That night, the Fengcheon Cult Leader was pacing the courtyard, unable to sleep.
Geom Mugeuk’s words kept circling in his ears—look at the other person properly, without prejudice.
He had failed to look at his disciple, So Baekta, without prejudice.
He had focused only on the differences. Had he always had such a personality? He didn’t think he had been like this before.
Without looking at him properly, he had let himself be swept along by emotion.
‘He changed the Cult Leader’s Hall so completely? If he had any respect for me, he wouldn’t have done that.’
But if he considered it coldly, respect for him and changing the Cult Leader’s Hall were separate matters. He might have changed it after deciding it was no great matter, or there could have been some other reason.
Yes, Geom Mugeuk was right. The answer was not in his own heart, but with So Baekta. He should not have looked at the changed Cult Leader’s Hall; he should have looked into So Baekta’s eyes.
As he wandered the front yard amid such thoughts, the Demon Buddha walked out, brightening the darkness with golden light.
“Which of the three cult leaders is keeping you from sleep?”
“Three cult leaders?”
“Is it our Young Cult Leader? Or the current leader of the Fengcheon Cult?”
“And the remaining cult leader?”
The Demon Buddha stared intently at the Fengcheon Cult Leader. Only then did the Fengcheon Cult Leader realize that the last cult leader the Demon Buddha spoke of was himself, the previous cult leader.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader laughed self-deprecatingly and said,
“The problem is always because of the last cult leader.”
At that, the Demon Buddha offered a different answer.
“No. The reason we cannot sleep is because of the Young Cult Leader.”
How could he not know?
If not for the Young Cult Leader, this very gathering today would not have existed. That So Baekta would still be in the position of staring only at the Cult Leader’s Hall, thinking, ‘When will I become cult leader?’
The thought sent a chill through him.
Gowol would still be bound inside the Cult Leader’s Hall. No, since he had possessed the key to his shackles, by now he might have left him.
And he himself would be leaping up and down, issuing orders to kill Gowol without ever knowing what kind of man he truly was. The thought of himself living such a life horrified him.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader sat down on a rock. It was to meet the Demon Buddha’s gaze.
If not for the Young Cult Leader, that Demon Buddha, too, would probably have been living a different life.
If it had not been the present Young Cult Leader, but another, would the Eldest Young Master have become the successor?
Then the Demon Buddha said something unexpected.
“To be honest, I have been enjoying myself lately.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader was startled. The words “You’ve gone mad” almost slipped out without his realizing it.
To think the word “enjoying” would come from the Demon Buddha’s mouth. Yes, he was human too, so he could feel enjoyment. But he had never expected him to reveal that feeling to him.
“I am enjoying this feeling of living a life other than my own. Had the life I lived until now been too tedious?”
A life of laying down the power struggle, a life of coming all the way here to help the Fengcheon Cult Leader, a life of receiving stacks of paper covered with drawings of poisonous herbs—he was certainly living a life different from before.
“I had never once thought, ‘What would it be like to live a different life?’”
Listening to the Demon Buddha, the Fengcheon Cult Leader suddenly said,
“Come to think of it, I don’t believe I have ever looked at you properly.”
Even when they had once gotten along like friends, even when they had fought with harsh words over the succession, and even now. Not once, it seemed, had he truly seen him properly.
The Demon Buddha was not at all offended. It was because he, too, sympathized with the meaning contained in the Fengcheon Cult Leader’s words. And so the Demon Buddha easily reached his conclusion.
“That is why all of this is the Young Cult Leader’s fault.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader nodded with a smile.
“Yes, it is always because of the Young Cult Leader. Because of our insolent, clever Young Cult Leader who keeps adults from sleeping.”
These days, the moments he found most amusing were when he and the Demon Buddha spoke ill of Geom Mugeuk. Whenever they cursed Geom Mugeuk, he was always the most excited.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader looked up at the night sky. The moon beyond the frontier looked even more desolate and lonely. Then, in that instant, he caught himself.
‘There I go again. Again, I am looking for the answer in my own heart first.’
He looked up at the moon again. Looking again, the moon beyond the frontier and the moon of the Central Plains were the same. Yes, even while looking at the moon, he would practice. The answer was in that moon.
* * *
The next day, before they went to the welcoming banquet hall, there was a strategy meeting.
“By now, the one behind this side will have lost contact with the woman in the flower garden. Naturally, he will think she was dealt with by us. There will be two possible reactions. He will either lie low, or retaliate.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader and the Demon Buddha did not show any sign of fear. Naturally so, because whoever the enemy was, they did not think he would dare take revenge against the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Demon Buddha, or the former leader of the Fengcheon Cult.
But Geom Mugeuk knew. The opponent was the Illusion King, who had lost Hwanyeo. No one could know how he would act. And so he awakened the two men’s vigilance.
“As you saw through the woman in the flower garden, they are people who use the demonic arts of the Blood Cult, which were thought to have been lost. We don’t know what may come out, so you must not let down your guard.”
The Blood Cult was certainly effective on the Fengcheon Cult Leader. The moment he heard those words, his gaze grew intense. Moreover, the Fengcheon Cult Leader was a man who believed in the conspiracy theory that there were those trying to revive the destroyed Blood Cult.
“Cult Leader, please closely observe whether anyone attending today’s banquet has perhaps fallen victim to the Soul-Capturing Art.”
To the Demon Buddha, he gave a different request.
“They may try to approach not me or the Cult Leader, but exploit a blind spot and approach you, Lord Demon Buddha. Please keep that in mind and watch for anyone suspicious who comes near you.”
Geom Mugeuk rose from his seat and spoke with vigor.
“Now then, let us go. The war begins now.”
Together with the two men, he left the guest hall.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader and the Demon Buddha walked side by side on either side of Geom Mugeuk. Here, beyond the frontier, they were his wings.
* * *
At the welcoming banquet hall, not only the Five Great Elders of the Fengcheon Cult but also all its principal experts had gathered.
Not everyone in the Fengcheon Cult was an expert in illusion arts. There were also pure martial artists who did not use illusion techniques. Elder Hou Yang, who was now greeting the Fengcheon Cult Leader warmly, was one such person. He was an expert swordsman counted among the Three Great Swordsmen Beyond the Frontier.
“It has been a long time.”
Now that he could no longer call him Cult Leader, Hou Yang felt awkward about what to call the Fengcheon Cult Leader.
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, I have been well. It seems you have lost a great deal of weight.”
At those words, the Fengcheon Cult Leader smiled with satisfaction. These days, those were the words he most liked to hear.
“Your face also looks peaceful.”
“Thank you. You look very well yourself.”
In the past, he would naturally have thought this:
Because our relationship was good before, of course he must be friendly toward me now.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader gazed at him calmly.
Was that truly so?
Now, that question came to him with weight.
This was what Geom Mugeuk had meant.
Past relationships, personality, reputation, pleasing words, or slips of the tongue. Do not drag such things in and judge through assumption. Look properly at the gaze and expression with which that person looks at you now, and listen properly to the words he speaks now.
“I am sorry I did not value and appoint you to more important positions.”
“What do you mean?”
“I respected you, as someone who came from among pure martial artists. I was grateful that you devoted yourself to our cult. And so I had intended to treat you better, but I kept putting it off and lost the chance. I am sorry.”
He apologized to him. Apologizing like this was also a change that had come after meeting Geom Mugeuk. He had apologized to Gowol, apologized to the Demon Buddha, and apologized to Hou Yang. Yes, he would apologize to them all.
He could feel Hou Yang’s bewilderment. The man could not hide the emotion of wondering what scheme he had in mind.
Yes, the relationship between Hou Yang and himself was exactly this much.
A distance that caused bewilderment: ‘Why is this man suddenly acting so kindly?’ This was the distance between him and himself. The vague sense of closeness he had felt earlier was an emotion that had existed only in his own heart.
When he made the effort to look carefully, things he had never seen before began to appear.
“I only said it because if not today, I may not have another chance to tell you.”
“Thank you for having thought of me that way.”
With Hou Yang at the head, the other elders also came to greet the Fengcheon Cult Leader.
After exchanging greetings with each of them, the Fengcheon Cult Leader asked,
“But I do not see Elder Xing.”
At that, Hou Yang spoke cautiously.
“Elder Xing stepped down from his position on his own.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader was startled. Elder Xing was a man named Xing Ye, the head elder among the Five Great Elders. He had also been the person the Fengcheon Cult Leader had cherished most.
“What was his reason for stepping down?”
“He said he wished to rest now.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader recalled what Elder Xing had said when he stepped down from the position of cult leader and left.
—I shall serve the new Cult Leader until this life of mine runs out.
—I leave believing only in you.
A man like that stepped down because he wanted to rest? That could not be. If he had stepped down, there had to be some reason.
In the meantime, people also came to greet Geom Mugeuk.
A chance to personally meet the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was something that might not come even once in a lifetime. And so they all introduced themselves, trying somehow to leave even the slightest impression.
At that moment, one woman offered a bold greeting.
“If I had known the Young Cult Leader was this handsome, I would have escaped beyond the frontier long ago.”
She was a middle-aged woman with an open, amiable face. Unlike the people of the Fengcheon Cult, who exuded a rough and bewitching air, she had kind eyes.
“I am Gu Shu.”
“I am Geom Mugeuk.”
Geom Mugeuk knew who she was. She was one of the Five Great Elders, a woman who had followed the Fengcheon Cult Leader devotedly.
Then the Fengcheon Cult Leader walked over and said,
“If you fall for the Young Cult Leader, you really may attempt to escape beyond the frontier.”
Gu Shu smiled brightly and greeted the Fengcheon Cult Leader.
“Like our elder brother?”
“Elder brother?”
At the word “elder brother,” not only the Fengcheon Cult Leader but everyone nearby was startled.
“Now that you have stepped down as Cult Leader, I ought to call you elder brother. Do you not remember? I said that if you stepped down from the position of Cult Leader, I would call you elder brother.”
To be honest, he did not remember. Since she was not the sort of person to make up such a thing, he realized anew just how little he had properly listened to what others said.
“I thought it was a joke.”
“I have never once joked about it.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader merely blinked as he listened, but Geom Mugeuk could feel it. She respected the Cult Leader.
“Young Cult Leader, before you return, I hope I will have the chance to treat you to a cup of wine.”
“I would welcome that anytime. How could I miss the opportunity to learn wine and life from a beautiful older sister who has weathered every hardship?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s glib reply, Gu Shu burst into a bright smile and chided the Fengcheon Cult Leader, telling him to be at least half as charming as the Young Cult Leader.
If there were elders with such refreshing personalities, there were also elders like Wang Xiao, who only exchanged greetings and then quietly observed.
Laughter came from the side.
When Geom Mugeuk turned, he saw the Demon Buddha sitting on the edge of a table, talking with people. Because he had met many people in his time, he had a knack for leading conversations.
At that moment, Cult Leader So Baekta entered the banquet hall.
As he entered, the martial artists of the Fengcheon Cult all paid their respects in unison and welcomed him. The pattern that had been on So Baekta’s face yesterday had been completely erased.
Was that why? The bewitching atmosphere he had given off now felt pure today.
So Baekta attended to Geom Mugeuk first.
“Today is a day for you, Young Cult Leader, so please eat and drink to your heart’s content.”
“Today is the first time I have learned that the wine beyond the frontier is this delicious.”
“It is a special wine prepared for an honored guest.”
Next, he exchanged greetings with the Demon Buddha, and lastly, he attended to the Fengcheon Cult Leader.
“Master, did you sleep well?”
“Thanks to our Cult Leader’s consideration, I slept comfortably.”
He deliberately used the phrase “our Cult Leader” so everyone would hear. No matter where or how the one behind this had infiltrated, the Fengcheon Cult Leader felt a sense of responsibility to protect So Baekta, and the Fengcheon Cult.
“Cult Leader.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Returning to the cult after so long, I suddenly wish to see the Yin Thunder Bell. May I?”
“Of course. I will escort you.”
It was also because he wanted to be alone with So Baekta, and he truly did want to see the Yin Thunder Bell.
Leaving the banquet hall, So Baekta led the Fengcheon Cult Leader toward the Cult Leader’s Hall.
‘The Yin Thunder Bell was not in the place I went to yesterday.’
Though puzzled, the Fengcheon Cult Leader silently followed behind So Baekta.
Upon entering the Cult Leader’s Hall, So Baekta climbed up and sat in the grand preceptor’s chair, then infused inner force into the place where one rested one’s hand.
Then the walls on all sides began to rise.
Ruuuuumble.
Behind the walls stood display cabinets, and within them the sacred treasures of the Fengcheon Cult were kept.
“Since I was changing the interior anyway, I changed the way the sacred treasures were stored as well.”
“It is an extremely intricate mechanism. Impressive.”
Of course, it did not suit the Fengcheon Cult Leader, who had lived for the pleasure of looking at those sacred treasures.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader slowly moved his steps and looked over the treasures. Seeing them after so long filled him with fresh emotion. He had taken all of these with him to the Divine Cult.
The Yin Thunder Bell was placed in the center behind the grand preceptor’s chair.
“It truly has been a long time.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader’s gaze deepened as he looked at the Yin Thunder Bell. It had been so very long since he had seen the evil spirit engraved upon the Yin Thunder Bell.
‘Gowol told me to send his regards.’
Standing beside him, So Baekta said in a low voice,
“Do you remember what you said to me when you left the cult?”
In that instant, the Fengcheon Cult Leader flinched.
‘What did I say when I left?’
At that time, he truly had been out of his mind. All he had thought was that he had to finish matters quickly and return to Gowol.
But even so, he did not remember those words?
It was the same with forgetting what Gu Shu had told him earlier.
This was not a question of whether his memory was good or bad. This was a question of his attitude toward life. An attitude of being intoxicated solely by his own emotions, of not looking properly at others, of not listening properly to what others said. That was why he forgot everything.
To him, reality… must have been a world inferior even to the world inside an illusion.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader, who had been looking at the Yin Thunder Bell, turned his head and looked at So Baekta.
So Baekta calmly repeated the words the Fengcheon Cult Leader had said to him that day.
“I could not achieve my dream, but you must be sure to achieve yours.”
Upon hearing those words, he remembered. Yes, he had said those words to him. What else could a person leaving say? He had meant it as a wish that So Baekta would remain for a long time and die as the Cult Leader.
So Baekta also turned his head and looked at the Fengcheon Cult Leader. Their gazes met with the evil spirit of the Yin Thunder Bell between them.
“I intend to achieve that dream.”
“What is your dream, Cult Leader?”
Somehow, he felt words that should not be spoken were about to come out. And that premonition was accurate.
“The unification of the martial world.”
“!”
Yes, that much was still fine. For the leader of a great power like the Fengcheon Cult, it was a dream one could have at least once.
The problem was what came next.
“I believe I shall now take the first step.”