Chapter 12: I Shall Perform a Sword Dance
Chapter 12: I Shall Perform a Sword Dance
I practiced and refined the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, which I had already mastered to the stage of Great Achievement.
Though it was a martial art I had wielded for a lifetime, performing the Flying Heaven Sword Technique with this younger body gave it a completely different feel. This must be why they say one can never see the end of martial arts, even with a lifetime of devotion.
While training in the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, I also practiced the Qi Emission my father had taught me. Furthermore, I worked to balance the internal energy and external strength that had surged thanks to the Demon Essence Pill.
As a result of such repeated training...
By the ninety-seventh day since entering this place, I had become capable of perfectly controlling my increased internal power. My Qi Emission had also become more proficient, allowing me to release a greater number of strands. While not yet a spiderweb, I could already emit more than ten strands of Qi simultaneously.
“That’s enough. This is it.”
For the remaining three days, I quietly composed my mind and organized the tasks I had to accomplish in the future.
On the hundredth day since entering, I pushed the stone tablet aside.
The door leading outside swung open.
“Ugh, this fresh air! Goodbye, Fasting Pills!”
I stretched grandly and walked out of the cave.
A warrior of the Heavenly Demon Hall was waiting at the exit of the Small Heaven Cave.
“Oh! Young Master!”
He looked at me, startled.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I was told to escort the Young Master to the Heavenly Demon Hall as soon as you emerged, so I was waiting. But I didn't expect you to come out so early. I was told I’d have to wait at least a hundred days starting from today.”
“How long have you been waiting?”
“I only started coming out today.”
Father had expected me to emerge somewhere between a hundred and two hundred days. That was how he perceived my talent.
He actually thought quite highly of me, didn't he?
And one more thing—at least he didn't think I would die.
Thinking that perhaps putting me in the Small Heaven Cave was a reward rather than a punishment, I followed the warrior.
*
When I arrived at the Heavenly Demon Hall, Father was alone.
I walked slowly across the red carpet toward the Grand Tutor’s Chair where he sat.
People called this carpet the ‘Path of Blood.’ How much blood must one spill to reach that spot? How much blood did Father have to see before he could sit there? And how much more blood must flow to keep that seat?
“It took exactly a hundred days.”
My tongue itched at Father’s words. I wanted to tell him I had cleared the trials in a single day. That this was the kind of son he had. I felt like I really needed to find a bamboo forest behind the mountain to shout it out.
“I struggled, but I couldn't break your record, Father.”
“Did you cut the spheres properly?”
“I cut them well without losing my temper. Since you left such a clear clue, of course I had to cut them well. I didn't rest during the final illusion formation, either.”
In that moment, I saw it. A smile played at the corners of Father’s mouth. It wasn't the sneer I had seen until now. It was a smile of genuine joy. Unfortunately, it vanished as soon as it appeared. To Father, a smile was like a mirage.
“You aren't a complete fool.”
“Of course. Whose son am I?”
Before my regression, the Father I knew was a man who enjoyed the life-and-death succession struggles of his children.
But now, I think I understand. He is a man who endures even the death of his children for the future of the Cult, not someone who enjoys the conflict.
“But why did you call for me?”
Before stating his business, Father summoned someone to the hall.
It was Sama Myeong, the Chief Strategist, who held the power of being 'below one but above ten thousand' within the Cult.
“It has been a while, Strategist Sama.”
“To pass through the Small Heaven Cave in a mere hundred days... Truly impressive, Young Master Lee.”
He was the Chief Strategist and also the Pavilion Master of the Tongcheon Pavilion, which served as the brain of the Cult. As a man of great influence who held all the information of the Central Plains in his hands, he enjoyed Father’s absolute trust.
“It was a punishment I endured for a hundred days.”
“Was it a punishment? Or a reward?”
Sama Myeong gave a meaningful smile.
“Perhaps he intended to punish me but failed?”
“Hahaha.”
Sama Myeong laughed, and I laughed with him.
Once the greetings were over, Sama Myeong got down to business.
“The reason we asked to see you today is to discuss a certain matter within the Cult.”
He called me, not my brother, to handle internal affairs? And right after I left the Small Heaven Cave? The situation was definitely different from the past. Usually, internal matters were entrusted to my brother. Even if he were away, they would have sent a letter to assign it to him.
My gaze shifted past Sama Myeong to Father, sitting in the Grand Tutor’s Chair. Ultimately, this decision involved Father’s will.
“Please, speak.”
“A whistleblower’s report arrived recently. It contained allegations of corruption within the Demon Army.”
The Demon Army was one of the Cult’s primary martial organizations, famous for the fierce and unruly temperaments of its members.
Ah.
The reason I sighed inwardly was that the leader of the Demon Army was the younger brother of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Once again, I was becoming entangled with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“A report came in last year as well, and the Huangquan Pavilion conducted an investigation.”
The Huangquan Pavilion was the institution responsible for investigating treason, corruption, and malpractice. Due to the nature of the organization, everyone hated them, but they were a powerful group that took precedence over everyone else.
“However, that investigation failed. No one would testify, and the special investigator who was dispatched was murdered. The member of the Demon Army who killed him committed suicide.”
It was such a major incident that even I remembered it. To anyone watching, it was obvious that someone within the Demon Army had obstructed the investigation, but no evidence could be found. In the end, the case was quietly swept under the rug.
And now, after some time had passed, another report had arrived.
“We would like you to become a special investigator and handle this matter, Young Master Lee.”
I didn't need to ask, 'Why me?'
This task, which reeked of danger before it even began, was Father’s test.
In an elite organization like the Demon Army, involvement in corruption meant execution. Naturally, whoever committed the corruption would try to hide their crime at any cost, and they wouldn't go easy on an investigator just because he was the Heavenly Demon’s son.
Furthermore, with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon having already warned me, I was now supposed to touch the organization led by his younger brother?
“You are sending me into the lion's den.”
Sama Myeong nodded in acknowledgment.
“That is correct. You will have to put your life on the line for this mission.”
I looked at Father. Father, who had been staring at me with a blunt expression, suddenly said something unexpected.
“Didn't you say you would seize them and hold them by their throats?”
Those were the words I had said to Father at the hunting grounds.
“That was for when I become the Heavenly Demon.”
“So now you're saying you won't do it because you're scared?”
“No, if you put it that way, I can't exactly refuse...”
By putting me in the Small Heaven Cave, Father had saved the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s face, and now, with this test, he was trying to keep the Blood Heaven Blade Demon in check. What exactly was Father thinking?
Suddenly, I remembered what Father had said on the night of the hunt.
— Father, could you kill me for your own sake?
— If that is a matter of concern, then you should not speak of 'Poison Mind' so lightly.
My gaze met Father’s in mid-air.
His blunt eyes were the same as when we went hunting, and the same as when he put me in the Small Heaven Cave.
Thinking differently, this wasn't just Father’s decision.
I had faced Father with a changed attitude, and this was the choice he made as a result. Ultimately, it was a path I had chosen for myself.
“I said those words while looking at those beautiful stars, so I must take responsibility. I will take the job.”
At my ready acceptance, Father gave an inscrutable smile.
I don't know what your plan is, Father, but I'll perform a magnificent sword dance for you.
On the other hand, Sama Myeong seemed surprised by my acceptance.
“Will you be alright? As I said, it is a very dangerous task.”
“Even so, we can't just leave those who are raiding the Cult’s storehouse alone, can we? However, I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Give me not only the right to investigate but also the Summary Execution Right.”
The Summary Execution Right.
It was a special privilege that exempted one from responsibility even if they had to kill a target during the investigation.
Since it was unprecedented, Sama Myeong looked at Father. Father gave a slight nod of approval.
“Very well. However, please exercise the Summary Execution Right only when there is clear evidence.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you for agreeing to this difficult task.”
“If I should happen to die, please carve on my tombstone that Mu-geuk was brave.”
Sama Myeong let out a short laugh.
“Tomorrow, I will send an investigator from the Huangquan Pavilion to assist you.”
“If possible, please send a beautiful woman.”
“Hahaha. I heard you've been showing a new side of yourself lately, and you truly have changed a lot.”
“I'll take that as a compliment. Then, I shall take my leave. Since this might be my last time, I should go have a drink.”
After a polite fist salute, I turned to leave, then glanced back at Father.
“Father, a drink with your son, for what might be the last time...?”
Father didn't even listen to the end of my sentence before he stood up and walked out.
I looked at Sama Myeong and grinned.
“He’s prickly on the outside, but he’s secretly kind.”
“He doesn't seem that way at all to me.”
Leaving behind that single remark with a smile, Sama Myeong also left the hall.
I shouted after him.
“Strategist, you're starting to resemble Father more and more!”
Sama Myeong didn't look back either.
In front of those two, I tried to joke and play around. To them, I was a fresh, young man. I always reminded myself: Don't bring the darkness of the past into this life. I have been born anew.
I stretched grandly in front of the Heavenly Demon Hall.
I would pass this test and take another step toward the position of successor.
*
The next morning, Lee An informed me that an investigator from the Huangquan Pavilion had arrived.
“Young Master, I will go with you to help.”
She knew well how dangerous it was to investigate the Demon Army.
Instead of giving permission, I asked a question.
“Is she pretty?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if the investigator waiting outside is pretty.”
“Pardon?”
“Don't go ruining our private time for nothing! No jealousy allowed!”
Then, Lee An spoke to me with an expression that asked what on earth I was talking about.
“The investigator is a man.”
“What?”
A moment later, the person who entered under Lee An’s guidance was noticeably short and had a gloomy look in his eyes. And he was indeed a man.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Seo Dae-ryong, a special investigator from the Huangquan Pavilion.”
His name was Dae-ryong—'Great Dragon'—but his physique was the exact opposite. Even his voice was small.
“Why did you come? I asked the Chief Strategist to send the most beautiful woman in the Huangquan Pavilion.”
After looking troubled for a moment, Seo Dae-ryong shrugged and replied.
“I suppose in his eyes, I looked like the most beautiful woman.”
At Seo Dae-ryong’s joke, Lee An, who was standing nearby, let out a snort of laughter.
“You're laughing? In this tragic situation?”
Lee An quickly fixed her expression.
“No, sir.”
“Ah, I was hoping to have some private time with a beauty for once.”
I let out a deliberate sigh.
“Fine, let's get to work. Tell me everything you know about the Demon Army. If you stutter even once, I'll show you what kind of tragic fate awaits the one who replaced my beauty.”
At my joking words, Seo Dae-ryong explained as if he had been waiting.
“The Demon Army consists of a total of six squads under the Demon Monarch. It is an organization that only carries out the direct orders of the Cult Leader. Each squad consists of thirty men, making a total of one hundred and eighty-one members, including the Demon Monarch. There is no Deputy Monarch; the First Squad Leader fulfills that role and is the Demon Monarch’s confidant.”
“You've memorized it well.”
“Here is the data on the members of the Demon Army.”
He handed me a thick stack of documents. It was a file containing the portraits and histories of all the members of the Demon Army.
I pulled out a random page from the stack.
“Tell me about Jong Pyo.”
I asked with the thought that he couldn't possibly have memorized this, but he answered as if he had been waiting.
“He belongs to the First Squad of the Demon Army and is in his seventh year. His unique martial art is a palm technique called the Soul-Seeking Palm, and he has a very cruel personality. He enjoys drinking and gambling and has caused trouble several times, but the Demon Army covered it up.”
I asked in surprise.
“What? How do you know that? Is he your friend? Your enemy?”
“Neither.”
I pulled out another document and asked. Again, he knew exactly who the person was.
“Don't tell me you've memorized all one hundred and eighty people here?”
“Yes. To be precise, one hundred and eighty-one.”
“Aren't you a genius?”
“It is a matter I have been investigating for a long time.”
“No, no. If you've memorized all of this, you're a genius, a genius.”
“I would prefer it if you recognized it as effort.”
“Oh, humble too. I’m starting to see you in a different light.”
He was short and had a somewhat gloomy impression, but that gloomy atmosphere now felt like the sharp edge of a genius.
“There must be a reason why I was sent other than being a 'beauty,' wouldn't you say?”
“Oh, being only humble is no fun, so you're showing off a bit too. You entered the Huangquan Pavilion at the top of your class, didn't you?”
“How did you know?”
“This is it! Lee An, did you hear that? To the question of whether he was the top student, he answers, 'How did you know?' That’s the kind of response I want. Cool, very cool. But unfortunately, you probably don't have a girlfriend.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Don't you have a mirror at home?”
“It’s frustrating, but I don't.”
“What? A mirror? A woman?”
“No, the courage to resist an insolent superior.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed heartily. For some reason, I liked this guy.
Now then, shall we see how well he works?
“Then, what kind of man is the Demon Monarch?”