Chapter 42: Having Faced Misfortune Head-On
Chapter 42: Having Faced Misfortune Head-On
When I returned to my quarters, someone I truly hadn't expected was waiting for me.
Occupying the very spot where the Blood Heaven Blade Demon usually sat was the One Flower Sword Venerable. To my surprise, she had even set out a table with drinks.
"Second Young Master, you’ve had a long day," she said. "Have a drink before you go in."
"I would be honored, Senior."
I sat down across from her. I maintained a relaxed smile, just as I did with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, but I was inwardly tense.
"I thought you said you didn't drink?" I asked.
"This wine isn't for me; it's for you."
"Thank you."
She poured me a cup, and without hesitation, I downed it.
"What if that wine was poisoned?" she challenged. "You drank it without even checking."
"I didn't check, but I did prepare."
"How?"
I spat a Poison-Repelling Pearl out of my mouth. While it was designed to ward off toxic mists, holding it in one's mouth while drinking could also neutralize ingested toxins.
"When did you...?"
"I slipped it in while I was greeting you earlier."
"You were holding a Poison-Repelling Pearl, yet your speech wasn't affected at all?"
"It's a top-grade pearl, so it's quite small," I explained. "I've also practiced speaking clearly even with something in my mouth."
A flash of admiration crossed the One Flower Sword Venerable’s face.
"Forgive my bluntness, Senior, but I am aware that you do not hold particularly fond feelings for me. In such a situation, I could hardly just gulp down a drink offered so suddenly, could I?"
Because I was honest about the pearl, she didn't get angry. Instead, she asked a single clarifying question.
"Did you hold a Poison-Repelling Pearl when you drank with the Blade Demon as well?"
"No, I did not."
The One Flower Sword Venerable’s expression instantly hardened. "So you trust the Blade Demon, but not me?"
"A great deal happened between Elder Blade Demon and me before we shared that first drink."
"We’ve had things happen between us too, haven't we?"
"No, we haven't," I replied firmly.
At my denial, she protested. "It was I who recommended Jang Ho to you twice."
"You did recommend him, but that wasn't for my sake. It was a way to pressure me into not forming a bond with the Elder Blade Demon. Was that truly a choice made for my benefit?"
I didn't keep pushing while she struggled for an answer. Instead, I softened my tone.
"I want to build a rapport with you as well, Senior. That is why I will drink the next cup you pour without the pearl."
"Don't say things you don't mean."
"Why wouldn't I mean it?"
"Your heart is already occupied by the Blade Demon, isn't it?"
"If you were in my position, who would you want to be in your heart?"
As if to imply the answer was her, I drank the next cup without the Poison-Repelling Pearl. Seeing this display of trust, her expression softened.
She was someone who refused to even be compared to the Blade Demon. She possessed the pride of one who believed that if a choice had to be made, anyone would naturally choose her. Furthermore, she wasn't the type to stoop to using poison.
"Second Young Master."
"Yes."
"Tell me what you want."
"Help me become the successor. But do so without the condition that I must sever ties with the Elder Blade Demon. That is all I ask."
"Second Young Master, in this world, one should only expect unconditional help from their parents."
Having stated her refusal, the One Flower Sword Venerable rose from her seat. As she was about to leave, she asked as if the thought had just occurred to her.
"Is it true that you gave the Blade Demon a birthday present?"
"Yes."
Her eyes wavered. She had asked as if it were a passing thought, but in truth, this was likely what she had come to confirm.
"May I ask what you gave him?"
I picked up the Poison-Repelling Pearl I had placed on the table. "I gave him this."
"You gave him something precious."
"Because I received something precious from him."
The One Flower Sword Venerable seemed to deliberate on her next words, but in the end, she said nothing.
"I'll be having a drink at the Pungryu Tavern later," I added. "If you feel like it, please come by."
She left without answering.
*
When I returned to my room to change, another guest was waiting.
To my shock, my father was standing in the courtyard. First the two Demon Lords, and now the Heavenly Demon himself. If I had to title this day, I’d call it 'A Gathering of Giants.'
"What brings you to such a humble place, Father?"
"I came to see how you were living."
This was the first time my father had ever visited my quarters. The first hunt, the first meal together, the first visit to my home—there were so many 'firsts' with him lately.
"Would you like to come inside?"
"Why would I want to enter the stinking room of a man living alone?"
"Then I shall bring out a chair."
"No need. I've sat enough today."
"I suppose so. The Demon Doctor once told me that sitting for long periods is the worst thing for one's health. He said one's life is shortened by as much as the time spent sitting. Please don't sit in the Grand Tutor’s Chair for too long."
I went over and stood beside him.
"Do you wish to live a long life?" he asked.
"Of course. There are still so many things I haven't done. I want to try them all before I die." I turned to look at him. "What about you, Father? Is there nothing you want to do other than being the Heavenly Demon?"
"Nothing."
His answer was so firm that it sounded to me like, 'There are too many things to name.'
"Someday, I'd like to go out to the Central Plains with you."
My father glanced at me.
"Well, I don't mean we should go to attack the Murim Alliance," I joked.
Perhaps he found the humor amusing, as he let out a short chuckle.
"I just mean we should see how people live. What do you think? How about seeing the world with me later? I heard the snow-capped mountains are incredibly refreshing in the summer."
My father gave no answer. We stood in silence for a while, watching the sunset.
"I ran into the One Flower Sword Venerable on my way here," I said, telling him exactly what had happened. "She said she would become my backer if I cut ties with the Blade Demon."
"Whose hand do you wish to take?"
"The Sword Venerable seems like she would be easier to handle... but the Blade Demon has a certain charm to him."
"That kind of carelessness is what gets you killed."
"The old man certainly has a talent for making people let their guard down."
My father likely knew the Blade Demon better than anyone.
"Why did you give the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill to the Blade Demon?" I asked.
"I entrusted him with a certain task long ago."
He didn't elaborate. It was clearly something that had happened between them in their youth.
"What do you intend to do?"
"I want both of them," I declared. "As my Left Blade and Right Sword."
My father turned his head to look at me.
"It's not just idle greed," I continued. "My instincts tell me that if I take those two—who are like oil and water—along with me, the results will be far better. It will be difficult at first, but it will make things easier in the long run. That's what my gut keeps whispering."
"Where does this confidence come from?"
"Perhaps it's the confidence you passed down to me in my blood, Father?"
The sunset reached its peak, casting a crimson glow over both our faces. Suddenly, my father spoke.
"The Sword Venerable is a person with many wounds."
I looked back at him, but he said nothing more. I wasn't sure if he was telling me to exploit that fact or to show her mercy because of it.
"When I first met the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, he told me that he had lived his whole life with misfortune, so it was best not to see him often. Yet lately, I've been seeing him almost as much as I see you, Father."
I reaffirmed my resolve to take both of them with me.
"Since I've clashed well with misfortune, I shall try clashing with those wounds as well."
*
That evening, I was drinking at the Pungryu Tavern.
I had invited both the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable. I didn't know if one would show up, or both, or neither.
"Please, try this."
The proprietor, Jo Chun-bae, brought out a dish he had made specifically for me.
"Thank you. Sit down and have a drink with me."
"Oh, heavens, how could I dare sit with you?"
"It sounds like you don't want to drink with me."
"That's not it at all!" Jo Chun-bae sat down quickly.
I poured him a drink, which he accepted with a flurry of humble protests.
"There's no need for such formality," I said.
"No, I must. Do you know how much easier our lives have become thanks to you, Pavilion Master?"
"Has it really?"
"Of course! Ever since the Huangquan Pavilion branch opened on this street, the number of martial artists getting drunk and causing trouble has plummeted. And that's not all—the number of people leaving tabs they never intend to pay has decreased significantly too."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"It's all thanks to you, Second Young Master."
"Keep a close eye on things. If anything comes up that you think I should know about, be sure to tell me."
"I will, sir."
Jo Chun-bae finished his drink in one refreshing gulp and stood up. Just then, another patron came over and gave a deep bow.
"Thank you, Second Young Master."
He didn't specify why, but he, too, had likely received help from the Huangquan Pavilion. As he hurried back to his seat, someone walked toward me and spoke.
"You're popular."
The man walking toward me with a massive blade strapped to his back was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. The room froze. When I had drinks with him last time, it was early and the tavern was empty, but today it was crowded.
For these people, drinking in the same space as a Demon Lord was a terrifying experience. I stood up and addressed the room.
"The Demon Lord is a man of peerless character. So please, continue your drinks without worry. Just don't come over here and act like a messy drunk."
The tension eased as I added the joke. As I sat back down, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon scowled.
"Why do you lie?"
"It's a white lie. They came here to enjoy themselves; they shouldn't have to walk on eggshells."
"If they don't like the look of me, they can leave."
"If you're going to say that, you should hand out money to them first. Tell them to take the gold and drink elsewhere. And give the owner enough to cover his losses, too."
"Acting virtuous again, I see."
"It's not acting virtuous; it's basic decency."
"Is this how a demonic practitioner behaves?"
"Are demonic practitioners not human?"
"I say, Second Young Master. At times like this, I truly wonder if you belong to our Cult or the Murim Alliance."
I didn't consider the foundation of my identity to be the Demonic Cult either. It couldn't be helped. In my past life, I had left the Cult in my youth and spent my entire life wandering the Central Plains.
I had met many people back then—not just during my days as a ronin, but while searching for the materials for the Great Regression Art. I had been hurt, I had felt rage, and I had learned what true humanity was.
Since my values were formed during that time, I was someone who belonged to neither the Demonic, Orthodox, nor Unorthodox paths. My desire to eliminate absolute evil and establish a new Demonic Path was born from those experiences.
I raised my glass with a cheerful voice. "Well then, happy birthday. It's not midnight yet, so the celebration is still valid."
"Lower your voice," he hissed.
Though he usually acted as if nothing mattered, he seemed burdened by the idea of a birthday celebration. Truly, this was the first time I had seen him look so embarrassed. Then again, who else would have celebrated for him like this? He had surely received countless formal gifts, but the meaning of this moment was different.
"Don't do such useless things in the future," he grumbled. "What's so good about getting older that it warrants a celebration?"
"It's just an excuse to drink and have fun."
"You enjoy your liquor more than you look, Second Young Master."
"That's true. I'm raising a few liquor worms in my body. One that raises its head when it rains, and another that pops up when I'm depressed. Do you like drinking, Elder?"
"I used to... but I've cut back a lot lately."
It was then that a sharp, clear voice rang out from behind us.
"But you haven't quit, I see."
I turned my head to see the One Flower Sword Venerable standing a short distance away.