Behind twelve dangling pouches stood the Poison King.
Even the cute animal pictures embroidered on the pouches paled before the Poison King’s appearance.
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the Demon Buddha admitted defeat.
‘We lost. There’s no beating that face.’
Even so, the Drunken Demon made one last struggle that he absolutely should not have attempted.
He stood shoulder to shoulder with the Poison King.
“We’re all members of the Four Handsome Men, aren’t we?”
Geum Mugeuk shook his head and informed him of the cold reality.
“Just because we’re all members of the Four Handsome Men doesn’t mean we’re all the same, big brother. Right now, you look like his uncle standing next to his nephew.”
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the Demon Buddha nodded at the same time. How could they leave when things became this entertaining whenever they got tangled up with Geum Mugeuk?
The Drunken Demon let out a sigh, and his hand instinctively moved toward the liquor hanging from his waist. He almost decided to just drink it, but managed to hold himself back in the end.
“Hayoon’s choice is still left!”
The Poison King looked toward the house behind Geum Mugeuk and asked,
“Is Hayoon inside?”
“No, she’s at the Heavenly Demon Hall.”
Disappointment flashed across the Poison King’s face, and his shoulders drooped. If Hayoon wasn’t here, there was no reason for him to remain. The Poison King turned away decisively.
“Won’t you leave that behind?”
“I’ll give it to her myself.”
The Poison King left, but the other three Demon Lords remained.
“Aren’t the three of you leaving?”
At Geum Mugeuk’s words, the Drunken Demon sighed.
“I’m going to wait until Hayoon comes. I even dreamed about playing with Hayoon last night.”
“If you played with her in your dream, you don’t need to play with her in reality.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I heard Hayoon said she disliked you because you smelled of alcohol.”
“I told you, I quit! It’s been ten days!”
Geum Mugeuk shouted at them.
“Why are you all doing this? She’s my daughter, I tell you! My daughter!”
At that moment, someone shouted from behind them,
“Why is Hayoon your daughter?”
When Geum Mugeuk turned around, he saw the Wind Heaven Cult Leader entering. It seemed they had deliberately chosen today as the day to gather everyone together.
“She’s our daughter.”
All the Demon Lords nodded.
“I said she’s my daughter!”
They only said it to tease him, but Geum Mugeuk was truly grateful that they loved his daughter so much.
The Wind Heaven Cult Leader took a small box from his robes and held it out.
“What is this?”
“It’s a Small Divine Pill. Among elixirs for children, it’s the finest.”
“I know. It couldn’t have been easy to obtain this.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for our Hayoon.”
“You scolded me so much for giving you a divine object!”
“Are you the same as Hayoon? Make sure you tell her that Grandfather Wind Heaven gave it to her when you administer it. I’m giving it to you because I know you’ll make sure she takes it even better than I would.”
Otherwise, he would have administered it himself while making a great show of the gift.
“Thank you very much, Cult Leader.”
The Wind Heaven Cult Leader puffed himself up in front of the Demon Lords.
“With this much, I suppose I can be the first to play with Hayoon, yes? Now, those of you who came empty-handed, step back over there.”
“Then let’s go to the Heavenly Demon Hall and do exactly that. For your information, my father will probably be empty-handed too.”
“She’s at the Heavenly Demon Hall again?”
Disappointment flashed across the Wind Heaven Cult Leader’s face as well. He could understand the Cult Leader of the Demonic Sect being unable to help it, but—
“Since the Fist Demon Lord is her maternal grandfather, he must see Hayoon every single day, right?”
“He’s with her at the Heavenly Demon Hall even now.”
The Wind Heaven Cult Leader was genuinely disappointed.
“I should have made Ian my adopted daughter!”
“That would have been wonderful. You would have gained a son-in-law like me as well.”
The Wind Heaven Cult Leader flinched. He openly wore an expression that said, Ah, so there’s that problem, before promptly abandoning Geum Mugeuk.
No longer was he this young master—
“So when is our Hayoon coming?”
***
Tension filled the Heavenly Demon Hall.
The Fist Demon stood hidden behind a pillar. Geom Ujin stood at the pillar across from him.
When they were young, the two of them had once stood side by side behind pillars just like this, surrounded by enemies and dodging countless hidden weapons flying toward them like a downpour.
The tension from that time remained unchanged.
A clear voice rang through the hall.
“……Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. I’m coming to find you now!”
Geom Hayeon, who had been covering her eyes with her hands, opened them.
Her white skin, cool forehead, sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the night sky, small, pert nose, and red lips revealing pearly white teeth—her distinct features were a perfect likeness of Geum Mugeuk.
Her clear, shining eyes were filled with intelligence, and dimples appeared whenever she smiled. Her jet-black hair gleamed and swayed whenever she moved.
She was so beautiful and adorable that everyone passing by would stop in their tracks and say something about her.
She also spoke better than other children her age and was intelligent. She had already mastered reading and writing, and she calculated numbers faster than anyone. Seo Daeryong evaluated Hayoon this way:
―I’m a prodigy, but Hayoon is a born genius.
Hayoon carefully looked around and began to walk. She was playing hide-and-seek with her two grandfathers. Hide-and-seek in the Heavenly Demon Hall was probably a first in the entire history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Grandpa, your concealment technique isn’t working.”
Hayoon’s bright voice echoed through the Heavenly Demon Hall.
She walked between the fearsome pillars of the Heavenly Demon Hall, supported by demons, yet she was not afraid in the slightest. The enormous demon statues of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were what she had seen since birth.
Hayoon approached Geom Ujin’s side. When she examined the pillar where he had been standing, Geom Ujin had already vanished.
The Fist Demon, hiding behind the pillar across from him, silently laughed.
‘Did he really use his movement technique to escape?’
When the Fist Demon cautiously poked his head out, Hayoon was nowhere to be seen.
The next moment, the Fist Demon raised his hand and turned around. Hayoon was standing behind him.
Hayoon put a finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture, and this time set out to find Geom Ujin. Since he was not deliberately avoiding her like the Cult Leader had, Hayoon found him with ease.
Geom Ujin moved between the pillars, avoiding Hayoon. He could easily have let his granddaughter catch him, but he did not.
‘Is he really trying to have a proper match with his granddaughter?’
The Fist Demon watched with a smile.
When she still could not find Geom Ujin,
Hayoon stood in the center of the Heavenly Demon Hall, closed her eyes, and thought for a moment.
She seemed to be pondering something deeply.
This time, instead of running toward the place where Geom Ujin was hiding, she dashed toward the pillar beside it. Geom Ujin allowed himself to be discovered according to Hayoon’s expectations.
“Found you!”
Having finally found him with such difficulty, Hayoon hopped up and down excitedly.
“Well done, Hayoon.”
Geom Ujin scooped Hayoon up into his arms. His eyes, gazing at his granddaughter, were full of affection.
The Fist Demon walked over to them.
“Yeon, how are you so good at finding people?”
The secret behind Hayoon finding them so easily every time they played hide-and-seek was revealed.
“Grandpa taught me before.”
“What did he teach you?”
“How to find hidden people.”
When Geom Mugeuk had gone hunting, he had taught her the Instant Draw technique that he had once taught Geom Mugeuk.
Although Hayoon used the Instant Draw technique and discovered him, Geom Ujin dodged to the side. Only when Hayoon anticipated that he would move aside and dashed there as well did he finally allow himself to be caught. He wanted to teach her the lesson of moving based on predicting her opponent.
The Fist Demon smiled faintly. Even when playing, Geom Ujin never simply played. It was truly characteristic of the Cult Leader—and of the Cult Leader’s bloodline.
There was a reason Hayoon could use the Instant Draw technique.
Hayoon had inherited the Heavenly Martial Body, the perfect constitution for learning martial arts, just like Geum Mugeuk.
That was not all.
Geom Ujin himself had opened her Conception and Governing Vessels and even cleansed and tempered her sinews and marrow.
Afterward, he taught her a cultivation technique and the Wind God’s Four Steps. To his surprise, Hayoon learned the cultivation technique, accumulated internal energy, and understood the basics of the Wind God’s Four Steps. She had even managed to perform it in practice.
Geom Ujin had become completely absorbed in the joy of teaching martial arts to Hayoon, who possessed an extraordinary martial talent.
“Let’s do it again!”
When Hayoon asked to play again, Geom Ujin and the Fist Demon looked at each other. They had already played hide-and-seek seven times. No more! They shared the same thought.
Geom Ujin said to Hayoon,
“Let’s play doctor.”
“Okay!”
Geom Ujin and the Fist Demon exchanged looks and began a silent battle of wits.
The Fist Demon was about to lie down first when—
Ssssss.
The formless energy Geom Ujin released immobilized the Fist Demon.
Then Geom Ujin collapsed onto the floor as if he had fallen ill.
“Please help me, Doctor.”
The Fist Demon looked at the Cult Leader and spoke with his eyes.
‘This is too much, Cult Leader! No, brother-in-law! How can you do this?’
Geom Ujin smiled and closed his eyes.
Hayoon said to the Fist Demon,
“I need medicinal herbs.”
“Doctor, what medicinal herbs do you need?”
The Fist Demon naturally took on the role of Doctor Geom’s assistant.
“Blood-Severing Herb and Soul-Seizing Herb!”
The poisonous herbs Hayoon named were real. They were herbs she had heard about when she visited the Poison King.
“I’ll go gather them.”
“The Blood-Severing Herb is over there.”
The Fist Demon went to the pillar Hayoon pointed at and pretended to dig up the herb.
“We need to gather a lot of Soul-Seizing Herb.”
All the while, Geom Ujin lay comfortably with his eyes closed. Even the Demonic Cult Leader found playing with a child exhausting.
‘I’ve never seen the Cult Leader look so tired.’
The Fist Demon smiled as he pretended to gather imaginary herbs.
“The herbs are ready.”
Once the herbs were prepared, Hayoon placed her tiny hand on Geom Ujin’s chest and began reciting precisely where the Eight Extraordinary Vessels were located and how to treat every possible ailment.
The Fist Demon asked with a surprised expression,
“Doctor, from whom did you learn medicine?”
“Grandpa Demon Doctor.”
“How many times did he explain it to you?”
“Once.”
Her memory was so exceptional that she remembered everything after hearing it only once.
The Fist Demon wondered what kind of martial artist this naturally gifted child would grow into if the Cult Leader taught her, Geum Mugeuk taught her, and even the Demon Lords taught her.
Perhaps she would become a master who surpassed even her father and grandfathers.
“You’re all healed.”
The Fist Demon was about to quickly become the patient and switch roles—
‘Let me lie down too!’
At that moment, Geom Ujin quietly turned over and lay on his side with his back exposed.
“Doctor, my back hurts too.”
The Fist Demon burst out laughing.
Geom Ujin, who had turned over, laughed as well.
Only after Hayoon treated Geom Ujin’s back, arms, and legs did their game of doctor finally end.
The Fist Demon said to Hayoon,
“Grandpa has to work now, so let’s go outside.”
“Wait!”
Hayoon ran over and kissed Geom Ujin on the cheek.
“See you later, Grandpa. Thank you for playing with me.”
“Yes, yes.”
Geom Ujin’s face was brightly smiling as he gazed at Hayoon.
It was the first time the Fist Demon had seen the Cult Leader smile so brightly since meeting him. It was a smile on an entirely different level from the one he showed his son.
“Maternal Grandpa, carry me.”
The Fist Demon lifted Hayoon up and sat her on his shoulders.
.
As they walked out of the Heavenly Demon Hall, Hayoon said,
“I like your shoulders, Maternal Grandpa. They’re wide.”
“Aren’t you scared being so high up?”
“No.”
Since she was sitting on his shoulders, her face was close to his. For some reason, the Fist Demon became self-conscious.
“Isn’t Grandpa’s face scary?”
“Not scary at all.”
Hayoon hugged the Fist Demon’s face tightly.
“I like you, Maternal Grandpa.”
The Fist Demon did not know that the expression on his face now was not much different from the one the Cult Leader had worn a moment ago.
“Later, this old grandpa will teach you the Fist Technique.”
“Okay!”
At that moment, the Extreme Evil Little Demon was waiting in front of the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Hall. He had seen the Wind Heaven Cult Leader shouting at Geum Mugeuk’s residence from a distance and had come here to wait.
“Uncle Mask!”
“Yeon!”
Hayoon lightly leaped from the Fist Demon’s shoulders. It was a nimble movement technique.
“Here, this is your present.”
What the Little Demon held out was a small mask made to fit Hayoon’s face. Since Hayoon had wanted one, he had ordered the craftsman who made his own mask to create it especially for her. That was why the mask was exceptionally light and did not cause her to sweat even after wearing it for a long time.
Hayoon put on the mask. She looked unbearably cute wearing the little mask.
“Uncle Mask, let’s play together.”
The Fist Demon wore an expression of finally being freed.
The two eyes behind the Extreme Evil Little Demon’s mask smiled brightly. He took Hayoon’s hand and began walking.
“Let’s go see the Faceless Guests!”
***
Several days later.
Geum Mugeuk stood before a mirror, gazing at his reflection. Although it was still early, he had already bathed and dressed himself carefully.
“How do I look?”
In the mirror, Ian could be seen looking at him.
In fact, on the day he had first returned after regressing, he had asked Ian the same question.
Ian remembered her answer from that day exactly.
“You’re the most handsome man in the martial world.”
Originally, when Geum Mugeuk answered that he was bored, Ian had responded, “A person who pays a monthly salary always has a predetermined answer to that question.”
But today, Geum Mugeuk’s answer was different.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world.”
A blush instantly bloomed across Ian’s face.
She walked over and embraced him from behind.
“Today is finally the day.”
At last, the day he had promised his father had dawned.
She knew very well how important this matter was to Geum Mugeuk. To her husband, it was even more important than his battle against the Heavenly Killing Star.
“Are you nervous?”
Geum Mugeuk honestly nodded.
“Are you afraid?”
Again, Geum Mugeuk nodded.
“Shall I help you win?”
“You mean, by coming with me?”
He had no intention of taking her along, but he jokingly took her hand.
Ian gently pulled her hand free.
“No. I could never oppose Father.”
Geom Ujin had treated her so well.
“If I see Father, I’ll probably say, ‘I’ll stand at the forefront of the war to unite the martial world!’ before anything else.”
Geum Mugeuk laughed at her half-joking, half-serious remark.
“Then how will you help me win?”
“Yeon will have to wake him up.”
At that, Geum Mugeuk burst out laughing. Her attempt to ease his tension had worked perfectly.
Before leaving the house, Geum Mugeuk went to Hayoon’s room.
He covered his daughter with the blanket she had kicked away and gazed at her for a moment before leaving the house.
“I’ll be back.”
“Come back safely, my dear!”
As Geum Mugeuk disappeared into the distance, Ian’s brightly smiling expression hardened.
Worry rose across her face.
‘Stay strong, darling.’
With her eyes closed, she prayed fervently that, at least today, the heavens would be on her husband’s side.
When Geum Mugeuk entered the Heavenly Demon Hall, the Demon Lords had already arrived.
Today, the Eight Demon Lords stood in a line beneath the throne, all looking toward him.
His father sat upon the throne.
At the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Hall, Geum Mugeuk called out loudly as usual,
“Father, I’m here!”
Geum Mugeuk slowly walked forward along the Blood Path.