The Return of the Crazy Demon-Chapter 260: The Scholar Zaha Who Doesn’t Get Fooled

After drinking the tea, I stood up and looked at the young masters.

“Eldest Young Master Wi Mu-gyeol, Young Master Wi Jung-cheon, Young Master Wi Tae-san. And Lady Wi.”

“Yes.”

“I appreciate the warm food and tea despite the sudden visit and rough duel. We'll be taking our leave now.”

Wi Tae-san stood up with a surprised look.

“Lord of Haomun, won’t you stay a few more days? There’s much to talk about. We’ll make sure you're comfortable. You’ve barely spoken with Lord Mong or Master Yukhap.”

“Tae-san, I appreciate the kindness, but the Eldest Young Master will feel more at ease recovering without us here.”

It was a sudden thought, but among the four, I felt Wi Tae-san would become the strongest. He was the first to roll up his sleeves and help Wi Mu-gyeol with his internal energy cultivation. Of course, that’s just a gut feeling—not much to back it up.

I looked at Wi Tae-san.

“It’s best to part when there’s still something to miss. That way, you’ll be glad when we meet again. The three of us are the restless type. If there’s time, we cultivate. After cultivating, we walk or run. I have too many enemies, so staying long in the Wi Clan would make me uneasy.”

The Drunk and the Lecher stood up at the same time.

“See you again.”

The Lecher looked at Wi Mu-gyeol.

“Eldest Young Master, next time let’s duel with swords.”

Wi Mu-gyeol stood with a smile.

“I look forward to it.”

With their farewell, we left the Wi Clan. Before leaving completely, I added one more request: not to inform the other Six Dragons of the outcome of today’s duel. No particular reason.

It's just that the Drunk, the Lecher, and I are people who must grow stronger than the other Dragons.

Honestly, the order of the rankings doesn’t matter much.

As I casually waved them off and turned around, Wi So-seon called out to us.

“...I learned a lot. Take care.”

Since she gave a martial bow, we had no choice but to return the gesture.

Her nickname “One Phoenix, Two Immortals” might’ve spread because of her looks, but standing before her, she was simply a martial artist much like her brothers.

A beauty is still a beauty.

But strangely, I felt no emotion.

Even returning to the past—was something broken?

My will to survive had taken up so much space inside me that not even a flawless beauty could push it aside.

Was this really the way to live?

I let out a sigh and gave myself a light slap on the cheek.

The Lecher looked at me.

“What’s that? Why’d you slap yourself so weakly? Want me to do it for you?”

“You pathetic shithead. What are you saying?”

“Why? Did looking at Wi So-seon’s beautiful face make you want to beat your own ugly mug? You poor bastard. There’s still two more to go. Let’s move.”

At first, I didn’t get it, but he meant we should go see the other “One Phoenix” and “Two Immortals.”

The Drunk answered bluntly.

“You mad?”

The Lecher shook his head.

“Not at all. If we go meet the other Four Dragons, we’ll end up seeing them anyway. Might as well. While we’re at it, we take the number one rank among the Six Dragons, see the Phoenix and Immortals, get some fame for the second guy too. Two birds, one stone.”

The Drunk asked,

“So your goal was to make one of the Phoenix girls your lover?”

The Lecher answered,

“Not exactly a goal, but I am curious. Isn’t that natural for a man?”

The Drunk scoffed.

“You’d be better off cutting ties with women like that entirely. What about you, Lord?”

“What about me?”

“Are you not interested in beauties? Like the Fourth?”

I stopped walking and looked at them.

“Hey.”

“...”

“We could die any day now. Why are we even talking about chasing women? Especially you, shithead.”

The Lecher glared at me.

“You’re the weird one. If we could die at any moment, isn’t that exactly why we should be with beautiful women? What’s more beautiful in this world than a woman? A beauty is the purpose of life. Like looking at a flower. Just seeing one adds years to your life.”

I scratched my cheek.

So in our past lives—while I avoided women because I didn’t know how long I’d live, the Lecher clung to beauties because he didn’t know how long he had.

In the end, we were going in completely opposite directions.

I asked him,

“So if you became the unrivaled number one under heaven, you’d still go around hitting on women?”

“Do you have to put it like that? I’m not interested in women who aren’t interested in me either. Wi So-seon is obsessed with martial arts. Unless our eyes meet often and we share some kind of chemistry, I’m not getting involved. It’s like checking out a fine sword. Part of life’s learning, that’s all.”

“I’m not falling for that, you lunatic.”

There’s no way he became the infamous Lecher of Jianghu with that kind of attitude. Wi So-seon has three older brothers and was being watched by both me and the Drunk. He probably just couldn’t do anything.

About half a shichen away from the Wi Clan—

We all turned around at the same time.

“...”

An old man, face full of deep wrinkles, was walking toward us. He held a staff in his right hand, and even from a distance, it looked sturdy enough to be a weapon.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

We hadn’t even realized we were being followed this closely.

Not bad.

In Jianghu, you should be wary of the old, the weak, and the children—and everyone else too. And yet, this old man, clearly trained in martial arts, was staring at us directly. It was unpleasant.

I asked,

“Old man, who are you? You’ve got the face of a bad-tempered ghost.”

He replied,

“Lord of Haomun, I am a servant of the Legalist Sect. Our Master wishes to see you.”

I nodded.

“You a scholar too?”

“Hardly. I’m just a servant.”

“What kind of servant walks around exuding such murderous intent?”

He chuckled, revealing several missing teeth.

“Years of hardship.”

“You came alone?”

“Do you think I’d approach violent men like you by myself?”

While I kept an eye on him, the Lecher and Drunk scanned the surroundings. The Lecher said,

“No one’s arou—”

He cut himself off, probably having sensed the killing intent. The breeze carried a damp, sticky pressure with it.

After checking the area myself, I said,

“...Following you sounds like suicide. Why should we go willingly?”

“We are the Legalist Sect.”

“And?”

“We have rules and procedures. We don’t kill recklessly.”

With no real hope, I turned to the Drunk.

“Yukhap, what’s the Legalist Sect’s doctrine?”

He answered,

“Control through law and punishment. Because human nature is evil.”

“That the core?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“Since we’re evil bastards, I guess we’ll be punished according to your law. Old man, we won’t follow. Let’s settle this here.”

He replied,

“That’s a strange conclusion. If we meant to kill you, our Master would’ve joined and ambushed you. The old Legalists were too strict—we’ve learned some flexibility.”

I pointed around.

“Then who are all those people hiding?”

“Your temperament is too violent, so they’re here to protect me.”

“Why does your Master want to meet me?”

“You’re suspected of conspiring with the White-Robed Scholar to kill the Blind Scholar. It’s assumed you learned martial arts passed on by the White-Robed Scholar. There’s speculation you might be his hidden disciple. We prohibit scholars from harming one another. So this is more about assessing whether the White-Robed Scholar overstepped.”

“And if he did, what then? You think you can handle him?”

“We mediate between scholars through law. If a shared agreement is broken, it's only right to review the matter. The White-Robed Scholar wouldn’t be able to handle everyone alone. Agreements must be upheld.”

“Even with Cheonak involved?”

“Cheonak holds equal status to the White-Robed Scholar. Just a different faction.”

The Lecher cut in.

“Let’s go. As long as the three of us are together, there’s no need to back down.”

Unable to gauge how many people were nearby or their strength, I agreed for now.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

“Follow me.”

As we followed the old man, the killing aura that had surrounded us withdrew, shifting behind us instead.

I asked,

“How long have you been following us?”

He answered,

“We were waiting for you to visit the Wi Clan. We had no business with them.”

His martial ability wasn’t mediocre. Though he claimed to be a mere servant, everything about his speech, demeanor, and steps suggested someone close to a scholar.

I’d managed to bring the Mohists to our side.

But something told me the Legalists wouldn’t be so easy.

“Where is your Master?”

“At a nearby, ordinary inn.”

I walked beside him and asked,

“Old man, I’ve got a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Who is the Leader of the Swift Party?”

“How did you know about that? Strange. The White-Robed Scholar isn’t the type to run his mouth.”

“Exactly.”

“Ask the Master. That’s not for me to answer.”

I had ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) another question.

“Are all scholars enemies of the Demonic Cult?”

This time, he nodded.

“We respect the Buddhists, but those who try to force their beliefs on us—those don’t sit well. So yes, enemies.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“But.”

“But what?”

He glanced sideways at me.

“The forces now labeled as the Demonic Cult include remnants of the Yin-Yang School. They were scholars of the Five Elements. The most famous was Chu Yuan of Qi. Always chasing revolution and rebellion—they were heavily persecuted. Many were killed. When someone is hated that much, they end up gifting the world with hatred in return. That’s what the Cult has become.”

So even the Cult was a blend of the Hundred Schools.

Not surprising, now that I thought about it. I’d heard tales of a sect called the Divine Yin-Yang Sect in the past Jianghu.

Soon, we arrived in front of a nameless inn sitting alone by the roadside. The old man pointed to the entrance.

“Go in. I can’t accompany you.”

He turned away and signaled his men. The ones blocking our path now spread out, surrounding the inn.

The Lecher, the Drunk, and I entered.

What kind of scholar was this Master of the Legalists?

Rather than fear or worry, it was curiosity that consumed me.

This is why I’m such a mess.

I can’t help but ask questions.

The interior of the inn, whether by coincidence or not, looked eerily similar to the Cheolli Inn I’d visited before.

From upstairs, a voice called down.

“Come up.”

We climbed the stairs and saw a man sitting alone in an open room where several tables had been joined together. A middle-aged man sat at the head, looking straight at us.

“Lord of Haomun, Lord Mong, Master Yukhap, welcome.”

As I felt my reputation in Jianghu steadily growing, I greeted him.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

He gestured to the seats opposite.

“Sit. I’m Chu Myeong. The Blind Scholar was my junior.”

“...Ah.”

I sat across from Chu Myeong with a bitter feeling. I didn’t feel great, but curiosity won out.

“So there can be multiple scholars in one school of the Hundred Families?”

He nodded.

“Of course. I didn’t prepare drinks—it seemed like it’d be a bother.”

The Lecher and Drunk replied nonchalantly.

“Pleasure.”

“I’m Yukhap.”

Chu Myeong nodded.

“I know. You match the descriptions. You all look too unique not to recognize.”

I asked him, 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“You said you had questions for me?”

“Let me answer yours first. Different factions have varying numbers of scholars. There’s no fixed limit. If you pass a certain test, you’re granted the title.”

“What kind of test?”

He answered without hesitation.

“If the Leader of the Swift Party likes your performance, you’re usually accepted. The test’s usually a light footwork duel.”

Even while bewildered, I asked,

“Then how did the Blind Scholar pass?”

“Oh, he passed before he went blind, obviously. Why? Are you interested in joining us? Want me to arrange a test?”

What the hell is with this guy?

I tilted my head, then answered,

“I’m not part of the Hundred Schools.”

Chu Myeong laughed.

“‘Hundred’ doesn’t literally mean one hundred. It just means ‘many.’ Someone like the Lord of Haomun qualifies plenty.”

I’d already made up my mind to refuse.

Somehow, if I became a scholar, I’d probably violate some Legalist code and end up executed.

Nope. I’m not falling for that.