TL: Demigod
Chapter 15
Lee Ryang’s eyes widened at Eunho’s blunt remark, and he glanced at Jin-yang’s expression.
However, contrary to expectations, Jin-yang seemed a little surprised, but then smiled with a satisfied expression.
“I see that the Young Leader of Cheonhajang is also knowledgeable in academia, as befits the eldest son of the Clan Leader.”
“…?”
Originally, Yeodongbin was known to be a grumpy immortal.
There were countless stories recorded of even immortals being severely scolded by Yeodongbin.
So, Jin-yang was impressed that Eunho had picked up on a point that even those with deep knowledge of Taoism would have a hard time understanding.
Leaving behind the small misunderstanding about Eunho, Jin-yang continued his explanation.
Jin-yang, who had been explaining the place as they passed by, stopped in front of one shrine and hesitated.
“I don’t know if it’s right to introduce this place to you guys, especially Lee Ryang.”
Lee Ryang asked, looking puzzled.
“Who is this enshrined to?”
“Would you believe that there’s a shrine in our Wudang Sect that enshrines a yokai?”
“What are you talking about!?”
Lee Ryang’s expression contorted greatly.
Basically, the ‘Dorim’ to which Lee Ryang belonged was a group created by exorcists who used to exorcise demons when the yokai realm and the human realm were not yet divided long ago.
Because of their deep roots, they couldn’t help but react even more strongly to the word ‘yokai’.
Especially since it was the Wudang Sect, not the shamans, who protected humans on the front lines in the era when yokais were rampant.
It was something that Lee Ryang had a hard time accepting that they had a yokai enshrined in the Wudang Sect.
“Come on in.”
Jin-yang led the way, and the two followed.
There was an old pediment inside the shrine, and a portrait was painted there.
Eunho’s pupils shook deeply as he looked at it.
“Long ago, the Wudang Sect received great help from a yokai. He found us the lost secret manual of Master Jang Sambong, and thanks to him, the Wudang Sect has been able to maintain its legacy until now.”
Lee Ryang nodded.
If they had received that much help, it was enough to build a shrine.
“At that time, our ancestors inquired about his identity, but he only said that he was an ascended fox yokai. I wonder if he wasn’t a celestial being who ruled over the spirits of the world. Ever since then, the Wudang Sect has forbidden meat as a way of showing respect to him.”
“That’s a truly beautiful story.”
Jin-yang explained with a reverent expression, and even Lee Ryang, who had been skeptical, seemed to be deeply moved.
Lee Ryang, who had been staring intently at the pediment, tilted his head.
“I’m sure this is the first time I’ve seen the celestial being, but he seems familiar somehow….”
No one could know that a cold sweat was running down Eunho’s spine.
He had simply given them what Yeodongbin had told him to give.
He had even lied and said he was an ascended fox yokai just to play a prank.
How could a yokai king ascend?
It would be absolutely unheard of for the heavenly realm to be divided into two sides.
And yet, because of that, the Wudang Sect had forbidden meat and only ate herbs.
And to think that he was the one who had killed Master Jang Sambong.
“Sigh.”
Eunho let out a deep sigh.
The thought of Jang Sambong inevitably made him think of her.
He had committed a massacre because of her, and in turn, it had become the opportunity for him to be reincarnated as a human.
He felt a vague longing without meaning to.
It was Lee Ryang who broke Eunho’s fleeting mood of reflection.
“Oh! How about asking about that mythical pill?”
It was clear that the mythical pill from the mountain bandits was not ordinary, but they couldn’t tell exactly what it was.
“Grandmaster Jin-yang is deep in cultivation and knowledge, so he might know.”
“Mythical pill? Yes, well, why don’t you show it to me. I may be a bit hesitant to speak for myself, but I have seen quite a bit of mythical pills.”
At Lee Ryang’s suggestion, Eunho nodded and took out the mythical pill from his bosom.
Upon seeing it, Jin-yang spoke in a slightly agitated voice.
“Oh, this!”
“Is it something you know?”
“Of course! How could I not know this? It is the Azure Vital Pill, a treasure of our Wudang Sect! I heard there was a big commotion recently because it went missing during a performance. Where did you get it?”
Lee Ryang explained what had happened, and Jin-yang burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha! I knew it was no ordinary thing, but you got it from the bandit mountain all by yourself?”
Jin-yang was genuinely impressed.
If it were true, wasn’t he truly a prodigy sent by heaven?
“But…”
Lee Ryang carefully glanced at Eunho’s expression and continued speaking.
“Since it originally belonged to the Wudang Sect, it should be returned…”
Lee Ryang’s words couldn’t be finished under Eunho’s intense gaze.
“Haha, it’s okay. It’s partly our fault for being negligent with its management, and originally, the one who found it should be its owner, right?”
He said that, but his eyes as he looked at the azure vital pill were dripping with regret.
Sensing the deep attachment in his gaze, Eunho quickly put the azure vital pill back in his bosom.
At that moment, a group of young Taoists entered the shrine.
Both Eunho and Lee Ryang recognized them.
Myungjin, a disciple of the Wudang Sect’s eldest disciple, who had a minor conflict with them recently!
Upon seeing Jin-yang, they bowed their heads hastily and greeted him.
“Oh, it’s Myungjin. What brings you here so early in the morning? And why have you brought so many priests with you?”
Still displeased with the incident from that day, Myungjin replied after seeing Eunho.
“It’s because… we feel that our recent progress in martial arts has not been as good as before, so we came here to make an offering to the immortal.”
Jin-yang’s eyes sparkled playfully as he looked at them.
“So you want to see the immortal.”
Lee Ryang and Eunho couldn’t understand their conversation.
If their martial arts skills have not been up to par, shouldn’t they just train harder? Why did they come to make an offering so early in the morning?
Jin-yang, perhaps reading the confusion on their faces, explained with a warm smile.
“To our embarrassment, the immortal is the most popular immortal among the young people in our Wudang Sect. How could we distinguish between them? Because of his domineering personality and overwhelming martial prowess displayed when he first visited the Wudang Sect, he became a symbol of ‘武’ (martial arts) along with Yeodongbin.”
In fact, there was a rumor among the young Taoists of the Wudang Sect that if they made an offering to the immortal, he would visit them and teach them the essence of martial arts.
There was even precedent for this. About a hundred years ago, a Taoist who had achieved great progress overnight said, “‘I made an offering to the immortal, and he visited me in a dream and taught me the essence of martial arts.'”
Eunho was completely dumbfounded to hear this.
He had no memory of that happening. So what was it?
He must have found and swallowed some kind of elixir that fell off a cliff without him knowing it.
It was obvious without even looking.
Eunho’s gaze fell on the Eldest disciple’s disciples who were making an offering.
It was strange to be offering to someone who was right there next to him, on the pediment.
They were even working hard at it. Sweat was dripping down their foreheads.
Look at their serious faces!
A sense of pity welled up inside him.
Eunho knew best that no matter how much they offered, it would be in vain.
These young people who should be eating well, sleeping well, and growing up strong,
were coming to make offerings from dawn, unable to sleep.
Poor things who couldn’t even eat meat for the rest of their lives because of a joke he threw out in passing.
“Sigh…”
Eunho took out the azure vital pill from his bosom and handed it to Jin-yang.
“It’s only right… that I give it back to you….”
The two were taken aback by his unexpected action. Lee Ryang in particular couldn’t hide his suspicious eyes.
‘What kind of trick is this bastard playing now?’
Meanwhile, Jin-yang’s eyes were filled with tears.
How could he be so deep inside…
“Hmm?”
The azure vital pill held in Eunho’s hand was not budging.
He tried pulling it hard enough to make his fingertips numb, but it didn’t even show signs of moving.
Only then did Jin-yang realize something was strange.
If he had been able to clear the bandit hideout, he must have mastered martial arts.
Why then couldn’t he see this young man’s cultivation level?
Ridiculous thoughts filled his head, but he forced them down with a shake of his head.
Rather than that…
“Listen, right now….”
In the end, Eunho let go of his strength, and the azure vital pill passed into Jin-yang’s hands.
Eunho, with a deep frown on his face, walked away limply.
“I’m… going to bed first….”
Jin-yang, watching Eunho’s back as he walked away, broke into a wide smile.
“Hahahaha! He conquered the bandits and found the Wudang Sect’s treasure. For his age, the word ‘hero’ is simply not enough.”
Myungjin, who had been watching them from the corner of his eye while making an offering, was startled. Had he ever seen the Sect Master smile so brightly?
Even in front of Myungjin, who was known as the pride of the Wudang Sect, he had never smiled that much.
Myungjin clenched his jaw.
And he spurred on the offering.
‘I must surely meet and see the immortal!’
***
Eunho was walking along like a withered plant.
He should have just eaten it when he found it.
He had made a mistake by not being able to overcome a moment of guilt.
What was bothering Eunho now wasn’t simply the fact that he couldn’t eat the azure vital pill.
Couldn’t overcome guilt?
For the Eunho of the previous life, this would have been unthinkable. He had felt it before, but he felt more and more like a real human being.
It was what he had wanted, but losing the identity he had carried for over a millennium was not entirely pleasant.
Oh well, what can you do?
Eunho’s father, brother, and master came to mind one after another.
But it was still better to be human.
“Shall I go and have a look?”
After meeting Jin-yang and listening to old stories and seeing the shrine, he remembered a past he had forgotten.
The cave he had punched through, or rather, tripped through, when he first stormed the Wudang Sect and defeated everyone from the Sect Master to the three disciples.
Eunho immediately took flight.
“Huh. It’s still there?”
There really was the cave from back then, behind Mount Wudang.
His stomach grumbled as he came closer.
It was indeed the right decision to eat it.
Within a day, Eunho had become a hero who returned the Wudang Sect’s treasure.
For martial artists, it was a common occurrence to fall into a trance over elixirs.
Even though they were Taoists, they were also martial artists, so it was understandable.
The fact that he had returned it to the Wudang Sect instead of eating it stealthily moved them.
Except for one person, Myungjin, everyone showed goodwill towards Eunho.
“Hahahahahah! It seems a ‘we’ fellowship has been formed, you must be hungry, so come on and have a meal.”
As soon as Eunho appeared, Jin-yang was the one who showed up as if he had been waiting for him.
The other Wudang Sect members made quite surprised expressions.
‘Hasn’t it been a while since the Sect Master smiled so carefreely?’
However, there was something else that was truly surprising.
When they arrived at the restaurant.
“W-w-what! Meat dishes?”
His eyes almost popped out of his head.
When was the last time he saw meat within the Wudang Sect? Or had there even been a time like that?
The Wudang Sect priests rubbed their eyes and rubbed them again.
No matter how many times they checked, it was a meat dish.
Although it was not a dish made by a skilled cook, just the fact that it was simply grilled meat was enough to surprise them.
Of course, it was a dish that was only placed in front of Eunho and Lee Ryang.
When Lee Ryang asked with his eyes what this was all about, Jin-yang smiled warmly and proudly and said.
“I thought about it and it seemed too much to only feed the Wudang Sect priests with herbs, so I prepared this separately. Although it’s not a gourmet dish, I’ve been up since early morning, so consider it a gesture of goodwill.”
That meant that the Sect Master himself had caught and cooked it.
Eunho, who was seated, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.
“Hmm.”
“What do you think? Is it at least a decent taste?”
Eunho tilted his head and put another piece in.
“Hm.”
“Say something already.”
Jin-yang, who had never cooked meat in his life, felt a bit nervous as he watched Eunho eat.
The other Taoists also swallowed their saliva and waited for Eunho’s answer.
“Well, it’s not bad.”
Jin-yang’s face brightened.
“Hehe, that’s a relief.”
For some reason, the other Taoists also nodded their heads.
However, there was a group of people who were glaring at Eunho with fierce eyes.
“Senior Brother, what do you think?”
“What are you talking about?”
When Myungjin, who was called Senior Brother, replied bluntly, his disciple Myung-woo spoke up.
“No, he looks about our age, but he took down the mountain bandits all by himself, right? The bandit leader was a master at the pinnacle, wasn’t he? Maybe we should ask him about it sometime?”
Myungjin nodded. He understood why the priests were half-in-half-out. He didn’t like it either.
‘He took down the mountain bandits all by himself? There’s no way that could be true.’
Myungjin’s level of cultivation, where he had no rival among his peers, was just barely crossing the line of first-class to the early stages of the peak.
And to think that an ordinary merchant like Eunho accomplished this?
At that moment, Eunho was seen finishing his meal at an amazing speed and leaving the restaurant.
“I’m going out.”
Myungjin, with a resolute expression, followed Eunho out.
Thunk.
Eunho turned his head with a displeased look when someone grabbed his arm from behind.
He had expected something like this, but was it really going to happen like this?
“You again?”
Eunho’s hand was grabbed by Myungjin, and he felt a strong pressure.
“You say you took down the bandits all by yourself and found the azure vital pill? That’s ridiculous. Did you steal it?”
Eunho looked at Myungjin silently. He didn’t seem like a bad guy.
Humans could be frightening, once they veered off course, there was no turning back..
Tack, tap.
Eunho gently released his neck and fingers.
“So what. Do you want to check?”
