Sunk In Grief (1)

Deung Gak, Deung Hyeon, and their party arrived in Zhejiang by the fastest route. The first place they visited was the government office. There, they found out where the troops created in preparation for wokou raids were located.

As if they were traveling for leisure, they gathered information one piece at a time like that, found their way, and moved on. Only Deung Hyeon’s heart was heavy. Deung Gak seemed as if he was not in his right mind.

“It is Antang Mountain.”

They killed even the last person who told them those words. They never asked questions and left people alive. For now, it was best that nothing about them became known.

They climbed Antang Mountain. However, Antang Mountain was not some small hill, and it was truly daunting.

For several days, they searched all of Antang Mountain. It was not small, but it was not an absurdly huge mountain either, so they had thought that with that much effort, they would be able to find it. But it was not there.

Perhaps the person who had told them it was Antang Mountain had lied.

“This is why I said we should drag one person along.”

“I will definitely find it, so just watch.”

Deung Hyeon answered with his eyes bloodshot red.

“Do as you like. Hm? What are those guys?”

By fortunate coincidence, they saw people climbing Antang Mountain. They were people carrying bundles of something in their hands. Their eyes flashed.

“I smell something to eat.”

One person shouted.

“This fellow really has a dog’s nose. But in any case, it seems we found it. There would be no reason to bring food up a mountain with nothing on it.”

“It is all because my eyes are good.”

The one who had first discovered them praised himself. They all seemed old, but their conditions were not normal at all.

They quickly ended their conversation and silently followed behind the people carrying the bundles. And finally, they discovered it. The secret of the rock cave. That place was the entrance.

“This really is an ingenious place.”

“That may be true, but once it is discovered like this, it is also a place with no hole to escape through. This is not a good place to hide and live.”

“You were chased all the time, and you are still talking about places to hide?”

While muttering this and that, they finally discovered a space that looked like a paradise.

“We could come and live here later. Of course, after getting rid of that guy called Secret Shadow.”

“Why? Are you going to change your nickname to the Three Demons of Antang then? If you change it like that, will anyone believe, ‘Ah, these people are not the Three Demons of Tianshan’?”

“Wouldn’t there be quite a few fools who would believe it anyway?”

In the middle of their conversation, the name Three Demons of Tianshan came up. If there were senior elders of the martial world, few would hear that name and not be shocked.

The number of people they had beaten to death because they were bored was no less than three hundred, and the number of villages they had wiped off the map because they disliked them was two. More than a thousand innocent people had died by their hands.

That was why they had become public enemies of the martial world. They were also wanted by the Eastern Depot’s Capture Bureau. If caught, they were fiends who would certainly have their martial arts abolished, their dantians crushed, their arms and legs cut off, and then be thrown into the Forbidden Demon Prison.

However, because their base was Tianshan, where human footsteps were not allowed, it was difficult to go capture them, and they were essentially people who had been given up on.

“Be quiet. It is time to begin now.”

“Wait! Let us begin after waiting a little.”

“Why?”

“They just went in carrying food.”

“So?”

“Let us go in after the food is all made. If we go in now, there will be nothing to eat.”

Everyone looked at him with pathetic eyes.

“Was the ‘Mushik’ in your nickname Mushik Poison Demon not ‘one who cannot not eat anything,’ but that other ‘mushik,’ meaning ‘ignorant’?”

“What? I am not ignorant.”

“I know, I know. We can go in, grab a woman, and tell her to make it for us, can’t we? In any case, you have nothing to do.”

“Is that so? Come to think of it, there was that method.”

Another nickname came up. Mushik Poison Demon Hwang A-jeong. His original name was Hwang Jeong, but he was an oddball who said he was always hungry and inserted the character “A” for hunger into the middle of his name.

He was famous for being somewhat out of his mind, and when he was not in his right mind, he was not particularly dangerous. But when he was sane, just like his nickname, the number of people he had killed with poison was greater than the number the Three Demons of Tianshan had killed all together.

He too was wanted, but because he had fled to Tianshan and lived there, he had not been captured.

“Now let us really go in. If we drag this out any longer, Brother Deung over there will go mad and die.”

Where they turned their heads and looked, Deung Gak was nearly going mad. Knowing that this was the base of Neung Je-gang’s master, Nam Yeong, he was letting out even more killing intent.

“Perhaps there will be no need for us to lift a hand. I will stay here. I do not particularly like blood by nature. I will just catch those who flee.”

One person said as he chose a suitable place near the cave entrance and sat down.

“What? You do not particularly like blood? Hmph.”

“Just let it be. When has the Blood-Squeezing Demon ever told the truth?”

Blood-Squeezing Demon Ak Chang. He was a true blood demon who, when he killed a person, squeezed out all the blood in their body and watched them dry to death. At the same time, he was also a ridiculous fellow who said he would live clear and blue, like his name.

Except for the Blood-Squeezing Demon, the rest went a little farther in. There was a small grove on the left. When three people saw something like fruit hanging there, they shouted and ran toward it.

“Wah! Fruit!”

They were none other than Mushik Poison Demon and two people wrapped from head to toe in dark red clothes.

“Huh! You guys eat fruit too?”

Mushik Poison Demon asked the two with the expression of someone looking at competitors.

“Mushik, we like fruit the most.”

“Wow, you are saying the Wind-Wave Twin Monsters under heaven like fruit?”

“Why? Are we not allowed to like fruit?”

The Twin Monsters frowned as if picking a fight.

“Oh-ho, are you picking a fight with me now too? Is that what this is?”

Mushik Poison Demon narrowed his eyes.

But the Wind-Wave Twin Monsters, who had spoken as if picking a fight, instead jumped in alarm. They knew the moment when Mushik Poison Demon returned to sanity. When something displeased him like now, he narrowed his eyes and returned to his senses.

If one picked a fight at this moment, one had to stake one’s life too. So the Wind-Wave Twin Monsters took a step back.

“A fight? When have you ever seen us pick a fight with anyone? Have you?”

“Th-that is not the case, but…….”

Mushik Poison Demon’s tone softened. Just as he was about to return to sanity, he went far, far away again.

“We never picked fights. It is just that other guys picked fights with us and died. Understand?”

“I understand.”

“Then let us eat fruit.”

“Yeah. It looks delicious.”

The three sat companionably with their backs against the building in the grove and ate the fruit deliciously. But they did not know. The building currently supporting their backs was the outhouse of this place. If they had known, they might have gone berserk.

They picked fights and killed others for the reason that they were martial artists. If someone was stronger than them, they did not hesitate to attack together. They absolutely could not stand seeing others prosper. So if they discovered a house holding a celebration, they never passed by. They were the sort who only felt satisfied after turning it into a funeral house.

The Wind-Wave Twin Monsters were such people. Even though they were such people, their martial arts were so strong that they could not be beaten down. That was why they had been made public enemies of the martial world and driven beyond the borders. In the end, they entered Tianshan. And Deung Gak had brought them out.

Deung Hyeon and Deung Gak stood at the front. Behind them stood the Three Demons of Tianshan.

“Who are you?”

When they entered a little farther along the path between the grove and the pond, people came into view. Several men and women were busily sorting out the food they had bought from below the mountain after setting down large bundles from their backs.

At that moment, one man discovered Deung Gak. They were people not in his memory. That was why he shouted, “Who are you?”

“Who are you? How old are you? How old are you that you speak informally to just anyone?”

Among the Three Demons, the Little Demon stepped forward and questioned him. The Little Demon tried to step forward and make a scene. However, the Great Demon grabbed his shoulder.

“Why?”

“Leave this place to those two.”

“Tsk! Fine.”

At the Great Demon’s words, the Little Demon smacked his lips and withdrew again.

“Who are you people? How did you know about this place?”

Nam Yeong noticed the commotion outside first and came outside. Bibun followed behind him.

Bibun sensed killing intent from Deung Gak and gestured to the women. The women, having understood the signal to avoid danger, took the children and hid inside their respective houses. Each house had a hiding place that Bibun and Ma-jil had made in advance.

The men gathered in the yard. All of them were holding weapons. The men of this place had all learned some degree of martial arts to deal with wokou. They were not people who would hide from intruders.

“Who is Nam Yeong?”

“I am Nam Yeong.”

“Is that so? Hehehe! So you are the master of that arrogant Secret Shadow bastard?”

Deung Gak laughed darkly.

“Seeing that you hate my disciple so much, you must be people who have no value living in this world.”

“What?”

“My disciple mainly deals with people like that, you see. If not, never mind.”

In Nam Yeong’s palm as he answered was one small dagger. It was Nam Yeong’s supreme art, the Golden Spirit Dagger.

“I am Deung Gak of Kunlun. You must have heard my name.”

“I have heard it. I heard you plotted treason, so it seems you were thoroughly ruined. Looking at your state, I can tell right away.”

“Kuhahahaha! Indeed, like master, like disciple. To think you can act like that even after hearing my name.”

“What great power does your name have that I should be surprised? I was not surprised even after seeing the Three Demons seniors behind you.”

Nam Yeong was a man who had called himself the greatest problem-solver under heaven. In other words, that also meant he had been the greatest bounty hunter under heaven. It made no sense that such a Nam Yeong would not recognize the public enemies, the Three Demons of Tianshan.

That was why Nam Yeong had already given up on life. They were none other than the Three Demons of Tianshan. Even if just one of them had come, the people here would absolutely have been unable to survive. Yet all three had come at once.

“But was the Deputy Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance also a traitor?”

Nam Yeong had also recognized Deung Hyeon. Because he had gone in and out of the Martial Alliance in his youth, he could quickly recognize that face.

“My real name is Deung Hyeon. I am this person’s son.”

Deung Hyeon pointed to Deung Gak.

“I see. The suspicious figure in the Martial Alliance that my disciple once spoke of was you. But you truly are a cruel person. To think you plotted such a scheme. But what brings you here?”

He was not asking because he did not know their purpose. His purpose was to buy time so that the people who had hidden in the houses could hide more deeply and safely.

“We came to wash this place in blood. And there are quite a lot of people here, which pleases my heart.”

Deung Gak extended his hand and prepared to use Kunlun’s peerless Cloud-Crane Palm. The Cloud-Crane Palm was the essence of Kunlun’s palm arts, and aside from the sword, it was the most outstanding martial art.

“I will take Nam Yeong. You take the rest. Remember. Myeong is dead. Do not show mercy in your hands.”

“I know.”

Jiiing.

Deung Hyeon drew his sword. Deung Hyeon dared to bear the nickname Heavenly Mountain Divine Sword. His sword was known to be the best, excluding the Martial Alliance Leader and Black Alliance Leader who had already gone into seclusion.

Bibun blocked Deung Hyeon’s path. If the opponent was the Heavenly Mountain Divine Sword, he was more than worthy as an opponent to meet death against.

Suddenly, Ma-jil’s face came to mind. Though his temper had been nasty, he had been an excellent disciple who had given sincerity to Bibun. Still, since Bibun had come into the world and left behind such a disciple, he had nothing to regret.

It was the same for Nam Yeong. Though there had been many accidents midway, such as being imprisoned in the Forbidden Demon Prison, Neung Je-gang had been the finest disciple. After they met again and began living together, Neung Je-gang had also done his utmost.

Now, before dying, Nam Yeong would no longer be able to see that face again, but there was nothing in his life he would regret, so that was enough.

Nam Yeong left after accomplishing everything he intended. He had made the Central Plains build military camps in preparation for the wokou, and he had achieved great success in subjugating the wokou. He also had an outstanding disciple.

Still, what suddenly came to mind were the faces of his family, who had died at the hands of the wokou in Joseon, and the members of his sect family, whom he had left behind as if abandoning them.

‘Would you not say this much was a success?’

In his heart, Nam Yeong shouted this to his master and fellow disciples, who must have departed the world before him. He shouted that Nam Yeong, a mere warrior of Joseon, had flourished in the Central Plains and now departed.

In that way, the hidden place of Antang Mountain vanished. The water of the pond was dyed red, and on the cliff, Deung Gak left letters written in blood. Even the people who had hidden inside the tunnels made in each house were all killed.

Mushik Poison Demon finally realized that the building behind their backs was an outhouse, and because he released a massive amount of the poison he had, those inside the tunnels were poisoned and died.

Deung Gak’s party left after making the hidden place of Antang Mountain like that. They returned to Tianshan, where they lived.