[Chapter 9]
The next day, Lee Ahn came to me with a flustered expression.
"How did I get back yesterday?"
"You carried me back. I don't remember how we got back."
At that, Lee Ahn's cheeks turned red.
"Don't lie. I wasn't that drunk. Was I very heavy? I'm sorry, young master."
"It would be a lie to say you were light. But you weren't so heavy that you need to apologize. Look at these arms!"
"Oh, they've gotten even thinner, haven't they?"
"Look at these bulging muscles properly!"
After exchanging jokes like that, Lee Ahn bowed her head.
"Thank you, young master."
"Let's drink again next time."
"Yes, young master."
As she was about to turn away, she asked again.
"If I said anything wrong, please forgive me. Honestly, I don't remember what I said."
"Don't worry, you didn't make any mistakes. Oh, and if you do make a mistake next time, use the pardon right."
"Pardon right? What's that?"
"It's the right to be forgiven even if you make a mistake or do something wrong to me."
"Did you give that to me? I don't remember receiving it."
I extended my hand to her.
"Shake hands."
Lee Ahn took my hand with her large one.
"There, it's issued now."
"If you're going to give it to me, why not ten generously? I'll be following you for life, isn't one too few?"
"No! Just one. So use it wisely!"
"Yes, young master!"
Her eyes disappeared into her cheeks as she smiled brightly.
'In life, if there's anyone who needs to be forgiven, it would be me, not you. You should issue me about fifty pardon rights…'
* * *
That night, I was sitting alone, practicing qi emission.
While I was detecting three places simultaneously, I sensed a presence to my left.
Recently, I had been thoroughly enjoying the process of figuring out what kind of person someone was through qi. When I found someone by sending out my qi, I started by scanning them from head to toe: how tall they were, what weapon they used, and their level of martial arts.
Just as I was about to examine this person in the same way.
The person slipped aside.
Thinking it was a coincidence, I sent my qi towards them again. But the person moved to the opposite side again, avoiding my qi.
'Could it be that they're avoiding it on purpose?'
This thin, subtle qi was something the person could never detect.
However, the person began dodging as if they could feel my qi.
Who on earth was this?
Curiosity got the better of me. I continued emitting qi and stepped out of my room.
I practiced emitting qi while moving. Although it required several times more mental strength than doing it while staying still, in real combat, one would need to emit qi while moving.
I felt the person retreating. I chased after them, almost catching up but not quite.
Eventually, I arrived at the pavilion within the inner courtyard.
The moment I saw the person standing there, I involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.
"Father!"
The person who had led me here with my qi was none other than my father.
"I knew it. I was worried someone else had sensed my qi."
"What kind of qi are you talking about? Even the dog sleeping under that wall would have noticed it."
"Dogs have good instincts, don't they? But what brings you to my quarters?"
"I was passing by."
Though he said that, it was clear he had come to see me.
"To meet you by chance like this, it seems we are destined to be connected."
"That's enough nonsense."
"Yes, sir!"
I closed my mouth and silently joined my father in looking at the night sky.
After a moment, I asked.
"When will you decide on the successor?"
"In a hundred years. You all are still far from it."
"Make it a hundred days. I think I'm ready."
"If that were the case, the Blood Heaven Sword Demon wouldn't have come looking for you."
"How did you know?"
It was a meeting between just the two of us, yet Father knew. In other words, he was keeping an eye on me. Well, he knew that I had been affected by the Energy Dispersing Poison.
"Right after he met you, the Blood Heaven Sword Demon came to see me."
"What did he say?"
"He wanted me to punish you."
"What?"
I was taken aback by the unexpected words. Did the Blood Heaven Sword Demon really go to my father and ask for my punishment?
"It was surprising. He's not the type of person who would come to me with such a request just because his disciple died."
"Why do you think he did that?"
Pretending not to know, I guessed the Blood Heaven Sword Demon's true intentions. He wanted to test the relationship between my father and me. To see if Father would truly punish me, and if so, what kind of punishment he would give. He wanted to find out if Father considered me his successor.
"So, I've decided to punish you."
"There's no reason to punish me. That disciple deserved to die."
"A reason can be made."
I drew my sword and etched a long line on the ground.
I then marked a point approximately ten steps away and said,
"The Blood Heaven Sword Demon told me that the length of this side represents how much you think of him. Is this where you got your reason?"
Instead of answering, Father asked me about the conversation we had at the hunting ground.
"Didn't you ask me who I trust the most among the Demon Supremes?"
"Yes."
Father now gave his answer.
"I trust no one."
I understood. This answer simultaneously revealed that the line drawn by the Blood Heaven Sword Demon was incorrect.
"Which side are you on? Do you trust people or not?"
"It depends on the person."
"How can you tell what kind of person they are?"
"You find out as you spend time with them, don't you?"
"That's a foolish thought. The human heart is something you can never truly know. No matter how transparent someone seems beside you, never think you truly know them."
Suddenly, I thought of Lee Ahn. I thought I knew her well, yet I kept discovering new sides to her, just like this principle.
"I will keep that in mind."
"Did you say we need to tighten the discipline within our Cult?"
"Yes."
"Forget about that nonsense of eradicating corruption. Tell me your honest thoughts."
"Can I really speak honestly?"
"Have you ever lied to me?"
"No, but this answer might come off as rude."
"Speak."
"Somewhere along the line… I think we lost our demonic path."
Under my father's eyes, there was a trembling twitch. It was not something to be said in front of him, at least.
"What do you think of demonic ways?"
"What I think of demonic ways is…"
After a brief pause, I revealed thoughts that had been long held in silence.
"I think it is our Cult's belief in striking down absolute evil."
Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, for my father turned to look at me with wide eyes.
"…Our Cult's belief in striking down absolute evil?"
"I do not think our counterpart is the orthodox sect."
"Then what is it?"
"Absolute evil."
Surely, what I was about to say would not be easily accepted by my father. Nonetheless, I calmly conveyed my thoughts to him.
"There exists evil in this world that is so cowardly, malicious, and dreadful that humans cannot bear it. It is an absolute evil that even demons would click their tongues and turn away from. I think that while the righteousness and cooperation upheld by the orthodox sect may be able to subdue minor evils, they cannot handle this absolute evil. This is because the orthodox sect inherently harbors forgiveness at its core. As long as they cherish human beings, how can they possibly deal with the evil that has abandoned its humanity and is rampaging madly?"
My father was gazing at me. This was the first time I had seen him so focused on my words. Perhaps deep down in his heart, he harbored such thoughts.
—Weren't we the absolute evil?
—No, Father. I hope that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult of my world is not the absolute evil. I will ensure that it is not.
I continued my speech.
"I believe that we must find our reason for existence in being the only entity in the martial world that can eliminate the cowardly and malicious evil even more despicably and viciously. It does not matter whether we are good or evil. Sometimes with the face of good, sometimes with the face of evil. When the great evil that the orthodox sect cannot handle kneels before us, trembling, then I believe the true demonic way is established. Only then will the martial world truly bow before the majesty of our Cult. When they cannot solve their own problems, they will seek our help. Only the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult can save the martial world. This is what I think of the demonic way."
I was certain that my father had never thought of, nor heard, such thoughts in his life.
These thoughts were not learned or realized within the Cult. They were felt by me, wandering throughout the Central Plains my entire life.
"If we do not properly establish the demonic way, we will not last long. For us to survive… we must punish ourselves."
Even my father, who was adept at hiding his emotions, couldn't conceal his shock at this moment. He was the kind of person who would throw a punch to someone's face to check if they were lying. But at this moment, my father showed no reaction. Even if ten more blows had been thrown, there would have been no response to the story that had unfolded.
My father was deep in thought. Although I had lived a longer life than he had, I could not guess what thoughts were running through his mind.
But there was one thing I was sure of.
Although only a few days had passed since my regression, both my father and I were already altering our destinies. We were starting to turn towards a different future.
Finally, my father broke the long silence.
"Is there more arrogance left to show?"
"No, not today."
I scratched my head and smiled awkwardly.
"I think I understand why the Blood Heaven Sword Demon came to me to punish you."
"Why is that?"
My father's confident eyes shone intensely.
"He saw something in you. That's why he tried to test you through me."
"It seems he saw the potential for me to become the successor."
"Or perhaps the risk of ruining our Cult."
"Either way… that old skeleton has some insight."
My father, who had been gazing at me, suddenly walked out of the pavilion with determined steps.
"Follow me."
* * *
My father led me to the deepest part of Heavenly Demon Hall. It was a place I was well aware of from what I had heard.
A small plaque hung above the stone cave.
Heavenly District.
I was startled and shouted at my father.
"You don't mean to say I should enter there, do you?"
This place was a training cave meant for those who were candidates to become the Heavenly Demon.
Usually, the disciples or children of the Heavenly Demon entered when they were being tested.
It was a training cave not to be underestimated.
Entering was as one pleased, but leaving was not. If one couldn't overcome the trials, they would never leave. The success rate was half. In fact, half of the Heavenly Demon's kin who had entered this place had lost their lives there.
Because of that, even my ambitious brother didn't bring up the idea of entering this place himself.
However, in order to become a Heavenly Demon, it was a place one had to pass through at least once. Everyone who became a Heavenly Demon had passed through here. In this sense, being a Heavenly Demon could be considered one of the extreme jobs.
"I also entered this place when I was your age."
"So, how long did it take you to get out?"
"Two months."
"My goodness. You want me to spend two months of my bright youth in this dark and damp place?"
"Don't be mistaken. It took me two months, but the average time to pass through is three years."
My father was evaluated as having the greatest martial talent among all the Heavenly Demons in history. The fact that I inherited the heavenly martial body was possible because I received his blood.
"Father, why are you doing this to me?"
"Didn't I tell you earlier? I intend to punish you."
"Isn't this punishment too harsh?"
"Yang Po, whom you killed, will spend eternity underground."
"With the cheers and applause of those he tormented."
However, my father had already made up his mind.
Father, are you really sending me to a place where I might die? Just because that old man, the Blood Heaven Sword Demon, told you to punish me?
Suddenly, I recalled what my father had said during the hunt about hidden intentions.
'Do you not care if your son dies? Or do you hope I come out stronger?'
If I couldn't survive, it was a punishment, but if I did survive, it could be a reward.
'Or are you trying to protect me from the Blood Heaven Sword Demon by sending me away, like a needle sticking out of a pocket?'
My father, who never revealed his thoughts, made it impossible to understand his intentions.
When my father placed his hand on the stone tablet next to the cave and injected his unique energy, the stone door opened.
Thud.
With a look that said to stop complaining and go inside, I could no longer refuse.
"Fine. I'll come out faster than you did, Father."
Thud.
As the stone door closed, my father, with a cold yet irritating smile, said,
"Make sure you don't die."