Chapter 90: A Relationship Worse Than Strangers
Chapter 90: A Relationship Worse Than Strangers
In truth, even when he told Geom Mu-geuk to "wait and see," the Blood Heaven Blade Demon remained deeply skeptical.
Geom Mu-yang coming to find me first? Without tending to the other Demon Lords? There’s no way.
Yet, as if he had coordinated with Geom Mu-geuk, Geom Mu-yang appeared that very night.
"What brings you here?"
In response, Geom Mu-yang held up a bottle of wine.
"I came to share a drink with you, Elder. If my memory serves me, this was your favorite, wasn't it?"
"You have a good memory. Come, sit."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon did not invite him inside the house; instead, they sat across from each other on a wide, flat rock in the yard.
"It’s cool out here. Let’s have a drink under the stars."
"That sounds perfect."
The Blade Demon had a maidservant bring out cups and light snacks.
They had met briefly on the day Geom Mu-yang returned, but the situation then hadn't allowed them to properly observe one another. Now, the Blade Demon finally took a moment to calmly assess Mu-yang’s aura. Indeed, it was different from when he had first left.
"I heard you surpassed the Nine Walls of the Demonic Path?"
"I passed through safely, thanks to your concern."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"The Cult Leader must have been pleased."
"He was."
The Blade Demon asked various questions about the Nine Walls, and Geom Mu-yang answered as sincerely as he could within the limits of what he was allowed to disclose. In the past, the two had often conversed about martial arts.
Geom Mu-yang enjoyed discussing martial arts with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Strangely, they had always been on the same wavelength.
As the bottle neared its end, the Blade Demon spoke first.
"I know you came because you have questions. Ask them freely."
"Very well. I shall be direct, as a man should. Why did you choose my younger brother? I assume there must be a specific reason or catalyst."
"Of course there is."
The Blade Demon pondered how to phrase his answer for a moment before replying.
"Your brother has a power that draws people’s hearts."
Geom Mu-yang nodded silently.
"The power to draw hearts..."
He had anticipated many possible answers, and he had considered that something of this nature might be said. Yet, hearing it directly, Mu-yang was overcome by a sense of desolation and bitterness.
In his entire life, he had never once been told he was someone who drew people’s hearts.
"I have never felt such a power from Mu-geuk. Ah, I don't say this to belittle him. I am simply curious about what that feeling is like."
"Naturally, you wouldn't have felt it. The Second Young Master had no reason to try and win your heart, and you, in turn, lacked the room in yours to accept his, did you not?"
"Yes, that is true."
The Blade Demon poured wine for Geom Mu-yang, who had nodded in honest admission.
"You are a magnificent martial artist. You certainly possess the qualities to become the Heavenly Demon."
The Blade Demon truly believed that. If Geom Mu-geuk hadn't surged upward like a madman, he would have continued to support Geom Mu-yang.
"And yet, you chose my brother?"
"Sometimes in life, one is simply pushed along by a sudden gust of wind."
"I wish I were the one standing where that wind is blowing. I want to walk this path with you, Elder."
His eyes were shining as he looked at the Blade Demon. At least in this moment, Geom Mu-yang was speaking his truth.
"Are there not many other Demon Lords?"
"No. I specifically need you."
"And why is that?"
Though the Demon Buddha followed him like a right hand, deep in his heart, Geom Mu-yang preferred the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
"Because... you are the one I truly need."
He offered no other reason.
The Blade Demon thought to himself that if he hadn't heard from Geom Mu-geuk that Mu-yang would visit, he might have been moved by this earnestness.
"May I make a few proposals, Elder?"
"Go ahead."
"When I become the Heavenly Demon, I will appoint you as the First Demon Lord."
"The First Demon Lord?"
"Yes. I will create a supreme rank among the Demon Lords that is recognized even by the Heavenly Demon Hall. Furthermore, I will triple the size of the Southern Blade Sect. I will lift the restriction on the number of Blade Ghosts and drastically increase support for your sect. Not only that, I will grant you special access to the Heavenly Demon Library. You may go and read there whenever you wish."
Geom Mu-yang knew the Blade Demon loved books. The Heavenly Demon Library didn't just store martial arts manuals; it contained many collections of poems and paintings that were difficult to find elsewhere—things the Blade Demon would surely want to see.
Considering the need for fairness among the other Demon Lords, it was an extraordinary offer.
Of course, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was not naive enough to believe every word.
What would happen later when Mu-yang became the Heavenly Demon and said, 'The backlash from the other Demon Lords is more severe than I thought, so please yield for now, Elder'?
By then, he would be even older—a tiger with its teeth pulled.
"The Demon Buddha would be quite hurt if he heard that, wouldn't he? He must be certain that the position of First Demon Lord belongs to him."
As if he had expected this reaction, Geom Mu-yang didn't look flustered in the least.
"It cannot be helped. I respect and like the Demon Buddha, but I believe you are the one who truly suits that position. You may even tell him what I just said."
He seemed to have a strange confidence that the Blade Demon would never say such a thing to the Demon Buddha. Where did that trust come from? Did he view the Blade Demon as such a noble, refined person?
"I will consider your offer."
"Thank you."
After sharing a final toast, Geom Mu-yang stood up.
As he was leaving, he added one last thing.
"Elder, I will be the one to become the Heavenly Demon. Without fail."
Once Geom Mu-yang had vanished, the Blade Demon took something out of his mouth. It was the Poison-Repelling Pearl that Geom Mu-geuk had given him as a gift. He was a man who hadn't fully trusted the wine Mu-yang brought.
The Blade Demon muttered to himself.
"...Yes, there was a time when I was certain of that, too."
*
When Geom Mu-yang returned, the Demon Buddha was waiting for him.
"Did you perhaps go to see the Blood Heaven Blade Demon?"
"The Main Cult is the same as ever. There are no secrets."
"How can you talk about secrets when you visited him so boldly in broad daylight? Why on earth did you do it?"
"I went to win him over."
"And?"
"He said he would think about it."
"He is a traitor."
The Demon Buddha deliberately used the harsh term 'traitor.'
"A person whose heart has turned once will turn again. You know this."
Then, Geom Mu-yang said something startling.
"He was holding a Poison-Repelling Pearl in his mouth while we drank."
"That man must be out of his mind!"
While the Demon Buddha flared up in anger, Geom Mu-yang remained calm.
"He didn't seem to be trying to hide it. It was his way of saying, 'I don't trust you.' It was very like him."
"Do not associate with him any longer."
An even more shocking statement flowed from Mu-yang’s lips.
"By the way, I offered him the position of First Demon Lord."
The Demon Buddha froze. The words were so unexpected that he was momentarily paralyzed.
He had always assumed the position of First Demon Lord was meant for him.
So, the Demon Buddha waited for the next words—the words saying, 'I only said that to sway him, so don't pay it any mind.'
But Geom Mu-yang did not say them.
So what is it? Do you actually intend to give it to him?
The Demon Buddha unconsciously clenched his jaw. When a person bites down hard, it shows if you look closely. Moreover, how could a master like Geom Mu-yang not notice? Yet, Mu-yang acted as if he saw nothing and gave no reaction.
All sorts of thoughts raced through the Demon Buddha’s mind.
Was it a mistake? Was he just being insensitive? Or was it intentional?
He even wondered if this was a punishment for involving the Yunnan Twin Eccentrics without permission.
There had been similar incidents in the past. What made these moments most agonizing was the fact that Geom Mu-yang was more brilliant and clever than anyone. Because of that, the Demon Buddha was always left confused, wondering if an action was a mere slip or a calculated move.
And the worst part of all was this:
He couldn't voice these feelings.
If it were anyone else, he would have asked directly.
Why are you doing this? Are you looking down on me? Don't be like this.
But those words didn't come easily with Geom Mu-yang. Was it because their relationship had been misaligned from the very start? Or was there an invisible wall that Mu-yang had intentionally built between them?
His relationship with Geom Mu-yang was one where he suffered alone.
A relationship worse than being strangers...
In the end, the Demon Buddha settled it as he always did.
Yes, it’s possible. He is still young.
He told himself that as the elder, he had to be patient. After all, the task he had taken on was to turn this vigorous young man into the Heavenly Demon.
"You must also look after our own people. They are all watching."
You should know that these words come after a mountain of thoughts!
Did Mu-yang read the Demon Buddha’s inner mind?
"I don't feel much affection for the other Demon Lords."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You and the Blade Demon are honorable enough to openly declare who you support. But the rest of them are just watching the tide. They plan to stick to whoever is winning later. It’s quite shallow."
It would have been perfect if he had just left the Blade Demon out of that sentence. No, if he had truly intended to deceive, he would have left him out on purpose. Perhaps being this honest was his way of showing respect.
"Even so, we need them."
"I am moving forward trusting only you, Elder."
The Demon Buddha and Geom Mu-yang looked at each other and smiled.
The Demon Buddha’s mood had improved somewhat, but the lump in his chest remained.
So, who are you actually going to give the First Demon Lord position to?
But in the end, neither Mu-yang nor the Demon Buddha brought it up again.
*
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon came to see me with a look of renewed surprise.
"You were right. The First Young Master really did come to see me. How did you know?"
"It’s a secret... but I have the ability to see the future."
"Since you're still a lunatic, it seems no one has stolen your soul with a Soul-Seizing Technique yet."
I laughed at the Blade Demon’s joke and said, "Didn't I tell you? That’s just how my brother is."
"I felt something deeply this time."
The Blade Demon hesitated for a moment. But it was something he had come here to say. Given his personality, it was indeed a statement worth hesitating over.
"I realized anew what kind of person you are to me."
"!"
I tensed up. This was the first time the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had spoken about me in such a way.
"What do you mean?"
"No matter what temptations the First Young Master offered, they didn't reach my ears. He made an extraordinary proposal, just as you said. But I wasn't moved at all."
I could feel the door to his heart opening just a little wider.
I was grateful to him. I was so incredibly grateful that he told me this.
Yes, you have to say it for people to know. Everyone acts like they know everything, but if you don't speak, they don't.
I immediately drew the Black Demonic Sword and traced a line on the ground. I drew it a bit further to the right than the line the Blade Demon had drawn before.
"Has the affection you have for me reached this far now?"
The Blade Demon didn't deny it, but he didn't forget to give a warning either.
"You know what happens if you get too full of yourself, right?"
"What happens?"
"You'll pay a harsh price. Of all the goods that come with a price tag, arrogance is always displayed right at the front."
Perhaps because he reads so much, the Blade Demon occasionally uses expressions that don't quite seem to fit his rough exterior. I really like this side of him.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"According to you, the First Young Master will also visit the Pungcheon Cult Leader. Is it alright to leave that be?"
"We have to."
"Will that man be as steadfast as I am?"
"Well, they have two people on that side, don't they?"
"Two? Who? Go Wol?"
"The Pungcheon Cult Leader will definitely discuss the matter with Go Wol."
"Do you trust Go Wol?"
"Yes."
"You shouldn't trust people so easily."
I think there was a hint of jealousy in the Blade Demon’s caution. I had no intention of using that jealousy to manipulate him, so I simply followed his lead.
"Yes, I will always remain vigilant. Please keep a close eye on things as well, Elder."
"I will. Anyway, the First Young Master is stirring things up like this—do you intend to just sit still?"
"He’s been away for a long time, so I should let him have the first move. Let’s see how my brother plays his hand."
I thought it was actually for the best. My brother was going to put us all to the test.
"Let’s see if the ground hardens after the rain, or if we all end up rolling naked in the mud."