Chapter 523: The Most Cultured Demon Lord
Chapter 523: The Most Cultured Demon Lord
After finishing their meal, Geom Mu-geuk walked along the riverbank with his father.
He had followed Geom Wu-jin, who had set out for a stroll alone.
The two stopped for a moment to watch a small boat passing in the distance. The sunset’s glow blurred the line between river and sky until the horizon vanished entirely. As the fisherman standing on the boat pulled his oars, he seemed to cleave through the golden reflection and the heavens simultaneously.
"There are a few things regarding martial arts I’d like to ask you, Father."
"What is it?"
"It’s about when you fought the twelve masters."
The battle from that day was etched perfectly in Geom Mu-geuk’s mind. Simply witnessing that clash had provided him with immense enlightenment.
If he could resolve the few questions he had about that battle, it would be more beneficial than several years of solitary training. Moreover, he was certain it would serve as a great stimulus for his father as well. For the martial realm of an Absolute Master like his father to advance, Mu-geuk had to keep questioning him. Is this right? Is that right?
The learning gained through teaching was the most effective way to stir his father’s martial path.
"When you fought the Giryeon Demoness, you executed your footwork like this."
Geom Mu-geuk recreated the exact footwork his father had used that day right there on the riverbank. As he accurately mirrored the movements, Geom Wu-jin’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
"You memorized all of this?"
"Not just that; I’ve memorized the entire fight from start to finish."
Mu-geuk added a lighthearted remark.
"It has exceeded the limits of my memory, so I feel I must ask you about it and empty my mind quickly."
Mu-geuk began to pose his prepared questions one by one.
"At this point, why did you dodge to the left instead of the right?"
"Because I sensed that the Black Emperor was about to attack from the left."
"Then shouldn't you have dodged further to the right?"
"I intended to deflect his sword qi toward the Giryeon Demoness to create an opening."
Mu-geuk recalled the image of his father rushing toward the Demoness while batting away the incoming sword qi.
"That certainly seems more efficient."
At that time, his father had been fighting to achieve the maximum effect with the minimum amount of internal energy. Furthermore, he had been trying to impart a lesson to his son.
"Then, what if another person had intervened at that moment? How should one respond? There were two others left here, and over there..."
Following one question after another, their conversation gave birth to new battles. The imaginary fight between the two Absolute Masters became a gateway into a higher realm of martial arts.
As they spoke, Mu-geuk did not miss his father’s hand gestures, the look in his eyes, or his reactions. The reactions were just as important as the content.
His father never spoke as if he knew something he wasn't certain of. When there was something he didn't know, he gave a slight shake of his head. He didn't pretend to know things just because he was in front of his son. Only a truly strong person can admit when they do not know something; people tend to be stubborn only when they are unskilled. His father was personally demonstrating the quiet confidence of the truly elite.
*
There were others looking down at the two from the riverbank: the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and Seo Dae-ryong.
Seo Dae-ryong was the first to speak.
"The Young Cult Leader worries about the Great Demonic-Orthodox War breaking out, but it seems both he and the Cult Leader just keep getting stronger."
Dae-ryong shared his honest thoughts with his master. He felt he had grown one step closer to the Elder during this trip.
"The Young Cult Leader surely knows that if the balance of power collapses because they become too strong, the possibility of war only increases. Why does he strive so hard to gain more strength?"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke up abruptly.
"Perhaps he is hiding a dream of the Unification of the Murim."
Thinking his master was joking, Seo Dae-ryong laughed.
"There’s no way that’s true."
"How can you know what’s in a person’s heart? Especially a person as extraordinary as him?"
However, Dae-ryong spoke with conviction.
"I may not know everything in the Young Cult Leader’s heart, but I know this for certain. There is absolutely no war in that mysterious mind of his."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon turned his head to look at Dae-ryong. Though he was a terrifying and difficult master, Dae-ryong stood his ground.
"I might not know anything else, but I am sure of that. If he were that kind of person, he wouldn't have kept someone like me as his right hand."
The words 'What's wrong with you?' almost escaped the Blade Demon’s mouth, but he held them back.
Indeed, how could his own thoughts differ from Dae-ryong’s? It was simply that he knew all too well how humans could be swept away helplessly when fate pushed them.
After watching the two figures in the distance discuss martial arts for a while, he turned to Dae-ryong.
"Have you been keeping up with your training?"
Dae-ryong was flustered by the sudden question.
"Show me what you've got."
Dae-ryong hadn't expected his master to demand a demonstration here. He wondered if the master was trying to scold him out of some stubbornness, but that wasn't it.
"With those two racing ahead so terrifyingly, we have to work ourselves to death just to keep up halfway."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon began to correct his disciple’s posture, once again imparting the essence of the Heaven Extermination Great Blade Form.
Geom Mu-geuk and Geom Wu-jin by the river; the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and Seo Dae-ryong on the bank. And Hwi, leaning against the carriage, looked up at the sunset sky.
The training continued until the sunset turned into the light of dawn.
*
The journey continued.
The return trip was far more free and relaxed than the journey out had been.
Is it really okay to be this leisurely while escorting the Demonic Cult Leader back? Hwi wondered this several times.
But no one was in a hurry. Perhaps it was because they all knew this was a journey that wouldn't easily come again.
Geom Mu-geuk, in particular, got involved in all sorts of things. If another carriage was stuck in a ditch along the way, he naturally got out to help. If he saw a family carrying heavy loads with children, he gave them a ride in his carriage. At scenic spots, he had the carriage stop so everyone could get out and enjoy the view.
Today, something else caught Mu-geuk’s eye.
"Uncle Hwi, wait a moment."
As the carriage stopped, Mu-geuk stepped out and approached an old couple working in a field.
"We’ll help you with the work, so would you mind preparing a bowl of noodles for us as a snack?"
While getting help with labor in exchange for a bowl of noodles was a welcome offer, the person asking was a martial artist carrying a sword. When the old couple looked wary, Mu-geuk smiled warmly.
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. I just got a bit hungry during my travels."
"If you wish, I will simply serve you the noodles," the old man replied. This was how ordinary commoners usually treated martial artists—with cautious hospitality.
"No, I couldn't do that. We will help you with the work."
The old couple wondered what was going on, but they felt a sense of politeness and dignity in the way Mu-geuk treated them.
"Then, please do so."
"Thank you."
As Mu-geuk set out to work, Seo Dae-ryong followed suit. The old couple explained what needed to be done, and the two began working exactly as they were told.
They could have finished it in an instant using martial arts, but Mu-geuk didn't do that. He worked and sweated just like a normal person.
Geom Wu-jin and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon watched the scene from inside the carriage.
"It seems the Young Cult Leader wants to create a memory of doing farm work with you, Cult Leader."
Mu-geuk simply couldn't bring himself to ask his father to do farm work directly, so he had set the stage.
"Will you be able to hold out for five years against a son like that?"
At the Blade Demon's teasing remark, Wu-jin’s reaction was unexpected. He watched his son work in silence for a moment before asking, "Why don't you ask him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Whether he can hold out against me?"
Geom Wu-jin stepped out of the carriage and rolled up his sleeves. Walking toward Mu-geuk and Dae-ryong, he spoke.
"With such clumsy hands, when do you plan on finishing?"
Only then did the Blood Heaven Blade Demon understand the Cult Leader’s meaning. It meant that as they grew closer, it would become difficult for Mu-geuk to refuse his father’s wishes as well. His father was following his son’s lead to this extent—could the son really go against his father’s will in the end?
The Cult Leader has no intention of losing.
The Blade Demon grew curious about that day. Five years from now, who would be the one to yield?
The Blade Demon sent a Voice Transmission to Seo Dae-ryong.
— Dae-ryong, slip away quietly.
Like the movement of an assassin, or like when he was fishing, Dae-ryong left the spot without drawing any attention.
Geom Mu-geuk and Geom Wu-jin took up hand hoes and began the farm work in earnest. The other three watched the scene with solemn hearts. The sight of the Heavenly Demon doing farm work was something they would never see again in their lives. The Young Cult Leader, who had made the Heavenly Demon plow a field, was likely the first in the history of the Cult to do so.
It was improper to just watch while the Cult Leader worked, but they understood the moment. Mu-geuk’s reason for stepping forward might have been out of kindness for the old couple, but more than that, it was because he wanted the memory of farming with his father.
The old Blood Heaven Blade Demon would once have thought: Does forcing a situation like this really make it a memory? Stop wasting time!
But now he knew. That was exactly what memories were. The transparently intentional things Mu-geuk had done for him and the Cult Leader had all remained as precious memories. He realized that if one just waited for memories to come naturally, a lifetime would pass by. Without someone taking action, there are no memories.
"Dae-ryong."
"Yes, Master."
"Make sure you get married."
Seo Dae-ryong was startled by the sudden weight in his master’s voice. It was the first time since becoming his disciple that he had been told to marry.
"Yes, Master!" He answered vigorously but added honestly, "I'm not very popular with women, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it well."
The Blade Demon snapped his head around to look at him and barked, "What's wrong with you!"
At those words, Dae-ryong felt his heart grow warm. He was grateful to his master for the indignant defense.
Meanwhile, Mu-geuk and Wu-jin’s farm work continued. Even without speaking, the two naturally divided the labor. They pulled weeds, picked out stones, dug the soil, and planted seedlings. The sound of the hoes cutting through the earth was rhythmic and pleasant.
"How are you even good at farm work? Is there really nothing I can beat you at..."
Ping.
A pebble Wu-jin had picked out grazed Mu-geuk’s face.
"My hand slipped. There are many stones here."
As soon as the topic of fishing was about to come up, Wu-jin had flicked a stone as if by accident.
"A hole almost opened up in this handsome face again."
"If you’re going to drag your father into a field, you should be prepared for at least that much."
Mu-geuk broke into a bright smile.
"When I meet the successors of the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, this is the first thing I’ll say: 'Hey, you guys. Have you ever plowed a field with your grandfather or your master?'"
Knowing Mu-geuk was exactly the kind of person who would do that, Dae-ryong laughed. His mouth was itching; he wanted to hurry to the Pungryu Tavern and tell Jang Ho and Lee An everything that had happened.
Once the two of them got serious, the work was finished in a flash. They didn't use martial arts, but they were who they were.
A short while later, the old couple brought out the noodles and a bottle of liquor. They were shocked to see the work already finished.
"You're done already?" It was a task that should have taken the couple several days of hard labor.
"I'm starving. Please, give us the snack!"
Mu-geuk turned to the other three and teased, "No snacks for those who didn't work!"
Of course, the old couple had prepared noodles for the three onlookers as well. They all sat around and ate with the old couple. Feeling at ease, the couple boasted that their first grandson was getting married in a few months. They said they had worked here their whole lives to raise their children.
When the carriage departed, a bank note was left under Geom Wu-jin’s noodle bowl. It was enough money to hold a grand wedding for the grandson and still have plenty left over. The couple had been working themselves to the bone to contribute even a single penny to the wedding; now, they bowed toward the departing carriage in tearful gratitude. It felt as if a wedding gift—no, the price for the noodles—had suddenly dropped from the heavens.
*
The carriage continued its journey toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult headquarters. While Mu-geuk was usually the one creating new events, there were times when the Blood Heaven Blade Demon stepped forward.
"Since we're passing by, would it be alright if we stopped there for a moment?"
The place where they stopped was an old bookstore. The shopkeeper recognized the Blade Demon and greeted him warmly. Seeing how casually the owner treated him, it seemed he had no idea the man was a Demon Lord, likely thinking him just a book-loving martial artist from the Orthodox faction.
Everyone scattered through the small bookstore to browse. It was a shop that dealt more in general literature than martial arts manuals. Geom Wu-jin looked around with his hands behind his back.
"Is this your first time in a bookstore like this?"
At Mu-geuk’s question, Wu-jin nodded.
"Thanks to the Elder, I’ve learned that the smell of books is quite nice. He’s probably read every single book in here."
Then, the Blade Demon’s voice drifted from across the bookshelves.
"You only say that because you don't know how many books there are in the world."
Mu-geuk looked at his father and said, "Father, you possess the most cultured Demon Lord among all the generations."
His father nodded as if in agreement. Mu-geuk shouted toward the opposite shelf.
"Father agrees!"
"You rascal, you're too loud for a bookstore!" The Blade Demon moved elsewhere, clearly embarrassed.
After browsing, Mu-geuk bought a book no one expected: Central Plains Gourmet Exploration.
"It introduces a hundred places. Whenever you have time, Father, I will take you to them one by one. Visiting all these places with you is my new goal."
Will I really be able to visit all one hundred famous restaurants with Father before I die? It might be a goal even more difficult than the Unification of the Murim.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon bought several books and even one for Seo Dae-ryong—a collection of poems and paintings. Dae-ryong had originally come to Chongqing to find him because of his own collection, so the Elder bought this one as a gift, even leaving his own signature inside.
The next time you are in danger, send this to me. I will surely come to save you then.
Whether he understood that sentiment or not, Dae-ryong spoke loudly.
"I shall memorize these poems and recite them impressively in front of women! And so, I will succeed in marriage!"
Mu-geuk shook his head and said to the Blade Demon, "See? This is why your disciple still doesn't have a woman."
The Blade Demon flinched. The quick-witted Mu-geuk didn't miss the reaction. He shook his head slowly, his expression saying, 'Don't tell me you also recited poems in front of women, Elder?'
At the look shared between master and disciple that seemed to say, 'Why! What's wrong with that?' Mu-geuk turned to his father.
"Father, before we return to the Cult, I think you and I need to demonstrate how to properly charm a woman."
A smile played on the lips of Geom Wu-jin, who was turned toward the bookshelves. He, who had lived his whole life without knowing laughter, had been smiling often lately. And the only one who saw that precious smile was Hwi.
The journey back was not over yet.