“I made a wager with Father over who would win. The wager is that the winner gets a wish granted.”
When Geom Mugeuk spoke with internal energy behind his voice, everyone heard him. The Demon Supremes all looked over with expressions of interest.
After publicly announcing the wager to the Demon Supremes, Geom Mugeuk said to his father,
“Now, then, in one shichen, we will choose who we think will win.”
Geom Mugeuk added one condition.
“And when we decide whom to choose, let’s not tell each other. We’ll write the names on paper and submit them, then open them once the final winner is decided.”
“Are you worried I’ll change my mind?”
“Would I dare change my word? And there is no way you would change yours, Father.”
“Then why?”
“Let us suppose, for example, that I choose my master.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze naturally turned toward the Fist Demon.
“It may happen. Master might win.”
Staring at the river, the Fist Demon answered bluntly.
“That will not happen.”
There was nothing in the world as dull as this. How long had he even been here, and he was already bored.
Even if he did catch a fish, what was so fun about that? The tug felt good? They only said that because they did not know the taste of striking something with a fist.
If this had not been a competition hosted by the Cult Leader, he would have gone back already.
“If I choose him, how could Master possibly do his best while thinking of Father? Conversely, what if he knows Father chose him?”
The Fist Demon would use every trick he had to win. Apart from his boredom, that much was certain.
Geom Ujin nodded. After all, there were more Demon Supremes who would be mindful of his own gaze.
“Very well. Let us do as you say.”
Acknowledging that his son was at a disadvantage, Geom Ujin readily accepted the proposal.
As Geom Mugeuk returned to his seat, his eyes met Geom Muyang’s.
“Hyung, keep a close eye on who might win too. If you get a feeling about someone, don’t tell Father—quietly tell me.”
Geom Muyang could not understand his younger brother’s intent. That clever fellow would not have made such a wager without thinking.
‘Just what are you planning?’
If their father had not been there, he would have grabbed him by the collar at once, shaken him, and demanded an answer.
As though troubled, Geom Mugeuk clutched his head and walked toward his own place.
“Who should I choose?”
Geom Mugeuk passed his own seat and went over to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Look at this. Even at this fishing spot, after Father, you are the first elder I come to. Do you see?”
“You don’t have to come today. Please, don’t make a racket. Go over there.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was sincere about fishing. Today, he intended to show everyone the skill befitting the Cult Leader’s fishing teacher.
“I’ll stay quietly beside you.”
Geom Mugeuk crouched beside the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Looking at the float drifting on the river, the two continued their conversation in low voices.
“What? Now that you’ve caused trouble, are you worried?”
“I did cause trouble, didn’t I?”
“A major disaster. Why would you wager a wish? The Cult Leader…”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon did not finish his sentence, but Geom Mugeuk could guess what he had been about to say. Everyone knew what his father’s wish was.
“So? Who are you going to choose as the winner?”
“If it were you, Elder, whom would you pick?”
“Me, of course.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled as if he had expected that answer.
“Then I’ll decide on you, Elder.”
Looking down at Geom Mugeuk with an expression that seemed to say, That easily? the Blood Heaven Blade Demon took a step back.
“Don’t choose me. Of course I’ll win, but still, don’t choose me. It’s burdensome. If the Cult Leader’s dream is broken because of me, he is still human; it will weigh on him for a long time. I don’t want to remain that sort of person to him.”
Geom Mugeuk knew well how much the Blood Heaven Blade Demon treasured his relationship with his father.
After silently gazing at the river, Geom Mugeuk suddenly asked,
“Whom do you think Father will choose?”
This time too, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon answered without hesitation.
“The Cult Leader will naturally choose himself.”
Given his father’s personality, that was highly likely. Especially since this fishing competition was a rematch staked on his pride.
“Then you must find someone who can beat the Cult Leader. Excluding me.”
Geom Mugeuk looked around at the Demon Supremes fishing, one by one. Perhaps because it was still early, they were all leisurely watching the river. Geom Mugeuk’s gaze stopped on the Ilhwa Sword Sovereign, who stood beneath the shade of a tree.
“Elder, don’t just stare at the water here. Go talk with the Sword Sovereign and take a walk together.”
“In this important match?”
“That is exactly why she would be even more touched. Ah, even in such an important match, he is trying to spend time with me! Later, when you are dying, will you regret losing a fishing competition? Or will you regret not taking a walk with the Sword Sovereign in this beautiful place?”
“Obviously, losing at fishing. And the Sword Sovereign would probably prefer the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng to a walk too.”
It was just then, as Geom Mugeuk and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed together.
“I caught one!”
At last, someone had caught the first fish. It was an unexpected person.
The one staring in astonishment at the fish flapping at the end of the line was the Soul-Capturing Demon Supreme.
Everyone had thought her spot was not particularly good, yet the first fish had been caught there. And it was a fairly large fish at that.
“Is this the start of an upset?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon answered flatly,
“It’s just a blind fish.”
Geom Mugeuk called out to her.
“Congratulations! That’s the first fish you’ve ever caught in your life, Soul-Capturing Demon Supreme.”
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
With a deeply moved expression, the Soul-Capturing Demon Supreme held up the fish.
Geom Mugeuk did not forget to tease the Demon Buddha.
“Even so, can you stop a beginner’s luck?”
He had been the one to say that, so long as he was here, there would be no such thing as beginner’s luck.
The Demon Buddha looked at Geom Mugeuk with a meaningful smile.
“Do you know the greatest enemy of beginner’s luck?”
“What is it?”
“Time.”
The Demon Buddha once again spoke like an enlightened high monk.
“If you wait patiently, beginner’s luck is bound to end. As it happens, today’s competition will continue until late, will it not?”
The Demon Supremes quietly listened to the two of them talk. It had truly been a long time since they had all gathered like this and shared such a conversation.
Geom Mugeuk did not return to his own seat. This time, he went to visit the Demon Supreme farthest from him. It was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
“If you take off your mask, all the fish will gather here to see that handsome face of yours.”
Inside the mask, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s eyes smiled. The two stood side by side by the river and talked.
The Demon Supremes watching them wondered how the Young Cult Leader had managed to become so close to none other than the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. Once again, they found human relationships impossible to predict.
“Is the Master of Cheonhwaru doing well?”
“Yes. She is happy, saying that at last she can focus on her own work.”
Having been caught up in this affair, she must have neglected matters at Cheonhwaru.
“When I go out to the Central Plains, I should visit and pay my respects.”
“She will be pleased if you come, Young Cult Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk suddenly grew curious. Perhaps the Master of Cheonhwaru knew about his future. Had she received a new prophecy related to the unification of the martial world?
“You intend to take off your mask today.”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon had understood the moment he heard about the wager between the two of them. Today, at this fishing spot, the Young Cult Leader had made his decisive move.
Yes. Perhaps today, when all Eight Demon Supremes were gathered, was the most fitting moment.
“But how did you predict who would take first place?”
He asked because he thought that if Geom Mugeuk had made such a wager, he must certainly have a plan.
“I did not make this wager because I predicted anything.”
“Then why?”
“If I cannot change Father’s mind before the competition ends, I plan to leave it to one last bit of luck.”
It was half joke, half truth.
Whether it was a joke or the truth, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon believed in him.
“You did well. When it comes to luck, Young Cult Leader, you are not one to lose to anyone, are you?”
“I am quite lucky.”
The two looked at each other and smiled.
“If it were you, Smiling Demon, whom would you choose?”
After thinking for a moment, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon chose an unexpected person.
“If it were me, I would choose the Cult Leader.”
“Father?”
“Yes.”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon did not give a reason, and Geom Mugeuk did not press him.
“I’ll come bother you again later.”
As Geom Mugeuk was returning to his place,
“I caught one!”
Someone caught the second fish. This time too, it was an unexpected person. It was the Ilhwa Sword Sovereign. Looking at the fish dangling from the line and flapping, she shook her head.
“You truly are foolish. Of all days, why bite my bait when this is my first time fishing?”
Looking at her, Geom Mugeuk spoke loudly.
“How can one help being drawn to beauty? Congratulations, Sword Sovereign!”
“Thank you.”
Geom Mugeuk went straight to the Demon Buddha.
“What happens when there are many beginners showing their luck? Might even time fail to handle it?”
Knowing that Geom Mugeuk had come to tease him, the Demon Buddha once again became an enlightened high monk.
“So long as beginners are fighting fish, they cannot defeat us. Are we not people who fight our own hearts?”
Geom Mugeuk crouched beside the Demon Buddha.
“When did you go fishing so much?”
“I, too, like time spent alone, just as you do.”
“I wander around a great deal, unlike you, Demon Buddha.”
In this respect, the Demon Buddha was similar to him. He seemed to meet many people and enjoy those meetings, yet he was the sort of person who liked being alone more than anyone.
“What do you think of my choice? In your eyes, Demon Buddha, was it a good choice? Or a doomed one?”
“That will depend on whose name you write.”
“If it were you, Demon Buddha, whose name would you write?”
The Demon Buddha turned his head slightly and looked at Geom Mugeuk.
“Have you not already written it in your heart?”
“No. If I had, I would not have given Father one shichen. I would have asked him to write it immediately.”
“You caused such a major incident with no plan? How like you.”
“You should be saying, ‘How unlike you’!”
After pondering for a moment, the Demon Buddha pointed to one person. Since he had been confident in fishing, Geom Mugeuk had expected him to say himself. But the answer that came from his mouth was the same as the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s.
“If it were me, I would write the Cult Leader’s name.”
“May I ask why?”
After a brief pause, the Demon Buddha answered.
“Because you are not as desperate as the Cult Leader.”
“!”
The Demon Buddha’s gaze turned toward his father. Geom Mugeuk understood. The one who had read his father’s longing for the unification of the martial world most accurately might very well be the Demon Buddha, who had once stood at the forefront in pursuit of power.
“If you thought the Cult Leader merely had a vague desire to unify the martial world, that would be a grave mistake.”
The Demon Buddha was telling him that his father’s longing was far stronger than Geom Mugeuk imagined.
Just then, another fish was caught. The beginners’ luck continued.
This time, the one who pulled it up was the Poison King. His face was full of joy. It was the first time Geom Mugeuk had ever seen the Poison King look so happy about anything.
“Demon Buddha, at this rate, he may stop going to the mountains to dig for poisonous herbs and start diving for poisonous fish instead.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s joke, the Demon Buddha laughed.
“I’ll come again later.”
After parting with the Demon Buddha and returning to his own place, the fourth fish was caught.
The one who caught the fourth fish was the Poison King again.
As the beginners caught fish one after another, a change occurred there.
The golden radiance around the Demon Buddha deepened as he cast his line farther, and the Drunken Demon drank anxiously.
“Look at him getting restless, unable to wait leisurely like you, Elder.”
When Geom Mugeuk turned to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, he had unfolded the fishing rods he had brought and was choosing another one. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was blaming his equipment.
It was not only the trio of boasters who changed.
Geom Ujin slowly walked toward the Poison King. Everyone’s attention focused on him.
Naturally, the most nervous person was the Poison King.
Geom Ujin held out his hand.
Ssssss!
With one light gesture, a large pit formed beside where the Poison King stood. When he moved his hand again, a narrow channel was made from the river to the pit. After filling the pit with water, he placed the fish the Poison King had caught inside. The two fish swam in the puddle.
“From now on, put the fish you catch here.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“How does it feel, now that you have caught some?”
“It seems to suit my aptitude well.”
He meant it sincerely. The Poison King loved nature, and even in ordinary times, no one among the Demon Venerables here could surpass him when it came to sitting around in a daze.
“I thought as much.”
Geom Ujin walked back to his seat. The Poison King already wore the delighted expression of a man who had practically won. The fact that the Cult Leader had personally come over for his sake was a visit more precious than ten-thousand-year snow ginseng.
“Surely you aren’t thinking of choosing the Poison King, are you?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s question, Geom Ujin spoke with an inscrutable smile.
“Why do you think I wouldn’t? Can’t I choose anyone here?”
Watching his father return to his seat like that, Geom Mugeuk let out a light sigh.
“Now you’re even deploying confusion tactics.”
* * *
At last, one shichen had passed.
Geom Mugeuk reported the state of the fish as though he were giving live commentary.
“The Poison King has three, the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable has two, the Drunken Demon has one, and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable has one. Seven fish in total have been caught. They’re all about the same size, so there’s nothing to fight over yet.”
The rest—Geom Ujin and Geom Mugeuk, the Blood-Heaven Blade Demon and the Demon Buddha, the Extreme Evil Young Demon and the Fist Demon—had yet to catch even one.
After giving his report, Geom Mugeuk stood before his father.
“Have you decided who today’s winner will be?”
Geom Ujin nodded.
The eyes of all the Demon Venerables were fixed on the two of them. From this moment on, the fate of the Murim might be divided according to the names written down on those slips.
The two each wrote a name on a piece of paper. Geom Ujin wrote without hesitation and folded it so it could not be seen.
Geom Mugeuk, who had written his name later and was holding it out, suddenly shouted again.
“Ah, this isn’t it.”
Fwoosh.
The paper burst into flame in Geom Mugeuk’s hand. After burning it with Fiery Yang Qi, Geom Mugeuk wrote the name again. Geom Ujin and the Demon Venerables considered even this fuss part of Geom Mugeuk’s strategy.
Just who had the two of them written down?
Geom Mugeuk entrusted his father’s paper and his own to his older brother.
“Hyung, you hold on to them.”
Geom Muyang asked Geom Mugeuk as if he found it unexpected.
“What will you do if, for Father’s sake, I write down a different name and then take out the winner’s name?”
“As if you would. Let’s say you did. As if Father would say, ‘I won,’ based on a name you fabricated.”
He was right. Geom Muyang smiled, accepted the papers, and put them into his breast.
Geom Mugeuk asked his father loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Can’t we just live like this, all fishing together and enjoying ourselves?”
“How long do you think this enjoyment will last? It is an enjoyment that will end when the sun sets.”
“The next day we can go hunting, the day after that on a picnic, the day after that drink, and the day after that go out to punish bad guys. There are so many things to do.”
Geom Ujin gave no answer to his son’s words.
“Father.”
Instead of overturning the drinking table, Geom Mugeuk sat down across from his father at it.
And at last, he asked the question he had not asked even once in all this time.
“What kind of Murim is it that you dream of, Father?”