The next day, news that the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had died struck the cult.
Many people had died of late, but the death of a Demon Venerable was an entirely different matter. An emergency was declared within the cult, and a full-scale investigation began.
The ones dispatched to investigate the incident were our Hwangcheon Pavilion. Given the gravity of the matter, every special investigator and twenty enforcement martial artists went to Seohwanjin.
In front of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s residence, his disciples and ghost-arts practitioners had taken up positions.
“You cannot enter.”
They absolutely refused to let us in. They were flustered and had no idea how to handle the situation. Until the other Demon Venerables made some decision, their first instinct was to block our entry.
I did not bother clashing with them.
“Very well. Then at least let Elder Demon Physician in. The corpse must be treated so it does not decay, and shouldn’t the precise cause of death be determined?”
The Demon Physician was known as a politically neutral figure, and since every member of the cult trusted and respected him, they did not refuse that suggestion.
After a long and meticulous examination, the Demon Physician came out and spoke to me and to the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s disciples.
“It appears he died after excessively releasing his internal energy on his own, causing severe damage to his heart and the blood vessels throughout his body. There are no traces of intrusion or combat nearby, and he was not poisoned by any deadly toxin, so it seems he died after falling into qi deviation.”
At those words, the disciples sighed in grief, while I rejoiced inwardly.
Now that the words qi deviation had come from the Demon Physician’s mouth, we could avoid having to search for a culprit.
On the way out of Seohwanjin and toward the Heavenly Demon Hall to report, Seo Daeryong asked cautiously.
“……It wasn’t, right?”
“What wasn’t?”
“You know. That.”
Perhaps he could not bring himself to say it aloud, because Seo Daeryong sent a sound transmission.
—Pavilion Lord, you didn’t kill the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, did you?
—Why? Do you think I killed him?
—……Yesterday, you brought that child to me, didn’t you? The child who nearly became a sacrifice to the Mind-Soul Grand Art.
And that was not all. Two months ago, when we left the cult, he had told me I had the look in my eyes of someone trying to make the impossible possible. Now that impossibility had become possible and appeared as reality.
—Do you really want to know?
—No, no! I would rather not know. I’ll return ahead of you.
Seo Daeryong turned his steps toward Hwangcheon Pavilion and walked away.
In the distance, the Heavenly Demon Hall came into view.
How would Father react?
* * *
I slowly moved my feet along the Path of Blood.
As always, Father was seated in the grand preceptor’s chair. Today, the Chief Strategist, Sama Myeong, was with him as well.
After I greeted the two of them, Sama Myeong asked me,
“Second Young Master, how was your trip outside the cult?”
“The work was just an excuse. I had a good time.”
“You look even better than before.”
“Strategist, you should stop working all the time and get some fresh air. Slack off a little.”
“The one day I decide to play after a lifetime of not doing so is usually the day our enemies invade.”
At Sama Myeong’s joke, we smiled together.
After finishing our greetings with such light banter, I reported on the death of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
“The Demon Physician concluded that it was qi deviation.”
At my words, Father and Sama Myeong said nothing for a moment. I could feel it. Neither of them believed the result. What were the odds that someone who was a Demon Venerable would suddenly fall into qi deviation and die?
So I struck first.
“It is hard to believe that someone of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s caliber fell to qi deviation. There is also the possibility that he was murdered by someone.”
“That possibility exists.”
“Hwangcheon Pavilion will investigate the incident.”
“This matter will be investigated by the Demon Venerables.”
“Not by us?”
“By tradition, the Heavenly Demon Hall cannot intervene in matters concerning the death of a Demon Venerable. We have no choice but to watch everything unfold.”
“Well, if that is the case, I will not step forward. It is easier and better for us.”
After we exchanged a few more words regarding this incident, Sama Myeong naturally excused himself.
Once Sama Myeong had withdrawn, Father asked bluntly,
“How did you kill him?”
“What do you mean?”
“How did you kill Seophon?”
Father’s emotion was not anger, but curiosity. He was not someone who lingered over the dead. He was probably thinking something like this:
How on earth did this brat kill Seophon? And with qi deviation as the cause of death, no less.
“At times like this, I would like to give you a suitably impressive answer. That I did this and that, and killed him in such a way. But you are overestimating me. No matter how talented I may be, I am not so extraordinary that I could make the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable fall into qi deviation and die.”
In truth, I wanted to be honest with Father.
But there was no way to explain how I had obtained the Blood-Eye Essence. At least the fact that the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had fallen into qi deviation and died was truly fortunate.
If he had died in battle rather than from qi deviation, they would have thoroughly analyzed the cause of death and tried first to determine who had killed him. In that case, I would have had to bury the corpse somewhere. At any rate, it would have been far more troublesome than it was now in many ways.
“Yesterday, I drank with Elder Blade Demon all night. He can vouch for my whereabouts.”
But Father snorted.
“Did the two of you go together and kill him?”
“No. Absolutely not. Father, this was heaven’s punishment. The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable was a monster who dug out people’s hearts while they were still alive.”
In any case, Father believed I had killed him.
Even so, there was another reason I did not tell the truth.
It was a truth that would burden Father. It would put him in a position where he knew I had killed a Demon Venerable and still had to turn a blind eye.
After looking down at me in silence for a moment, Father suddenly said,
“Now that Seophon is dead, even the Demon Venerables who had been keeping quiet will move.”
The Eight Demon Venerables were bound together in life and death. The death of one meant a threat to them all. Just as Father suspected me, they too might suspect me.
I looked at Father and said calmly,
“I only hope that another monster does not emerge in the process.”
* * *
After leaving the Heavenly Demon Hall, the place I went to was the Northern Heaven Sword Clan.
The one who received me was Sa Ujong.
“Welcome, Second Young Master.”
He greeted me with a brighter expression than usual.
‘Sa Ujong, Sa Ujong. Do you know that, strictly speaking, you were the one who killed the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable?’
If he had not drawn in the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, I would never have learned about the Mind-Soul Grand Art.
The person most shocked and flustered by this situation would be Sa Ujong himself. I should have died, yet the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had died instead.
After guiding me to the thatched cottage, he bowed politely and turned away.
“Then please speak at your leisure.”
He was certainly not a good man, but that did not mean I could punish him for having drawn in the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
I intended to pretend not to know and keep an eye on him, then use him in turn if an opportunity arose.
“Welcome, Second Young Master.”
In the past, the One Blossom Sword Venerable had not even looked back at me and had only tended to her flower garden. Now, she greeted me gladly.
“Have you been well?”
“I heard you left the cult. Did your trip go well?”
“Yes. I got some fresh air and returned.”
“Every time I see you, Second Young Master, you have advanced by leaps and bounds.”
“Do I seem different?”
Was it because of our three-day bout? She was certainly sensitive to changes in me.
“So much so that I feel the urge to request a bout with you right away.”
“Let us arrange one soon.”
“Good. You are welcome anytime.”
I held out what I had brought for her.
“This is a modest gift for you, Senior.”
What I had brought were seeds that were difficult to obtain in this region.
“I brought them because I heard they bloom into flowers with a fine fragrance.”
“Oh, this is the first time in my life I have received seeds as a gift.”
“It is my first time giving them as well.”
“Thank you. I will raise them well. Now, come in and have some tea.”
For the first time, I entered her home.
The place was elegantly furnished and smelled pleasant.
“Your home is cozy and nice.”
“Nice? It is nothing special, just a place where an old woman lives alone.”
“Old? Walk down the streets of Hangzhou with me just once. Men would probably come up every ten steps and try to coax you into drinking with them.”
“What nonsense!”
Though she waved her hand dismissively, she could not hide her smile. She was weaker to compliments like this than to praise of her outstanding swordsmanship.
“Let us go sometime. Together with Elder Blade Demon.”
At the mention of the Blade Demon, her expression stiffened slightly. She still had a poor relationship with him. She simply tried not to show it as much as possible because I was between them. Reconciling her with the Blade Demon was still no easy task.
She naturally changed the subject.
“Did you hear that the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable died?”
“Yes, I heard.”
“In that death…… were you involved?”
As she said that, she stared intently at me.
At that moment, her gaze was cold. Apart from the goodwill she held toward me, the death of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable was something that put the other Demon Venerables on edge.
The awareness that if one fell, all might fall was their rule of survival, passed down for a very long time.
“The Demon Physician concluded that he died from qi deviation.”
“Not a single Demon Venerable will believe that.”
“Even so, it was not me.”
At my firm words, the One Blossom Sword Venerable withdrew the suspicion from her eyes, but I could not know whether she had withdrawn it from her heart as well.
“Why did you think it was me?”
It was probably because of our bout. She knew my skill was nearly equal to hers.
“Because the lake is rippling from the waves you have caused. Ah, you said you preferred the stormy sea to a lake, did you not? The moment you immersed yourself in it, the once-peaceful lake had already become the sea. The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable was the first to drown in that sea.”
“I am someone who fishes in that sea. I do not push people in and drown them.”
“That may be true. You did fish up the Blade Demon, after all.”
“Would you be difficult, Senior?”
“It might be possible if you released the fish you have already caught. I do not wish to enter the net where the Blade Demon is being held.”
I smiled faintly, and she did not smile.
“You can never know how matters between people will turn out. The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable was a man who treasured and protected himself so fiercely…… Yet to think he would be the first to die like this.”
“Seohwanjin will be in turmoil for the time being.”
“There will be a fight over succession.”
When a Demon Venerable died, a successor inherited the position, and if four of the remaining seven Demon Venerables acknowledged that person, they became the successor.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had five disciples. Since he had died without formally choosing a successor, the most outstanding among those five would inherit the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s position.
“Whom do you support?”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“If possible, would it not be better for someone on our side to take over?”
“Our side?”
“Yes, our side. We are sparring friends, after all.”
I struck first before she could think of the Blade Demon.
Perhaps the phrase sparring friends amused her, for only then did she smile faintly.
“I can share the same purpose as a sparring friend.”
After exchanging a few more words with her, I took my leave.
“I will be going now for today.”
“Thank you for coming despite being busy.”
The One Blossom Sword Venerable followed me out to the yard.
“Second Young Master. When you fish, some fish are caught easily, while others hold fast beneath the water. But be careful. Some fish may leap out and attack the fisherman, and some may even overturn the boat.”
In short, she was telling me to beware of the other Eight Demon Venerables, aside from the Blade Demon and herself.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“And do not forget. I am not yet a fish that has been caught.”
“The fact that you offer me such advice—does that not mean you are half caught already?”
The One Blossom Sword Venerable did not seem particularly offended by the notion that she was half caught. Perhaps she herself acknowledged that it was exactly to that extent.
“Then please take care until we meet again.”
After leaving the thatched cottage and walking a short distance, I looked back to see her in the yard, planting the seeds I had given her in the soil. It felt like only yesterday she had glared at me fiercely, and already we had come to have such a relationship.
She was right. You truly never knew how matters between people would turn out.
As Father and the One Blossom Sword Venerable had warned, the very same day, the seven Demon Venerables held a meeting.
It was a special meeting arranged because of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s death. Since it was a meeting attended only by the Demon Venerables, not even Father knew what they discussed.
On the night of the meeting, the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon came to see me. His expression was not good.
“Do you have any liquor?”