Reunion

66. Reunion

Because our training relied on souls, each person's practice unfolded in a curious manner. I first entrusted my body to the Flame Emperor. It cultivated qi, regulated its breathing, and swung a sword all on its own. Honestly, it was comfortable—too comfortable. The only catch was that the others had to remain within my field of vision while training. Watching other people practice while conducting my own training was absurd, but the Flame ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Emperor handled my concentration too, so I only had to enjoy the spectacle.

First, of course, there was Son Yeong. She rested the sword containing Moon Immortal across her knees, remained in the full-lotus position, and spoke with the spirit without pause. Over time, countless questions had occurred to her—questions about insights from her recent life-or-death duel and the higher principles displayed in my fight with the Black Heaven Association Leader—but no one had been able to answer them. Now she calmly put those long-held doubts to Moon Immortal, strengthening her foundation before learning the Moonlit Divine Sword. Cho-ryeong was another matter. She called Geo Am "Grandpa" and had not even begun training. Rather than teach her martial arts, Geo Am concentrated on growing closer to her through amusing old stories and idle chatter that sent her into peals of laughter. As for Heosan, there was only one sword housing his spirit, so Master, Jeong-hyang, and Lee Eun-ha took turns receiving instruction from him. Master, who practically swooned at the mere mention of a Daoist, was overjoyed to learn the original Taiji Wisdom Sword directly from a grand-disciple of Zhang Sanfeng. Jeong-hyang happily followed her example, but Lee Eun-ha alone made slow progress.

"Junior Brother, this won't do. Reverend Heo San's instruction is an incomparably precious opportunity. Rather than waste time on someone with no prospects like me, it would benefit Yeongsan Sect more if Master and Senior Sister used all of it."

Lee Eun-ha spoke with a tearful face. Having resembled me from the start, she hated martial arts training, just as I did.

—This is embarrassing. It seems that not only my Taiji Wisdom Sword, but swordsmanship itself does not suit that child.—

Heosan's voice was abashed.

—Naturally. Her aptitude is even duller than Reverend Yeongmok's. Reverend Yeongmok has at least built up his body, but no one can swing a sword while carrying breasts that enormous.—

After instructing Son Yeong to meditate, the Moon Immortal flew over to me. Embarrassing though it was, the Moon Immortal spoke the truth. Lee Eun-ha's large chest gave her a physique unsuited to swinging a sword.

—The Vajra Art is out of the question. It is not a single-lineage art that only a genius can learn, like the Moonlit Divine Sword, but with dull aptitude, it is out of reach.—

Geo Am, who simply wanted to pour all his time into Cho-ryeong alone, declared his refusal early. In fact, the Flame Emperor had also said Cho-ryeong possessed considerable aptitude, so it was likely no lie.

—Then how about something other than the sword? She is from Joseon—formerly Goryeo—so might she not have an aptitude for archery?—

When one thought of the Dongyi peoples, one thought of the bow. When one thought of Koreans, one thought of the bow. Olympic archery had proved that perfectly.

—I told you. Her breasts are too large. If that child draws a bowstring, those huge breasts of hers will most certainly get in the way.—

Moon Immortal's tone had sounded more jealous than critical for a while now. Sadly, what she said was true, and Lee Eun-ha, whose breasts were unusually enormous for a Joseon woman, did not seem suited even to archery.

—A body with dull reflexes. An inflexible physique. Moreover, weak bones and a deficient dantian—a physical constitution ill-suited to accumulating internal power.—

—Are you picking a fight right now? Getting lonely for a man on the sly?—

—Perish the thought! I told you I have submitted to you, Reverend. Besides, I am secretly delighted that matters have turned out this way and that I can pass the Moonlit Divine Sword to an outstanding child like our Yeong. That is why I am offering honest advice to help you. In our era there was also a woman as hopelessly unsuited to martial arts as this one. Though clumsy with her hands and feet, she possessed internal energy comparable to the greatest under heaven and therefore wielded martial power on our level.

—If she had not died first of a plague, we would have been called the Dong-o Five Heroes, not the Four Heroes.—

—Who is it?—

—In life, she was the irritating woman paired with me under the title Moon-and-Medicine Twin Immortals: the Medicine Immortal. She was like a servant, skilled only at compounding medicine and cooking. Astonishingly, she resembles that child greatly, does she not? She was also a Dongyi barbarian, so would they not suit each other perfectly?—

The words 'Dongyi barbarian' irritated me, but most people of the Central Plains thought that way, and I was now a fucking Chinaman myself, so objecting was difficult. Moon Immortal was not the sort to concern herself with Lee Eun-ha—perhaps with Son Yeong, her successor, but not Eun-ha. Her strangely friendly tone made it obvious that she and the Medicine Immortal had been on bad terms in life.

The Moon Immortal knew. She knew how I tamed the souls of uncooperative women. She likely wished to bestow the same experience upon the Medicine Immortal.

—This Senior Sister of mine was born in Joseon. I won't tolerate you calling her a barbarian again. And the Medicine Immortal, you say... Then shall I pay her a visit?—

—Do you know where the Medicine Immortal is?—

The Moon Immortal was visibly startled.

—Isn't she the Medicine Immortal enshrined in the Medicine Immortal Hall? It's in Jilin, you know.—

—Heavens, how can this be! While the world forgot the Moonlit Divine Sword, how is it that such a woman remains unforgotten even after a hundred and fifty years?!—

Well, because that Medicine Immortal Hall happened to stand right in front of my house. Most people in the Central Plains probably wouldn't know. But I had no particular desire to tell the Moon Immortal that story.

—The Moon-and-Medicine Twin Immortals? If anything, I find it curious that you were paired together with that Medicine Immortal. Ever since I was little, whenever I fell ill, I offered prayers at the Medicine Immortal Hall, but I never once saw or heard anything about the Moon Immortal.—

At those words, Moon Immortal flew into a rage. Well, that was why she should have spoken politely from the beginning. In any case, the Medicine Immortal—so she too had been a master from the era of the Four Heroes of Dong-o. I had assumed she was merely a Daoist folk deity, something like the Buddhist Medicine Buddha. Do-hwa, who had lived at the Medicine Immortal Hall when I was young, had claimed to descend from the Medicine Immortal. That had not been symbolic or figurative, like saying Koreans descended from Dangun, but literally true.

There was little necessity at this point for even Lee Eun-ha to become a master, but unfortunately, the warehouse was piled mountainously high with medicinal ingredients that had failed to become spirit pills. I felt sorry for Dan-yeong, but shall I make a brief trip to Jilin?

At that moment, a small flame surged up from the sword I was holding.

No, what the fuck. What is this?!!

—Hm. This much is easy enough.—

—Old Master!! Isn't this Flame Aura! How can Flame Aura manifest in a single day?—

—That is not Flame Aura. It is Flame Qi, a far lower stage. Nor is it Sword Aura, but Sword Qi—and low-level Sword Qi at that.—

The Flame Emperor spoke leisurely.

Sword Qi! That was the hallmark of a second-class master like my father or Byeok-geum! I, a low-ranked third-class martial artist, becoming second-class overnight?

—He has spent decades cultivating qi alone. Is this not the natural result? Moreover, accumulating yang energy is actually more difficult than accumulating internal energy, but the boy possesses an abundance of yang energy, so this degree of Flame Qi is only expected. Though the achievement remains modest, I must admit that the sensation of growing steadily is very much to my taste.—

The Flame Emperor spoke as though it were obvious. Once I cooled my head and considered the bewildering situation, his explanation did make sense. The world might overflow with martial geniuses, but those people were not necessarily geniuses at teaching. Subtle, ineffable enlightenment could never be transmitted whole to a disciple. A martial artist could advance only by relying on an intensely personal sense earned through direct experience. As expected, martial philosophy was a path best abandoned quickly. Even as its beneficiary, I could only think what an unfair world this was.

I instructed the four heroes to leave self-study materials for the women so I could depart from the Yeongsan Sect for a while, and obtained my master's permission to travel to Jilin. I had to stop in Shenyang anyway to commission the reconstruction of the Yeongsan Sect. For now, the sect was guarded at least by Byeok-geum's White Tiger Sect, and the Liaoning Branch had its eye on it, so there seemed no major threat for the time being. Besides, I had Murong Rin's thousand-ri horse to return to the Murong Clan, so I would likely be able to travel the first stretch quickly.

Receiving a brief send-off from them and the White Tiger Sect, I picked my way carefully down the mountain path. At last, on the open grasslands, I let the thousand-ri horse stretch its speed and headed back to my hometown. As if it too longed to return to the Murong Clan, the horse shot forward like an arrow, and Yeongsan receded in the blink of an eye.

Flame Qi was extremely convenient. Lighting a campfire had always been a nuisance, but when I raised Flame Qi as the Flame Emperor taught me, a small flame sprang up instantly. It made me look less like a martial artist and more like a wizard.

"A rather interesting ability, isn't it? A human using souls like this. Doesn't it strike you as absurd as well?"

"True. But then, absurd things like this keep happening—it's not just one or two."

A young man who had appeared beside me without any prior sign, as if he had been there all along.

Jeans and a white T-shirt. Wearing plastic glasses, he smiled quietly and handed me an iced Americano in a disposable coffee cup.

"So coffee really is the devil's drink—was that true after all?"

"Hardly. It's just a token of gratitude. Well? How is coffee after several decades?"

"It tastes good, but I suppose one's palate does change. Right now, tea tastes better."

The young man laughed brightly. The demon who had saved me in my past life, annihilated me, and sent me into this world appeared casually ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before me as if nothing had happened. Unlike in my previous life, martial arts now allowed me to sense qi, yet I felt no energy from him whatsoever, as though he were a rock or a river.

"So, what brings you here this time?"

"Partly to thank you, and partly to deliver your second talent. You've killed one hundred people now, have you not?"

Ah...

Come to think of it, I had killed dozens during the punitive expedition I joined while still at the Baek Clan Estate. The recent slaughter at the Heavenly Wolf Sect, followed by the Black Heaven Association Leader and Geum Sa-hwa, must have brought the total to one hundred.

"You come looking for me like this every time I kill a hundred?"

"That would be impossible. Busy as I am, appearances notwithstanding. This time I came to express my thanks. This might be the last time, actually."

"You came to thank me?"

"You know what I do. Destroying worlds by shattering their laws. I was in your debt last time, and I benefited from you this time as well. Thanks to you, this world will also vanish after about twenty billion years. A man who has annihilated two worlds. That's a feat most demons couldn't even hold a candle to, isn't it?"

"I broke the laws of the world? You mean with the Spirit-Binding Art? I admit it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠absurd, but the Yin-Yang Art was much the same, was it not? Its creator must have used it freely decades ago."

"No. That thing called the Yin-Yang Art does not violate this world's laws. Enhancement of physical ability beyond human limits is one of this world's laws. But the art called the Spirit-Binding Art is a completely different concept. It required mana that doesn't exist in this world in the first place, so it was something that could never have been activated."

Was that so? Well, I supposed it was.

"Despite being told you've destroyed two worlds, you don't seem particularly fazed."

"Did you not say twenty billion years? I don't know whether that's accurate, but as far as I know, Earth itself will not last that long."

"Earth is only a tiny part of the universe."

"I'm not a great demon like you. With a scale that enormous, it truly makes no difference to me anyway. Come to think of it, you gave me my past-life memories and the gift of mana for that same purpose, didn't you? Well, I'm using them gratefully."

"I'm the one who's grateful. I thought I had given you a useless power, but you used that power to shatter the world's laws magnificently."

"Let me ask just one thing. Why are you so bent on destroying worlds like that? I get the feeling it's not because you're simply a wicked being."

At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those words, the demon smiled softly.

"Too many worlds have come into existence. If one being creates and another manages, then someone must destroy. Think of it simply as a role like Shiva in Hinduism. Well, that has little to do with you, so accept your gift. Unlimited Magic Power effectively saved you, but it has been useless until now, has it not? Choose carefully this time."

Hundreds of shining cards spread across the night sky. Each and every one was a power of an incomparably great human, but as talents from all kinds of worlds, the probability of them being useless was far higher. A dud was fine regardless. At this stage, I didn't much care whether I gained a new power or not.

—Dwarf's Soul—

"Dwarf? That axe-wielding species from fantasy worlds?"

"If only you'd chosen Demon Summoning. Then we could have met again.

"Still, you chose rather well. It's exactly what you imagine: smithing and architectural knowledge, along with passable axe techniques. Nothing spectacular, but at least the power is usable in this world. This world is already fated to end, so enjoy your life until then. I bless you in the name of the devil."

"I intended to enjoy my life from the start. Anyway, thank you for the coffee after all these decades. It was an equal transaction, I suppose, but you are still my savior, so whether you're a demon or whatever, I'll cheer for you."

The demon vanished with a soft smile. Sipping the last of the cold iced coffee, I briefly savored the nostalgia of my past life, then used my Flame Qi to burn the disposable plastic cup and straw, which had become out-of-place artifacts.

A destroyer of two worlds, huh. That was so damn edgelord it hurt.