Chapter 224. Nine in the Fifth Place (20)
“The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever!”
The door opened with a loyal chant, and upon hearing the news, each of the cult's elders and experts quickly ran out from all over the shrine, kneeling and bowing on both sides of Si-Hyeon’s path, shouting.
“The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever! We congratulate you on your return!”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Si-Hyeon nodded with a cold expression. It was an expression that she had never shown Woo-Moon, but now that he saw her like this, he found that he was quite into it.
‘I want you to look at me like that tonight,’ Woo-Moon thought to himself.
Then he stopped in place, seriously considering if he was a pervert or something.[1] How could he suddenly feel such that kind of desire as he watched Si-Hyeon act cold and strong?!
***
Time continued to pass, and eventually, the most auspicious day of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the day of the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon, arrived.
Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol had agreed to get married at the same time, a month later.
The wedding wasn't taking place within the Heavenly Demon Cult but in a manor close to the cult's shrine. The manor had just been purchased by the cult; it was newly built and very spacious, making it more than suitable for the numerous guests.
“Unnie! You’re so pretty! You look like a fairy, a fairy!”
Yeo-Seol clapped her hands in admiration as she looked at Si-Hyeon in her wedding gown. Ma-Ra nodded in agreement.
Si-Hyeon smiled slightly and covered her mouth with her sleeve.
“The two of you will look prettier than me later. Thank you.”
At those words, Yeo-Seol blushed and rejoiced as she imagined herself wearing a wedding dress like Si-Hyeon and having pretty makeup. She was so happy.
To celebrate the historical marriage of two Paragons, congratulatory envoys had been sent from all over.
The North Sea Ice Palace, the Potala Palace, the Great Thunder Temple, the Shaolin Temple, the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Eight Great Ancient Families, the Changbai Sword Gate, and countless small and medium-sized sects, gates, guilds, and gangs throughout the gangho.
The gifts they had been granted were up to the occasion as well.
As time drew near, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon emerged from their respective quarters, where they had been getting ready, and began the wedding ceremony.
However, at that moment, a scuffle was taking place outside the manor.
A beautiful woman had come from out of nowhere, drunk out of her mind, and was trying to enter the manor when the Heavenly Demon Cult warriors blocked her.
“We cannot let you pass, Young Lady. We were told not to allow drunk people inside.”
“You are a cultivator. Please circulate your qi and clear your head before entering.”
“What? Let go of me! Do you know who I am? Get out of my way! Aren't you getting out of my way?! I, I, I! I'm the woman of the Paragon Song Woo-Moon! Get out of my way, now!”
The blue outer robe the beauty was wearing had plum blossom patterns embroidered on its sleeves.
As Si-Hyeon had ordered them not to cause any trouble with the members of the Nine Sects and One Gang, and since the beauty was a possible acquaintance of Woo-Moon, the Heavenly Demon Cult members found themselves at a loss, unable to do anything.
Right at that moment, a man with massive stature and a pretty woman approached.
The massive man looked at the drunk beauty and exclaimed in surprise, “Junior sister? What are you doing here?”
“Huh?! Senior brother! Hehe, so it's you, senior brother Woo-Gang. Come and tell these old men to let me in,” Hyeon Yu-Yeon said as she laughed bashfully.
“Ha...”
Woo-Gang could feel a nagging headache overcome him.
It had taken him quite some time to not only regain his former strength but also become stronger. It was only because he had succeeded that he had finally decided to come looking for his brother, and he was only just able to arrive in time for the wedding.
Who would have thought that the moment he arrived, he’d find his junior sister like this?!
“What should we do?” Woo-Gang asked Bi Yeo-Jung, who was still by his side and was very much intent on making that position permanent.
Bi Yeo-Jeong looked at Hyeon Yu-Yeon with a pitying gaze and shrugged. She also didn't know what to do.
Woo-Gang's heart hurt for Hyeon Yu-Yeon. While he had a vague idea that his junior sister had feelings for his brother, he never could have expected that her feelings would be this strong.
Looking at the drunk Hyeon Yu-Yeon, Woo-Gang sighed as he remembered his old self.
“Sir, do you know this person?”
Woo-Gang nodded at the cultist’s polite question. Then, he felt something inside of his shift.
In the past, he had hated the Heavenly Demon Cult, thinking that they were his mortal enemies. However, now, they were to be his in-laws. Even though he knew about Si-Hyeon, it was still not easy to digest.
“May I ask you for your name?”
“Song Woo-Gang. My name is Song Woo-Gang.”
The cultist thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened.
“I was told that the Grand Consort had a younger brother...”
“Yes, that would be me.”
Grand Consort.[2] Si-Hyeon's subordinates all called Woo-Moon that title out of respect.
The Heavenly Demon Cult warriors bowed to Woo-Gang.
“Please come in...”
At that moment, Hyeon Yu-Yeon suddenly pushed open the gate, which was slightly ajar, and barged in.
“Wait!”
Woo-Gang and the warriors were surprised and tried to grab her, but Hyeon Yu-Yeon managed to enter the wedding hall, catching everyone’s attention.
Woo-Moon’s eyes widened at the sight. Hyeon Yu-Yeon pointed at him and screamed.
“SOOOOOONG WOOOOO-MOOOOOOOOOON!!”
“Hey, isn't that Hyeon Yu-Yeon? What’s up with her?!”
All of the acclaimed figures of the Nine Sects and One Gang and other guests looked at her in surprise.
As for Hyeon Yu-Yeon, there was nothing but Woo-Moon in her field of vision.
“You evil bastard! You did everything you wanted to me back then, and now you're marrying another woman!”
Hyeon Yu-Yeon always had a reckless and stubborn personality, and now, said personality was empowered by a not insignificant amount of liquor.
There’s nothing quite like alcohol when it comes to untying one’s tongue. Unfortunately, it also comes with a few minor side effects. For instance, one might forget a few words here and there, or the words might come out a little differently from what’s intended.
In this specific case, the intended meaning had been “you did everything you wanted to my heart back then.” Unfortunately, that meaning hadn’t exactly carried through in speech.
Woo-Moon’s jaw hit the floor, while Si-Hyeon and Yeo-Seol looked at him with wide eyes.
“Senior brother...!”
“Gege, you didn't... Or did you?!”
The eyes of Woo-Moon's women suddenly turned into slits. There was deep, undisguised suspicion in their gaze.
“N-no, it's not true. I didn't do anything! Seriously!”
Hyeon Yu-Yeon suddenly burst into tears.
“Song Woo-Moon, you evil bastard, how could you throw me away and marry another woman?! What do you want me to do?! Sob, sob!”
Woo-Moon really had done nothing wrong.
No matter how much he racked his brain, wondering if he had maybe done something in the past that he had forgotten, he couldn't think of anything. He had never made even the slightest contact with Hyeon Yu-Yeon's body or done anything to her.
Still, cold sweat ran down his entire body. His head was spinning, and his mouth was parched as he wondered how to resolve this situation.
Then, as he looked at Hyeon Yu-Yeon, he suddenly saw something through the door behind her—outside the mansion, blood spurted.
“W-what the hell is going on?!”
Woo-Moon was furious to see that bloodshed had occurred on the day of his wedding.[3]
Fortunately, the ceremony itself was already over.
As they had already finished bowing to the Heaven God and the Earth God[4], he and Si-Hyeon were already married.
“Senior brother, what do you think is going on?” Si-Hyeon asked.
Woo-Moon gave her an assuring look as if telling her not to worry.
“I'll look into it. Stay here.”
Woo-Moon quickly circulated his qi and made his move, instantaneously appearing before Hyeon Yu-Yeon, who was startled and dazed by the sudden development.
“Myriad Lives Monk?”
The person who had just killed two warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult and was now fighting Woo-Gang was none other than the Myriad Lives Monk.
Seeing Woo-Moon, the Myriad Lives Monk walked toward him without paying any attention to Woo-Gang's attacks.
Squelch!
Woo-Gang's sword pierced his stomach.
However, the Myriad Lives Monk simply ignored it and walked toward Woo-Moon with drool dripping from his mouth.
“Who the hell did this to you...”
The Myriad Lives Monk seemed to have had his mind overwhelmed by some kind of soul arts, just like the bandits who had been defeated by Si-Hyeon earlier.
As Woo-Moon looked at the Myriad Lives Monk with a stern expression on his face, some of the Justice Coalition’s acclaimed figures who had come to congratulate Woo-Moon on the joyous occasion let out a surprised gasp.
“What?! Isn't that the Myriad Lives Monk?”
“Esteemed one, what are you doing?! Hurry up and put your sword away!”
However, the Myriad Lives Monk only smiled strangely and didn’t answer. His complexion was very dark, making him look a suspicious lot like a jiangshi.
“Agh... ugh...”
The Myriad Lives Monk tried to say something.
However, his voice sounded very weird, as if someone else was speaking through his mouth. Rather than his normal stentorian voice, what came out was a high-pitched voice that sounded a lot like a woman’s.
Coupled with the gray complexion, the dead eyes that seemed to stare into the void, and the aura of death emanating from his entire body, the strange voice coming out of his mouth made for a truly eerie picture.
Those present at the wedding felt a chill run down their spines.
The Myriad Lives Monk pointed at Woo-Moon with his finger.
“If... if you want to save your father... you must... come alone, to the palace... come... ugh!”
Suddenly, the Myriad Lives Monk retched, and a severed ear popped out from his mouth.
‘Father!’
Woo-Moon knew right away whose ear it was.
His eyes turned bloodshot instantly. But the moment he raised his gaze to glare at the Myriad Lives Monk, the monk suddenly swelled up and burst apart like a balloon.
BOOM!
This wasn't Woo-Moon's doing, nor was it that someone had sneak attacked the monk.
His blood, bone fragments, internal organs, and brain matter burst out everywhere, making the wedding hall look more like a butcher’s shop before the daily cleaning.
“Kya!!!”
“Aargh!”
Everyone who got doused in bodily fluids and random bits of flesh retreated with screams, and the inside of the wedding hall became a complete mess.
The smell of rotting blood and flesh began to fill the air.
In the middle of it all, Woo-Moon stood still, with a vicious expression, as if he was one step away from murdering someone. A vicious bloodlust so deep that even the sky seemed to darken emanated from every bit of his body.
“Dear, are you okay?”
“Gege!”
“Are you going?”
The voices of Si-Hyeon, Yeo-Seol, and Ma Ra sounded one after another.
However, Woo-Moon couldn't bring himself to look back at his loved ones. He could well imagine what his face looked like right now.
“You kidnapped my father and cut off his ear, and then you ruined my wedding and threatened me... Alright. Good. I hope you are prepared, because heaven is my witness that the moment we meet will be the last moment you live.”
Even Ma-Ra, who had been watching over Woo-Moon from the side for a long time, had never seen him this angry. Because of his murderous aura, everyone gathered in the wedding hall had a hard time even breathing.
Woo-Moon picked up his father's ear and handed it to Woo-Gang.
“Take this.”
Woo-Gang had wanted to show his changed appearance to his brother and get some well-deserved praise for pulling himself together. However, he didn't have the leisure to care about that right now.
“Are you going alone?” he asked.
Woo-Moon nodded.
“Yeah. Since he told me to come alone, I should at least follow along with his request.”
“But... Don't you think it would be better if someone secretly followed you? I'll go with you, hyung. It's dangerous.”
Woo-Moon put a hand on his brother's shoulder. His gaze finally softened, and he flashed a reassuring smile.
“Don't worry. It's me, your big brother. I am Song Woo-Moon. I alone am enough.”
Only then did Woo-Gang nod. He trusted his own brother more than anyone else, after all. “Alright, hyung. Bring Father back. As for whoever did this...”
Bloodlust not losing in the slightest to Woo-Moon’s flashed in Woo-Gang’s eyes.
“They have to die. All of them. And it has to hurt.”
“Of course.”
After this brief exchange, Woo-Moon turned around.
“Don't follow me. Everyone goes straight to the Heavenly Demon Cult!”
Woo-Moon used his movement technique and ran toward the Capital as the three women watched his back with worried gazes.
1. Yes. ☜
2. Technically, the term used here (大公) means Grand Duke or a similar rank. It’s also used to refer to the non-sovereign consort of a sovereign, e.g. how the late Queen Elizabeth II’s husband was prince, not king. ☜
3. Blood being spilled in any way at a wedding is, quite obviously, a terrible omen; there are regional superstitions about this ranging from it meaning that the bride will suffer a miscarriage to the wedding will end in someone’s brutal death. ☜
4. In Muism, the Korean traditional shamanistic religion, there are four major gods, the Sun God, the Moon God, the Sky God (the father of the founding god of Korea) and the Earth God, alongside the Star Gods. In a traditional wedding, you bow to your parents, to Heaven and Earth (so the gods), and to each other. ☜