Chapter 39: This Is How It’s Done
Chapter 39: This Is How It’s Done
On my way back from meeting the One Flower Sword Venerable, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was waiting for me at his usual haunt.
“What did that fox have to say for herself?”
He was clearly on edge because of her.
“She told me to sever my ties with you, Elder.”
“I knew it! What did I tell you? I said she’d say exactly that, didn't I? Did she give a reason?”
“She said our ideals are different. That you are far too... free-spirited, Elder.”
“Bullshit.”
Cold demonic energy swirled violently around his body.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Naturally, I must side with whoever offers the better deal.”
“What?”
I provoked him intentionally.
“One should weigh their options when the opportunity arises. Wouldn't you do the same, Elder?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon couldn't even muster the anger to retort. He knew he would have done exactly that.
“For now, you have the upper hand. Surely she won't offer anything better than the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill?”
“She might. She’s the type of person who would do anything if it meant ruining me.”
“Just why exactly did your relationship with the One Flower Sword Venerable turn so sour?”
After a brief pause, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke.
“Does a man need a reason to hate someone?”
I already knew the reason.
They were two people with histories that no one in the world would believe. They were villains among villains, and their lust for power was second to none.
“Would you like a drink? If you go back like this, you’ll only feel bitter and troubled, won't you?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Cool-headedness? I don't think that's always a virtue. When you're upset, be upset. When you're in a foul mood, talk it out and let it go. Come, let’s go. Drinks are on me today.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before suddenly taking flight.
“I’ll be waiting at Ma Clan Village!” he called out.
In an instant, he vanished into the distance.
That old man and his temper.
However, he was definitely different from when he first approached me and started pestering me.
*
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was waiting for me in front of the Pungryu Tavern, the establishment run by Jo Chun-bae.
“I thought you’d be at a courtesan house,” I remarked.
“I despise places where women are put on display.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“Unexpected? Why? Do I look like a lecher to you?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that your late younger brother enjoyed those places.”
“You’re spoiling the wine. Drop the subject of that fellow.”
“Understood.”
Actually, I had brought it up on purpose. I didn't want the wound in his heart to fester. Though, it didn't seem like the Blood Heaven Blade Demon particularly needed such consideration.
As we took our seats in the Pungryu Tavern, I asked, “Why did you choose this tavern of all places?”
“They opened a Huangquan Pavilion branch across the street.”
It seemed he had stopped here after spotting it while passing by.
“Be careful. If you go around hitting people for no reason, even you will be hauled in by me, Elder.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at me with an incredulous expression at my joke. Jo Chun-bae greeted us warmly.
“Welcome, Pavilion Master.”
“It’s been a while.”
“It is an honor to have you visit again.”
“I’m here because the wine and food are good.”
Once Jo Chun-bae took our order and disappeared toward the kitchen, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke.
“You are unnecessarily kind.”
“Is there anything wrong with being kind?”
“If you are swayed by sentiment, you will inevitably ruin things. Take that owner, for example. Do you think the food will turn out better because you’re kind? Or would it be better if you told him you’d kill him if it tasted bad? In that regard, the First Young Master has the advantage over you.”
“It’s certainly easier to live in this world if one is cold-hearted.”
“It’s not too late to change.”
“Even so, I won't be boarding that carriage of cruelty.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I believe the food coming out now will taste better if it was made by someone whistling happily rather than someone trembling in fear.”
“Someday, that man will use your kindness to demand even greater things. And if you don't grant them, he will criticize and curse you. That is the nature of humans.”
“And someday, that man might return something even greater because of this small kindness I’ve shown. Perhaps he might even save my life because of it. That, too, is the nature of humans.”
“We’ll see about that.”
We drank together in silence for a moment.
“Actually, I think you are much more emotional than I am, Elder.”
“How did you block my blade with those eyes of yours? You’ve completely misjudged me.”
I thought I had judged him quite well. Throughout this entire process of becoming entangled with me, he had spent a great deal of emotional energy. Even at this very moment, he was pouring out thoughts in a conversation the likes of which he’d never had in his life.
“While we’re on the subject, I have one thing to say. From now on, you should manage your Blade Ghosts and your disciples. Otherwise, they will keep clashing with the Huangquan Pavilion.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon slowly raised his head and glared at me coldly.
“You’re becoming increasingly arrogant.”
“The arrogant one is you, Elder.”
“What?”
“You look down on the Main Cult and my father, don't you? You think, 'It's me, I'm the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. What does it matter what my disciples do?' Am I wrong?”
Slam!
The table shattered. Wine bottles and snack plates fell, smashing against the floor.
“You are far too insolent. Sometimes, I really want to beat you to death.”
Glaring at me, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon then shouted at the innocent Jo Chun-bae.
“What are you standing there staring for? Bring another table and serve new wine and food!”
“In times like these, you don't do it like that. You do it like this.”
I stood up and moved to the adjacent table. Then, I placed some money on it.
“I’m sorry. This should be enough for the broken items and today’s lost revenue.”
Jo Chun-bae waved his hands, refusing the money. “It’s fine. It’s really fine!”
“It’s not fine with me. Take it, and please set the table again. Make it a feast.”
“Yes, sir!”
Taking the money, Jo Chun-bae scurried off to the kitchen. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon scowled deeply.
“You expect me to do that sort of thing?”
“If you don't want to do it, then you shouldn't break things.”
“Are you trying to teach a Demon Lord how to do good deeds?”
“The Demonic Path I intend to establish does not involve smashing up taverns just because one is in a bad mood.”
“You, of all people...!”
“Stop shouting and come sit down.”
In the end, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon sat at the table I had moved to.
“Insolent brat. You are definitely a madman!” He glared at me before speaking coldly. “If you betray me, I will kill you.”
Jo Chun-bae, who was bringing out fresh wine, flinched in surprise but quickly pretended not to hear as he set down the wine and glasses and retreated to the kitchen.
I filled a new glass to the brim and handed it to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Are you serious about what you just said?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then be truly loyal to me. That threat you just made—that’s the kind of threat you can only make then. When you’ve been truly loyal but are betrayed and discarded, that is when you can drive a sword into your master’s heart.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon couldn't find a rebuttal. I filled my own glass and held it out for a toast.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon snorted and drank alone. Though our glasses didn't clink, I could hear the sound of them meeting in my heart.
*
A man entered the One Flower Sword Venerable’s hermitage. It was Sa U-jong, her right-hand man.
“The Second Young Master is currently meeting with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and drinking.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable, who was standing with her back turned, said nothing.
“He is an insolent fellow.”
Only then did she turn around and glare coldly at Sa U-jong. He immediately bowed his head.
“I apologize.”
“Watch your tongue. There is nothing more vulgar than speaking ill of someone behind their back.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Sa U-jong had intentionally insulted Geom Mu-geuk even though he knew the Sword Venerable would be angry. He believed he was expressing the emotions she couldn't show outwardly.
Sa U-jong believed he was special to her. Although she was polite even to gatekeepers, he was the only one she spoke to informally. He was special.
“He is not the Second Young Master I once knew.”
In the few months since the martial arts tournament, the storm Geom Mu-geuk was stirring was growing larger.
“It is merely a tempest in a teapot.”
Sa U-jong underestimated Geom Mu-geuk, but the One Flower Sword Venerable thought differently.
“What if that teapot is large enough to hold the entire Murim? That greedy old man offered up the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill. It’s the same as offering his everything. The Blade Demon must have seen the potential for him to become the successor.”
“Did you also see such potential in him, Sword Venerable?”
Geom Mu-geuk had certainly acted beyond expectations. But it wasn't enough to warrant giving him a spirit medicine like the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill.
That was why she was irritated. She wondered if the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had seen something she hadn't. Could I not see what that damn old man saw? Her pride was wounded, and she was annoyed.
“You should rest for today. I have prepared a new person for you.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable looked at Sa U-jong coldly and seemed about to say something. But her lips, which had twitched, ultimately remained shut. She turned abruptly and entered the hut.
Sa U-jong’s expression as he watched her back was incredibly complex, but his eyes burned with intensity.
Inside the hut, she operated a secret mechanism, and the floor opened to reveal a hidden passage. She descended into the darkness. It grew pitch black as she went deeper, but she moved with the familiarity of someone who had done this many times.
There was a long corridor in the basement. She walked to the end and opened the door to the final room. Inside was a luxuriously decorated bedroom.
A young man sitting on a large bed jumped to his feet.
The One Flower Sword Venerable walked slowly and sat at a vanity with a large bronze mirror. The young man’s eyes, reflected in the mirror, were filled with terror.
She spoke softly to the young man in the mirror.
“It’s alright. Take off your clothes first.”
*
After the drinking session with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, I stopped by Lee An’s training ground on my way back. I could tell how hard she was practicing just by the sweltering heat radiating from inside.
Despite her heavy frame, she moved across the training ground, drenched in sweat. It was a grueling training session that pushed her to her limits, but every single movement was purposeful.
Watching her, I felt that the time had come to pass on a new martial art.
“Ah! You’re here, Young Master?”
“You seem to be training hard lately.”
“How did you know?”
“You look like you’ve lost some weight.”
“Really?”
Even though she knew it wasn't true, Lee An beamed. Perhaps because the topic of weight had come up, she asked a question she had been saving.
“Young Master... was what you said before true? That you can fix my side effects.”
Knowing Lee An’s personality, I could only imagine how much she had agonized before asking this. She must have worried over and over about how she would react if I said I was just joking.
Even if the person who taught her the Full Body Petrification Art told her the side effects could never be removed, she wouldn't have been able to help asking.
“Can you really fix it?”
It was the first time I had seen her so tense.
“I can.”
“Truly?”
It was time to tell her the truth.
“I know a procedure that can eliminate the side effects of the Full Body Petrification Art.”
It was a method I had found while scouring the entire Central Plains in search of materials for the Great Regression Art. I had done it with the sole determination that if I ever regressed, I would return her body to its original state. Thinking back, I realized my past life hadn't been a desolate path solely for the sake of revenge.
“What kind of procedure is it?”
“It is a technique called the Body Poison Purification Technique.”
“...Body Poison Purification Technique?”
She repeated the words several times before asking again. “How did you learn this?”
“That’s a secret. You know, don't you? There are many secrets to be kept when it comes to martial arts.”
“Yes. I know. I understand.” Her voice trembled throughout the conversation. “Then you could perform the procedure now?”
“I could.”
“Then why haven't you?”
“It’s an extremely dangerous and difficult procedure. I don't know what variables might arise during it. That’s why I’ll perform it once my martial arts skills have reached a much higher level than they are now.”
“Ah! There really was a cure!” Her face filled with joy.
“You’ll have to risk your life. I don't know what might happen during the procedure. Can you still do it?”
“Yes!” There wasn't a moment’s hesitation in her answer.
“Now I’m disappointed.”
“Pardon? Did I do something wrong?”
“I thought you’d say something like, 'If I die, I won't be able to protect you, Young Master, so I won't undergo the procedure.'”
It was a joke intended to preemptively block that possibility.
“Didn't you tell me to live my own life? Was that not the case?” She laughed brightly, as if it had been a prank.
I knew now. That version of her just now was her true self. Her original heart, which had been dormant under the weight of loyalty and responsibility—that natural heart that any human possesses—that was the heart I wanted to find for her.
“Lee An.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Is there anywhere in the Central Plains you’d like to visit?”
“No, nowhere in particular.”
Since she had spent her whole life looking only at me, she probably hadn't properly seen any sights, no matter where she went.
“Later, let’s go on a tour of the Central Plains together.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We’ll go to every famous spot and see every scenic view. I’ll let you taste all the famous dishes. I know quite a few places.”
“Is that a promise?”
“You make a promise, too.”
“What kind?”
“Don't abandon me then.”
“Me, abandon you, Young Master? Even if heaven and earth were to collapse, such a thing would never happen.”
I wondered if she would still say that once she became the world's most beautiful woman and every man in the world adored her.
“We’ll see about that.”