Raising My Realm (3)
The place Seol-ah told me about was a village tucked away in a remote corner. It seemed to serve as a base for some faction operating out of here. As I stepped into the village, I took my time observing the surroundings.
The village facilities were objectively poor. That was unavoidable. How could a place this far from the city have decent amenities? Still, I had seen far worse landscapes countless times. The world of Murim is different from the modern one. It is a place where blades are closer than the law, where the absence of ethics and morality is taken for granted. Even if the so-called righteous factions are rotten inside, the reason people still welcome them is precisely this. At least on the surface, they try to maintain appearances. If they didn’t, they couldn’t keep their factions together.
But the Demonic Path is different. They have no need to worry about righteousness or chivalry. After all, it’s a gathering of people who broke away because such things felt stifling. Why would they care about others’ opinions? Demonic factions usually move however they please, like ruffians. Therefore, the territories they occupy are typically hellscapes. To put it simply, they are heaven for those belonging to the Demonic Path and a place where those under their rule would rather die. This is based on my personal experience after eradicating countless Demonic groups, so you can trust it.
From my perspective, this place was far too clean to believe it was under Demonic control. The houses kept their proper shapes. Children were running around. The faces of the working women looked weary, but that was simply the hardship of daily life, not suffering. Most surprising of all was that none of the people showed any signs of starvation.
“How curious.”
Just what kind of Demonic faction was ruling this place? Of course, I wasn’t ignorant of the fact that the Righteous Path had its own ways and the Demonic Path had theirs. As I tilted my head with a pipe in my mouth, a small child approached me. It was a strange occurrence. Normally, I frighten everyone I meet, so it was rare for a child to come to me first.
The kid was staring at Baru with sparkling eyes.
“Do you want to pet her?”
“...Yes!”
Aha. I see. It wasn’t that the child wasn’t afraid of me. It was simply that the desire to touch Baru was stronger than any fear. To already recognize Baru’s cuteness at such a young age—what a promising child. If it were up to me, I would gladly let you know just how soft and warm she is, but right now Baru is awake.
“Baru. What do you think?”
“Do not treat this one like a pet.”
I knew that answer was coming. The child must not have expected a voice to come from a fox’s mouth, because he stumbled backward in surprise. Baru let out a small laugh at the sight, then leaped down from my shoulder and took human form.
“Thank you for liking me. However, as you can see, I am no mere animal.”
The child, startled by Baru’s transformation, ran off into the distance. His eyes were wide with excitement—he would probably brag about this to the other children later. Then he would get angry when his friends called him a liar.
“It is a good place.”
Baru watched the child’s retreating back and spoke, and I nodded in agreement. It was both a good thing and something to be envious of—the ability to possess the pure innocence appropriate for one’s age. It felt even more so to me because it was something I could never have.
Hmm. This place really is too nice for a territory controlled by the Demonic Path. Just who are the people living here? My curiosity is piqued.
I followed the child’s footprints and headed toward the place where a deep aura could be felt.
“Seol-ah. Are you there?”
<Yes! I’m here!>
“Is this place really part of the Demonic Path?”
<Huh?>
After leaving the Heavenly Demon Cult, I had wandered through countless places and met many people. Naturally, I had encountered Demonic factions quite often. That’s why I know the general characteristics of Demonic martial arts. Those of the Demonic Path dismiss the methods of the Righteous Path as outdated and seek to grow stronger through different means. They are a group that believes as long as they can become stronger, right and wrong don’t matter.
The martial arts such people use are usually not pure, and cannot be pure. Yet the aura lingering in this place was remarkably calm, refined, and composed.
While I was explaining this to Seol-ah and the viewers, someone asked a question. “It’s not wrong, but it’s still difficult.” It’s a simple story. Would people who deliberately leave the path of righteousness for the path of Demonic willingly learn such martial arts? Of course not. What those who walk the Demonic path desire is something new that cannot be obtained through the righteous path. Someone who left the righteous path prepared to face criticism would not wander the Demonic path searching for righteousness. Therefore, a place like this is hard to maintain. Those who seek righteousness would go to the righteous factions rather than come to such a remote place, and those who seek the Demonic path would not visit here either.
“If someone with power declares it a sect, then it can become a Demonic sect. But a sect ultimately needs people. Especially if they’re using a whole village as their force. Without people, it will eventually collapse.”
There are countless variables that arise when leading a Demonic faction. The righteous factions might launch an attack, another Demonic group might target this spot, or the government army might come to subjugate them. The possible threats are endless. It would be even more so in this world where the variable called users has appeared. At first, they might be able to respond to such variables. But without enough people, it will eventually fall. That is the norm. How can a tree grow if raindrops do not fall on its roots?
Yet this place is different. Behind the nameplate of a Demonic faction, they are teaching righteous inner energy, yet they are maintaining their force properly. Look at the people’s faces—there isn’t a single sign of worry. Doesn’t that show how trustworthy this faction is?
“That is why I ask. Is this place truly part of the Demonic Path?”
<Yes. It is. They call themselves that, and other sects say the same thing.>
Hmm. So that’s how it is. How curious. From what Seol-ah says, this place doesn’t even seem to be known to users. How is it being maintained? Originally I only came here as a means to obtain inner energy, but it looks like it will turn out more interesting than expected.
After walking down the rough dirt path, I arrived at the main building of the so-called Demonic faction. I boldly pushed open the closed door and stepped inside. The people who had been training inside all turned their gazes toward me at once.
“Is it really okay to do that?”
Baru, who had been staring at me blankly as if she hadn’t expected me to open the door so casually, spoke from behind me.
“What do you mean?”
“Aren’t we guests here? Shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious?”
“This is cautious enough by my standards.”
Look. I didn’t press the building with killing intent from outside to make people come out. I didn’t smash the door and declare war. And I certainly didn’t sneak in without warning to see the sect leader’s face. Simply walking through the front gate and showing my face is practically overflowing with courtesy.
When I said that, Baru pressed her palm against her forehead.
“Yes. You all are correct. If you dislike the rudeness, then simply be stronger than me.” If you possess the strength to make me lower my head, I will gladly show you proper respect.
“Exactly.”
I may have been a figurehead, but I was still the leader of a faction. How could I not know about etiquette? I know it—I simply choose not to use it. Why should I do something when there’s no need?
“Excuse me.”
While I was waiting for someone to guide me, a man approached and spoke. Hmm. His hair looks a bit thin, but aside from that his impression isn’t bad. His clothes are neat, and the flow of inner energy circulating inside his body is… Ha. This guy is from the Righteous Path. Just by looking at the natural way he circulates his energy, it’s obvious. Seeing how he focuses on harmony, he’s probably from Shaolin.
“This is a building belonging to Sinlim. It is not a place where outsiders can visit without any business. If you came here by mistake—”
“I do have business.”
I reached into my clothes and took out the item Seol-ah had given me. It was a plaque engraved with a specific pattern.
“That plaque… was given to Lord Na-seol…”
“The kid gave it to me. He said if I showed this, you would let me in.”
“Ah. So you are acquaintances of Lord Na-seol? I have been rude.”
“It’s fine. Do not worry about it.”
The man who had bowed while offering an apology introduced himself as Jeong Yu-ra.
“Since you brought that plaque, may I assume you have come to carry out a request?”
“That’s right.”
“Please follow me. I will guide you inside.”
As I walked after Jeong Yu-ra, I observed the people training. It was certain. This place was a branch of Shaolin. The martial arts they were training in clearly carried that meaning, so there was no mistaking it. It seemed they had tried to hide it by changing the forms, but they couldn’t fool my eyes. How strange. To change the forms of the martial arts while still preserving their true meaning, this person couldn’t have simply learned Shaolin techniques by watching from the side. At the very least, only someone of elder rank could commit such an act. For a person who had risen to such a position in the massive Shaolin sect to abandon his seat and establish a new sect in a remote place like this? And to call himself part of the Demonic Path on top of it?
“How interesting.”
Hmm. It wasn’t the first time I had seen the righteous factions of this world in complete disarray. Still, it’s amusing. It’s fun every time I see it. I wonder what kind of chaos has befallen Shaolin this time. It would be nice if there were a way to make those bastards suffer.