Chapter 95 – Heavenly Demon’s Disciple (17)
This is just my assumption, but it seems the conditions for characters’ affection or interest follow the rules of the original novel.
‘The Blue-Eyed Princess only appears after the protagonist becomes truly strong.’
The Blue-Eyed Princess.
A mixed-race princess who inherited her blue eyes and pale white skin from her Western mother.
Her appearance is unusual in a wuxia world populated almost entirely by East Asians, but her body—perfect in all the ways the author described—overwhelms even that “flaw.”
‘Wow… The dream recreated the author’s description perfectly!’
Everything stood out in exactly the “right” places.
“Hero Kang Moon-soo. Your martial prowess was magnificent enough to make this maiden’s heart tremble. Congratulations on your victory.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Blue-Eyed Princess’s taste in men, as described in the novel, wasn’t very different from Mi-bong’s.
Absolute physical strength.
In this harsh world, she openly desired a strong man who could protect her beautiful self.
However, the one major factor affecting her romantic decisions was the will of her father—the Emperor—who held absolute authority.
‘But even that isn’t a problem.’
The Emperor wanted to form friendly ties with the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon was too dangerous to treat as an enemy, so the Emperor hoped to bind him to the imperial family through marriage.
And me?
I am the grandson (maternal grandson) of the Heavenly Demon!
Just like the protagonist, the Emperor would naturally want me as a son-in-law.
“His Majesty has invited you to the Imperial Banquet, Hero Kang.”
“It is an honor.”
If I refused, I’d be dragged away on treason charges. Saying yes was the only option.
“And please accept this…”
“Thank you.”
Clasp.
She handed me a treasured imperial sword—
The kind of royal gift that would get me executed for treason if I ever attempted to sell it.
‘…Where’s my prize money?!’
The sword was worth more than any prize, sure—
But if I couldn’t sell it, then it was no better than scrap metal.
Actually… Scrap metal could at least be sold.
I was ruined.
“I look forward to meeting you again at the banquet, Hero Kang.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sway—
The Blue-Eyed Princess gracefully withdrew after presenting the sword with both hands.
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live! Long live! Long live forever!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Everyone at the Sichuan Tournament had lost money, so the entire crowd was miserable—
But the Emperor’s presence hung over them, so they clapped thunderously anyway.
Thus ended the Sichuan’s Greatest Martial Tournament.
***
My next destination was Mount Hua in Shaanxi Province, where the Heavenly Demon—currently traveling for gourmet food—was headed.
Mount Hua, of course, is the home of the Huashan Sect, a staple in countless wuxia novels.
'Murong gave me this information herself, so it should be accurate.’
I planned to find the Heavenly Demon and ask him directly about Mao Zhai’s whereabouts.
Clink!
My thick pouch of money jingled pleasantly.
Sure, the money would disappear once I woke up from the dream, but it was still better to have than not.
“I really don’t want to run into Hwa-ryong…”
Hwa-ryong.
Top student of the prestigious Huashan Sect and a member of the Nine Dragons and Five Phoenixes.
Mi-bong, grumbling beside me, made a strange face.
So I asked:
“Why did you come along, anyway?”
“Because Young Master Kang said you were going to Huashan Sect. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Nor did this old man,” said Fist King, stealthily tagging along.
There was definitely no same-sex romance subplot in the original novel…
“And why are you coming, Elder?”
“For a martial artist, following a strong expert to seek guidance is destiny!”
“…Well, I do need to get stronger before your lie gets exposed.”
“Ahem!”
Fist King, stabbed directly in his conscience, turned his head away and pretended to admire the mountains.
‘…Honestly, this might be nice.’
The second-most beautiful woman in the entire <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?> World was following me around because she liked me.
What man would dislike that?
I wasn’t a eunuch.
“Sorry…”
I quietly apologized to Song Sun-young, who could never possibly know what I was doing inside Mao Zhai’s dream.
This part was… unavoidable.
“By the way, Young Master Kang.”
“Yes?”
“This isn’t the road to Mount Hua.”
“I need to check something first.”
Mao Zhai was alive somewhere in this world.
And would he ignore the treasures and fortuitous encounters that appeared in the novel <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>?
Absolutely not.
“Hooh! A cave in a place like this?”
After half a day of searching, we found a cave entrance radiating strange energy.
Fist King immediately sensed its unusual aura.
This place was—
“Sssiiieeek!”
Whack!
The giant centipede that burst from the cave entrance had its head smashed by my kick.
“Spirit beasts aren’t much, after all. Let’s grab the core.”
The protagonist had nearly died hunting this thing, so I assumed it would be difficult.
Spirit beasts (靈物).
Humans who cultivate internal energy become martial artists.
Animals who cultivate internal energy become spirit beasts.
And those who kill such beasts acquire a spirit core (內丹),
Which grants a sharp increase in internal energy when consumed.
“Amazing!”
Mi-bong’s eyes sparkled like a child watching fireworks.
“Heh-heh…”
“Elder, enough admiring—please take out the core.”
“But of course.”
With his abundant experience and knowledge, Fist King obediently dissected the centipede and pulled out the core.
Shiiiine—
The spirit core glistened beautifully, like a piece of polished obsidian.
‘If I remember correctly…’
The protagonist had eaten this and become “a little” stronger—
But he also screamed in agony as if he were dying.
So I made my decision.
“Miss Mi-bong.”
“Yes!”
Her eyes lit up in anticipation.
Fast on the uptake, as always.
“I’ll give this to you, on the condition that you eat it immediately after we reach the next village. Elder Fist King will get his next time.”
“Ahem! Did I say anything otherwise?”
Fist King, who had been sulking like a child moments earlier, brightened instantly.
“Let’s go.”
After eating at a nearby village and securing lodging, we began Mi-bong’s spirit-core-tasting event.
With a feverish gaze of a girl in love, she stared at me and said:
“Young Master Kang… thank you.”
“It’s fine.”
“I’ll repay this debt for the rest of my life.”
“You don’t have to. I’m giving it as a friend.”
“Please let me repay it for the rest of my life!”
“Miss Mi-bong, let’s talk after you’ve eaten it.”
Once she experienced the pain the protagonist went through, her attitude would definitely change.
“Yes.”
Gulp.
She swallowed the spirit core in one bite, then calmly began absorbing the internal energy.
“…Huh?”
“Young Hero Kang, why do you look so surprised?”
“It’s… too easy.”
Fist King proudly explained, as if the result were obvious.
“Because that spirit core was full of yin energy. For a woman like Mi-bong, who was born with yin constitution, it’s nothing. If a man had eaten it, he’d have suffered greatly.”
“I see.”
So the protagonist suffered because he was greedy.
And this also explained why Fist King had so readily given up the centipede’s core—
It was too yin-heavy to benefit him.
It was convincing.
“Hooh! Even rebirth through shedding?”
“Really?”
“Look. Mi-bong’s hair and teeth are falling out and growing back anew.”
“…You’re right.”
Rebirth through shedding (換骨脫胎, Hwan-gol-tal-tae).
Replacing one’s bones and skin to transform the body into one perfectly optimized for martial arts.
Each martial arts novel sets it differently, but generally, someone who undergoes this becomes several times stronger instantly.
And in <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>, the drugged-up author added love and friendship as additional conditions for triggering this phenomenon.
“Young Master Kang!”
Her eyes snapped open.
Mi-bong looked at me with a bright smile, as if the first thing she needed was to confirm my presence.
“How does your body feel?”
“It’s hot. Because of the love this girl feels for you—”
“Ah… right.”
Fist King watched with a pleased expression and congratulated his now-strengthened junior.
“Well done. You’ve finally grasped the principle of Yin and Yang.”
“Yes!”
“And I think you’ve grown even more beautiful.”
“Oh my~”
Mi-bong’s skin, already smooth before, had now become baby-soft after the transformation.
And not just that—her overall aura had matured.
Some subtle structural adjustment must have occurred as her bones changed.
“Hm…”
It was fascinating.
‘Could I undergo rebirth like Mi-bong? And if I did… how much of it would reflect in the real world?’
Before meeting Mai Zhai and persuading him, I decided I should test this myself.
***
Our journey toward Mount Hua went extremely smoothly.
I had hoped Mao Zhai would reach the treasures first and leave nothing behind for us—but instead, every single treasure spot only made Mi-bong and Fist King scream with happiness.
Eventually—
“Little boy, who are you?”
“Haha! Little boy? It’s true! My voice—my hands and feet—!”
Fist King had achieved the stage after rebirth: Returning to youth (返老還童, Ban-ro-hwan-dong).
Returning to youth.
It was the realm for those unsatisfied with simply replacing bones and skin.
Their bodies became young again—restoring prime years and drastically extending lifespan.
It was the dream of every martial artist… but extremely few ever reached it.
“Elder, congratulations.”
“Thank you! I’ll repay this favor before I die!”
“Do as you wish.”
“Shall we spar for the first time in ages?”
Now that he had returned to youth, Fist King’s speech had also changed—
Younger, more spirited.
Overflowing with eagerness.
“Sounds good.”
“Young Hero Kang, don’t think of him as the same old Fist King.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Then… hyap!”
The child-sized Fist King crossed his now-shorter legs quickly and dashed toward me.
‘Oho?’
He wasn’t just faster— His movements were sharper than before.
However—
“Ghk—kuueeek?!”
Fist King’s shortened arms were something he simply couldn’t help.
Crack!
The child-sized Fist King was knocked backward as the sole of my raised foot kissed his face.
“Elder, I think you got too young.”
“Ugh! How frustrating!”
“But your bones are definitely tougher now. And your recovery rate is unbelievable.”
It really felt like watching a child fall while running, scrape their knee, and get back up with no problem.
Crunch.
His broken nose straightened itself out immediately as Fist King rose, brushing dirt off his clothes.
“I bet you’re the only one in this world who would treat me like a kid.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“…No.”
Since his limbs had become shorter, we stopped by a clothing shop to get him something that fit.
That little delay meant we only arrived at Mount Hua after the sun had completely set…
“It’s a shame it’s so dark. I hate Hwa-ryong, but the plum blossoms covering Mount Hua are always beautiful.”
“Heeeh~”
We climbed the pitch-black mountain path without a second thought.
Compared to a cave with zero light, an outdoor path illuminated by the moon and stars was practically bright.
‘I’ve improved too.’
It felt like just yesterday I was tapping the ground with a stick, blindly navigating a cave.
Internal energy really was convenient.
“Just ahead is Mount Hua Sect. What brings you here at this hour?”
Mount Hua Sect.
Founded by Daoist priests who gathered to absorb the natural energy of Mount Hua—
Their uniforms embroidered with plum blossoms were the sect’s signature style.
“I’m here to see the Sect Leader.”
“And you are?”
“I am Fist King, the man who conquered the Green Forest with my fists alone! Fetch the Sect Leader at once!”
“Fist King…?”
“Yes!”
The Mount Hua disciple at the gate stared down at little Fist King… and burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Kid, where are your parents?”
“Who are you calling a kid?!”
Just before the undeniably-kid-sized Fist King exploded, Mi-bong stepped forward.
“I’m Mi-bong of the Nine Dragons and Five Phoenixes. Would you like to doubt that as well?”
“G–Gasp! N-No, of course not!”
Seeing Mi-bong emerge from the shadows, the guard jumped aside and hurriedly opened the gate.
In the Central Plains, the second-most beautiful woman’s face was the best form of ID.
She really was worth bringing along.
‘Much more useful than little Fist King.’
He, who used to prevent trouble just by existing, suddenly became useless.
“How did it come to this…?”
“Well, you did suddenly turn into a kid.”
“Just wait a few days. Once news spreads that I’ve achieved Regressed Youth, the martial world will go wild.”
“It’ll definitely shock them— Fist King, now weaker because his limbs are shorter…”
“You’re the weird one! And stop talking like I was weak before!”
“You were, though.”
“I was not!!”
He really did seem like he’d become a child mentally too.
While casually chatting with the kid-like Fist King, we reached the grand hall at the center of Mount Hua Sect.
Creaaak—
A middle-aged woman—likely a servant—opened the door for us.
“You go ahead.”
“Why? You should be leading.”
“I need to speak with the Sect Leader separately. There are… things.”
“…Let’s go.”
Inside the hall, there was yet another room.
“Who comes at such an hour?”
A deep, authoritative male voice sounded from within.
Who am I?
A philosophical question, indeed.
“I am Kang Moon-soo, the First Demon of Sichuan. I came to Mount Hua seeking my maternal grandfather.”
“…Your grandfather’s name is?”
“Heavenly Demon.”
“……”
“Maron told me he was here.”
“…It seems dangerous visitors keep increasing. Open the door and enter.”
“Thank you!”
Clack—
Time to meet the strongest being in this world.
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