Chapter 8: When the Blade Glitters in the Moonlight
Chapter 8: When the Blade Glitters in the Moonlight
Rumors that I had slain a disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spread through the Cult like wildfire.
As the whispers grew, so did Lee An’s anxiety.
“It’s absolute chaos, Young Master. Everyone I meet is talking about you and Yang Po.” She let out a heavy sigh and added, “...And about me, too.”
Since she had been the catalyst for the fight, it was only natural that people had plenty to say.
“Fame is a good thing, Lee An. Don’t we martial artists do all sorts of crazy things just to get noticed?”
“I don’t like it.”
“Well, you’re only going to get more famous from here on out. What are you going to do then?”
Lee An sighed softly, but her expression wasn't dark. It was likely because at the heart of this chaos lay a positive element: change.
“I’m worried because Lord Blood Heaven Blade Demon values honor so highly. I just hope he lets this go.”
“Who told you that? That the Blood Heaven Blade Demon values honor?”
“Pardon? Is that not the case?”
“Would a man who truly values honor turn a blind eye while his disciples act like absolute scum?”
“Perhaps he simply doesn't know?”
“That’s vastly underestimating the Blade Demon’s attention to detail.”
Lee An paused, looking at me skeptically. “You’ve been doing this a lot lately. You keep talking as if you know Lord Blade Demon personally.”
“I know enough about him—and the other Demon Lords, for that matter. I am the Heavenly Demon’s son, after all. I should at least do that much research.”
Lee An stared at me, her eyes wide and round. Since she likely believed she knew everything about me, she was probably wondering when on earth I had conducted such an investigation behind her back.
“Then why does the Blood Heaven Blade Demon allow his disciples’ atrocities to continue?”
“That’s because...”
There was a definitive reason, but it wasn't something I could explain to her yet. Instead, I gave her a reason she could accept.
“Because it’s convenient.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s much easier to handle greedy, selfish bastards than disciples with actual integrity. The Blade Demon has avoided naming a primary disciple for a long time, forcing his students to compete against one another. Why? Because it makes them easier to use as disposable tools. Just watch—Yang Po’s vacancy will be filled within a few days.”
“He is a terrifying man.”
“I find the disciples more terrifying. Those fools who charge in even when they clearly know what kind of man their master is.”
“I’m just happy I get to serve you, Young Master.”
“Of course you are. Who else could you even compare me to? Lee An, do you want to grab a drink? It’s been a while.”
She looked at me, startled.
“Why the surprise?”
“It’s not that it’s been a while—it’s that this is the first time.”
“The first time?”
“Yes.”
I’ve never had a single drink with you until now? What on earth motivated you to throw your life away for me in the past?
“Let’s go. We’re drinking until we drop today!”
*
I took Lee An to Ma Clan Village.
Ma Clan Village was a settlement that had formed in all four directions around the Main Cult. What had begun as a small village for the families of demonic practitioners had grown into a sprawling city.
I led her into the most expensive and prestigious tavern in the village.
“It’s a historic day, so let’s drink somewhere nice.”
“I would have been fine with a small, shabby place,” she murmured.
She felt burdened by crowded areas. No matter where she went, eyes inevitably gravitated toward her, so she naturally avoided the spotlight. Being mindful of her, I requested a private room.
“What’s your tolerance like?”
“I can’t drink much.”
“Let’s find out exactly how much you can handle today. Don’t worry, if you get drunk, I’ll carry you back.”
“I... I’m heavy.”
“It’s fine. Look at these arms.”
“They’re half the size of mine.”
“That’s only because I’m not flexing!”
Since it was our first time drinking together, I ordered an abundance of fine liquor and gourmet dishes.
“I’ve never tried this dish before. Or this one, or that one...”
“Try them all. If you like something, we’ll order more.”
“My stomach is going to be so surprised.”
“You’re always so busy acting as a guard that you just settle for quick meals, right? From now on, pay attention to what you eat.”
“Look at me,” she said, flashing a grin and lifting a thick arm. “With a body like this, it’s fine even if I just eat whatever.”
“Eating carelessly is exactly how you gain weight. Knowing what you’re eating and what ingredients go into it—the more you care about the food, the less weight you gain. You have to become a gourmet to lose weight.”
“Ah! I didn't know that! I’ll do that from now on.”
But I knew. I knew that no matter what she ate, or even if she starved herself every day, her weight wouldn't drop. That weight wasn't from food.
Of course, she knew that too. She was only playing along because she thought I was unaware of the side effects of her condition. She could have easily revealed the truth or made a resentful joke about it... but she was a woman who had been forced to become an adult far too young.
“Learn while eating delicious things with me from now on.”
Lee An stared at me intently before asking, “Please tell me your secret.”
“What secret? Cooking?”
“No. How a person can change this much.”
I gave her a faint smile. “Why? Do you want to change too?”
“It’s not that, but...”
She emptied her glass. How could she not want to change? In her heart, the image of her childhood self would remain forever. Whenever things got hard, she would remember those days, and it would only make things harder.
Once you reclaim your original form, you won't need any secrets. The whole world will adore you.
Lee An politely accepted the drink I poured for her and asked, “Young Master, what do you intend to do about the succession?”
The fact that she was asking a question she had never dared to ask before meant she had finally seen the possibility in me.
I raised my glass and spoke softly. “Flattery is the only way to survive!”
Lee An laughed and raised her glass to clink against mine. “You must melt the Cult Leader’s heart!”
We emptied our glasses together.
*
Despite saying she couldn't drink much, Lee An held her liquor quite well.
Of course, I had to pay the price for getting her drunk. I ended up having to carry her back on my shoulders. The entire way back, she shouted into my ear.
“Don’t worry! I will definitely protect you, Young Master. Just trust me!”
“I wasn't worried at all, but hearing you say it over and over is starting to make me nervous.”
“I told you not to worry! I’ll protect you!”
“Right, I’m not worried.”
“You should be! You have to worry! But don’t worry! Because I’m protecting you!”
“Hahaha.”
Just then, a window in a nearby building flew open and someone shouted, “What kind of crazy bitch keeps repeating the same thing over and over?!”
I looked up at the man leaning out of the window and said, “Do me a favor and let it slide.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“The Second Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
He stared at me blankly for a moment before a lightning-fast apology flew out.
“Oh! My apologies! Please forgive me, Young Master!”
The window slammed shut even faster than it had opened.
Lee An was fast asleep on my back, breathing softly.
I’m sorry it took me this long to carry you like this.
After returning to our quarters, I laid her down on her bed and stepped outside. I sat in the courtyard with my legs stretched out, looking up at the moon.
Thinking back, after my clan was annihilated in my previous life, I had lived in a state of deep defeat. It was a depression so profound that I couldn't have sustained my life if I hadn't been sprinting toward the goal of regression.
What if I hadn't met Seo Jin back then? What if I had never learned about the Great Regression Art? In the end... wouldn't I have taken my own life? Or perhaps I would have sought out Hwa Mu-gi and died a miserable death at the hands of his followers before even laying eyes on him. Yes, that’s likely how it would have gone.
As I was lost in these wandering thoughts...
Something right next to me flashed in the moonlight.
When I slowly turned my head, a massive blade was positioned right beside my face. My tense reflection was visible on the surface of the absurdly large Great Blade.
The blade slowly tilted, revealing its owner.
The wrinkles on the rough, gaunt hand gripping the sword were deep furrows of experience, showing that the passing years had not been kind. Beyond those valleys, a pair of sharp eyes glared at me.
It was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
I was inwardly startled; I hadn't expected him to seek me out so suddenly.
The weapon aimed at my neck as if to decapitate me was his unique weapon, the Heaven Extermination Great Blade. Ranked among the Ten Great Weapons of the Murim, it was nicknamed the "Weapon Breaker" because it shattered almost any weapon it clashed with.
The cold Demonic Energy radiating from the blade enveloped the surroundings. My skin broke into goosebumps from the chilling aura that felt like it could stop my heart.
If that blade flies toward my neck, could I dodge it?
I couldn't easily find an answer. No matter how deep the insights I gained from my previous life were, my current internal energy was overwhelmingly lacking.
At the peak of the tension, the freezing energy surrounding us vanished in an instant.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon smirked and poked my side with the pommel of the Heaven Extermination Great Blade.
“Why’d you do it?”
He meant: Why did you kill my disciple?
Just a moment ago, he had the aura of an assassin come to take my life, but now he was grinning and poking my ribs like a friendly old man from next door.
“Because he was acting like an idiot.”
The Blade Demon stared at me intently at my blunt response. His gaze was similar to my father’s, yet different. If my father’s gaze made it impossible to tell what he was thinking, the Blade Demon’s gaze was clear.
Hostility.
I saw a flickering flame in his eyes.
“What kind of idiot comes to pick a fight with the Cult Leader’s youngest son, the apple of his eye?”
Whish!
The blade that had been resting on his lap sprang up, once again aiming at my throat.
“Should I cut this head off and put it in the Cult Leader’s eye? To see if it hurts or not?”
The razor-sharp killing intent flowing over the blade carried the owner’s will: It might have sounded like a joke, but it wasn't.
“I don’t think my head would fit in my father’s terrifyingly narrow eyes.”
As I took a step back, the energy flowing over the blade vanished instantly into the hilt. It was impressive. To handle such immense power so freely with that gaunt frame.
This time, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon used the Heaven Extermination Great Blade to draw a long line on the ground in front of where we sat. Then, he drew a vertical line about a span away from the left end.
“From here to here is you, Young Master. From here to the end is me.”
The line was divided in a nine-to-one ratio.
“What is this?”
“The degree to which the Cult Leader cherishes us.”
The Blade Demon himself was the nine; I was the one.
I used my finger to carve a new line about two-thirds of the way down.
“Regardless of everything else, I am his son. This side is me, and that side is you, Elder.”
This time, I was the seven, and the Blade Demon was the three.
The Blade Demon gave a sly smile. “We could always test it. If I bring the Cult Leader your head, will he kill me or let me live?”
“Aren't you underestimating the Heavenly Demon’s paternal love a bit too much?”
“That’s why I’m saying we should test it.”
The Heaven Extermination Great Blade slowly moved toward me again. I pressed my palm firmly against the flat of the blade, stopping its approach toward my neck. The steel was cold. No matter how brightly the Blade Demon smiled, this coldness was his true essence. If I forgot that, I would die.
“There’s no need for a test. There are two sons, but only one of you, Elder.”
The Blade Demon chuckled. “The Young Master is no idiot like my disciple.”
“If your disciple had resembled you, he would still be alive.”
The Blade Demon placed a hand on my shoulder and patted it twice.
“Young Master, this old man has lived his whole life alongside misfortune. So, it’s best if we don’t see each other often.”
With those words, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon vanished. His body leaped from beside me and plummeted into the distant darkness.
Once he was gone, I immediately checked my side. A dark purple bruise had already formed where he had poked me with the hilt. It had looked like a playful "poke," but the impact I felt was like a heavy blow. The pats on the shoulder were the same.
“Damn it, miserable old man.”
I hadn't let my guard down for a single second while facing him. Regardless of the fact that I had regressed, I always had to be wary of the variables.
The fact that he repeated twice that he would take my head to my father meant the thought was genuinely in his mind. He might seem erratic at a glance, but he was not a man of whim. He was someone who calculated and recalculated everything thoroughly. If he acted erratic, even that was a calculated performance. That was what made him such a difficult person to deal with.
I knew a lot about him, but knowing him well didn't mean I could control him. Information is just information; variables that can flip an advantage can arise at any time.
Anyway, why did he come to see me?
Was it a warning for killing his disciple? No. As I told Lee An, he wasn't someone who cared about reputation.
He had come to see me. The performance I showed on the sparring stage must have been impressive, and my wish to go hunting must have felt unique. Adding the fact that I had cut down his disciple, he felt the need to test me. He came to taste for himself whether I was sweet or bitter. To see if I was fit to be the successor.
How did I taste?
To me, he tasted like fire. I only touched my tongue to it once, but it was searing. However, it was a delicious kind of heat.
Will my first opponent be the Blood Heaven Blade Demon?
Perhaps. After all, I was sent back to the very day I sparred with his disciple.
I suppose that massive blade of yours caught the eye of the heavens particularly well.