The Novel’s Villain

41. That’s the Truth (1)

The M-Dragon Association returned to the Martial Arts League with Èyun Qi. Since Èyun Qi was reborn as a new person, it didn’t matter much if he was acquitted. It was said that all the M-Dragon Associations would return to Jin-hu after the verdict was set, but Jin-woo was leaving it alone as it would be of no use to stop them.

The Èyun Imperial Clan and Zhuge Imperial Clan were the frontrunners of the Demon Sect. The Èyun Imperial Clan sold their souls for money and Zhuge Imperial Clan for power and fame. Zhuge Mi-xian was the epitome of villainy herself. She evil patterns, ranging from betrayal, poisoning, assassination, political harassment, and false accusations. Looking at her, it felt so frustrating to imagine.

‘She’s just a pervert now…’

She started to use her good brain in strange places, and it also matched well with Èyun Qi. It was said that to use his new tentacles. The M-Dragon Association would change the story to a different genre rather than martial arts, but Jin-woo decided not to care anymore.

‘Shall I get rid of the troublesome ones first?’

While reading the original eastern stories, Jin-woo felt frustrated by the protagonist’s passive actions more than once. It was upsetting to see him let go of a person who was a spy or when he clenched his teeth and pretended not to know. Jin-woo decided to mess everything up. There was no need to think too much about the follow-up. Even if the entire martial arts world turned into his enemy, they couldn’t match him.

Jin-woo accepted the Nangong sibling’s invitation and headed to Nangong Imperial Clan. After staying in Jin-hu longer than planned, the Nangong siblings were about to return to their clan. Lilith also decided to go with them, causing Nangong Hui’s face to turn beet red. It took quite a while to get to the Nangong Imperial Clan’s estate by carriage because it was located in Hefei of Anhui Province. Lilith didn’t forget to install portal stones during the trip.

Nangong Hui took great care of Lilith. He was pure about his courtship, writing poems and picking flowers that were said to only bloom on cliffs. He asked Nangong Xiao-yan for advice and pondered what to do together with her. Even now, the two of them were talking in the coach seat. As Jin-woo listened closely, he heard that his goal was to grow closer to Lilith before arriving at Hefei.

They were really good siblings. Jin-woo smiled and looked toward Lilith.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know because I haven’t been in a normal relationship, but it’s refreshing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, for us, love is all about killing or being killed.”

After all, she was the Succubus Queen. Now, she was treated equally under Jin-woo, but she had a pretty hard life when the Demon Kings reigned over the realm. Jin-woo decided to just watch.

As time passed, they eventually arrived in Hefei without any problems. Nangong Hui’s shoulders were unusually droopy, but he soon recovered. They were able to arrive at the Nangong Imperial Clan without difficulty.

‘It’s nice.’

Jin-woo admired the Nangong Imperial Clan. Although their estate was magnificent and sprawling, it did not feel excessive. Although it was larger than any other house around Hefei, it wasn’t highlighted because it remained in harmony with nature. The Nangong Imperial Clan’s door was firmly locked, and their warriors were strictly guarding the main gate. The atmosphere was the opposite of when Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan left for Jin-hu.

The Nangong Imperial Clan’s door was always open as they were near constantly receiving guests. But now, there were no such signs of livelihood. Nangong Hui approached the main gate.

“What’s going on?”

“Y-Young Master! Please hurry up and come inside. M-Master is suffering from force distortion…”

“What do you mean?!”

Nangong Xiao-yan, who was listening from behind, couldn’t help but be surprised. Nangong Xian, the head of the Nangong Imperial Clan, was a famous swordsman after all. He was a great pillar supporting the White Path and the Five Great Families. What do they mean such a master was suddenly suffering from force distortion?

Jin-woo and Lilith followed the Nangong siblings inside. The atmosphere in the Nangong Imperial Clan household was gloomy.

‘Has it started? Isn’t it earlier than I thought?’

In the original story, Nangong Xian collapsed thanks to Zhuge Mi-xian’s conspiracy, but the incident seemed to have been moved up the timeline as the original history changed. The reason Nangong Xian collapsed was directly related to the Blood Demon Pill.

The Blood Demon Pill initially had an elixir effect. It was put in the center of one’s lower qi reservoirs to improve agility and clear the mind. However, in front of the demon energy, all the qi was scattered, which was extremely poisonous. It was likely that the Blood Demon Pill nestled in Nangong Xian’s lower energy center was growing from eating his qi and life force.

The Heavenly Demon Supreme grew stronger by collecting and absorbing the Blood Demon Pills from such people as Xian. In the original story, after the Heavenly Demon Supreme absorbed all of them, he awakened as the Blood Demon God.

“It seems that things are complicated here too.”

“It’s always the same wherever people live.”

Jin-woo shook his head at Lilith. Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan were waiting outside the elder’s room. The two couldn’t hide their impatience. Nangong Hui looked at Jin-woo and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. Because the situation is like this…”

“It’s okay.”

Nangong Hui tried to care for Jin-woo, even though his father had fallen ill. His upright character would always remain the same. His weakness was that he was a romanticist that fell due to jealousy, but he was in love with Lilith so that he wouldn’t turn out like that again.

A middle-aged man walked out of the elder’s room. He wore a serious expression on his face, but when he saw Nangong Hui, the man approached him.

“Young Master, you are here.”

“How is Father’s condition?”

“…He is unable to wake up. I think it was because he was poisoned; using his energy too much only sped it up.”

“Poisoned? Who on earth…?”

Nangong’s Physician Xi-tian was a man brought in by the previous family head, and his medical skills were excellent. Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan also trusted him as he actively struggled to heal Nangong Xiao-yan’s Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

“I wonder whether the Zhuge Imperial Clan is behind this. Not too long ago…”

Xi-tian said that the head of the family had been in contact with the Zhuge Imperial Clan not too long ago and brought in several pieces of evidence. It was meant to cause a division.

‘He is indeed so fucking disgusting.’

Jin-woo looked at Xi-tian and thought so. He was the person who annoyed Jin-woo the most, along with the Blue Dragon Association. Because of his greedy desire to swallow the Nangong Imperial Clan, he fell for the Demon Sect and became a spy. He deliberately maximized Nangong Xiao-yan’s condition to dedicate her Yin energy to the Demon Sect.

“Young Lady, fortunately, you’re on time. I recently acquired some good medicine. There will be an improvement this time.”

“Ah, I…”

“I’m sure Master wants you to be healthy, too. Let’s start with the examination first. Please come this way…”

Xi-tian took Nangong Xiao-yan into a separate room. Nangong Hui looked restless.

“Young Master Jin, I will take you to your room. Please stay there for a…”

Jin-woo wasn’t listening to Nangong Hui. He kept watching the direction where Xi-tian and Nangong Xiao-yan left through. Lilith looked at Nangong Hui.

“That person just now… he lied.”

“Young Lady, what do you mean by that?”

“Young Master Nangong, you failed to crack down on your house members.”

Nangong Hui didn’t understand what Lilith meant. Jin-woo lightly stretched. His body felt a little stiff after sitting around in the carriage for so long.

Drrkkk!

He loosened his back and turned his wrists.

“Young Master Jin?”

Nangong Hui looked at him curiously, but Lilith reached out and held a hand for Nangong Hui to step down. Nangong Hui couldn’t move, actually. He was too weak to escape Lilith’s mana. Jin-woo approached the room where Xi-tian and Nangong Xiao-yan were. The Nangong Imperial Clan’s warriors were startled and tried to stop him, but he wasn’t nice enough to check the situation first.

Jin-woo stretched out his hand toward the room, and he pulled lightly.

Bang-bang-bang!

The doors and walls were torn off and blown in all directions. The Nangong Imperial Clan’s warriors were swept away by the shock and thrown down. Nangong Hui watched with terror.

“W-what are you doing…?”

“Be quiet. We don’t want to harm you.”

Nangong Hui’s mouth automatically closed at Lilith’s reassurances. Nangong Xiao-yan was holding a round elixir in her hand. She looked very surprised, and Xi-tian, kneeling next to her, stared blankly at him, jaw agape.

“What are you doing! Such behavior in the Nangong Imperial Clan’s own home! Do you think we will let you go just because you’re the Young Master’s guest?”

“Is that so?”

Jin-woo approached Xi-tian. The aura emanating from Jin-woo pressed down around him. The tiled roof collapsed, and the Nangong Imperial Clan warriors, who were about to rush in, collapsed to their knees. Xi-tian looked at Jin-woo with a pale face.

Jin-woo’s figure blurred.

“Gasp!”

Xi-tian could briefly see his teeth had all been blown away. Without a moment to come to his senses, his head was slammed to the floor. As his body rebounded into the air…

Smack, smack!

The bones in his body were smashed. Xi-tian was known for being a Peak Master, but he was on a level similar to that of Nangong Xian, thanks to the special magic of the Demon Sect. However, to Jin-woo, he was little more than a normal person. Jin-woo watched Xi-tian, who was limping on the floor, with a refreshed smile.

“Y-Young Master Jin! W-what on earth…”

Nangong Xiao-yan looked devastated, but Jin-woo continued to watch Xi-tian without answering. After thinking for a while, he stepped on his leg.

“Keaaaargh!”

Xi-tian screamed, but there was no change. It was the same when Jin-woo stepped on his arm and slapped him in the face. Xi-tian looked at Jin-woo while trembling. Jin-woo smiled when their eyes met; then he raised his foot towards Xi-tian’s balls.

“K-kugh!”

It was that moment demon energy rose from Xi-tian’s body, then he stumbled back and rose. As demon energy overflowed from him, the Nangong Imperial Clan’s warriors stumbled and collapsed. The Blood Demon Pills in each of them responded to that flux of energy.

“T-the Demon Sect?!”

“It can’t be!”

Everyone was surprised to see Xi-tian’s wounds recovering.

“Xi-tian… how come…”

“I-if you guys recognized m-me as a member of your family, I wouldn’t have done this! Because of you guys… kugh!”

Jin-woo had no intention of listening to Xi-tian. He put Xi-tian’s head on the floor and smashed his fist into the center of his energy. As the demon energy disappeared, Xi-tian’s skin wrinkled and aged until he looked nearly ten years older.

“Phew, that’s so much better. That’s why I can’t leave the East World.”

As expected, he had to defeat these guys before they plotted something else or ran away. It was cumbersome to go through, digging for evidence, proving it, and persuading people in the usual form of development. It didn’t matter much if the Nangong Imperial Clan turned into an enemy in the process of dealing with things like this.

Lilith released Nangong Hui, and the Nangong siblings approached Xi-tian. Their warriors also surrounded him. Lilith watched Nangong Hui’s distorted face, a strange smile on her face.

“It’s worth seeing them despairing as they’re drenched in betrayal.”

“You have a bad personality, too.”

“Thank you.”

Jin-woo was the Great Emperor, and she was a demon. Jin-woo stayed in the room with Lilith. Xi-tian, who lost his martial arts skills, lost his will to live and confessed without any further trouble. He did many things, such as crafting the Blood Demon Pills, making Nangong Xiao-yan’s condition worse, and poisoning the head of the family. His Blood Demon Pills were also found as evidence.

Jin-woo didn’t explain anything in particular, but things proceeded smoothly on their own.

“Knowing that the Young Lady was in danger, he came in right away…”

“Kyaa! He’s a real man! I wouldn’t have been able to do that! He’s amazing!”

“No wonder he’s close to Young Master!”

“His love for the Young Lady is what’s amazing.”

The warriors of the Nangong Imperial Clan spread vivid descriptions of what they had seen to the other members of the family. It had transformed into a somewhat romantic story as Jin-woo’s charm and luck rank were too high to make him into the bad guy.

‘It will be difficult to heal Nangong Xian. But Nangong Hui…’

Potions wouldn’t work because the Blood Demon Pill showed a beneficial effect if it did not respond to demon energy. On the contrary, there was a fear that the Blood Demon Pill would be strengthened if he did it wrong. Nangong Hui must have been addicted to the Blood Demon Pill before coming to Jin-hu, but he didn’t feel anything in front of the demon energy. Jin-woo was also questioning that.

Even though it was evening, the Nangong Imperial Clan’s meeting was not over. It was a serious matter that had to be reported to the Martial Arts League.

“Master, would you like to eat?”

“Should I? Did you bring anything?”

“I brought chicken.”

“Oh, good job.”

Lilith took food out of the subspace and put it on the table. It was the Spirit’s Addictive Barbecue Chicken from Elonti. Jin-woo felt better immediately from the delicious smell. Perhaps because it was made with spirit energy, the smell spread strongly through every corner of the house until it engulfed the Nangong Imperial Clan.

“After all, it should be Elonti when it comes to chicken.”

When Jin-woo said so and was about to grab a chicken drumstick.

Thud!

There was a sound outside the door. The door swung open, and someone came in. It was Nangong Xian, who was struggling with a difficult battle against force distortion. He had a dark and gaunt complexion, looking almost like a corpse. However, he moved as if possessed by. He seemed to be intoxicated with the scent of the food. Moving so energetically despite his condition couldn’t be good, but…

‘Rather…’

His blood vessels were stabilizing as the energy of Blood Demon Pill weakened. Jin-woo remembered something. The last thing Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan ate before leaving Jin-hu was chicken.

‘No way, don’t tell me…’

Jin-woo smirked, feeling slightly hopeful. He grabbed a piece and held it out to Nangong Xian. He took the chicken with dull eyes and bit it.

[The energy of the Blood Demon Pill has disappeared thanks to the spirit energy.]

“…What?”

An unexpected thing happened in front of Jin-woo. Come to think of it, Spirit’s Addictive Barbecue Chicken was permeated with the spirit’s energy. Even now, the energy of water, fire, and wind was flowing out from the juices.

* * *

Heavenly Demon Supreme. He was the master of the Heavenly Demon Sect in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and was the only legendary master in the martial arts world called the Absolute Supreme. He was also responsible for eliminating half of the White Path of the martial arts world a hundred years ago.

The leader of the Martial Arts League, the leader of the Nine Schools & One Sect, and the masters of the Five Great Families were able to drive out the Demon Sect by sacrificing themselves. They thought the White Path of the martial arts world was still a match to the Demon Sect, but that wasn’t the case.

He had gathered all the Blood Demon Pills and retreated. The reason that the legacies of the Nine Schools & One Sect and the Five Great Families were maintained was to collect the Blood Demon Pills again over the years. Five hundred years ago, the Heavenly Sword King, who was equal to him, was also overthrown by the power of the Blood Demon Pill. He, who believed himself to be a master and equipped himself with the pill, was pathetic.

‘The Yellow Cross, huh?’

After five hundred years, he guessed that an existence that would stand in his way had finally appeared. Collecting the Blood Demon Pills this time seemed to be quite interesting. The Heavenly Demon Supreme looked at his subordinate, bowing his head.

“What is this?”

“It’s called chicken, sold at Jin-hu. The rising martial artists would say that even those who have reached divinity miss this taste, so they turn their bodies over and become human again.”

The Heavenly Demon Supreme looked at the food. It was a dish that his subordinate, who had the fastest legs in the Demon Sect, ran day and night to bring it before it went bad. It was in a strange box, and the smell made his mouth water. The Heavenly Demon Supreme liked to eat. In front of him was a unique food he had never seen before.

An amazing energy he had never felt before overflowed from the food.

“Hoo?”

The bored expression on his face turned to interest. He grabbed a chicken leg and took a bite.

“Huh!”

The Heavenly Demon Supreme was startled. The juices flowed out into his mouth, and, paired with the sweet and sour sauce, it was exquisite. The meat was also very tender. But it didn’t just melt in his mouth. It had a chewy texture. He could see the illusion of a Yellow Dragon biting the chicken and ascending to heaven just from that one taste.

It was enough to call it the best in the world. His hand went for the next piece and then the next. When he came to his senses, only an empty box remained.

“Hmm? This is…!?”

The Heavenly Demon Supreme stood, surprised by the energy permeating into his body. The energy of nature penetrated him in a harmonious mixture of water, fire, and wind. The Heavenly Demon Supreme raised his inner force to drive away from the energy.

‘This energy… it is getting rid of the Blood Demon Pill.’

Even the demon energy he had built up through the Heavenly Demon God Technique was almost scattered. The Blood Demon Pill had melted away, leaving nothing to be found. That chicken did not affect improving qi, however. Strangely, it was only aiming at the Blood Demon Pill and demonic energy. It was as if it knew the Blood Demon Pill and the Heavenly Demon God Technique.

“…Do martial artists enjoy eating this?”

“As far as I know, it’s only sold in Jin-hu. Oh! I heard that delivery is also possible around Jin-hu.”

“Where is Jin-hu?”

“It is between Shandong and Anhui Province.”

It was also close to the Martial Arts League’s headquarters. It made the Blood Demon Pill useless, and it was so delicious that even the Heavenly Demon Supreme lost his mind while eating. If this spread to the White Path of the martial arts world, his plan to collect Blood Demon Pills would become useless.

The Heavenly Demon Supreme looked for information through his spies. The Zhuge and Èyun Imperial Clans had lost contact with him, and the spy planted in the Nangong Imperial Clan disappeared.

“The Yellow Cross… Jin-hu… I almost fell for it without knowing anything.”

He thought it was entertaining at first, but no longer. Now it was an obstacle to be removed.

“Call the Sword Demon.”

“Understood!”

When the Heavenly Demon Supreme ordered it, the Sword Demon broke his long seclusion and entered the Heavenly Demon’s, Great Hall. The Sword Demon was a master in both life and death. Except for the Heavenly Demon Supreme, none could match him in skill.

“Sword Demon, it’s been a while. Your skills have grown.”

“I’m nothing compared to you, My Lord.”

When the Sword Demon bowed his head, the Heavenly Demon Supreme wore a pleased smile.

“Sword Demon, I’ll give you the Blood Wind Squad.”

As the smile disappeared from the Heavenly Demon Supreme’s face, a heavy pressure weighed down upon his subordinate. The Sword Demon broke into a cold sweat and couldn’t even look up properly.

“Get rid of Jin-hu.”

“Understood!”

The Sword Demon’s figure faded away. The Heavenly Demon Supreme looked at the empty box where the scent of chicken remained. It was like poison, and yet he wanted to eat it again. It was a formidable antidote that he could never have imagined.