Chapter 52: If Your Child Hates You Like You Do
Chapter 52: If Your Child Hates You Like You Do
The first place I visited was the inn in the village at the foot of Red Mountain.
The establishment was bustling with people, and the staff were frantically busy. I stood at the entrance for a long while, but no one came to greet me.
Then, my eyes caught sight of a young boy running back and forth between the kitchen and the tables, carrying dishes. The moment I saw him, a faint smile touched my lips.
In my life before the regression, when I had come here to obtain the Sound Thunder Bell, that boy had greeted me as a fully grown man. His face was exactly as I remembered it.
Belatedly noticing me, the boy scurried over to attend to me.
"Hello, warrior! As you can see, we have no seats available right now."
"Do you have any rooms?"
"No, we’re fully booked. Guests are swarming in because of the Blood God Festival."
"When does the festival begin?"
"In exactly ten days. There’s another inn at the end of this road, but things probably won't be any different there."
The frantic child left me with those words and dashed off at the call of another customer.
Ten days before the Blood God Festival—I had arrived at the perfect time.
The Blood God Festival is the largest annual ritual of the Pungcheon Cult, held to honor the Blood God. This was the reason I had needed two months for the third method of blocking the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s sorcery.
The Blood God Festival.
Only on the day of this festival could I obtain the means to suppress the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord. It was fortunate that the festival was scheduled for two months after I set out; if the timing hadn't aligned, killing the Demon Lord might have had to wait another year.
In the past, it had taken me years to infiltrate the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s throne room, where the Sound Thunder Bell was kept. Most of that time was spent discovering the secret passage the Cult Leader used for emergency escapes.
Actually infiltrating and stealing the sacred relic had taken less than fifteen minutes, but uncovering that path had taken an eternity.
Even after finding the secret passage, stealing the Sound Thunder Bell had been no easy feat.
The problem was the Pungcheon Cult Leader himself.
He spent almost all of his time in the throne room. He ate there and even slept there. I couldn't even take advantage of the brief moments he spent attending to his physiological needs, because a cage made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron would descend over the area where the Sound Thunder Bell and other relics were kept.
Furthermore, the Cult Leader wasn't the only one there; someone else guarded the relics.
Bound by shackles made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, this man lived there like a lingering ghost. Not only were his martial arts exceptional, but he was also born with an extraordinary sense of smell. He would immediately detect anyone approaching and warn the Cult Leader.
Therefore, stealing the relic while evading the Cult Leader’s eyes was impossible.
So, how was I able to take the Sound Thunder Bell under such circumstances?
There is one moment, once a year, when the iron bars are raised and the Pungcheon Cult Leader briefly leaves his post.
It is the day of the Blood God Festival.
On this day, according to established ritual, the Cult Leader leaves his throne to perform ceremonies at the Great Training Ground.
During that time, the shackled master guarding the relics strikes the bell thirty-six times according to the law. My target was the exact moment he struck the thirty-sixth and final bell.
After the final toll, the time it takes for the Cult Leader to return from the Great Training Ground to his throne is about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.
In that brief window, I had achieved a miracle.
Because I had practiced my escape route dozens of times, I was able to flee while evading the pursuit of the Pungcheon Cultists.
Investigating, infiltrating, bribing, fighting, practicing... the countless events of that time flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope.
What I was aiming for this time was stored in the same place as the Sound Thunder Bell. Since it was a much simpler task than stealing the bulky bell, this trip to the Pungcheon Cult could be considered a gift from my grueling past life.
I stood in front of the inn for a moment, watching the crowds pass by.
When the Blood God Festival is held, numerous sects that interact with the Pungcheon Cult send congratulatory delegations, so the streets and inns are packed.
This was exactly what I wanted. With so many people, no one would remember my existence. Of course, even in this situation, I kept my bamboo hat pulled low to thoroughly hide my identity. I would arrive quietly and vanish without a sound.
At various merchant stalls in the marketplace, I bought several items needed for camping, basic food supplies, and a medicinal pot for brewing herbs.
My final stop was a pharmacy.
"You want Gihwa Herb?"
The old man at the pharmacy looked at me with a surprised face.
"Gihwa Herb is expensive."
Gihwa Herb was a medicinal plant that grew only here in the Outer Lands; it couldn't be found in the Central Plains.
"How much for one catty?"
"How much do you need?"
"I need two catties."
"You’ll have to pay eighty taels per catty. I don't know if you realize, but it's a very rare herb."
"I understand. I'll take two catties at that price."
"But what are you planning to use Gihwa Herb for?"
Since it was an herb rarely used in daily life, the old man looked at me once more.
However, I had kept my bamboo hat pulled low since entering, so he couldn't see my face. I was also using a voice different from my own.
"I don't know either. I'm just buying it because my superiors told me to."
The old man didn't ask any further and brought out the Gihwa Herb. After letting me inspect it, he packaged it carefully. I paid him and left.
Leaving that pharmacy, I sought out another one far away. This time, I looked for Gui-ryong wood and Gyu-hwa.
After obtaining those two ingredients, I traveled to a pharmacy in a different village to purchase Datura and Sandalwood.
The reason I gathered the herbs from multiple locations was simple: I didn't want anyone to figure out what I was making by combining them. While buying them all in one place might not have caused an immediate problem, I was preparing for any eventuality.
One can never be too careful. In ordinary life, being careless results in financial loss, but in the Murim, carelessness demands your life.
Having gathered all the necessary herbs, I headed straight up the mountain.
Deep in the mountains, where few people ventured, the cave I had stayed in before was still there. I cleaned it out and began brewing the medicine.
Some ingredients had to be brewed separately, while others had to be boiled together. It would take at least a few days.
This medicine was a secret elixir designed to paralyze the sense of smell of the shackled master. Since he was said to have been held captive there his entire life since youth, he would surely still be there. Back then, the time and cost I spent discovering this secret formula had been significant.
While the medicine brewed, I sat in a lotus position and practiced the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art.
I had nearly died when I first learned it, but now the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art had become an indispensable old friend. The more I practiced it, the more I felt its unique nature.
Perhaps because of its characteristics, it would wake me when danger approached or activate on its own. At times, it felt like a living martial art. Knowing it would become even more powerful when harmonized with the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, I only hoped that day would come soon.
I trained late into the night, then stepped out of the cave to look up at the stars.
I had stood here and looked at the night sky before my regression as well, but my heart felt fundamentally different now.
Back then, my only thought was the singular determination to return. Now, that space was filled with a longing for the people I wanted to see. In particular, I wondered if Seo Dae-ryong was learning martial arts well from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Though both would deny it, they were strangely alike.
He's doing well, right?
*
On the first day of training, Seo Dae-ryong was waiting for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon in the courtyard.
He had arrived on time, but the Blade Demon had yet to appear.
To think he was learning martial arts from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon—his heart felt like it was going to burst.
He tried swinging his saber alone.
Without using internal energy, it was simply too heavy.
Deciding not to waste his strength, he waited for the Blade Demon.
When the man didn't come out even after a long wait, Dae-ryong cautiously approached the Blade Demon’s quarters.
As he was peeking through a gap in the closed window, he felt a cold aura beside him.
Startled, he turned around to find the Blood Heaven Blade Demon already there, peeking through the window with him.
"What are you peeking at?"
"Gah!"
Dae-ryong let out a scream of surprise.
"I-I'm sorry! I was waiting and wondered if you were inside."
"I heard the Second Young Master left the Cult?"
"Yes."
"And that it will take about two months?"
"You heard."
"That's plenty of time for someone to go missing or die in an accident."
Dae-ryong spoke quickly.
"The Pavilion Master is a very brilliant man. He won't believe such a tragedy could happen in just two short months."
"A brilliant man will also quickly forget a tragedy that has already occurred."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon made a gesture as if gouging out eyes with his long, thin fingers.
"I will never peek again!"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Ah, yes. I'm going!"
Dae-ryong scurried back to the center of the courtyard.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon showed Dae-ryong how to grip and swing the saber.
Then, as he headed back inside, he said:
"A thousand times!"
Dae-ryong swung the saber, his entire body drenched in sweat.
"Eight hundred fifty-three, eight hundred fifty-four..."
The saber felt as heavy as a mountain; it felt like his arms were going to fall off.
Ugh, I can't do this anymore!
Dae-ryong collapsed onto the ground. Even if the Blade Demon was watching, he couldn't help it. He didn't have the strength to lift a finger.
Normally, this was the time he’d be lying on his bed, eating snacks and reading a book.
Did I do something unnecessary?
Now that his body was suffering, regret began to wash over him.
No, no. I already made up my mind!
If he was kicked out on the first day for failing to complete his training, he wouldn't be able to face Geom Mu-geuk.
Dae-ryong forced himself up and swung the saber. He barely managed to reach a thousand.
"I did it!"
Sitting on the ground, Dae-ryong looked down at the saber in his hand.
This cold, heavy feeling of the blade! Yes, if he followed this feeling, surely it would lead him to a better life than one spent just rolling around.
Just then, the window opened, and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon appeared.
"If it's hard, quit. I won't stop you."
Dae-ryong scrambled to his feet. His arms felt like they were being torn off, but he spoke firmly.
"I won't quit."
"Why?"
"Because an opportunity like this won't come again in my lifetime."
"I have no intention of ever teaching you my secret martial arts."
"I don't even hope for that. The opportunity I'm talking about is the chance to learn martial arts from a Demon Lord. Later, when I have a child, I'll tell them: 'Your father, you see, learned martial arts from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon himself in his youth.' That's enough for me. Having a memory like that is plenty for a man living as a martial artist."
"So you do plan on getting married."
"Yes, I want to."
"Why?"
"I want to raise a child. I want to give them the fatherly love that my own father never gave me, not even once."
There was a story and a sense of sorrow felt in his words.
"What if your child hates you as much as you hate yourself?"
"Then... would you mind putting my child through this training as well?"
At Dae-ryong's words, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon let out a short chuckle.
Thinking he had made the Demon Lord laugh, Dae-ryong also felt good and grinned widely.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon closed the window and said:
"A thousand more!"