The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable arrived at the appointed place.
Because she was to meet Geom Mugeuk, she had arrived earlier than the agreed time.
On the riverside, the guard warriors of the Heavenly Demon Hall had come out and were setting up tents for the Cult Leader and the Demon Venerables, while also searching the surroundings for any hidden ambushers.
Since it was an event attended by the Cult Leader and the Demon Venerables, they were taking every precaution. Of course, it was also an event that needed no security whatsoever more than any other.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable spotted a Demon Venerable standing by the river, fishing.
Since it was still early, she had naturally thought none of the Demon Venerables would be there yet, but an unexpected person had already arrived.
“Poison King, you’ve come?”
When the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable greeted him respectfully first, the Poison King also lowered his head and accepted her greeting.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable found it unexpected inwardly. Anyone else, perhaps, but the Poison King had come first to practice fishing? He, who seemed the farthest removed from such a sight?
‘Did the Poison King have this side to him?’
As she was thinking that, Geom Mugeuk also arrived.
After exchanging a light greeting with the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, he approached the Poison King first.
“Have you practiced much in the meantime?”
Hearing what he said to the Poison King, the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable understood.
‘Ah, it’s because of the Young Cult Leader.’
Then it made sense. Just as he had made her come out here this early, if not the Young Cult Leader, who in the world could make the Poison King come out early and practice alone? Something must have happened between the two of them that she did not know about.
“How is it? Is my posture all right?”
The Poison King showed Geom Mugeuk the motion of casting the fishing line and reeling it back in.
“Who taught you?”
“The Chief Steward.”
“As expected! Your posture is excellent. But later, when you choose a spot, not here.”
Geom Mugeuk looked around.
“That place over there looks good. Father and Elder Blade Demon will certainly try to take that spot too, so even if you have to poison them, make sure you claim it.”
At that frightening joke, the Poison King nodded with a solemn expression.
Geom Mugeuk spoke quietly so that only the Poison King could hear.
“There is only one antidote for building a good relationship with Father.”
“Winning.”
“No. Winning isn’t an antidote. It may actually become an even stronger poison.”
When the Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk with an expression that asked what it was, then—
“It is the fact itself that you learned fishing in order to grow closer to Father. You must show him that you have learned the eye to recognize a spot like that.”
He had detoxified countless poisons throughout his life, but never before had he worked so hard to find an antidote for human relationships… Ah, no, this was not the first time.
When he had barked like a dog with Geom Mugeuk, and when he had left the Thousand Poisons Forest to go out into the Central Plains, all of it had been efforts to obtain an antidote for relationships. Because of those efforts, this one did not feel unfamiliar.
“Then keep practicing.”
Just as Geom Mugeuk was about to walk over to the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, the Poison King suddenly spoke.
“Did you find your antidote?”
Geom Mugeuk looked back at the Poison King. The antidote the Poison King had told him of was this:
Have you ever asked the Cult Leader about the unified murim he dreams of?
A question that might be the most important of all, even before everything else.
“I intend to ask that question today.”
The Poison King’s gaze deepened as he turned back toward the river.
“No one knows what anyone will catch today.”
Geom Mugeuk watched the river, where the morning sunlight shattered, together with the Poison King.
“I’m more nervous than when I fought the Heavenly Slaughter Star. Poison King, please be on my side.”
The Poison King cast his fishing line into the river again and said,
“Good attempt.”
Geom Mugeuk laughed and went over to the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
“As for you, Soul-Capturing, just go wherever you feel drawn and cast your line. Enjoy the pleasure of your first time fishing.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Though he said that, Geom Mugeuk properly taught her how to fish. From how to bait the hook, to how and where to cast, and at what moment to jerk the rod.
While he was teaching her, the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon arrived. He stood at a distance and watched Geom Mugeuk teaching the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable how to fish.
Then a scene from long ago rose in his mind, as though superimposed over the two of them.
His own image from his youth, teaching the Cult Leader how to fish. Back then, both the Cult Leader and he had been that young.
Seeing that the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon had arrived, Geom Mugeuk greeted him warmly.
“Welcome, Elder!”
The Blood-Heaven Blade Demon spoke with a confident expression.
“Fishing, by its nature, is not something one masters after a day or two of practice.”
He had not brought only one fishing rod.
Shhhhhk.
As if weapons were being unfurled, more than ten fishing rods spread out wide in the air.
Looking up at the fishing rods floating in midair, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“I’m sure every one of these rods has a story behind it.”
As he said that, he subtly brought up words that would boost the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon’s spirits. The incident that must have been the most meaningful in the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon’s fishing life.
“Which rod was it? The one you used when you first taught my father how to fish?”
The Blood-Heaven Blade Demon pointed to the first of the rods floating there.
“This very rod.”
It was a fishing rod he would not sell even for a thousand gold.
“Please say a word for our Poison King and Lady Soul-Capturing, these two novice anglers.”
The Blood-Heaven Blade Demon stroked his chin, wondering what to say, then spoke.
“Even in the murim, aren’t there enemies who are itching to draw their blades? It is the same. You must not be itching to catch something. Fish can sense the tremor of a fishing line like ghosts.”
The Blood-Heaven Blade Demon approached Geom Mugeuk and gestured with his hand as though framing his face.
“And the bait should be this sort of bait.”
“What kind of bait is bait like me?”
But the Poison King and the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable nodded as though they understood without needing it explained.
The Young Cult Leader knew better than anyone what the other party liked. That was why, even knowing his bait was bait, one could not help but bite. In other words, it meant that it was important to use bait the fish liked.
“The fish in this river today may be fellows with no thoughts at all.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, someone behind him spoke.
“As if anyone came today with fewer thoughts than I did.”
The next Demon Venerable to arrive was the Ilhwa Sword Venerable. She wore even more beautiful clothes and makeup than yesterday. At that beautiful sight, the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon opened his eyes wide.
“Today’s first place will be the Sword Venerable.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the fish will swarm in to see your beauty, Sword Venerable.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable smiled brightly.
“As expected! If only for our Young Cult Leader, it was worth getting up early and putting on makeup.”
She, too, had things that came to mind when it came to fishing. Looking at the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon, she said,
“Seeing you holding a fishing rod after so long brings back old memories.”
She had no interest in fishing at all, but there had been a time when the Cult Leader and the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon had gone around fishing for a while.
“Was it that fishing is waiting?”
“That’s right.”
“For someone so quick-tempered, I really don’t understand how you can like fishing so much.”
At her question, the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon answered,
“The feeling of catching a fish itself is good, but sometimes I get that feeling. The world is something that does not go as I will, but at some moment, it feels as though not a fish, but the world itself is being drawn toward me. I fish because I cannot forget that moment.”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable shook her head as though she could not understand at all. She had yet to feel that sensation of pulling in either fish or the world.
At that moment, the Fist Demon arrived. The fishing rod in his huge hand looked as though it might snap at any moment.
“Master, do you like fishing?”
“When I was young, I followed the Cult Leader and tried it a couple of times.”
Imagining the Fist Demon fishing together with his father, it, too, felt like a scene from a painting.
“I have neither talent nor interest in fishing.”
Standing still and waiting until a fish bit the bait did not suit his temperament.
Nor did the sensation of catching a fish move him much. Perhaps it was because he had learned martial arts that mainly used the hands.
“Ah, if there are many beginners, it actually becomes harder.”
At that moment, someone arrived and received Geom Mugeuk’s worry.
“Set your concerns aside. As long as I am here, there will be no room for beginner’s luck to intervene.”
The one who arrived confidently, with a single fishing rod slung over his shoulder, was the Demon Buddha. Considering the Demon Buddha’s talent for gathering medicinal herbs, fishing could not be taken lightly either.
After exchanging greetings with everyone, the Demon Buddha came to Geom Mugeuk and asked quietly,
“You said the Poison King was a fraud? What exactly has changed about him?”
The Poison King was crouching by the riverside, searching for poisonous insects. Once the Demon Venerables had gathered, he had somehow begun showing his usual self again.
Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“I’m telling you, that appearance right now is acting. He’s a great actor!”
The Drunken Demon arrived next. He, too, was on the confident side.
“Have you forgotten that Chwimong Pavilion floats upon a lake? Do you think all I did there was drink?”
The last Demon Venerable to arrive was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. To him, who had not the slightest interest in fishing, Geom Mugeuk gave lavish praise.
“The sight of you holding a fishing rod suits you so well, Smiling Demon.”
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
The Blood-Heaven Blade Demon muttered a word in jealousy.
“What wouldn’t look impressive on him? Even if that man merely stretched out a finger, you would shout that he looked impressive, wouldn’t you?”
“People who look impressive just by stretching out a finger are hardly common in this world, are they? Such people should be told they look impressive.”
The two eyes behind the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s mask smiled brightly.
Since it was a competition hosted by the Cult Leader, no one arrived later than the appointed time. Because it was a competition after a great battle had ended, the atmosphere was softer and better than ever.
But when the eight Demon Venerables gathered in one place, their irrepressible presence made the riverside feel as though it would burst.
At that moment, one of the guard warriors informed everyone.
“The Cult Leader is coming.”
The Demon Venerables solemnly welcomed Geom Ujin. The relaxed atmosphere became taut in an instant.
Geom Ujin slowly walked into that place.
The one who accompanied and attended him, holding his fishing rod, was Geom Muyang.
“Father! Your second son is your son too! You didn’t tell me to come with you!”
The Demon Venerables could realize anew just how extraordinary what Geom Mugeuk had accomplished was.
Originally, this was an impossible sight. At an event like this, if the Cult Leader brought anyone along, it would be the Young Cult Leader. How could he possibly bring the Eldest Young Master, who had been pushed out in the power struggle?
The Young Cult Leader had arrived first and was chatting with the Demon Venerables, while the Eldest Young Master, who had lost out in the power struggle, was entering proudly while attending the Cult Leader.
“We greet the Cult Leader!”
The Demon Venerables greeted him in thunderous voices.
When his father arrived, Geom Mugeuk stepped forward.
“Today, I am also a participant in the competition, but at the same time, I have decided to serve as the host.”
How could there be any objection? He was the only person who could ease an atmosphere that might otherwise stiffen. Even if he said he would not do it, they would have to force him forward.
“Now then, before the fishing competition begins in earnest, the Cult Leader, who has hosted today’s event, will say a few words. Father, please speak.”
Geom Ujin met the eyes of the Demon Venerables one by one. From the ever-reliable Fist Demon to the Poison King, who was always cowed before him.
“You all worked hard fighting those bastards. Think of today as a day to rest at ease, and enjoy yourselves.”
After saying that brief word and stepping back, Geom Ujin suddenly said to Geom Mugeuk,
“You say something too.”
Everyone could tell. This was the moment when the Cult Leader officially acknowledged that the Young Cult Leader’s contribution had been great in bringing this battle safely to an end.
With a face feigning deep emotion, Geom Mugeuk spoke to everyone.
“Standing here in this moving moment, I suddenly recall the first time I saw all of you. First, our Elder Blood-Heaven Blade Demon. When we first met, your temper was so prickly and…”
As the speech threatened to grow long, the Demon Venerables began pretending not to listen. The Blood-Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable looked at each other and conversed, while the Demon Buddha held up his fishing rod and swung it here and there. The Poison King searched the ground for bugs again, and the Drunken Demon discreetly drank the liquor at his waist.
“It was a joke, a joke! You’re all too much! How is it that our cult hasn’t changed at all!”
The gazes of the Demon Venerables, who had played along with the joke, focused on Geom Mugeuk again.
“Thank you. Thanks to all you Demon Venerables, we were able to eliminate all our enemies.”
After first expressing his gratitude, Geom Mugeuk added what he truly wanted to say.
“But I do not think there is any need to place great meaning on that. It was an obvious result, wasn’t it? We are, after all, the people in this murim who are best at killing enemies, aren’t we?”
As all the Demon Venerables smiled, Geom Mugeuk said to everyone what he had long wanted to say.
“An absolute evil that no one else can kill is one we must kill.”
Geom Ujin remembered. Those words his son had spoken to him long ago were the demonic path his son pursued. And his son was still upholding that path.
“I’ve heard that when external enemies disappear, internal crises are bound to come. I’m a man with many worries, so I intend to keep living without letting my guard down. For me, a new battle has already begun.”
How could the Demon Venerables not know what kind of battle that was?
It was the battle between the Demonic Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader, a battle on which the fate of the martial world depended.
That battle was also their battle. After all, it was a fight in which they would have to choose one of the two.
Before the atmosphere could grow heavy, Geom Mugeuk changed the subject.
“Now then, allow me to explain today’s fishing tournament.”
As Geom Mugeuk walked over to the table where the prizes had been placed, he announced the rules of the tournament.
“It goes without saying, but no martial arts may be used in today’s tournament. Revealing your aura is also forbidden. You must compete solely with pure fishing skill. The time limit is from now until the sun sets over that river.”
He had deliberately set the time limit long. So that they could all eat together and catch up on the stories they had missed.
“Now, I will announce the most important part of today’s event. The prize awarded to the winner of this tournament is!”
Geom Mugeuk checked the contents of the prize box.
“Oh! Our father has truly opened his heart today.”
Geom Mugeuk lifted the box and showed everyone what was inside.
“The person who catches the biggest fish today will receive a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. This is the first time in the history of the martial world that a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng has been offered as a prize in a fishing tournament! Now, applause for our Cult Leader!”
The Demon Venerables laughed and applauded. Until now, whenever all the Demon Venerables had gathered, it had always been for something important. This was the first time the atmosphere had ever been this pleasant.
“There is another prize for the winner. Even if it isn’t the biggest fish, the person who catches the most fish will also receive a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng!”
At that, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable asked a question.
“What if someone catches both the biggest fish and the most fish?”
“Naturally, they will receive both roots of Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. In addition, anyone who catches even a single fish will receive one root of Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng as a memento.”
As he said that, Geom Mugeuk glanced sidelong at his father.
“Seeing how lavish the prizes are, I suspect our father intends to sweep them all back into his own hands.”
At those words, one corner of Geom Ujin’s mouth rose, and the smiles of the watching Demon Venerables deepened even further.
Geom Mugeuk raised his fishing rod high and shouted.
“Now, let the First Heavenly Demon Cup Fishing Tournament begin!”