Chapter 87

Choi Riyong was utterly flabbergasted.

It meant that Qing’s attention was about to vanish.

After all, Qing wasn’t even the representative of Central Plain ladies, and who in their right mind would think a man would give her any interest?

Not that he could provide a detailed explanation for that.

So, he decided to just let the misunderstanding fester.

And Qing misunderstood to her heart’s content.

I mean, does martial arts really change someone’s sexual preference?

They call it Heavenly Demon Skill, but isn’t it more like Demonic Arts, not Divine Skill?

Shouldn’t it be renamed Heavenly Demonic Arts then?

Or how about Male Heavenly Demonic Arts, or even outright Male Lover Demonic Arts?

Hmm… maybe not, huh?

Thinking about it, it’s a world where mastering martial arts can make a person pretty, sensitive, or even dull, all kinds of things happening.

Perhaps it’s tied to hormones or something like that.

Even so, it really seems like pure Demonic Arts.

“Well, that’s one thing. But about the liberation of the Central Plain? That scoundrel is an absolute dog, equality means nothing, and he’s about to unleash hell, right?”

“Yet, when the Supreme Being completes his Divine Skill, it shall all naturally resolve itself. Do not doubt it.”

“Why not? Do you expect people to become suddenly kind? Ha! That actually makes some sense.”

Qing’s words twisted from behind.

Thinking about it, hasn’t she changed a bit after learning great skills?

That Supreme Being Representative might actually be in a far worse state than Qing.

Then, does it mean he doesn’t care about me?

There’s no correlation between sexual preference and goodness.

Is there really a martial art that turns someone into a benevolent sodomite?

So they become nicer in exchange for becoming a sodomite?

Then suddenly it hit him, why was he even contemplating this nonsense?

So what?

Whether that scoundrel becomes good or sleeps around with men, what does it have to do with him?

Then Choi Riyong spoke up.

It was almost a tone of desperation.

“If you can just endure a little longer, once you open the Heavenly Demon Sect, when the Supreme Being completes his Divine Skill, then he won’t hold you back even if you leave.”

“Eh?”

Qing blinked.

“What do you mean he will just let me go?”

“The future Heavenly Demon wouldn’t keep a non-believer beneath him. If you are not hostile towards the Divine Sect, he’ll be a merciful one.”

Qing growled.

“Old man, do you know that Supreme Being Representative tried to pop my eye out just because he got offended by one little thing? Whether it’s Divine Skill or Male Lover Demonic Arts, no matter what I learn, a horrifying scoundrel is still going to be born.”

“Go! How dare you speak blasphemy?”

The Elder’s martial presence cut off Qing’s words.

A purple aura swirled between the old man and the world.

Elder Jeon.

Unlike Qing’s True Energy, the Elder’s True Energy bore the dignity befitting a martial artist of the teenage realm.

The Elder’s power had already completed its final evolution through self-refinement.

Qing choked up, realizing its manifestation when the Elder was angry.

“What is it, getting mad at me now? Just for saying a little something about martial arts? Are you planning to zap me with lightning or something?”

“Go!!”

“Gah!”

Suddenly, the world turned white, and a scream instinctively tore from him.

He had no clue where the hit landed.

In an instant, his whole body felt as if bones and muscles were melting away in agony.

Fortunately, the pain quickly subsided.

However, it was a wake-up call like no other.

Qing usually had a habit of bending to the strong and rising against the weak.

This strength dynamic included not just levels of mastery but relationships too.

Since Choi Riyong had shown a weak and yielding side to Qing, this was what he got.

Then, after taking that hit, he realized that Elder Jeon was actually a master of Transformation Realm.

Moreover, he was a total pro who could turn Qing into a crispy fried dish with sheer emotion.

Ah, I really pushed it too far, didn’t I?

What on earth did I believe that made me act so recklessly?

Qing, reflecting on his previous actions, wryly struggled to pull the corners of his mouth upwards.

It was a coward’s facade of a smile.

“Hehe, elder. Why are you getting so angry? I was just a bit surprised and spoke a little harshly. You know that’s not my true intention, right?”

“I… I am sorry. It wasn’t my intent.”

“Oh, of course! I know that, I’ve learned it too! Elders sometimes get a bit gloomy, that’s just how it is, right? No worries!”

“No, child, that’s not it. This is…”

Oddly enough, it was Choi Riyong who looked like he got slapped.

Qing’s smile seemed out of place.

The face or eyes that should be smiling didn’t match, gazes that trembled without focus landed somewhere on the forehead or between the eyebrows, and didn’t meet properly.

As one ages, they gain the wisdom to clearly identify such expressions.

It’s an emotion often referred to as fear in the world.

The old man’s murky gaze wandered through different times.

Those eyes, which always looked at Choi Riyong, held a terrifying truth.

It’s said that you can know a person’s character by looking into their eyes, not because of divine or demonic qualities, but because a person’s gaze moves instinctively towards what’s familiar.

When one sees something frightening, their eyes shake.

When you look at something malicious, the shine dims, and the colors chill like a northern wind, turning poisonous like a blade.

Thus, the world calls friendly things “eyes” and those unsettling things “eyeballs.”

Choi Riyong etched into his bones, from experience, that fear emerges in the process of those eyes transforming into eyeballs.

The body that had been growing cold within him couldn’t have known it would be such a brief life, and in the end, even in death, he could not perceive that gaze filled with bright hatred.

“Huff.”

Choi Riyong’s complexion drained to white.

No, it turned so pale it looked blue, and finally, he collapsed to the ground, rolling around, his eyes flipping back as his body trembled.

A pair of glaring eyes whispered into the ear of the old man.

Hate. Loathe. You should’ve never been born. Old man? Why the sudden shift? Just leave me alone. Please. What’s this? Why bring up a funeral out of nowhere? The last thing I want to see is your dreadful face before I kick the bucket. Come on, get it together! Old man! Old man!

Father, please live for a long time.

I don’t want to meet that face in hell.

And then Choi Riyong’s trembling ceased.

“…It’s done now.”

“Are you okay? Are you back to your senses?”

“No need to be overly dramatic. It’s just old age.”

“Here I thought you were ready to leave for the afterlife, but now you can’t even manage to be dramatic?”

“I can’t go yet. I must see my Heavenly Demon soar and witness the Central Plain flourishing under the Divine Sect.”

Qing set Choi Riyong back in his place and then dragged his legs back to his seat.

Then he confidently grabbed some fruits.

It seemed like the time to stop being a charity case was approaching, so he thought he’d eat while he could.

Choi Riyong could only manage a bitter smile as he stared at one corner of the table for a long time.

The table lay empty after a while.

Qing wondered if it was finally time to leave, should he ask for a ride?

Is this now a trivial support piece?

No, when there’s only one, numbers don’t really matter.

Should he just elevate it to the rank of support?

Just then.

Choi Riyong brought up a story he hadn’t even asked about.

“You’ve heard about my daughter, right?”

Qing replied with a slight frown.

If it had been before taking a hit, he would have retorted about that girl being such a menace, but now…

“Well, I’ve heard rumors that your daughter was quite a peculiar one.”

“Indeed. A rebellious daughter.”

“Oh, if it’s heavy, you really don’t have to go into it.”

Seeing the deep sorrow in the old man’s voice, Qing hurried to shut it down.

He wasn’t a fan of melodrama.

Yet, Choi Riyong shook his head and spoke freely.

“She was always restless about not being able to leave the Divine Sect. When I stopped her, one day she started to see her own father as her archenemy. But tell me, how could the daughter of a grand master leave the Central Plain?”

“Elder, you were a grand master?”

“At one time, yes. Until the day my daughter pierced my heart and took her own life.”

“Ah.”

Ah, there it is. Getting heavier.

“She was a flower that never got to bloom at a proper age, taking her life while holding onto the hatred of her father until the end.”

Qing could only roll his eyes, unable to respond.

“And now, if this old man betrays the Divine Sect, how can I face my daughter’s face in death? Surely, she would question me.”

Choi Riyong’s old face grew shadowed.

“When I was alive, I had to endure suffering in the name of protecting the Divine Sect. Wasn’t it this heartless father who caused my daughter’s death? Now, with that daughter gone, should I change my loyalty after all? How can I face that?”

Qing scratched his head for no real reason.

Seolga’s words were half right and half wrong.

It was true that persuading would be pointless, but the claim of being a devout Divine Sect member was false.

He was just a pitiful, elderly pseudo-Divine Sect member, desperate to not let his deceased daughter’s death be in vain.

Ah, man. Can the living really overshadow the dead?

It was, in the first place, Choi Riyong’s refusal.

“Once the Heavenly Demon Sect’s establishment is complete, I will send you back. Even a Supreme Being would not treat you carelessly if I block him. Until then, it would do well if you endure a bit longer.”

Qing sighed deeply.

“Alright, if you say so, elder.”

Of course, it was just empty words.

First, he had to be able to trust that Supreme Being Representative.

He was a guy who would directly reach the realm of transcendence after mastering Male Lover Demonic Arts.

What if he suddenly decided to kill me?

The old man could only play the hero when it was too late.

He couldn’t gamble his life on the mercy of others.

So, that Supreme Being Representative couldn’t be allowed to reach transcendence.

Also, he didn’t want to see that happen.

He wanted to bail him out at a critical moment, dramatically obliterating that Heavenly Demon Soul and taking a good look at his distorted face.

And there was a second issue.

Even if he somehow returned safely, it would still be a problem.

Eventually, that Supreme Being Representative would turn into a future Heavenly Demon and gather all the wicked followers to invade.

What would become of his precious Divine Maiden Sect, sweet little home?

And what if rumors spread that Seomun Qing had given the Male Lover Demonic Arts to the Heavenly Demon?

It wouldn’t just be Qing who would face the wreckage.

He would certainly be obliterated by his Master.

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