The Return of the Crazy Demon-Chapter 266: I Never Thought Silence Could Feel This Good

“Her name’s Yoran.”

A beautiful name, Yoran, like a graceful orchid. But it wasn’t a name you’d usually give to a child. Still, I couldn’t think of anything better to call her at the moment.

“Yoran.”

Yoran and I sat outside the gambling hall, watching gamblers scatter and curious onlookers gather to gawk at the commotion.

I kept my mouth shut.

Because I wasn’t in good shape, there was a high chance I’d end up killing someone needlessly in front of Yoran. So I stayed quiet and waited.

Before long, both the Lecher and the Drunk showed up at the entrance, covered in blood, glaring at the bystanders.

While the Drunk wiped his blood-soaked shoes on the ground, the Lecher barked at the onlookers.

“...Get lost before I kill every single one of you. You think this is a show?”

I looked up at them from where I sat.

“You two hurt?”

The Lecher replied.

“No way. Nothing happened.”

The Drunk didn’t say a word.

Then they plopped down beside me and started regulating their breath, eyes fixed on the dispersing crowd. The smell of blood wafted into my nose—couldn’t be helped. The Lecher had only a few tears in his clothes from glancing blows, but the Drunk had internal injuries even before this fight, so he looked a little worse for wear.

The Lecher turned to ask,

“What’s the kid’s name?”

I answered for her.

“She goes by Yoran.”

Suddenly, the Drunk extended his hand and called out to a young woman in the crowd.

“You there. Come over here.”

It was the courtesan who’d escaped from Giseonhyang. She hesitated, then walked over. I introduced Yoran to her like we’d just run into reinforcements.

“This is Yoran. Yoran, say hello to the lady.”

Yoran stood up and said to the woman,

“My name is Yoran.”

“I’m Yalu Yeon,” the woman replied.

Only now did I finally learn her name. Thankfully, Yalu Yeon was perceptive enough not to ask questions and simply sat beside Yoran.

To be honest, people like us bringing a kid back with us is no easy task. She’d need food, sleep... and none of us bastards had any experience with things like that.

I turned to Yalu Yeon.

“We’re heading back to our hometown for now. Would you...”

Before I could finish, she cut in.

“I’ll come with you.”

No need to say anything more.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

Originally, we should’ve cleaned up the gambling hall and underground auction, but we gave up on that plan because of the child. There could’ve been more elite underworld masters coming to investigate.

I had a strong hunch the Drunk was hiding his injuries, and in situations like that, the best answer was to simply run.

***

Moyong Medical Hall.

Inside, Moyong Baek stood up from drying herbs with the physician women and quietly looked our way.

“......”

To me, his expression looked oddly complex. Standing with the Lecher, the Drunk, Yalu Yeon, and Yoran, I held up my injured arm like I was proud of it.

“It’s not broken.”

Moyong Baek nodded.

“Well done.”

Though neither the Lecher nor the Drunk had serious injuries, their faces were dotted with needle-like cuts. Yalu Yeon and Yoran didn’t look like kids from rich families either. When people travel, they often end up looking rougher than usual.

Moyong Baek glanced at the makeshift cloth wrap on my arm, then observed the Lecher’s shredded clothes and the Drunk’s beaten face.

Then he spoke, after inspecting us all carefully.

“Have you joined the Beggars’ Sect?”

“What an imaginative thought. Would a sect leader abandon all affairs to join the beggars?”

I answered seriously on purpose. Moyong Baek nodded.

“My apologies. Please, come in.”

Then he instructed the female attendants.

“...The Sect Leader has a sword injury. Master of Six Harmonies appears to have internal wounds. And give Young Master Mong some decent clothes—his are a mess.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Soso, tend to the Sect Leader first. Sua, prepare the Yanghwa Bath. Jeonghae, stand guard outside for an hour. Shout loudly if anyone approaches. As for the child and the lady—they’re first-time visitors. I’ll tend to them myself. Pack up the drying herbs.”

“Understood.”

I let the others go in first and turned to Moyong Baek.

“You’ve been well? And training?”

Moyong Baek replied,

“I’ve been training fiercely.”

“Good. Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

***

Heuk So-ryeong greeted me after a long while.

“Sect Leader, please lie down.”

I lay on the bedding, and she drew the screen. Then Baek So-ah came in with various tools and looked at me.

“Sect Leader, good to see you.”

I nodded.

“I’m not doing good. Can’t you tell just by looking?”

Baek So-ah responded calmly, different from before.

“I see. Sect Leader, I’ll check your arm now. Oh no... you should’ve come sooner. The blood clots made the cloth stick to your skin. Why so late?”

I sighed.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Soon, Heuk So-ryeong helped peel off the bloody cloth from my arm and wiped the whole arm down with a damp, clean towel. The atmosphere between the two of them had completely changed since last we met.

As soon as Heuk So-ryeong dabbed dark medicine onto a cloth, she warned me.

“This will sting a little, Sect Leader.”

“Ah!”

“It's just disinfecting. Why are you whining?”

“......”

After disinfecting the wounds and wiping the area with a dry towel, the two inspected the largest cut.

Baek So-ah spoke in a flat tone.

“We’ll have to stitch this.”

“Want me to do it?”

“No, I’ll handle it. Sect Leader, we’ll be stitching this. Please wait.”

I asked them,

“You mean with a needle? It’s that bad?”

“Yes.”

Maybe this is why people should live kindly. These two used to faint because of me, but now Baek So-ah was calmly inserting a needle into my arm. If it had poison on it, I’d be a goner.

I stared at the blood-covered needle rising into the air and asked,

“You’re not doing this to hurt me on purpose, right?”

“This much is necessary.”

“There’s a lot of blood.”

“It’s a needle. Of course there’s blood.”

“Confirmed.”

A while later, I looked at the neatly stitched wound and praised them.

“You’re pretty skilled with embroidery.”

“I’ve been good at it since ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ before I came here. Sect Leader, do you still go around fighting every day?”

“Can’t you tell?”

Baek So-ah whispered to me,

“By the way, Master Moyong’s been training martial arts super seriously lately.”

From somewhere across the room, Moyong Baek called out,

“Quiet.”

“Yes, sir.”

Heuk So-ryeong warned me,

“If you use your arm too much, the stitches will come loose. Be careful for a while.”

“For how long?”

“About thirty days, it should heal.”

“And if it comes loose?”

“We stitch it again. Also, no drinking until it’s fully healed.”

“Damn it. Fine.”

“Rest for now. I’ll bring you a decoction later.”

I said to the two of them,

“By the way, Soso, send someone to Zaha Guesthouse and call Cha Seong-tae. Just say he needs to stand guard—he’ll understand. Make a bit of a scene when you deliver the message. It works better that way.”

“Understood.”

As I lay still, Moyong Baek’s calm voice drifted in. He was asking questions like: Did the Sect Leader not buy you delicious food? Did he drag you here against your will?—leaving me thoroughly confused.

‘This lunatic’s asking weird shit again.’

Anyway, Yalu Yeon and Yoran had no major issues. Just some medicine to calm their nerves would suffice.

Thanks to Moyong Baek, everything seemed under control. As I half-listened to his conversation with the Drunk about internal injuries, I drifted off. We’d been on the move without rest for days, so it was a rare and welcome nap.

...I woke briefly when I heard Cha Seong-tae’s voice, then fell asleep again. It felt like I was sinking underwater.

Then, a distant sound of a flute stirred me.

“...What the—? Who’s playing the flute?”

I kicked off the blanket and climbed out of bed. Grabbing my wooden sword, I pushed aside the screen and stepped outside—just in time to meet the eyes of the Lecher and the Drunk.

The three of us went out to see Cha Seong-tae and Moyong Baek standing side-by-side outside the hall.

“Who’s here?”

Cha Seong-tae turned to answer.

“Sect Leader, you’re awake. I don’t see anyone. Just hear the flute.”

Moyong Baek added,

“It’s drifting in from far away. I don’t think it’s being played for us.”

“I see. Cha Seong-tae, how’s the training?”

Cha Seong-tae looked at me and replied.

“Fierce as ever. But—”

“But what?”

“When I get stuck or curious about something, Monk Dong-su explains it clearly. It’s been a huge help.”

As we chatted, we stepped out through the front gate of Moyong Medical Hall and sat around an outdoor platform.

Cha Seong-tae asked,

“Is your arm alright?”

“It’s stitched, so yeah.”

“Good.”

The flute fell silent. Then a group of a dozen martial artists approached from the wide main road.

They looked well-dressed and formidable. Hard to tell if they were friend or foe.

Judging by their appearances alone, they might have been part of the Six Dragons of the South. Their ages ranged from twenties to forties, and their martial levels varied.

Among them, one man in a distinctive long robe stood out. I asked him,

“Are you Bi-gaek?”

I recognized the outfit from the Public Records of Murim. But seeing it in person felt different. He wore an unusually long sword at his waist and didn’t seem to be the group’s leader.

Bi-gaek replied,

“Pleasure to meet you, Sect Leader of Haomun.”

“What brings you all the way here?”

Suddenly, the Lecher sprawled across the bench and cursed at him.

“You bastard, you came here to die, didn’t you?”

Bi-gaek’s companions laughed lightly.

“Good to see you too, Young Master Mong. You’ve been quite active lately.”

“I wanted to ask why you smashed up Black Fragrance. Thanks to you, I couldn’t collect payment for the goods I entrusted. Some rat gamblers snuck in and stole all sorts of things. How do you intend to compensate for that? Let’s hear it from you first, Sect Leader of Haomun.”

“So you’re saying you were clients of Black Fragrance?”

They were so shameless it threw me off a bit.

“Does that mean you’re kidnappers, thieves, potion suppliers, hunters, poison-makers, aphrodisiac brewers, and slavers all rolled into one? What made you think it was a good idea to come find me? Are you that confident you’ll survive facing me? Or is it because I’ve got a busted arm and look like a cripple? Do I look like a joke to you?”

Bi-gaek’s group snickered again.

Still sprawled, the Lecher scoffed at them.

“Rotten bastards, laughing like idiots when you're about to die.”

Bi-gaek responded,

“If you’re feeling confident, why don’t we duel first, Young Master Mong? One-on-one?”

Cha Seong-tae answered instead, full of fire.

“...Hey, fight me instead.”

Bi-gaek looked at him.

“And who might you be?”

I stopped him.

“Seong-tae.”

“Yes, Sect Leader?”

“I appreciate your bravery. It strengthens my heart.”

“You flatter me.”

“But that man’s a martial criminal named Bi-gaek. You’re not quite ready to take him on.”

Bi-gaek grinned, and Cha Seong-tae stared him down.

“Don’t laugh, you son of a bitch. Being a martial criminal is nothing to brag about.”

“....”

Strangely, that made me flinch a little inside.

Looking more closely, I realized why these men seemed so confident. Some of them were likely on par with Bi-gaek, and I could sense at least one expert in poison among them. This meant they were a team of skilled martial criminals.

The Drunk, still nursing internal injuries, remained silent.

Amid the tension, the Lecher offered reassurance.

“...Just sit back and watch. I’ll kill them all.”

I reached up and wiped nonexistent tears from my eyes.

Never thought I’d hear something so comforting from the Lecher in my life.

Bi-gaek nodded and extended a hand.

“...Come at me, Young Master Mong. Let’s see how good your frost arts really are.”

The Lecher laughed from his lounging position—then suddenly leapt up in shock.

We all turned to look where he was staring.

He bowed his head deeply and said,

“...Master, you’re here.”

From the opposite road, Sword Demon and Monk Dong-su approached with hands behind their backs. Sword Demon didn’t even glance at Bi-gaek’s crew and sat on the bench.

I greeted the monk first.

“Baldy. You came? Good timing.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Sword Demon remained silent, simply watching the intruders.

Oddly, Bi-gaek’s group went quiet all of a sudden.

And I... I couldn’t have been more thankful for this heavy silence that had suddenly descended.

I waited deliberately, not saying a word until Sword Demon finally spoke, calmly staring at the enemies.

“...That flute was quite nice. Mind playing some more?”

Bi-gaek’s group had no response.