Chapter 57. The Feeling of Becoming a Lesser Demon

The old martial artist, known as the Great Demon, is dead.

To me, who was a waiter in Yangyang County, the head of the Haowen Sect, the liberator of the Black Cat Gang, the leader of the Black Cat Gang, a regular customer at Chunyang Restaurant, and a patient of the Murong family, he is dead.

This is truly an incredible rate of progress.

I thought I was doing well.

It wasn't easy for me not to kill the disciples either. In my previous life, I dragged the ponytails of those whose morale had already dropped and didn't beat them to death. If my actions were to continue this way, I would soon regain the nickname of Demon again.

That can't happen.

I plan to delay it as much as possible.

After all, even the great demon Guangsheng, who could be called the predecessor of the demon, hasn't arrived in the Central Plains yet.

If the rumor of the demon spreads, there's a possibility that Guangsheng would come looking for me first.

I don't want to be dragged to Zhejiang and watch fish before I can stabilize the area around Yangyang County.

Even though I've become strong enough to kill the Great Demon, my evaluation of Guangsheng hasn't changed.

I know better than anyone else how strong this man is.

I suddenly looked at Bai Ren, Qing Jin, and Bai You, who were waiting without running away. They seemed to be waiting to prepare the funeral for the Great Demon's body. But since I kept staring at the Great Demon, they were in a state of not knowing what to do.

I said to the three of them.

"Clean up the body."

Only then did the three of them leave the wall and approach me.

Since they had already seen my lightness skills, they had no intention of running away.

"Follow the master's last words and take off the masks."

Bai Ren, who had resigned himself, nodded and took off his mask, followed by Qing Jin and Bai You revealing their faces.

I remembered the faces of the three and said to Wall Chief.

"Wall Chief, if the Twelve Elders defy the Great Demon's last words, spread the portraits of the Twelve Elders far and wide. Can you do that?"

Wall Chief looked at the three and nodded.

"It's not a difficult task."

I also tidied up the chaotic internal affairs.

"Black Cat Gang, clean up the internal affairs and remove the bodies lying on the street. And the Twelve Elders, I want to have a brief talk with you. Take the body after the conversation, and Wall Chief, Hong Shen, and Jin Hai, come in as well."

* * *

I sat in the main seat and looked at the elders sitting opposite me.

"Now I'm the eldest brother."

"..."

"If I have something to teach you, I'll act as your master, but as you can see, I'm younger than you, so being the eldest brother is just right. Any objections?"

The atmosphere was tense because the Great Demon had died.

Bai Ren, who looked about twenty-seven, was the only one to respond.

"Since it was the master's last wish, I will follow it."

Right now, Hong Shen and Jin Hai, who had eaten pork ribs with me and almost fallen into madness, understand me the most.

In other words, what I'm saying now is well-received by Hong Shen and Jin Hai, but to the other elders, it sounds like the ramblings of a madman.

But that's fine.

What I'm doing is inherently like this, and it takes time for people to understand each other.

The important thing is that the Great Demon is dead, and these guys can now take off their masks.

"I'll tell you what the disciples should do. If I have to repeat it, I'll challenge you to a life-or-death duel, so listen carefully and attentively."

Hong Shen alone responded boldly.

"Yes, eldest brother."

Indeed, the bond with those who shared the pork ribs is deeper.

Jin Hai, who was afraid of me, and Bai Ren, who was usually afraid of him, kept his mouth shut.

"Did Bai Ren respect the Great Demon?"

"More like a mix of love and hate."

"What part was love?"

Bai Ren said.

"Other black sects couldn't covet Nanhua. Even with larger forces around us, the master had a commanding presence. The mask also had that meaning. He could train disciples to be assassins, so don't mess with me. That's why, despite many flaws, Nanhua didn't allow other black sects to expand."

"In summary, even though his personal life was a mess, he did a good job as the leader of the black sect. Is that what you're saying?"

Bai Ren nodded.

I was gauging the personalities of the disciples as we talked.

Bai Ren was consistently calm, and Qing Jin seemed to be a man of few words and a martial bone.

Bai You, on the other hand, seemed to be the clever type, but his skills were far inferior to Bai Ren and Qing Jin.

The atmosphere was too rigid due to their long-standing power struggles. Even Hong Shen, who used to be quite rebellious, preferred silence in this setting.

Feeling the stiff atmosphere, I tried to lighten it up.

"Disciples, now that the Great Demon is dead, let's move on happily."

Naturally, the elders' expressions were sour, as I suggested moving on happily after killing the master. But I'm not one to read the room, so I said again in a serious tone.

"Let's move on happily."

"Yes."

"Understood."

"I don't know the extent of each of your forces or how many subordinates you have. After the Great Demon's funeral, let's clean up all the messy business. The black sect can't suddenly become a white sect, but I'll help you shed the stigma of the black sect."

Jin Hai, who had been quiet, responded.

"Is there a way to do that?"

"Join Haowen. I'm neither a white sect nor a black sect. I was never and will never be. Just Haowen. A sect formed by people who work together. A secret force, a mediocre force, a complex force, a disorganized organization. All the forces managed by the Four Elders will come under me. What should we do first for a sect that works for the people?"

No one responded immediately.

There's so much to do, they probably don't know where to start.

Actually, I don't know either.

I have to leave it to them.

"You can report to me frequently. You can also come to me when there's a problem. For now, I'll leave it to you, so handle it as you see fit. But clean up the black sect's activities on your own. When I occupied the Black Cat Gang, I didn't bring my direct subordinates."

For example, I have a direct subordinate named Chae Sung-tae.

After thinking for a moment, I realized there was no one else, so I kept it short.

"Anyway, if you're not satisfied, I'll lead the entire force of Haowen to crush your place and hand over the business to the waiter in your town. I gave you a chance to live, so don't make me your enemy again."

Bai Ren, who was the most composed, responded alone.

"I'll clean it up."

His response didn't sit well with me, so I nodded half-heartedly and added a threat.

"It's pointless to tell grown men what to do. Now that you've taken off the masks, change on your own. I'm not a good person. I'm not a patient person. To save someone, I have to endure dozens of times more. Like when I saved Bai Ren, Qing Jin, and Bai You."

Qing Jin responded.

"Throw away the things you did while wearing the mask along with the mask."

"Right. Is that so hard?"

This time, Bai You responded.

"It's not impossible."

"Speak. What's difficult about it?"

"Master had enemies and allies. Chilong Laojun is a particularly close friend. He often received money and women from the master. Chilong Laojun will be the most angry."

"Anything else?"

"There's the Yunyu Society. They were the worst enemies of the master. Their overall strength was similar to ours, but the master's right-hand man was killed by the leader of the Yunyu Society. The leader will be happy that the master has fallen. Besides, many people have grudges against the master. It's hard to predict how they will react."

I took a deep breath.

"Phew, that's a relief."

Hong Shen immediately responded.

"Eldest brother, what's a relief?"

I replied in a calm tone.

"There are more people to kill. And is the Yunyu of the Yunyu Society the same Yunyu as the Yunyu Zhi Le I know?"

"Yes."

I tilted my head slightly. Yunyu Zhi Le refers to the pleasure of sexual intercourse.

I had never heard of such an overt and perverted sect name in my previous life. But something came to mind, so I asked the elders.

"What's the leader's name?"

"Ximen Shuijing."

I thought of the leader's nickname first.

"Is his nickname Shu Xiansheng?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"Just heard of him."

'So his sect is the Yunyu Society.'

There was an incident where the Wulin Alliance cut off the heads of Shu Xiansheng and a dozen others in the market, causing the Wulin Alliance to receive significant criticism. It was later revealed that the member acted alone out of personal grudges, without the Wulin Alliance's orders.

I called Wall Chief, who was drawing the portraits of the elders without a word.

"Wall Chief, issue a warrant for Chilong Laojun first."

"Understood."

"And send a personal letter to the Yunyu Society in the name of the Black Cat Gang leader."

"What should I say?"

I didn't have any specific ideas, so I passed it to Wall Chief.

"Just tell them to behave themselves and not cause trouble. Your skills in writing are better than mine, so handle it."

Wall Chief nodded with his brush in hand.

"So, the content of the letter will be a declaration of war?"

"Exactly."

Wall Chief smiled awkwardly and started drawing the portraits of the elders seriously again.

Bai You spoke up again.

"The Yunyu Society is not to be underestimated. There's no need to provoke them first..."

"Chicken Elder."

"Yes."

"Shut up. I won't let their sect name slide."

Bai You closed his mouth with a sour expression.

I looked around and said.

"And if someone cut off the master's arm, it's only natural to seek revenge."

Bai Ren slightly narrowed his eyebrows, looked at me, and nodded.

"Right."

This guy, being the oldest disciple of the Great Demon, seemed to have a lot of pent-up feelings towards the leader of the Yunyu Society.

Wall Chief, considering the elders' concerns, answered wisely.

"Can we send the letter after things have stabilized a bit? For now, we'll focus on issuing the warrant for Chilong Laojun."

"Do that, and Elders Bai Ren, Qing Jin, and Bai You, take care of the funeral. Correct the wrongs the master did. If you're still angry and don't like me, you can leave for Chilong Laojun or the Yunyu Society."

I conveyed my true thoughts to the elders, including Hong Shen and Jin Hai.

"At that time, you won't need to treat me as your elder brother. Take care of the matters first."

The three stood up and looked at the masks on the table.

I also looked at the masks and said.

"Leave them. Use them if you do something bad later."

"Eldest brother, I'll go first."

"I'll go too."

After the three left, Jin Hai said.

"Can we trust the Four Elders?"

"Does it matter whether we trust them or not? I only believe in martial arts. Whether they betray or not, if I get stronger every day, all plots, schemes, betrayals, and rebellions become meaningless. For Haowen to become a better force, it's better to have one traitor gather all the dissatisfied ones and oppose me. Let's go with the flow. Happily..."

Hong Shen nodded.

"Let's go happily."

Only then did I remember something to ask Hong Shen.

"Hong, go to Yipingkezhan and pay the bill. Wall Chief will handle the money. And there's a house where an old lady weaves silk in front. Politely ask her and bring the mask and the Black Cat from the woman's room. They're in the drawer and under the bed. Give her some pocket money."

"Understood."

I looked at Jin Hai.

"Jin, you don't need to pay the tribute to the Great Demon anymore."

"That's right."

Jin Hai swallowed and said something he didn't really mean.

"Should I pay it to the eldest brother now?"

"There's no need."

"Really?"

"Use the money you paid to the Great Demon to get stronger. If you were strong, you wouldn't have had to hand over the money your family worked hard to earn. Bai Ren is much stronger than you. Practice more."

Jin Hai responded.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Your inner strength..."

I regretted speaking as soon as I said it.

"Sorry."

"Yes."

"Sorry, but there's no way to return it. The martial arts I learned can take but not give. It can't be done. How is the Great Demon not dead? Accept it happily."

After saying that, I felt like I had become a Lesser Demon.