Chapter 9: My Vision of the Demonic Path
Chapter 9: My Vision of the Demonic Path
The next day, Lee An approached me with a flustered expression.
“How did I get back yesterday?”
“You carried me back on your back. I don’t even remember how I got home.”
At that, Lee An’s cheeks flushed crimson.
“Don’t lie to me. I wasn’t that drunk. I must have been very heavy, wasn't I? I’m so sorry, Young Master.”
“I’d be lying if I said you were light. But you weren't heavy enough to feel sorry about. Look at these forearms!”
“Oh, please. Your already thin arms look like they’ve gotten even thinner.”
“Look closely! These are bulging muscles!”
After we finished trading jokes, Lee An gave a deep bow.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“Let’s drink again sometime.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
As she turned to leave, she stopped and asked another question.
“If I happened to say anything out of line, please find it in your heart to forgive me. To be honest, I don’t remember a word I said.”
“You didn’t make any mistakes, so don’t worry. Oh, and if you ever do make a mistake in the future, just use your Amnesty.”
“Amnesty? What’s that?”
“The right to be forgiven even if you make a mistake or do something wrong to me.”
“You gave that to me? I never received such a thing.”
I held out my hand to her.
“Shake on it.”
Lee An took my hand in her large one.
“There, I just issued it.”
“Since you’re giving them out, couldn't you be a bit more generous and give me ten? I’m going to be following you for the rest of my life; won't one be insufficient?”
“No! Just one. So use it sparingly!”
“Yes! Young Master!”
She beamed, her eyes disappearing into the folds of her smiling face.
In this life, if anyone needs to be forgiven, it’s me, not you. You’re the one who should be issuing about fifty of those to me…
* * *
That night, I sat alone, practicing Qi Emission.
While scanning three locations simultaneously, the energy I sent toward the left detected a presence.
Lately, I had become quite engrossed in the fun of figuring out what kind of person someone was through their Qi. When I discovered someone while sending out my Qi, I would start by scanning them from head to toe—their height, their weapon, and the level of their martial arts.
Just as I was about to examine this person…
The target lightly stepped aside.
Thinking it was a coincidence, I sent my energy toward him again. However, the target moved in the opposite direction, dodging my energy once more.
He couldn't possibly be dodging it on purpose, could he?
This thread-thin, secretive energy was something an opponent should never be able to detect. Yet, as if he could actually feel my energy, the target began to dodge and weave.
Who was it?
Curiosity piqued, I continued to emit Qi as I stepped out of my room.
I practiced emitting Qi even while moving. It required several times more mental effort than doing it while stationary, but in a real fight, I would more often need to emit Qi while in motion.
I felt the target backing away. I pursued him as he fled, always staying just out of reach.
The place I eventually arrived at was a pavilion in the inner court. The moment I identified the person standing there, I let out a sigh of relief despite myself.
“Father!”
The person who had led my energy all the way here was none other than my father.
“I should have known. I was tense, thinking someone else had detected my presence.”
“As if that energy was anything impressive. Even the dog dozing under the wall over there would have noticed it.”
“Don’t dogs naturally have good instincts? But what brings you to my quarters?”
“I was just passing by.”
He said that, but he had clearly come looking for me.
“Seeing as we’ve met by chance like this, it seems our relationship is truly one of destiny.”
“That’s enough nonsense.”
“Yes, sir!”
I shut my mouth and quietly joined my father in gazing at the night sky.
After a moment, I asked, “When do you plan to decide on a successor?”
“In a hundred years. You lot still have a long way to go.”
“How about in a hundred days? I feel like I’m almost there.”
“If that were true, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon wouldn't have come to see me.”
“How did you know?”
It was a meeting between just the two of us, yet Father knew. In other words, he was watching me. Well, he did know I had been hit by Energy-Scattering Poison, after all.
“The Blood Heaven Blade Demon came to see me immediately after meeting you.”
“What did he say?”
“He wanted me to punish you.”
“Pardon?”
I was startled by the unexpected words. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon actually went straight to Father and asked him to punish me?
“It was unexpected. He isn't the type of person to seek me out and make such a demand just because a disciple died.”
“Why on earth would he do that?”
I feigned ignorance, but I could guess the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s ulterior motive. He was testing the relationship between Father and me. He wanted to see if Father would actually punish me, and if so, what kind of punishment it would be. He was trying to find out if Father considered me a potential successor.
“So, I intend to punish you.”
“There is no justification for punishing me. That disciple deserved to die.”
“A justification can simply be manufactured.”
I drew my sword and traced a long line on the ground. Then, marking a spot about a tenth of the way in, I spoke.
“The Blood Heaven Blade Demon told me that this long side represents the extent to which you value him. Does that justification perhaps stem from this length?”
Instead of answering, Father repeated the question I had asked during the hunt.
“Did you ask which of the Demon Lords I trust the most?”
“Yes.”
Father gave his answer now.
“I trust no one.”
I understood. With this answer, he was simultaneously stating that the line the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had drawn was inaccurate.
“Which side are you on? Are you the type to trust people, or the type not to?”
“It would depend on what kind of person they are.”
“How can you know what kind of person they are?”
“Can’t you tell by spending time with them?”
“That is a foolish thought. A person’s heart is something you can never truly know. No matter how transparent a person beside you may seem, you must never think you truly know them.”
Lee An suddenly came to mind. I thought I knew her well, but it was the same principle as constantly discovering new sides to her.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Did you say you needed to establish discipline within the Main Cult?”
“Yes.”
“Cut the nonsense about rooting out corruption. Tell me your honest thoughts.”
“May I truly speak honestly?”
“When have you ever spoken falsely?”
“Not exactly, but… I feel like this particular answer might come across as disrespectful.”
“Speak.”
“For some time now… I believe we have lost the Demonic Path.”
The skin beneath Father’s eyes twitched. At the very least, it wasn't something I should have said to his face.
“What is the Demonic Path in your eyes?”
“The Demonic Path I believe in is…”
After a brief pause, I revealed the thoughts I had harbored for a long time.
“I believe it is our Cult’s unique conviction to strike down Absolute Evil.”
Whether it was an answer he hadn't expected, Father turned to look at me with wide eyes.
“…Our Cult’s conviction to strike down Absolute Evil?”
“I don’t believe the Orthodox Faction is our true opposite.”
“Then what is?”
“Absolute Evil.”
The words I was about to say would surely be difficult for Father to accept. Nevertheless, I calmly conveyed my thoughts to him.
“There exists in this world an evil so cowardly, so atrocious, and so persistent that it is beyond human endurance. An Absolute Evil that would make even a devil turn away in disgust. I believe that while the justice and chivalry championed by the Orthodox Faction might be able to suppress minor evils, they cannot handle this Absolute Evil. This is because the Orthodox Path, by its very nature, harbors forgiveness at its core. As long as they cherish humanity, how can they possibly handle an evil that has abandoned its humanity and runs rampant?”
Father was staring at me. It was the first time I had seen him focus so intently on my words. Perhaps deep in his heart, he was thinking this:
Wasn't that Absolute Evil us?
No, Father. I hope the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult of my world is not Absolute Evil. I will make sure it isn't.
I continued speaking.
“The only existence in the Murim capable of eradicating a vile and atrocious evil in an even more vile and atrocious manner—I believe we must find our reason for existence there. Whether we are good or evil does not matter. Sometimes wearing the face of good, sometimes the face of evil. When a Great Evil that the Orthodox Faction could not handle kneels and trembles before us, only then will I believe the true Demonic Path has been established. Only then will the Murim truly bow before the majesty of our Cult. They will seek our help when they cannot solve their own problems, saying that only the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult can save the Murim. This is the Demonic Path I envision.”
I could say with certainty that Father had never once in his life had such a thought, nor heard such a thing. This idea wasn't something I had learned or realized within the Cult. It was something I had felt for myself while wandering the Central Plains for a lifetime.
“If we cannot properly establish the Demonic Path, we will not last long. In order for us to survive… we must punish ourselves.”
Even Father, who was skilled at hiding his emotions, could not conceal his shock at this moment. This was the man who would fire a Finger Wind at my face just to check if I was lying. Yet, in this moment, he showed no reaction at all—even though I had just spun a tale that would have normally earned me ten Finger Winds.
Father was lost in deep thought. Although I had lived a longer life than him, I couldn't guess what he was thinking right now.
But I felt one thing for certain.
Though only a few days had passed since my regression, both Father’s destiny and mine were changing. We had begun to pivot toward a different future.
Eventually, Father broke the long silence.
“Do you have any more arrogance left to spill?”
“No, that’s all for today.”
I scratched my head and gave an awkward laugh.
“I think I understand why the Blood Heaven Blade Demon came to me and told me to punish you.”
“Why is that?”
Father’s eyes, filled with conviction, flashed intensely.
“He read something in you. That’s why he’s trying to test you through me.”
“I suppose he saw the potential for me to become the successor.”
“Or perhaps the danger of you ruining the Cult.”
“Whichever it is… that old bag of bones has some intuition.”
After staring at me for a moment, Father strode out of the pavilion as if he had made a decision.
“Follow me.”
* * *
Father led me to the deepest part of the Heavenly Demon Hall. It was a place I knew well by reputation. A small plaque hung above a stone cave.
Small Heaven Cave.
Startled, I shouted at Father.
“You’re not telling me to go in there, are you?”
This was a training cave intended for the rising stars who would become the Heavenly Demon. Usually, the disciples or children of the Heavenly Demon entered it when they were being tested.
One must never underestimate it just because it was called a training cave. You could enter whenever you wanted, but leaving was a different story. I had heard that if you couldn't break through the trials, you would never leave. The success rate was fifty percent. In reality, half of the Heavenly Demon’s kin who had entered this place had lost their lives inside.
That was why even my ambitious older brother had never volunteered to enter.
However, it was also a place one had to pass through at least once to become the Heavenly Demon. Every person who had become the Heavenly Demon had passed through here. Looking at it this way, being the Heavenly Demon was one of those extreme professions.
“I entered this place when I was your age,” Father said.
“And how long was it before you came out?”
“Two months.”
“Good heavens. You want me to spend two months of my shining youth in this dark and damp place?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. It was two months because it was me; the average breakthrough time is three years.”
Father was a man evaluated as having the greatest martial talent among all the Heavenly Demons in history. My Heavenly Martial Physique was likely only possible because I inherited his blood.
“Father, why are you doing this to me?”
“Didn’t I tell you earlier? I intend to punish you.”
“Isn't this punishment a bit too harsh?”
“Yang Po, whom you killed, will spend eternity underground.”
“While receiving the cheers and applause of the people he tormented.”
But Father’s mind was already made up.
Father. Are you really sending me to a place where I could actually die? Just because that old man, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, told you to punish me?
Suddenly, the "Poison Mind" Father had mentioned during the hunt came to mind.
Do you not care if even your son dies? Or do you hope I will come out stronger?
If I didn't make it out alive, it was a punishment, but if I did, it could become a reward.
Or are you trying to protect me from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, since I’ve started sticking out like a needle from a pouch?
Because Father never revealed his true feelings, I couldn't tell what his intention was. Father placed his hand on a stone slab next to the grotto and injected his unique internal energy, causing the stone door to open.
Rumble.
Seeing the look in Father’s eyes that told me to stop nagging and just get in, I didn't resist any further.
“Fine. I’ll be out even faster than you were.”
Rumble.
Through the closing stone door, Father spoke with a heartless yet irritating smile.
“Just make sure… you don’t die.”