Chapter 424. Have You Ever Been to the Sea?
I never imagined I would stand guard for the Cult Leader.
In truth, if you exchanged final words, fought, and even stood guard for someone’s cultivation, then enemy or ally aside, it meant you trusted the other party.
That was what made it all the more absurd to me.
Because people’s affairs were, for the most part, impossible to predict.
The Cult Leader must have been deeply injured, for he circulated his qi and regulated his breathing all through the night. With no other choice, I lit a campfire and waited for his meditation to end.
As I gazed into the campfire, several things I wanted to ask the Cult Leader came to mind, but in the end, they were reduced to one.
In the meantime, the Cult Leader’s complexion changed five times at intervals. When demonic arts went awry, did it take longer to set things right? Considering that the stronger one’s martial arts were, the greater the aftereffects of qi deviation, I found myself thinking that living in his right mind must have been difficult for the Cult Leader.
Was that why, even in my previous life, he had entered closed-door training so often?
He seemed like the sort of person who would fall into qi deviation if he indulged even the slightest desire. Perhaps because he practiced such martial arts, he had lived while suppressing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure to an extreme degree.
While waiting for the Cult Leader to finish circulating his qi, I burned through the Heavenly Jade as well.
The campfire burned, the Heavenly Jade burned, and time burned away.
The Cult Leader was recovering, but for me, it was time spent becoming stronger. In truth, now that I had entered the realm of the Golden Sphere, it no longer mattered how much stronger the Cult Leader became.
All night long, we even competed in the posture and mindset of circulating qi.
The Cult Leader, now white-haired, quietly opened his eyes near dawn and looked at me. I studied his expression, then said,
“Congratulations.”
It seemed he had used the crisis to achieve something else.
Without showing any sign of joy, the Cult Leader nodded.
“I wondered what that warmth was. So it was a campfire.”
“Cult Leader, there is something I want to ask.”
“Speak.”
“When you saw me at the Blood Night Palace, why did you let me live? You could have killed me easily enough.”
The Cult Leader answered.
“It is not easy to gain someone trustworthy in life.”
“Hm.”
“The Sword Demon was a man worthy of trust. If I were to name one more man like the Sword Demon, there was Elder Heo. At the time, you were carrying Elder Heo’s Ilsal. If Elder Heo and the Sword Demon were expecting something from you, then I had no reason to kill you. I intended to watch and confirm for myself what the two of them expected of you.”
Only after hearing the Cult Leader’s words did I understand why I was alive.
“In the end, I wasn’t fighting alone.”
“Is that how you interpret it?”
“Is that not so? If I had been alone, it would have been a fight I could not endure.”
“Even I would have found it difficult to become the Cult Leader without Elder Heo, so you are right.”
It was not because the Cult Leader and I were each so extraordinary on our own that we had become this strong.
“What was my eldest brother like in the Cult?”
“What is certain is that he accomplished something as difficult as being born a successor candidate and rising to become Cult Leader. Entering as a slave and rising to the position of Left Envoy of Light is that sort of feat.”
Putting it all together, becoming the Cult Leader had also been extremely difficult for this man. And it seemed the process by which my eldest brother became the Left Envoy of Light had been exceedingly brutal as well. Come to think of it, the Cult Leader clearly had a tendency to acknowledge the strong. Of course, the scope of that strength surely did not refer only to martial arts.
I nodded, then asked,
“Will you head down now?”
“Let us go.”
I stamped out the campfire with my foot, then descended Mount Hua with the Cult Leader. Strangely, perhaps because of the white hair, his current appearance suited the title of Cult Leader even more.
By the time we arrived at Plum Blossom Manor, it was already morning, so everyone’s gazes fixed on our sudden appearance. They seemed shocked by the Cult Leader’s white hair, and also surprised that the two of us had returned more or less intact.
They must all have been curious about the outcome, but I did not bother opening my mouth. The Plum Blossom Manor Lord greeted the two of us first.
“Masters, welcome back. We have been waiting for quite some time.”
In the meantime, Plum Blossom Manor had been put into fairly good order. I sat at a table with the Cult Leader and looked around at the people.
Unable to hold back, Cheonak asked first.
“What in the world happened? Both of you are fine, so I cannot guess.”
The Lust Demon muttered,
“I thought Mount Hua was going to collapse. How are you this unscathed?”
Cheonak looked at me.
“What is strangest of all is……”
I asked,
“What is so strange?”
“Why do you seem stronger than when you went up? Did you train with the Cult Leader and come back down? Or did you still not fight properly?”
The Cult Leader and I smiled faintly.
The Cult Leader said to Cheonak,
“Cheonak.”
“What is it?”
“Let us go see the Divine Beggar together.”
“Why that beggar?”
“If I send word through a subordinate, the Divine Beggar will not believe it. You and I should go and tell him that our era has ended. Then would the Divine Beggar not believe it?”
Cheonak looked at me with a truly astonished expression.
“What?”
It seemed everyone had expected the Cult Leader to have won. My eldest brother and the Lust Demon also looked back and forth between me and the Cult Leader with shocked expressions.
Cheonak muttered,
“Amazing. The Divine Beggar will be shocked as well. Manor Lord.”
The Plum Blossom Manor Lord answered,
“Yes, Senior.”
“When that Baek fellow wakes later, tell him that I went with the Cult Leader to see the Divine Beggar. If you tell him we went in this combination, he will think we are fighting again. Emphasize that this is not the case.”
“Understood.”
Cheonak looked at me.
“I should have a drink with the beggar.”
A drinking session between Cheonak, the Cult Leader, and the Divine Beggar would have its own meaning. It was not a place for me to intrude, so I had no intention of going with them.
Come to think of it, it seemed all the injured were lying inside Plum Blossom Manor.
Thankfully, because of the quick-witted Plum Blossom Manor Lord, I was able to have a proper meal as soon as I returned. To think the fact that the Cult Leader and I were strong would feel this meaningless. The Cult Leader never once lost his composure, but I devoured my food deliciously like a beggar under an overpass.
My eldest brother laughed and said to me,
“You look as though you have thrown yourself into the Beggars’ Sect.”
I answered while busily moving my chopsticks.
“Nearly starved to death. We should have hunted something before fighting.”
Because the Cult Leader was there, the mood was not one of congratulating me. Surprisingly, two of the Three Calamities moved to the carriage as soon as they finished eating. Naturally, we all accompanied them to the carriage to see them off.
Senior Coachman, rising from the driver’s seat, greeted the Cult Leader first.
“Cult Leader, your hair……”
“It ended up this way.”
When I looked, I saw that a meal tray brought by the Plum Blossom Manor Lord had also been placed on the driver’s seat, and not only I but the Cult Leader was looking at it as well. This was how dazzling the exploits of the Number One Sword of Mount Hua were.
The Cult Leader said,
“I should go with Cheonak to see the Divine Beggar. Let’s head to the Beggars’ Sect.”
The coachman answered.
“Then I shall take you to the Beggars’ Sect.”
The Cult Leader and Cheonak looked over us once. Since there was no one capable of offering any warm words of farewell, the atmosphere was exceedingly dry.
Mount Hua’s First Sword, however, was an exception.
“Cult Leader, Senior. Take care on your long journey. This junior has learned a great deal.”
The Cult Leader nodded, then said to the Plum Blossom Manor Lord,
“You’ve worked hard as well, Manor Lord.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
Cheonak looked at us and spoke as though muttering to himself.
“I never thought the age would change while I was sitting in a carriage. The murim is not a place that ends with a single fight, so all of you keep striving. I’m off.”
“Take care.”
And so the carriage departed.
It was also the sight of the Three Calamities leaving in the early morning. As we watched together, Eldest Brother asked me,
“How on earth did you win? The Cult Leader seems even stronger than when he entered the mountain.”
This time, everyone looked at me.
“Right. How did I win, exactly?”
I would have liked to tell them plainly, but the cause of my victory was far too complex to explain in a few simple words.
“……I suppose I won because I was simply stronger.”
A man who boasts of his momentary strength as if it were nothing—that is me. The Lust Demon spoke as though he could not believe it.
“Didn’t you just go up there, argue with him, and come back down? That would make sense. The Cult Leader either had his hair turn white overnight because he didn’t want to listen to your nagging, or he vomited blood all night. Isn’t that more convincing, Master?”
Eldest Brother nodded with a solemn expression.
“That is more convincing.”
What kind of mood was this? The third of the Four Great Villains had defeated the Cult Leader and descended the mountain, yet no one believed him at all.
“I told you I won with skill, so what’s this about an argument? Though even if we had argued, I would have won. I probably would’ve been foaming at the mouth from talking by myself. Anyway, where’s Second Brother?”
Eldest Brother answered.
“He came out yesterday, then began qi circulation again in the evening.”
Thinking that the Ghost Demon, the White-Robed Scholar, and the Blood Cult Leader were all practicing qi circulation inside the perfectly normal-looking Plum Blossom Manor made me chuckle slightly.
The Plum Blossom Manor Lord asked me,
“Sect Leader, I am curious about how you won, but also about what state of mind you had when you entered the duel. Surely you can tell us that much?”
“My state of mind?”
“Yes.”
In truth, I hadn’t thought much of anything, but seeing the Plum Blossom Manor Lord’s serious expression, I found myself needing to choose my words. I simply explained briefly, as it was.
“When we went up Mount Hua, the Cult Leader proposed a life-and-death duel. We had heard each other’s last words, after all.”
“Mm.”
“The truth is, I had no intention of dying alone. I fought thinking it would be one of two things: either we would both come down alive, or we would both die and be buried on Mount Hua.”
The Lust Demon cut me off.
“Fine, we get it, so say something convincing. How did you win?”
I ignored that shit-stain’s words and looked at Eldest Brother.
“Eldest Brother.”
“What?”
“The Cult Leader’s last words were that he would hand the position of Cult Leader over to you. Did you expect that?”
“It is not something particularly surprising.”
“Then did you take the position?”
Eldest Brother looked around at us, then shook his head.
“I could not. My life as it is now is better than the position of Cult Leader.”
As expected, just as I had predicted. Now that it had come to this, Eldest Brother asked me in turn,
“What were your last words?”
“I said I had none. I’ve already said everything I needed to say with all the talking I do every day, so what last words would I have?”
At that moment, we all turned our heads at the same time and looked toward the entrance of Plum Blossom Manor. The carriage had been beyond the collapsed wall, so only now were we looking at the entrance. Even in my life, there had only been a few times I had been this surprised.
“Wow…….”
How could such a combination even be possible?
The Mad Monk was standing at the entrance of Plum Blossom Manor.
The Mad Monk’s appearance was surprising enough, but he was not alone. Having spotted us, the Mad Monk lowered Yoran, whom he had been carrying on his shoulders.
Seeing the dirt on the Mad Monk’s face and on the ends of his monk’s robes, it looked as though he had used qinggong to come here with Yoran on his shoulders.
As Yoran approached us, the smile gradually vanished from her face. She was about to greet us, but instead asked,
“Where is Second Master?”
The Lust Demon answered.
“He is in qi circulation. It is not a serious injury, so do not worry.”
Only then did Yoran greet Eldest Brother with a bright expression.
“First Master, have you been well? Third Master, Fourth Master, it is good to see you.”
“Yes.”
We nodded as we received the greetings of our disciple who had appeared on Mount Hua. Since the person who had brought our disciple here was inevitably more intriguing than chatting with the disciple herself, everyone looked at the Mad Monk.
The Mad Monk slowly approached and asked,
“……I heard you were fighting the Cult Leader. Is the fight over?”
Just how had time flowed? He looked far younger than the Mad Monk I knew. Was this what it felt like to be bewitched by a ghost?
In the end, I answered.
“It ended safely and well.”
When I answered politely, unlike usual, everyone looked at me.
The Mad Monk looked at me as well.
“Are you the Haomun Sect Leader?”
“Yes.”
Naturally, this was the Mad Monk’s first time seeing me.
The Mad Monk continued while looking at me.
“……I heard my junior brother received help in the Central Plains, so I visited Ilyang County to offer my greetings. Then I received a request from this young disciple and came here with her.”
Eldest Brother seemed to know where the Mad Monk belonged, for he asked,
“Might you be a martial monk of the Jabbu Esoteric Sect?”
The Mad Monk nodded.
“I am a martial monk. Had I known there were so many strong warriors in the Central Plains, I would have come sooner.”
Since everyone was standing around talking, the Plum Blossom Manor Lord stepped forward.
“Now, now, please sit over there and talk. Monk, and young disciple, have you eaten?”
The Mad Monk answered.
“We came in a hurry.”
“Ah, then I shall have something prepared……”
The Mad Monk asked the Plum Blossom Manor Lord,
“Do you have liquor?”
“Pardon?”
“Liquor.”
“We do.”
When the monk came barging in first thing in the morning and asked for wine, everyone seemed taken aback. Come to think of it, this man had often drunk in my previous life as well. Because I only learned later that he had come in rage over the death of his junior martial brother, I had misunderstood him then as having escaped the temple just to drink.
In any case, I asked the Plum Blossom Manor Lord.
“Manor Lord, please prepare some wine.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Only then did we sit around the table. It had been a very long time since I had seen Gwangseung, but it had also been a very long time since I had seen the Chan staff (禪杖) he leaned against the table. Its color was different from the staff I knew, too. In my previous life, it had been so dark red it looked steeped in blood, giving off a purplish hue, but now it was a perfectly clean gold. It seemed he had not crushed anyone’s skull on the way here. Unlike in my previous life, however, there was no crescent-shaped blade attached to the head of the staff.
I wanted to ask about it, but I could not. After all, this was our first meeting.
The Lust Demon asked Gwangseung.
“Reverend, that weapon looks incredibly heavy. May I try lifting it once?”
“Go ahead.”
The Lust Demon lifted the Chan staff with one hand, then looked startled.
“You carried this, put Yoran on your shoulder on top of that, and still used qinggong?”
Gwangseung nodded.
“It feels like my shoulder’s going to come off.”
The complaint did not suit his build at all, nor his appearance, which resembled that of a fierce general, so I held back my laughter.
Since Gwangseung had appeared the moment the Cult Leader left, the situation was, in general, rather chaotic.
Taking advantage of a lull, Yoran asked us quietly.
“Masters, none of you were hurt, were you?”
“No.”
“Not at all.”
I also shook my head as if to say I was fine.
Yoran asked again.
“Did you beat the Cult Leader?”
For some strange reason, I did not want to boast in front of my young disciple, so I answered briefly.
“Yes. We competed in the form of a martial bout. More importantly, the reverend carried you all the way here. How are we supposed to repay this?”
Yoran looked at Gwangseung and said,
“Father already felt terribly sorry, so before we left, he kept serving the reverend pork bones and the finest wine. I’m sorry, Reverend.”
Gwangseung looked at Yoran and smiled.
“It’s all right. I came intending to travel anyway.”
After that, we watched the monk drink. I even poured wine for him. Perhaps because Gwangseung was at ease, he often laughed while chatting with us.
We had only exchanged a few brief words.
Yet he was laughing more here than all the times Gwangseung had laughed in my previous life put together.
As the monk who looked like a fierce general, the monk who drank wine, spoke in an unexpectedly plain and easygoing tone, not only the Four Great Villains but even the Plum Blossom Manor Lord treated Gwangseung without difficulty.
Just what was going on?
Because I was seeing a side of Gwangseung completely different from the one I knew, I could not help but stare at him from time to time.
Deliberately intending to touch the Chan staff a little, I asked Gwangseung.
“May I take a look at the staff?”
“Go ahead.”
I toyed with the unbreakable conviction in my hands and examined its head.
“Is something like a blade or blunt weapon originally attached here?”
“That is so.”
“It seems you don’t attach it normally?”
Gwangseung looked at me, then nodded.
“I came to travel, so I had no need for a blade.”
“Where are you thinking of traveling?”
Gwangseung looked around at us and said,
“There are a few scenic places I want to see. And I’d like to go a little farther and see the sea as well.”
Why was this man so fixated on the sea?
Curious, I asked.
“Is there a reason you wish to see the sea?”
Gwangseung answered with an expression that said it was nothing special.
“It is something I have only heard of since I was born, so shouldn’t I see it at least once? They say there is a sea. They say it is deep as a mountain, wider than the plains, and that its end cannot be seen. Have any of you been to the sea?”
After receiving Gwangseung’s question, we did not answer for a while.