Chapter 86: Long Time No See, Brother.
Chapter 86: Long Time No See, Brother.
Two months had passed since my duel with Father.
In that time, my Flying Heaven Sword Technique reached the eleventh stage. The insights I gained from the duels with Father and the One Flower Sword Venerable had propelled me to the next level.
Now, only one stage remained.
Just like the previous levels, the final stage would likely require a specific catalyst.
It could come from a duel, a true life-and-death struggle, or perhaps while admiring flowers with the One Flower Sword Venerable. I might achieve it while perusing a collection of poems and paintings beside the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, or even during a moonlit stroll with Lee An. The realm of the twelfth-star Great Achievement was something no one could predict.
Setting aside the completion of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique for another twist of fate, I devoted myself to practicing the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
When learning martial arts, there are moments when you just feel it. A tingling sensation spreads through your body, and the technique itself seems to whisper, “Just a little more.” That is the moment you are ready to ascend.
With the Space-Time Displacement Technique, that sensation visited me constantly.
About ten days ago, I had managed to reduce the time needed to manifest the space to a count of one hundred. Since then, as if a seal had been broken, the time required decreased every time I performed the technique.
If there is such a thing as compatibility between a martial artist and a technique, then the Space-Time Displacement Technique was a perfect match for me.
Perhaps it was because this particular art relied more on the depth of one's enlightenment and innate talent than on the duration of training. In those two categories, I had already reached the absolute pinnacle.
The more I practiced, the more the time decreased.
Ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven...
I didn't stop; I pushed myself to the limit. Like a man riding a runaway carriage, I created the space over and over with frantic intensity. I knew that one wrong turn could send the carriage plunging off a cliff, but I refined the art without rest.
I practiced, and then I practiced some more.
Finally, the carriage reached its final station. The horse did not collapse, and I did not fall from my seat.
Snap!
The moment I flicked my fingers, my surroundings transformed.
Simultaneously, a cheer burst from my lips.
“I did it!”
I could finally manifest the Space-Time Displacement Technique instantly. It unfolded as naturally as if it had been my own martial art from the very beginning.
I was now standing on a pristine white sand beach that stretched toward an endless blue sea. The sky was clear, and the sun was hot. Large-leafed trees lined the shore, and a comfortable-looking chair sat in the shade beneath them. In the distance, seagulls took flight.
This was the space I had dreamed of—my own private world.
It was perfect.
As the time required to create it decreased, so did the internal energy needed to maintain it.
I leaned back comfortably in the chair for a moment before stripping off my clothes and diving into the ocean.
After swimming for a while, I floated on my back, looking up at the sky. Watching the clouds drift by brought a profound sense of peace to my heart.
It was a perfect moment, entirely my own, undisturbed by anyone. I was happy.
Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
What if I could make time flow slower here than in the outside world? What if I could practice my martial arts here? Even if I couldn't stop time completely, what if I could make it move at even half the speed?
It was a dreamlike thought, but then again, wasn't creating a space like this a dream in itself?
I decided I should discuss this with the Pungcheon Cult Leader when he returned. Though, I suspected he would dismiss it as nonsense.
I lay on the beach for a long time, savoring my freedom, until I felt someone arrive outside the Space-Time Displacement.
When I had entered the spaces created by the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord or the Pungcheon Cult Leader, I couldn't sense the outside world at all. However, because I had created this space myself, I was aware of external events.
I immediately deactivated the technique and reappeared.
“Young Master, are you there?”
The person calling for me at the door was Jang Ho.
“I’m right here.”
Jang Ho spun around, startled by my sudden appearance behind him.
“Young Master? Where were you?”
On a beach with rolling blue waves.
I suppressed the urge to answer honestly.
“I was practicing a stealth technique for a moment. But what brings you here?”
“Word came from the iron workshop. Master Gwak has finished crafting the items you requested using the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.”
“Then I have a favor to ask. Go and retrieve the items, and call everyone who gathered that day.”
“Understood.”
*
Seven people stood in a circle, looking down at the objects placed on a table.
Aside from myself, the other six were Lee An, Seo Dae-ryong, Jang Ho, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the One Flower Sword Venerable, and Go Wol.
I picked up the fan from the table first and handed it to Go Wol.
“This is the fan you asked for. I’ve inspected it; it’s well-made.”
“Thank you so much.”
“The materials are one thing, but the fact that it was crafted by the Cult’s greatest master gives it even more value.”
“I truly didn't think you would actually have it made for me.”
Since I had also commissioned daggers for everyone present that day, I handed him a dagger as well. Receiving both the fan and the dagger, Go Wol looked apologetic.
“I’m receiving two gifts.”
“That dagger wouldn't exist if it weren't for you. In a way, you’re the one gifting them to everyone.”
“That can't be true. It was you, Young Master, who gave the Pungcheon Cult Leader those shackles. Thank you. I will never forget this immense kindness.”
It was indeed a grand gift.
A dagger made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron was incomparably sharp and virtually unbreakable; its value was impossible to calculate. If sold for its true worth, the proceeds could support several generations in luxury.
But my gifts to him didn't end there.
I unwound the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread from the hilt of my Black Demonic Sword. I cut off just enough to cover the fan and handed it to Go Wol.
“This is Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread. If you attach this to the fan, it will become a magnificent weapon.”
Go Wol’s eyes trembled with emotion. These three gifts were things most people wouldn't receive in a lifetime.
“I will repay this debt even if it costs me my life.”
“There’s no need for that. I’m giving this to you because I believe you are worth it right now, not as a down payment for your future life or loyalty.”
I said this to Go Wol, but it was a message for everyone else as well.
I distributed the remaining daggers to the rest of the group.
“Thank you for standing by my side.”
“Much obliged.”
“I shall put it to good use.”
“Thank you.”
Everyone accepted their daggers with joy.
Seo Dae-ryong looked down at his dagger and spoke worriedly.
“I’m afraid I might lose it.”
“Then train harder. The stronger you become, the less likely you are to lose it. Whenever your training gets tough, look at that dagger.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seo Dae-ryong nodded vigorously. This dagger would come to hold many different meanings for each of them.
Just then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon started picking on Go Wol for no reason.
“Even that scrawny scholar over there has one, so what are you worried about?”
At that moment, someone entered the room and spoke.
“If we’re talking about being scrawny, isn't your disciple even worse?”
The person who walked in was none other than the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
I looked at him with surprise.
“You’ve returned already?”
He was back much sooner than I expected. I thought it would take at least six months.
“I’ve always been an impatient man.”
He glanced briefly at Go Wol. Seeing his staunch supporter appear, Go Wol smiled.
“I suppose I’m not destined to starve. I returned on the very day daggers are being handed out. Give me mine.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader inspected the dagger.
“It’s exceptionally well-made. This could pass for a sacred relic. Thank you for remembering me.”
“Not at all. It was only possible because you were generous enough to release the shackles, Cult Leader.”
I welcomed his return with kind words. He had indeed returned on a fateful day, as he said. But that fate wasn't about receiving a dagger.
Someone else opened the door and stepped inside.
The visitor was tall and strikingly handsome. He wore white robes embroidered with elaborate, sophisticated patterns that suited him perfectly. He was my older brother, the First Young Master, Geom Mu-yang.
Every eye in the room fixed on him. Three people followed behind him.
The first was the Demon Buddha, followed by an old man and a young man.
Upon spotting me among the crowd, Geom Mu-yang spread his arms wide and strode toward me.
“Brother, have you been well?”
That was right. This was how my brother was. He was brimming with self-confidence, a man who knew full well that he was superior to others.
His excessive belief in his own intelligence sometimes caused problems, but he had a knack for making his arrogance look like confidence to those on his side.
“I’ve been fine. Long time no see, Brother.”
I pulled him into a sudden hug. It wasn't an act; I hugged him sincerely. I felt him stiffen slightly in surprise. He couldn't possibly know what I was thinking right now.
Brother, don't make me regret holding your corpse later. Don't walk the same path as Father.
I knew. Go Wol said the outcome depended on my brother, but that wasn't true. This matter depended on my own efforts.
That’s why I’m going to try. Not for you, but for myself.
Perhaps I felt different than when I had left the Cult, for a strange light flickered in Geom Mu-yang’s eyes.
“I heard you’ve made quite a name for yourself while I was away.”
“When the tiger is away, the fox is king.”
“If I am the tiger, how could my brother be a mere fox? You don't need to play humble in front of me.”
To an outsider, he looked like a deeply affectionate older brother who truly cherished his sibling.
But in my past life, he had tormented me relentlessly. At the time, I hadn't even realized it was torment.
From the time I was very young, my brother had tried to plant negative images of the Murim and power in my mind.
He told me stories of martial artists killing each other, of people going mad from heart demons, and of Demon Lords betraying the Heavenly Demon.
Most of the stories he told me were cruel and pessimistic. If I ever tried to open my Conception and Governing Vessels, he would shake my resolve with tales of people whose blood vessels burst, leading to a gruesome death.
I had overcome it through my innate fortitude, but it was true that his words had negatively influenced me in ways I hadn't realized.
I couldn't blame him for using every means necessary in the struggle for succession, but that wasn't something you should do to a six or seven-year-old brother, Brother.
The Demon Buddha interjected.
“Second Young Master. Now that the First Young Master has returned, you must assist your brother. Who else can we rely on in this harsh Murim? Humans betray each other as easily as they breathe; there is no one else to trust.”
As he spoke, the Demon Buddha glared at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. His words were a direct jab. He was openly criticizing the man who had once supported Geom Mu-yang but had now turned to me.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who felt a lingering sense of guilt toward the First Young Master, merely snorted.
Unlike the provocative Demon Buddha, Geom Mu-yang was polite to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Have you been well, Elder?”
“I’ve been fine, thanks to you. Are you just getting back?”
“Yes. I’ve only just arrived.”
“Have you seen the Cult Leader?”
“Father had already retired to his chambers, so I couldn't see him. I’ll have to greet him tomorrow morning.”
“The Cult Leader will be pleased.”
After exchanging greetings, Geom Mu-yang spoke suggestively.
“I heard that you’ve been helping my brother quite a bit lately, Elder.”
“Old men tend to be more fickle. I hope you understand.”
“Not at all. My brother’s business is my business, and it is the business of the Cult. As his brother, I thank you.”
“I appreciate your understanding.”
Geom Mu-yang then turned to the One Flower Sword Venerable.
“You are as beautiful as ever.”
“Like brother, like brother. Our First Young Master certainly has a flirtatious streak.”
Geom Mu-yang pulled something from his sleeve and handed it to her.
“These are cosmetics I went to great lengths to obtain from the Outer Lands. They are known to be far superior to those used by the women of the Central Plains. Please, try them.”
“Thank you, First Young Master.”
He wouldn't have brought a gift only for her. He likely had a hoard of items to appease the other Demon Lords as well.
Even in this brief exchange, I could see clearly why he had been so far ahead of me back then. At the time, I hadn't even known he was so meticulously courting the Demon Lords. I suppose I only had eyes for myself back then. I lived only for my own greed.
“Commander Jang, it’s late, but congratulations on becoming a Commander.”
“Thank you, First Young Master.”
The greetings ended there. He didn't acknowledge Lee An or Seo Dae-ryong. My brother was a staunch authoritarian. His philosophy was that if you firmly secured the loyalty of those at the top, the subordinates would naturally follow.
Once Geom Mu-yang finished greeting the two Demon Lords, the Demon Buddha stepped forward again.
The moment he saw the Pungcheon Cult Leader, he immediately picked a fight.
“Did someone smear honey on the pillars of our Cult? Why do you keep loitering around here?”
Of course, the Pungcheon Cult Leader wasn't one to back down.
“I left some business unfinished. A cute little pile of golden droppings, you see.”
The Demon Buddha’s expression hardened instantly. The two glared at each other as if they wanted to kill one another. As if to show that while it takes ages for people to grow close, they can drift apart in an instant, these two former friends were now bitter enemies.
As the tension between them reached a breaking point, Geom Mu-yang signaled the two people behind him with a glance.
The old man and the young man who had entered with the Demon Buddha stepped forward to introduce themselves.
A cold smile touched my lips. This was the moment I had been waiting for since they walked through the door. In truth, I had been waiting for this moment for decades.