Chapter 381: To Me, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon Is...
Chapter 381: To Me, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon Is...
“…And that is how the Murim Alliance Leader came to be invited to this meeting.”
As soon as I returned to the Cult, I reported everything that had transpired to my father.
Chief Strategist Sama Myeong was also present. After all, he was the man responsible for coordinating the meeting’s schedule and security.
Upon hearing that I had invited even the Murim Alliance Leader, my father shook his head in disbelief, while Sama Myeong simply met me with a stony silence.
“I assume our Strategist expected things to turn out this way?”
Of course, I expected it. This is the inevitable flow of history. That was the response I was hoping for.
“Which part are you referring to?” Sama Myeong asked dryly. “The part where the Young Cult Leader, who vanished on a whim to save a mere tavern owner, invited the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader to our headquarters? Or the part where you went to ask for the Murim Alliance Leader’s understanding and ended up inviting him as well?”
Come to think of it, I really did start this journey just to save Jo Chun-bae and his wife. I hadn't intended for it to escalate this far. Perhaps all of this was simply the destiny Jo Chun-bae had set in motion.
“I apologize. I know how busy you are, and I’ve handed you a massive task.”
“Do you even realize just how massive it is?”
If the person who had caused this mess weren't the Young Cult Leader, and if we weren't standing before my father, he likely would have roared at me, demanding to know if I had any idea what I’d done.
“The Young Cult Leader has achieved something no one else ever could,” Sama Myeong added.
“That’s a compliment, right?”
Sama Myeong’s expression said it all: Do you really think it’s a compliment?! Of course, since he was in front of my father, his words were more measured than his thoughts.
“It is a compliment.”
He looked like he wanted to launch into a lecture starting with the word ‘However…’
I understood Sama Myeong. Having lived his entire life as a strategist, he loathed variables and sudden shifts. This was likely the biggest upheaval of his career.
“There is much to prepare. Since this is the first three-party summit, we expect considerable chaos. The biggest issue is security. Both the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Path Alliance will try to bring as many masters as possible. The more people there are, the higher the chance of an incident. One wrong step could trigger a full-scale war.”
Yet, we couldn't exactly tell them to bring a minimal escort. Absolute coordination was necessary, and Sama Myeong was the one who would have to engage in a war of nerves with the strategists from both sides. I felt bad for him, but what could I do? Fate had led us here.
I shifted my gaze from Sama Myeong to my father, who was looking down at me in silence.
Before my regression, I would have trembled under that gaze. I wouldn't have even been able to meet his eyes. Because of that fear, my relationship with my father never moved forward; it only regressed.
But now I knew. My father was just looking at me without any particular agenda. He was probably thinking, What am I going to do with this troublemaker? Tsk, tsk. I shouldn't let my imagination run wild and wonder if I’d disappointed him, if he regretted making me the Young Cult Leader, or if he was thinking of my brother.
I had to remind myself that the wings of imagination are often clipped by the talons of misunderstanding.
“Are you very angry?” I asked.
“Of course! Who gave you permission to call a three-party summit? Strategist, contact the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Path Alliance immediately and tell them it’s canceled!”
My father’s voice thundered through the Heavenly Demon Hall.
However, the look in his eyes wasn't one of irritation or rage.
I could tell. My father was acting angry on Sama Myeong’s behalf to soothe the man’s feelings. It was a reprimand intended to protect me.
“You can’t do that, Father!”
“I certainly can!”
Sama Myeong cautiously stepped in.
“Please calm yourself, Cult Leader. Since the Young Cult Leader has already made the promise, it would be best to proceed as planned.”
This way, Sama Myeong’s prestige was upheld, and he was given the chance to take my side.
“Thank you, Strategist,” I said.
“It is a relief, at least, that the Young Cult Leader already has a strategist,” he replied, shaking his head with an expression that clearly said how difficult it would be to live as my advisor. Our Chief Strategist certainly knew how to hold a grudge.
“You’re being too harsh!”
Thanks to Sama Myeong’s dry wit, the atmosphere softened slightly.
I looked at my father again.
I wondered what he was thinking. Did he actually want to see the two Alliance Leaders? Even after looking this closely, my father remained a difficult man to read.
Regardless, the deed was done. There was something I absolutely had to tell him.
“This meeting is between the three of you, but it will have a profound impact on the three of us as well. Where else could we learn such things? It’s a meeting of the Cult Leader and the Alliance Leaders that happens only once in a lifetime.”
Then, I repeated the words I had said to the others.
“I did it because I believed in you, Father.”
Finally, that characteristic smirk formed on my father’s lips. Even after all this time, it still suited him perfectly.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
As I turned to walk away, I felt the heat of gazes on the back of my head.
Why do you dream of unifying the Murim? I will stop you until the very end, Father.
Wait, the heat on the back of my head wasn't from two pairs of eyes, but three, right?
Before leaving the Heavenly Demon Hall, I called out into the empty air.
“Uncle Hwi! I’m sorry!”
I didn't forget to apologize to my guard, Hwi. He was another person whose nerves would be frayed to the breaking point by this three-party summit.
*
“Elder!”
After leaving the Heavenly Demon Hall, I headed straight for the Southern Blade Sect, where the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was staying.
I hurried to his quarters as if reuniting with long-lost kin. Since I had only seen the Fist Demon briefly before leaving the Cult again last time, it had been a while since I’d seen the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
The yard was empty.
I walked slowly and peered through the window. I saw an unexpected sight.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was lying on his bed, fast asleep.
It’s not time for him to be sleeping yet.
I was about to turn away when I paused. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, napping? That had never happened before.
I turned back, quietly opened the door, and stepped inside. I moved without making a sound, careful not to wake him.
At the last moment, I diverted my steps from the bed toward the bookshelf. I stood there, looking over the new books he had bought.
“Weren't you coming in because you were worried about me?”
I turned around to see the Blood Heaven Blade Demon watching me, his eyes open.
“No, I wasn't.”
Like hell I wasn't. He had no idea how much he’d startled me. I had sensed him holding his breath the moment I entered the room, which was why I’d changed direction.
“I was waiting to give you a fright when you leaned in to check if I was still breathing,” he grumbled.
“Why would I check your breathing? Are you the type of person to pass away in bed, Elder? You’ll go out on a battlefield, fighting gloriously while leaning on your Heaven Extermination Great Blade.”
“You brat! How can you speak of death so easily to an old man?”
Despite his words, a smile he couldn't hide formed on his lips. That was, after all, the end he dreamed of.
“But why are you taking a nap? You never do that.”
“I do it occasionally. Wait until you get to my age.”
Was it just my imagination? His voice seemed to lack its usual sharp energy.
“Did you finish your business outside well?”
“I caused some trouble.”
“It would be stranger if you didn't cause trouble, given how much you wander around. What did you do?”
As of now, only my father and Sama Myeong knew about this; it was a top-secret matter.
“I invited the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader to the Pungryu Tavern.”
I could see just how shocked he was.
“You invited who?”
“The Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader.”
“The one I know? Baek Ja-gang?”
“You know him?”
“I do.”
The Elder truly had a wide reach and knew many people.
“That shouldn't be possible. That suspicious man accepted your invitation?”
With a look of disbelief, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon sat up and poured himself some cold tea from the side table.
“I invited one more person. That’s why I’m worried.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon answered dismissively.
“You’ve already invited the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader; who else would dare cause trouble? As long as it’s not the Murim Alliance Leader, it’s fine.”
A brief silence followed.
Startled, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon blinked as he stared at me.
“No, right?”
When I didn't answer, he asked again.
“It’s not him, is it?”
“…”
“Surely not?”
“Why wouldn't it be?”
I purposely clutched my head, feigning distress.
“I don’t know why I’m like this either!”
I tried to play it off with a joke, but the Elder didn't react. His gaze on me was deep.
“Even the Murim Alliance Leader accepted? How? Even for you, this is…”
“I don’t think they accepted because of me.”
“Then why?”
“The three of them must have wanted to see each other at least once. Otherwise, would this have even happened?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon nodded slowly, a cold aura beginning to emanate from him.
“The two Alliance Leaders are coming to our headquarters? This is a chance to settle both sides at once.”
After speaking as if it were his own thought, he quickly added, “What if the Cult Leader thinks the same?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon believed it was possible my father harbored such intentions.
“At least for this time, he won't.”
“How can you be so sure?”
To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure. I was just choosing to trust my father.
“Because they are guests invited by his son.”
“What if he values his great ambition more than his son?”
“Then you must stop him, Elder. You are the only one who can.”
We stared at each other in silence.
Just then, Seo Dae-ryong entered the room.
“Oh? Young Cult Leader!”
Seeing me, Seo Dae-ryong approached with a bright smile.
“When did you arrive?”
“Today. Wait… your eyes look different.”
I could tell at a glance that Seo Dae-ryong’s martial arts had reached a new level of achievement in my absence. While his skills had been steadily improving, today he felt significantly stronger.
Then, the surprising truth was revealed.
“Yesterday, Master opened my Conception and Governing Vessels.”
Only then did I realize. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon hadn't been joking; he really had been exhausted and napping.
Seo Dae-ryong was holding medicinal herbs. It seemed he had gone to the Demon Doctor to get medicine to restore the Elder’s strength.
“Let me check your condition.”
I didn't ask for permission. Knowing how much I worried, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't pull away when I grabbed his wrist and sent a stream of internal energy into him.
“I’m fine.”
Fortunately, he was. Because his martial arts were so powerful and his internal energy so profound, he had opened the meridians without having to expend his Innate True Qi.
Opening the Conception and Governing Vessels.
It was a process an ordinary master had to go through to become a peerless master. I had assumed the Elder would do it for him eventually since he’d taken him as a disciple, but that day had already come. It was a testament to how hard Seo Dae-ryong had trained.
I took the credit on the Elder’s behalf.
“You know, don’t you? Opening those vessels is so dangerous that people usually only do it for their own flesh and blood.”
“I know.”
“Then that’s enough.”
Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes were burning with emotion. Knowing his personality, I didn't need to be told how grateful he was.
“I’ll go warm up the medicine I brewed. The Demon Doctor said this one is the most effective.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon grumbled at him.
“You brat, how much is your monthly stipend that you’re buying medicine?”
“I’m the Huangquan Pavilion Master, believe it or not. I make plenty of money.”
Seo Dae-ryong went outside to warm the medicine.
When I looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon with an impressed gaze, he raised his voice defensively.
“I didn't do it for him. If he’s my disciple, he should at least be at that level.”
The words ‘my disciple’ no longer sounded awkward coming from him.
“I like you the best, Elder.”
Feeling awkward in the sentimental atmosphere, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon lay back down on the bed.
“Enough. I’m going back to sleep.”
But I wasn't the type to just leave. I sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Actually, I talked big, but do you think I’m not worried? What if things turn out dangerously, unlike the meeting I envisioned? What if my father ends up smiling at me while holding severed heads dripping with blood in both hands?”
“Why are you complaining to me?”
“Who else would I say this to?”
“Go tell the masked guy. Or the drunkard, or the poison freak.”
I continued as if I hadn't heard him.
“And it’s not just my father I’m worried about. What if you don’t like it, Elder? What if you have some hidden grudge against the Alliance Leaders that I don’t know about? What if you can’t restrain yourself and try to kill them when you meet?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke with his eyes closed.
“If I had a grudge like that, I would have hunted them down long ago.”
“I suppose so, right?”
“Though, who knows? One of the Demon Lords might have been suppressing their feelings and decide to let them explode that day.”
“No, no! That can’t happen!”
As I was feigning agony, Seo Dae-ryong returned with the warmed medicine.
“Master, please take your medicine!”
“I should be the one taking that medicine. I’m going to die of anxiety first.”
When I tried to snatch the medicine, Seo Dae-ryong dodged me with a footwork technique.
“This is for Master!”
“Since when did you care for the Elder this much? Pavilion Master Seo, it’s me! The former Huangquan Pavilion Master and the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult! The man you serve as your right hand!”
“Until Master finishes this medicine, you are a one-armed man!”
Watching Seo Dae-ryong respectfully offer the medicine to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, a smile naturally formed on my lips. In my life before the regression, these two had never even shared a word.
Over their current image, I saw the Seo Dae-ryong who had first entered my office with a gloomy expression. I saw the image of him drunk, clinging to the Elder’s leg. The image of him overjoyed upon receiving the great blade.
And what other images would be layered over this one in the future? What kind of picture would remain at the very end when all those moments were combined?
When the Blood Heaven Blade Demon lay back down after drinking the medicine, Seo Dae-ryong and I quietly prepared to leave the room.
That was when the Elder spoke with his eyes still closed.
“Everything will be fine.”
That one heavy, calm sentence put my mind at ease. It truly did.
Even though I had regressed, and no matter how perfect I seemed or how hard I worked, I was still a person who needed to hear those words. That I was doing well, that things would turn out okay. To me, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was that kind of person.
“Investigator Seo, let’s sleep here with the Elder tonight.”
“Sounds good.”
Caught up in the mood, Seo Dae-ryong had lost his sense of fear.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon snapped his eyes open and shouted.
“Who gave you permission! Get out! Go sleep at your own houses!”
Hearing the Elder’s shout, I finally felt like I had truly returned home. If someone were to ask how I could walk such a treacherous path, I would answer that it was because I had a place to return to.
“I said get out, you brats!”
If I were the type to listen, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.
I shouted as I ran out with a delighted face.
“I’ll go grab my pajamas! Let’s go, Right Hand!”