Chapter 112
Eight Steps No Catch – Yunhan
He was a man with martial skills in lightness technique faster than light itself, earning him the nickname “Eight Steps No Catch,” meaning no one could ever catch him within eight steps.
He had once been the leader of the Martial Alliance and the head of the Kunlun Sect.
For over fifty years, he had held the position of Alliance Leader, but five years ago, during the Eight-Person Blood Calamity, he lost the talented disciples he cherished. Grieving their loss, he stepped down from the Alliance leadership.
He blamed himself for what happened and spent his days reproaching himself.
Unable to return to the Kunlun Sect, he remained in the senior council of the Martial Alliance.
Today, he wandered the Alliance halls, lamenting once again that he couldn’t protect his disciples, when—unbelievably—he saw Qing Yanwu.
That handsome face, no matter how much time had passed, was unforgettable.
Yunhan thought perhaps he was hallucinating from missing those he had lost. Maybe he had lived too long and was going senile.
Yet, his body moved before his mind could catch up. He leapt across the hall using lightness skill, arriving before Qing Yanwu in an instant.
Up close, the man was not an illusion. He was truly Qing Yanwu.
However, he seemed greatly changed from before.
His face remained the same, but his aura had shifted.
Before, only warmth and gentleness had emanated from him. Now…
“It feels as if a black dragon stirs beneath a deep lake.”
He was no longer a dormant dragon in a clear lake, but a black dragon ready to shake the world.
What had he endured in the demonic sect to change so profoundly?
Yunhan’s eyes were filled with deep compassion.
“What on earth happened to you? You survived—so why didn’t you tell me?”
“You know nothing.”
“True, I am only a member of the senior council, an old man in the back room. The current Alliance Leader does not particularly like me, so though my martial skills prevent him from outright expelling me, he wishes I would leave quickly.”
“…”
“But I prefer being here to Kunlun. Only here can I properly consume meat.”
“Still obsessed with meat, I see?”
“Yes! The Kunlun priests are too strict with their rules. I cannot live with them. Heh heh.”
“…”
“Anyway, I’m glad you returned. This is truly fortunate…”
While Yunhan was moved, Sau remained utterly indifferent. He seemed to remember Yunhan but displayed little pleasure at the reunion.
“So now the Qingsheng Sect will be rebuilt…”
“No.”
Sau cut Yunhan off firmly.
“Huh?”
“I will not rebuild the Qingsheng Sect.”
Upon hearing that, Yunhan’s face stiffened like stone.
“And since I swore upon leaving the demonic sect that I would no longer live as Qing Yanwu, no one has sought me out. Elder, please call me Sau, not Qing Yanwu, from now on.”
“Sau?”
“And Elder, there is someone else in my residence. Let us meet again tomorrow.”
Only then did Yunhan glance around the surroundings, previously unnoticed because of Qing Yanwu, and discovered the breathtakingly beautiful Soso.
Soso had just entered the residence, finally shedding some of her previous suffocating restraint.
“…!”
Yunhan was stunned by Soso’s beauty, and then doubly stunned that Qing Yanwu was with a woman.
He thought to himself:
“You… have abandoned your life as a priest too, haven’t you?”
Sau, having abandoned his priestly life, did not respond, but Soso was startled in another way.
“I-I…”
She interpreted “abandoning the priestly life” to mean that he and she had entered into a betrothal.
“So, what is your name? I have wandered the Jianghu for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“I am Baeksam. And I am not… in that kind of relationship with Sau.”
“I am like a grandfather to him, so you needn’t be shy.”
“I—I really am not!”
Soso looked to Sau for support, but he merely observed without intervening.
“Anyway, I may have interrupted your time together too late. I will leave for now. Let us continue our conversation tomorrow.”
Only then did Sau respond.
“Yes, please return safely.”
“Yanwu… no, Sau. Thank you again for coming back.”
Yunhan patted Sau’s shoulder and then left through the window.
“Sau! Why didn’t you actively explain? Elder Yunhan might have misunderstood our relationship.”
“What misunderstanding? Saying I abandoned my life as a priest is correct.”
“Ha, but what that implies…”
“What it implies?”
Had Sau really not noticed? Back when he was Qing Yanwu, he had been clever in matters of romance—perceptive yet gentle in rejecting others, seemingly emotionally detached. That cleverness was gone now.
Soso hesitantly began to explain.
“I asked whether you and I had shared feelings…”
Sau’s answer came immediately:
“That’s not entirely wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“We did exchange hearts, did we not?”
“…What?!”
“You showed me the will to let me live, and I showed you the trust to believe in you. If that isn’t exchanging hearts, what is it?”
Not the meaning she intended! Soso sighed deeply.
“You don’t understand at all. I’ll return to my quarters!”
“….”
Sau frowned, silently watching her stomp away.
‘What’s the problem?’
He could not understand. He only thought she looked cute, cheeks puffed like she had eaten dumplings.
More than that, Sau’s mind lingered on Yunhan from earlier.
‘If I remain here, I’ll encounter more people who knew me before. They must not discover that I am a celestial demon.’
Yunhan had already been a formidable expert five years ago.
He seemed not to have surpassed the current stage, as he failed to recognize the martial aura Sau had refined.
Other masters might be the same, so Sau could not let his guard down.
He closed his eyes and circulated spiritual energy through his body, practicing internal cultivation. Soon, pure energy filled the residence.
When Sau opened his eyes again, a sharp, radiant aura swirled within them. He emanated more of a priestly presence than anyone else.
News spread rapidly that a man with jade-like features had visited the Martial Alliance.
People speculated about his identity even the next day—some said he was a new hero, others that he was a hidden master from some sect.
Countless guesses circulated.
The man himself—Sau—remained indifferent.
Soso looked up at him, stepping in time with his stride.
‘Soon we’ll meet the leaders of the Martial Alliance… yet he is so composed.’
Soso had been too worried and anxious to sleep properly the night before.
Finally, they arrived at the Alliance Leader’s Hall. The guide, Shibi, announced their arrival.
“Here are Baeksam and Lord Sau.”
“Bring them inside.”
Upon entering, they saw people seated around a long table.
There were six in total; Soso recognized three: Dharma Master Beop-eum at the head, Dokgo Ran at the end, and Yunhan.
The other three were unknown but distinctive.
One wore tattered clothes, another was a bear-like man, and the last…
A man in a pristine white robe had his long white hair tied neatly down to his waist. Though his hair suggested he was an elderly priest, his face bore no wrinkles.
At that moment, the man’s eyes met Soso’s.
“…!”
Soso felt as though she was being drawn into his gaze. She had never seen eyes so full of spiritual energy.
Who is this man?
