Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Nightmare （2）

The old woman, called Grandma Baek, spoke with a somewhat worried face.

“It seems a wild animal visited during the night. Could you please take a look?”

“Yes, yes, of course, I’ll take care of it.”

Seo Mun-ho examined the fence with a calm face.

Inside the village, each house had a wooden fence, and as Grandma Baek said, it was a mess, as if a wild animal had gnawed at it. Grandma Baek became a widow at an early age. As a result, there was no man to solve various problems around the house, so she often asked Seo Mun-ho for help like this.

The repair was quickly finished.

He skillfully touched the fence, removed the torn parts, and added a new fence to make it look presentable.

“I think this is enough?”

“That’s plenty! Come and eat this. Eat and go.”

Grandma Baek beckoned.

Looking at the table set on the porch, he saw seasoned vegetables and cool spring water.

Grandma sat across from him.

He ate the food while exchanging small talk with Grandma.

“It’s so delicious.”

“Is that so?”

She smiled brightly.

Grandma Baek, who didn’t have many teeth left, smiled broadly with her wrinkled lips, perhaps pleased with Seo Mun-ho’s reaction.

Sometimes his friends asked.

If he felt suffocated living in the countryside, where he was born and raised.

There used to be many friends in this village, which once had over 50 households, but as they left one by one to pursue their dreams, it became difficult to find people his age. Unlike them, Seo Mun-ho had no regrets. His parents seemed to want him to become a greater person, but he married a beautiful woman from the same village and had a child he cherished. That was enough. When he sat still and looked at the clouds floating by, he felt that his choice not to leave the village was right.

He put aside realistic problems for a while.

As he was enjoying the leisure of everyday life, his only daughter came running and shouted.

“Dad, Dad!”

“Walk slowly, slowly.”

“The guests are here, the men said to bring you.”

“Guests?”

He was puzzled.

This place is deep in the mountains, where outsiders rarely come.

But guests?

Seo Mun-ho suppressed his reluctance to get up and walked to the place his daughter mentioned.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A heavy air settled.

From the moment the other party revealed themselves as the Peng Family of Hebei, Seo Mun-ho, who was far removed from the Murim world, couldn’t help but feel tense. The sword at his waist kept catching his eye. He had heard that the Peng family’s swordsmanship was tyrannical, and that the moment that sword was drawn, heads would fly.

He swallowed dryly.

He tried hard to hide his nervousness.

“Could you please tell me again?”

When he asked cautiously, the man named Peng Mujeong said.

“Recently, there has been information that evil individuals from the Demonic Cult have infiltrated this area of Hebei. We don’t know what they intend to do, but after pursuing them, we confirmed that their traces disappeared near here. So, what I’m asking is, could you help us? We believe that with your help, who are familiar with the mountain terrain, we can find the villains more easily than we can, who are unfamiliar with it. This is for the sake of justice in the Murim world. We will surely compensate you, so please consider it.”

He was polite.

Seeing his courteous attitude, even a heart that wasn’t there could be swayed.

But.

‘It’s dangerous.’

Seo Mun-ho’s heart wasn’t moved.

Whether it’s the Righteous Faction, the Evil Faction, or the Demonic Cult.

It’s common knowledge that Murim people are dangerous.

Whenever he heard harsh stories about the Murim, he had countless times thought that he should never deal with them.

The village elders didn’t seem to think differently either.

The reason they called Seo Mun-ho was because they knew that he, as the representative of the village, had the backbone to speak his mind even in front of Murim people.

Seo Mun-ho said.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can.”

“……Are you sure you can’t?”

“We are nothing but ordinary people. We don’t dare to intervene in the affairs of such great people. And except for the villagers, I haven’t seen anyone else wandering around here. If we find anything strange, we’ll contact you immediately and let you know. However, it seems difficult to help you directly.”

“Hmm━.”

The other party showed a slightly displeased expression.

It seemed they didn’t expect him to refuse.

“Then I’ll make you a different offer.”

Swish.

He turned his gaze.

Then, the warrior behind him took something out.

“This is a money order from the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild. If you take this, they will give you one hundred taels of silver without asking any questions.”

One hundred taels of silver.

It was an enormous amount of money.

Peng Mujeong met Seo Mun-ho’s gaze.

“Will you still refuse?”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

He needed time to think.

After sending the warriors out, the villagers, led by Seo Mun-ho, put their heads together.

“It’s a hundred taels of silver, a hundred taels. It’s just guiding them, isn’t it better to accept?”

It was Mr. Jang.

Seeing his greedy eyes, Seo Mun-ho shook his head.

“It’s money from the Murim, not just anyone. If we take it carelessly, there could be repercussions.”

“That’s only when it’s dirty money. It’s the Peng family of Hebei. They’re one of the Five Great Clans representing the Murim Alliance, they wouldn’t put innocent people in danger. This is something we can accept. Moreover, if it’s for the sake of justice in the Murim, there’s even less reason not to accept it.”

“But…….”

“Mun-ho. You said you wanted to send your daughter to a good school. Wouldn’t you need money for that? And you have to think about your second child too.”

As Mr. Jang said.

Seo Mun-ho needed money.

Life in the mountains wasn’t bad for him, but his daughter, who would grow up in the future, needed the benefits of the city.

Decent clothes, decent education, a decent life.

And as his wife became pregnant with their second child, Seo Mun-ho diligently searched the mountains every day for anything that could bring in money. His eyes fluttered. In fact, it wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about life in the city like his other friends. But after being scammed several times by the callous people in the city and facing difficult times, he thought it was better to live with the innocent and uncalculating people of his hometown.

“What about the others?”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but…….”

“We’ll follow your decision. If anyone’s going to be the guide, it has to be you.”

They gave him the choice.

Everyone in the village agreed.

That Seo Mun-ho was the pillar of the village.

Seo Mun-ho closed his eyes.

‘……Hwayeon.’

Jin Hwayeon.

He thought of his wife.

With one hundred taels of silver, he could surely make her, who was suffering from pregnancy, live comfortably.

He clenched his teeth.

He faced the people looking at him.

“Alright. Let’s accept it.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A few days later.

Contrary to his worries, the work was easily done.

He acted as a guide and searched the mountains here and there, but in the end, there was no result other than finding traces of wild animals.

However, Peng Mujeong said as if he didn’t mind.

“Thank you for your hard work. You may return now.”

The Peng family kept their promise.

When he went down to the city and visited the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild, they readily handed over one hundred taels of silver at the mention of the Peng family’s name.

Half of it was Seo Mun-ho’s share.

Since he had worked hard as a guide, it was decided that he would return only half to the village and keep the other half for himself. Of course, some people clicked their tongues, saying he was shameless. Seo Mun-ho had practically done everything from start to finish, but just because they were from the same village, the village took half. Still, Seo Mun-ho wasn’t too dissatisfied. From the beginning, he hoped to improve the village’s public facilities and various aspects through this opportunity, and he had a strong desire for the villagers to live well together.

That day.

Seo Mun-ho returned to the village with bags full of gifts.

“Dad, Dad. How do I look? Am I pretty?”

“Our princess is always pretty.”

His daughter jumped around.

The child, who usually dressed like a boy because they lived in the countryside, couldn’t take her eyes off the hand mirror, fascinated by her pretty silk clothes. He had bought the hand mirror on a whim this time. Still, he thought that a house with a daughter needed at least a basic tool for her to take care of her appearance.

“Honey, isn’t this too much?”

“What do you mean too much? And I prepared these for you, honey.”

“Oh my.”

He unwrapped the gifts.

Seeing his wife smile brightly, all his hardships melted away.

‘Yes, it was the right thing to do.’

The past few days.

Although it went smoothly, Seo Mun-ho felt like he was walking on thin ice.

The thought that the people in the same space were Murim people made his heart skip a beat at their every glance and breath. Didn’t they say that Murim people could chop off heads on a whim? Because of the many ominous rumors, he couldn’t relax. But now, as he received the rewards for his efforts, the anxieties he had felt seemed like unnecessary worries.

“Wait for me. I’ll be back soon with meat dishes.”

His steps were light.

He entered the kitchen and hummed as he cooked ingredients that were usually hard to come by.

He was happy.

Seo Mun-ho wished that he could continue to be happy like this.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

That night.

Seo Mun-ho’s eyes flew open.

‘……What is it?’

It was strange.

Goosebumps rose all over his body.

Nights in the mountains are not always quiet.

The sound of the wind blowing, the sound of insects chirping, the sound of wild animals, all these everyday noises should be heard. But he couldn’t hear anything. Finding it strange, Seo Mun-ho unconsciously sat up.

It was instinct.

He grabbed a club and stealthily opened the door to look outside.

“Gasp.”

He inhaled sharply.

His eyes widened.

Outside the door.

An unbelievable sight was sucked into his vision.

Corpses were scattered everywhere.

Especially Mr. Jang, who had been bragging about his silver just this afternoon, was among the corpses, growing cold. His thoughts came to a complete halt. He thought he should run away, but before he could put that thought into action, he heard someone approaching the house.

‘Oh no.’

He hurriedly lay down on the bed.

He closed his eyes.

He clutched the club tightly under the blanket and waited for the unknown someone to enter.

‘They must be bandits. When they come in to check on us, I’ll knock them out and escape from here.’

His heart pounded.

His mouth was dry.

Suddenly, he thought it was unrealistic.

During the day, he had been as happy as if he had the whole world, but now he felt as if he had fallen into the middle of hell. Come to think of it, he was really unlucky. If only those bandits had attacked the village a day later, they would have met the Murim people and all been killed. The Murim people, whom he had feared, now came to his mind desperately.

Creak━

The door opened.

His heartbeat quickened.

He waited for them to come closer.

The moment he felt their breath, he vowed and vowed again to smash their head with the club.

But then.

“What are you doing, not getting up.”

His heart dropped.

He felt his head grow cold.

It wasn’t because his intentions were discovered.

He peeked open his eyes.

The other person wasn’t wearing a mask.

As if he had no intention of hiding his identity, and beyond that, he could recognize him just by his voice.

He was certain.

“Get up, you bastard.”

Peng Mujeong.

He looked down at Seo Mun-ho and grinned ferociously.