Amid the flowing silence, Chwima realized one fact.
“Did you already know?”
“I suspected as much. The brother I know is not the sort to send a broken bottle to you, Lord Chwima.”
“I thought you two were on bad terms?”
“Don’t you always end up knowing far more about someone you loathe than someone you’re close to?”
Chwima, who had been staring at me, sprang to his feet.
“Ah, the drink is getting to me.”
With that, he immediately threw himself into the lake.
“You ought to fix your habit of swimming right after drinking!”
Regardless of my concern, Chwima was a strong swimmer. His skill was considerable, but more than that, he knew how to swim with joy. He would dive, then float on his back gazing at the sky; he would speed off into the distance and return; he would leap out like a dolphin and plunge back in with a splash.
After swimming about with such delight, Chwima climbed back onto the boat.
“Now the alcohol is finally wearing off.”
And with that, he drank again.
“You just sobered up to drink again?”
“Didn’t I sober up so I could drink more?”
I shouted to Yeobin, who was standing on the distant shore.
“Bring some snacks over here!”
At that, Yeobin, as if she had been waiting, poled the boat over and brought the snacks. She had prepared them in advance, but it seemed Chwima had brought only the liquor. As she handed over the snacks and turned to leave, Yeobin bowed her head slightly to convey her gratitude to me.
“You should get into the habit of eating side dishes.”
“I’ve never eaten them in my life. Is that easy?”
“Can you simply do only what you want? There are things you must do even if you dislike them.”
“Why are you so concerned about my health?”
I ate the snacks with chopsticks. They were warm. It seemed she had kept them heated, ready to bring at any moment.
“As if I’m the only one who looks after you, Lord Chwima. Here, eat.”
Chwima also reluctantly ate the snacks.
We drank together and then gazed up at the night sky.
“Ah, this is wonderful!”
It truly was as pleasant as Chwima’s cry. With a boat upon this lake, drinking beneath the stars, even immortals could not compare.
Lying at a slant and staring at the stars, Chwima spoke.
“Drinking and lazing about is my dream. If the Demonic-Orthodox Great War breaks out, this very lake could turn into crimson blood. Then how would I ever sober up?”
The unique demonic weapon hanging at Chwima’s waist was named Hyeollu, Blood Tear. He was saying such things while wearing a demonic weapon named Blood Tears.
“Are you serious?”
“I am. I wish to live and die like this my whole life.”
“Is that truly why you wish to become my man?”
“That is correct.”
“Then prove it.”
“How do you mean?”
“Reconcile with Elder Hyeolcheon Doma.”
Perhaps because it was an unexpected suggestion, Chwima flinched in surprise.
“I am serious as well. From now on, you must make an effort to become my man. If you reconcile with Elder Hyeolcheon Doma and maintain a harmonious relationship with Geukak Soma…”
I drained the last of the liquor and spoke to him.
“I will swear brotherhood with you, Lord Chwima.”
Silence fell again.
After staring at me for a moment, Chwima eventually opened his mouth.
“You truly are an unpredictable man.”
“The unpredictable one is you, Lord Chwima. You are surrounded by all manner of prejudice. I, on the contrary, am rational. I am simply exchanging what I want for what you want.”
I drank refreshingly and set down the bottle, asking.
“Was your offer to swear brotherhood with me a joke?”
“It was no joke.”
“It is a matter of forming a brotherhood with someone. You must show at least this much sincerity. Ah, so that person is truly doing something they hate for my sake. Doing something they truly detest. Eating snacks, making peace. What words could I not say then? I could even win the Martial Alliance Leader over to my side.”
“If it were you, you might truly win him over.”
I let out a hollow laugh, and Chwima drank.
“It is not that I do not wish to reconcile.”
“Then what?”
“Reconciliation with Hyeolcheon Doma is impossible from the start. Have you ever seen water mix with oil?”
“They need not mix. They need only float along together.”
“What if someone lights a fire?”
“Then they burn. If you truly detest it, be the water. Let Elder Doma be the oil. He is a fiery person by nature, so let him be the oil.”
He usually laughed at most any jest, but this time he did not laugh. He looked quite unwilling.
Seeing how he acts toward me, one would think he could at least smile outwardly and humor Hyeolcheon Doma.
I could understand even why Hyeolcheon Doma disliked Chwima. He had disliked people who got drunk and made a scene from the start.
But why did Chwima find this reconciliation so burdensome?
“There is another reason you approached me, isn’t there? Put aside such nonsense as the peace of the martial world and reveal your true reason.”
He could well have grown angry at such insolence, but Chwima merely drank with drunken eyes.
“This kind of brotherly relationship is enough with the one brother I have.”
I leaped toward the boat I had come on.
He could have stopped me from leaving like this, but in the end he said nothing. As I docked the boat at the lakeshore, I looked back. Chwima was drinking alone beneath the moonlight.
* * *
The next dawn, I quietly left the sect.
I left a letter for Seo Daeryong saying I would be away for a few days.
Ever since the Wind God Swift Steps reached the realm of Eight Stars, my body had been itching with restlessness, unable to stay still. I had tossed and turned all night wanting to fight strong experts, but the desire even more intense than that was the urge to run.
I know I must control this desire well. A supreme martial art like the Wind God Swift Steps must be handled with even greater care.
There are many cases where mishandling this desire leads to qi deviation or reckless battles ending in death. It often happens when someone whose vessel is insufficient learns a martial art beyond their vessel.
After leaving the sect, I began running with swift footwork. I ran with terrifying speed. There was no need to wear a mask to hide my identity.
My running speed was so fast that one would wonder who I was, or whether what had just passed was a person or a bird, or simply an illusion. It had been fast even at Seven Stars, but this was different from then.
Originally, this speed was only possible in wide open places like plains. But the path I ran on now had obstacles. There were moving carriages and passing people. There were trees and rocks.
However, thanks to the Divine Eye Technique, I could run at this speed on any path. Moreover, upon reaching Eight Stars, the amount of internal energy consumed actually decreased. I had become able to use martial arts more efficiently.
I ran until my internal energy was nearly depleted, then meditated to recover before running again. Never in my life had I run so exhilaratingly. Perhaps it was because my destination was where the people I wanted to see were.
* * *
In a crowded tavern sat the Pungcheon Cult Leader and Gowol. Several people came to their table at intervals, reported something, and left. There were men and women, young and old.
Whenever they came and went, Gowol recorded something on paper.
“What are you writing so meticulously? He’d know you’re working even without contact.”
Gowol ignored the Pungcheon Cult Leader and wrote a dispatch. It was a report to be sent to Geom Mugeuk.
Gowol had received Geom Mugeuk’s orders and was devoted to building an information network in the Central Plains. Because the Pungcheon Cult Leader had accompanied him, the work was proceeding smoothly.
In the process, the Pungcheon Cult Leader once again admired Gowol’s abilities. He was constructing an organization operated differently from the existing Tongcheon Pavilion, making it so that it could later be merged with Tongcheon Pavilion. He had been keeping this in mind until Geom Mugeuk became Cult Leader.
So it was more difficult, but the one who made the process smooth was the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
When the two joined forces, the work truly proceeded in one fell swoop. Of course, Gowol had to endure the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s complaints.
“Send reports for a hundred days like that, see if you get even one reply from the Second Young Master.”
“This is a report. Where is the sense in replying to a report?”
“Why can’t he? If he cared, he would. Didn’t I say? Our debt will become that Cult Leader, that shackle. Just look, that’s exactly our state now. Come out to a foreign land and suffer every kind of hardship.”
“Eating delicacies from every region. Sightseeing scenic spots when you have time. Such hardship indeed.”
“Leaving home is hardship!”
“Where exactly is your home, Cult Leader?”
For a moment, the Pungcheon Cult Leader flinched. Gowol’s gaze shifted from his writing toward the Cult Leader.
“The Cheonma Divine Cult isn’t your home, is it? The Cult Leader’s home is right here in the Central Plains. Didn’t you sing about advancing into the Central Plains? Look carefully as we go around. You have to build your home somewhere here. Open your eyes wide!”
With nothing left to say, the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s arrows turned back toward Geom Mugeuk.
“Hmph! I have to build a home. The Second Young Master has forgotten us. When he sees us back at the sect later, he’ll probably feel a pang of guilt. Ah! Right. Among my many subordinates, there was that foreign dimwit Cult Leader and that shackle fellow. Ah, but what was that shackle’s name again? Well, one way or another, people’s hearts are all the same.”
“Cult Leader.”
“What?”
“Everyone is ‘that so-and-so Cult Leader’ or ‘that so-and-so shackle’ to someone. Only someone like the Second Young Master is special to everyone. Everyone else lives being moderately ignored. And being a special person is a tiresome thing. This kind of life suits you better, Cult Leader.”
“Are you ignoring me again? You’re ignoring me again!”
Gowol pretended not to hear and focused on writing again.
“You used to stare blankly at the Yin Thunder Bells all day and move sluggishly, but look how diligent you’ve become. Just what do you like so much about the Second Young Master that you’re making such a fuss?”
“Then why did you follow me all the way here and suffer, Cult Leader?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader could not answer.
“It is the same for me. What reason is there to explain? I simply like him. And after the Second Young Master comes you, Cult Leader. So don’t be too disappointed.”
“Hmph! You only have two people around you. If I’m second, isn’t that last place?”
“You noticed?”
“You madman!”
Gowol laughed, and the Pungcheon Cult Leader laughed along.
Such conversation was their joy. Repeating the same stories over and over, slandering Geom Mugeuk, talking about old times, and talking about things to come. Thus they told and retold the same tales every day.
“This is the proof of truly close friends. Being able to say the same things over and over and listen comfortably. You can’t do this with the Second Young Master, can you? It’s uncomfortable, no? That’s proof you’re not close with him. Or rather, the Second Young Master is busy showing off here and there, so he has no time to listen to you, does he?”
Right at that moment, someone suddenly spoke from behind the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“You insisted on calling him Second Young Master to the very end.”
Right where the surprised Pungcheon Cult Leader turned, I stood smiling.
“So you intended to badmouth me to the very end.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader and Gowol jumped to their feet in surprise.
“Second Young Master!”
“Second Young Master!”
Still smiling, I spoke to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“This is why I wanted to come.”
“Hmph! Did I say anything untrue? So what!”
His unchanged appearance made me glad from the start.
The place I had run to like mad was where the two were working. Because they had sent dispatches each time about where they were and how the work progressed, I had been able to find them like this.
I caught up with the two of them.
What was surprising was that Gowol already knew about the matters with Geukak Soma and Chwima, and the fact that my brother was in contact with Gwonma and the Poison King. It was evident that the information network within the sect had already been properly secured. The external information network was also rapidly expanding throughout the Central Plains.
“What is the financial situation?”
“It is almost exhausted.”
Using capable people and establishing an organizational network required an enormous amount of money. Gowol had taken twelve hundred thousand nyang, but it was already hitting bottom. The initial cost of building an organization was inherently high.
“I will send additional funds soon.”
“Yes!”
For now, funds were sufficient thanks to the money received from the Golden Hall, but to later operate the Ghost Shadow Division as well, more money had to be earned.
Then my eyes met the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s. He flinched in surprise.
“Why are you looking at me while talking about running out of money?”
“I looked because I’m happy to see you after so long. Why? Am I not allowed to look?”
“Doesn’t it feel like silent pressure to lend you money? I see. It’s that look. Exactly that look! The same sinister look you had when you were after my sacred relic before. Not a chance. No, my money is absolutely off-limits!”
I burst out laughing.
“Thanks to that sacred relic, I saved my life.”
At my words, Cult Leader Pungcheon started in surprise.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I lived thanks to the supreme Heavenly Silkworm Silk.”
“Ah!”
A flicker of joy crossed Cult Leader Pungcheon’s face. Though he was grumbling, the affection for me in his eyes was incomparable to before.
Cult Leader. Forget the money. Let’s just keep going like this. I know well what you sacrificed to come this far. I’m grateful enough that you’re staying by Gowol’s side.
“I’ve seen your faces, so I should head back now. I have to return by the morning after tomorrow.”
“The morning after tomorrow? What are you talking about? Do you know how far it is from here?”
“It took me two days to get here. I’m thinking of cutting down the time on the way back.”
Cult Leader Pungcheon, wearing an incredulous expression, seized the opportunity and said to Gowol,
“See? This is the Second Young Master’s true nature. Didn’t I tell you before that the Second Young Master was a braggart? Now do you understand how well I read people? Will you still look down on me?”
Then Gowol said lightly,
“Is it truly a boast?”
What was on Gowol’s face as he looked at me was unwavering trust.
At that, Cult Leader Pungcheon raised his voice.
“Of course it’s a boast! Even if you ran without rest from here to our cult, it would take ten days. Even if I ran there myself.”
“You’re slow because you’ve gotten fat, Cult Leader.”
“What? You’ve never seen me run, have you? I’m Cult Leader Pungcheon!”
Cult Leader Pungcheon provoked me.
“Two days? If you reach the main altar of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult within two days, I’ll give you one million nyang. How about it? Make a bet with me for one million nyang. You can’t do that, can you?”
Cult Leader Pungcheon showed his confidence triumphantly. He believed it was absolutely impossible.
“Let’s make the bet.”
“Truly?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to give me money in return for saving your life with the supreme Heavenly Silkworm Silk. You don’t have to. I have plenty of money.”
“I am grateful, but that doesn’t mean I have enough leeway to give you money. As you know, I have a lot of expenses right now.”
“Good, then let’s do it! I’ll say this in advance: I won’t give back a single coin. It’ll be no use crying about it then!”
“That is what I should be saying. You must not say things like it was medicine money or funds for your old age.”
“I told you, I have plenty of money! I’m the former Cult Leader Pungcheon!”
“Good. Once I arrive, I’ll send an official message from our cult here. Since it’ll be an official message, it will have the date stamped on it, and when you come to our cult later, you’ll be able to confirm when I arrived.”
“Don’t worry. There’s someone who can confirm the date you arrive. Don’t forget. It’s one million nyang, Second Young Master.”
I rose from my seat with a smile.
“I know well how much the two of you are struggling for my sake. I am always grateful. Then I’ll see you later.”
As I was about to turn away, Gowol said casually,
“Congratulations in advance on the one million nyang.”
“Thank you.”
From behind me, I heard Cult Leader Pungcheon grumbling.
“What are you saying? You should be cheering for me! If you’re going to be like this, even if I get one million nyang from the Second Young Master, I won’t give you a single coin!”
After parting with them like that, I began running toward the cult again.
The more I ran, the more accustomed I became to running, and I increased my speed even further. The more I ran, the faster I became, and the more I ran, the greater the freedom I felt. I also felt an intense longing to reach great accomplishment.
And two days later, I was writing a message from our cult.
[Cult Leader Pungcheon, I will make good use of the one million nyang. Thank you as always. Ah, and if you feel regretful, perhaps we could do it once more with a day and a half…….]