Chapter 11
Moonlight Divine Sect
“Take a drink, brother.”
“Alright.”
Under the pavilion where moonlight streamed down, the two shared a drink.
“With this, we are brothers,” said Chilbok, raising the cup high.
“Though we weren’t born on the same day or hour, only death shall part us.”
“Well said.”
Chi Yulang emptied the cup in one gulp and spoke.
“But isn’t it a bit odd to call us brothers? You’re not a man but a woman…”
“Pfft!”
“…”
“Sorry, brother.”
“It’s fine.”
Chi Yulang quietly wiped the liquor sprayed on his face with his sleeve.
“Ahem, did you already know?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t?”
“Since when…?”
“From the moment I first saw you.”
“Why didn’t you say anything…?”
“There are all sorts of people in the sect. No need to pry into every little thing. I just thought it was an unusual preference.”
“…”
After a moment of hesitation, Chilbok spoke.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll be clear.”
“Go on.”
Chilbok straightened up, speaking with a resolute expression.
“I was born a woman but raised as a man.”
Chi Yulang listened silently.
“As you know, brother, I have an unusually strong yin energy, which makes my body weak. A physician said that eating and acting like a man might help, so my parents raised me as such.”
“I thought it was just your taste.”
“No, it’s not!”
“If it’s not, it’s not. Why get so worked up?”
“…Anyway, my parents and I both consider me a son, so please think of me the same way, brother. Nothing will change from how it’s been.”
“Understood.”
“…I was hoping for a grand oath of brotherhood, but you had to bring that up now…”
“What’s that muttering about?”
“Nothing.”
Thus, the two became sworn brothers. Or perhaps sworn siblings.
The name didn’t matter much.
For Chi Yulang, the third young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, considered the weakest due to lacking a powerful maternal family like the other young masters, this was the day he gained the greatest strategist of the era, hailed as the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang.
It was also a few years before he would ascend to the position of sect leader.
————
“Here, take it.”
“Yes, brother.”
The two sat facing each other on the training ground, sharing drinks.
Coincidentally, it was a night with a bright, full moon.
Just like that day.
They gazed at each other quietly.
“You’ve aged a lot.”
“And you’ve gotten much younger, brother. Did you achieve rejuvenation or something?”
“It just happened.”
“…Rejuvenation isn’t something that ‘just happens.’”
Dam Wolrin, having removed her mask, muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
Chi Yulang often did astonishing things and spoke of them so casually.
As if it were nothing.
– I killed the alliance leader.
– …What?
– I passed the position to a capable-looking guy. He’ll do fine. Probably.
– What does that even mean…?
As always, his actions defied common sense.
At a young age, he defeated formidable rivals to boldly claim the sect leader’s seat.
In his thirties, he became the second in the sect’s history to earn the title of Heavenly Demon.
By the time he reached his forties, he brought the world to its knees.
The greatest sect leader in history, the unparalleled Heavenly Demon, Chi Yulang!
Under his rule, the Sun and Moon Divine Sect wielded unprecedented influence.
Yet, after the great upheaval, he vanished for over a decade, only to return as an extraordinarily beautiful young girl?
Who could have imagined such a thing?
Even Dam Wolrin, witnessing it with her own eyes, could hardly believe it.
“Brother, what in the world happened?”
“Well, you see…”
After organizing his thoughts, Chi Yulang briefly summarized the events of the past decade.
“Becoming a young girl was the only way I could meet you again.”
“…What?”
Dam Wolrin, stunned for a moment, pressed for more details.
She learned that he had been stranded on a cursed island, survived alone for over ten years, and eventually found a broadcasting device to start streaming.
Dam Wolrin was horrified.
“So you’re saying you endured ten years in that hellish demon realm?”
“I’m not entirely sure if it was a demon realm.”
Dam Wolrin’s expression darkened.
“…While you were fighting a lonely battle in that terrifying place, I had no idea…”
Chi Yulang nodded solemnly.
“I won’t deny it. It wasn’t easy for me to endure. It was a tough time.”
“Such…!”
Shock spread across Dam Wolrin’s face.
‘For brother to say such a thing, just how horrifying must that demon realm be!’
Of course, Chi Yulang meant the loneliness of being alone, the tasteless food, and the unbearable boredom, but misunderstandings are always free.
Dam Wolrin nodded with a heavy expression.
“So that’s how it was.”
“Indeed.”
“By the way, is it okay to talk about this on the broadcast?”
“I turned it off long ago.”
“What? When?”
“When you were about to fall into a demonic frenzy. I couldn’t let our Dongpo Meat Squad see such a terrifying sight.”
“Dongpo Meat Squad? What’s that… Anyway, is that okay?”
“It’s fine. I’ll turn it back on tomorrow, act cute, and say it was an accident. They’ll let it slide.”
“…”
The two shared another drink.
“Chilbok, have you been well?”
Dam Wolrin’s expression darkened.
“Not well, brother.”
“I can tell. What happened?”
“Monsters invaded the sect. No, more accurately, we fell into their lair. They trampled the manor, devouring us indiscriminately. The sect collapsed without a trace. It was a nightmare.”
Dam Wolrin shut her eyes tightly, as if unwilling to recall it.
“Please forgive me. I couldn’t save it.”
Chi Yulang reached out and placed a hand on Dam Wolrin’s shoulder.
“Chilbok, I’m just glad you survived.”
“Brother…”
Dam Wolrin’s face crumpled like a puppy caught in the rain.
Chi Yulang, noticing the wrinkles on her face, flinched.
‘Hmm. She really has aged a lot.’
Hastily withdrawing his hand, he asked.
“What about the others?”
“Well… I believe I’m the only one who survived that hell.”
“Really? Even the Left and Right Envoys of Light and the Four Heavenly Kings didn’t make it?”
“Probably.”
Her oddly certain tone prompted him to ask.
“Why do you think that?”
“I’ve scoured every forum praising you, but not a single person joined in.”
“…”
“What’s with that look?”
“Nothing.”
He thought she was expelling inner demons with her hands when she was possessed, but it seemed she was searching for survivors of the sect in her own way.
‘Though I suspect she’s done more to tarnish the sect’s image…’
Her claim was that there were no survivors because no one joined her praise.
But Chi Yulang thought differently.
‘Maybe they just didn’t join in because they were embarrassed?’
That thought sparked hope.
‘Some might still be alive out there.’
When he mentioned this possibility, Dam Wolrin nodded reluctantly.
“Suppose that’s true. How do we find them? I’ve searched everywhere and found nothing.”
“We don’t find them. We make them come to us.”
“That sounds easier said than done…”
Chi Yulang grinned.
“Chilbok, don’t you know me by now? If it’s not simple, we make it simple.”
“What?”
“Grow the broadcast!”
If the broadcast grew to millions of concurrent viewers, so big that those who didn’t watch were the minority, they’d naturally see it.
That would be far more efficient than searching for them one by one.
It also aligned with Chi Yulang’s original goal when he started streaming.
Hearing his audacious plan to conquer Kwitch, Dam Wolrin’s eyes sparkled.
“As expected of you, brother!”
But soon, she tilted her cup with a forlorn expression.
“Even so, the Heavenly Demon Sect won’t return.”
Chi Yulang thought for a moment and said,
“Chilbok.”
“Yes, brother.”
“As you said, the Sun and Moon Divine Sect is dead.”
“…”
“But now, it will be reborn under a glorious name.”
“But…”
“What’s the problem? Am I not the Heavenly Demon Sect itself?”
“…!”
“We start from scratch.”
Chi Yulang looked up at the moon in the night sky.
“I’ll cast aside the sun from Sun and Moon. When I was alone, it was the solitary moonlight that illuminated me. The new sect shall be called the Moonlight Divine Sect.”
Dam Wolrin, moved, raised her cup.
“To the Heavenly Demon Sect’s greatness once more!”
———-
[Broadcast Stats]
– Peak Viewers: 410
– Average Viewers: 256
– Followers: 183 (+82)
In a quiet forest, a man in a red floral shirt stood holding a sword.
He exhaled deeply and thrust his sword like lightning.
“Hup!”
He performed his techniques, engaging in a duel with an imaginary opponent.
His powerful sword strikes, infused with inner energy, deflected the opponent’s blade, and his sharp sword tip pressured them.
But in the end, the opponent prevailed.
The moment the opponent smirked, a flash severed one of his arms.
“Gasp! Hah!”
Nam Dusik knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
He glared murderously at the imaginary opponent looking down at him with a sneer.
His lips moved.
‘Halfwit. You’re a disgrace to the family. Get lost while I’m being nice.’
“Damn it…”
There was a wall between first-rate and absolute mastery.
A vast, insurmountable wall.
For Nam Dusik, that wall took the form of a person.
That person was the unparalleled genius of the family, an enormous barrier he could never overcome no matter what he did.
Compared to him, Nam Dusik was like a firefly before the sun, always insignificant.
Crunch!
His fist clenched tightly.
‘Am I still no match for brother…!’
– Brother! Dusik, brother!
A voice called out to him from somewhere.
Wiping his sweat, Nam Dusik sighed and stood up.
Footsteps approached.
“Brother! Big trouble!”
“What? Did another group attack us?”
“No, we lost.”
“Lost what?”
“That kid, you know, the one who caught bullets barehanded.”
“Who? HeavenlyMaiden?”
“Yeah. Our assassination squad went at her one by one and got completely crushed. Utterly destroyed!”
“What about Deokjo? Didn’t he say he’d handle it?”
“Deokjo lost too.”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Nam Dusik’s expression hardened.
“Deokjo lost?”
“That kid’s no ordinary brat.”
Though a bit frivolous in speech, the deputy leader of the assassination squad, Paeng Deokjo, was no lightweight with a sword.
He was a first-rate master at the threshold, a powerhouse who maintained a gold tier in Rifa, a city teeming with firearms and cyberware, using pure martial arts.
And he lost?
This was no small matter.
“She’s not just a empty name…”
“Brother, you have to step in! Otherwise, our assassination squad will be a laughingstock, beaten by a kid!”
“Alright, quiet down.”
After a moment’s thought, Nam Dusik sighed and said.
“Fine, I’ll handle it.”
“As expected! With you stepping in, we’re solid! That kid who took us all down in one hit is just a pup in front of you!”
“Quiet down. Getting beaten by a kid isn’t something to brag about. Wait, you got taken out in one hit?”
“Well…”
“Don’t go around calling yourselves an assassination squad.”
“That’s harsh, brother.”
The leader of the assassination squad, Blood Flower Sword Nam Dusik, headed toward the base.
His tier was platinum.
————-
“Now, everyone, say hello. Starting today, HeavenlyDemonForever will be our channel’s manager.”
– HeavenlyDemonForever: Ahem! Do you see this True Blade? Speak nonsense, and I’ll cut you all down!
– ?
– ???
– What’s going on?
– Didn’t she fight that guy yesterday, and then the stream suddenly cut off?
– What happened?
– HeavenlyDemonForever: So much chatter. Quit yapping and become a disciple of the Moonlight Divine Sect! Special opening offer: membership is only 10,000 cookies. Cheap, cheap!
– Moonlight Divine Sect? What’s that?
– HeavenlyMaiden, what’s going on?
“Well, here’s what happened…”
[HeavenlyDemonChanDongpoMeatThief donated 10,000 cookies!]
Dunno what’s up, but I’m first!
“Thanks, Heavenly Demon-nyang~!”
– So cute
– メHeavenlyDemonForever: You insolent fool! How dare you speak so casually to the exalted sect leader! Get banned!
– Wait
– (Chat restricted for 60 seconds)
“…”
Did I make a mistake picking this manager?
