Chapter 131

Cheong-ra remembered that at that time, he absolutely couldn't eat the insect, so he cried and begged for forgiveness before fainting and losing consciousness. If he had eaten something similar to a mind-controlling insect, it must have been only then.

"Why did Mother... How..."

"She was likely being controlled by mind-controlling insects as well. The easiest way to approach a young child and feed them something is through the mother or wet nurse."

Hearing those words, his blocked breath suddenly released. A jumble of emotions, whether relief or anger, mixed chaotically. If it was the Blood Cult's control, there was a sense of relief that his mother's harsh actions might not have been her true intentions, along with anger towards the Blood Cult for doing such things to his mother and himself. As Cheong-ra clenched his fist, blood seeped into the bandage.

His physical condition was not good, and after breathing roughly for a moment, Cheong-ra relaxed his hand. His body was in pain, but his heart ached even more.

"The decoction you fed me last time... You were trying to do something about the mind-controlling insects, right?"

Cheong-ra confirmed what he had guessed while lying sick in bed. As expected, Dang Ran-yeong nodded.

"That's right."

He remembered what Dang Ran-yeong had said after carefully checking his pulse several times while he was bedridden from drinking the decoction. "Beauty is really unlucky." He had definitely said that.

"When mind-controlling insects enter a human body, they can't be detected by pulse diagnosis until they awaken again. They fall into a dormant state without causing any symptoms, and then awaken at the sound of a specific noise to control the host. I tried giving you medicine to temporarily expand your energy channels, just in case, but it was useless."

"Once the mind-controlling insects awaken, there's no way to stop it, is there?"

"You become a complete slave of the Blood Cult. There's no way to kill the mind-controlling insects without harming the host's life yet. From the moment the insects awaken, it's as if the host and the insects share one life."

Indeed, everything was as Cheong-ra had thought. Dang Ran-yeong had approached him thinking that Cheong-ra was destined to become a slave or sacrifice to the Blood Cult anyway, intending to use him. Then he changed his mind halfway and confined him in the formation to try to save him. After all, there was no chance of the mind-controlling insects awakening until a Blood Cult member approached.

Realizing that Dang Ran-yeong had tried to save him and take responsibility for him, Cheong-ra's heart stirred strangely. However, in his despair, he found himself unconsciously asking in an accusatory tone,

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew I had eaten mind-controlling insects?"

"Why do you think I didn't tell you? I knew you'd do this, so I didn't tell you."

Dang Ran-yeong sneered, nodding towards the broken bowl fragments. Cheong-ra shook his head vigorously and shouted,

"Of course I should die! Before I'm controlled by the Blood Cult and harm the sect!"

If it was true that his mother had been controlled by mind-controlling insects, they were terrible things that could make even a mother harm her child. Cheong-ra knew very well how much the people of Moon Lake Sect trusted him. If he were to return to Moon Lake Sect controlled by the Blood Cult and harm his unsuspecting master, uncle, or disciples...

Suddenly, a conversation came to Cheong-ra's mind. It was when he learned that an elder of the Hengshan Sect had been tricked into handing over young disciples to the Blood Cult.

"How could someone who's an elder of the Hengshan Sect sell out young disciples!"

"Right? How could they do such a thing? Either they were born evil enough to commit such an unfilial act, or perhaps... it was something they couldn't help."

"No matter what unavoidable circumstances, even if a knife were at my throat, I would never betray Moon Lake Sect."

Surely that elder must have been fed mind-controlling insects too. That's why she ended up handing over the disciples she cherished and loved to the Blood Cult. Cheong-ra couldn't bear the thought of himself, like that elder, harming the people he cherished dearly or personally handing them over to the Blood Cult to be used as sacrifices.

Or rather than becoming a sacrifice to the Blood Cult and being of use to them, taking his own life would be a hundred times better. He had considered asking Dang Ran-yeong to help him go into hiding somewhere, but even inside the formation, it wouldn't be completely safe. Hadn't Wi Je-ho entered the formation as well?

"Don't think of doing anything foolish."

Dang Ran-yeong, who had been watching Cheong-ra's constantly changing expressions, pressed firmly on his forehead. With just that, Cheong-ra collapsed onto the bed as if falling. Without any response, he slowly pulled the blanket over himself and turned away. He quietly swallowed the blood that was subtly rising in his throat again.

His master, Oh Tae-ryeong, had repeatedly emphasized that when Cheong-ra first learned martial arts, the most important thing was to discard distracting thoughts, focus, and maintain a calm mind. This was because even the most powerful expert could fall into a state of qi deviation and become seriously ill the moment a heart demon took root. They would either die or, if lucky, become a cripple who had lost all their martial arts.

At this rate, even if Dang Ran-yeong watched over him and prevented him from dying, Cheong-ra wouldn't live long anyway. He had no intention of doing so. Before Cheong-ra's eyes, resolved to die, the scenes of Moon Lake Sect, including his master and uncle, flickered.

Until he left on the sect leader's orders, he had never dreamed that it would be the last time he saw the sect. As he was swallowing his sigh along with the blood, Dang Ran-yeong sat on the edge of the bed and reached out his hand over the blanket. Placing it where Cheong-ra's head would be, he said,

"There's not absolutely no solution."

"...You're saying there is a solution?"

A faint hope welled up in his heart, and Cheong-ra lowered the blanket. He turned his head and looked at the other desperately. Was there perhaps a way to kill the mind-controlling insects? However, the words that came out of Dang Ran-yeong's mouth were absurd.

"We just need to slaughter all the Blood Cult bastards before the mind-controlling insects awaken. Your fear of insects will somehow work itself out as you live."

"Anyone could say that. What if the mind-controlling insects in my body happen to awaken? I can't take responsibility for such a situation."

"You might not be able to take responsibility, Beauty. But I can, can't I?"

Cheong-ra, who was about to turn away again, looked at Dang Ran-yeong with wide eyes. Dang Ran-yeong arrogantly looked down at him, wiping the blood from his pale lips with his thumb.

"As I said before, I take responsibility for what's mine. If the Demon Soul Insects in Beauty's body awaken, I'll just prevent you from approaching Moon Lake Sect. If I promise to do that, will you stop trying to take your own life?"

"I..."

If someone else had said this, Cheong-ra would have shaken his head, telling them not to make promises they couldn't keep. But this was Dang Ran-yeong. He was the one who hadn't even been scratched by Cheong-ra's sword no matter how hard he had tried. Considering how he had been holding back when dealing with Cheong-ra all this time, he was certainly capable of subduing him.

"Can you really do that for me?"

His voice trembled slightly. Cheong-ra didn't want to die either. He was more afraid of such terrible things happening than of dying. His master was also skilled enough to subdue him, but how could he dare ask his master to do such a dishonorable thing? He was even afraid to honestly confess that he had the Blood Cult's mind-controlling insects in his body.

"Promise me, Young Master Dang. If the mind-controlling insects in my body awaken and control me, you'll definitely deal with me. That you'll prevent me from even approaching Moon Lake Sect. Don't let me harm the people of Moon Lake Sect."

"I promise. Such a thing will never happen."

Hearing that promise, Cheong-ra felt surprisingly at ease. Although he still felt nauseous because of the mind-controlling insects in his body, blood no longer rose in his throat. The boiling blood and energy gradually subsided, and strength left his body.

As the overwhelming sense of despair faded, the energy of the decoction finally began to circulate properly. His body, which had grown cold, warmed up, and sleepiness overcame him. Forcing his eyelids, heavy with sleep, to open, Cheong-ra spoke,

"...Thank you."

He was sincerely grateful for the promise to prevent him from committing acts that would betray human morality. As if understanding this feeling, Dang Ran-yeong smirked and replied,

"There's no need to thank me for taking responsibility for what's mine."

Even that arrogance was such a Dang Ran-yeong-like thing to say that before falling asleep, Cheong-ra couldn't help but smile faintly.