Chapter 131: The Drunkards I’ve Known
Chapter 131: The Drunkards I’ve Known
When I entered the Huangquan Pavilion office the next day, Seo Dae-ryong was already waiting for me. He let out a long sigh of relief the moment he saw me.
“You’re safe.”
“Why? Did you think I’d drowned in the Drunken Demon’s liquor vat?”
“You aren’t exactly a heavy drinker, are you, Pavilion Master?”
“I drink just fine. I’m only careful when I’m drinking with you all.”
“Why is that?”
“In case I have an unsightly drinking habit.”
“Do you?”
“I do.”
“What kind of habit is it?”
It was a habit I couldn’t reveal to Seo Dae-ryong. My mood would plummet into an abyss of extreme depression. If I hadn’t met Seo Jin during my days as a ronin, I would have either become an alcoholic wreck or eventually charged off to kill Hwa Mu-gi in a drunken stupor. I likely would have been killed by his supporters before I even laid eyes on him.
I told Seo Dae-ryong the exact opposite of the truth.
“I drink, I sing, I dance. It’s a total spectacle.”
“I can’t even imagine it!”
“And I nag my right-hand man incessantly.”
“I’d rather not imagine that part.”
“Now do you see why I restrain myself?”
“No, please, drink! Feel free to show us your drinking habits. You need to vent your pent-up anger too, Pavilion Master. This right-hand man of yours can handle at least an hour of nagging!”
Suddenly, I remembered the first time I met Seo Dae-ryong—the way he had walked into my room shrouded in a gloomy aura. Back then, he was truly depressed and twisted, yet here he was, trying to comfort me.
“We’re planning to get together again this evening. You should come, too. Commander Jang will want to see you.”
“Alright. I’ll see you this evening.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll just water the plants and head out.”
Seo Dae-ryong began watering the flowerpots by the window.
“Now that the number one has returned, you’re the number two from now on.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying there are sorrows that the number one will never understand.”
Just then, Seo Dae-ryong, who had been idly looking out the window, gasped in shock.
I walked over to see someone entering the Huangquan Pavilion. Just as the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon had once crossed the training ground, another Demon Lord was walking in now.
Everyone knew who it was. The liquor bottle dangling from his waist made his identity unmistakable.
To my surprise, the Drunken Demon had come to the Huangquan Pavilion. A woman followed behind him—Yeo-bin, one of the Three Great Drunkards of the Great Drunken Forest, the one who had given me a ride on her ferry.
At the Drunken Demon’s appearance, the passing investigators and enforcement martial artists held their breath. Ever since I became the Huangquan Pavilion Master, I was seeing Demon Lords—whom I had never seen here before—far too frequently.
Seo Dae-ryong looked at me and asked, “How is it that every time you go to meet a Demon Lord, they end up coming here? What on earth did you do yesterday?”
“I suppose the drinks we had yesterday weren’t enough.”
“He’s staggering as he walks, though.”
Even from a distance, it was obvious he was intoxicated. The Drunken Demon was truly drunk all day long.
“Go and greet our guest.”
A moment later, the Drunken Demon and Yeo-bin entered, guided by Seo Dae-ryong.
“Welcome, Lord Drunken Demon.”
“We meet again, our Second Young Master.”
He greeted me familiarly, even using the word "our."
“After drinking like that yesterday, shouldn’t we wait at least a few days before meeting again?”
“I’m here on official business today.”
“Did you come to see Do Ho?”
“I did. He may have caused trouble, but he’s still one of my people, isn’t he? I should see him once before he’s sent to the dungeon.”
It was a reason for a visit I hadn’t expected at all.
“It’s not that I want to see him, but this person here does.”
“Very well.”
I turned to Seo Dae-ryong.
“Lead them to Do Ho.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seo Dae-ryong led Yeo-bin out of the room. Once we were alone, I spoke to the Drunken Demon.
“You seemed quite drunk yesterday. Is your stomach alright?”
“It’s not. That’s why we should have a drink to settle it.”
The Drunken Demon held up his bottle and shook it.
“I’m still working, so I can’t.”
“Didn’t I tell you? Everything goes better with a drink. Just drink and throw everyone into the dungeon!”
“Wasn’t it that kind of attitude that led to Do Ho’s incident? It would be one thing if only he had died, but he’s perfectly fine while he killed innocent people. That’s the problem.”
“What will happen to Do Ho?”
“He’ll be locked in the dungeon for a very long time. I intend to apply the maximum sentence.”
“It’ll be hard for him to live without alcohol.”
“Then he shouldn’t have caused trouble. But did you really come all this way just because of Do Ho?”
“That’s just an excuse. Did you forget? We agreed to call each other brothers.”
He had used the phrase "calling each other brothers" three times since yesterday. The look in his eyes right now was quite serious—serious enough that one might believe he truly meant it. However, I didn’t trust the Drunken Demon’s words, nor that look in his eyes.
The drunkards I had experienced were always at their most serious and truthful when they were intoxicated. They would speak with such conviction that you’d wonder why they were going so far. But once the drinking session ended, you’d realize those stories weren’t that important. They were full of lies and bravado. I often felt that because their interiors were empty, they decorated themselves with all sorts of tales.
Drunken Demon, what about you? Are you like them? Are you a man standing precariously at the edge of that empty futility? Are you truly just the ultimate leader of those drunkards? If not… why are you so intoxicated?
“Why do you want to be close to me?”
“It’s not so much that I like you, but rather that I dislike the First Young Master. He broke my liquor bottle and sent it back, so he has to pay the price.”
“Why would he break the bottle before sending it back? He must have expected that it would offend you, Lord Drunken Demon.”
“How should I know what’s in his head? Unless we shared a drink together.”
“Do you understand a person once you drink with them?”
“I do.”
“Then what kind of person am I?”
He looked at me, but his eyes were so bleary with drink that it wasn't easy to read his mind.
“That evaluation is meaningless. Because the you of yesterday and the you of now are different people.”
“How can a person change in a single day? I am the same person now as I was then.”
“Are you certain of that? Does the Second Young Master of then and the Second Young Master of now feel the same way about me?”
I couldn't answer that. Since I had heard from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon that the Drunken Demon was a devious man, strictly speaking, I wasn't looking at him with the same heart as before.
“That’s why I’m saying we should drink again today. A different 'us' drinking on a different day. Let’s make a different history.”
Fine. If fate was pushing me into a drinking session with him like this, then so be it. Let’s drink again.
“I’ll be drinking at the Pungryu Tavern this evening. Come there. Since there will be several of us gathered, bring the female martial artist who came with you as well.”
I intended to learn more about the Drunken Demon through Yeo-bin. I also wanted to prevent the Drunken Demon from dominating the atmosphere alone.
“Good, I’ll bring her.”
Once the drinking plans were set, the Drunken Demon looked genuinely pleased. Did he love alcohol that much? Or did he enjoy drinking with me? He was an enigma.
Just then, the door opened, and Seo Dae-ryong and Yeo-bin returned. The Drunken Demon stood up.
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“I’m telling you in advance, there’s nowhere to swim at the Pungryu Tavern.”
I was telling him not to act out his drinking habits, but the Drunken Demon mimicked a swimming motion as he left the office, saying he’d swim even if he had to dive into a wine cup.
As soon as the two left, Seo Dae-ryong asked urgently, “What was that about?”
“I told him to come to the Pungryu Tavern. And to bring Yeo-bin with him.”
“But why?”
“He said he wanted to drink.”
“Pavilion Master, aren’t you worried about us?”
“Worried about whom? The Demon Monarch? The disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon? My guard, Lee An? Who exactly should I be worried about?”
“When you put it that way… I guess there really isn't anyone to worry about.”
“Are you scared? If you’re scared, you don’t have to come.”
Seo Dae-ryong lamented.
“As you know, I used to be the kind of person who was completely immune to such provocations. If it were the old me, I would have backed away all the way to that door, waved goodbye, and told you to have a nice time. My courage was no bigger than a bean.”
“And now?”
“That bean has swollen so much it’s practically outside my body. It’s only the size of a walnut now, but I feel like I could even hold my own in a drinking match against the Drunken Demon. This kind of clumsy arrogance that comes when one gains confidence in their martial arts is exactly the right time to die, isn't it?”
“Since you already know everything, I have nothing left to teach you. You may leave the mountain now.”
“If it were the old me, I would have taken 'leaving the mountain' as 'leaving this world.' I would have grabbed your pant legs and refused to go. But do you know what I’m thinking now? What’s so great about the Jianghu? What’s so great about the Drunken Demon? I should just face it like a man; at worst, I’ll just die. That’s the kind of crazy thought I’m having. Please, stop me. Am I suffering from Qi Deviation?”
He sounded like he was joking, but Seo Dae-ryong was actually guarding himself against his own arrogance. This is why smart people survive longer.
“What did Yeo-bin and Do Ho talk about in the interrogation room?”
“They didn't say much. The female martial artist asked if she could give Do Ho a drink, so I checked it for poison and let her give it to him.”
Was it a custom of the Great Drunken Forest? Or was there another meaning behind that drink?
Right then, an urgent report came from outside.
“Pavilion Master, Do Ho has committed suicide.”
Startled, I rushed to the interrogation room with Seo Dae-ryong. Do Ho was collapsed on the floor, his head shattered.
“He smashed his head against the wall and killed himself.”
At the report from the subordinate guarding the room, Seo Dae-ryong blamed himself.
“Should I have stopped her from giving him the drink?”
I shook my head.
“It wasn't the drink. Yeo-bin must have sent him a Voice Transmission telling him to die.”
“Why on earth would she order him to die? He was going to suffer in the dungeon for a long time anyway.”
Suddenly, I remembered what the Drunken Demon had said.
It’ll be hard for him to live without alcohol.
Did you really kill him for that? To spare your subordinate the suffering?
“Are you still coming tonight?”
Seo Dae-ryong looked angry. He likely felt as though he had personally escorted the Grim Reaper to Do Ho.
“I’m going. What’s so great about the Jianghu? What’s so great about the Drunken Demon? At worst, I’ll just die. Don’t try to stop me.”
This is why smart people sometimes die faster, too.
“I think you really are in the middle of Qi Deviation.”
*
Before heading to the Pungryu Tavern, I went to see my brother. When I entered his office, he was in the middle of work.
Even with the blood of the Heavenly Demon, one couldn't just idle away. Just as I had taken on the duties of the Huangquan Pavilion Master, my brother was handling tasks passed down from the Heavenly Demon Hall. A massive organization like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult required many people to perform their duties in their respective positions, and my brother was better at managing and operating the organization than anyone else.
Even though he knew I had entered the room, Geom Mu-yang did not look up from the mountain of documents.
“Have you been well? I assume it doesn't say anywhere in that pile of papers that you should greet someone when they arrive?”
Geom Mu-yang ignored me and focused on his work.
“Right, I know you’re someone who can handle multiple things at once, so just listen while you work. Why did you reject the Drunken Demon? You even sent back a broken liquor bottle.”
For a split second, Geom Mu-yang’s hand stopped before moving again.
“I filled the bottle he sent with liquor and went to see him myself. He seemed to like me quite a bit. He was very angry with you, though.”
As I spoke, I watched my brother’s reaction closely. I observed his face and bodily responses using the New Eye Technique. He probably thought he wasn't showing any reaction, but there were very minute responses.
“Do you know what the Drunken Demon said about you?”
At that, Geom Mu-yang looked up and stared at me.
“I guess you’re curious about that.”
“What did he say?”
“Go meet him yourself and ask. Oh, wait—will he even see you?”
I saw Geom Mu-yang’s lips twitch slightly. I realized he had something to say but was holding it back.
There’s no reason for my brother to reject the Drunken Demon. Even if there were a reason, he would have accepted him despite it. There is definitely something behind this.
I became even more certain after seeing Geom Mu-yang’s reaction.
“Thanks to you, I got the Drunken Demon for free. He even came to see me today, saying he wanted to be friends. We’re supposed to drink together this evening, too.”
Geom Mu-yang’s gaze returned to his documents.
“If you’ve said everything you came to say, then leave.”
If I had come and teased him like this normally, my brother would have definitely said something cold. But he endured until the end. It was as if saying even a single word would cause a liquor bottle to fall and shatter. Just seeing that reaction was enough to fulfill the purpose of my visit today.
*
A short while after Geom Mu-geuk left, the Demon Buddha entered the room.
“I heard the Second Young Master was here.”
“He came to test me. He wanted to know why we rejected the Drunken Demon.”
“Does he know? About the liquor bottle?”
“No, he seemed unaware.”
Then, a surprising statement came from the Demon Buddha’s mouth.
“Then the Second Young Master must continue to not know. That it wasn't us who rejected him, but the Drunken Demon who rejected us.”
The person who had sent the broken liquor bottle in the first place was not Geom Mu-yang, but the Drunken Demon. The empty bottle the Drunken Demon had sent to Geom Mu-yang was already broken. Geom Mu-yang had taken it as a sign of rejection, indicating that the Drunken Demon would not join hands with him.
“Why did the Drunken Demon choose Mu-geuk? He could have weighed his options between Mu-geuk and me.”
“I cannot be sure about that either.”
“We must find out the reason and make the Drunken Demon one of our people.”
“There is no need to rush.”
The Demon Buddha actually saw this as an opportunity.
“The Drunken Demon is an unpredictable man. Once he starts stirring things up, even the Second Young Master won't be able to handle him easily. Furthermore, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon dislike each other, but they hate the Drunken Demon even more. Eventually, the Demon Lords the Second Young Master has so carefully gathered will fracture. If he gains the Drunken Demon, he will lose one of the other Demon Lords. Perhaps he might even lose all three.”
The Demon Buddha’s eyes shone with as much conviction as his golden body.
“This is actually an opportunity to overturn a disadvantageous situation.”
Geom Mu-yang swallowed the words he wanted to say.
And what if the Drunken Demon just smoothly joins Mu-geuk’s side?
But regardless, the moment he received that broken bottle, he had no choice in the matter. He could only hope that the Drunken Demon’s drinking habits would be even more troublesome than they anticipated.