Chapter 23 – The Five Evils (1)

After spending a day there, the boy moved on towards the next place. His destination was the group mission meeting spot: Kashgar. [1]

Whee! Whee!

The wind that came from nowhere swept past the boy roughly, swirling up sand and stinging his eyes. The boy used his qi to shake off the sand, causing his clothes to flutter gently in the wind. Sighing to himself, he started moving again. 

Dejectedly, Woon-seong trudged through the desert. 

I wish I had some more time to visit the safehouse. It’s a real pity.

The time given for personal missions was one full month. Now, there was only about one day left in that time. As he had originally planned, the mission should have taken less than a month.

The problem was that he had failed to consider the climate in his plans. With the harsh desert environment, Woon-seong had to spend more time traveling than he had expected. 

Oops. 

Forced to huddle around a fire to stay warm at night, Woon-seong was only able to travel during the day. However, he couldn’t move at top speed in the scorching sun since he had to conserve water. Unless he was someone who had reached the level of ‘impenetrable to cold and heat’, limitations to his traveling were inevitable. 

I’ll have another chance to visit the Spear Master Sect’s safehouse, Woon-seong comforted himself. 

In addition to being located deep in the mountains, the safehouse was protected by spiritual powers. Those who did not know the way would never find it. Of those currently alive, Woon-seong was positive no one else could touch the stuff in there but him.

The wind howled and the sound whistled past his ear.

First, I should go to the promised location.

Although it was a pity, he should focus on what was at hand. Either way, completing the missions assigned by the Cult of the Heavenly Demon was beneficial towards his path for revenge. 

Kashgar was in the southernmost region of the Cult of Heavenly Demon, adjacent to the realm of the Martial Alliance and Empire. In addition to the Cult being located in this area, there were a large number of smaller forces that were not tied with the Martial Alliance. Since most of them had signed numerous nonviolence treaties with the Cult, they were left as is. 

Sometimes, however, people out of their right minds would pop up. 

There was only one group mission and the details given to the trainees by the Cult were sparse. It was said they were criminals who committed crimes at the Potala Palace and fled, they were the blood lamas called the ‘Five Evils’. 

These bastards were vandalizing the territory of the Cult, not caring about where they were. In his heart, Woon-seong truly considered them idiots who thought too highly of themselves. 

Even the demonic cultivators who swore obeisance to the Cult were angered. The Cult could not ignore their duties to their followers. After all, it is our duty to protect the commoners.

Woon-seong walked as he recalled more details about the mission. The mission was a kill order: Get rid of all five of them. 

By this time, Woon-seong had long left the desert behind him and reached the branch of the Cult in Kashgar. Unlike Lop Nor, Kashgar did not try to hide its true nature — it was definitely a branch of the Demonic Cult. 

The two guards by the gate noticed Woon-seong as he walked closer. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was their occupation, but they were aggressive. 

As soon as the guards had seen him, their hands were on the hilts of their swords. 

“Who goes there?”

Woon-seong chuckled at them, not taking any offense. Understanding the instinctive reasoning, he felt amused more than disrespected. After all, anyone who randomly approached would be suspicious, especially one as young as himself. 

Even if they had acted, the guards wouldn’t have stood a chance against Woon-seong anyway. 

Woon-seong threw a slate at the one that identified him as a Demonic General. 

One of the guards caught the slate using both his hands. Looking at it, he began to tremble, possibly in fear or in shock. Despite his age, the young man before them was a Demonic General! Acting up against a higher-ranked official was a crime, one that could cost you your life. Would he be so unlucky today?

The other guard was put off by the seemingly arrogant boy in front of him and hadn’t noticed his partner’s change in demeanor. “Hey! You can’t just throw your slate like that!”

When the first guard cried out with an “Ah!”, the second asked, “What’s wrong?”, confused by the panicked expression of his companion. 

The one holding the slate only awkwardly tossed it back towards Woon-seong, still a bit shaken. 

Woon-seong only smiled as he caught the slate. Though it was not unkind, the guard found it mocking. “I heard the 1st Latent Demon Squad is supposed to gather here.”

Attitude having done a 180° turn, the guard welcomed Woon-seong into the branch with a deep bow. “Everyone’s here. Follow me.” 

His companion mirrored his actions, partly out of habit and partly due to the look on the other’s face. Still, he could no longer hold his curiosity after Woon-seong had left hearing range. “Hey. who is that guy?”

“Shhhh!” His companion nervously put a finger to his mouth, glancing at Woon-seong’s retreating figure. “Pipe down, you idiot! He’s just like Mok Dae-young, the Branch Manager of Kashgar, who we serve. That was a Demonic General!” 

Leaving his friend in shock, the guard hurried to follow Woon-seong and guided him towards the inner branch area. 

Woon-seong walked along the streets, admiring his surroundings. While the streets weren’t unclean, it was bustling with activity. As he observed the people, he realized that many of them were martial artists, though their levels were too low to be of much use to the Cult. 

With everyone around tied to the Cult by membership or treatise,  there was no need for Woon-seong to hide his identity as a Demonic General or put up pretenses. In fact, if he were less loyal to the Cult, Woon-seong could stage a rebellion and take over the branch. 

At the same time, Kashgar was a much more militarized branch than Lop Nor. Since Lop Nor was so remote, the branch there was almost solely used for scouting and intel purposes. This could be seen in the way the branch doubled as a bookstore, where the branch manager couldn’t even be considered Demonic General level. On the other hand, Kashgar contained a relatively famed Demonic General leading a whole division of officers.  The branch was also organized like a fortress, with roofed walls and a few guarded gates. 

The two guards who had been at the entrance brought him to the inner branch area, where they opened a second gate for him. 

“This way, sir.”

When Woon-seong walked in, he saw a young man waiting for him by a tall tree. The man had his hair cut short and multiple scars across his face, the most noticeable one a large scar running across his right eye. 

“You’ve arrived.” The man lifted his hand in an awkward half-wave, but otherwise appeared happy to see Woon-seong. 

“It’s been a while, Gwan Tae-ryang.” 

In all honesty, Woon-seong had been feeling somewhat awkward too. With a weird mixture of emotions, he greeted this other trainee who had been Number 1 in the Cave of Latent Demons. 

Back then, Woon-seong had beaten Gwan Tae-ryang until he passed out in the ‘Strife of Life and Death’ and lectured him. While everyone had naturally understood the concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘winner takes all’, there were still people like Number 109 who could hold a serious grudge… 

Since Gwan Tae-ryang was to be his Lieutenant, he hoped everything was just water under the bridge. 

Thankfully, Gwan Tae-ryang was actually beaming as he welcomed Woon-seong, “It’s good to see you safe, Squad Master!” 

Naturally, as the strongest in the Cave of Latent Demons, Woon-seong had been tasked with the leadership position during the group mission, becoming the Squad Master for the 1st Latent Demon Squad. Since Gwan Tae-ryang technically had the power to lead his own group, it seemed that their group mission would be a difficult challenge.  

They smiled at each other as Woon-seong observed the other. 

It seems like he’s been through a lot ever since then. He’s a much more humble man than back at the ‘Strife of Life and Death’. 

Woon-seong knew that Gwan Tae-ryang’s appearance meant the successful completion of his individual mission. As he knew the difficulty of the missions assigned and his own strength, he was sure that everyone else would have been given a relatively difficult mission as well. Even for him, subjugating a faction by himself hadn’t been a walk in the park. 

As they could be considered friends now, partners at worst, Woon-seong was glad to see that Gwan Tae-ryang had learned a lot through his journey to the real world. 

Waking up from his musings, Woon-seong turned his head to the other side of the courtyard. There, numerous other trainees were sitting at tables, all gathered together, as if waiting for him. 

“Oh…It looks like I was the last to arrive.” 

Once these other trainees saw that Woon-seong had acknowledged their presence, they simultaneously stood up and walked in front of the tables.They lined up in front of him as a group, with Gwan Tae-ryang at the front, leading them. They bowed and greeted him in an orderly fashion. 

“1st Latent Demon Squad, reporting for duty, Squad Master!” 

Woon-seong chuckled at their actions, understanding that this was a required formality. He let himself feel a little proud, as this was a step towards gathering power and authority in the Cult, a step towards revenge. 

For their journey outside, the trainees of the Cave had been divided into three different groups: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Latent Demon Squads. These were said to be temporary but received missions much like actual forces of the Cult. 

As Woon-seong was the strongest of the Cave, he was commissioned to command the 1st Latent Demon Squad. 

“I’m glad to see that all of you are well.” He waved his hand, motioning for them to stop. “But why are you all here and not waiting inside?” 

There were only twenty or so of them; no way the branch was unable to give them a place to stay. If they had been random members of the Cult, it might have been understandable. But the squad were here with a mission from the Demonic Cult Headquarters. 

“I requested everyone to do so,” Gwan Tae-ryang answered. “We’re about to carry out an important mission and we shouldn’t relax too much.”

Woon-seong was surprised at first, but soon let out an amused huff. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Right?” Gwan Tae-ryang grinned, obviously quite proud. 

Woon-seong only smirked and turned to the rest of his group members. “However!”

He immediately poured cold water over Gwan Tae-ryang’s happy mood. 

“Resting and getting rid of fatigue is also important. Being in poor conditions and losing to people weaker than you is a common thing in the martial society.”

The other trainees didn’t look scared or worried, but they had awkward looks on their faces as they imagined losing to someone weaker than them.  

“You must maintain the best condition to perform at your best. I know you lived most of your lives disciplining yourselves, so resting might feel awkward, but it’s about time you learn how to take care of your own bodies.” Woon-seong massaged his palms, still slightly swollen and bruised from overexertion during his fight with the Sword of Men. “If you don’t, you might just run into big trouble sometime. For today, let’s rest well.”

The trainees seemed startled at these words, as if remembering for the first time that they had left the world inside the Cave of Latent Demons. They had spent almost half of their lives sleeping in a rundown cave and learning to torture themselves. They tried too hard to survive, too hard to keep going. Right, it was time to learn how to take care of their bodies. Who knew when or where they were going to get attacked next?

They contemplated his words, schooling their previously excited auras. 

“You all must be tired because of your personal missions.” 

Woon-seong turned his head to the side, where a building with multiple floors stood. Although no person could be seen in the corridor, which was open to the air, he felt a powerful presence. 

“Can we get assigned to some resting rooms?”

The person there was startled that Woon-seong had noticed, as they had obviously been trying to hide. They appeared in a flash since they had already been caught, melting from the walls like shadow. 

Gwan Tae-ryang and another trainee who was close by were startled by the sudden movement and unfamiliar presence. With years of battle instincts kicking in, they immediately approached the wall with their weapons drawn. 

Woon-seong quickly restrained the actions of his men. They were in a branch of the Cult, whoever was inside and could mask their presence was likely not an enemy but someone relatively high-ranked in the Cult!

“Stop!” 

“Hahaha. Rumors say that the current Cave of Latent Demons produced the best members in the history of Caves…” 

The shadow that had flashed into their view stepped into the sunlight. 

“And it seems true.”

It was a middle-aged man, obviously also from the Cult. There were numerous long, red scars covering both of his arms as well as his neck, which the man didn’t try to hide. 

Woon-seong’s thoughts flashed through his mind as he rapidly tried to place the man’s identity based upon his appearance. This man was at least Demonic General level! There was only one person skilled enough in this branch who could hide from the senses of the Cave of Latent Demon trainees. 

When he appeared, the trainees bowed their heads. “Good to see you!”

Woon-seong did not bow, but he quickly greeted the other. “It’s an honor to meet you, ‘Fire Demon of Scars’, Mok Dae-young. I am Hyuk Woon-seong, Leader of the 1st Latent Demon Squad.”

“Kashgar’s Branch Manager, Mok Dae-young. The Cult has contacted me in advance about you. I heard you’re the strongest amongst the Cave’s trainees.”

“I’m flattered by the overstatement.” 

It was true, but Woon-seong hoped to stay in the good graces of this branch manager. While he was self-assured, he wasn’t the type to brag either. He was a bit interested in the way that the Cult spoke of him, but that wasn’t something he could ask about. 

“Overstatement?” Mok Dae-young leaped from the second floor, where he had been standing, to the floor in front of Woon-seong. “You all are our fellow comrades who will lead the next generation of the Cult. I am excited to work with you.” 

The man had decided that he approved of the young man before him, and stuck out his hand to shake. 

“Me too.”

“Hahahah! Although it’s not like some branch manager in the middle of nowhere can do much!”

“You don’t need to be so modest, ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’.”

Mok Dae-young was startled at being addressed by his lesser-known nickname, especially by someone so young. “So you even know about that?”

“Senior Sang told me that you used to work at the ‘Thousand Miles Communication Department’.”

The ‘Senior Sang’ that Woon-seong mentioned was obviously Sang In-hyo, who worked as the General Director of the Cave of Latent Demons. Before Woon-seong had left the Cult, Sang In-hyo had described all the people they should seek if they needed information along the way. 

Mok Dae-young smiled slightly, he remembered the guy. “I see…”

The Thousand Miles Communication Department was an information organization run by the Demonic Cult; it had been the eyes and ears of the headquarters. General Director Sang had been up there in the past, with a position as a middle-level executive. 

The star at that time was a certain ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’. That was a man whose information channels wouldn’t miss facts as fine as spider silk and could spread it delicately like a web. 

Now, because of infighting, few still remembered this man.

However, General Director Sang obviously still remembered him, placing high importance on this man. 

“You are the ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’ who worked as the eyes and ears of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.” Woon-seong clasped his fist in front of him, in a martial bow.  “That’s why I need help from you for this mission.” 

“My help, huh…Since you mentioned ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’, I assume you want the information that only I could have.” Mok Dae-young was silent for a moment, as the trainees waited apprehensively. “Alright! Let’s talk over a cup of tea. I’ll tell my men to assign new accommodations for your squad.”

“You heard him.” Woon-seong turned to the others as he followed Mok Dae-young into the building. “Rest well until we start the mission. Of course, don’t be lazy either. Maintain your condition and keep yourself prepared so you can fight at your best at any time.”

“Yes, sir!”

[1] Kashgar, sometimes spelled Kashgur, is a real city in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. It’s an oasis most famous for being a stop-off point on the Silk Road. 

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Il-Hwang, 일황]

[Translator – moonchildkhz]

[Proofreader – Mayank]