The owner of Pungryu Tavern, Jo Chunbae, welcomed me. He was so glad to see me, as if a dead ancestor had come back to life, that I almost felt sorry for him.
“You truly have returned at the perfect time. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to see you.”
“Owner, have you made a lot of money in the meantime?”
“I have indeed. Thanks to you, Pavilion Lord, business has been good.”
Thanks to the Hwangcheon Pavilion’s small branch, which I had thought would only last for a while before disappearing, Maga Village had been cleansed considerably. In particular, martial artists who got drunk and caused trouble or left without paying had nearly vanished, making business far easier.
“You should prepare plenty of wine today.”
“Because it’s a reunion after so long?”
“That’s not why. A new drinker will be coming today.”
“A drinker?”
“You’ll see later.”
I went up to the second floor.
Only Seo Daeryong and Jang Ho were there. Jang Ho sprang to his feet and greeted me.
“It has been a long time.”
“Have you been well?”
I gripped his thick hand firmly.
“The Demon Army has settled into place now, so the work is easier than before. If there is anything you wish to entrust to me, please say so at any time.”
The look in Jang Ho’s eyes as he gazed at me had not changed.
Even if I came back after a year, or even after ten years, that look would probably remain the same.
A person who repaid one favor with ten, and even after repaying ten still felt he had not repaid enough—that was exactly the kind of man Jang Ho was.
That was why I would protect this noble loyalty well. I wanted to raise him into a towering tree and rest beneath its dense shade. I had not the slightest intention of sitting on a lonely stump and merely reminiscing about the past.
After exchanging greetings with Jang Ho, Seo Daeryong spoke.
“I told Troop Lord Jang and Martial Artist Lee who would be coming later. A little while ago, Martial Artist Lee said she had urgent business and left.”
Even without being told, I knew why she had excused herself. Since I was here, nothing would happen, but she must have been worried about even the slightest possibility. For now, her consideration for me was still greater than her desire to enjoy herself. She was probably sweating in the training hall right about now.
“And I also told Troop Lord Jang about what happened earlier in the day.”
I could still feel heat radiating from Seo Daeryong. Hotter than before, even. Emotions left unresolved had a way of growing inside the heart.
“You told me to drink and make a drunken scene, didn’t you? You should let out all your feelings today too.”
“What if I die doing that?”
“Then Troop Lord Jang here will become the second-in-command.”
With a faint smile, Jang Ho filled Seo Daeryong’s cup to the brim. I knew that wordless support was a great source of strength for Seo Daeryong. The reason Seo Daeryong took Jang Ho as a model was probably because that aspect of Jang Ho’s character was so appealing.
After we all emptied a cup to celebrate our reunion, I said the one thing Seo Daeryong needed to hear.
“It’s natural to be afraid. If you’re scared, then be scared. You have to fear what is frightening for your instincts to work properly. You need to know exactly what you’re afraid of, when and how you react, and where your limits are.”
As we were talking about this and that, two people entered the tavern. It was the Drunken Demon and Yeo Bin.
Jo Chunbae, recognizing who the guest was, was truly astonished. And he was happier than he would have been at the visit of any Demon Venerable. As a man who sold wine, welcoming the Drunken Demon as a guest meant more to him than mere honor, and his joy showed it.
“It is an honor that you have come, Great Drunken Demon!”
He bowed at the waist.
When the surrounding patrons realized that the guest who had entered was the Drunken Demon, they held their breath.
The Drunken Demon swept his gaze around and said,
“You are the people I like most in all the world. Drink to your hearts’ content! Today’s wine is on me.”
At his words, the drinkers erupted in cheers.
Watching from the second floor, I shouted,
“So handsome! The most handsome of all the Demon Venerables!”
The Drunken Demon looked up at me and laughed.
“Give that table twice the wine and food!”
At those words, shouts of “handsome” poured out from every direction.
“That table too! And that one! Give it to them all!”
Applause burst forth, and the drinkers cheered. The distance between a Demon Venerable and the drinkers of Pungryu Tavern, a gulf as vast as a sheer cliff ten thousand zhang high, was closed by the Drunken Demon in an instant.
The Drunken Demon even went to a table on the path leading to the second floor and poured wine for them. The drinker received it with trembling hands, but it was a moment that would become a lifelong boast. Envious exclamations and cheers rose from all around.
Truly, seeing how he blended in with the drinkers in the blink of an eye, I thought: the Drunken Demon was the Drunken Demon indeed.
After sweeping through the first floor in a commotion, the Drunken Demon came up to the second floor.
“Second Young Master, I’m here.”
“Welcome.”
As promised, the Drunken Demon had brought Yeo Bin with him.
“This is my subordinate, and one of the Three Great Drunkards of the Great Drunken Forest, Yeo Bin.”
Seo Daeryong and Jang Ho greeted the Drunken Demon and Yeo Bin.
After those greetings, we sat together at one table.
“I heard that the Second Young Master’s guard had grown beautiful, but I don’t see her today. What a pity. I was going to show her this handsome face!”
The Drunken Demon knew a great deal about me. I thought perhaps he might also know a great deal about Seo Daeryong and Jang Ho.
“It seems you truly are prejudice itself, Drunken Demon.”
“What do you mean?”
“People usually think those who like wine won’t be well-informed, don’t they?”
“Since I spend so much time drunk, I have to be even better informed!”
“You’re right, but most drinkers don’t live that way.”
A thought suddenly came to me. If I peeled away his prejudices one layer at a time, perhaps only then would I begin to see the person called the Drunken Demon.
“Martial Artist Yeo, can you hold your liquor?”
“Yes, I like drinking.”
She answered my question briefly. She was a little stiffer than when she had welcomed me at the Great Drunken Forest. It seemed she was being cautious because she was in front of the Drunken Demon.
I glanced at Seo Daeryong. He was tense, watching the Drunken Demon and Yeo Bin’s reactions.
I sent Seo Daeryong a voice transmission.
—When are you going to step forward?
—Is there any reason to ruin the mood right from the start of a drinking party?
—If you’re going to do it, do it now. If you say it after getting drunk, you really might die.
—Please don’t pour wine over my grave. Just plant the flowers I’m raising.
I did not know whether Seo Daeryong would hold himself back or end up speaking in a drunken impulse. Whether he endured it or brought it up, I believed it would become a helpful experience for him.
Just then, Jo Chunbae came up with wine. It was a bottle I had never seen before.
“This is wine I specially saved so that I might offer it to Lord Drunken Demon if he ever visited our tavern.”
At that, the Drunken Demon smelled it and widened his eyes.
“Fenghuang Dong Wine?”
“Oh! You recognize it by scent alone! Truly amazing.”
“How could I not know a peerless famed wine brewed from over two hundred medicinal herbs? How did you acquire something so precious?”
“I once worked at a brewery in Guizhou. When we parted, the master who taught me gave it to me as a gift.”
“Is it all right to give such precious wine to me?”
“I am a man who sells wine in the front yard of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Who else would I give this wine to? I have been waiting for this day.”
“Thank you.”
I looked at Jo Chunbae and shouted, pretending to be sulky.
“Owner! I came here so often, and you never gave it to me!”
Jo Chunbae smiled and said,
“This is wine for someone who truly understands wine.”
It seemed that, at least when it came to this wine, he had kept it aside for the Drunken Demon, with whom he was bound to cross paths one day. Then he expressed his gratitude to me.
“Thanks to you, Pavilion Lord, I have fulfilled a lifelong wish. Thank you.”
The Drunken Demon poured the Fenghuang Dong Wine and filled a cup for each of us. He even poured a cup for Jo Chunbae, who repeatedly refused.
“Take the remaining wine downstairs and share a little with everyone.”
The moment I heard those words, I was inwardly moved by the Drunken Demon. I did not know what kind of person he was, but at the very least, I thought the heart that so readily shared such precious wine with other drinkers was remarkable.
“Thank you. Everyone will be delighted.”
Sure enough, cheers erupted from downstairs a short while later.
“Now, let us drink as well!”
The Drunken Demon raised his cup, and everyone in the tavern toasted together.
Whether because it was a famed wine, or because of the atmosphere, the taste was superb.
“Thanks to you, I’ve had good wine.”
“How is it thanks to me? It’s thanks to you, Second Young Master.”
“What do you mean?”
“If not for you, I would never have had occasion to come to this tavern. So in the end, it is thanks to you.”
He knew how to make people feel good. The reason I did not often use my Divine Art of Flattery on him was because he made me feel good first.
When the Drunken Demon had drunk three cups in succession, I said,
“Please have some food with it.”
The moment my words ended, the chopsticks in front of him rose slightly into the air. I had lifted them with Void Grasp.
Then the chopsticks descended again. This time, the Drunken Demon had lowered them again with Void Grasp.
The chopsticks rose and fell, and our contest of internal energy began.
Seo Daeryong, Jang Ho, and Yeo Bin watched the situation with faintly tense expressions.
The Drunken Demon’s internal energy was stronger than I had expected. Of course, I could have defeated him with internal energy, but I yielded and withdrew at a certain point.
The chopsticks were set down on the table.
“Second Young Master, your internal energy is impressive.”
“Didn’t you say you grow three-tenths stronger when you drink?”
After drinking the wine before me, I lifted the chopsticks again.
This time, the Drunken Demon did not block them with his internal energy. As if admitting defeat, he picked up the chopsticks and ate some food.
“Is that enough?”
“It is.”
“Last time too, and now again. Why is a manly man so obsessed with side dishes?”
“This isn’t a question of men or women. Nor is it a question of being a great man or a petty one. It’s simply because of health.”
“If I eat food with it, I end up drinking less wine.”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to eat it. At the very least, for every three cups of wine, please have a bite of food.”
In that moment, I saw it. Yeo Bin slightly bowed her head toward me. It was an expression of thanks. From that gesture, I could feel that she truly cared for the Drunken Demon.
The Drunken Demon asked me,
“Why do you care for my health so much?”
After a brief pause, I said to him,
“Because I don’t yet know what kind of relationship I’ll have with you, Drunken Demon. What if, by some chance, we end up on good terms, and then you die of drink?”
“What? Me? Die of drink?”
He laughed louder than he ever had since meeting me, but I did not laugh.
“You really are a strange man.”
“In what way?”
“In my entire life, you are the only person who has ever worried that I might fall ill from drink. No one I meet from now on will ever worry about such a thing either.”
“There must be others around you besides me. They simply can’t say it because they find you difficult to approach.”
“Fine, let’s say that’s so. Then what if we become enemies? Wouldn’t it be better if I died early from drink?”
“I wouldn’t want to see you using that as an excuse. If you die, you should die by my sword. You said we’d be enemies, didn’t you?”
The somewhat violent words froze the atmosphere for a moment, but the Drunken Demon was not offended in the slightest. Instead, he laughed and drank. Then, as if to show me, he ate some food. Is that enough? Yes!
The atmosphere at the drinking table grew even better. As we drank several more cups, Seo Daeryong sent me a voice transmission.
—From now on, if you mock me as a coward, I’ll admit it. Add “coward” to the words you use to introduce me.
He had decided to hold back. It could not have been easy to step forward and throw cold water over this cheerful atmosphere led by the Drunken Demon.
—I keep thinking only of reasons why I shouldn’t be brave. In any case, a bastard who deserved to die died. I wonder whether this is really something worth stepping forward over. Martial Artist Yeo was only following orders too. If I’m going to argue, I should argue with the Drunken Demon, but if I do that, I think I might die.
—Hey, coward.
Seo Daeryong, who had been looking down at his cup, raised his head and looked at me.
I held out my cup. What need was there for words at a time like this? People grew by going through this thing and that.
Seo Daeryong smiled faintly and clinked his cup against mine.
Watching us, the Drunken Demon said to Seo Daeryong,
“You’re the disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He was not on good terms with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. How would he respond? He might make a sarcastic remark about the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or mock Seo Daeryong.
But the words that came out overturned such expectations.
“I like your feel.”
“Pardon?”
“As a martial artist, you have a good feel about you. Do well from here on.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Seo Daeryong, who had been bracing himself for what might be said, was flustered. He had not expected the Drunken Demon to give him such praise. Still, perhaps because praise felt good, his expression brightened.
He was grinning foolishly as he drank when our eyes met, and an embarrassed voice transmission came flying in.
—Yes, I’m that kind of bastard! From now on, after my master, the Demon Venerable I like best is the Drunken Demon. That’s the kind of bastard I am! What am I supposed to do when I like it?
—I didn’t say anything.
We drank again. As expected, drinking with the Drunken Demon loosened the heart. Seo Daeryong, of course, and even Jang Ho were pleasantly drinking while chatting about this and that with Yeo Bin.
One must not forget. The Drunken Demon was a man who knew how to change the atmosphere of a drinking party with a single joke or gesture, and we were sitting at that drinking party. One must not forget that he was a man who had built his history through wine.
Then, when we were laughing and talking and the mood was at its very best, the Drunken Demon asked me,
“Well then, what do you say? Shall we call each other brothers now?”
At his words, the gazes of the three people present turned toward me and the Drunken Demon. A Demon Venerable proposing brotherhood to the blood of the Heavenly Demon was not something to be taken lightly.
Drunken Demon, with what heart are you doing this to me? Is it the empty sincerity of a drunkard that will vanish when the wine wears off? Or is it a thoroughly calculated plan?
At that moment, the raucous tavern fell silent.
Looking down, I saw someone entering the tavern.
A person even I had not expected to come here, someone exuding a cold aura as he entered with a great blade at his waist—it was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon slowly made his way up to the second floor, sat down between me and the Drunken Demon, and said,
“Give me a cup of wine too.”