Chapter 196: Night of Lanzhou (2)

Il-mok was meditating in a room the Branch Leader had set up for him. He sat cross-legged, staring down at the thousand-year-old tuber fleece root in front of him.

'I was disappointed about not having any breakthrough even after that life-or-death fight, but who knew I'd score an elixir here?'

He figured the Heavenly Orchid Society Leader probably bought it for himself. The guy was so damn lazy that despite being a martial artist, he was packed with fat rolls.

But Il-mok had to admit that his internal energy reserve was insane.

'Guess when you don't feel like training but have money from bleeding Lanzhou dry, you just take the easy route with drugs.'

Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe he started munching on all these elixers and just got lazier and lazier.

"Lucky bastard..."

He could picture the Heavenly Orchid Society Leader kicking back and doing nothing for a decade, and it made him shudder with jealousy.

But in the end, that very laziness and cruelty meant the elixir ended up in Il-mok's hands instead. Talk about a blessing in disguise.

'This is also thanks to the Heavenly Demon's grace... wait, what the hell am I thinking?'

Il-mok caught himself slipping into cult-worshipper and quickly shook his head.

'That was close.'

Leading a missionary work meant you could accidentally brainwash yourself if you weren't careful.

"Whew."

After taking deep breaths to calm himself, Il-mok closed his eyes and expanded his qi perception.

He could feel four people stationed at each cardinal direction around the pavilion, acting as guardians.

They were there to keep outsiders away, but also to stop Il-mok if he went berserk.

Once he finished checking his surroundings, Il-mok shoved the thousand-year-old tuber fleece root into his mouth and swallowed it whole after chewing it a few times.

Thanks to the energy infused in the root, he could actually feel it traveling down his esophagus toward his stomach.

"Inhale. Exhale."

Il-mok took a deep breath and circulated his qi from his dantian.

The demonic energy flowing from his dantian guided the pure qi from the thousand-year-old elixir through his meridians. As it circulated, the root's energy naturally transformed and took on the same demonic attribute as his Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword.

Even as the first wave of absorbed energy cycled through his meridians, new energy kept flowing from the root, and Il-mok's own energy went out to guide it in turn.

And once all the roots' energy had been dyed with demonic qi, Il-mok felt a slight tension building and focused even harder.

"Inhale. Exhale."

'Okay, here comes the hard part.'

Absorbing elixir wasn't always safe.

Just like how doping in the modern world could send you straight to the afterlife or leave you with serious side effects, elixirs were the same.

Il-mok began guiding the energy racing through his meridians back into his dantian.

But even though he hadn't absorbed all the energy still circulating through his meridians, his dantian had filled up completely at some point.

The energy absorbed from the root had increased beyond what his current dantian could hold.

"Inhale. Exhale."

So Il-mok carefully divided it strand by strand, cramming the excess energy into his dantian like stuffing luggage into a tiny gap.

As his dantian started to ache from the strain of being stretched to its absolute limit, it slowly began to get bigger.

You often hear people in the martial world talking about how much internal energy they have, throwing around terms like "half a cycle" or "a full sixty-year cycle" of energy.

But that was actually a misleading way to put it.

If a martial artist who'd trained for decades and accumulated half a cycle of internal energy used it all up in a life-or-death battle, would they really need to train for the same number of years to rebuild that half jiazi?

Of course not.

Normally, it only takes a couple of hours, maybe a day, to get your internal energy fully recovered after a fight.

In other words, when people talked about half a cycle or a full sixty-year cycle, they weren't referring to the amount of internal energy in the dantian—they were talking about the dantian's size and the maximum amount of internal energy a dantian could hold.

That was not to say that having a large dantian meant it took a long time to recover one’s internal energy.

Actually, the bigger it is, the faster it refills. A bigger dantian has a higher absorption rate when it’s empty, and the meridians trained during the expansion process could handle much larger amounts of internal energy.

Right now, Il-mok was using the medicine's energy to expand his dantian's size.

And sweating buckets while he did it.

'Fucking Demonic Art.'

This was one of the few downsides to these cheat-like Demonic Arts.

Unlike the pure and docile cultivation methods of Buddhist or Daoist schools, demonic energy was an absolute pain in the ass.

It was a pain in the ass in normal condition and it’s an even more pain in the ass when he is actively training his dantian. Moreover, if the demonic energy succeeds in its tantrum, it would throw him into a Qi Deviation right off the bat,

It’s not a big deal when you’re a beginner and you don’t have much demonic energy or a big dantian. But once you hit a certain level, trying to get stronger is like walking on eggshells.

This was also closely related to why Demonic Arts often stalled after reaching a certain level.

They're already dealing with all the crazy side effects, and trying this on top of it all is a surefire way to go completely nuts.

'I can't end up like I did at the Demonic Way Hall.'

If Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi hadn't basically babysat him through every single training session, Il-mok would have either died or gone nuts years ago.

And thanks to that experience, Il-mok was now quite accustomed to the task of managing his demonic energy while expanding his dantian.

Il-mok guided the energy flowing like a river through his meridians toward his dantian.

His dantian was already full, so he had to expand it carefully bit by bit. Trying to forcefully cram in large amounts of internal energy would send him straight into Qi Deviation.

But the energy heading toward his dantian didn't actually enter it. Instead, it began wrapping around the outside.

Then he took a tiny little thread of demonic energy and forced it inside the packed core, making it spasm violently. The instant it did, he used the energy blanket outside the dantian to absorb the shock.

It was a trick he’d been forced to invent near the end of his time at the Hall of the Demonic Way when he got so unstable that he’d nearly go into Qi deviation just from trying to meditate.

He got the idea from his old life as Seo Ji-hoon, remembering how he used to pack fragile stuff in bubble wrap.

He didn’t know how long he maintained that focus.

"Exhale."

Il-mok, who'd been so absorbed in his cultivation that he'd lost track of time, finally opened his eyes with a deep breath.

Intense light briefly flashed from Il-mok's eyes, but once his energy settled, they returned to their usual indifferent gaze.

"About twenty years' worth of cultivation, I'd say."

That was the result of absorbing every last bit of the root's energy without wasting a drop.

For context, by the time he graduated from the Hall of the Demonic Way, he'd managed to build up a power level of just over a sixty-year cycle after cramming nothing but training for several months straight.

And today, after cramming in an additional twenty years' worth of cultivation, his dantian had grown to about one and a half cycles.

For a guy who’d only started training three years ago, that was just insane.

Part of it was because Demonic Arts naturally progressed faster, but without the Explosive Demon Pill and the thousand-year-old tuber fleece roots, this achievement would've been impossible.

Most of the Explosive Demon Pill's energy had been used for body refinement with minimal absorption, but his meridians had expanded and cleared during that process and could dramatically increase the amount of internal energy absorbed with each cultivation session. Over the past two years, he'd accumulated far more energy than what had been spent on body refinement.

But for a guy who’d just gotten a massive power-up, Il-mok's expression wasn't particularly bright.

"Tsk. Can't be helped, I guess."

Sadly, he hadn't broken through to a new realm or gained any enlightenment this time either.

Still, thanks to the increased internal energy, the burden of wielding Sword Force had lessened considerably.

As Il-mok confirmed his progress and left the pavilion, those who'd been standing guard welcomed him.

"Congratulations, Young Master."

"We congratulate you on your achievement."

Il-mok nodded and asked, "Thanks for standing guard. By the way, how many hours passed while I was meditating?"

"About eight hours, Young Master."

Il-mok almost laughed out loud when he heard that.

'If twenty years' worth of internal energy cultivation took this long, eating something like Azure Stone Milk or Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng would either keep me up all night or kill me with Qi Deviation.'

There was a reason for the saying "too much is as bad as too little." Especially for Demonic Arts practitioners.

"Also, we received word from the Branch Leader. They've compiled a complete list of all the brothels and taverns managed by the Heavenly Orchid Society."

"Since you've exhausted yourself absorbing the medicine, Young Master, we'll handle visiting those establishments."

At Jin Hayeon and Dam Bin's words, Il-mok's lips nearly curved upward.

'Ha. Coming to the Central Plains was definitely the right call.'

Subordinates who volunteered to handle work? How wonderful was that?

But, because he had at least a shred of decency, he made an offer he hoped they’d refuse.

"You must be tired from standing guard. Why don't you rest a bit before heading out?"

"We took turns resting while on guard duty, so there's no need to worry."

This time, Il-mok couldn’t stop himself. A huge grin spread across his face.

***

Meanwhile, the mood in Lanzhou's red-light district was tense.

Rumors about the bloodbath that occurred at the massive estate not far from the district had spread.

With the Heavenly Orchid Society fallen, the atmosphere grew chaotic.

But the specific mood varied subtly from brothel to brothel.

Some trembled in fear and watched nervously, while others saw the Heavenly Orchid Society's fall as an opportunity to strike out on their own.

In the depths of one establishment, the Crimson Silk Pavilion, its owner sat with a furrowed brow.

"Pavilion Master, now is our chance."

At the words of his confidant, the one in charge of the Crimson Silk Pavilion's security, the Pavilion Master shook his head.

"We don't know the identity of those who attacked the Heavenly Orchid Society, nor do we know their purpose. Moving recklessly now would be dangerous."

"The Great Clarity Pavilion has already started making moves. If we just sit here waiting, we might end up paying tribute to them instead."

"And what if those who attacked the Heavenly Orchid Society come looking for us?"

“It’s been half a day and nothing’s happened! I'm certain some righteous master passing through got angry at their evil deeds and killed them before moving on."

“I get why you’re antsy. But the world doesn’t usually give you such neat and tidy happy endings.”

"That caution of yours is quite admirable."

A woman’s voice cut into their conversation, making both the Pavilion Master and his confidant’s heads snap around.

From the corner of the room, a pool of darkness coalesced into the form of a woman wearing black clothes with a wrathful deity mask perched on her face.

Clang!

The confidant quickly drew his blade, but the Pavilion Master extended his arm to stop him.

After restraining his confidant, the Pavilion Master cupped his fists and bowed to the uninvited guest.

"This humble one greets the new sky of Lanzhou."

"!!!"

As the confidant's expression filled with shock, a smile formed on the lips visible through the woman's mask.

It was a weirdly magnetic smile. Even though only her eyes and mouth were visible, an inexplicable sensuality emanated from her.

"Not only cautious, but exceptionally perceptive as well."

The woman—Dam Bin—spoke approvingly, then issued her command.

"Gather all the women working at this Crimson Silk Pavilion."

The Pavilion Master could have asked why, but instead immediately sent a glance to his confidant without hesitation.

Shortly after, the confidant returned, leading the courtesans working there.

Once enough people had gathered, Dam Bin spoke.

"From today forward, this Crimson Silk Pavilion will operate under the protection of our Maitreya Luminous Cult, and you will pay five percent of your profit as a protection fee."

The confidant nearly shouted, 'That's an outrageous rate!' but stopped himself.

'Wait. Five percent? Not fifty?'

Compared to what they'd been paying the Heavenly Orchid Society, this was practically nothing.

But Dam Bin wasn't finished yet.

"However, from now on, the courtesans must be paid fairly for their labor. Anyone who forcibly prevents a courtesan from switching to being an entertainer only, or from quitting entirely, will face divine punishment."

At her unexpected words, the eyes of the courtesans who'd been dragged here and trembling with fear widened.

One courtesan mustered her courage and asked Dam Bin, "W-what about our debts?"

Dam Bin smiled and answered.

"Don't worry. The Heavenly Orchid Society has been erased from this world, and your debts went with the Society Leader to the afterlife."

There was a strange pride in her tone.

Pride in the man who’d come up with this plan, the Eighth Young Master.

'The way he cherishes the common people... he truly embodies the cult's ideals.'

In truth, Il-mok had initially considered shutting down all the brothels and freeing all the courtesans. But after hearing the stories of the three women in the Heavenly Orchid Society, he'd changed his mind a bit.

He realized that in a world like this, sending these women home would just be sending them from one hell to another.

So the next best option was to eliminate their debts and give them choices.

And Il-mok's instructions didn't end with the courtesans.

"Furthermore, the Crimson Silk Pavilion Master's money that was forcibly used by the Heavenly Orchid Society to purchase courtesans will also be returned. So don't feel wronged."

When the masked woman brought up the very issue the Pavilion Master had been too afraid to mention, he internally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can only express my gratitude for the new sky's mercy."

As the Pavilion Master expressed his thanks with another show of respect, Dam Bin nodded and said, "As I mentioned, this place will now operate under the Maitreya Luminous Cult's protection, so you must follow the cult's teachings from now on. There will be gatherings later; be sure to attend."

"I will obey your command."

"Also, Pavilion Master, in addition to this place, I'm entrusting you with management of the Great Clarity Pavilion as well."

"I'm terribly sorry to say this, but the master of that place won't listen to someone like me."

"You needn't worry about that. Divine punishment from Maitreya has already befallen him."

A smile bloomed on the lips visible through the masked woman's face. A smile reeking of blood.

Cold sweat trickled down the Pavilion Master's forehead at that thick scent of blood, and he quickly bowed his head.

When he raised his head again, the masked woman was nowhere to be seen.

But the lingering, fishy scent of blood still remained.

'Tonight, another storm of blood will sweep through this area.'

The Pavilion Master, who was usually told he was too cautious, realized that very caution had saved his life.