Chapter 206: Who Would Actually Refuse?
Chapter 206: Who Would Actually Refuse?
After meeting my father, I went straight to the Demon Doctor’s infirmary.
He happened to be treating a patient in critical condition. Whether the injuries were truly that severe or the man was just unlucky, the patient and the surrounding area were a sea of blood. The first scent I’d encountered upon my return was the iron of the forge; the second was the copper of blood.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.
“I’m fine.”
I stood at a distance and watched him work. Drenched in blood, the Demon Doctor was pouring every ounce of effort into saving the man's life.
Whether it was Guild Master Gwak of the iron workshop or the Demon Doctor, those who had reached the pinnacle of their respective fields shared a similar aura. That desperate concentration to save a life at all costs mirrored Gwak’s obsession with forging the perfect blade.
Eventually, the Demon Doctor finished the treatment—which looked more like a battlefield than a surgery—and walked toward me.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not at all. Is it really alright for me to witness the miracle of a dying man being brought back to life for free?”
“He was going to live anyway,” the doctor replied dryly.
Could that really be true after he’d struggled that hard? It was the stroke of luck of having the Demon Doctor as his physician that had truly saved the man's life.
The Demon Doctor washed his hands and face in a basin in the corner of the infirmary. Looking at his gaunt, thin arms made me feel a sudden pang of pity.
“I’m sorry I haven’t visited often. I’ve been using my busy schedule as an excuse.”
“It’s fine. Seeing you once in a while like this is enough. I’ve been hearing plenty of news about you. Every time I do, I’m grateful—you make me feel like I made the right choice back then.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Elder.”
“How are your eyes?”
“No problems at all. They see too well, if anything.”
“That’s a relief.”
Once I had set my mind on killing Ya Yul-han, I knew I had to see the Demon Doctor.
Part of the reason I sought him out was to find the courage within myself after hearing my father’s warning that it was ‘absolutely impossible.’ In my heart, I wanted to tell him right now that I intended to kill Ya Yul-han, but that was a declaration that had to wait until I received my father’s permission.
“Since you’ve come all this way, have a cup of tea before you go.”
“I’d like that.”
I shared various stories with the Demon Doctor. I intended to tell him everything I’d missed, but another patient arrived shortly after, forcing me to stand.
“I’ll visit again soon.”
“You’re busy, so there’s no need for that.”
I’ll definitely be back very soon.
*
The next person I visited was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
The Blade Demon had thrust his Blood Heaven Great Blade into the ground and was sitting with his back against it, performing Qi Circulation. The heat of his training still lingered in the air. Even while I was out slacking off with the Fist Demon, the Blade Demon had not ceased his martial arts training for a single day.
“Elder! I’m back!”
In contrast to my spirited greeting—as if I were a hero returning home in glory—the Blade Demon accepted my presence nonchalantly, as if he had just seen me yesterday.
“If you’ve traveled a long way, you should rest. Why did you come here?”
“Why else? I had to at least greet you, even if I skipped everyone else. Besides, I have something to report.”
“What report?”
I sat down across from him. “I’ve become the Fist Demon’s disciple.”
The Blade Demon glanced at me but said nothing.
“What’s with the dry reaction?” I asked, disappointed.
“What kind of reaction were you expecting?”
“Maybe shouting, ‘How dare you become someone’s disciple without my permission!’ Or perhaps being jealous and saying, ‘If you were going to be anyone’s disciple, it should have been mine.’”
At that, the Blade Demon said something unexpected. “There is no Demon Lord other than the Fist Demon who would be crazy enough to take you as a disciple.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“In terms of personality.”
“What about you, Elder?”
“I like disciples like Dae-ryong. The kind I can roll around and grind down while teaching.”
“Ah... Poor Investigator Seo.”
“That’s the price for grabbing someone else’s pant leg recklessly.”
He was referring to how their master-disciple relationship began—with Seo Dae-ryong getting drunk at the Pungryu Tavern and literally grabbing the Blade Demon’s leg.
Of course, I knew the truth. Even if the Blade Demon spoke that way, he cherished Seo Dae-ryong deeply. If he didn't, he wouldn't have designated him as the next Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“If I had you as a disciple, I’d die of a stroke within a month,” the Blade Demon grumbled.
“I can’t deny that.”
“On the other hand, the Fist Demon won’t get a stroke.”
“Why is that?”
“Because he’s a man who has no intention of grinding anyone down to begin with. If the Cult Leader and I are fire, he is water.”
I had thought the Fist Demon was fire like my father, but the Blade Demon perceived him as water. Perhaps he was right. Because they were fire and water, he might have gotten along even better with my father.
“To be honest, I was worried you might be upset, Elder.”
“Worried that a narrow-minded old man would pout?”
“Narrow-minded? No, it’s just because your affection for me is so deep.”
“In the past, perhaps. If it were the me from before I met you, I certainly would have been upset.”
“And now?”
“Now, I’ve changed. Because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“How can you say that after making it so this narrow-minded old man can no longer walk beside you if he stays the way he was?”
“...!”
I hadn't dreamed he was thinking such things.
“After forming a bond with you, I began to look back at myself. You have constantly stimulated me. At first, you annoyed me; later, you surprised me; and now, you are making me move.”
“Is your training also part of that?”
“Yes. I have a feeling that if I just swagger around acting big, relying only on my existing skills, I’ll be swept away by the wind and rain. You have already begun your ascension.”
When I first met him, he told me that an ascending dragon brings the wind and rain. Back then, it was a metaphorical statement, but those words had now become reality.
The Blade Demon stared at me with a serious gaze. I didn't crack jokes about being a loach or anything of the sort like I used to. He was right. If we just loitered around trusting in our current strength, we would all die.
That was why I had to keep moving forward.
“I’m going to use the first of the thirty-three favors I can ask of you.”
At my words, the Blade Demon blinked. “Thirty-three favors? Was there such a thing between us?”
“Of course not. I just figured I’d need about thirty-three helps from you in my lifetime. I decided on the number arbitrarily.”
“By whose authority?”
“You aren't even allowed to catch a cold until you’ve granted all thirty-three favors. Do you understand?”
Since it was my stubborn way of wishing for his longevity, the Blade Demon simply gave a short laugh.
“What is the favor?”
“Please persuade my father.”
“The Cult Leader? How?”
“I want to get his permission to take down Ya Yul-han of the Unorthodox Path Alliance.”
The Blade Demon wasn't surprised. He was so calm that I wondered if it was even okay for him to be this unfazed.
“Why aren't you surprised?”
“Because you’re a madman. I figured you might pull something like this eventually.”
“Not the wind and rain of an ascending dragon?”
“No. This is just madness.”
“Please let me commit this madness just this once.”
“Let me ask the reason first. Why do you want to kill that man?”
I told the Blade Demon that Ya Yul-han’s subordinate, Golden Pig Ji-saeng, was using the Immortal’s Debt to lead the youth of the Murim to ruin. I couldn't tell him about the Demon Doctor’s revenge; that was a deeply personal matter.
“If that’s the reason, the Cult Leader won’t allow it.”
“That’s why I’m asking you, Elder.”
After a brief pause, the Blade Demon asked, “If permission is granted... do you have the confidence to kill him?”
“I have to try.”
“The man himself is one thing, but the martial arts of the subordinates guarding him are no joke either. On top of that, if things go wrong, it could escalate into a full-scale war between the Main Cult and the Unorthodox Path Alliance.”
The Blade Demon was also worried about the political fallout.
“Is it a task worth taking such a risk for?”
“Young people who have just stepped into the world are being deceived by those jaded bastards, forced into all sorts of evil deeds, and eventually die as sword-fodder or commit suicide. You ask if it’s worth it? Yes, it is.”
Even if it weren't for my promise to the Demon Doctor, Ya Yul-han’s atrocities would continue.
In my life before regression, I hadn't paid much attention to the Unorthodox Path Alliance because I was busy gathering materials for the Great Regression Art. But even then, the rumors that constantly reached my ears were of the evils committed by Ya Yul-han’s subordinates.
If fate had placed me before him at this point, I believed it was right to deal with him now.
“Why was someone like you born in the Main Cult? Instead of being born as the son of the Murim Alliance Leader?”
“Probably so I wouldn't have to fight you, Elder.”
The Blade Demon let out a light sigh.
“There is someone in the Unorthodox Path Alliance who will help me,” I added.
“Who?”
“Bi Sa-in, the successor of the Unorthodox Path Alliance.”
If only to repay the past debt of gratitude and grudge, Bi Sa-in would certainly help me. He would make an excellent ally.
After a moment of contemplation, the Blade Demon said the same thing the Fist Demon had.
“To change the Cult Leader’s mind, all eight Demon Lords will likely have to step forward. If you demonstrate that much influence, the Cult Leader will have a justification to yield his own stance.”
Since this was the opinion of the two people who knew my father best, my heart grew heavy.
“The Eight Demon Lords will be difficult. Right away, the Demon Buddha and the Poison King support my brother, so they won't help.”
The Blade Demon pulled his blade from the ground. “Do you really think those two are the only ones who will refuse?”
As he walked into his house, he added, “Your true test of relationships might be starting now.”
*
It was exactly as the Blade Demon had predicted.
The One Flower Sword Venerable refused flatly. She refused as cleanly as her sword techniques.
“I can’t do that.”
Her reason for refusing was also simple.
“Second Young Master, I’ll be honest with you because it’s you. I don't want to get on the Cult Leader’s bad side over something like this.”
I could understand. Since her youth, her respect for my father had been higher than anyone else’s. She didn't want to go out of her way to ask for something she knew my father would never permit.
“I understand, Senior.”
To be honest, I had expected her to refuse to some extent. I felt I was a step further away from her compared to the other Demon Lords. Aside from sparring, I hadn't had many opportunities to build a deep personal relationship with her.
“Are you upset?”
If I gave a stiff, formal answer, it would actually make her feel bad.
“Yes, I’m upset! You’re being too much!”
The One Flower Sword Venerable smiled. “Please understand.”
Only then did I show a smile that was half-joke, half-earnest. “I understand. Is my father an ordinary person? I know how much pressure you must feel, Senior.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“I’m sorry, but this might not be the end. I might come back to try and persuade you again.”
“I suppose so.”
However, it wasn't easy to get permission for this matter even from someone I considered a close ally.
The next person I visited was the Drunken Demon. The moment I asked him to help persuade my father, he suddenly started pretending to be hammered.
“Whoa! The alcohol... it's suddenly hitting me like a carriage!”
The Drunken Demon slammed his head onto the table and pretended to fall asleep instantly.
When I continued to drink my wine in silence, he spoke while still face-down.
“I’ll grant any other favor. What do you want? If you want me to buy you drinks for the rest of your life, I will. Want to borrow money? Should I go to Villain Valley and beat those guys up again?”
“Forget that. Persuade my father.”
At that, the Drunken Demon, who had his head buried on the table, suddenly bolted up and dove into the lake with a massive splash.
He swam frantically from one end of the lake to the other like a madman before climbing back up to the pavilion. Sitting back in his original spot with water dripping from his body, he said with a solemn expression, “I’d rather quit drinking.”
The Drunken Demon quitting drinking? I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Is it that hard?”
“What do you think the Cult Leader will think if I go to him? ‘Look at this punk, he knows exactly that I’m against this, yet he comes to try and persuade me?’ The Cult Leader already dislikes me as it is!”
“Why would Father dislike you, Brother?”
“He does! The Cult Leader dislikes drunks, and he dislikes people who use poison. He’s a man of very clear likes and dislikes. I can’t do it! I absolutely can’t! I’m sorry, little brother.”
I didn't pester him any further. If it were anything else, it might be different, but how could I not understand when it involved my father? Even if the reason wasn't my father, I couldn't force someone to do something they hated.
“If you’re sorry, then abstain from alcohol for ten days starting today!”
“I’ll abstain! I’m sorry!”
“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who should be sorry for pestering you with something unreasonable.”
“Our relationship shouldn't turn sour over this!”
“Brother, our relationship turning sour isn't because I asked a favor or because you refused it.”
“Then why would it turn sour?”
“When we aren't honest. If you had said you’d do it just to please me when you really didn't want to, imagine that. Trying to do something you hate leads to irritation and resentment. Eventually, you’d even come to hate me, wouldn't you?”
The Drunken Demon nodded with an expression that said he definitely would have.
“You were right to refuse, Brother. I’m going to ask for many favors in the future: ‘Come with me to beat someone up,’ ‘I’m lonely, so drink with me,’ ‘I need to persuade that person, so help me.’ You have to be honest with me then, too. You must never think, ‘I refused last time, so I should force myself to do it this time.’ That’s when our relationship will crack, got it?”
The Drunken Demon stared at me intently and said, “From today on, you be the older brother. I’m serious.”
“I refuse. What would I do without the fun of teasing my older brother? Brother!”
“Ugh, what an embarrassing older brother I am.”
“If it were anything else, maybe, but being afraid of my father is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m going now. I’ll probably be back again for this matter. See you then.”
With that, I left the Drunken Demon’s residence.
The Blade Demon was right. Persuading the Demon Lords would be even harder than persuading my father.
If even the One Flower Sword Venerable and the Drunken Demon, whom I considered on my side, were this hard to move, how was I supposed to get all eight of them to speak to him? A sigh escaped me involuntarily, but now was not the time for despair; it was the time to find a way.
The next place I headed was where my comrade-in-arms was. I was curious about his reaction.