Chapter 74: Trust Your Instincts
Chapter 74: Trust Your Instincts
“I’ve been looking for a strategist lately.”
I had met with Sama Myeong today specifically to say those words.
“Am I not enough for you?”
I laughed at Sama Myeong’s joke and replied, “Aren’t my father and I both quite greedy? Father would never dream of sharing his Chief Strategist with me. You know him well, don’t you?”
Sama Myeong brushed off the comment with a smile.
“That is why I’ve come to seek your counsel. I wanted to ask what kind of strategist I should be looking for.”
For a moment, Sama Myeong toyed with his wine cup in silence. Though he looked composed, his mind was likely racing.
He was probably weighing my intentions, deciding how much to reveal, and calculating how his words might affect him, the Cult, or the succession struggle. All sorts of thoughts were being organized behind that calm facade.
I didn’t know the specific requirements for a good strategist. However, I knew one thing from experience.
A good strategist ultimately makes the right choices.
As far as I knew, Sama Myeong was a better strategist than anyone else, so he would surely provide the right answer.
He took another sip of wine, and by the time I refilled his cup, he had finished his deliberations.
Sama Myeong looked at me with a meaningful expression and asked, “Have you perhaps already made up your mind?”
There was a significant weight to that question. I could tell. Sama Myeong already knew about the shackled man. He even knew that he was the one I had in mind.
He was essentially asking me this:
—Are you considering that man from the Pungcheon Cult as your strategist?
It was only natural. There was no way Chief Strategist Sama Myeong wouldn't know about the shackled man acting as the strategist for the Pungcheon Cult.
Since I had been frequenting the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s residence under the pretext of the theft incident and then suddenly asked him about finding a strategist, he would have naturally made the connection.
“There is someone I am considering, but I am not yet certain.”
Since he would never give a straight answer if I asked directly, I asked with my eyes instead.
—Is it alright to take him as my strategist?
Sama Myeong stared at me, withholding his answer for a beat. Then came the most important words of today’s meeting.
“Gaining a person’s loyalty is something no one can be certain of. It is because the result only reveals itself after a long process. Therefore, for now, trust your instincts, Second Young Master.”
Trust your instincts.
It was the kind of common advice anyone could give.
But here, the meaning was different. Knowing that I was thinking of the shackled man and telling me to trust my instincts was, in effect, advising me to accept him.
If the shackled man were someone who would harm the Cult, Sama Myeong would never have said that. It meant the man possessed abilities that even Sama Myeong acknowledged.
Sama Myeong wasn't my man, but he was someone filled with loyalty toward the Cult. Since I was a potential candidate for the position of Heavenly Demon, he wouldn't recommend just anyone.
“Yes, I will trust my instincts.”
When I raised my cup, Sama Myeong nodded once and gave a vigorous toast.
Today, he had done nothing more than tell me to trust my own judgment.
Whether it was my father or a Demon Lord, he was free from any future interrogation regarding why he had recommended the shackled man to me. Even I couldn't hold it against him. I couldn't demand to know why he recommended him, because Sama Myeong hadn't recommended him at all—he had simply told me to trust my instincts.
We spent a full four hours drinking.
We talked about all sorts of things, but Sama Myeong never lost his composure, nor did he make a single slip of the tongue.
* * *
A few days passed.
On the surface, they were days like any other, but beneath the veil, they were filled with the schemes and political maneuvering of the Demon Lords.
And today, the day of destiny finally arrived.
“The voting must be in full swing right now,” Seo Dae-ryong remarked.
I nodded. “Most likely.”
The Demon Lords were currently gathered in a meeting to decide the next Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.
I didn't know if the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or the One Flower Sword Venerable had succeeded in persuading the other Demon Lords. I hadn't gone to ask, and they hadn't come to tell me.
“You’re involved in this matter too, aren't you, Pavilion Master?”
I nodded readily.
“Are you upset that there’s so much your superior keeps from you?”
“No, I’d prefer to never know. I don’t get sulky just because I’m left out of these things. So please, keep proceeding without my knowledge. Even if you were to unify the Murim, I’d be perfectly fine hearing about it through rumors the next day!”
“You’re actually quite a funny guy. Were you just pretending to be dark and brooding when we first met?”
“At this point, even I’m confused about what kind of person I am.”
“Being bright is better. She’ll like that more, too.”
“She?”
“That junior you like.”
“You mean the one I had even forgotten about?”
As if he had finally given up on denying it, Seo Dae-ryong nodded.
“Thanks to you, Pavilion Master, we’ll probably end up getting married.”
“Well, you have to eat first for that to happen. Ask her to grab a meal with you.”
“Why would I do that to someone so busy?”
“What does being busy have to do with eating? It’s because you approach it with that kind of pressure from the start that things don't work out. You should approach her as someone she can see comfortably and often.”
I felt Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes sparkle slightly.
“Does seeing someone often change things?”
“It does. But you shouldn't become too comfortable. That’s the most important part. Don’t let her see you as a pushover!”
“What should I do to not look like a pushover? Should I put more strength into my eyes?”
“Good grief!”
As I let out a sigh, Seo Dae-ryong quickly added, “It was a joke, a joke.”
“It’s sadder because I know it wasn't.”
“I’m not that lacking in intuition.”
I couldn't verify the truth of that statement, as a subordinate rushed in to report the results of the vote.
“The results are out.”
“How did it go?”
“It was a tie.”
“A tie? There are seven Demon Lords; how could there be a tie?”
“One of the Demon Lords is said to have abstained.”
“Ah, so there was an abstention.”
Which Demon Lord voted for whom was not made public. It seemed either the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or the One Flower Sword Venerable had only been able to persuade half the group.
“And then?”
“They decided to settle it through a duel between the First Disciple and the Third Disciple. It’s scheduled for tomorrow.”
“So it comes to this in the end.”
It might not have been intentional, but the matter was ultimately being decided by a duel. From the perspective of the Seohwan Formation, it was actually a good decision. Having the more skilled individual take the seat of Demon Lord would prevent any future complaints.
Once the reporting subordinate left, Seo Dae-ryong asked, “Who do you think will win?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m going to the marketplace to place a bet. This is how someone living on a meager salary turns their life around.”
“Bet your entire fortune on Cheong-seon!”
“Why the Third Disciple?”
“I’m not betting on the Third Disciple. I’m betting on the Pungcheon Cult Leader. Or more accurately, I’m betting on his desperation. He won’t let his disciple lose. Where are you going?”
“To mortgage my house!”
Seo Dae-ryong stopped as he was opening the door to leave.
“Aren't you going to stop me?”
“You won’t actually place the bet anyway.”
“How do you know?”
“People who gamble only chase after windfalls; they don’t think about changing their reality like you do.”
Seo Dae-ryong gave a wide grin and closed the door.
“I’m really going. I’m going to go eat a meal with strength in my eyes.”
I walked over to the window.
Warriors were busily moving across the training grounds as the twilight began to settle. Every organization that had heard the voting results would be focused on tomorrow’s outcome.
Cheong-seon winning was important, but what mattered more to me were the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable. I wouldn't have been able to come this far without them.
‘Thank you, elders.’
* * *
The duel took place the following day.
The Seven Demon Lords, their subordinates, and the ghost practitioners of the Seohwan Formation all gathered around the sparring arena. Since the match was open to those who weren't direct subordinates of the Demon Lords, the Pungcheon Cult Leader and I also took our seats. However, my father did not attend.
First Disciple Yang Do and Third Disciple Cheong-seon stepped onto the arena.
At their appearance, cheers erupted from the ghost practitioners of the Seohwan Formation.
Compared to the deceased Soul-Seizing Demon Lord, they were still severely lacking, but they were the candidates to lead the Seohwan Formation into the future. The fate of the organization would depend on which of them took charge.
Would the established powerhouse, Yang Do, win? Or would it be Cheong-seon, who had learned martial arts from the Pungcheon Cult Leader?
The general consensus was about seventy-thirty in favor of Yang Do. Although Cheong-seon had become the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s disciple, the time she had spent learning his martial arts was simply too short.
Since neither Yang Do nor Cheong-seon had been initiated into the Space-Time Displacement Technique, we were able to watch them fight. Had they known it, the fight would have been incredibly dull—they would have both vanished from sight simultaneously, only reappearing once the victor had been decided.
There were no polite greetings between the two.
“You treacherous bitch. You sold out our Master.”
“The fact that you’re bringing up Master now is exactly how you’re selling him out, you stupid Senior Brother.”
The duel began with cold insults. Both knew this was a fight where their lives and futures were on the line, so they showed no mercy.
Black smoke summoned by Yang Do engulfed Cheong-seon, while her Soul-Seizing Technique invaded Yang Do’s mind. Ghostly wails filled the air, and a haunted wind began to blow.
Black monsters surged from the ground, trying to drag the opponent down, while red hands manifested in the air, attempting to rip the opponent’s head off.
Even though it was a fight between disciples and not the Demon Lords themselves, it was more intense and powerful than expected. Everyone was surprised, as their expectations had been low.
Rumble!
The earth shook with thunderous roars, and the sound of lightning echoed from the clear sky.
The watching demonic cultists despaired as they thought: How on earth are we supposed to block those techniques?
One could see just by watching this fight between disciples why the Orthodox Faction had considered the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord the most troublesome. Techniques that left one clueless on how to respond were being unleashed one after another.
Everyone held their breath.
No one looked down on them, even when they threw hidden weapons or rolled on the ground.
A black evil ghost would leap out to take a hit from a flying hidden weapon, and even while rolling on the ground, ghostly qi was being emitted from their hands. Blood-colored water that melted the floor surged toward the opponent, while shimmering heat hazes tried to tear the opponent’s arms off.
They utilized every method at their disposal; the fight was desperate and gruesome. It wouldn't have been strange if they had started biting each other’s throats. The watching cultists were swept up in the fervor.
And then, at a certain moment!
The ghostly wailing that had persisted throughout the fight ceased.
As the grey smoke that had been swirling madly around the two dissipated, they were seen standing and facing each other.
Everyone could tell. The fight was finally over. It was just that no one knew who had won yet.
Yang Do was the first to speak.
“That last technique...?”
“The Deadly Demonic Energy I learned from my new Master.”
“I knew... since we were young... that you were this kind of bitch.”
“Then you should know well. That I will become a far greater Soul-Seizing Demon Lord than our late Master.”
Cheong-seon left him standing there and walked toward the gathered ghost practitioners. She spoke to them in a sharp, clear voice.
“And so, our Seohwan Formation will become the greatest among the Eight Demons!”
The moment she finished speaking—
Spurt!
Blood erupted like a fountain from First Disciple Yang Do’s mouth, nose, and ears. He collapsed to the ground, every meridian in his body severed.
A moment of silence fell, as no one had expected Cheong-seon to kill the First Disciple so brutally. But it was short-lived, replaced by a roar that shook the entire area.
Waaaaaaaah!
Cheong-seon walked slowly toward where the Seven Demon Lords were seated.
She gave a respectful fist salute.
“I greet you. I am Cheong-seon.”
Those who had voted for her were smiling, while those who hadn't were frozen.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stood up and shouted on behalf of the group.
“The new master of the Seohwan Formation has been born!”
At his cry, everyone erupted in cheers.
It was the moment the new Soul-Seizing Demon Lord was born.
Cheong-seon looked at the Pungcheon Cult Leader and bowed respectfully with a fist salute.
Next, she looked at me and bowed.
However, she didn't spare a single glance toward Sa U-jong.
Whether he had been hoping for even a secret, passing look, Sa U-jong appeared deeply disappointed. For some time now, his life had not been going according to his plans.