Chapter 194: The Demonic Master Caught in a Trap (1)

"Do you think I’m someone who would die so easily?"

The Demonic Master smiled and gently wiped his daughter’s tears.

"Sit down. Tell me your story, how you ended up here."

Seok Unjeong confessed everything without holding back—how she arrived earlier than the promised date with her father, only to be kidnapped by Eum Sajeok, and how he discovered she had the Moon Yin Meridian Blockage and handed her over to the Ihwa Fairy, Man Inhwa. She told him how the Ihwa Fairy tried to extract her Moon Yin Energy in order to complete the Moonlight Demon Art.

When she spoke of how Yong Hwarin had broken into the Ihwa Palace’s branch and rescued her, the Demonic Master’s expression constantly changed.

Hearing about the kidnapping by Eum Sajeok, anger welled up against him, and when he heard she had been rescued by Yong Hwarin, he let out a sigh of relief.

As the thought settled in—that Eum Sajeok had toyed with them all this time—the Demonic Master’s fury reached his head.

However, he suppressed the killing intent that rose within, knowing his daughter might have a seizure if she felt it, and barely managed to calm himself down.

‘Eum Sajeok… I’ll make sure you live the rest of your life regretting what you’ve done.’

The Demonic Master stood up and spoke softly.

"Let’s leave this place."

"Right now?"

Seok Unjeong was surprised by her father’s sudden decision and asked again.

"Yes. We must leave now."

"But I should at least say goodbye to those who helped me."

"I know. But leaving without a word will be better for them."

"Father, they’re the ones who saved me and treated me like family until now. They’re the ones who fought Man Inhwa to protect me. I can’t just leave like that. That’s not the way of people."

"Jeongah, does Yong Hwarin know you’re the daughter of the Demonic Master? Does he know you’re my daughter?"

Although Seok Unjeong had told Jeong Minji, Jegal Cheongyeong, and Yong Hwarin about her background, she had not revealed who her father truly was.

Because of that, none of them had even imagined that Seok Unjeong’s father was the Demonic Master, Seok Jamyung.

They had only vaguely assumed he was some kind of physician.

She thought Yong Hwarin, too, would never suspect that her father was the Demonic Master, Seok Jamyung.

She had wanted to be honest with Yong Hwarin, but the thought of being separated from them kept her silent.

Not saying anything wasn’t exactly lying.

Still, the guilt of hiding the truth always weighed heavily on her chest, like a lingering discomfort.

After learning how much the prestigious clans despised those of the Demonic Path, she shut her mouth even tighter.

"I didn’t tell him."

"What do you think they’ll do once they find out you’re my daughter?"

"Even so, I don’t think they’ll hate me."

Even to the Demonic Master, Yong Hwarin didn’t seem like someone narrow-minded or petty.

One could tell just by observing his past actions.

"Still, others will surely use this to attack Yong Hwarin. They’ll brand him as someone who colluded with the daughter of the Demonic Path and try to crush him however they can. Yong Hwarin’s gained quite a bit of fame, and that’s drawn many envious eyes. If that happens, you’ll end up pushing him into a corner."

Seok Unjeong hadn’t considered that.

She wanted to argue, but knew her father’s words weren’t wrong, and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I don’t want that."

"That’s why it’s best to just leave. Without telling anyone. That’ll be best for you, for Yong Hwarin, and his companions as well."

Seok Unjeong could feel the sincerity in her father’s words.

She could sense his desire to leave without causing harm.

The Demonic Master also felt grateful to those who had rescued and protected his daughter, and thus he did not want to bring them any harm.

However, Seok Unjeong had grown attached to the group during her time with them, and the idea of parting without a word was unbearable.

Though her mind understood what needed to be done, her heart refused to follow that resolve.

The Demonic Master was forced to bring up what he had hoped not to say.

"They know who I am. That I am one of Third Young Master Eum Sajeok’s subordinates. So what do you think they’ll say if they find out you were with them? They’ll say you were acting as a spy. And because of that, Yong Hwarin will lose the trust of others."

At those words, Seok Unjeong silently let her tears fall.

Then, she set aside her embroidery, prepared paper, brush, and inkstone, and began to write.

Brother Hwarin, I apologize for leaving without a word. My father came for me, so I must go with him. I will explain everything to you when we meet again. I will never forget your care and kindness for as long as I live. I hope you remain safe and well until we meet again. I also did not get the chance to bid farewell to the others. Please do not be too upset. Forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye due to unavoidable circumstances. My heart will always remain with you all. Your younger sister, Seok Unjeong.

As she laid the brush down, a tear fell into the inkstone.

Never in her life had she cried so much.

Even when suffering from the pain of the Moon Yin Meridian Blockage, she had screamed, but never shed tears.

This was the time in her life when she had received the most love and come to like so many people, which made it that much harder to part from them.

But she hated the idea of those she liked suffering because of her.

If that was the case, then leaving was the right choice.

"Father, let’s go now."

When Seok Unjeong packed some clothes into a small bundle and stood up with her embroidery in hand, Seok Jamyung asked,

"Why are you taking that embroidery? Wasn’t it made for Yong Hwarin?"

Seok Unjeong shook her head.

"No. I started stitching it to give to you when we met. Everyone here uses a dragon as their symbol, so I thought it would suit you too, Father."

The Demonic Master, hearing that, was overwhelmed with emotion and pulled Seok Unjeong into a hug.

"I’m sorry. This father is truly sorry to you."

Thinking that it was his fault she couldn’t stay with the people she cared about made his chest feel crushed.

"It’s okay. I’m alright, Father."

Seok Unjeong spoke as tears fell again.

As the Demonic Master left the Sky Ocean Merchant Union with Seok Unjeong, someone trailed behind them.

Mu Iso, while circling around Hoi Unkyung’s quarters, overheard Seok Unjeong talking with someone.

To his surprise, it seemed to be her father, and he briefly observed from a distance.

Mu Iso struggled with the decision of whether to stop Seok Unjeong from secretly leaving the Sky Ocean Merchant Union with her father or to respect her wishes.

In the end, he decided to follow them.

If he wanted to say anything to Yong Hwarin, he would need to understand why they were running away.

He didn’t want to create a scene within the Sky Ocean Merchant Union by confronting Seok Unjeong’s father, which would only give Hoi Soyu’s faction a convenient reason to criticize them.

So he simply followed from a distance.

He planned to listen to the conversation between the father and daughter once they were outside the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

The Demonic Master was thinking of leaving Jeongju with Seok Unjeong.

He had never truly followed Third Young Master Eum Sajeok out of loyalty, nor had he any real allegiance.

Though he should have sought revenge for being used with his daughter as a hostage, for her sake, he chose to delay that vengeance.

The father and daughter departed the Sky Ocean Merchant Union and headed toward Mount Tianzhong.

Because the only way to treat his daughter’s meridian blockage was with the Seonyuhonghwa Herb.

The Demonic Master planned to go into seclusion near that area for a while.

To avoid the pursuit of Eum Sajeok, the Demonic Master believed that was the only best path forward and set out, but before they could even leave Jeongju, they were surrounded by a group.

"This is quite strange. This isn’t a main road—just a path for wild beasts. What brings you through here?"

Third Young Master Eum Sajeok replied with a smirk.

"I was taking a stroll, and lo and behold, wasn’t it you, Demonic Master, walking this path? But where are you off to at this hour, with a young girl no less?"

As Eum Sajeok’s subordinates appeared behind him, the Demonic Master laughed, baring his teeth.

"Ha ha ha. I was planning to visit you myself. But how fortunate you’ve come out to send me off. You would’ve been better off pretending not to notice my departure. You'll regret failing to do that for the rest of your days."

The Demonic Master was a martial artist of the Demonic Path, and even among such practitioners, he was known as a cold-blooded man.

He was a top-level expert, one of the proudly named Four Demonic Heavens.

Though he taught martial arts to other demonic practitioners, he was infamous for cutting down anyone who displeased him without hesitation.

"I've long thought I’d make you regret what you did to me. It would’ve been better if you had just stayed out of my way."

"How eloquent your threats are."

As Eum Sajeok sneered, the Demonic Master no longer wished to exchange words.

He was at a disadvantage, burdened with his daughter.

For that reason, resolving the situation quickly and leaving was the wisest course.

So the Demonic Master feigned speech and suddenly charged at Eum Sajeok.

Even with his daughter tucked under one arm, his body moved like a thunderbolt.

"Hmph!"

Though Eum Sajeok had been prepared, once the Demonic Master launched his assault in earnest, evading it became barely possible.

Until now, having bossed him around like a subordinate, he had momentarily forgotten how formidable a martial expert the Demonic Master truly was.

But with just that single move, Eum Sajeok was reminded of the Demonic Master’s prowess.

"All units, attack!"

More than thirty members of the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit, commanded by Eum Sajeok, sprang into motion.

But even before they could encircle the Demonic Master, he broke through their formation and advanced toward Eum Sajeok.

As the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit clashed with the Demonic Master, a storm of blood erupted in an instant.

"As expected, he really is the Demonic Master. To think the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit can’t even hold him."

Eum Sajeok watched the approaching Demonic Master, his killing intent laid bare, with composed eyes.

Beside him, his vice-captain murmured.

"He’s too valuable to discard."

"If we didn’t have his daughter as a hostage, he would have drawn his blade against us long ago. Since it’d be a waste to discard him, we should at least make use of him in a scheme."

The vice-captain, watching the Demonic Master steadily approach them, spoke in a worried tone.

"But do we have any means to stop the Demonic Master?"

Even the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit couldn’t hold him—no one knew where Eum Sajeok’s confidence came from.

"My lady, what do you think?"

"About what?"

Deung Hwaun replied with a conflicted expression as she watched the Demonic Master fight.

"The Demonic Master betrayed us, didn’t he?"

Deung Hwaun uttered a lie her heart didn’t agree with.

"A traitor must be punished."

"Indeed? Then drink this, if I give the word."

Eum Sajeok handed Deung Hwaun a jade vial.

"What is this?"

"You’ll know when you drink it. I assure you, it won’t harm you."

Deung Hwaun had no strength to defy Eum Sajeok’s command.

She knew the Demonic Master would eventually leave once he found his daughter, but she was not pleased to see him being used like this.

Still, she wasn’t foolish enough to let it show on her face.

Now that she had boarded the same ship as them, she had no choice but to follow Eum Sajeok’s orders.

The Demonic Master cut down fifteen members of the Blood Heaven Ghost Demon Unit and continued toward Eum Sajeok.

His daughter hung limply at his side.

Before the fight, he had pressed her acupoints and put her to sleep.

The Demonic Master held a sword dripping with blood and spoke.

"To think you tried to capture me with these scraps. You truly know nothing about me. And whatever confidence you’re putting on, you’ve only hastened your own death."

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