I trained in martial arts at the training ground until late.
Right now, what mattered most to me was training. The moment I lost to Hwa Mugi, every step I had painstakingly built up—no matter how valuable or magnificent—would all become wasted effort.
When training became too grueling, I would imagine this: dying at Hwa Mugi’s hands because I had fallen short by exactly one gak of training. Of course, realistically speaking, such a thing would never happen, but such despairing fantasies were quite useful for crushing laziness.
Fortunately, today’s training was the most satisfying since my regression.
Pure yet majestic internal energy surged through my dantian. The power of my forms had grown even stronger, and my speed had increased.
My internal energy had now risen to the point where I could stake life and death against the Demon Venerables. For someone my age, it was a level of cultivation no one would believe.
‘It’s still not enough.’
I had to gather more. The more internal energy one had, the better.
Through continued training, the Four Steps of the Wind God had made considerable progress. A day would come when I encountered a wall, but now, in the early stages of training, I felt as though my skill improved every time I unfolded it.
The more I used the Four Steps of the Wind God, the more I was swept up by a desire to fight. The Four Steps of the Wind God constantly provoked my fighting spirit.
—Endure it. The moment will come when you can reveal yourself to the world to your heart’s content.
Just as I finished running through the forms of the Four Steps of the Wind God, someone spoke from behind me.
“Your internal energy has increased again.”
Startled, I turned around to find Father standing there.
“You truly are like a ghost.”
Coming up behind me without a trace, and knowing my internal energy had increased just from watching my forms.
I spoke honestly.
“I obtained the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.”
It was a major incident if anything was, but Father was not particularly surprised.
“Why aren’t you surprised?”
“Did you not say there was something to be gained from him?”
“It was none other than the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill.”
“I knew that the Blade Demon had the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill.”
I was shocked. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon surely had not told anyone about that.
“How did you know?”
Then, something even more shocking than the fact that he had known came out.
“Because I gave it to him long ago.”
“Good heavens! You gave that to him, Father?”
Suddenly, I recalled the Blood Heaven Blade Demon drawing a line on the floor while claiming that he was closer to Father than I was. This made it certain that the two of them had once been on very good terms.
“What did you wager in your bet with him?”
“I wagered myself.”
“The Blade Demon made quite the losing bargain.”
“My business begins now. I intend to overcharge the Eight Demon Venerables properly.”
In the past, Father would have said a word about me spouting nonsense, but now he said nothing.
“Why are you just listening?”
“Because I thought you might actually be able to do it.”
“So you finally recognize my true worth.”
“Why do you hate the Demon Venerables so much?”
“When I look at them, I hear this hallucination. Hey, you want to become the Heavenly Demon, don’t you? But what a shame. You can only become the Heavenly Demon if we back you. Shall I become your patron? Do you want that? Then try to please me.”
“Is that not a persecution complex?”
“It might be. In any case, I dislike it.”
I had no intention of fighting this battle alone. It was a fight I would undertake with Father, so at least regarding the Eight Demon Venerables, I told him my honest feelings. I did not know about my relationships with others, but my relationship with Father, at least, could not be allowed to become twisted.
“Train.”
As Father turned away, I expressed my gratitude.
“Thank you for appointing Jangho as Demon Army Lord.”
“It was not because of you. It was because two Demon Venerables recommended him.”
I called out to Father once more.
“Father.”
Without turning around, Father answered.
“What is it?”
“I am going to become happy.”
For an instant, I felt Father’s back tremble faintly. It must have been an unexpected thing to say.
“I believe that only if I am happy can the people around me be happy, and the cult be happy as well.”
Before Father could say anything, I beat him to it.
“It’s exactly the kind of cheap sentiment that gets a person killed, isn’t it?”
“As long as you know.”
As Father was about to open the door and leave, he added one more thing.
“If you intend to walk this path, do not even think of happiness.”
Before Father could close the door, I said loudly,
“I refuse. Even while walking that path, I will definitely be happy.”
The door shut with a thud, as though saying it was an absurd dream.
I understood why Father felt repulsed by the word happiness. Both Father and I had lived lives far removed from happiness.
We had considered happiness a refuge for losers.
But Father, having lived once already, I found that living while feeling happiness is just as difficult as striving to achieve one’s goal.
……No, perhaps it may be even more difficult than a life spent only running toward success. We may have fled into success instead, Father.
* * *
Indeed, the One Flower Sword Venerable was different from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Since she had helped make Jangho the Demon Army Lord, one might expect her to come running at once and make a show of her contribution, but there was no word from the One Flower Sword Venerable at all.
‘It means she wants me to come find her.’
Just from this alone, I could tell that she valued face and honor. On the other hand, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was a man who put his own feelings first. If he got angry, he had to come charging over and roar before he felt satisfied.
I bought a good bottle of liquor and went to see the One Flower Sword Venerable.
The One Flower Sword Venerable was tending the flower garden in the yard of her thatched cottage.
“The flowers are truly beautiful.”
“There is a saying that flowers become beautiful when one grows old. Though for our Second Young Master, that is still a distant matter.”
She probably did not know that once one grew even older, even that became bothersome.
“I sincerely thank you for helping me this time. I brought some liquor as a token of my gratitude.”
“I appreciate the gift, but I do not touch liquor. I gave it up long ago.”
“Ah, is that so? I apologize.”
“It is all right.”
In truth, I already knew that, but I had deliberately bought liquor. It was to avoid giving the impression that I understood her too well. One might wonder if it was necessary to go this far, but one had to do what one could. Small things gathered together to form relationships.
“I was taught that if one receives help, one must repay it. Is there anything you desire?”
Still tending the flowers, she spoke in a gentle tone.
“It would be best for you to sever your ties with the Blade Demon.”
As expected, just as the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had predicted, she presented this as her price.
“May I ask the reason?”
“Because the Blade Demon is far removed from the ideals the Second Young Master pursues.”
“Forgive my impertinence, but do you know what my ideals are?”
“I hear you said you would change the cult into a place with strict order and discipline. The Blade Demon hates being bound by rules more than anyone. There will be many clashes between you and him.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable likely thought her persuasion would work. She had overflowing pride in herself. In particular, she considered herself a far better person than the Blade Demon, beyond comparison.
“I am sorry, but I do not think I can follow your words, Senior.”
For an instant, her figure flinched.
“Why not?”
“Because the Blade Demon gave me an exceedingly great gift.”
Normally, I would not have gone out of my way to mention the gift. But I intended to let slip to her that I had received the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill.
Along with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, I intended to make the One Flower Sword Venerable my person as well.
The two of them had an atrociously bad relationship, which might, on the contrary, make them easier to handle. Above all, because their emotions would burst out in one way or another, I would be able to learn what sort of people they were more quickly and more clearly.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon as the Left Envoy, and the One Flower Sword Venerable as the Right Envoy.
They would become the strongest Left Envoy and Right Envoy in the history of the murim, the Left Blade and Right Sword. I intended to place these two at my left and right, then seize the rest of the Eight Demon Venerables by the hair and shake them.
“What gift was it?”
“It was a personal gift, so it is difficult to say.”
“I thought our relationship had reached the point where we could at least share that much conversation. Was I mistaken?”
“Ah, this is troubling.”
I pretended to hesitate for a moment, then spoke to her in a tone of helplessness.
“Since the Sword Venerable bestowed great grace upon me this time, I will tell you. The elder gave me the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill.”
“What did you say?”
She stopped tending the flowers and turned toward me. The composure and lofty air she had shown until just now shattered in an instant.
“Are you saying he truly gave the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill to the Second Young Master?”
It seemed the One Flower Sword Venerable found it utterly difficult to believe that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had given me the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill. She was more surprised than I had expected.
“Where is that divine pill now?”
“I have already taken it. But why are you so surprised?”
“The Blade Demon is originally a greedy man. How could I not be surprised that he gave something so precious to the Second Young Master?”
“It seems he judged me to be more precious than the divine pill.”
I had tossed it out like a joke, but the One Flower Sword Venerable did not laugh. Because she must have thought it was actually so.
“Thank you for helping me this time. If you ever need my help, please send word. Then I will see you next time.”
After I gave a polite farewell and was about to leave, the Sword Venerable called me quietly.
“Second Young Master.”
When I turned back to her, the One Flower Sword Venerable said,
“What kind of person is the Blade Demon, as the Second Young Master sees him?”
“Eccentric, violent, and willful. At first I disliked him, but the more I met him, the more tolerable he became.”
“Not because he gave you the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill?”
“I cannot deny it. Who would not be pleased? It is the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill.”
“It is merely a spiritual medicine.”
“That mere spiritual medicine was something I desperately needed.”
She tried by any means to sever the relationship between the Blade Demon and me.
“If you wish to receive my help in the future as well, cut your ties with the Blade Demon. The Blade Demon is not the one.”
“Then prove it.”
“Prove what?”
I gazed at her for a moment, then said,
“That you, Senior, are of more help to me than the Blade Demon.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Was all that talk about establishing discipline in the cult and setting justice upright nothing but nonsense?”
“The Blade Demon gave me the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill. If I am to sever my relationship with him, I will need a justification as well.”
“Is the ideal of serving the cult not justification enough?”
I gave a conspicuous snort.
“Dreams, ideals, loyalty…… I despise people who try to gain the hearts of their subordinates or juniors for free with such things.”
In that moment, the Sword Venerable became angry, and I was able to see her true face.
Her eyes, revealed as they sank coldly, were desolate.
Her pupils felt like a barren desert.
If I had seen blazing flames in the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s eyes, then from the One Flower Sword Venerable, I felt a terrible thirst. Because it was a change from her gentle appearance, that desolation came across even more intensely.
Speaking in terms of the outcome…… I felt I now knew for certain.
After she was sealed away by Hwa Mugi, why she had moved first. Why her ambition had been more hasty than that of the other Eight Demon Venerables. Because she must have had to fill that desolation with something—anything.
Normally, I would have hung the whip I had swung back on the wall and begun slicing the carrot, but I did not.
“I do not know what Senior thinks of me, but I am preparing for a great undertaking. In the future, I will have to meet many people, and I will have to make many decisions. I do not have confidence that I will accurately judge what is right and wrong every time. So show me something I can judge easily.”
With that, I held out my hand to her.
“Place in this hand something more precious than the Heaven-Beyond Divine Pill the Blade Demon gave me.”
The Blade Demon is not the one? Not at all. It has to be the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. That is why you are wavering like this. That is why you are asking such a question.
“Second Young Master, what is it that you want?”
I folded back the palm I had extended to her. I did not ask her to help me. It was not yet time.
“No, there is nothing right now.”
To her, it would sound like this.
I already have the Blade Demon, so I am fine.
Because I said there was nothing I wanted, she would grow even more anxious. If I had instead demanded that she hand something over, she would have responded rationally.
“Then I will see you again next time. I will not forget the grace you showed me this time.”
After giving a courteous bow, I left the thatched cottage.
When I had walked for quite some time and looked back, she was standing there, staring at me.
Toward that blazing gaze, I bowed my head once more before moving on.
Yes, boil and seethe like that.
After all, cooking only begins once the water boils.