Chapter 301: Only for Those with a Connection
Chapter 301: Only for Those with a Connection
Traveling with Pyeon Jung was a genuine delight.
While he skillfully handled the carriage, I practiced the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art inside. We stopped at reputable inns for delicious meals, and just as we had on the way there, whenever we encountered a scenic spot, we halted the carriage to take in the view. We watched rainbows arching over waterfalls, and over a cup of wine, I listened to the stories of a coachman’s life.
When we finally arrived at the Ma Clan Village, I paid him enough to cover his return trip and then some.
"There are many dangerous martial artists around here, so it’s risky to head back looking for passengers. This isn't just for you; take it and buy some clothes for your children. Don't refuse my sincerity."
Pyeon Jung looked as if he had a thousand things he wanted to say, but he settled for a single sentence.
"I shall look forward to the day I may serve you once more."
I might never see this man again, but one never knows with human connections. Perhaps one day, I’ll find myself climbing into a carriage driven by a white-haired Pyeon Jung.
"Safe travels."
After seeing Pyeon Jung off, I stepped into the Ma Clan Village.
"Ah, I love it! This smell!"
The unique scent of the village welcomed me. It finally felt like I was home.
"Young Cult Leader!"
Running toward me from a distance was Jo Chun-bae of the Pungryu Tavern. He was sprinting with such joy that I worried he might trip and fall.
"Proprietor, have you been well?"
"When did you return?"
"I just arrived. Seeing you the moment I get back makes me feel like today is going to be a very lucky day."
"Oh, please! Don't say such things. I'm nobody special."
Though he waved his hands in dismissal, a broad grin was plastered across his face. Seeing Jo Chun-bae made it truly sink in that I was back. He had been on his way to the Pungryu Tavern with a cart full of ingredients.
"Buying the ingredients yourself, I see."
"Of course. I pick out every single fresh ingredient personally. Now, come along."
As Jo Chun-bae moved to push the cart, I sat him down on it instead.
"Let's ride together."
I sat down on the front of the cart right next to him. Jo Chun-bae blinked in confusion. "If we both sit, who's going to pull the cart?"
"We'll pull it with our hearts."
Thinking I was joking, Jo Chun-bae laughed. "I'll push it for you. Please, take a ride on my cart for once!"
The moment he tried to hop off, the cart began to move on its own.
"Whoa! It's moving by itself!"
Of course, I was using Telekinesis to move the cart. Jo Chun-bae let out a string of exclamations in wonder.
"I've been working in taverns since I was a boy and seen all sorts of things, but I've never experienced anything like this."
"To be honest, it's a first for me too."
"Is it alright to use your precious internal energy for something like this, Young Cult Leader?"
"That 'precious' internal energy is usually spent on trash. If anything, it's being used for something truly valuable right now."
Jo Chun-bae looked at me and said, "If I were a martial artist, I would have served you for sure."
"I'd hate that."
As Jo Chun-bae tensed up, fearing he had misspoken, I said with a smile, "Then who would run the Pungryu Tavern? I have plenty of subordinates, but only one proprietor like you."
A deep smile spread across Jo Chun-bae's face.
And so, we arrived at the Pungryu Tavern. I headed up to the second floor, to the seat where I always sat to drink.
"Do you still keep this spot empty?"
"Yes. This seat is reserved for the Young Cult Leader and special guests."
"Isn't that a loss for you, Proprietor?"
"I've spent my whole life struggling just to avoid losses. I should be allowed to have this much fun now."
Jo Chun-bae looked contentedly at the signatures of the Demon Lords carved into the wall. As I looked at them with him, I was startled.
"Father left one too!"
"He came by about a month after you left the Cult."
"Did he come alone?"
"Yes. He visited twice, and both times he was alone."
I imagined my father sitting here alone, drinking wine. Leaving a signature like that couldn't have been easy for him. How could I not love the man? My father is truly my father.
"Would you like a drink?"
"I have to greet my father first. I'll stop by later."
"Then I shall see you then."
My pace quickened as I left the Pungryu Tavern. Seeing my father's signature made me miss him even more.
*
In front of the Heavenly Demon Hall, Jeok-yeon, the head of the guards, was waiting. It seemed news of my return had already reached them. He quickly scanned me from head to toe, checking for any injuries.
"I am glad you returned safely."
He was likely angry that I had gone to the Jiangxi Branch alone after sending the guards back, but his eyes were filled with relief.
"You'll have to get used to this. We have a very long road ahead of us."
"No matter how much you say that, it is not an easy thing to get used to."
He was right. If I died, they would have to bear all the responsibility. As Jeok-yeon turned to leave, I asked, "How is your eye?"
"It is fine."
"Let me see."
This time, he didn't argue and obediently removed his eyepatch. Looking at the red energy in his eye, it seemed he had made progress in his training in the meantime.
"Once you pass this hurdle, you'll enter a stage where the pain subsides."
I placed my palm over Jeok-yeon's eye and injected a gentle flow of internal energy.
"I can feel the change in your martial realm better than anyone, Young Cult Leader."
"Does it feel different?"
"Yes. It feels different from the last time you checked."
His eye was sensing subtle changes that even I hadn't fully realized.
"When on earth do you find time to train?"
"I might look like a slacker, but I'm surprisingly diligent. I practiced the whole way back in the carriage."
I said that, but I didn't think the change came solely from practicing the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art in the carriage. Perhaps it changed when I watched the sunset with Pyeon Jung. Perhaps it changed when I placed coins in Ju Yang's hand. Or perhaps it changed while I was listening to the grievances of Branch Leader Ho-gyeong.
I still believe: only when one's life and character change can their martial arts truly change.
*
Finally, the father I had missed was sitting in the distance.
I strode across the Path of Blood and walked up to the Grand Tutor’s Chair. My father was guarding the Main Cult, looking exactly as he always did.
"I have returned. Have you been at peace?"
I bowed respectfully. Whenever I return from a trip, I always visit him first. I've done it several times now, saying the same greeting, but each time the feeling is different. With every visit, I find myself fonder of him.
"Every time you go out, you return with blood on your hands."
In Honam, and in Jiangxi. I had no excuses.
"Isn't that because I take after you, Father?"
A smirk flickered across my father's lips. I was so glad to see that familiar expression after so long. Father had changed a lot, too. He used to be someone who only looked down from that Grand Tutor’s Chair from beginning to end.
"Let's go for a walk."
Lately, he enjoyed walking with me like this. I followed him out of the Heavenly Demon Hall. We walked together along a path winding through the rear garden.
"I met a great coachman and found many excellent inns. There are hidden gems in places you'd never expect. I'll take you to all of them later."
I didn't talk about the people who died by my hand. He would have received reports on everything through the Tongcheon Pavilion anyway. These were the things I wanted to tell my father—where the scenery was beautiful, which tea houses had the best atmosphere, and how people were living. Just as my father had come out from the Grand Tutor’s Chair to this garden, I wanted us to step out into the Central Plains together.
"Do you know how much interest the King Yama's Stronghold is charging these days? They're insane."
I told him about the stronghold and shared the conversations I'd had with the warriors of the Demon Sword Squad.
"If you were to send a gift to the Demon Sword Squad personally, Father, their morale would soar."
"I shall do that."
Since he agreed so readily, I couldn't help but tease him a little.
"You're being far too biased."
"Biased how?"
"You treat me so differently now compared to when I was just the Second Young Master."
"It should be different. That way, you realize how precious your position is. Why? Would you like me to treat you like I did before?"
"Back when your Finger Wind almost put a hole in this handsome face? I'll pass!"
I loved this new relationship I was building with my father. He paused for a moment, gazing at the distant Daecheon Mountain. And this was what I wanted to say to him most of all:
"Next time, let's go on a trip together."
"If I move, the Jianghu will be shaken."
"Let them be shaken. Stop guarding the Heavenly Demon Hall and go... guard your own life for once."
I felt my father's back flinch for a split second. I didn't want my father's emergence into the Murim to be an act of war. I wanted it to be a pleasant journey.
"It's because I want to play with you, Father."
Father simply stared at the distant mountain in silence. Well, what father wouldn't want to go out? The weight of that seat is something one can't understand without sitting in it.
"I heard the Fist Demon has a daughter now."
"I was surprised too. I didn't think Master would make such a decision."
"Did you have a hand in it?"
"I like to meddle in all sorts of things, but not this time. How could I dare interfere in the matter of a parent and child?"
"It was unexpected."
My father wasn't the only one who was surprised.
"He looked like he could live perfectly well alone in the world, but he was lonely. What about you? Would you like to have a daughter, Father?"
For some reason, my father nodded readily.
"What if I disappear and you get a daughter instead?"
Father nodded even more firmly.
"That's cold!"
It felt good to act like a spoiled child in front of my father after so long.
"Follow me."
Father led me deep into the rear garden of the Heavenly Demon Hall. We passed through all sorts of boundaries that forbade outside intrusion and moved through a series of secret formations before we reached our destination. It was my first time here, and I was stunned when I saw the plaque.
The Heavenly Demon Treasure Vault.
He had brought me to the treasure house of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
"Ah! This is my first time here."
I followed my father inside. Countless weapons gleamed with sharp edges, and elixirs and spirit herbs tempted the senses with their various fragrances. There were innumerable dazzling jewels like Night-shining Pearls and Poison-Repelling Pearls.
Being a martial artist, my eyes were first drawn to the weapons and elixirs. Swords, sabers, and spears, of course, but also axes, wheels, sickles, rulers, fans, brushes, needles... every kind of Divine Weapon was on display. Every single one of them was a masterpiece that would cause a bloodbath if it ever appeared in the Murim.
That wasn't all. As for elixirs, Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng wasn't even considered. Top-grade elixirs and herbs on the level of Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng were categorized and stored according to their Yin and Yang properties.
There were also elixirs stored separately. There were eight in total.
"These over here are elixirs to be immediately distributed to the Demon Lords should war break out."
Furthermore, there were poisons and hidden weapons to be used in war. The hidden weapons were Forbidden Hidden Weapons whose use was banned in the Murim, and the poisons were weapons of mass destruction capable of taking hundreds or thousands of lives at once. Seeing bottles of that expensive Formless Poison lined up made my heart turn cold. If war broke out, these poisons would be handed over to the Poison King immediately.
On one side, piles of body armor were stacked. They looked like cheap martial robes from a marketplace at a glance because they were piled up like that, but each one was a rare piece of armor difficult to find in the Murim. These, too, were meant to be distributed to the Demon Lords and the heads of each organization upon the outbreak of war.
Father was steadily preparing for war.
Father, I respect you immensely, but war is the one thing that cannot happen.
Father knew that was how I felt. Even so, showing me this was his way of persuading me—that this was the path he and I had to walk. Then, my father said something unexpected.
"Choose one thing from among these."
His words were completely unforeseen.
"It is my gift to the Young Cult Leader."
Because it was an unexpected gift, the impact was even greater. Since becoming the Young Cult Leader, I had heard the title countless times, but now I felt like I had truly become one.
"Can I really choose anything here?"
"Everything will be yours once you become the Heavenly Demon anyway. Though for now, it is only one."
Choosing one from among these priceless treasures was a heart-pounding task. Which of these would be of the most help to me? I walked past the weapons and elixirs toward another area.
"Where are you going? There are no elixirs there."
Father naturally assumed I would choose one of the elixirs. Since I already had the Black Demonic Sword, the second-best sword after the Heavenly Demon Sword, I didn't need a weapon.
"I just felt like there might be something better over there, since you showed me those first."
I continued walking, looking at the items in the vault. There were all sorts of things: cushions that supplemented Yin energy and incense burners that boosted Yang energy. There were iron figures that performed martial arts through mechanical devices and statues of beautiful women that danced. The martial arts of the iron figures seemed like peerless techniques, and the dances seemed to reveal transcendent footwork.
But I kept passing them by. There were all sorts of precious, flashy, and mysterious things, but none of them pulled at my heart. Just as I was about to turn back, something caught my eye.
It was a square block of iron about the size of a palm.
"What is this?"
"It is called a Secret Casket."
The name suggested it was a chest or a box, but there was no lid to be seen anywhere.
"What is it used for?"
"I do not know."
I looked back at my father, and he shook his head with an expression that said he truly didn't know.
"It is an object that has been passed down in the Main Cult since time immemorial. Its purpose and use have never been discovered, and the only legend is that it will only open for the one with a connection to it."
"What about you, Father?"
Father nodded. "To me, it was nothing more than a block of iron."
It will only open for the one with a connection.
Could this feeling of being drawn to it right now be that connection? I wanted to choose this. More than anything else here, this dull block of iron caught my eye. Even though I knew full well that I likely wasn't the one with the connection either, I still wanted to pick this out of all these treasures. I didn't deliberate for long.
"I'll take this one."