Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 670

Everyone experiences emotions. And most emotions are triggered by external factors. Sadness, joy, anger—these are primarily internal reactions to external stimuli.

To feel happy or sad while simply imagining things? That’s not true solitude. It’s merely reliving past external experiences.

In essence, human emotions are swayed by events. People convert external shocks into emotions, which then dictate their state of being.

Han Eun-sol, being human, also experiences emotions through this process.

However, his process is slightly off at the moment. He was experiencing a minor, very minor problem.

‘This is driving me insane.’

For someone to stop a car on a deserted mountain road is quite threatening. Moreover, if the method of stopping the car is by throwing a knife and shattering the windshield, there’s nothing more to explain.

Han Eun-sol’s natural reaction to this incident should be one of terror.

‘I’m just an ordinary citizen.’

Of course, there are many types of people in the world, and some might not be afraid in this situation and would stand up confidently.

However, Han Eun-sol was an ordinary citizen who valued his life.

It’s better not to get hurt if possible. And it’s better not to die. Even if he were to face a situation where he absolutely had to die, he would want to choose to live even a little bit longer until the very last moment.

So, he should naturally be feeling fear and bewilderment here….

‘No, don’t make that face in the back!’

The fear that was welling up in his chest deflated with a soft hiss the moment he saw the face reflected in the rearview mirror, and it quietly retreated.

That face was, how should he put it, really….

‘Rosy-cheeked?’

Or maybe beaming?

‘Damn it, whatever.’

Anyway, it was a very soft face, one that made people feel all fluttery just by looking at it.

If Han Eun-sol had seen Choi Yeon-ha’s face like that somewhere else, he would have been amazed.

It was a lovely face that anyone could see.

Choi Yeon-ha is known for being able to perform all roles above average, but she was particularly unable to properly portray roles where she was loved by someone. It was because she couldn’t create the face of someone in love.

And yet, Choi Yeon-ha was making a face that she had never made before. As Choi Yeon-ha’s manager, this was something to be happy about and dance for joy. It meant that his actor had grown another step.

But, somehow….

‘Why now of all times?’

No, this isn’t the time for this!

Are they blind? Or do they have bad eyesight?

The car window is broken, so they should be able to see even better. How could they react like that unless there was something wrong with their eyesight? They can clearly see how many thugs with knives are blocking the front of the car!

Moreover, this is a one-way road.

The side is a sheer cliff, and the front is blocked. There isn’t enough space to turn the car around. To get out of here without colliding with them, he would have to drive in reverse….

Gulp.

Han Eun-sol, looking at the cliff beside the road, squeezed his eyes shut.

Impossible, impossible.

How can he reverse here? He can’t do it.

Han Eun-sol glanced back and shouted at Choi Yeon-ha’s face.

“No, what is this, some kind of shonen manga [Japanese manga aimed at a young male audience] ?!”

Is his potential awakening because of the crisis?

And if he’s going to awaken, he should awaken some other ability. Why is his acting and emotional expression improving in a situation like this? It’s not like he’s a character with wrongly allocated stats.

Humans are empathetic creatures. He should be feeling fear, but if there’s someone next to him feeling a different emotion, that emotion becomes awkward.

It’s like watching a horror movie with someone, and if they start giggling and laughing during a scary scene, the situation becomes awkward.

Of course, there might be room to feel happy.

But even that has to be appropriate for the situation! If a meteorite is falling from the sky, who in the world would be happy about winning the lottery?

Ah, there is someone. In the back seat.

Han Eun-sol turned his head from the rearview mirror and looked ahead.

What’s the point of saying anything? It’ll just make him frustrated.

From the start, the fact that Choi Yeon-ha didn’t react even when he threw out such outrageous words meant that there was no room for conversation. Usually, he would have been met with curses or a cushion thrown at him, but look, there’s no reaction.

She’s completely out of it.

‘And why is that guy going out there!’

He felt like his insides were burning black.

Of course, as he thought earlier, there are various kinds of people in the world. It’s not strange that there are one or two people who don’t think about running away in this situation and instead step forward.

The problem was that those one or two people happened to be in his car.

And they went outside before he could even stop them.

‘Why! Why are you going out there! Why!’

Logically, what is the correct response they can make here?

Lock the car doors and step on the gas.

There’s no need to deal with people who throw knives at cars out of the blue.

It’s a bit dangerous because the windshield is broken, but it’s still much better than getting out of the car and facing them with bare hands.

It might be called an overreaction, but it’s a hundred times better than dying here. Moreover, China is harsh on criminals, so there’s a high chance that they won’t recognize an overreaction. Even if they are foreigners.

“But why are you going out there! Whyyyy!”

Han Eun-sol wanted to cry.

However, Choi Yeon-ha seemed to have a slightly different idea.

“Ah, shut up! Why are you yelling?”

“Do you think I can help but yell right now? Stop making that face and try to stop that guy.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Why don’t you look in a mirror?”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged.

“He’s not a child, why should I stop him?”

“Originally, adults who are more immature than children are scarier, you know? Right now, your boyfriend is charging at people with knives with his bare hands. What are you going to do if he gets stabbed?”

“He won’t get stabbed.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Have you ever seen me say something wrong?”

“…Did you mean to say, ‘Have you ever seen me say something right?’”

“You’re dead.”

Choi Yeon-ha glared sharply, but this time, Han Eun-sol didn’t back down.

“This isn’t the time for jokes. He’s really going to get hurt.”

“I said he won’t get hurt.”

“Aish, damn it!”

Han Eun-sol seemed to think that there was no point in talking to Choi Yeon-ha any further, so he unbuckled his seatbelt. Since there seemed to be no answer through words, he was going to go out and stop Kang Jin-ho himself.

“Don’t go out.”

“Just stay here for a moment!”

“I told you not to go out.”

Han Eun-sol, realizing that Choi Yeon-ha’s voice was serious, turned back with surprised eyes.

Indeed, Choi Yeon-ha’s face was slightly flushed, but there was no sign of excitement. It meant that she was very calm right now.

‘But why isn’t she stopping him.’

He didn’t understand why she wasn’t trying to stop him when her companion was doing something crazy.

“Stay still. He’s not that stupid. There’s always a reason when he steps up.”

Han Eun-sol had no choice but to shut his mouth.

He didn’t know if Choi Yeon-ha would cause an accident, but there must be a reason for what Kang Jin-ho was doing. In the time he had watched him, Kang Jin-ho wasn’t someone who would cause an accident without a plan.

But what plan could he possibly have right now?

A low voice reached Han Eun-sol’s ear as he looked ahead again.

“Besides, I’ve decided to be a bit more demure right now. It wouldn’t be good for my man’s reputation if a woman stepped up at a time like this.”

A deep sigh that he couldn’t hold back escaped from Han Eun-sol’s chest.

He didn’t know anymore.

Step, step.

Kang Jin-ho approached the people blocking the road without a word.

It was a strange feeling.

A feeling he seemed to have experienced a few times before.

‘It feels like I’ve met bandits.’

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

In the past, there were many bandits in the Central Plains [historical region in China].

And those bandits were divided into two categories.

There were cases where commoners who couldn’t bear the harsh taxes went up to the mountains and became thieves to somehow make a living, and there were also those who went into the mountains to become bandits without being caught by the authorities.

The former were called bandits, and the latter were called greenwoodsmen [bandits who operate in forests or remote areas].

The people blocking his path now felt closer to the latter.

Their eyes weren’t looking to steal possessions. He could feel the murderous intent to take the other person’s life no matter what.

If it were the usual Kang Jin-ho, the moment someone exuded murderous intent in front of him, he would have separated their bones and flesh without asking any questions.

But he felt a little different now.

‘I am magnanimous.’

He didn’t know why, but he felt like he could forgive most things.

People make mistakes while living, don’t they?

If everyone had to die every time they made a mistake, there wouldn’t be a single person left in the world.

So, he could show leniency….

“What the hell are you smirking about?”

Oh?

This isn’t good.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sudden curse.

They didn’t seem to understand how serious this situation was at all.

In Kang Jin-ho’s long life, had there ever been a single time when he thought he could let someone who exuded murderous intent towards him go unscathed?

He was about to give them a privilege that no one had ever received, but it was troublesome if they were being uncooperative.

“Why are you grinning, you bastard.”

A vein popped out on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

It was a pity that he wasn’t good at Chinese. One thing was certain… Modern Chinese is very different from the Chinese of the past, but the nuance of that curse hadn’t changed at all.

Crack.

Kang Jin-ho clenched his fist tightly.

There might be hundreds or thousands of ways to deal with someone who curses, but Kang Jin-ho only knew one way.

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to tell them about how to live life,
the person who had been watching from the side opened his mouth.

“Are you Kang Jong-in?”

‘Kang Jong-in?’

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

It was a name he seemed to have heard somewhere….

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-ho nodded without realizing it. The passport that Lee Hyun-soo had prepared for him. The name Kang Jong-in was written on that passport. He was told to use this name in China, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it, so he was a little late in realizing it.

‘So they didn’t come looking for me?’

It didn’t seem like they came knowing that he was Kang Jin-ho. Then they must have come because of the trouble that happened here….

At that moment, the man delivered the final blow.

“Where is Guo Liqin?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyebrows twitched.

Guo Liqin, Guo Liqin, huh….

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.

It was strange.

Until just before, Kang Jin-ho wasn’t particularly angry. Rather, he had a faint smile on his face.

But when a bright smile was added to that face, it strangely felt eerie.

“Do you want an answer?”

The man looked at Kang Jin-ho with a wary gaze.

Something….

He had a strong feeling that something was wrong.

Then, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

“What do you think happened?”

It was an answer that sounded utterly eerie.