Chapter 447: Sights Seen for the First Time
Chapter 447: Sights Seen for the First Time
At dawn, a line of carriages departed from the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
They were transport carriages, tasked with ferrying supplies from the main headquarters to various branches. Among them was a carriage carrying my father and me. Driving the carriage was Hwi, dressed in the simple, unassuming garb of a common coachman.
Once we were a good distance away from the headquarters, I turned to my father. "Father, how does it feel? Your first trip with your son?"
At my excited question, Father, who had been silently staring out the window, glanced back. "Is this not a mission?"
It’s a bit much to call it just a mission when you brought so much luggage, isn't it? A large leather pouch belonging to my father was stowed in the luggage space at the back.
"Of course, we are going to perform an important duty. But since it’s been a long time since you’ve left the Cult, it would be nice to clear your head and return refreshed. Leave all your worries back at the headquarters."
Upon hearing this, Father, still looking out the window, spoke to Hwi.
"Stop the carriage."
The carriage came to an immediate halt.
"What is it, Father?" I asked.
"Get out."
"Me? Why me?"
"Did you not say to leave the worries behind?"
I burst out laughing. The fact that he was joking like this meant he was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Well, isn't worry the mother of progress? Now, let’s go. Move out!"
Only after Father said, "Proceed," did the carriage start moving again. I poked my head out the window and called out to Hwi.
"I’ll be in your care, Uncle Hwi!"
Hwi did not drive the carriage in a hurry. Perhaps Sama Myeong had asked him a favor—to make sure this departure felt more like a leisure trip than a grim mission. I leaned out the window, letting the wind whip against my face.
"The weather is truly wonderful!"
Father didn't offer a reply, but I could feel it. He was excited, too.
"Isn't it great just to be a little ways away from the Cult, Father? Even if it’s not for a mission like this, let’s come out more often in the future. Oh, if you go over that hill over there, there’s a magnificent lake. Have you been? If you go in winter, the lake freezes solid, and the feeling of breaking the ice to fish is just incredible."
Father had an expression that suggested his ears were already starting to ache, but this was going to be a recurring theme. If I wanted this to be an enjoyable trip, I was the one who had to do most of the talking.
"Oh, and if you cross the mountain on the opposite side, there’s a stall that makes amazing noodles. Would you like to try it sometime?"
Then, an unexpected answer came from Father.
"They used to be good at making dumplings."
I pulled my head back inside the carriage, surprised. "You’ve been there?"
"A long time ago."
Right. Father had a time when he traveled the Murim, just like me. Was it when he fought alongside the Fist Demon? Or was it when he was close with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or the One Flower Sword Venerable?
"Shall we stop by on our way back?"
Father nodded, as if he also wanted to visit one more time.
"The human appetite is a frightening thing. People have such a knack for finding delicious food; even if a place is in the middle of nowhere, rumors spread like wildfire and people track it down, don't they?"
"Let us travel in silence."
"Yes, sir!"
Father, you don't know, do you? I lived just as taciturn a life as you did. No, perhaps I was even more silent. All those words I never got to say... I’m pouring them all out in front of you now.
*
After traveling for a long while, the carriage came to a stop. While Hwi unhitched the horses to let them rest, I took a walk around the area with Father.
"The Blade Demon came to see me before we left," I mentioned.
"What did he say?"
"He told me not to mess around with you, Father."
A faint smile played on Father's lips. "The Blade Demon cherishes you deeply."
Indeed. How could Father not know? The fact that the Blade Demon took on the role of scolding me during the meeting to persuade Father was ultimately for my sake.
"He likes you very much, Father. The Blade Demon, I mean."
I wasn't just saying it to be nice. The Blade Demon’s regard for Father was truly profound.
"Do not provoke the Blade Demon," Father countered.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon tells me not to mess with Father, and Father tells me not to mess with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. How could there not be something special between the two of them?
Then who am I supposed to mess with? I wanted to joke, but I couldn't bring myself to be playful after being told not to.
"I understand. I will always be careful."
Just the fact that I was walking and having such a conversation with Father made me feel good. From now on, everything that happened would be a first for both of us. As long as the phrase "Together with Father, away from the Cult" came first, every experience was brand new.
Suddenly, Father asked, "Do you feel it?"
"Wolves, right?"
When I guessed correctly right away, Father looked at me with a surprised expression. I had answered without him even specifying where the presence was coming from. He was impressed that I had already sensed them from more than twenty jang away.
"In unfamiliar places, I now naturally emit Qi to scout the surroundings."
Countless strands of energy were spreading out from my body like a spiderweb.
"It’s thanks to your teaching, Father."
My skill was on a completely different level compared to when I first learned how to emit thin, long strands of Qi while hunting with him in the past.
"You haven't just been playing around, I see."
"They say that martial arts training and love are things best done where no one is looking."
Father's smile deepened, matching his look of disbelief at my nonsense.
After walking around, we returned to the carriage. Just then, Hwi waved his hand from beside the carriage in the distance and shouted, "The meal is ready!"
Hwi had already started a campfire and finished preparing the food.
"Doesn't Uncle Hwi seem excited too, for some reason?"
Father didn't deny it. Even to him, there was a clear sense of excitement in Hwi that was different from usual. I hoped Father would see many new sights—because the sight of Hwi waving at us right now was also a scene he was witnessing for the first time.
The meal Hwi prepared was something he had packed when we departed.
"The food will be meager after this," Hwi apologized.
"It is fine," Father replied.
I chimed in. "Don't worry, Uncle. We have Father, don't we? I can never forget the taste of the food Father cooked for me."
During our second hunting trip, Father had cooked personally. The dish, made by stir-frying meat with vegetables and mushrooms, was unexpectedly delicious. He had even boiled a soup, proving he was no stranger to the culinary arts.
Come to think of it, Father had many sides to him that I didn't know. The floral pajamas, the way he packed his own bags for the trip yesterday, and his cooking. I hoped to see even more sides of Father during this journey.
"I’ve prepared something as well."
I pulled some furs from the leather pouch in the carriage. First, a tiger skin for Father. "Here, please sit on this."
Father sat down upon it.
I had more prepared. I handed one to Hwi. "This one is for you, Uncle Hwi."
Hwi seemed startled that I had prepared something for him as well. "I am fine, Young Cult Leader."
"I have one for myself too, so please sit. Ours are wolf skins."
Hwi’s and mine were identical furs. As Hwi continued to decline, Father looked at him and gave a small nod. Only then did Hwi stop refusing and sat on the fur I had provided.
"Thank you, Young Cult Leader."
"Don't mention it."
I had learned a great lesson through my past life: that a person's "place" is truly important. Father's Grand Tutor's chair. The second-floor seat at the Pungryu Tavern. And even this fur seat Hwi was sitting on now.
Everyone lives to find their own place. We are the kind of beings who will even start wars to claim a seat.
What does a seat matter? Isn't the heart what's important? If someone says that, it’s because they haven't truly felt the awkwardness and embarrassment of having no place to sit. Someone who hasn't experienced it won't know how much a small chair offered by someone else can make a person feel relieved and grateful.
I had never seen Hwi's "place." He was always hidden in the shadows. That was why this wolf skin was even more important.
Just as the three of us sat side-by-side to eat, a sudden rain shower began to fall.
Swaaaaaaa.
"Father, first, go to the carriage to avoid the rain—" I started to say, then stopped. "Isn't this a bit too inhuman?"
"What do you mean?"
"When a person is hit by rain, they should get wet."
An invisible barrier of Qi was spread around Father's body like a film, causing the raindrops to bounce off harmlessly.
"And if you have such a talent, you should make sure we don't get wet either."
Of course, Father wasn't the type to expand that Qi just because I asked. Instead, Father reached out his hand.
The mouth of Father's leather pouch inside the carriage loosened, and something flew out. It soared out of the carriage and unfurled over our heads. It was a Wind-Avoiding Cloak used to shield against the elements.
The strings attached to the cloth were tied and fixed to the carriage and a nearby tree. It wasn't moving by Telekinesis; the movement was as fast and precise as if a skilled person were tying it by hand.
To think Father had prepared something like this!
"As they say, the highlight of camping is watching the rain! It’s the peak of atmosphere."
As I spoke cheerfully, Father used Heat Yang Energy to revive the campfire that was being extinguished by the rain.
Fwoosh!
"You're magnificent, Father!"
Father wore an expression that said, Well, this is nothing.
We would likely unfurl it whenever it rained during the trip, but this moment was truly special. It made the first meal of our first day of travel unforgettable.
After the meal, Hwi brought over the tea he had prepared. We watched the rain while sipping tea. Father sat in the middle, with Hwi and me on either side.
"Uncle, isn't it hard serving Father?"
It was a question that might have flustered him, especially in front of Father.
"It is hard."
At the honest answer, both Father and I looked at Hwi simultaneously.
Hwi replied with a smile. "I felt like I should answer that way to the Young Cult Leader."
He was someone who had heard every conversation I’d had with Father so far. He must have heard everything Sama Myeong reported about me as well. He was someone who knew me almost as well as Father did.
"You’ve truly caught me off guard. If you had said it wasn't hard, I was going to turn the arrow toward Father."
This time, Father looked toward me.
"Since Father is so taciturn, if Uncle had said it wasn't hard at all, I was going to say this to Father: that there must be difficult parts because you're so quiet. It would be easier if you just said everything like I do, but since you don't speak, he has to divine your intentions. That’s no easy task for a subordinate."
I was speaking to Father on Hwi's behalf. I didn't know what kind of conversations the two usually had, but given their personalities, it wasn't like they would share their grievances with each other.
"In the end, you say everything you want to say," Father noted.
"I have to. If I don't say it, how will you know?"
At my words, Father looked forward again. Then, he abruptly asked Hwi, "So, was it hard?"
This time, Hwi was truly flustered. Father was not the type to ask such a question. In fact, his personality was such that he would usually be even more silent in a situation like this.
"No, sir."
The conversation didn't continue further. However, I thought the mere fact that Father had asked if it was hard held great meaning for Hwi.
In the meantime, the rain stopped.
*
That night, we camped out.
We could have sought out an inn, but Father accepted my suggestion to spend the first day quietly. Lying side-by-side with Father, looking up at the pouring stars, I felt truly wonderful. I asked Hwi to lie down and sleep with us too, but he flatly refused, saying he wouldn't dare lie down beside the Heavenly Demon. Since everyone has things they can and cannot accept, I didn't push him further.
"Father, I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Thinking of you, I should have asked my brother to come along too. I’m so selfish. It seems I still want to have you all to myself."
Father was silent for a moment before saying, "It is fine."
Those words lightened my heavy heart a little. Still, I couldn't help but think of my brother when I was alone with Father.
"Father."
"What is it?"
"I just called to see if you were asleep."
"Then shouldn't you not call?"
I laughed and looked over at Father lying beside me. Father was staring up at the night sky with a blunt expression. I engraved this scene into my heart. Father looking up at the night sky, me watching him, and the stars shining above.
And so, the first night of our trip passed.
*
The next day, we stopped at a village.
While Hwi rented a stable to feed and rest the horses, Father and I went out to look around the marketplace. We were walking through a crowded place together, but no one paid us any attention. Both Father and I had reached the realm of Return to the Natural State, and Father had wrapped the Heavenly Demon Sword in an old cloth to make it inconspicuous, much like my Black Demonic Sword wrapped in Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread.
"This is your first time out in a marketplace other than Ma Clan Village, isn't it?"
"I traveled much in my youth," Father replied.
"You traveled to fight with the Fist Demon; it’s not like you were sightseeing in marketplaces, were you?"
Father nodded, conceding the point.
"I wish I could have been the Fist Demon back then."
At Father's questioning gaze, I answered. "I want to see you in your youth, Father. I want to have a conversation with that version of you."
"..."
I meant it sincerely. What would he have looked like? What would his personality have been? Would he have resembled me?
"Were you perhaps as talkative as I am?"
After a slight snort, Father spoke. "I might have been able to drink like the Drunken Demon. But I have no confidence in being as talkative as you."
"Comparing me to a drunkard! That's cold, Father!"
We looked around the marketplace while sharing various stories. When a crowd of people came through, we would stop. Even this experience must have been foreign to Father. He was never one to stop his stride just because someone was in his way.
How does the scenery look when you stop like this?
People coming and going, people laughing and chatting, people touting their wares, people who were angry. Every kind of person was there. Father watched them in silence. What was he thinking as he looked at them?
"Even with so many people, nothing happens, right? Even though the Chief Strategist was worried that incidents would break out the moment you left the Cult. He said the fate of the Murim wouldn't leave you alone—that it would start with a small incident and grow bigger and bigger."
I looked at Father and said definitively, "But something like that will never happen."
It was right then. A man slunk up to us.
"Martial artists, why don't you have a match like men?"
He pointed to a spot where a few people were gathered. Three overturned plates sat on a makeshift table.
Ah! The Heavenly Demon and a scammer! How could I miss such a delightful opportunity?
"My father is a gambler like no other in the world. What do you think, Father? Maybe for the price of dinner..."
I didn't even need to provoke him. Before I could even finish my sentence, Father was already walking toward where the gamblers were.
I smiled and asked the man who had touted us, "Is that man's hands fast? They'll have to be incredibly quick to be faster than my father's eyes."