“Why has it gotten so quiet outside?”
At Songi’s words, Jo Chunbae turned his head.
Stir-frying, boiling, and grilling.
He had been wrestling with the dishes in the kitchen. Worried they might be late, worried they might not taste good, he had quite literally been pouring all his strength into cooking.
Jo Chunbae carefully poked his head out of the kitchen. The first floor, which had been noisy and bustling, had fallen silent, and everyone was looking up at the second floor.
Jo Chunbae came out of the kitchen as well and looked up at the second floor.
Astonishingly, the Sado Alliance Leader was leaving words on the wall.
‘Huk!’
Jo Chunbae clapped a hand over his mouth.
He couldn’t see what had been written, but above the words the Sado Alliance Leader was writing, there were other words already left there. They had to be the words left by the Murim Alliance Leader.
‘Ah!’
Jo Chunbae was so shocked and excited that his legs trembled. He had thought there would be nothing left to surprise him. Today, Jo Chunbae’s heart was growing stronger.
Meanwhile, Bi Sain, who had seen the words his master left on the wall, lowered his head deeply as if embarrassed. But there was a smile at the corners of his mouth.
They were words left at the tripartite talks, so they would become a topic of conversation throughout murim. They might even be passed down as history for a very long time.
There was no way his master did not know that, yet he had mentioned him. Even in this moment, his master was making him—not Geom Mugeuk, not Jin Hagun—the main character.
After leaving the words, the Murim Alliance Leader and the Sado Alliance Leader came downstairs. Behind them, the Heavenly Demon and the successors came down together. The sight of them descending the stairs was engraved deep in Jo Chunbae’s heart. To him, every scene taking place here was moving.
The experts downstairs did not know exactly what words had been exchanged above. That was because Geom Ujin had prevented their voices from leaking outside before the conversation began.
But judging from the expressions of the three leaders, and from the fact that they had even left words on the wall before coming down, they could guess that this historic meeting had ended successfully.
As Jin Paecheon was about to go outside, he smiled at Jo Chunbae, who was standing in front of the kitchen, and said,
“The liquor and the food were both delicious.”
The words “Oh my, thank you” came out of Jo Chunbae’s mouth on their own. Normally, he would have run over and bowed, but he could not do that in the presence of the Heavenly Demon. From in front of the kitchen, he bent at the waist to express his gratitude.
As Jin Paecheon walked out, Jin Hagun and Jin Haryeong followed behind him, and behind them again, the experts of the orthodox faction spread out to the left and right as they followed. As if they had never been drinking and making noise, they followed their Alliance Leader quietly and with discipline.
Before they left, there was also one incident known only to those involved.
The Tae-eul Divine Sword glared once more at the Ilhwa Sword Venerable to the very end, and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable likewise did not avoid that gaze until the last.
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon, who was beside her, sent a voice transmission to the Tae-eul Divine Sword instead of saying to the Ilhwa Sword Venerable, “So young, so young.”
—Stop glaring now.
The Tae-eul Divine Sword glared at the Blood Heaven Saber Demon. Far from being frightened, another cold remark flew at him.
—Before I gouge out your eyes.
The Tae-eul Divine Sword was taken aback, never having expected the Blood Heaven Saber Demon to hurl such a crude insult. He could not flare up either. Judging from that savage force glaring at him, if he reacted, it seemed the man would immediately shout for them to fight.
Leaving aside whether he would win or lose in a fight with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, after a successful meeting had ended and the Cult Leader and Alliance Leader had even exchanged farewells, there was no way they could start a fight.
‘He knows that, and that’s why he’s doing this.’
The Tae-eul Divine Sword, who had been glaring at the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, abruptly turned his head away.
‘These damned Demonic Cult bastards, every last one of them!’
Truly, when it came to the Demonic Cult, he was sick to death of them.
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable asked the Blood Heaven Saber Demon through voice transmission.
—What did you say to him?
—I politely told him to stop staring.
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable thought there was no way that was true. His earlier reaction had not been a reaction to polite words.
—Thank you, friend.
When the Blood Heaven Saber Demon looked at her with an incredulous expression, she replied,
—We’re the same age now, aren’t we?
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon smiled faintly. At the very least, his response to the Tae-eul Divine Sword just now had suited the words, “If only I were ten years younger!” The curse he had actually spat out was something he would have said only when he had been some forty years younger. If it had not been a matter involving the Ilhwa Sword Venerable, he never would have done it.
Next, the unorthodox faction left.
Before leaving, Baek Jagang glanced once at Geom Ujin and Geom Mugeuk.
‘Let’s see how things look on harvest day.’
In the battle of raising one’s children, if the seed on this side was Bi Sain, he thought it was worth trying.
Baek Jagang also went outside. Behind him, the experts of the unorthodox faction spread out and moved on.
After seeing off all the experts of the orthodox and unorthodox factions, Geom Ujin was the last to leave. Geom Muyang and the Eight Demon Venerables followed behind him, spreading out like wings.
And so everyone left that place, and the last people remaining in the Pungryu Tavern were Jo Chunbae and Geom Mugeuk.
Ah, there was one more person.
“Songi. You worked hard today.”
He paid Songi, who had been working in the kitchen, and sent her off. Since there had been a lot of work today, he gave her double the usual pay as a special gesture and packed up a great heap of the leftover food from the kitchen for her.
“Thank you! Elder, you should rest early too.”
Once even Songi had left, only Geom Mugeuk and Jo Chunbae remained there.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Jo Chunbae with gentle eyes.
“You truly worked hard.”
“Ah, it feels like a dream.”
Jo Chunbae plopped down into a seat. Then he sprang to his feet.
“May I go up to the second floor for a moment?”
“Let’s go together.”
Jo Chunbae stood before the wall on the second floor, overwhelmed.
“I never thought a day like this would come.”
On the wall of his tavern, the Heavenly Demon, the Murim Alliance Leader, and the Sado Alliance Leader had all left words behind. There was probably no tavern in the world like this one. There had never been one until now, and there would not be one in the future either.
At the same time, Jo Chunbae grew afraid.
“I am frightened.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“What if this wall is damaged?”
Just imagining it filled him with terror, and Jo Chunbae trembled all over. What if he came in the morning and someone had scribbled on the wall? What if someone broke the wall? What if someone stole the entire wall?
Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“It would make them the enemy of the Demonic, Orthodox, and Unorthodox factions. Who would dare do such a thing? Even if they tore that wall off and stole it, where would they sell it?”
Geom Mugeuk knew that such words would not completely reassure Jo Chunbae. He would go on fretting anxiously the whole time.
“Even if such a thing were to happen, that too would have its own meaning.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“On such-and-such a day, at such-and-such an hour, someone damaged the wall for this or that reason and disappeared. I mean that would also become a moment in history. Perhaps it might even become an even more interesting piece of history.”
Jo Chunbae truly had not expected Geom Mugeuk to say such a thing.
“All the owner needs to do is remember this moment. Then this event will remain forever. Look. Among the people whose words remain on that wall, is there anyone who would get angry because the wall was damaged? They would probably come back and write something again before leaving.”
It was the moment the heavy boulder that had been weighing on Jo Chunbae’s chest was set down on the floor.
“So let us remember this moment well in our hearts.”
“Yes, Young Cult Leader.”
How could someone so young be so thoughtful? No matter how much Jo Chunbae thought about it, he could not understand.
“May I offer you a cup of wine?”
“That sounds good. I shall accept a cup from the owner.”
Jo Chunbae respectfully poured wine for Geom Mugeuk.
“As expected! The wine our owner gives me tastes the best.”
After drinking it down refreshingly, Geom Mugeuk picked up the wine bottle.
“Please accept a cup from me as well.”
He filled Jo Chunbae’s cup to the brim.
After receiving the wine respectfully, Jo Chunbae emptied the cup.
Only after drinking that wine could he finally feel that the greatest event in his life as a tavern owner had come to an end.
And Jo Chunbae saw it. The sight of Geom Mugeuk sitting quietly, looking at the street outside the tavern.
It was a quiet side of him, different from when he was laughing and joking. Jo Chunbae now knew. That calm appearance, tinged with loneliness, was the Young Cult Leader’s true self.
“Owner, then I shall be going now.”
Jo Chunbae could not think of what words he should use to bid him farewell. How should he convey this immense gratitude? And so he gave the greeting he always gave to the guests of his tavern.
“Guest, please come again!”
How could Geom Mugeuk not understand his heart? Geom Mugeuk matched the rhythm of that feeling and greeted him like a regular customer.
“Sell plenty, owner.”
When Geom Mugeuk left the tavern, the people of the marketplace who had been holding their breath until then could be seen entering the tavern. Perhaps tonight, Jo Chunbae’s boasting would continue until late. He would probably not even let them cough in front of that wall. As long as those people were alive, the wall too would live.
* * *
After returning to the main sect, I headed straight for the Cult Leader’s Hall.
It was to see the protagonist of today’s meeting. Father, who had led the tripartite talks to success, was not in the Cult Leader’s Hall.
“He told me to bring you to him when you arrived, Young Cult Leader.”
The place Hui, the guard, led me to was the hot spring reserved for the Cult Leader, located behind Father’s residence. Normally, he did not let me come this far, but for some reason, he allowed me in today.
Father was soaking in the hot spring, from which steam rose in wisps.
“A bath with Father after so long! How wonderful!”
Just as I was about to take off my clothes, Father held out his hand. The open front of my clothes closed again, and I was pushed backward by his void-seizing force.
“That is too much! Please let me in too!”
Father firmly shook his head.
“You put some elixir in that water, didn’t you? If you soak in it, your skin becomes as strong as steel and all that, right? That’s why you’re doing it alone, isn’t it?”
Father slowly closed his eyes and said,
“It is ordinary water. It has been passed down from long ago.”
“Then shouldn’t you at least add some elixir to it? It is a place where the Heavenly Demon soaks his body.”
“You buy some and put it in, then.”
“Anything is best in its natural state.”
Fine. No matter how much my father had changed, he was still not the type to bathe together with me. Letting me come this far alone was a great change.
“Then I’ll at least enjoy some of the steam here.”
I sat down in front of the hot spring.
“How was it, meeting the Murim Alliance Leader and the Sado Alliance Leader?”
“They were the same as ever.”
Even without saying it, he must have seen things I could not. To Father, they must have held another meaning.
Father, who had been silently gazing at me, spoke quietly.
“You look tired.”
At that one sentence, I felt the tension that had kept my heart stiff all day melt away.
As expected! Father noticed.
I was tired. Truly tired.
I had danced, laughed, and joked, but from the beginning of the meeting to the end, I had been tense.
In case they might be plotting something at this meeting, I had kept every nerve on edge. Even though Father was there, and even though the Murim Alliance Leader and the Sado Alliance Leader were there, because of that, I was even more on edge. Schemes were originally the sort of thing that dug into precisely that kind of carelessness.
Fortunately, this meeting ended without anything happening.
The fact that our enemies did not make a half-baked attempt was, rather, because they were strong. They had made the proper judgment. The precise calculation that if they schemed while we were gathered like this, they themselves would ultimately suffer losses.
If we directly experienced an external enemy while the Demonic, Orthodox, and Unorthodox factions were all gathered together, it would only result in making our side unite even more.
“It seems I was more worried than I realized.”
Father nodded.
“Will you not tell me I worked hard?”
“You worked hard.”
“It was praise I only got by poking Father in the side, but it still feels good.”
I looked around the hot spring.
“I remember coming in here.”
In that instant, the corners of Father’s eyes trembled slightly. The steam obscured my vision, but with the Divine Eye Art, I could see Father’s expression beyond the steam clearly.
“I remember crying because it was hot. Father carried me in. I remember my brother too. He was sitting in front of us with an expression that said it wasn’t hot at all. Now that I think about it, even when he was that young, he wanted to look good in front of Father.”
“Even after becoming a successor, you still curse your brother behind his back whenever he is not here.”
“You saw how impressive he was earlier, didn’t you? He’s a brother I can’t afford to be careless around.”
How could those words be meant to curse my brother? Father surely knew as well that I had brought it up because I wanted to say how impressive my brother had looked earlier.
After a brief pause, I spoke respectfully to Father.
“Thank you, Father.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
My Demonic Way is blocking Father’s Demonic Way. He must have confirmed that once again today. It must certainly bother him and get on his nerves. Yet Father shows no sign of it at all.
After a brief pause, Father spoke.
“You must be tired. Go and rest.”
“Yes, Father. Please rest as well.”
Of course, I didn’t simply leave.
Splash.
After playfully splashing water at Father, I ran away.
Of course, not a single drop of that flying water would have reached him.
Next time, I’ll scrub your back for you, Father.
Though I don’t know if that day will ever come.
* * *
When I returned to my quarters, I used the Space-Time Shift Technique to create a second space of my own.
If the first place was a beach with blue skies and sea, this space was a snowy plain blanketed in fresh white snow in every direction. There, I created a small hot spring. Seeing Father’s hot spring had piqued my interest.
This place had only two things.
Snow and stars.
It was a place where only white snow and the stars of the night sky could be seen.
“What do you think, Father? Isn’t this place more elegant?”
After undressing and folding my clothes neatly, I placed Bigwe on top.
Then I immersed myself in the steaming hot spring.
“Ah! This is great!”
Looking up at the night sky where stars seemed to cascade down, I sat there feeling all my fatigue melting away.
Only then did I truly feel that the negotiations had ended. While the others’ negotiations had ended earlier, my own had only just ended now.
After speaking with Jo Chunbae, meeting Father, and confirming that everyone had passed a safe day—only then had today’s negotiations truly ended.
A pleasant sense of relief washed over me. The weariness that came with it mixed with the warm water, and instead I felt even better.
Plunge.
I submerged my head deep into the water and let myself sink completely.
Above the water, the stars of the night sky swayed as if dancing.
This time alone was wonderful. If you truly respect someone, you must respect their time alone, and right now I was freely respecting myself.
Ah, but I’m not alone right now.
After lifting my head above the water, I playfully spoke to Bigwe.
“Are you cold? Want to come in too?”
Thanks to him, I had already absorbed Heukjeong and Cheongjeong. I had no idea how many more I needed to absorb for my qi to reach completion.
If it were anyone else, they would have devoted all their attention to uncovering the secrets of Bigwe or the qi absorbed into their body, but I was relaxed.
Since it had been that way from the start, I left it to fate’s guidance. I was simply traveling along like a friend. Still, I was curious sometimes.
“How many qi do you have left to absorb?”
Bigwe was not one to answer.
“You don’t actually know either, do you?”
Bigwe simply smiled brightly, as always.