Chapter 105: It’s Not Easy
Chapter 105: It’s Not Easy
“They say you don’t realize how much space someone takes up until they’re gone, but it really does feel empty without that martial artist around.”
Jang Ho nodded in agreement with Seo Dae-ryong’s lament.
“The void he left is quite large.”
The two were currently on their way to the Pungryu Tavern in Ma Clan Village.
Jang Ho was a giant of a man, while Seo Dae-ryong was diminutive. They were such a contrasting pair that passersby couldn’t help but steal a glance at them as they walked.
“To think I’d miss that martial artist more than the Pavilion Master.”
Usually, the three of them—including Lee An—would drink together, but the last time, it had been just the two of them. It certainly wasn't as much fun without the third member of their group.
Lee An and Seo Dae-ryong were usually the ones driving the conversation with their constant chatter. With Lee An gone and only the taciturn Jang Ho remaining, the mood had inevitably felt a bit subdued.
Of course, there were perks. While they had sacrificed the lively atmosphere, the resulting seriousness provided an opportunity to get to know each other better. It was only then that Seo Dae-ryong learned Jang Ho’s childhood dream had been to become a painter.
“I wonder if he’s doing well?”
At Seo Dae-ryong’s question, Jang Ho answered with conviction.
“Of course he is. Look who he’s with. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. I’m just jealous! All sorts of unimaginable things must be unfolding before him right now. I’m envious! I want to be there, being surprised right alongside him!”
“Don’t forget that the Smiling Demon is also by his side.”
“Now that I think about it… I suppose staying here with you, Commander Jang, might be better after all.”
Jang Ho let out a short, deep chuckle. Seo Dae-ryong felt that this manly laugh alone made the outing worthwhile. If there was one thing he wanted to emulate about Jang Ho, it was that laugh.
Sharing various stories, the two arrived at the Pungryu Tavern.
Just as they were about to enter, the owner, Jo Chun-bae, stepped out and gestured for them to be quiet.
“You can’t go in right now.”
“Why not?”
“The Demon Lords are here.”
“Who?”
Seo Dae-ryong poked his head in slightly to check the second floor of the tavern.
Sitting in their usual drinking spot were his master, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and the Demon Buddha, facing each other over drinks.
Startled, Seo Dae-ryong quickly backed away.
“We’ll drink somewhere else today.”
“Yes, please do.”
After seeing the two off, Jo Chun-bae went back inside.
He looked up at the second floor. Even from a distance, he could feel the strange tension flowing between the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Demon Buddha.
“Why did you ask to see me?”
The Demon Buddha didn't answer the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s question immediately.
It wasn't like his usual self. Instead of his typical prickly temperament, there was an air of inexplicable exhaustion about him. The Demon Buddha drained his cup alone.
“Is it so strange for a senior and junior to share a drink?”
“Senior? You’ve been going around badmouthing me as a traitor, and now you call me ‘senior’?”
“A traitor is a traitor.”
“Aren't you the traitor now? Seeing as you’ve left the First Young Master’s side to come find me.”
“You’ve always acted like you know everything. That’s why you looked down on me so damn much.”
The corners of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s mouth curled up. However, instead of snapping back, he simply emptied his cup. Until not too long ago, he would have lashed out. He had always found the Demon Buddha pathetic—a pipsqueak filled with nothing but greed.
But that arrogance had changed after meeting Geom Mu-geuk.
“It’s not easy, is it?”
At the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s words, the Demon Buddha raised his head. He searched for the intent behind the remark, but the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was merely refilling his cup.
Since it didn't seem like a comment meant to mock him, the Demon Buddha let the words slip out before he could stop them.
“…It’s not easy.”
The moment he said it, he regretted it. He had given the Blood Heaven Blade Demon an opening to ridicule him. Sure enough, the older man poked at his sore spot.
“You lived your life thinking you were the First Young Master’s right hand, but you’re not, are you? You’re just a fish he’s already caught and kept in a tank. A golden carp, perhaps.”
“Is it that hard for you to just have a pleasant drink with a junior? Is your narrow, twisted heart incapable of even that much?”
“You should have behaved better in the past. And if I’m your senior, call me that until the end. If I’m just ‘you,’ then call me that from the start.”
“You’re a prick to the very end!”
Slam!
The Demon Buddha struck the table. It shattered, and everything on it crashed to the floor.
“Don’t break things next time. Our side of the Demonic Path doesn't believe in smashing tables.”
“What are you talking about? Have you gone senile?”
The Demon Buddha stormed out irritably.
Damn it!
The moment he broke the table, he had already lost. What good did he think would come of seeking out the Blood Heaven Blade Demon?
He hated that his troubled heart had been exposed. He was furious at the thought that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would look down on him even more from now on.
Fine, you withered old man, look down on me all you want.
Watching his retreating back as he left the tavern, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon also stood up.
However, there was no sign of the contempt or mockery the Demon Buddha had expected. Instead, a sigh-laden remark, much like the one the Demon Buddha had uttered earlier, escaped his lips.
“Yeah. It’s not easy.”
As the Blood Heaven Blade Demon left the tavern, he handed some money to Jo Chun-bae. It was the cost of the drinks plus the price of the broken table.
“It’s quite alright, sir.”
When the Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at him, the owner quickly took the money.
“Don’t go telling the Second Young Master about the broken table.”
“Pardon? Oh, yes! Of course, don’t you worry.”
With that, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon also departed.
Jo Chun-bae watched him go for a moment before heading upstairs to clear the broken table.
Even without the Second Young Master, people kept coming. Not long ago, the One Flower Sword Venerable had come by alone and stayed for a while. He had ordered alcohol but hadn't touched a single drop.
Jo Chun-bae knew.
The reason these people sought out his Pungryu Tavern wasn't because the alcohol was exceptional, the food was delicious, or the atmosphere was great. They were all longing for one person.
*
I was sitting on a cart parked in a vacant lot, looking up at the sky, when I saw Bi Sa-in and seven of the 13 Wolves of the Unorthodox Path approaching from a distance.
They had chosen the meeting place this time as well.
An open lot with clear views in all directions. It was obvious they were worried about an ambush.
I understood him. When your life is constantly under threat, your nerves are bound to be on edge. One must be careful. Even with such caution, he had eventually died in my past life.
Bi Sa-in looked puzzled when he saw that I had come alone.
“You came by yourself?”
“I did.”
The Smiling Demon had completely entrusted this matter to me. I had left Lee An behind, despite her insistence on coming along.
Bi Sa-in’s expression stiffened slightly.
It seemed his pride was wounded. Though not yet the official successor, he was still of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline, yet his counterpart was walking around alone. Meanwhile, he was escorted by seven of the 13 Wolves, which must have made him feel like a coward.
I wanted to tell him that such pride is useless. That feeling wounded by a blow to one's ego is, in itself, a matter of pride. It was only because he was young.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already found a lead?”
“I have.”
He must have expected it, but Bi Sa-in couldn't hide his surprise at my confirmation.
“How did you find it so quickly?” he asked, his eyes suspicious.
“I didn't find them; they found me.”
I pulled back the straw mat covering the cart. Five corpses were loaded onto it.
“There was an assassination attempt, just as you warned, Young Master Bi.”
I didn't mention that they were targeting the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master. Whether they knew of the pavilion’s existence or not, I judged it unnecessary to bring it up.
“These are the Blood Hand Five Shadows of White Night Valley.”
“How did you identify them?”
“Don’t underestimate the Main Cult’s information network. We know as much as we need to know about your people.”
Bi Sa-in’s face contorted. He had only frowned slightly, but his expression twisted as if he were enraged. The scars on his face were too deep and hideous.
“White Night Valley took the contract this time. If you go to them, you’ll be able to find out who is behind it. As for what method you’ll use to make the Master of White Night Valley talk, that’s for you to figure out. Well? Is this lead sufficient to fulfill our promise?”
Bi Sa-in remained silent for a moment. He probably wanted to say this wasn't enough, but there was no way I would allow that.
“Surely you didn't expect me to find the mastermind and bring you his head?”
“There’s no need to provoke me like that. This is enough. As of today, the Hundred Precepts Merchant Group will withdraw from Guizhou. I will also calculate the losses from the past two years and send the compensation.”
“Spoken like a true successor of the Unorthodox Path Alliance! Well then, until next time.”
Just as I was about to turn away, Bi Sa-in’s voice reached me via Voice Transmission.
— Second Young Master.
But the transmission ended there. As if I had misheard, or like a ghostly whisper carried on the wind, no further words followed.
Bi Sa-in had intended to say something secret to me but changed his mind.
I stared at Bi Sa-in’s face. I didn't look at his scars. I only looked into his eyes.
Because of the scars on his face, he appeared much more vicious and stronger than his heart actually was, but I could see it. The image of a young man struggling desperately to survive.
Speak, Bi Sa-in. Whatever it is, if you want to change your fate, speak.
But in the end, Bi Sa-in turned away without a word. The 13 Wolves followed him, pulling the cart.
After watching their retreating backs for a moment, I also left the area.
*
When I returned, the Smiling Demon was pacing the courtyard of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion. He looked calm, but I could feel it. He was still angry and was making a visible effort to suppress it.
I fell into step beside him.
“The Hundred Precepts Merchant Group has agreed to withdraw from Guizhou. They’ve also agreed to compensate for the losses over the last two years.”
“The Second Young Master has handled in a few days a matter that gave me a headache for two whole years.”
“They only accepted our proposal because they fear you, Lord Smiling Demon.”
“There’s no need for modesty. Thank you, Second Young Master.”
Expressing his gratitude, the Smiling Demon stopped walking.
“I will kill the one who ordered the death of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master with my own hands. Even if it means being locked up for several more years.”
The Smiling Demon looked at me. His gaze asked what I thought, and I gave him my honest opinion.
“Of course you must kill them. Someone tried to kill a person I like; naturally, I should kill them with my own hands. I would do the same.”
Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, for the Smiling Demon’s eyes sparkled with pleasure.
“Don’t you want to return to the Cult? Then you could be free from the responsibility of my troublemaking.”
“I’ve been so preoccupied watching your world that I forgot why I even came out here.”
“Shall we go back?”
“No, show me more of your world. Show me more, kill that mastermind, and then let’s go back.”
I was constantly knocking on his door. I didn't hope for that door to swing wide open, as I did with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
I only hoped for it to open halfway, so that we could face each other at that point where we were neither friends nor enemies.
I know who you are. As you died, you regretted your life. That empty life filled with nothing but evil.
Is the current you the same as you were then?
“Second Young Master, there is nothing more to see in my world. This is about it. Now I have to go meet the people who manage the gambling dens and the leaders of the Black Path gangs who are under us. You’ve dressed up my world as if it were something grand, but in the end, my world is just about intimidating people and collecting tribute. Sometimes I cut off the arm of someone who embezzles money, and I kill those I don’t like.”
You have changed. In your life before the regression, you were never once this honest.
The man I met before the regression was old—so old that he could no longer change.
How was I able to become your friend back then?
Perhaps I was the same as you?
Perhaps you felt a sense of kinship with me and my life, which had hardened like a fossil due to my obsession with gathering materials for the Great Regression Art, and that’s why you liked me so much.
“There is likely only one way to keep the Smiling Demon’s world from becoming dull.”
“What is that?”
“Only when a war breaks out. The world would become a sea of blood, and you would be flying through the sky. I don’t want to see a world like that. I still want to see this world. How you handle the gambling den managers, and how you handle those Black Path thugs.”
A surge of passion, something I hadn't seen before, flickered in the Smiling Demon’s eyes before vanishing.
I walked a few steps ahead, then turned back to him and said,
“Well, shall we go? To cut off the arms of those who are skimming the money.”