Chapter 75: I Will Accept a Drink
Chapter 75: I Will Accept a Drink
I crossed the final boundary of the Inner Court with Jo Chun-bae.
We underwent the same identification and body searches I had already endured twice before, and the various ingredients Jo Chun-bae had brought along were inspected once again.
Jo Chun-bae was frozen stiff. As we ventured deeper into the Inner Court, the pressure exerted by the guarding martial artists grew heavier and more intimidating, leaving him barely able to breathe.
Only after we cleared the final checkpoint did Jo Chun-bae finally exhale.
"Phew... I’ve never trembled so much in my life."
"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm right here, aren't I?"
"Of course, Pavilion Master. If it weren't for you, how could I have ever dreamed of coming this far? This is my first time in the Inner Court."
We were heading toward the residence of the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
"What’s your first impression of the Inner Court?"
"I was too scared to even look around properly, sir."
"There’s nothing to fear. In a place this vast, there are few people who live as diligently as you do, Innkeeper."
"Oh, please don't say such things."
Jo Chun-bae waved his hand as if it were nonsense, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward with every wave.
"I don't know what I did to deserve such luck. To have the Second Young Master visit my tavern, and thanks to that, to serve food to people I couldn't even see in my dreams... I never imagined I’d set foot in the Inner Court."
The reason I brought Jo Chun-bae today was to have him prepare food while I drank with the Pungcheon Cult Leader, but in truth, it was to give him a tour.
He had once mentioned in passing that he wanted to see the Inner Court of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and I intended to fulfill that wish today.
Since my personal cook, Cook Im, was currently busy leading the other cooks to provide meals for the Pungcheon Cultists waiting in the Outer Court, I had more than enough justification to bring Jo Chun-bae along.
"I must have accumulated a lot of merit in my past life."
"You must have saved the Murim in your past life, Innkeeper."
"Even if I didn't save the Murim, I'm certain I beat down at least one Murim Alliance Elder who invaded the Cult with a metal ladle."
I laughed heartily at his joke. Just then, passing martial artists of the Inner Court bowed politely to me. Jo Chun-bae couldn't even meet the eyes of those rugged, terrifying men.
"Now that I'm actually here, I'm happy, but also terrified."
"That is why I established the branch office in Ma Clan Village. It’s a place that’s difficult for most to reach. So, Innkeeper, please keep a close eye on the people of Ma Clan Village and the branch office. If there is anything you wish to tell me, be sure to do so."
"Yes, I will."
With that, we arrived at the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s residence.
"You've arrived?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader greeted me warmly. I had promised to treat him to drinks once the successor to the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord was decided. Since Cheong-seon had won, and I had even refused the Sacred Relic, the Cult Leader seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
"This is the owner of the Pungryu Inn, whom you met last time. Rather than bringing pre-made food, I wanted to enjoy the warm dishes he prepares on the spot, so I brought him along. Innkeeper, if you would."
"I shall pour my very soul into these dishes!"
"I have no desire to eat your soul, so just prepare them as you usually do."
"Yes, sir!"
While Jo Chun-bae prepared the food, the Pungcheon Cult Leader and I entered the room.
"Congratulations on taking the Demon Lord as your disciple."
"It is something that could never have been accomplished without you, Second Young Master. Thank you."
"It is because you taught your disciple well, Cult Leader."
"Let us call it our shared victory."
We exchanged pleasantries, savoring the triumph. I had known Cheong-seon would win. Once a master of the Pungcheon Cult Leader's caliber had intervened, he would have secured victory by any means necessary. The First Disciple, Yang Do, was simply outmatched by such a titan.
A short while later, the food and liquor prepared by Jo Chun-bae were served. The Pungcheon Cult Leader tasted the food and looked satisfied.
"The cook’s skills are quite decent."
"I shall pass that along. He will be delighted."
We enjoyed the drinks and the meal. Perhaps because he was determined to impress, Jo Chun-bae’s cooking was magnificent today.
"Have you met my father?"
"I am scheduled to see him in a few days."
"When you meet him, emphasize this: that by taking Cheong-seon as your disciple, you will raise a Soul-Seizing Demon Lord even stronger than the previous one. To my father, that is the most important point."
"I understand what you mean. Thank you for the advice."
"It was nothing."
As the drinking session ripened, I spoke to the Pungcheon Cult Leader as if it were an afterthought.
"May I offer a drink to the gentleman in shackles over there?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader flinched for a moment.
"Why do you wish to give that man a drink?"
"There is no particular reason. I’ve seen him several times whenever I’ve come to visit you, and on such a pleasant day, I simply felt like offering him a cup."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader laughed dismissively. "That man does not touch alcohol at all."
"Is that so?"
It was then. The Shackled Man opened his mouth.
"I will accept a drink."
I was surprised, but the Pungcheon Cult Leader was even more shocked. His expression slowly hardened. From that unconcealed shift in his face, I could guess the truth.
The Shackled Man had never once accepted a drink from the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
"Then, let me pour you one."
I stood up, pretending not to notice the Pungcheon Cult Leader, who looked as if he might explode at any second. I took a cup and the bottle and walked over to the Shackled Man.
I sat before him and held out the cup.
The Shackled Man, who had been hanging his head, looked up and took the cup from me. I slowly filled it.
I said nothing. I didn't even use Voice Transmission. I simply poured him a drink.
The Shackled Man accepted the drink with his head bowed and drained it then and there. Then, he returned the cup to me and, this time, he poured a drink for me.
I accepted it and emptied it refreshingly.
We, who had only ever exchanged glances, finally shared a drink. Not a single word was spoken—only the act of drinking—but for me, that was enough.
Watching this, the Pungcheon Cult Leader seemed truly enraged. If he weren't, he would never have uttered such words.
"Do you know what that fellow's specialty is? He has a nose like a dog. He can sniff out anyone coming to steal the Sacred Relic with uncanny precision. What do you think? Don't those shackles look like a dog's leash? Hahahaha!"
He let out a loud laugh after spitting out words that were closer to contempt than a joke.
Only his laughter echoed in the room.
And then, silence followed.
Those words were a blatant blunder, a display of disrespect toward the Shackled Man. I did not give him the chance to recover from his slip of the tongue by responding wittily. This was a gift his own recklessness had given me.
I returned to my seat and poured a drink into his cup, which had gone empty in the meantime.
"Come, have a drink."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader downed the liquor in silence.
The Shackled Man lowered his head as usual, becoming as still as a fossil.
Watching him, the Pungcheon Cult Leader bit his lip hard. At least where the Shackled Man was concerned, the Cult Leader could neither hide nor control his emotions—much like how the Blood Heaven Blade Demon reacted to anything involving the One Flower Sword Venerable.
I bid my farewells and left earlier than originally planned.
I had given the Shackled Man a drink and drank the one he poured; I had achieved the purpose of today's visit.
*
After Geom Mu-geuk left, the atmosphere turned frigid.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader recognized that he had been in the wrong, yet he felt strangely offended. He didn't want to apologize, but he forced himself to.
"I'm sorry about earlier."
Despite the apology, the Shackled Man said nothing.
"I said I'm sorry."
When there was still no reaction after the second apology, the Pungcheon Cult Leader finally exploded.
"Dammit! What are you trying to do? I am your master. You are my subordinate. Can't I even say something like that? I've been too easy on you, and now you've grown arrogant? Do you want to die? Is that it?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader shouted. However, the voice in his heart was rebuking him.
What are you doing right now? What gives you the right to scream like that?
The greater his self-reproach, the louder his voice became.
"How much have I tolerated until now? Five instances of informal speech? What kind of madman gives his subordinate such chances? It's because it's me! It's only because it's me that I allowed it! And you don't even know how to be grateful. You said you couldn't drink? You said you'd rather die than touch it? And yet you accept a drink from the Second Young Master? Even after I explicitly said you don't drink?"
No matter how angry he was, he should have stopped there.
But the Pungcheon Cult Leader could not contain his surging rage and crossed the line he should never have crossed.
In the next instant, the space they were in changed.
It was no longer the mental realm with the blue sky and open fields he usually opened.
They were in the middle of a battlefield where blood flowed and corpses were strewn about. The stench of blood was so pungent it was difficult to remain there for even a moment.
"This is the place that suits you perfectly. From now on, this will be the only thing you see!"
The decisive reason the Pungcheon Cult Leader couldn't stop his anger was that he had been playing both sides of the argument from start to finish. He was the one who made the mistake, and he was the one getting angry.
The Shackled Man hadn't said a single word. He had merely accepted a drink.
No, he was the one who did wrong first. He shouldn't have accepted that drink. You told me, didn't you? That I'm narrow-minded and greedy? If you knew that, why are you doing this?
As if reading his inner thoughts, the Shackled Man spoke politely.
"My judgment was poor. I am sorry."
He was so polite that the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s heart sank.
A sense of dread that he might never again hear the Shackled Man speak candidly caused the Cult Leader's heart to race.
This isn't right. Apologize now. Hurry!
A voice screamed inside him.
But the words "I'm sorry" would not come out. He, too, had much pent-up resentment.
Why should I apologize? I am his master. I am the Pungcheon Cult Leader!
Though they had argued many times, they had never experienced such a major conflict. He was at a loss as to what to do.
Had he been dealing with anyone else, he would have handled it far more coldly. If it were the Demon Buddha, he would have been screaming on the outside while calculating the odds on the inside.
But with the Shackled Man, he couldn't do that.
The mountain of corpses and sea of blood spread before his eyes was a reflection of the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s heart. He agonized over it again and again, but in the end, he could not bring himself to apologize.
Unaware of his turmoil, the howls of wolves that had caught the scent of blood echoed heartlessly through the air.
*
I watched Seo Dae-ryong’s training from a corner of the yard at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s residence.
Having moved past basic training, he was now practicing forms, and his skill in wielding the blade was vastly different from before.
Back at the Pungryu Inn, I had told Seo Dae-ryong that even if it was late, he would learn with more sincerity, and that it would be fine. My words had become reality.
He did not neglect a single movement. Furthermore, proving that an intelligent person learns martial arts well, Seo Dae-ryong was improving by leaps and bounds.
Just then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon came and stood beside me.
"Did you come to watch your subordinate suffer?"
"He’s a friend who suffers plenty during the day, so I don't have such a wicked hobby."
"Then what brings you here at this hour?"
"I came to consult you on a matter."
"Come in."
Leaving the training Seo Dae-ryong behind, I entered the Blade Demon’s quarters. I marveled at the shelves filled with books.
"You have a great many books."
"Go ahead, say the rest of what's on your mind."
"They don't really suit you."
"They aren't for reading; they're for decoration."
"Even as decorations, they don't suit you."
"You rascal! If I added up all the books I read in my youth, they’d probably equal the number of people the Cult Leader has killed."
"Then you would have become a Great Scholar."
After exchanging such jokes, we got down to business.
"What is it you want to consult me about?"
"There is someone I want to unshackle."
Startled by the unexpected words, the Blade Demon misunderstood.
"Did you find someone in the underground dungeon you want to release?"
"No. It's someone near me."
This time, he took it in a symbolic sense.
"I see. Everyone lives with a shackle or two."
"What kind of shackle do you have, Elder?"
"Me? I..."
He seemed about to say something but stopped himself, then asked, "Who is this person?"
"A subordinate of the Pungcheon Cult Leader."
"Oh, dear."
His expression already suggested he sensed a difficult road ahead.
"If it's someone you want, he must be quite capable. Which means there's a high probability the Pungcheon Cult Leader cherishes him as well."
"You are exactly right."
"Does the Pungcheon Cult Leader know you want him?"
"He doesn't."
"Have you spoken with the subordinate?"
"No, I haven't said a single word to him yet. Still, I believe our hearts have connected."
"Hearts? You believe? This is truly a mountain beyond mountains."
When I thought about who to consult regarding the Shackled Man, the first person who came to mind was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Even if he couldn't give me an answer, I felt that by talking to him, I might find the answer myself. That was the kind of person he was to me.
"Isn't that why I came to see you, Elder? Please tell me a way."
"Do I look like I'm keeping a stash of 'ways' for you?"
I smiled broadly and said confidently, "Yes! Please give me what you've been keeping. Tell me the path out of this mountain beyond mountains."