Chapter 70: Raw Ginger Ti
At the sight of Ghost Demon returning so perfectly unhard, Iron Demon looked as though he might leap for joy, tears even glistening in his eyes.
They had been comrades who had shared hardship together for decades, bickering and fighting yet living side by side all the sa.
His heart had swelled at Ghost Demon’s safe return.
And yet, as he hastily wiped at the corners of his eyes and muttered sothing about there being too much dust around these days, Ghost Demon mocked him, saying that an old man crying was a pitiful sight.
Poison Demon, seeing Ghost Demon—whom he himself had pronounced dead—standing there perfectly fine, could not properly continue speaking, his mouth hanging open.
But only for a mont. Soon enough, he clung to Ghost Demon, bombarding him with questions about everything that had happened.
His curiosity as a physician had stirred his scholarly zeal.
“Thousand-Year Ice Essence!”
At Poison Demon’s shout after hearing the full story, Ghost Demon’s eyes widened.
He was shocked to learn that he himself possessed the very thing the squad leaders had searched for so desperately.
As Iron Demon and Poison Demon made a great fuss, congratulating him, Yul Han approached the Warrior Chief.
“Thank you.”
The Warrior Chief asked Yul Han—whose tone, once cold and savage, had softened again—
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“I left my tribe behind.”
In other words, he had expected him to return.
When soone who would surely co back had departed while taking Ghost Demon along, he had guessed there must be so thod.
He had not imagined it would be the Thousand-Year Ice Essence, but the outco was good.
The Warrior Chief, who had been silently watching Yul Han’s faint smile, spoke.
“Cold, yet gentle. Even your smile is a strange one.”
At those words, Yul Han’s smile deepened slightly.
Of course, as the Warrior Chief said, to an outsider it might have looked like a twisted sneer growing more pronounced.
Then the Warrior Chief said to Yul Han,
“Might Makes Right. You are the victor, so I shall follow the law of the victor.”
Thud.
With that, he dropped to his knees and continued,
“I will strive to live as you say. Even if I must live as a dog, as a pig, I will survive. And in doing so, I will seek another chance to raise my tribe again. If that is acceptable, spare my life.”
Though he was a defeated man, his gaze was not that of one crushed by defeat. Looking down at him calmly, Yul Han replied,
“You saved your own life. So you will live.”
Leaving only those words behind, Yul Han turned away, but the Warrior Chief’s voice stopped him.
“Is… is that all?”
“There’s nothing else I need. Ah! Next ti, don’t attack passing caravans. Don’t raid them like before. If you need money, collect a transit toll instead. Of course, you’ll have to earn that money.”
“Earn it?”
“You’ll need to protect the caravans’ safety while they pass through the Heavenly Mountains.”
Without even turning back, Yul Han finished speaking and headed toward Ghost Demon, who still seed unable to believe that he had obtained the Thousand-Year Ice Essence.
In Yul Han’s hand, at so point, was a Crescent Blade.
Ghost Demon imdiately grasped the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult’s intent.
Already itching to test how much his strength had grown, Ghost Demon stepped forward.
Iron Demon and Poison Demon were no less curious, so they quickly backed away, clearing space for the two to move.
And with Ghost Demon’s charge, the sparring match began.
Once the wounded could move to so extent, Yul Han’s group departed.
Ghost Demon left with a face full of joy, having confird that his strength had surpassed Iron Demon’s, though it still fell short of the Cult Leader’s.
Iron Demon burned with renewed fighting spirit at the realization that Ghost Demon now stood above him, while Poison Demon’s face plainly showed lingering regret.
It was regret over the possibility that there might be another Thousand-Year Ice Essence sowhere.
Among those who departed, the surviving mbers of the Golden Flower Manor were not included.
They planned to head to the Western Regions together when the third Western Regions Trade Caravan, led by Demon Flower’s escort unit, crossed over the Heavenly Mountains.
To assist them, one physician from the Fifth Elder’s Chamber remained behind in the Lu Tribe Village.
Among those leaving, the Warrior Chief suddenly joined in.
To Iron Demon’s puzzled look, he claid that as the defeated, he was no different from the victor’s dog or pig, and that it was only natural to follow the path his master took.
“What about your tribe?”
Poison Demon asked.
“I already chose a new Warrior Chief. He’ll do well.”
As he said that, Ghost Demon slung an arm around the Warrior Chief’s shoulders.
“Let’s get along. Right? Compared to being so big shot, being our Vice Cult Leader’s lackey is way better. Hahaha!”
As Ghost Demon roared with laughter, the Warrior Chief brushed his arm off his shoulder and said,
“Don’t pretend we’re close.”
Ghost Demon stared blankly for a mont, then burst out laughing again.
“Hahaha. You bastard. Getting all shy.”
As Ghost Demon once more pulled him into a rough embrace, the Warrior Chief made no effort to hide his displeasure, yet unlike before, he did not forcefully push Ghost Demon’s arm away.
Watching them, Yul Han remained calm.
Despite the unreadable expression on his face, Cold Blade Blood thought that the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was smiling.
I had crossed the Heavenly Mountains in high spirits like that.
When Yul Han and his group returned, the Bright Cult was in an uproar.
It was not because Cold Blade Blood had rushed in to summon a physician with news of Ghost Demon’s injuries.
Everyone firmly believed that if the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult had personally gone, the culprits must all be dead. It was not even a matter of concern.
Even so, the reason the Bright Cult was unsettled was the ominous rumors that had recently been sweeping through the Central Plains.
“Jiangshi?”
At Yul Han’s question, the Cult Leader nodded.
“We are still verifying the truth of it, but what the rumors convey is clear. Raw Ginger Jiangshi.”
I knew what that ant.
It referred to soone becoming a jiangshi while still alive.
The jiangshi arts that revived the dead originally belonged mainly to the Daoist sects.
They had been created as a type of spirit-returning art, used to transport the bodies of those who died far from ho back to their families.
Of course, forcibly blowing a soul into a body whose breath had already been cut off caused countless side effects.
Still, because most side effects could be controlled by attaching Daoist talismans, the practice had remained tolerated to this day.
The problem was that the Raw Ginger Jiangshi being discussed now was on an entirely different level from such jiangshi.
The Strategist continued with the explanation.
“As the Vice Cult Leader knows, Raw Ginger Jiangshi retain all of their abilities from when they were alive. Yet because they are already dead, they cannot be killed. That is the greatest problem.”
Retaining their living abilities was honestly not a major issue.
One could simply crush them with greater power.
The real problem was that when crushed like that, they were supposed to die—but Raw Ginger Jiangshi were already dead, so they did not.
In other words, no matter how much stronger the force used, they would not break.
“As far as what is known, Raw Ginger Jiangshi do not stop moving unless they are completely burned to ash. Even if their heads are severed or their hearts crushed, they continue to move.”
It was even said that if half the body was burned to ash, the remaining half would still keep moving.
“Because of them, the southern Central Plains are in utter chaos.”
At the Cult Leader’s words, doubt entered Yul Han’s gaze.
Even if disaster had broken out in the Central Plains, there was no reason for the Bright Cult to be this unsettled.
Sensing that doubt, the Strategist added,
“It seems the Raw Ginger Jiangshi are moving north. The calamity that began in Guangdong passed through Guangxi and Guizhou and has now reached Sichuan.”
After spreading out a map and explaining, it was clear that the Raw Ginger Jiangshi were advancing northward in almost a straight line.
“At this rate, they will pass through Sichuan and enter the Cheonghae Region in three or four days.”
Perhaps because of that, the Martial Alliance, which at first had rallied nearby sects to resist desperately, suddenly changed tactics and began opening paths instead.
They evacuated civilians along the Raw Ginger Jiangshi’s route and barred martial artists from approaching.
If the destination of the Raw Ginger Jiangshi was the north, then it would be the lands of the Demonic Path—Cheonghae Region and Xinjiang.
There was no need for the Hundred Paths to shed blood to block them.
Because of that decision, the speed of the Raw Ginger Jiangshi’s northward advance beca faster than ever before.
Sensing the crisis, the Eighteen Demon Sects hurriedly gathered martial artists and established a defensive line in the Cheonghae Region.
They also requested aid from the Bright Cult.
Against Raw Ginger Jiangshi, ordinary martial artists were of little use. Thus, the best card was the Thirteen Bloods.
However, they had not yet arrived, as they were traveling with the grain escort led by the Profound Demon.
Accordingly, the Bright Cult was mobilizing the Twenty-Seven Ghosts, whose strength ca next after the Thirteen Bloods.
It was at that mont that the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult returned.
After hearing the situation from the Strategist, Yul Han stepped forward without hesitation, saying he would take charge.
With the Twenty-Seven Ghosts who had been assembled and waiting, along with Iron Demon, Ghost Demon, Poison Demon, Cold Blade Blood, and Flashing Light Blood, Yul Han rushed toward the Cheonghae Region.
Among them was also the Warrior Chief.
Watching the Warrior Chief behave like a servant following his master as he disappeared into the distance, the Strategist asked,
“By the way, who is that man?”
“I’m not sure. More importantly—Ghost Demon. Doesn’t he seem a bit different?”
At the Cult Leader’s question, the Strategist could not answer. To soone who had never cultivated martial arts, it all looked the sa.
Contrary to the Strategist’s worries, even after three or four days had passed, the Raw Ginger Jiangshi did not enter the Cheonghae Region.
As Yul Han, who was waiting together with the martial artists of the Eighteen Demon Sects at the defensive line set up on a plain called Gamdeok—the gateway to the Cheonghae Region—tilted his head in confusion, news arrived.
Two days after this unexpected news spread, an even more shocking announcent was proclaid to the entire martial world by the Tang Clan.
The Martial Alliance was thrown into upheaval, and the Clan Alliance—ford by the Six Great Clans—fell into great confusion.
In this affair, however, the place that drew people’s attention was, absurdly enough, not the Tang Clan but the Green Forest.
It was because the Green Forest had long been the one loudly calling for the Unorthodox Alliance and moving accordingly.
“This is driving mad. The Tang Clan bastards haven’t shown their faces at all, yet the martial world is buzzing with rumors that we’ve joined the Unorthodox Alliance.”
At the words of Nine Mountain Giant King Gok U, the Chief Banner Lord of the Green Forest, the Deputy Banner Lord Kang Hwang spoke cautiously.
“Could it be the Martial Alliance’s sche?”
“A sche?”
“Yes. Might they not be trying to pin responsibility for the Raw Ginger Jiangshi on us?”
“Are you saying the Raw Ginger Jiangshi were created by those Martial Alliance bastards?”
At Nine Mountain Giant King’s question, Kang Hwang nodded.
“Isn’t it possible? Traditionally, the Tang Clan are known not only for hidden weapons, but also for their expertise in poison and dicine.”
One known thod of creating Raw Ginger Jiangshi involved alternately injecting specific dicines and poisons into a living person, transforming them into a jiangshi.
Of course, that thod had disappeared hundreds of years ago and was no longer passed down—but there was no law saying the Tang Clan could not revive it.
Reaching that thought, Nine Mountain Giant King nodded. He judged it fairly plausible.
“Then what are they trying to do by dumping the Raw Ginger Jiangshi problem on us?”
“I think we must pay attention to the fact that the Raw Ginger Jiangshi stayed at the Tang Clan.”
“The Tang Clan? Why them?”
“Because during the Golden Flower Manor Bloodshed, the Tang Clan were the only ones the Bright Cult did not hold accountable.”
“Wasn’t that because those Tang Clan bastards cut off their tails?”
Nine Mountain Giant King was referring to how Tang Yul and the others had been expelled, even their families driven out.
Kang Hwang replied,
“The Bright Cult are not the sort to think that alone is enough.”
“Then…?”
“In my opinion, the Martial Alliance bastards are preparing a blow against the Bright Cult, using the Tang Clan as their foothold.”
As Nine Mountain Giant King sank into thought at Kang Hwang’s words, a subordinate’s voice rang out.
“Chief Banner Lord, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest? What kind of guest?”
At Nine Mountain Giant King’s question, the subordinate answered.
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