The Heavenly Demon's Disciple
I knew almost nothing about the man named Cheon Wigang. Only that he was the previous Heavenly Demon, the one before Cheon Hayeon. Even in the game, very little information about him had ever been revealed. It was unclear whether he was even alive or dead.
“Let me make this clear from the start. Becoming my disciple does not mean you will inherit the sect. The position of Young Sect Leader has already been decided. I will not pass on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to you either. Since you already have your own mental cultivation method, that would have been impossible anyway.”
“I understand.”
With Cheon Hayeon already in line, I had zero desire to inherit such a complicated organization. Besides, the Unicorn Divine Art was more than enough even without the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
“No. You do not understand.”
“...I will listen carefully.”
“The sect leader activated the Heavenly Demon Command and personally appointed a new Saintess candidate. On top of that, he took in a rootless young disciple. Some are already whispering that the leader has lost his mind. These are the rumors that will spread. Do you understand what this means?”
“Are you saying that people within the sect will start having other ideas?”
Cheon Wigang nodded without hesitation.
“Correct. Compared to my daughter Cheon Hayeon, who has a solid foundation, a new disciple who just rolled in from somewhere looks easy to manipulate. Countless old monsters will set their eyes on you.”
“In that case, perhaps it would be better not to make me your official disciple…”
“I am the Heavenly Demon. Am I supposed to hide like a rat because I fear such petty things? That is impossible.”
Cheon Wigang spoke with absolute finality. I wasn’t sure how things had come to this, but he was right. The moment I became the Heavenly Demon’s disciple, I would be thrown into the middle of the sect’s brutal political arena whether I wanted it or not.
Even so, the benefits were simply too great. No matter what I did, there would always be a certain level of risk. In the end, all I had to do was handle myself well.
“I will simply follow the sect leader’s will.”
“Enough with the obvious flattery. Follow me.”
From the top floor of the building all the way down to the underground basement. We took the elevator reserved exclusively for the sect leader and descended in one go.
“May I ask one question?”
A sudden doubt had occurred to me as I stared at Cheon Wigang’s broad back.
“Speak.”
“Isn’t there a possibility that I could be a spy from the Blood Sect or an agent from the righteous factions?”
“You find it difficult to understand why I would accept you as a disciple so readily?”
“...Yes.”
“This is a request made in the name of the Heavenly Mountain Saintess Art. The long-cherished wish of the sect for hundreds of years has been fulfilled. Taking in a disciple is hardly a difficult matter. If you truly are a spy from the Blood Sect or the righteous path, you will reveal your tail eventually. At that time, I will simply eliminate you.”
Cheon Wigang spoke in a calm, indifferent tone. Just as the rumors said, he truly seemed to be a man unbound by personal feelings. Disciple or not, he would show no mercy.
“Besides, you do not seem like that kind of person.”
He even added an unexpected compliment.
After descending underground and walking for quite some time, we arrived at an enormous cavern. It was a fusion of a natural cave and an artificially constructed underground facility.
“Do not do anything foolish. Keep your eyes on my back and follow. It will be dangerous if you lose sight of me.”
With that warning, he strode forward without hesitation. I followed carefully behind him.
Tap. Tap.
The heavy sound of footsteps echoed across the vast underground walls. Before long, a thick, hazy mist began to fill the area, severely limiting our vision.
An array. And a large-scale, absolute formation at that.
Fearing I might actually lose Cheon Wigang, I raised my concentration to the maximum and followed closely. After walking for what felt like an eternity, the mist gradually thinned, and an oriental-style pavilion came into view. Beautifully maintained gardens and even a pond surrounded it.
This place was underground, yet the ceiling emitted a soft, gentle glow that added an air of mystery to the space. In the Heavenly Demon Sect, which pursued all things modern, this area alone felt as if it had been transported straight from the past.
“This is the Ancestral Hall. Straighten your clothes before entering.”
Following Cheon Wigang’s instructions, I adjusted my attire. I removed my shoes and stepped inside with care. A deep, fragrant incense mixed with the calming scent of wood. It felt exactly like entering a temple.
The moment I entered, I saw an altar centered around the memorial tablet of the progenitor Si Cheonma, surrounded by the tablets of all previous Heavenly Demons. Incense smoke rose gently from the spotless altar.
“Do you know about the Ninefold Prostration Rite?”
“I am familiar with it.”
In truth, I didn’t know the original version very well. The Ninefold Prostration Rite originally consisted of nine different forms of etiquette. In Murim Chronicles, however, it had simply been three bows to one’s ancestors, three to one’s master, and three to one’s teacher, which made it much simpler.
“Sit.”
Cheon Wigang flicked his long robe and sat before the altar. I knelt beside him.
“Do you also know how the world refers to us?”
“Yes. The supreme rulers of the Heavenly Demon Dao’s Ultimate Arts. Is that not correct?”
“Correct. The supreme rulers of the Heavenly Demon Dao’s Ultimate Arts. To be precise, that title refers to only one martial art.”
“You mean the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”
“Indeed. In this world, only the Heavenly Demon Divine Art can bear that name.”
It was an extremely arrogant declaration, but the master of the Heavenly Demon Sect had every right to say it.
“Therefore, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is a supreme martial art that is not permitted to be learned by two people in the same generation. Even if I wished to pass it on to you, it has become impossible.”
…So that’s why some of the later sections of the manual had been lost. Whether one called it the result of arrogance or the stubbornness of a closed-minded group, not leaving any backup naturally increased the risk of loss. The Heavenly Mountain Saintess Art had probably been lost for similar reasons. It was a miracle that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had survived this long.
Cheon Wigang gazed up at the memorial tablets of the previous Heavenly Demons for a moment before continuing.
“The relationship between master and disciple is originally like that of parent and child. Once the bond of teacher and student is formed, it cannot be easily severed, just as one cannot separate parent from child. You must keep this in mind.”
“...Understood.”
“Then we shall now begin the Master-Disciple Acceptance Rite. First, perform nine prostrations toward the memorial tablets of the previous Heavenly Demons.”
“You mean nine kishouhai prostrations?”
“Correct.”
Following Cheon Wigang’s instructions, I stood up, faced the tablets, and slowly began performing deep bows.
“Listen while you bow. Our Heavenly Demon Sect was different from ordinary Murim organizations from the very beginning. After the progenitor Si Cheonma created the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the sect that had been passed down through single-line succession came to Jeju and embraced the weak who had fled here. In other words, we were originally a gathering of powerless commoners.”
Five times. Six times… I continued bowing as Cheon Wigang spoke in a low voice.
“Most of the previous Heavenly Demons were the same. Naturally, they knew nothing of the etiquette practiced by Confucian scholars. That is also why our Ninefold Prostration Rite differs from others. However, though we could not learn such things, we had ears to hear. When the world spoke of the Ninefold Prostration Rite, we simply thought it meant performing nine bows. The only bow we knew was the common kishouhai, so we performed nine of those. That became our version of the Ninefold Prostration Rite.”
Finally, the ninth bow. I finished and rose to my feet.
“Next, perform nine bows while looking at me.”
Just as I had done toward the tablets, I now bowed while facing Cheon Wigang.
“When you first arrived at the sect, you probably thought this place was a complete mess. That there was no consistency. That is correct. Happy people are all happy for similar reasons, but unhappy people are each unhappy in their own way. Since we have always sought to represent the unhappy, perhaps it is only natural that we are a mess.”
A quick glance revealed that the corner of Cheon Wigang’s mouth was drawn in a faint, gentle curve. He had always seemed like a cold man, yet he was capable of making such an expression.
“The sect is not always right. If it were, the darkness known as the Blood Sect would never have been born from us. In the first place, is there any group in this world that is absolutely righteous? What matters is that even if we become battered and broken, even if we are riddled with a hundred holes and a thousand wounds and on the verge of collapse, we grit our teeth, set things right, and rise again. That is the spirit and the very foundation of our sect.”
Tap.
After completing the final set of nine bows, I stood up.
“Therefore, my disciple, do not think of us as too strange. Like our version of the Ninefold Prostration Rite, the Heavenly Demon Sect is simply a little different.”
“I did not find it particularly strange.”
“Then that is good. With this, the Master-Disciple Acceptance Rite is complete. From now on, you will address me as Master.”
“Yes, Master.”
Master. Saying it out loud felt incredibly awkward. It even sent a slight shiver through my hands and feet.
“Tsk. How tedious. Taking in a child from the righteous path as a disciple has made this far too long-winded.”
…Just moments ago, his voice had carried a certain warmth, yet it instantly returned to its previous cold tone. The beautiful smile that had lingered at the corner of his lips vanished without a trace, replaced by an expression so icy that not even a drop of blood would flow if stabbed. I was already confused about which side was the real Cheon Wigang.
“I am not exactly from the righteous path.”
Cheon Wigang’s eyebrow twitched.
“Do not talk back to your master.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cheon Hayeon’s father and my master. Our relationship had become rather complicated.
A question suddenly occurred to me.
“Master, I have a question.”
“Speak.”
“Now that I have become your disciple, does that make the Young Sect Leader Cheon Hayeon my senior sister?”
“Senior sister?”
“Yes. Since she is a woman, wouldn’t she be my senior sister?”
Cheon Wigang glared at me with wide, fierce eyes. He looked like he wanted to devour me whole.
“You may call her whatever you wish. However.”
“Yes?”
“Do not get too close to her.”
“...?”
I tilted my head in confusion. Cheon Wigang raised an eyebrow and spoke coldly.
“Answer.”
“We are already quite close. Disciple does not understand the meaning of your words.”
“As I said, the relationship between master and disciple is no different from that of parent and child. Therefore, the relationship between fellow disciples can be seen as similar.”
“I understand.”
“It is absolutely unacceptable for fellow disciples to cross that line. Do you understand?”
…This crazy bastard. In other words, he would never allow any romantic relationship between us. Because it would be no different from incest.
He had just said he wasn’t bound by personal feelings, yet this was clearly a man who cared about personal feelings extremely much. Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.
I lowered my eyes and spoke in the most respectful tone possible.
“Of course not, Master.”
After all, there was no way Cheon Hayeon would ever have improper thoughts about me, so there was no real burden in saying it.