Chapter 89

청의 팔에 소매를 끼워주던 견포희가 말했다.

“Did you hear the news!?”

“Tell me what story first, and I might know it.”

“Taepyeongdan has burned down! It’s turned to ashes! And all the prisoners have escaped!”

Qing only burned down two buildings. She only freed the prisoners locked in Thunder Prison.

The prisoners celebrated their sudden freedom with a midnight fire show.

“Oh, really? That’s quite something.”

“Quite something? No way! I’m thrilled!”

“Why are you thrilled, Junior Sister?”

“Because I borrowed some money from Taepyeongdan before? The interest was piling up so much that I made some vows, and now they’ve all gone up in smoke!”

“Vows?”

“Yeah. Comfort activities for the Divine Sect warriors during the future liberation war of the Central Plain? And also a new medical demonstration from Yudang, and if the lineage of the Shinma family faces danger, backup personnel to carry on the line. Plus, top priority for food supplies in times of isolation? There’s a whole lot more.”

None of those items sounded lighthearted. It was as if she had mortgaged her entire future.

Qing asked just in case.

“Do you know what that actually means?”

“No idea. But they said it wasn’t too hard.”

Qing nodded.

Well, I guess it was worth the efforts of burning it down. They weren’t just a bunch of dogs after all. Maybe I should have waited a bit and burned more with the prisoners.

“But how much did you borrow to have vows like that?”

“Here, lift your butt.”

Gyeon Pohee said as she dressed Qing in her court skirt.

“About thirty pieces of silver?”

“That’s a lot!”

Qing didn’t ask out of curiosity. It was just a continuation of small talk between acquaintances.

Then Qing suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“Yeah. Mom was sick.”

“Oh, the medicine costs…”

“But they suddenly raised the interest to three-tenths a month! They promised three-tenths a year when I borrowed it. But everyone acted like it was normal, so I just went along with it.”

That was how the Divine Sect ruled over its followers.

In the barren, resource-lacking land of Cheonsanshin, they heavily relied on the income of loyal special troops going on external missions.

The Divine Sect had quite a few enterprises set up in the Central Plain.

It was a special community of professional bandits, treasure hunters, gangsters, traffickers, drug offenders, moneylenders, and gambling dens, all thriving under the power of religion.

Thus, money and goods flowed in from outside to the officials of the Divine Sect.

All speaking of different factions or associated organizations.

So, if you didn’t want to meet a miserable end as a debtor in Cheonsanshin, you needed to learn martial arts and join a fighting unit.

And that’s how the first Great Divine Martial Arts commandment of the Heavenly Demon was fulfilled, emphasizing the martialization of all believers.

“So, is your mom okay?”

“No? She’s dead.”

“Um. Sorry to hear that.”

Qing felt even more uncomfortable and kept her mouth shut.

But Gyeon Pohee just smiled brightly.

“No, really! I was almost like her enemy! She would just hit me for being a dumb, useless girl who only ate. I may not be too bright, but I don’t like people who hate me, you know?”

Qing was sweating cold.

Oh wow. This is becoming more and more of a problem, isn’t it?

Honestly, I don’t like anything about this place.

Qing awkwardly offered some consolation.

“Uh. That must have been tough for you.”

“Nope. She really was useless, you know? So I just paid her back. She was always saying she was sick and did nothing, totally useless. Every time I whipped her, she’d scream so loud. Talking about the gratitude for giving birth and raising me and all that.”

“Um.”

“If she borrowed money in my name for her medicine, then she’s paid back for the gratitude she talks about, right? Since she didn’t even raise me well, that gratitude talk is invalid!”

“Um. Well, sure. Good job, then.”

“Hehe, right?”

Gyeon Pohee was fiercely protective of her revenge.

But looking at her keeping track of her gratitude for giving birth, it didn’t seem like she was totally bad.

But she wasn’t exactly good either.

Wait, just a second. Could it be.

“Junior Sister? If you have any resentment against me, don’t hide it and tell me right now. I don’t want to find out later and have you do the same to me.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? There’s nothing like that!”

“Really?”

“Yep! Anyway, the only person who’s good to me is you, Junior Sister! You’re more like a mom than my real mom! I used to be so envious of everyone’s moms. They’d chase after the ones that bullied me and hit them, and whenever something delicious came up, they’d share. But now I have a sister like that. Hehe…”

I thought she was just a bit dim, but it turns out she’s a daughter taking care of her inconvenient mother.

Qing felt even more uncomfortable.

And this is why, if a person isn’t careful, they can quickly turn into garbage.

From this morning (not really), Qing’s conscience had turned into a triangular mess, spinning rapidly.

—-

Qing was no longer the Qing from the past.

She was an unqualified heir who clumsily took over the teachings of the great, unwavering ethics from the Great General.

So, she was no longer that rascal who made her teacher do all sorts of chores, like massages, and barely sang a line of the Heart of the Heavenly Demon.

Qing reflected on how she had disregarded the authority of the teaching.

Right.

Lady Kang was putting in the effort to teach me, so I shouldn’t just brush her off like that.

Hmm.

But then again, isn’t it just that they want to use me for their own benefit instead of actually helping me succeed?

They’re just like the kids of rebel soldiers raising a boy soldier, aren’t they?

Lady Kang truly was an insufferable bunch.

Calling Lady Kang a teacher would be an insult to the teachers among the roughly sixty million people on this land.

That range might be a bit wide, but since I don’t know the population of this side, I just took the maximum estimate.

That’s right.

Thinking it over, it’s not like I did anything wrong.

So Qing just went with it as she usually did.

After casually picking her nose and cleaning the room with her toes, she sang a single verse as strongly as ever today.

Once again, Lady Kang shed a bucket of heartfelt tears at the performance before quickly fleeing the scene.

Lady So-young bowed respectfully and followed behind with a refreshing expression.

The expression on Lady Kang’s face was getting more and more rotten, while So-young’s became brighter in contrast.

Then it was time for dinner.

After that, a trial awaited Qing.

It was the time of undressing dance with the stand.

Qing initially felt a sense of humiliation about having to perform a stripping dance.

But the calamitous dance of the stand made the audience beat their chests and leap up, shouting “Like this, like that!” as they joined in.

Gyeon Pohee’s dance of undressing was bursting with humor, compassion, and frustration, so one could indeed say it had a magical charm.

In any case, Gyeon Pohee seemed to be enjoying herself in a complete reinterpretation of seduction, having achieved nothing whatsoever.

Then, she went to bed early,

And upon waking, shuddering at the heavy burden of the rough life she didn’t want to live, she unknowingly brightened the night with a big smile and darted out with a spring in her step.

Upon entering the yard, she expertly kicked a rope and pulled it masterfully. Hmm?

Oh wait. Didn’t I say to remove the rope?

So Qing flopped down in the living room.

But today felt a bit…

As usual, a droplet of water fell and then Seolga appeared.

“Did you come?”

“Didn’t I tell you to clean up the water bottle?”

“Think about it; if for some reason the fact that I helped you gets out, won’t assassins come for you? Wet is better than dying, right?”

“What? You don’t trust me?”

“A wise man always prepares for the worst. I have to stay alive to plot future schemes.”

Well, there wasn’t really anything to contradict Seolga’s point.

Qing, as always, turned the topic around.

“But ventilate this place. The smell of a widower is no joke. It wasn’t like this last night, was it?”

Then, Seolga looked oddly pleased and raised his chin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, it’s a man’s house, so it’s bound to smell like a man. Are you getting steamy because you’re still a girl?”

“Isn’t it a bit much to tease me when I’m not a eunuch anymore?”

“I was never a eunuch to begin with. But thinking about it, you’re right. I wasn’t dignified enough as a man. I should apologize.”

Looks like the joy of reclaiming his manhood was far more significant than Qing had expected.

Honestly, I can understand the excitement since he just escaped being a eunuch.

Qing swallowed her words that had risen to her throat about his elegantly long eyelashes.

No need to say something hurtful.

“Anyway, as you said, there are plenty of traces left of the blood-silver thunder-educing technique, and Taepyeongdan and the records office have been burned down, and the prisoners of Thunder Prison have been let free.”

“I heard about it too. But don’t get cocky. Taepyeongdan is merely the weakest among the Dark Sect’s fighting units.”

Seolga spoke just like one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army.

“If what you said is right, the obsession of the Dark Sect members trying to reclaim the Heavenly Demon Soul is no small matter. Surely, they will mobilize all present fighting units.”

“So what?”

“However, since Taepyeongdan has burned down, if we burn a few more fighting units using the same method, the Dark Sect members who were previously subdued would go berserk. The very existence of the city would become unstable. Since we have to prepare for the righteous and demonic war, we will have no choice but to proceed with a select few elites.”

Wait what? A select few elites?

Teacher Seol, you didn’t say anything like that before.

If you suddenly change direction like this, I can’t guarantee my faith! You understand?

Qing grumpily retorted with her thoughts in mind.

“Isn’t a select few an even bigger risk? If the Supreme Martial Artists are crawling all over, even the greatest Seomun Qing might feel a bit uneasy about that.”

“Isn’t it better to have a few elites than a majority of just anyone?”

Qing understood immediately with the brief and logical rebuttal.

He truly was the owner of the brain recognized as the greatest intellect in the Central Plain.

Truly, Seolga! I believed in you! Your capabilities are indeed reliable!

Qing’s eyes sparkled as she tossed out a question.

“So, who are we killing and what are we burning down today?”

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