Chapter 63: Coming Back After Giving What Needs to be Given
Chapter 63: Coming Back After Giving What Needs to be Given
The Pungcheon Cult Leader came to see me again.
Just like the first time, he was waiting for me in the courtyard.
“Shall we go inside?” I asked.
“No. Let us go to my space instead.”
The world dimmed for a heartbeat before light flooded back.
The realm he had manifested was a desolate wasteland. To my eyes, the counter-dispelling method to exit this space was already visible; a bluish light shimmered around a distant rock, marking the exit point.
“Desolate, isn't it? This is my hometown.”
“It is quiet, which I like. Please invite me here again sometime.”
“I shall.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader gazed at the horizon for a moment before speaking in a calm tone.
“I went back and thought about it, and you were right. I haven't actually shown you any true goodwill yet.”
He reached into his robes and pulled out a manual.
Space-Time Displacement Technique.
“It is the technique used to manifest a realm such as this. In this Murim, it is a martial art that can only be performed by those who have mastered the orthodox demonic arts of the Blood Cult.”
“...!”
“Since the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord is dead, I am likely the only one left who can properly manifest this art.”
This was something I truly hadn't expected.
Personally, I didn't care for Soul-Seizing techniques or sorcery. However, this specific technique—this was incredibly attractive.
“In a dire situation, this space will save your life. The moment you step into this realm, you effectively vanish from the original world.”
As he said, the Space-Time Displacement Technique was versatile. It could serve as a private sanctuary or an evasive maneuver to escape a crisis at a decisive moment. If I mastered it, it would be like gaining another Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art.
From the moment I obtained the Sound Thunder Bell—the first ingredient for the Great Regression Art—to the Blood Eye Purifying Water, and now this Space-Time Displacement Technique... I felt as though I were bound to the Pungcheon Cult Leader by a deep, fated connection.
“What do you think? Is this enough to count as goodwill?”
“It is more than enough.”
I reached out my hand without hesitation. However, the Pungcheon Cult Leader did not hand over the manual.
“If one expects a price, it isn't goodwill, is it?”
When I expressed my disappointment, he replied, “Is it not goodwill enough that I showed my cards first?”
He meant that presenting such a magnificent martial art without haggling was his sign of favor.
“What is it that you want?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s gaze returned to the desolate land. Watching the wind kick up sand into the sky, he spoke.
“I no longer wish to breathe this dust.”
His words meant only one thing. As my father had said, his desire was to advance into the Central Plains.
“If you help me take that first step, the Space-Time Displacement Technique is yours.”
I felt a surge of excitement for a moment, but I boldly pulled back my hand. The moment you let your greed show, you lose the advantage in any negotiation.
“Regrettably, that is not a decision I can make.”
“I am aware. It is a matter for the Cult Leader to decide.”
“It is a matter that will involve not just my father, but the Demon Lords as well.”
If it concerned the Pungcheon Cult, the Demon Lords would undoubtedly intervene.
“That is why. That is why I am trying to give this manual to you.”
“What specifically do you want from me?”
“I have a meeting scheduled with the Cult Leader in two days. I intend to settle the matter of our advancement into the Central Plains then. I want you to stand with me and help persuade him. If you promise to do that, I will give you this manual.”
He was offering the manual regardless of the actual outcome. It was an extraordinary deal—closer to a gift than a condition.
Even so, I didn't snatch it up immediately. I made a show of deep contemplation.
“Your approach is wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how much the Young Cult Leader and I try to persuade him, my father will never permit the Pungcheon Cult to advance into the Central Plains.”
“Then what should I do?”
The Pungcheon Cult’s advancement into the Central Plains.
Unlike the Main Cult’s policy, which had strictly forbidden it until now, I didn't think it was a bad idea.
Unless we were going to wipe out the Pungcheon Cult entirely, there was no need to keep a potential enemy right at our backs. As the old saying goes, it is better to keep your enemies closer than your friends; I judged it better to keep the Pungcheon Cult nearby where we could manage them.
I remained silent.
Seeing this, the Pungcheon Cult Leader held out the manual toward me.
“Will this be enough to hear the answer?”
“It is enough.”
I accepted the manual.
I realized the Pungcheon Cult Leader was no ordinary man. There was a clear difference between handing something over after hearing the answer and handing it over beforehand to show trust.
This man is determined to win my favor.
Instead of rushing me for an answer, he explained the manual. Since he was giving it to me anyway, he chose to do it in the most pleasant way possible; he knew how to conduct a trade.
“Of course, I was able to create this space so quickly because I have practiced it for a long time. At first, you won't be able to create it even if you chant the incantations all day. Even for someone with outstanding talent, it will take at least a few days—perhaps more than ten if it takes long. Those with dull senses might take months, or never manage it once in their entire lives.”
“How long did it take you the first time, Cult Leader?”
“It took me three days.”
Three days meant he possessed considerable talent.
“The time it takes for the first attempt is crucial. The shorter that time, the more exponentially the time will decrease thereafter. Unlike other martial arts, the Space-Time Displacement Technique depends entirely on the practitioner's innate talent and understanding of martial logic.”
I wondered how long it would take me. With the Heavenly Martial Physique and my current level of martial attainment?
“How long can you maintain this space?”
“It depends on one's internal energy, but at the level of Great Achievement, perhaps half an hour if I push myself? Even as I speak to you now, my internal energy is being rapidly consumed.”
“Is it possible to use this space permanently?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader let out a short, dry laugh at the word 'permanently.' His scoffing laugh asked if such a thing were even possible.
“If the amount of internal energy recovered within this space is greater than the amount required to maintain it, could one not keep the space open indefinitely?”
“That is the dream of everyone who learns the Space-Time Displacement Technique. Even among the past leaders of the Blood Cult, no one has ever succeeded.”
“So you are saying it is possible.”
“It might be possible for a martial genius blessed by the heavens with an astronomical amount of internal energy.”
That martial genius blessed by the heavens, the one with the Heavenly Martial Physique, is standing right here.
How long would it take me to create it for the first time? And would I one day be able to maintain this space permanently?
“What if I just take this manual and don't give you a proper solution?”
“Then you would become the Cult Leader with the worst relationship with the Main Cult and the Eight Demon Lords in history. Ah, wait—you wouldn't even become the Cult Leader.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader handed the manual to me.
“Destroy it once you have mastered it.”
He was trying his best to hide his regret, but he was clearly loath to part with it.
“I will. In exchange, please interpret the oral formula for me just once.”
“Interpret it?”
“This isn't the original manual, is it?”
“Of course not.”
“If even a single character was transcribed incorrectly, it could cause problems.”
“Are you doubting me? That would never happen!”
“If you interpret it for me, I will be able to grasp the true meaning.”
A flicker of displeasure crossed the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s face for a moment, but he soon readily accepted my request.
“Fine. I will interpret the formula, so listen well. It is an incredibly difficult martial art, so you must concentrate.”
I could tell from his attitude.
This man thinks I won't be able to master this art properly.
The martial art was indeed that difficult.
However, as I listened to his explanation, I accurately grasped the subtle principles of the Space-Time Displacement Technique. He couldn't possibly imagine how deeply I understood the technique after just one explanation.
And so, the Space-Time Displacement Technique was passed to me. It was also the moment we became temporary allies.
“Now, give me the answer.”
“If the Pungcheon Cult wishes to advance into the Central Plains...”
I looked at him and added calmly, “Intervene in the succession struggle of the Seohwan Formation.”
*
“It’s damn exhausting, coming back after giving my own things away.”
Upon returning to his quarters, the Pungcheon Cult Leader slumped into his seat. He was mentally drained. He had to maintain his dignity as a Cult Leader while giving away something he desperately wanted to keep.
The shackled man didn't even greet him; he was just staring blankly at the Sound Thunder Bell.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader glanced at him tentatively.
“I passed the Space-Time Displacement Technique to the Second Young Master as you instructed. I don't know if I did the right thing.”
Without looking back, the shackled man replied, “You did well.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader flinched at the polite tone. Usually, the man started with insults; a day that began this politely was a day he was in a foul mood.
I should be careful.
On days like this, a torrent of abuse usually exploded all at once at the end. Being human himself, there were times when the Cult Leader wanted to strike the man dead with a single palm after hearing those insults.
But that could never happen. He couldn't imagine himself without the shackled man. Not only for his strategic mind, but he wouldn't be able to bear the emptiness if the only conversation partner he spent every day with were gone.
“Do you even know what proposal he made before you say that?”
He assumed the man wouldn't know, but the shackled man recited exactly what Geom Mu-geuk had said.
“He likely told you to intervene in the succession struggle of the Seohwan Formation.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was shocked, as if the man had been standing right there.
“How did you know?”
“Because that is the best method available right now.”
“You knew? What, you already knew? Dammit! If you knew the way, why did you make me waste the Space-Time Displacement Technique on the Second Young Master?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader recalled Geom Mu-geuk’s words.
— Unless the disciples of the deceased Soul-Seizing Demon Lord inherited his full legacy, they will surely need your help. You must ensure that someone who trusts you and is willing to learn your martial arts becomes the successor. If you can become the master of the next Soul-Seizing Demon Lord, you can consider the first step into the Central Plains taken.
It had sounded plausible when he heard it. He had been impressed, thinking, Ah, so there was a way like this.
But if the shackled man already knew...
“Why give away a precious manual for nothing?!”
He had acted bold in front of Geom Mu-geuk, but he had been dying of regret inside.
“Speak! Tell me why!”
He went over to the shackled man and shouted.
The shackled man looked at the Cult Leader with an annoyed expression.
“What? What are you going to do, looking at me like that? I'm the Cult Leader! The Cult Leader! You want to die today?”
Even as he blustered, the Pungcheon Cult Leader mentally prepared himself. This was the moment the insults would fly.
But the shackled man remained calm.
“We didn't buy the method. And the Second Young Master didn't sell the method, either.”
“What?”
“What you bought, Cult Leader, was an opportunity.”
“What opportunity?”
“The opportunity to bring the Second Young Master to your side. Though I don't know how many more times we'll have to 'buy' him before he becomes a firm ally.”
“Are you truly so certain that the Second Young Master is such a great person? Are you certain he will become the next Heavenly Demon?!”
“I don't know.”
“What?”
“How could anyone know the future?”
“How can you be so irresponsible?!”
“You gave what needed to be given, so why the regret now?”
“Because it's a waste! It's a waste, that's why!”
To the shackled man, the Cult Leader cast aside his dignity and bared his inner thoughts. He had wanted to kill the man many times, but it also meant he trusted him enough to reveal his true self.
“What should I do now?”
“Get close to the Second Young Master. Do as he says.”
“I should do as you say. We don't know what dark intentions the Second Young Master might have...”
“That’s enough!”
Finally, as the Cult Leader feared, the shackled man exploded, and the insults poured out all at once.
“You pathetic bastard! If you’ve joined hands with someone of great momentum by giving them a gift, you should be thinking about how to ride that momentum! Why the hell are you doubting and acting like a bitch? It’s because you harbor these moronic second thoughts that you’re going to end up dead! Do you know what all those who die dog-deaths in the Murim have in common? They don't use their heads when they should, and they use them when they shouldn't! They refuse to trust when they should, and then they suddenly trust like idiots when they should be suspicious! That’s why they die! Aren't you going to fold your fingers? Before I cut them off! Don't count today! No more questions! Unless you’re actually going to kill me, shut that mouth!”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader pouted and folded his fingers, and a new space opened up.
Gazing at the green fields and the clear, cloudless sky spread out before them, the shackled man spoke politely.
“Cult Leader, what are you curious about? Just say the word.”