Chapter 71. The World Where Constellations Died (3)
Chapter 71. The World Where Constellations Died (3)
6
Winter.
So Baek-hyang entered the mountain.
She was eleven years old.
-Child.
-No one here will force anything upon you.
The main headquarters of the Demonic Cult.
The place the old man had brought her to was like heaven. Even if she stayed still, food came morning and evening. A warm bed was provided. There wasn't even a local magistrate's clerk to whip her.
-Eat when you want to eat. Sleep when you want to sleep. Play when you want to play.
-.......
-Baek-hyang, just live however you wish to live.
So Baek-hyang was bewildered.
Surely this place must be the legendary Peach Blossom Spring.
-All the grown-ups here are kind!
Children her age beamed.
-They don't make us do anything.
-Are they raising us to be slaves?
-Idiot! I've been here a year and there's nothing like that.
There were many orphans in heaven besides herself. Very many. Even by rough count, more than two thousand. Children even joined the cult one or two at a time every day. In one year of famine, dozens had arrived in a single day.
Were there really this many orphans in the world?
-...You all.
So Baek-hyang spoke.
-How did you all end up here?
Silence.
The children stared at her blankly.
Then, all at once, they opened their mouths.
-The farming just wouldn't work out!
-My mom worked in a brothel.......
-I don't want to talk about it. Why should I tell you?
-Yeah. Thieves with knives rampaged through our village at night!
-Suddenly all the villagers got sick.
-They kept hitting me. So I ran away.
Hunger. Vocation. Illegitimacy. Bandits. Plague. Abuse.
Every time the children opened their mouths, poison flowed out from that place.
-.......
So Baek-hyang felt dizzy. The poison simmered by hunger was bitter. The poison steeped in resentment toward one's vocation stung. The poison born of illegitimacy was biting. The poison scarred by bandits' blades was cold. The poison grown from plague was foul. The poison steeped in abuse and beatings was rotten.
-You all.......
What poison under heaven could be so motley? Had all the bitterness and stinging, the sharpness, the coldness, the foulness, the rot of the world gathered here? Then what was this place? Could this place be heaven?
So Baek-hyang remembered.
-Are you all happy now?
A jar of gu poison.
-Is it okay now?
Into the jar, one puts toads and vipers, venomous spiders, centipedes, fire ants, wasps, all manner of venomous creatures. Then the lid is sealed. The viper bites the toad, the toad devours the venomous spider, the venomous creatures gnaw at one another, until at last a single one survives.
It is simmered down.
To create a single ultimate poison.
-Yeah!
The children smiled brightly.
-Because we can eat every day.
-And we don't have to work in our mothers' place.
-I'm always fine.
-Yeah. There are no thieves here, right?
-Even when we're sick, the physician heals us.
-No one hits us. It's good.
Toad. Viper. Venomous spider. Centipede. Fire ant. Wasp.
The children opened their mouths and smiled, but in So Baek-hyang's eyes, the children her age looked like nothing but venomous beasts and venomous insects. Yes. This place was no heaven. It was merely a jar for cultivating a single gu poison.
-.......
So Baek-hyang quietly placed a hand over her own chest.
It was cold.
Something that could not be warmed by the warm morning porridge, nor by the evening soup, nor by the thick blanket. Ice that would never thaw had, before she knew it, lodged itself in the center of her chest. That was her own heart.
Her mother was leaving.
Snow was falling.
Her mother did not stop leaving.
Therefore, the snow did not stop falling.
-.......
From that day on.
So Baek-hyang did not mingle with the children her age.
「Eat when you want to eat.」
Every morning and evening, she reduced the food she ate.
「Sleep when you want to sleep.」
She slept early and woke even earlier.
「Play when you want to play.」
She did not play. While the children ran about the hills laughing, while they neutralized their own poison with laughter, So Baek-hyang did not mingle with them.
The children whispered.
-Baek-hyang is weird.......
-She only ever hangs around the farmers!
-Weird.
-Yeah. She even deliberately skips meals.
-Why does she hang around farmers?
-Dunno.
She ignored them.
「Just live however you wish to live.」
Time passed.
One day, the old man came to find her. He was the old master of the Demonic Cult who had brought her here. Quite some time had passed, but the old man was no different from that winter day.
-It has been a while, Baek-hyang.
-Yes, it has been a while.
-I have come because there is something I wish to ask you.
Tap, tap.
The old master struck the ground with his staff.
-I hear that you do not keep company with the children your age.
-Yes.
-I hear that you help the farmers, and that you cultivate and harvest your own food.
-Yes.
-I hear that the clothes you wear and the blanket you use are all made by your own hands.
-Yes.
-Why is that?
The old man tilted his head.
-If you wished it, you could live comfortably, if not luxuriously. This place is Peach Blossom Haven. The adults farm and pick fruit for you children. You too are but a young child, so why do you work for yourself?
So Baek-hyang spoke.
-The Mo family farming below the mountain lost both their daughters to the magistrate.
-Hm?
-Mr. Choe, who worked in the orchard, was conscripted to build the fortress wall, and his second son died. He reported this injustice to the authorities, but he was interrogated, and his first son died as well. After burying both sons' bodies in their hometown, Mr. Choe and his wife took refuge here.
-.......
So Baek-hyang recounted each and every one.
The farmers who brought crops to the orphans had all, without exception, been wounded by the world. There was not a single one who did not carry a grievous story. Not one.
-This place is not heaven.
After reciting the farmers' circumstances one by one, So Baek-hyang spoke.
-They are not feeding and clothing us for free because they are fools.
-Then?
The old man asked in return.
-Why do you think you eat and sleep for free?
-Because they hope we will take revenge in their place.
-.......
-Because they are wronged, and wronged again. Because they cannot forgive the magistrate and the local clerks who ruined their lives. Because they want revenge, but have no strength at all to take it.
So Baek-hyang spoke.
-I heard it. That martial arts must be learned and practiced from a very young age to reach mastery. Those farmers, the people who feed and clothe us, are already too old to train deeply in martial arts.
But.
-But they can farm for [children who can learn martial arts].
-.......
-We are not eating and sleeping for free.
That was the true nature of this paradise.
-We exist to take revenge on the world in their place.
It was the main headquarters of the Demonic Cult.
The old man fell silent.
After a long silence, the old master asked.
-Baek-hyang.
-Yes.
-Do you have something to say to the world?
So Baek-hyang nodded.
-Yes.
About the cold.
About a certain winter blizzard. About a mother who, that day, made her child follow behind and crossed the snowfield. About a mother who, even hearing her child's screams, urged her steps onward. About the child left behind. About the cold.
About someone's heart.
-I do.
About hunger. About a child born in a brothel. About an illegitimate child. About a child who lost family to bandits. About a child whose village was wiped out by plague. About a child who suffered abuse and beatings.
About their poison.
-I have many.
The world was wide.
-Very many.
The things that needed to be said were infinite.
The old master quietly closed his eyes.
-Is that so... It must be so.
It was quiet.
-Then, the world shall have to listen to your words.
The old man opened his eyes.
-I am one of the Seven Elders of this cult. They call me the Demonic Buddha.
-Is there a Buddha even in hell?
-If a Buddha were not in hell, what use would a Buddha be?
Even though So Baek-hyang had called this place hell, the old master did not take offense. Rather, he replied as if it were only natural. Only then did So Baek-hyang know that she had set foot on the right path.
-Baek-hyang, you have passed the cult's initiation test. Neither abundant food nor a cozy bed clouded you. Surely your poison will be vivid. Take me as your master, and call me Master when you address me.
Master.
-From now on, your sword shall cry out in place of countless screams.
The old man raised his staff.
And laid it upon the young Heavenly Demon's shoulder.
-Perform the Nine-Bow Rite, my disciple.
That day.
So Baek-hyang entered the cult.
She was thirteen years old.
7
"Rise."
I woke in the early dawn.
A voice that seemed to whisper in my ear.
When I opened my eyes, the Heavenly Demon's face was right in front of my nose.
"Hm, can you not stand up at once?"
"......."
It really was right in front of my nose. She was so close that I could see every one of the Heavenly Demon's eyelashes clearly. When she blinked, her eyelashes opened and closed softly, like curtains of black.
I was lying on the floor. The Heavenly Demon was looking down at me steadily.
"Um, Heavenly Demon."
Maybe because I had just woken up, my mouth felt gummy.
"If you stay there, I can't get up even if I want to. I think our heads might bump?"
"Hm. Seeing how glibly you talk the moment you wake, your body must be fine."
The Heavenly Demon straightened up.
"Enter the hot spring and purify yourself. You must wash your body and mind with all sincerity."
"What?"
"I shall wait at the entrance of the cave."
The Heavenly Demon turned and walked away in a flash. I had no chance to say anything. The Heavenly Demon's small back disappeared into the distance.
I was left standing blankly in the cave.
Along with my sleeping companions.
"Mmm, nyaaang......."
"Hm, mmm......."
"Heh......."
Had they been absorbed in virus research until late at night? Tools were scattered messily around the pharmacist and the Medicine King, who were sleeping soundly. Viper was smiling a bold smile with his arms crossed, as if dreaming a good dream.
What kind of dreams were they having to sleep so sweetly?
I pulled up the three's mind windows once.
「Yes, I'm right. No, why do I even have to explain this easy thing? Even if I explain, they won't understand anyway. Anyway, I'm right, so just do as I say. I'm going crazy, seriously. These fools as dumb as water fleas....... Ah, no, everyone, that's, that's not what I meant to say....... If you'd just use your heads a little more, no, if you'd just think a little, you'd understand this simple principle, so why can't you get it through your thick skulls, ugh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.......」
「Hah, with this I have achieved my 100th victory, Marcus....... And as a bonus, I have achieved my 999999th victory over that little pharmacist brat or whatever. Hm, is there truly no one who can block this Sean McCallister's road of victory? In the saddest sense, I have realized supreme sovereignty over heaven and earth.......」
「Muhuhihhehehet! Puhihihihikikikmuhhihihihi!」
Hm.
'Better not wake them.'
Especially the last one—I shouldn't even touch it.
I carefully washed up and came out. Sparkle and the guardian spirit had been holding their breath the whole time. Dawn and the snow-laden wind mingled beneath a pale sky that looked down upon us.......
8
When I exited the cave, a snow-covered world was there.
The Heavenly Demon stood in the middle of the snowfield. With her arms crossed, she swept her gaze over me from head to toe.
"Did you scrub every corner?"
"Yes. I feel clean, as if even the grime on my soul has been washed away."
"I dislike men who speak well."
The woman frowned as if displeased.
"And you speak far too well. Your tongue is light, too light. It smacks more of a swindler's temperament than a great man's, so my worries are piled high as mountains."
"Oh."
Is that so?
I had never felt particularly talented at speaking. But the Witch, ranked 2nd, also scolded me whenever she got the chance, saying, 'You sure can talk.' Could it be that I was born with a talent even I didn't know about?
As I was lost in such thoughts, the Heavenly Demon narrowed her brow further, as if something displeased her.
I pulled up her mind window once as well.
「His tongue is cunning, yet his face is so blank that he looks like a total pushover. He has the exact look of a Hao Sect Master drawn in a picture.」
What's a Hao Sect Master?
"Follow me."
I walked along the snowy path behind the Heavenly Demon.
While crossing the snowfield, the Heavenly Demon spoke.
"Originally, to wear the robes of the Demonic Cult, one must pass numerous trials. Although you have proven your qualifications, that does not mean you have passed the trials. The first trial of this cult is......."
"The [Trial of Comfort], right?"
"......."
Stumble.
Maybe it was my imagination, but the Heavenly Demon's step seemed to falter slightly.
"They feed you for free, clothe you, and put you to bed. Children who are satisfied with that and settle in are raised as farmers, artisans, and escorts in the outer house."
These people handle all the daily affairs of the Demonic Cult.
"But if you pass the [Trial of Comfort], it's different. You are recognized as a disciple of the inner house. The only ones who formally learn demonic arts are the inner house disciples. Only then is it said that you have truly entered the Demonic Cult."
"...How do you know that?"
Because in the last regression, you killed me and I saw it as trauma.
Since I couldn't exactly say that, I just grinned.
"I know quite a lot."
"Ah. Heaven is truly indifferent! To bring me such a smooth-talker as my final connection. Must I really accept a scoundrel like some Hao Sect thug as a disciple of this cult......."
The guardian spirit nodded beside me.
-Yeah. This zombie bastard really does seem like quite the Hao Sect thug! Being the Heavenly Demon, she's got a decent eye for people.
'No, what are you talking about......?'
-If he were a complete scoundrel, at least I could ignore him, but he's weirdly capable when he puts his mind to it, so I can't quite cut off my interest. That makes him even worse!
Was that a compliment? An insult? When it's ambiguous whether someone is praising or insulting me, I tend to interpret it as a compliment.
It was a bleak era. People were stingy with praise these days. Shouldn't I at least accept people's words graciously? Yes, even if the other party was a ghost as cranky, bizarre, and negative about everything as the guardian spirit.......
-That's exactly what makes you a scoundrel! You little punk!
I genuinely have no idea what you're saying.
"...This should be far enough."
At the place the Heavenly Demon had guided me to, a pit had been dug. A massive pit. The center was sunken like a colosseum, and because the dawn sunlight couldn't reach it, it was dark as midnight.
"Rejoice."
The Heavenly Demon turned to face me.
"I intend to accept you as my disciple. Demonic Dominion! As long as one's qualifications are sufficient, heaven does not refuse a believer."
"Ah! Then......."
"However, I cannot yet accept you as a formal disciple."
Ugh.
"No, Heavenly Demon, this is too much! I came all the way from beyond the frontier to become your disciple. I showed you that my qualifications are sufficient. And now you say I'm still lacking to become a formal disciple—what is the meaning of this!"
"...First of all, your words are deeply suspicious."
The Heavenly Demon stared at my face.
"I doubt whether it is even true that you came from beyond the frontier. I doubt whether it is true that you have admired me since ancient times. By my intuition, it all seems to be lies... but since your nature does not seem overly wicked, I am merely leaving you be."
No.
How is this murim person's intuition so good?
"Honestly, judging by your disposition alone, you even seem good, which is strange. Yes, you are truly a strange one. Whether you will be a fortuitous encounter for me, or I for you, is difficult to gauge right now."
"...What is the trial?"
"There."
The Heavenly Demon pointed to the bottom of the pit.
"I have thrown a single jiangshi soldier down there. He was a promising rising talent of this cult, and a peak-level master who made quite a name for himself in the jianghu. Defeat that jiangshi. Then I shall accept you as a disciple of the inner house. However."
The Heavenly Demon, arms still crossed, added a condition.
"Fight while feeling hunger."
"What?"
"It is exactly as I said. Fight the jiangshi soldier, but within your heart, only hunger—only the pain of hunger—must reside. No other emotion or thought may intrude upon your mind's image."
The Heavenly Demon's voice rang out.
"Can you do it?"
"......."
And then I realized.
She already considered me her [disciple].
All that talk about not being a formal disciple yet, about me not being her disciple—it was all empty words. In the Heavenly Demon's heart, I was already a disciple who would receive the teachings of the Demonic Cult. A successor who would inherit the Demonic Heavenly God Art.
"Every stroke of your sword must be a gesture born of starvation."
The Heavenly Demon spoke.
"Recall the voices and groans of the starving, the movements of their arms, the motions of their feet—recall everything. Recall it and plant it in your heart. Make it a single resolve. Relying on this resolve, by hunger alone, swing your sword."
"......."
"Only then will the Demonic Heavenly God Art display its true power."
I looked down into the pit.
-Groooar!
At the bottom of the hole, a single zombie was howling. Black martial robes. Worn and tattered with age, but the zombie was unmistakably clad in the attire of the Demonic Cult.
A pit resembling hell.
Perhaps that zombie could be called my senior disciple.
"If......."
I spoke.
"If I can swing my sword by hunger alone, what happens?"
"You will be able to cut down in a single strike those who have never once starved."
The Heavenly Demon spoke calmly.
"With this, half of the orthodox martial artists become opponents you can defeat in a single move."
Therefore, it is said.
Claws that rake the world.
"First, learn the form of death by starvation. Next is the form of death by thirst. You must learn to swing your sword by thirst alone, and thereby cut down in a single strike those who have never withered dry. Next is the form of death by drowning. You shall learn nine swords in all, and the nine paths of the sword you learn shall be enough to cover the world."
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.
"That......."
My heart pounded.
"That's quite appealing."
"Mm."
The Heavenly Demon raised the corner of her mouth.
It seemed to be the first smile I had seen from her in this life.
Perhaps my fighting spirit pleased her.
"Then why do you hesitate? Hurry and fall into hell."
And so.
I leaped into the zombie pit.