Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God

Chapter 2: When I Opened My Eyes Again.

How long had I been floating in this void?

My eyes snapped open with a feeling as if I was being sucked into somewhere.

“Do you understand? On the day the Clan Leader graces us with his presence, you must know what you have to do.”

Beeeep-

A loud ringing echoed in my ears.

On top of that, a piercing tinnitus added to the cacophony.

It felt like dozens of bees were buzzing around me.

“Calm, you must remain calm. Remember your place. Be respectful when the Clan Leader asks you something, but always know your place and bow your head accordingly. And after that, you are not to leave your quarters, the White Pavilion, under any circumstances—”

As I struggled to regain consciousness, the surrounding sounds began to distinguish themselves one by one.

The blurry world gradually became clearer, regaining its colors.

A woman with a vicious look in her eyes was glaring at me or, rather, the body I seemed to have possessed.

She held a blood-stained cane in one hand.

Huh?

Blood?

It seemed I was in the middle of being disciplined… but what could a person have done so wrong to be beaten until the cane was stained with blood?

Not anticipating this situation, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

Contrary to my fears of failure, the Kalpa of the Primordial Spirit’s Wheel of Reincarnation seemed successful.

But it seemed that this new life I had been given was just as miserable as my previous one.

Kalpa of the Primordial Spirit’s Wheel of Reincarnation can only be cast on a body that has recently died or is on the brink of death.

This was because it involves replacing the soul that originally inhabited the body. So, the fact that my soul had descended into this body meant that its original owner had died.

No matter how much they hated this body, how could they beat someone to the point of death?

Even a lowly servant wouldn’t be treated like this.

…Or could this be a criminal who committed an unforgivable act?

It would be troublesome if there were a lot of grudges…

Just in case, I quickly searched through the memories left in the body.

But the result was completely different from what I had thought.

This body was only seventeen years old this year. Still a child.

The woman in front of me was this child’s stepmother.

Looking down at my arms, I saw red bloodstains and bruises all over the pale skin.

Unlike the woman adorned in luxurious silk, my clothes were filthy and reeked of stench, as if they hadn’t been washed in ages.

It wasn’t hard to guess how this child had been treated until now.

This is really fucked up.

I’ve lived in the Demonic Path where inhuman people thrive, but whenever I see people like this, I can’t help but feel disgusted.

“Old hag.”

“…What?”

The voice that had been rambling on by itself suddenly stopped.

Just like a broken puppet with its strings cut.

Over her frozen pupils, I could see the reflection of an unfamiliar child—I was pleased to see he was as handsome as I was in my previous life—smiling coldly.

“Your breath stinks. Could you move your face away?”

“!!!”

In an instant, the woman’s face turned bright red.

It was quite a sight to behold.

* * *

“Don’t even think about coming out of there until you realize what you’ve done wrong!”

SLAM!

I ended up confined in some unnamed pavilion.

“None of you are to give that child any water or food! If I catch any of you secretly providing for him out of pity like last time, I’ll tie you up in a rice chest and throw you into the well, do you understand?”

My, did that lady eat a pot of rage? Her voice volume is truly impressive.

Unlike me who was snickering, the maids trembled and responded weakly.

It seemed this wasn’t the first time such a situation had occurred.

“How could you say such a thing, Young Master? You know the Madam’s temper better than anyone! You’ve caused trouble for all of us because of your actions!”

The steward who was brought into the pavilion with me let out a heavy sigh.

He even shot me a look of contempt and reproach… Ha!

I couldn’t help but laugh. It was absurd.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this guy openly following that woman’s orders before we came here?

“What are you staring at?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to look?”

I hadn’t yet fully read through the residual thoughts in this body.

However, it wasn’t difficult to understand the situation I was in.

Even I, who was once the Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Sect, had heard of this place before.

— The Tang Clan’s Nine Dragon Branch.

Also known as the “Nine Dragon Manors,” this branch was operated by the Sichuan Tang Clan, famous for its poisons and hidden weapons.

Jiulong County was a key transportation hub. To the west, it connected to the Headquarters of the Potala Palace of Tibet and the Kunlun Sect of Qinghai. To the south, it linked to Yunnan, home to the Heavenly Dragon Temple, Diancang Sect, and the Five Poison Sect.

According to the strategies prepared by the cult for potential conflicts with the Central Plains martial arts world, this area was so crucial that it was listed as a top priority for occupation in the event of a war.

Naturally, the Sichuan Tang Family couldn’t ignore it in order to maintain their hegemony.

As a result, the current Clan Leader, Dark Venerable Tang Munhyeok, entrusted the protection of Jiulong County to Tang Ho-san, known as the “Mad Wind Chivalrous Hero.” He was his right-hand man, who had dominated the Sichuan martial arts world with him during his time as the Young Clan Leader.

Tang Ho-san established the branch family with a few members of the Mad Wind Squad he led.

That was the beginning of this Nine Dragon Branch Family.

Tang Ho-san was a renowned figure even in the martial world.

He was a hero who played a significant role in defeating the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect of the Nine Sect, allowing the Sichuan Tang Family to become the ruler of the Sichuan’s martial world.

I had even received reports recommending his elimination, as quite a few of our cult members had lost their lives to his hidden weapons… And I’ve possessed the body of such a person’s child?

“Tang Un-hwi,” whose body I now occupied, was the offspring of a maid Tang Ho-san had slept with while drunk.

In other words, an illegitimate child.

Tang Ho-san took in Tang Un-hwi, who was nothing more than a mistake from a one-night stand, but never treated him as a son.

Thus, the only martial art he passed down was the Tang Clan’s Qi Tempering Technique, which even outside family members learned.

In this situation, it was inevitable that the other family members would treat Tang Un-hwi with disdain. In particular—the woman from earlier—the main wife, Namgung Sanyeong, would find fault with him at every turn and even resort to physical abuse.

“……”

Even though the target of possession was chosen randomly, I am at a loss for words about how I ended up in such a situation.

This is why I’ve always avoided gambling, especially things like dice or shell games… Haa!

Father, mother, family environment—at this point, I could probably have a competition with my previous life to see whose circumstances were more miserable.

The only consolation was that a half-sister seemed to have occasionally looked out for Tang Un-hwi, but she wasn’t here at the branch right now, so she was out of the picture.

“Stop spouting nonsense, and tell me what you will do next! How do you plan to take responsibility for this mess?”

Furthermore, this so-called personal steward, instead of sympathizing with this pitiful child, is actually criticizing him for talking back.

It reminds me of the neighborhood kids who used to pick fights with me when I was young.

After that, what did I do after becoming my Master’s disciple?

Step, step—

“?”

As I silently approached, the steward looked at me with a confused expression as if asking what I was doing. His eyes were still filled with contempt as he stared at me.

Slap!

I slapped him across the face.

“Y-young master?”

The steward held his reddened cheek, looking at me with disbelief.

“Grith your teeth.”

“What-”

“I said, grith your teeth.”

Smack!

His head turned to the other side.

“If you continue, I won’t just stand by and—“

Smack!

“If the madam finds out-”

Smack!

“S-stop!”

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

I slapped the steward’s cheeks relentlessly.

When he raised his head, I’d hit the other side, and if he lowered his head, I’d forcibly grab his nape and force it up before slapping him again.

My hand hurt so much that I thought it might fall off, but what could I say? During my time under the bridge, I wasn’t just stupidly enduring everything either.

If someone punched me, I’d grab a brick and hit them on the back of the head. That’s the kind of person ‘Yeon Un-hwi’ was.

After becoming the proud disciple of the Divine Sword Heavenly Demon, I tracked down those who bullied me and had them thrown into prison one by one. When I became the Young Lord, I sent them to the coal mines as laborers.

My Master questioned whether I really needed to go that far, advising that as the future cult leader, I should now embrace the past mistakes of my followers.

Well?

My thoughts remain the same now as they were then, Master. I believe everything you’ve taught me, but I can’t compromise on this one point.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If I don’t repay tenfold for what I’ve suffered, I’ll always be the one who suffers.

Smack!

“P-p-please, s-spare me, y-young m-master…!”

In the end, the steward grabbed my legs, his face swollen like a steamed bun.

He looked stupid with several of his teeth knocked loose.

“Why should I?”

“I was out of line! I didn’t know my place. So please-”

“So why should I spare someone who doesn’t know his place and runs his mouth recklessly?”

“T-that’s!”

When you threaten someone, you must do it properly. You have to push them to the brink, to the point where they truly believe they might die. Only then will your voice reach the depths of their soul.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, purple streaks of light flickered in my eyes like flames.

The Purple Demonic Eyes.

A sorcery that shakes the opponent’s spirit and firmly imprints my existence in their psyche.

It was a method I often used as the Lesser Heavenly Demon to control my subordinates.

To this steward, I probably looked like a demon wearing human skin right now.

Tremble, tremble…

Sure enough, the steward began to shake like an aspen tree, his face pale.

He couldn’t even dare to meet my eyes properly.

“Hyeong-sam, you were chosen as my personal steward solely because your mother has a connection with my mother. I elevated you from a life that could have ended as a mere servant, yet instead of showing gratitude for this favor, you show me this kind of behavior?”

“I-I will never show such disrespect again! Please, have mercy!”

Even though the Nine Dragon Branch Family was separated from the main family, it still bore the Tang surname.

The Sichuan Tang Clan was famous for having the strictest discipline among the great families in the martial arts world, and the Nine Dragon Branch was no exception.

Insubordination was naturally punishable by death. Even for the crime of insulting a superior, it was nothing to cripple someone and cast them out.

Being cast out was just the beginning. Who in the world would dare employ such a person, knowing they’d fallen out of favor with the Tang family?

The Tang family’s influence in Sichuan was that significant.

Seeing him begging pitifully, stained with fear, I felt he was finally in the right mindset to listen to me.

“Then, from now on, you’ll do everything I tell you to, right?”

Hyeong-sam nodded frantically.

* * *

‘The second young master! The second young master has changed!’

As soon as Hyeong-sam left the White Pavilion, he started running frantically as if someone was chasing him.

‘I’ll give you exactly one shichen (2 hours) from now. Within that time, you are to bring me everything I’ve ordered. If not… well, you can imagine what will happen.’

Those eyes flickering like ghost fire.

That voice, cold as the North Sea.

The new image of Un-hwi strongly imprinted in his mind was completely different from his previously weak appearance.

He couldn’t tell whether Un-hwi had been hiding this side all along or if it resulted from a buildup of anger from the Madam’s constant beatings that had finally exploded.

The problem now was that this anger could be directed at him.

Because of this, Hyeong-sam forgot Namgung Sanyeong’s warning to ‘report immediately if the young master tries any tricks or shows any suspicious behavior.’

‘I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die…! If I don’t complete the task properly, I’ll be devoured, ugh!’

Hyeong-sam had clearly seen it. The face of the huge evil spirit behind Un-hwi.

That evil spirit with rows of jagged teeth seemed ready to devour him at any moment.

Of course, it was just an illusion. But once firmly planted, fear doesn’t easily disappear.

The given time was only one shichen.

To handle everything within that time, he had to hurry as much as possible.

* * *

“Ugh. Using sorcery with insufficient spiritual power makes my head throb.”

After chasing away Hyeong-sam, I sat on the bed while pressing my temples with my fingers.

All the techniques I’ve mastered so far are based on the Brain Gate (腦門) and the Upper Dantian.

Using high-level sorcery like the Purple Demonic Eyes with a body that hadn’t even properly cultivated martial arts out of fear of swords left quite an aftereffect.

Still, to properly establish a foundation in this place where I couldn’t trust anyone, I needed at least one servant I could control at will.

Hyeong-sam will probably never defy me for the rest of his life.

I’ve firmly imprinted fear of me into his subconscious through hallucinations.

“Well then, shall we take a look?”

As the headache subsided somewhat, I sat cross-legged and straightened my back.

Now it’s time to check this body.

If my prediction is correct, this body had exactly one advantage over my original body with its disability.

I channelled my focus to one location.

Just below the right side of the navel.

There was a Dantian.