CDF Chapter 2
A Bolt from the Blue is Hard to Laugh At
by BlossomTLChronicles of the Demon FactionA vast great hall.
Despite the numerous lanterns hung at regular intervals on the walls to the left and right, an oppressive darkness that was difficult to bear dominated the entire hall.
Thud, thud.
Someone walked across the center of the great hall. Their footsteps exuded both imposing confidence and caution.
Rustle.
The man came to a stop and slowly knelt down.
“The Divine Cult is invincible[1], ten thousand demons prostrate[2]. First Protector Guardian[3] of the Divine Cult seeks an audience with the Cult Leader.”
A soft voice cut through the darkness.
After a moment.
Whoooosh.
From the darkest corner of the great hall.
There, a pair of blue phosphorescent eyes[4] flared to life. They were grotesque enough to induce seizures with a mere glance for those of weak constitution.
“What is the matter?”
Gulp.
Beads of cold sweat formed on the man’s neck.
Just hearing that voice caused his body to tense up reflexively. The presence emanating from the owner of those blue eyes was so immense.
The man lowered his head even further.
“I have something to report.”
Hisssss.
A faint smoke rose from the floor of the corner. Even without words, one could sense his discomfort.
The man understood him. No, he couldn’t presume to understand a god, but he understood the situation he was in.
The undoubtedly strongest warrior[5] of the Divine Cult was about to ascend to the next level. Being disturbed at such a crucial moment would naturally put him in a foul mood.
“Speak.”
The man inwardly sighed in relief.
“The Third Young Master has awakened.”
“The third one?”
“Yes. However…”
“…”
“He has lost all his martial arts due to excessive cultivation.”
The silence that followed was brief.
“First Protector Guardian.”
“Speak your will, my lord.”
“Do not bring me any more reports until my seclusion ends in three months.”
“…Understood.”
“You may go.”
“Yes. Before that, what shall we do about the Third Young Master?”
The blue phosphorescent eyes vanished. No answer came.
The man bowed his head.
“I sincerely pray for your success in accomplishing the Great Deed[6].”
Some time passed after the man withdrew with those words.
Flash!
The faded blue phosphorescent eyes suddenly spat out lightning.
***
Now, let’s think about this for a moment.
Three sword wounds to the belly, four spear wounds to the back, seven arrows to the thighs and buttocks.
The clawing of an all-around misfit of society took off my left arm, and the sword strike of the Righteous Heaven Alliance’s belated 1st Elder took off my right leg.
The number of hidden weapons stabbed all over my body was too many to count, and my spine was shattered by an iron mace swung by who knows who.
These are fatal injuries that even a Primordial Celestial Being couldn’t survive. Injuries severe enough for even a Great Sage to declare dead on sight.
Much less me, a mere human. Therefore, I should be dead.
And I actually did die. I remember that crazy bitch Flying Demon Queen ripping out my throat like tearing apart a steamed chicken leg.
Yeah. I died.
But you know what?
“Young Master, is the temperature all right?”
Pat pat.
“Young Master, it’s time for your medicinal decoction.”
Gulp gulp.
“Young Master, it’s time for your massage.”
Ahhh, that feels nice.
“Young Master, it’s time for your acupuncture.”
…
“Young Master… Young Master…”
“…Enough.”
“Pardon?”
“Leave me be now.”
“Pardon?”
“Just leave me alone!”
The startled servant girl prostrated herself.
“I, I apologize! Please take this lowly one’s life!”
“Kill you? Why would I kill you?! For now…”
“Please take my life!”
“No, I won’t kill you, so stop being hysterical and get out! Get out, I said!”
“My deepest apologies, Young Master! I will serve you with utmost devotion, so please…!”
“Aaargh!”
“Sob, sob…”
“…”
“…”
“Um… I need some time alone to think. Could you give me some space?”
“Yes, yes!”
The servant girl scurried out of the room.
Even in such a hurry, the fact that she made no noise with her footsteps and bowed before leaving showed how much she feared the person she was serving.
However, Cheon Hajin felt no remorse whatsoever.
His mind was currently in extreme turmoil and oversensitivity, so he couldn’t afford to care about the feelings of a servant girl whose name he didn’t even know.
“Dammit, what the hell is going on?”
He had been so confused after waking up in a new body that he had blankly accepted the care. Well, his muscles and joints were so stiff that he couldn’t even get up in the first place.
Anyway, that’s not the important part.
“Am I really alive?”
Cheon Hajin gazed at the large bronze mirror placed in a corner of the room.
There sat an extremely skinny young man in his early twenties on the bed.
‘…He’s good-looking.’
Overall, he had delicate features with very distinct facial contours. He gave off an impression of both toughness and gentleness.
Cheon Hajin scrunched up his facial muscles in various ways. He tried smiling and frowning.
‘Hmm.’
Even with his face all scrunched up, this guy looks better than me. I quite like that… No, that’s not it!
“Fuckin’ hell, is this the time to be admiring looks?!”
Let’s calm down and use our head a bit.
‘First of all, where is this place? Seems like a high-class family.’
Could it be that the son of a decent family was suffering from a serious illness?
Cheon Hajin closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them and let out a long sigh.
“A martial family, huh.”
The meridians were all tangled up, the energy channels were in tatters, and the danjeon was like a shriveled pig bladder.
However, all those factors proved that this body had cultivated internal energy.
Ordinary civilians wouldn’t have access to martial arts, so it had to be a martial arts family.
‘But hell, it’s a miracle I’m alive.’
This level of health was comparable to that of an eighty-year-old hag. It wouldn’t be strange if I keeled over any moment.
“It would’ve been better if I’d transmigrated into the son of a peasant. At least my mind would be at ease.”
Cheon Hajin, who had been grumbling, suddenly flinched.
“No. Just being alive is a blessing. I should be grateful I didn’t transmigrate into a woman’s body.”
It would have been quite awkward if his soul was male but his body was female. He might have had to seriously contemplate his gender identity.
Cheon Hajin clenched his fist.
Yes, let’s be thankful for reality and accept the situation. Isn’t it said that wasting time is the worst waste of all?
“What’s important is that I get to live once more.”
Even if this body is in this state, even if I don’t know where this place is yet.
Still, I can live on. I can paint my own future.
For the first time in his life, he was facing a moment where he could make a ‘choice’.
Thump thump.
His heart raced.
The air was cool, but his neck was damp with sweat. It felt like the blood was circulating twice as fast throughout his body.
‘Now…’
His long-cherished wish and secret prayer that had kept him enduring through hell in his past life.
‘Can I truly live freely now?’
Receiving training he didn’t want, committing murders he didn’t want, being subjected to control he didn’t want.
He had spent his entire life being manipulated under the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader, that detestable old man.
But aren’t you glad they made you strong at least? Isn’t it an honor in itself to be born a martial artist and rise to the ranks of the Ten Great Masters?
What utter bullshit, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
They never provided support even when his limbs were broken.
They sent him on another assassination mission before he had fully recovered. He had lost count of how many times he had narrowly escaped death after the ninety-ninth.
When he tried to at least meet a woman, every single one he laid eyes on turned out to be a crazed murderer, and the alcohol he sought to console his loneliness was nothing but cheap, low-quality liquor.
Did they even give him a regular monthly salary?
The Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader, that old fart, had said this:
– Why would we give you money when we provide everything for you anyway? Do you even know how to spend money?
That son of a bitch. That vicious bastard.
It was a life so miserable it defied description. Despite his glamorous titles like the Ten Great Masters or the Assassin King, in the end, he was nothing more than a tool.
“…Good.”
Cheon Hajin’s face gradually reddened with excitement.
Now, he could bid farewell to such a past. Regardless of where this place was, regardless of this body’s identity, regardless of whether he had family or not, none of that mattered.
I’ll find freedom. I’ll try living like a human being.
The desire of one man burst forth unrestrained from his clenched fist.
***
It had been ten days since he had been reborn in a new body.
“Hmm.”
Cheon Hajin tapped the ground with his toes.
His balance was stable. The atrophied muscles had regained some firmness, and the stiff joints had gained a minimum level of flexibility.
‘That’ll do.’
He inwardly cheered.
In the first place, this body wasn’t one that could be healed just by receiving a few acupuncture treatments and some massages. His insides were completely rotten, so how could proper treatment be possible?
Whether it was freedom or whatever else, one needed a functioning body to enjoy it in the first place. So he had made a desperate decision.
To eliminate his danjeon altogether.
Even if it was shrunken and distorted, the danjeon was still the danjeon. However, it was clear that if he left it as it was, he would have to live like a cripple.
Not to mention, he would die soon anyway from the impure energy[7] surging from the rotten danjeon.
Rather than leaving it unused and even hindering him, it was better to get rid of it.
“Congratulations, Young Master!”
The servant girl, who had been sneaking glances at him, prostrated herself.
“Now that your condition has improved, I will quickly inform the physician…”
“Leave me for a moment.”
“Yes!”
The servant girl hurriedly left the room.
Left alone, Cheon Hajin lay down on the bed. His joints were not yet flexible enough to sit cross-legged.
However, there was no need to worry. The value of his reputation-or notoriety-as the Assassin King was not gained through mere tricks, even if it was worth less than a lump of shit.
He closed his eyes and muttered under his breath.
‘Probing the nine smokes with the mind[8], burning the void and shattering the ford[9], contemplating the waves to control the impure[10], the cosmic rain’s auspicious gate[11]…’
Tsss tsss tsss.
Before long, a faint haze rose from his body.
The temperature in the room rose instantly. Although there was no particularly foul odor, the air became extremely stuffy.
It was the impure energy.
The vast amount of impure energy that had invaded Cheon Hajin’s body was being expelled.
‘Good. Now it’ll take care of itself.’
What he was utilizing was a breathing technique called the Boundless Energy[12].
It was a technique he had created by referencing several martial arts from the Nine Great cults, and it had excellent efficacy in removing impure energy from the body and stabilizing the interior.
In his past life, Cheon Hajin had invested an immense amount of time into the Boundless Energy.
It was only natural, as he had no support system whatsoever.
There was no one to detoxify him, no one to treat him, not even anyone to hand him a piece of dried meat.
For him, who had to handle everything on his own, the Boundless Energy was his very lifeline. His level of enlightenment in it was bound to be exceptional.
That was also the reason why he could perform the lying-down cultivation[13].
‘You cheeky little thing. Thanks to you, I’ll live.’
His body felt ticklish all over. The injured energy channels were slowly, very slowly returning to normal.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
At some point, his skin turned pale. It was because the impure energy that couldn’t be fully expelled had started circulating inside his body.
‘This is the limit, I guess.’
Cheon Hajin clicked his tongue and opened his eyes.
“My level is still too low. It can’t be helped.”
Well, he had achieved his primary goal to this extent.
Cheon Hajin, who had stretched with all his might, sat up.
“I’m more or less able to move now, but…”
Cheon Hajin, who had been lightly cracking his neck from side to side, suddenly frowned.
“But where the hell is this place?”
There was a servant girl, even if it was just one, and he had heard her calling him ‘Young Master’.
It meant he had a fairly high status, but during the past ten days, no one had come to visit him except for the physician.
He could have asked the servant girl something, but he had refrained. If he couldn’t fix his body anyway, it wouldn’t matter even if this place was paradise.
But now, he needed to find out where he was.
“Are you there?”
There was no response from outside the door.
“Not there? Where did she go?”
Still no response.
“Tsk, where did she go?”
Well, considering his condition, the circulation time for the Boundless Energy was quite long.
The servant girl was human too, so she must have gotten thirsty in between or wanted to drink some water.
…Damn it, I could have at least asked for my personal information. I really only see what’s right in front of my nose.
Cheon Hajin, who had briefly clicked his tongue inwardly, closed his eyes and looked within himself.
‘No. My senses aren’t in a state to be sharpened yet.’
A powerful expert who had skillfully blended the strengths of an assassin and a martial artist.
The area where he particularly excelled compared to other masters was his superhuman senses[14].
If peak masters of the Ten Great Masters level could read a distance of ten jang (a unit of length), he could read a distance of thirty jang.
If they could sense the presence of dozens of people, he could sense the presence of hundreds.
It was also the decisive reason why he was able to break through the Heavenly Net formations of the Righteous Heaven Alliance and Iron Blood Fortress.
By targeting only the most vulnerable spots to break through, it must have driven them crazy.
He couldn’t manifest that remarkable martial art now.
“But I can’t just recklessly go out either.”
There are times to charge forward boldly and times to be cautious. Let’s wait for that child to come back first.
Cheon Hajin took a casual look around.
‘It’s incredibly luxurious.’
The room was adorned with all sorts of art pieces, from paintings to porcelain. The bedding was also high-end items made from top-quality silk.
‘With this level, it must be a truly powerful family… Huh?’
He rubbed the blanket between his thumb and index finger.
‘This isn’t ordinary silk, is it?’
The texture was much softer, and the embroidered patterns were different from those in the central or northern regions of the continent. He had been so preoccupied that he only noticed it now.
‘The dye is also an exceptionally vivid red[15].’
He had seen red silk until he was sick of it, but he had never seen such a deep color…
Wait a minute.
‘Hmm. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.’
Ah! That’s right.
“I think it was one of the Seven Demonic Clans[16]?”
Yeah, the bedding in the room of that high-ranking figure from that clan was like this when I killed him.
Cheon Hajin nodded his head.
“Was it the Crimson Serpent Clan[17]? Right, it’s the Crimson Serpent Clan. I remember now. That bastard, I wrapped him up in the blanket while he was stark naked and gave him a good beating.”
Hah, that time was also insanely tough. Those snakeheads were annoyingly persistent in crossing mountains just to catch me…
“Huh?”
Cheon Hajin flinched.
Could it be?
“…No way, right?”
He tried his best to smooth out his stiffened face.
“Nah, there’s no way it’s that neighborhood. Yup, that’s right.”
The place where the worst demonic people[18] on the continent collectively reside is the southern region of the Central Plains.
Therefore, in the martial arts world, the ‘southern Central Plains’ is practically synonymous with the ‘gates of hell’.
He didn’t want to think that such an impurity was mixed into the incredible fortune of reincarnation[19].
No, that’s not just an impurity, it’s misfortune itself. It’s no different from being thrown into a living hell because dying wasn’t enough, right?
“It can’t be. It won’t be.”
The uneasiness and ominous feeling creeping up.
Cheon Hajin, who had been pacing restlessly, finally couldn’t hold back and flung the door open.
Clank!
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
As Cheon Hajin stepped outside, he saw three men and women approaching.
The servant girl he had been seeing continuously for ten days, the physician he had been seeing intermittently.
And a man in his thirties whom he was seeing for the first time.
“…”
An awkward silence.
The man in his thirties knelt down and broke the silence with a blunt voice.
“The Divine Cult is invincible[1], ten thousand demons prostrate[2]. Congratulations on your recovery, Third Young Master.”
Cheon Hajin blinked his eyes.
Divine what?