous people of the primitive ancient China.

The compatible True Energy would absorb the highest one, while the rest would scatter.

Only martial arts of equal rank could coexist without repelling one another.

Otherwise, it would be like various mysterious martial arts that remained totally separate, just like the Girl’s Joyous Mirror.

Not everyone could just learn anything like Qing.

True energies that didn’t match would fight against each other and randomly circulate through the blood vessels without the owner’s will?

This phenomenon is what they called “Entrance to Demon” in the Central Plain.

The reason why Qing was all right was due to character buffs.

Because it’s the body of a character.

Not a person.

I am.

At that moment, True Energy suddenly flowed from Qing’s Dantian.

It gently caressed Qing’s entire blood vessels, flowing slowly and conveying warmth throughout.

This was the great compassion of the Grand Master’s supreme kindness.

In that soft imagery that felt like a gentle smile, the dreariness in Qing’s heart evaporated in an instant.

Right. If I think, then I exist.

With the existence of the five races in the world—yellow, red, black, and white—let’s just treat Seomun Qing like the fifth one.

Qing beamed brightly as he asked,

“Wow, a one-shot escape from being a eunuch? Should I congratulate you?”

“Unfortunately, in the Northern Sea, they call the Moonjade technique the Immortal Maiden technique.”

“Ah, so it’s pretty much the same thing. What a pity.”

Qing genuinely consoled him.

My friend is still a eunuch!

Well, it’s kind of funny, but… Ugh, manage that expression.

Sad thoughts…

Wait, does that mean I’m also a eunuch?

A look of profound sorrow spread across Qing’s face.

Seolga cleared his throat awkwardly, wearing an embarrassed expression.

“Ahem, the eunuch has already escaped. It’s just that he’s incredibly dull now. Still, after not having the sensation for so long, these days even the slightest touch gets it standing at attention. Actually, it’s standing up even now.”

“If you ask me if I want to see, I might get Seolga turning into Seolgay before I know it. You better watch out for the guy’s junk!”

Qing shuddered and lowered his voice.

No wonder he was sitting oddly.

Seolga looked very pleased with himself.

Seems like it was the first time his sexual harassment actually landed.

Since he always delivered sexual innuendos quite naturally, it didn’t surprise anyone.

Qing only loathed this twisted friendship between men but didn’t feel the need to speak up against such nonsense.

Seolga pulled out a book from within his robe, displaying his first smile ever.

“Anyway, take this.”

As soon as Qing took it, the Martial Arts Inventory started to flicker.

It meant secret manual.

The title was written on the book, so there was no need to check the Martial Arts Inventory.

It was the secret manual of the Moonjade Maiden Technique.

The growth of the Girl’s Joyous Mirror was already impressive enough.

Qing’s Inner Strength Meditation Technique clearly had a determined limit to its growth.

One Surabingchen Demonic Art wasn’t a match at all; so any new techniques would be gratefully welcomed.

“Wow. A secret manual! Is this really for me?”

“Since you received one, it’s only fair that you give me one in return.”

Seolga seemed to consider for a moment before continuing.

“Maybe if you run into someone from the Northern Sea Ice Palace or the Snowy Mountain, you can relay it to them. No need to go out of your way to find them. Just if you happen to meet them, yeah, that much.”

“Why not just tell them yourself?”

“I’ve already forgiven the Ice Palace, but they likely haven’t forgiven me. So it would be better that we naturally avoid each other.”

“Oh.”

Qing marveled at Seolga’s nearness to a great man.

Indeed, that’s quite a generous spirit for someone of such renowned intellect in the Central Plain.

His only flaw is his tendency to throw around sexual innuendos, which, honestly, I don’t mind that much either.

But then,

“Well, forgiveness is a bit grand. Personally, after killing those scumbags and burning down their palace, I felt quite relieved. Those who have taken revenge can sleep like a baby, right?”

Qing observed Seolga’s misdeeds.

Over four hundred counts of evil deeds against the Great Demon Lord.

Of course, in this town, the evil deeds of those living a quiet life are actually more common.

Killing a neighboring friend earns you good deeds in this neighborhood.

In that first meeting with Seolga, he seemed fun and useful enough to keep around.

After a while, I began to feel attached and found him handy, so killing him was never on my mind.

To Qing, evil deeds were merely qualifications.

If you hit three digits, you could die.

In the first place, Qing’s methods against villains had nothing to do with world peace and righteousness, either.

The very reason Qing had started dealing with villains came from that.

To survive by gathering points and becoming a master.

Ranking for wealth and comfort came second.

And third, it was just for the thrill!

When he was going crazy for about ten days, that thrill had overshadowed survival, but still…

The reason someone like Unyeonjeong with high evil counts becomes anxious is that the ultimate goal is, after all, to stay alive.

He had never thought of going out looking for villains to take revenge on, nor did he plan to in the future.

Though Qing didn’t fully realize it, there was now a new, incomplete category of ‘friend’ inserted between the current classifications of either human or villain.

Qing spoke to his friend.

“Ah, so about that. I’ve been realizing some things lately.”

Seolga perked up.

Finally, he saw the clear and refreshing gaze of a young martial artist from the orthodox sect.

It seemed he was finally thinking of stopping the senseless killing.

“Oh, how nice to hear. So now you…”

They’re finally on the same wavelength!

Qing excitedly seized on Seolga’s words.

“I need to be more selective about who to kill. I’ve been slaughtering anyone and everyone indiscriminately!”

“…?”

Seolga doubted his ears.

Did he hear that wrong?

But either way, Qing continued.

“So, can you whip up a list of the ones from the demonic sect that I really need to take out? So that when something goes down, there’ll be ample openings.”

This was the part Qing regretted the most after coming to his senses.

It’s good to go around looking for escape methods.

But fundamentally, ensuring survival the moment action is required must be the top priority.

“Um. Sorry to change the topic, but can I get that secret manual back now? Because if I end up dead, it’ll just fall into the hands of the demonic sect. I don’t want to get entangled in this.”

“Hey, once it’s out, it’s out, you know? Are you suggesting a man should say one thing and mean another?”

“Even when I wasn’t a man, I wanted to live, pouring water over myself every night. So you can imagine how much I want that now.”

Seolga had nothing to rebut to that.

So Qing immediately got to the heart of the issue.

“So, the thing is, in about a month or so…”

Qing began to lay out the stuff he’d figured out.

About the Supreme Being Representative and the Heavenly Demon Sect.

And how he planned to pretend to cooperate while planning to smash the Heavenly Demon Soul and escape, so he needed to take down important figures beforehand.

Qing accepted his shortcomings rather easily.

So it felt quite right asking for advice from a friend with brilliant intellect.

Seolga, who had never hesitated to use derogatory terms for the demonic sect guys, nodded at Qing’s plan.

“Sure. You definitely have a knack for thinking ahead. If you run away now, the demonic sect won’t give up on you, since you’re the key. But they’re not strong enough to face you, so you could escape while managing some injuries. Right?”

“Exactly!”

“Hmm. Let’s see.”

Seolga stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“The best way is to make allies out of those on your side.”

“Like how you did?”

Seolga’s eyebrows went up and down in surprise.

“Well, it’s up to you what you want to think…”

“What? Are you just ditching your friend? Not being friends anymore?”

“There’s no guarantee that friends will always be on the same side. The merit of a friend is sticking by despite not betraying trust. If you blindly follow a friend, you just end up being a backstabber who blinds each other.”

That made sense, so there wasn’t much for Qing to say back.

So he just twisted his facial expression in response.

“For crying out loud, how annoying. So please, can you explain what you mean by making allies?”

“Given your youth and outstanding looks, plus those ample assets, if you charm a few demonic guys…”

“Declined.”

Qing shot back immediately.

---