Chapter 68: Second Young Master to the End
Chapter 68: Second Young Master to the End
“The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord had five disciples in total. Based on seniority and skill, the leading candidates for the succession are the first disciple, Yang Do, and the third disciple, Cheong-seon. For the record, Cheong-seon is a woman.”
Following Seo Dae-ryong’s report, I asked, “What is their reputation within the Seohwan Formation?”
“Given his age, Yang Do has the edge in experience and martial prowess. However, Cheong-seon is more popular within the formation. Compared to her, Yang Do has a violent temperament; several ghost practitioners have already been injured by his hand. Some have even died. Despite this, the late Soul-Seizing Demon Lord favored him, making him the most likely successor—but the situation has changed now.”
“Investigate both of them thoroughly. Their martial arts, assets, abilities, hobbies, and personal relationships. Leave nothing out.”
“Understood.”
“I wonder who the Pungcheon Cult Leader will choose?”
At my question, Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes widened. “Is the Pungcheon Cult Leader going to choose one of them?”
“Yes. That’s why I sent him the data on the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s disciples.”
“Why?”
“Because I told him to dive headfirst into the Seohwan Formation’s succession battle.”
“Good heavens! What are you plotting now? Surely you don’t mean…?”
A thought seemed to strike Seo Dae-ryong, and he sent a message via Voice Transmission.
— Are you going to kill the Pungcheon Cult Leader too? Or Yang Do? Even Cheong-seon?
— Am I some kind of serial killer? Why would I kill everyone?
Only then did Seo Dae-ryong look relieved. “That’s a relief.”
“It seems my current image is making everyone worry about who I might kill next.”
“Who else was worried? Your Master?”
“Master?”
“Ah! I mean, the Elder Blade Demon.”
“You don’t call him ‘Master’ yet, do you?”
“No, he hasn’t given me permission.”
Yet, it seemed Seo Dae-ryong already considered him a master. The word had slipped out of his mouth unconsciously. I could feel Seo Dae-ryong falling deeper under the Blade Demon’s spell. Then again, he was probably hooked the moment he saw the Blood Heaven Blade Demon reading a book.
“So, who will the Pungcheon Cult Leader choose?”
“How should I know?”
“If a top-of-the-class genius like you doesn’t know, who does?”
“I was top of the class because I studied hard, not because I’m a genius.”
“You said you were a genius before.”
“That’s what the Pavilion Master said.”
“And you nodded along quite smugly back then, didn’t you?”
“I admit it. I have an irrepressible streak of vanity. So please, downgrade me from ‘genius’ to ‘someone proficient in practical matters.’ In exchange, I’ll make sure the investigation into those two is flawless.”
Seo Dae-ryong bowed and left the office.
* * *
“So, which one should we support?”
At the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s question, the shackled man remained silent, staring intently at the Sound Thunder Bell.
“Why are you staring at that bell so much? Is the evil ghost carved on it talking to you or something?”
The shackled man spoke up abruptly. “How did you know?”
“Don’t creep me out. What is it?”
“It speaks to me sometimes.”
“And what does it say?”
Staring blankly at the carving, the shackled man replied, “It asks, ‘Why do you live like this?’”
A brief silence followed.
“And how did you answer?”
“In the past, I told it I lived like this because of a narrow-minded, greedy human being.”
“And now?”
“I told it… perhaps it wasn’t entirely because of that human.”
“And what did it say to that?”
The shackled man said nothing. When pressed once more, he looked at the Pungcheon Cult Leader with a look of pity.
“Why do you keep asking? It’s a carving. How could it speak? Are you mad?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked dumbfounded.
“Hah, it would be stranger if I weren’t mad. Soon, I’ll be the one sitting there having conversations with that carved ghost. Asking it, ‘Why do you live being so ignored?’ And why would that be? You’ve watched it all, you damn ghost, you should know!”
“It’s Cheong-seon.”
“Gah! You startled me! Give me a warning before you stab me with an answer like that!”
The shackled man was unpredictable, but he was invaluable because he provided answers like this when needed.
“Why Cheong-seon? From what I can see, Yang Do seems more likely to become the successor.”
“Then choose him.”
The shackled man closed his mouth as if he had nothing more to say.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader sidled up to him. “I’m asking why Cheong-seon.”
“Just follow your convictions and choose Yang Do. How long is a man of your status as Cult Leader going to keep following the words of others?”
“Fine, then my conviction tells me to go with Cheong-seon.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader trusted the shackled man implicitly. He didn’t need a reason; the man’s track record spoke for itself.
“Cheong-seon, then? But how can I make her my disciple?”
“That, I do not know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I knew that while being tied up here?”
“I suppose so.”
Even so, the Pungcheon Cult Leader did not mention releasing his shackles. Despite all the words they had exchanged over time, that was the one thing he never said.
If he released the shackles, the man would fly away and leave him. Who in the world would stay with the person who had reduced them to such a state? The moment the shackles were off, it would be over. Therefore, releasing the shackles was the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s absolute taboo.
“Should I go find Cheong-seon myself?”
“And say what?”
“‘Become my disciple.’ Is that too overbearing? How about, ‘I shall permit you to become my disciple.’ What do you think?”
“I’m sure she’d just jump at the chance,” the shackled man said sarcastically.
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Put yourself in her shoes. If some old man from the Outer Lands with unknown intentions suddenly showed up and told you to be his disciple, would you fall for it?”
“Not a chance.”
“It’s the same for everyone else. It won’t work just like that.”
“Are you saying… I have to pay a price?”
The shackled man nodded.
“But I’m the one becoming the master and teaching her martial arts! If anyone’s paying a price, it should be her!”
“That’s an outdated way of thinking. The price is paid by the one who is more desperate.”
“I don’t want to! I want to receive, not give! I’m naturally a person who prefers receiving! Tell her to bring a mountain of offerings to fill my sacred relics and learn from me! Tell her to kneel in the yard and beg all day!”
The shackled man had told him to give everything, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
“If a price must be paid, the recipient should not be Cheong-seon.”
“Then who?”
“The Second Young Master will want more of the sacred relics here. I saw him eyeing a few things when he looked around last time.”
“Damn it!”
“The Second Young Master will bring the answer this time as well.”
“The Second Young Master again?”
As the Pungcheon Cult Leader lamented, the shackled man spoke calmly.
“It will be the Second Young Master to the end.”
* * *
True to his word, Seo Dae-ryong was indeed proficient in practical matters.
He had brought back an exhaustive investigation into Yang Do and Cheong-seon. It covered their backgrounds, families, martial arts levels, personalities, interpersonal relationships, and even their favorite foods.
“However, I found one strange point while investigating Cheong-seon.”
“What is it?”
“Cheong-seon has met with Sa U-jong several times.”
“Sa U-jong?”
A name I hadn’t expected popped up.
“Yes. Since they seemingly have no connection, I thought I should report it just in case.”
Seo Dae-ryong was reporting this separately because he knew I had a connection with the One Flower Sword Venerable.
I recalled Sa U-jong’s end. He had fallen under a Soul-Seizing Technique and tried to kill the One Flower Sword Venerable, only to be killed himself. It was a death where the identity of the one who cast the technique was never revealed.
Ah! So it was Cheong-seon’s Soul-Seizing Technique!
A single conclusion followed naturally.
“The two of them are in a relationship!”
Seo Dae-ryong was startled by my words. He wasn’t surprised that they were dating, but that I had guessed it instantly.
“How did you know?”
Sa U-jong had feelings for the One Flower Sword Venerable. What if Cheong-seon found out while they were dating? His death was undoubtedly the result of Cheong-seon’s jealousy and rage. Cheong-seon was young; if her man loved an older woman, the wound to her pride would be deep enough to pierce through her entire being.
That wasn’t the only reason I concluded they were dating.
The person who had revealed the location where the corpses from the Heart-Soul Great Law were buried, and the person who had stolen Neung Hyu’s fan and placed it there, was undoubtedly Cheong-seon. These were things that couldn’t be known or accomplished unless one was a disciple of the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord. Furthermore, she wouldn’t have leaked such vital information unless she was in a relationship with Sa U-jong.
Everything clicked into place, but I couldn’t tell Seo Dae-ryong these facts. I stood up abruptly.
“You’ve thought of something to change the situation again, haven’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“The look in your eyes changed. Pavilion Master, why do you look for geniuses? You’re the genius yourself.”
“I’m no genius. I just use my head a bit and try not to miss out on profits. I need someone who can think on a grander scale. There’s a huge difference between having such a person in an organization and not.”
“I don’t quite follow, but you’re amazing nonetheless.”
“What do you mean you don’t follow? I only figured this out thanks to your investigation. Even if I find a genius, I won’t trade you for them.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t. You’ll just have both of us. But where are you going?”
I was already walking out of the office.
To earn a sacred relic!
This, too, was something I couldn’t tell him.
* * *
I went straight to see the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
His residence was the crime scene, and as the Huangquan Pavilion Master, I had a formal excuse to come and go as I pleased.
“Welcome.”
“Have you been well?”
“I looked over the materials you sent. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
As we exchanged greetings, I glanced at the shackled man. He kept his head down and didn’t look at me, but every time I saw him, I felt that our fates weren’t meant to just pass each other by.
My gaze returned to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“Have you found a way to intervene in the Seohwan Formation’s succession battle?”
“Not yet.”
“You must hurry. The Demon Lords will soon intervene to select the successor.”
“As you know, I am shackled here just like that man. It isn’t even easy for me to meet the candidates of the Seohwan Formation.”
I nodded as if I understood.
“Which of the candidates do you think I should take as a disciple?”
“Cheong-seon.”
Seeing that he wasn’t surprised by my answer, it seemed he and the shackled man had already reached that conclusion.
“We also judged Cheong-seon to be the most suitable.”
I chose her because of Sa U-jong, but for what reason did that shackled man choose her?
“But I have no way to persuade her.”
“What if I could make Cheong-seon come to you directly, Cult Leader?”
“And once she arrives?”
“She will beg to become your disciple. I’ll prepare the meal and spoon-feed it to you.”
“If you could do that, I could ask for nothing more.”
“In exchange, give me one sacred relic.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s brightened expression darkened again. “You really are shameless.”
“It’s not shamelessness; it’s only natural. Assigning tasks based on friendship or loyalty without proper compensation is something that only worked in my father’s generation.”
“I am also a man of that generation.”
“You must accept that times have changed. And that I, sitting before you, am a man of the modern era. If you don’t like it, you can live like a fossil, staring only at what pleases you.”
Since he obviously didn’t want such a life, the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s expression hardened. I persuaded him in a soft tone.
“This matter involves dealing with young people, so leave it to me. I will produce a result that makes the sacred relic well worth it.”
“Let me think for a moment.”
“Please do.”
I pretended to browse the sacred relics, giving the Pungcheon Cult Leader and the shackled man time to exchange messages via Voice Transmission. Eventually, the Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke to me.
“Fine, I accept your proposal.”
He looked thoroughly displeased, but it seemed he had been persuaded by the shackled man.
“My part ends when she comes to you and asks to be accepted as a disciple. Elevating her to the position of Demon Lord is up to your own capability, Cult Leader.”
“If I need help then, you’ll probably come back and demand another sacred relic. Why don’t you just take them all now!”
“I wish I had the ability to do that. For my sake, and for yours.”
I stood up. I gave a polite bow to the Pungcheon Cult Leader and a fleeting nod to the shackled man before leaving.
I went straight to find one person. The person who held the key to this matter: Sa U-jong.