The Poison King was unable to say anything for a moment.
Blinking, he asked,
“Are you asking me to play with you right now? And with the Demon Buddha as well?”
“Yes.”
The Poison King pressed his palm to Geom Mugeuk’s forehead, checking whether he had a fever.
“This is a side effect of the Heavenly Secret Pill.”
The Poison King even took his wrist and checked his pulse.
“Is spending one day having fun really that hard for you?”
Geom Mugeuk blocked the Poison King as he tried to flee out the back door.
“You don’t need to feel too burdened. I’ll be there too.”
“Just tell me to go to the training ground and bark again instead. What on earth is wrong with you?”
“I want to rest for a day. I also want to have fun with you, Poison King. Since we’re at it, spend the day with me.”
Just as the Poison King let out a sigh, Sangseon announced from outside that the Demon Buddha had arrived.
The Poison King cursed Geom Mugeuk with his expression and went outside.
“An honored guest has come.”
“Have you been well?”
The two exchanged courteous greetings. Unlike how he had tried to run away, saying the Demon Buddha made him uncomfortable, the Poison King treated him properly, never losing the dignity of a Demon Venerable.
“This is your first time in the Thousand Poison Forest, is it not?”
“It is. As I came in, I saw that there were scenic views everywhere.”
“There are many even better places.”
In truth, the Poison King had also never been to the Golden Buddha Temple where the Demon Buddha resided. Since he loved secluding himself in the Thousand Poison Forest so much, he had never had reason to visit the residences of the other Demon Venerables.
After finishing his greeting, the Demon Buddha looked at Geom Mugeuk.
“Second Young Master, so you were here.”
He said it as though he had not known Geom Mugeuk was here when he came. His acting was quite good. Geom Mugeuk, though perfectly aware that he had come because of him, responded to acting with acting.
“As expected! It seems you and I are connected by fate, Demon Buddha. To think we would meet even in a place like this.”
“It seems so.”
“Seeing how glad I am to see you, it seems the time I spent with you recently was not wasted.”
Even with the Poison King beside him, Geom Mugeuk revealed his feelings without hesitation.
“Would that not make the Poison King feel slighted?”
The Poison King cut in and asked,
“Why would I feel slighted?”
“Is there anyone in our cult who does not know of the special friendship between you two?”
He was referring to how they had barked together in the training ground.
The Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk and shook his head.
“Ever since I met the Second Young Master, I’ve been through all manner of strange things.”
The Poison King’s sound transmission immediately followed to Geom Mugeuk.
—This is the strangest thing of all!
Geom Mugeuk turned his head, pretending not to hear.
Once the greetings were over, the Poison King led the Demon Buddha to the guest hall of the Thousand Poison Sect.
“Now, please come this way.”
It was a place like an open pavilion, and the atmosphere was excellent, harmonizing with the surrounding natural scenery. Since hardly anyone ever visited, it was not usually used, but Sangseon always kept it clean.
One person looked abnormally young, and one person was abnormally small. With Geom Mugeuk there as well, the gathering truly looked special.
“Was the matter you left the cult for resolved well?”
“Thanks to your concern, it was resolved well.”
The conversation cut off, and silence continued for a moment.
Though the Demon Buddha met many people, even he felt awkward in this setting. He had hardly interacted with the Poison King normally, and that youthful appearance was truly difficult to get used to. Of course, the other party might feel the same when looking at him.
The Poison King’s sound transmission flew to Geom Mugeuk.
—I’m already suffocating, and you want me to have fun? A life-and-death duel would be more entertaining.
Fortunately, Sangseon brought tea, refreshing the atmosphere.
“The tea tastes excellent!”
Geom Mugeuk drank his tea comfortably, but the Demon Buddha only fiddled with his teacup and did not bring it to his lips. If one of his subordinates had drunk tea here as comfortably as Geom Mugeuk, he would have thundered at him. You drank tea served by the Poison King? You damned fool! Better you die by my hand! That was how fearsome the Poison King was to everyone.
“To be honest, the reason I came today is because of the Second Young Master.”
The Demon Buddha glanced at Geom Mugeuk, then continued.
“I heard that the Second Young Master was here and came to pay a visit. These days, I have become deeply engrossed in the pleasure of associating with him.”
Geom Mugeuk could clearly feel that the Demon Buddha was no longer the Demon Buddha of the past. As though he had staked everything on this matter with him, he was showing a new side of himself. Such frankness had not been the Demon Buddha’s way.
“I am curious. What sort of conversations do you usually have with the Second Young Master, Poison King?”
At that, the Poison King said,
“Today, I called him over and had him do some cleaning.”
The Demon Buddha flinched in surprise at those words. He thought the Poison King was expressing displeasure at his question.
“It seems I said something rude for no reason.”
Just then, Geom Mugeuk cut in.
“I really did clean.”
To the startled Demon Buddha, Geom Mugeuk spoke as if making a complaint.
“Did you think I got close to the Demon Venerables just by wagging my tongue? I put in tremendous effort too.”
If he had truly gone so far as to clean, then the Demon Buddha could tell that Geom Mugeuk saying it was hard had not been mere trickery.
“Even so, choose your work carefully.”
He did not add, “When you are someone who may become the Heavenly Demon.” After all, making sure he could not become the Heavenly Demon was his goal.
At those words, another awkward silence flowed. Put another way, it meant the Poison King had made him do work without choosing carefully.
Even so, the Poison King did not express displeasure to the Demon Buddha. He could do that to Geom Mugeuk instead.
—You heard that, didn’t you? Those words that make people uncomfortable. And how am I supposed to have fun with him?
—He means no harm. You know that.
—I can’t even have fun by myself, so how am I supposed to have fun together?
It was not as though only he was like that. Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Buddha were also people who had never once truly played in their lives. That was precisely why Geom Mugeuk wanted to spend a good time with them. It was not an opportunity that came often.
—First, why don’t you show us around the Thousand Poison Forest?
No sooner had Geom Mugeuk’s sound transmission ended than the Poison King said to the Demon Buddha,
“Since you have come all this way, I will show you around the Thousand Poison Forest.”
The Demon Buddha had been about to say he would come and see it another time, but Geom Mugeuk sprang to his feet first.
“Let’s go. It’ll be fun.”
And so the Poison King guided them into the Thousand Poison Forest.
The Thousand Poison Forest was broad and dense, and after they walked for about a quarter-hour, they came upon a splendid bamboo grove with a walking path laid out.
“Oh, so there was a place like this.”
It was a direction Geom Mugeuk had not come before. After passing through the bamboo grove, there was a giant tree that must have lived for a thousand years, and beyond it was a field where nameless flowers bloomed in full.
The three of them walked slowly, intoxicated by the beautiful scenery.
The Demon Buddha, who had not been inclined at first, gradually became absorbed in the scenery of the Thousand Poison Forest as well. Exclamations of how wonderful it was kept slipping from his mouth.
“Be careful.”
A brilliantly colored snake was flicking its tongue from a tree.
“It is a Hundred-Spot Snake (百點蛇). Without an antidote, even an expert cannot last a day against its deadly venom.”
Geom Mugeuk thought that the Poison King must have named that snake too.
Along the way, Geom Mugeuk asked about the poisonous herbs, poisonous insects, and venomous snakes they saw, and the Poison King excitedly explained them to him.
The Demon Buddha thought that Geom Mugeuk’s behavior was meant to put the Poison King in a good mood.
‘At least I must acknowledge his diligence.’
But for that to be the case, Geom Mugeuk asked about absolutely everything. The Poison King also told him everything he knew, and Geom Mugeuk listened with utmost seriousness.
At that moment, the Demon Buddha said,
“The Second Young Master is quite curious.”
“How many chances does a person have in life to hear explanations about poison-related things directly from the Poison King?”
In truth, Geom Mugeuk was committing as much of what the Poison King said to memory as he could.
He himself was immune to all poisons, so it did not matter, but who knew when someone else might be poisoned?
The Demon Buddha also listened to the explanations beside him. He had always been the one teaching others, but for the first time in a long while, he learned many things. There was pleasure in learning.
After walking for quite some time, they arrived at a valley where a waterfall came pouring down.
Swaaaaaaa.
They decided to rest there for a while.
“I’m hot, so I’ll swim a bit.”
Geom Mugeuk stripped off his upper garment and tossed it aside, then plunged into the water with a splash.
“It is good that one does not get bored when with the Second Young Master.”
At the Demon Buddha’s words, the Poison King nodded. In this moment, if he was merely bored because Geom Mugeuk was absent, that would have been fortunate. To the Poison King right now, this was an ordeal.
Just as the Poison King was wondering whether he should also jump into the water, the Demon Buddha brought up the matter of the successor.
“I acknowledge that the momentum is tilting toward the Second Young Master. That is why the First Young Master is in a situation where he absolutely needs your support, Poison King.”
The Demon Buddha intended to use this opportunity to obtain the Poison King’s official support for the First Young Master.
“Whether the First Young Master will become the better cult leader, or the Second Young Master will become the better cult leader, that is something we cannot know, is it not?”
Seeing the Poison King nod, the Demon Buddha continued.
“There are times when I feel fear when I look at the Second Young Master. I wonder whether that strange fervor of his might even draw in the murim.”
At that, the Poison King, who had only been listening, suddenly said,
“Would that be wrong?”
“It would not necessarily be wrong, but…”
“I think what we should worry about is not that fervor, but the absence of any fervor at all.”
Though the Poison King had been awkward, he said what needed to be said clearly.
On the other hand, the Demon Buddha had to feel the shock of having been struck at the heart of the matter. That was because he had always felt regret that the First Young Master did not possess even a little of the same fervor as Geom Mugeuk.
The Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk, who had been swimming, was shouting as he moved under the waterfall. It was impossible to tell whether he liked it or whether it hurt.
“I believe the Second Young Master is more suited to become the Heavenly Demon.”
At the Poison King’s words, the Demon Buddha was flustered. The Poison King had chosen Geom Mugeuk.
“Being stronger in martial arts, or being better with words, does not necessarily make one a better Heavenly Demon, does it?”
“That is not why. I see it in the Second Young Master.”
“What is it that you see?”
The Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk, who was making a fuss while sitting beneath the waterfall, and said,
“I see our fate.”
The Poison King acknowledged that because he liked his own world so much, he was poor at considering other people’s feelings.
But he felt it. The more he looked at Geom Mugeuk, the more he sensed that some immense destiny was approaching them.
Rather, he believed he could feel it precisely because he had spent so much time in a world of his own. Something that the Demon Buddha, entangled in countless relationships, could never see.
“You have fallen for the Second Young Master’s intentions. You have been taken in by his tricks and schemes.”
“If the Second Young Master were that kind of person, then what he asked of me today would have been to persuade you, Demon Buddha.”
“Then what did he ask?”
“He said the three of us should have fun today.”
“!”
In that instant, the Demon Buddha had a thought. Ah, it will not be easy to defeat the Second Young Master. How does one defeat a madman like this? The confidence he had possessed at the start shriveled all at once.
“If the Second Young Master becomes the Heavenly Demon, a storm of blood may instead blow.”
“The Second Young Master will be playing together with that storm of blood.”
The Demon Buddha said no more. He sensed that the Poison King’s resolve was firm.
‘This will not be easy.’
If he could not change the Poison King’s mind, then the Demon Venerables supporting the First Young Master would be only himself and the Fist Demon. And even the Fist Demon’s support was halfhearted.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk, who had been pretending to be a cultivator beneath the waterfall, swam toward them.
“Did you see my waterfall training? As if I had become a martial artist dreaming of revenge through extreme training…”
Without listening to the rest, the Poison King stood and said,
“There are still things left to see. Let us go.”
The Demon Buddha also sprang to his feet and followed behind him.
Geom Mugeuk shouted as he came out of the water.
“Why? Did I do something wrong? Let’s go together! I said, let me dry my clothes first!”
I told them to rest. It seemed they had used that brief time to have an important conversation. Well, how could people who had never played in their lives learn to do so easily? It would be fortunate if they did not fight.
Fwoooooosh!
As Geom Mugeuk walked, he released his blazing yang energy. Steam rose in wisps, and his clothes began drying in an instant.
* * *
I was grateful to the Poison King.
He was doing his best to grant my request. Otherwise, he would not have made this sort of suggestion.
“Let us make a wager.”
At the word wager, the Demon Buddha showed interest. He was curious what kind of wager it was, and he had a strong competitive spirit and liked wagers in themselves.
“What kind of wager?”
“In this forest, there is a poisonous herb called Seven-Life Grass (七生草), with leaves split into seven branches and purple fruit. Let us wager on who finds it first.”
“Is that not too disadvantageous for us? You must know the terrain here thoroughly, Poison King.”
“I do not know where the Seven-Life Grass is either. I know for certain that it exists, but perhaps it is not fated with me, for I have been unable to find it.”
Since he did not seem likely to lie about something like this, the Demon Buddha asked again,
“If it is a wager, there should be a reward.”
As the two of them pondered, I spoke.
“Next time we have time, the losers can buy the one who found it first a grand round of drinks at Pungryu Tavern.”
The Poison King and the Demon Buddha nodded. A competitive fire blazed in the Demon Buddha’s eyes. At least to him, this meant more than a simple wager over drinks.
“Good. Let us do it.”
And so we wandered around searching for the Seven-Life Grass.
Even after searching for a long while, it was not easy to find. I even used the Divine Eye Art to search, but I still could not find it.
“I found it!”
The one who found the Seven-Life Grass was the Demon Buddha, who had darted all over the forest with his small body.
The Poison King and I rushed to him with qinggong.
“Is this it?”
“Oh! It is! This is the Seven-Life Grass.”
The Poison King looked genuinely moved.
“To think you discovered something this precious. You truly have talent for gathering spiritual herbs. Later, let us go to that forest over there as well.”
As he said that, the Poison King carefully dug up the Seven-Life Grass. His manner was so full of care that I asked, half in doubt,
“You didn’t make this wager because you needed the Seven-Life Grass, did you?”
In that instant, the Poison King’s back flinched as he was digging up the Seven-Life Grass.
The Poison King tucked the Seven-Life Grass carefully into his robe and said to the Demon Buddha,
“When you come next time, let us come out to have fun again. Demon Buddha, you may come whenever you like!”
After greeting him as though bidding farewell, the Poison King launched himself away.
He left just like that.
As the Poison King disappeared into the distance, the Demon Buddha looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask, What on earth just happened?
“We were tricked! He mobilized us as herb gatherers!”
The Demon Buddha took my words, which might have been sincere, as a joke.
“It seems he found this gathering quite uncomfortable.”
From far away, the Poison King glanced back at me.
His gaze said this: I had a good time.
And…
My efforts end here, so now it is your turn.