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Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon (Web Novel) - Chapter 178: A Defeat (2)
Chapter 178: A Defeat (2)
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Lee Shin-jung’s wounds were worse than Woon-seong expected.
Fortunately, the man’s dantian had not been broken, but his life was leaking out.
If not properly treated, he might not be able to last more than half a year.
Even with proper treatment, it was a wound that would need careful tending to for several years.
Even if the Demonic Cult used all of its power, it would take a year.
“Demonic Teacher.”
Woon-seong called to the Demonic Teacher of Sun and Moon, who was lying down next to him.
A low but heavy voice.
Normally, the Demonic Teacher would have bowed to Woon-seong by now and presented himself to the Heavenly Demon.
Woon-seong was not just the Heavenly Demon for Lee Shin-jung, but the successor they had waited eons for.
Successor of the Unrecorded Heavenly Demon.
Lee Shin-jung did not respond.
“There is nothing else to do.”
Woon-seong sighed, “The Demonic Teacher of Sun and Moon will be sent off the battlefield.”
He then told Sang Gwan-chuk, “Transfer him to the Heavenly Mountains with the doctors, with the focus on treatment. You may enter the Divine Vault in order to heal the Demonic Teacher. Command them to heal him.”
“Understood.”
It was a signal that Lee Shin-jung was exiting the war.
“The number of soldiers we need will be drawn from the Southern Army, and the Southern Army will replenish through the Northern.”
“What should we do with the empty Demonic Master position?”
When Sang Gwan-chuk asked, Woon-seong twitched. He scratched his cheek in thought.
“No matter who comes, it will be difficult to replace the Demonic Teacher.”
However, the position could not be left vacant. Though they might not be as strong as the Demonic Teacher, at least the absence needed to be filled.
“The new Demonic Masters…”
“The ‘Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign’ and the ‘Lonely Dancing Youth’.”
After hearing the options, Woon-seong said, “Let’s go with the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign.”
There were two Demonic Masters in each of the four armies. They were in charge of each camp’s leadership, protection, and other duties.
When they were pulled out, a hole would be made in another army camp.
If you pull on the bottom stone, the top stone will also be affected. To prevent such a situation, they had to bring in a Demonic Teacher that was not currently involved.
Those would be the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign and the Lonely Dancing Youth.
Newly risen Demonic Masters. Unlike the others, they had not been part of the army. Their mission was to protect the Cult of the Heavenly Demon’s headquarters.
However, now that the Demonic Army had marched deep into the heart of Zhongyan, the Heavenly Mountains were much safer than before.
So it was alright to call one of them out.
Moreover, Sang Gwan-chuk had seen both of them fight once.
Both of them were quite good, but if they fought to the death, the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign was slightly better.
That was the reason Woon-seong chose the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign.
Sang Gwan-chuk also acknowledged this judgment.
There was only one problem.
“It will be difficult for the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign to join before the next battle begins.”
Woon-seong nodded.
It was as he said. They were a long way from the Heavenly Mountains so the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign would have to travel a long distance, but the enemies were close by.
Even if it was Woon-seong and not the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign, he was not confident in crossing the distance within ten days.
Even if I did, I’d be exhausted.
It was not a problem, however, that he could not join quickly.
“I will participate in the next battle anyway, so there is no problem.”
“Then I will send a letter to the headquarters.”
The work was complete.
***
“Hah.”
In her tent, Cheon Ah-young lowered her head, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her face in her arms.
She felt sick.
Immediately, her eyes were flush with tears.
Tears dripped onto her bed, soaking the sheets.
Cheon Ah-young didn’t even notice, continuing to shed tears.
She was angry.
She felt like she was going crazy because she was so upset.
I thought I had crossed a wall by adding martial arts to divine power, but I never thought there’d still be so many stronger people in the world.
I thought I could avenge Father by dealing with the Orthodox, but I have never felt so powerless.
In the end, someone else even helped me get revenge.
Cheon Ah-young bit her lips. She tasted the tang of blood and Woon-seong’s words came to mind.
In the end, she had done nothing with her own hands. She had only said that she would try each time, but there were no visible results.
Above all, she felt the greatest despair because she had let down Woon-seong’s expectations of her — he had placed her as vanguard and she had failed.
So her emotions were complicated and confusing; she continued to cry.
It felt like 50,000 different emotions mixed inside her soul. Cheon Ah-young shut her eyes tight.
At that moment, there was noise outside Cheon Ah-young’s tent.
“Unni.”
It was Dang Bu-ah.
“Please go back,” Cheon Ah-young indifferently responded.
But she could not hide her wet voice.
“But unni…”
Dang Bu-ah struggled to speak.
Cheon Ah-young spoke more coldly, “Please go back. Please.”
It was a slightly more assertive tone.
The decisive voice made Dang Bu-ah turn away.
Cheon Ah-young could feel the presence move away.
But wait a minute.
There was still a presence at the entrance.
Cheon Ah-young shouted, “I told you to go back—”
“May I come in?”
If it weren’t for the voice, Cheon Ah-young would have continued shouting, but she stopped mid sentence.
It was not Dang Bu-ah at the entrance.
Low but clear voice. A powerful tone…
It was Woon-seong.
Cheon Ah-young was surprised and raised her head.
Meanwhile, Woon-seong entered the tent.
Cheon Ah-young remembered that her eyes were puffy and buried her head back between her knees.
That was before she greeted the Heavenly Demon.
Soon she realized her mistake and blankly said, “Ah…”
“Since it is just the two of us, I’ll ignore the blunder.”
Woon-seong waved a hand. An iron char from the other side floated over.
Woon-seong sat down and crossed his legs.
“Were you crying?”
Even though they were both from the Cave of Latent Demons, Cheon Ah-young was still a young woman. Without any consideration for delicacy, Woon-seong asked her directly.
Cheon Ah-young looked at Woon-seong sitting in the chair.
I hate you.
She literally hated him.
But it was true that she had cried, and it was true that she had been caught.
Instead of saying ‘I hate you’, Cheon Ah-young lifted her sleeve to rub at her eyes.
She rubbed at the tear marks, but her eyes became redder.
Subconsciously, Cheon Ah-young spoke to Woon-seong with a dead expression, “Disappointed…”
Here, Cheon Ah-young paused for a moment.
Last time, when Woon-seong had handed over the decapitated head of Hwan Dok, her emotions had been overwhelming. Thus, she had momentarily forgotten that Woon-seong was the Heavenly Demon. At the time, he hadn’t said much either because he understood.
But was that the case now?
Cheon Ah-young clapped a hand over her mouth to stop from habitually talking back.
Woon-seong laughed as he saw Cheon Ah-young muffle her words.
“When it’s just us, let’s talk comfortably. It will make you feel better, and it will make me feel better.”
“……”
Cheon Ah-young hesitated for a moment and sighed. As Woon-seong said, she was more comfortable that way. She then repeated, “Are you disappointed?”
“I am disappointed.”
Woon-seong words were sharp as knives. They dug into her chest, colder than the northern winds.
Is this what they mean when they say words can kill a man?
Oblivious to Cheon Ah-young’s distress, Woon-seong continued, “I am very disappointed in you.”
Woon-seong’s voice was even and he turned to look at Cheon Ah-young with serious eyes.
Cheon Ah-young wanted to turn away, but felt like she shouldn’t.
So she seriously faced him.
“I know that. I told you that I wanted to take the lead, but I did not properly play my role,” Cheon Ah-young said.
Woon-seong laughed. “You are mistaken. That is not why I am disappointed.”
Cheon Ah-young trembled.
Then why on earth are you disappointed?
She turned to stare at his lips.
What straightforward words is he going to say to hurt me now?
She wanted to cover her ears with her hands.
Instead, Cheon Ah-young gathered her courage and squared her shoulders.
It was then that the next words fell out of his mouth.
“I am disappointed that this is all you are.”
“…?”
“You were a little stronger, a little more cheerful back in the Cave of Latent Demons. Even I recognized you as a rival and was nervous.”
He wasn’t lying.
Woon-seong considered no one but Cheon Ah-young as a competitor inside the Cave of Latent Demons. Only she was capable of fighting him on equal footing at the time.
The sincerity of his words were conveyed to Cheon Ah-young without filter. Her eyes widened.
I can’t believe you thought that…
That was the first time she had heard his inner thoughts.
Woon-seong continued.
“But what about you now? You are depressed after one defeat, hanging your head low and asking if I am disappointed.”
“……”
“How can I not be disappointed?”
At his words, Cheon Ah-young trembled.
Woon-seong stood up.
“Do not be so disheartened. Be thankful that you are not dead. If you are alive, you can do anything. If you are alive, you can achieve whatever you want. Train yourself through the disappointment and escape from death. Encourage yourself to move forward, to reach what you want. If that fails, you try again. Grasp your sword instead of disappointing me.”
Woon-seong shook his head.
As he walked out of the tent, he added,
“Do not let me down twice.”
That was the end of it.
With a fluttering sound, the entrance of the tent was opened and Woon-seong left.
Nevertheless, Cheon Ah-young stared at where Woon-seong had just been.
After some time, she clenched her fists.
“Do not let me down twice…”
Woon-seong’s last words continued to linger in her ears.
