Chapter 135 - Will You Never Fight in a Tavern?

“What brings you here?”

Father answered my question with his usual reply.

“I was passing by.”

As if. Father knew exactly what the Demon Supremes were doing. He must have come after hearing that I was gathering with four of them.

What had prompted him to come? How much had he seen and heard?

We had grown much closer, but not so close that I could ask such sensitive questions without hesitation.

“This was my first gathering with all four Demon Supremes.”

“How was it?”

“If you hadn’t come, I would certainly have gone to see you as soon as I left the tavern. I would have asked how I should deal with and manage them from now on. Ah, I really shouldn’t get into the habit of turning to you for answers whenever I’m at a loss.”

Ordinarily, Father would merely have snorted at my complaint, which was half sincere and half flattery. For some reason, though, today he offered a few words—and they touched my heart.

“You can worry about that in another ten years.”

“You’ll indulge me for the next ten years, then?”

That was when Father snorted.

“Didn’t you know it would be this hard?”

“I didn’t.”

“You made such a fuss about bringing them into line that I assumed you knew everything.”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said that. They’re different when I watch from the outside, different when they deal with me, and different again when other people get involved.”

I deliberately laid my misery on thicker. The more I struggled, the more Father would enjoy it.

“You’re right. I’m a weakling.”

“At least you’re much better than you used to be.”

After all, even when we had gone hunting after my regression, I had been different from who I was now.

While we talked, a modest spread of food and drink was laid out.

Father had ordered a simple vegetable stir-fry and the strongest liquor in the Merry Life Tavern. Jo Chunbae must have brought every ounce of his culinary skill to bear on those vegetables.

“Let’s have a drink.”

I drank with Father.

“Whew, that’s strong.”

“You drink with the Drunken Demon without a trace of fear, yet you’re afraid of a little strong liquor?”

“He seemed like a nice man.”

“With judgment that poor, it’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

What sort of person did Father consider the Drunken Demon to be?

“What is the Drunken Demon like?”

“He toys with people while laughing and enjoying himself. You would do well not to open his liquor bottles carelessly.”

“They say you should listen to your elders. The Blood Heaven Saber Demon also warned me to be careful because he’s devious.”

“As though he doesn’t know how devious he is himself.”

I burst out laughing at Father’s words. I thought I might tease the Blood Heaven Saber Demon about that the next time I saw him.

Pouring Father another drink, I asked,

“Have you ever drunk alone with the Drunken Demon?”

“I have.”

“How does he behave around you?”

“He doesn’t say much to me.”

“That talkative Drunken Demon?”

That was unexpected. I would have thought he would chatter and banter even more in Father’s presence.

“Is it because he thinks he can’t toy with you no matter what he says?”

“Who knows? How could I know what goes on inside his head?”

“That makes me even more curious.”

“Poisonous things tend to be showy.”

He was telling me not to let the Drunken Demon beguile me.

“Don’t try to delve into people’s hearts. Judge them only by what they reveal. You’ll make fewer mistakes that way.”

“Yes. I’ll remember that.”

We drained our cups together. As I refilled them, I asked Father another question.

“What do you talk about when you drink with my brother?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious. You’re not telling him all my weaknesses, are you?”

“Anyone can see your weaknesses. Why would I need to tell him?”

“What are they?”

“That cheap sentimentality of yours. Just the thing to get you killed.”

I laughed cheerfully.

“I live my life thinking of that as a strength. If I’m going to make this journey, why not enjoy it and have some fun? The road ahead is long and hard anyway. Instead of threatening people, binding them to me, and killing them, why not make it fun?”

“Do you think fun belongs in our line of work? You’ll get yourself killed looking for it.”

Father, I can afford to look for a little fun. Hwa Mugi has never left my mind for even a moment. I lie down, but sleep won’t come. I picture him killing me again, and I leap out of bed and run to the training ground.

“You should start living a little more cheerfully yourself, Father.”

“Once the Heavenly Demon’s authority and the fear he inspires disappear, they’ll march against us under the banner of their pathetic chivalrous righteousness.”

It suddenly occurred to me that Father might have his own reasons for lying awake at night. Perhaps I shouldn’t let those floral pajamas fool me.

“I’ll work to become stronger.”

“You should already be stronger. Only then would today’s gathering with the Demon Supremes mean anything.”

“On that note, please give me a lesson.”

I had made further progress in my martial arts since our last spar. Sparring with Father now would greatly stimulate and influence my martial learning.

Father rose and stood in the space beside the table.

“Here?”

“Do you intend to go your whole life without fighting in a tavern?”

“That’s not what I mean. If we fight in such a cramped space, won’t everything get smashed?”

Then Father said something unexpected.

“Who says we have to smash everything like amateurs? Whoever breaks anything loses.”

He meant that we would fight without breaking any of the things around us.

I surveyed the area around our seats. It was narrower than the first floor, with a lower ceiling, and it was full of tables and chairs.

Spar with Father here? Without breaking anything? This would truly be harder than any spar I had ever fought.

I looked down at the first floor. Everyone had been sent away and the tavern closed after Father arrived, so Jo Chunbae was the only person left.

“Master Jo, stay in the kitchen for a while.”

“Yes!”

“Whatever happens, don’t be alarmed!”

“I’ve had so many shocks today that my heart has no room for another.”

He hurried into the kitchen.

I stood facing Father, three or four steps away.

“You said it was hard?”

“Yes.”

“That’s because you’re weak.”

Father released his qi presence, and I could barely breathe. Even the Heavenly Demon’s Body-Protection Art struggled to withstand it. His presence was as heavy as a towering mountain, as suffocating as a swamp, and as sharp as a blade.

He slowly drew the Heavenly Demon Sword.

“The Heavenly Demon must be able to kill whenever he wishes. The only reason someone stands alive before me is that I have allowed them to live.”

CLANG!

The Heavenly Demon Sword and Black Demon Sword collided in midair. Their speed was unchanged, but the force carried by the blades was restrained.

CLANG!

Our swords struck again in midair. I understood. Father was speaking through the force in his sword.

This was the standard.

Like tuning an instrument, he was telling me to fight using precisely this much force.

This was not a fight I would lose because I was weaker than my opponent. It was a fight I would lose if I failed to control my strength.

CLANG!

There were only three exchanges to tune ourselves.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Heavenly Demon Sword and Black Demon Sword clashed in a dazzling display.

I swung my sword using only the agreed amount of force. Every move ordinarily required its own degree of strength, so ignoring those demands and fighting with this fixed amount required tremendous concentration and mental effort.

At this moment, I placed no limit on my skill.

In every fight since my regression, I had held myself back.

‘I should only show this much of my ability.’

But now I fought without that concern. I was certain I could let my skill show.

You told me not to trust people, but at least I trust you, Father.

I fought to my heart’s content, freely. It was a fight only possible because my opponent was Father.

The longer we fought, the faster my body adapted to the battle.

Then Father raised the level of the fight.

Now it was no longer a matter of not breaking things. We were not to touch them at all.

I had to weave between the tables and chairs while avoiding Father’s attacks, without touching any of them? I summoned every last bit of concentration I possessed.

Amid all that, our clashes were beautiful. The sword arcs traced between tables and chairs were memories painted by an artist who had devoted his whole life to painting; the ringing of blades among liquor bottles was an old musician’s mournful joys and sorrows. At times, the paper tore, or an instrument’s string snapped.

The battle grew fiercer, and the restrictions grew greater.

In the final stage, we fought while protecting even the lamps on the walls. We kept the wind raised by our blades from extinguishing their flames.

Then, at one point—

WHOOSH!

Father’s sword qi came flying at me.

It had been released with restrained force. Had he put his full internal energy into it, that single move would have blown the tavern away.

Sword qi flew from my Black Demon Sword as well. Infused with restrained internal energy, just like Father’s, it neutralized his sword qi in midair.

BOOM!

A gust threatened to extinguish a lamp, and I flung myself over to shield it. The flame flickered precariously but did not go out.

Sword qi came flying at me in succession.

If I missed even one, it would fly past me and smash the wall. Would that mean the person who launched it lost? No. In this case, the one who failed to intercept it would lose.

I fought Father in a near state of complete absorption.

There were so many sounds.

Footsteps, wind, swords cutting through the air, blades colliding, sword qi being released, sword qi being neutralized, clothes fluttering, lamps trembling. Every sound held the essence of martial learning.

I would certainly be able to retrace this spar. There was no need to deliberately memorize it. Every move was perfect, every situation desperate. It was a succession of moves I could never forget, and this fight would remain a source of learning for years to come.

When the spar ended, we withdrew our swords at the same time. The Heavenly Demon Sword and Black Demon Sword slid into their sheaths together with a pleasing click.

I looked around. Not a single chair had toppled. There wasn’t so much as a small scratch on the walls.

“It’s a draw!”

“No. You lost.”

Father came over and lifted the chopstick holder on the table in front of me. The tips of the chopsticks inside had been sliced off.

“Ah, my sword qi grazed them. When did you even notice that?”

I inspected the chopstick holder on the table where Father had been, then sighed.

“I lost!”

I had lost, but it was no defeat. Father was genuinely surprised and impressed by my skill.

“When I heard that you and the Wicked Demon had killed Baek Manggi, I suspected you had made great progress.”

He could not have known it would be this much.

I must certainly have given Father a powerful stimulus.

“What should I do now?”

I asked for the path ahead—for the direction my martial arts should take—from the only person who could give me that answer.

“From now on, devote yourself solely to training the Wind God’s Four Steps.”

That was Father’s conclusion. And there was a reason for it.

“I have stopped training the Wind God’s Four Steps.”

“Why did you stop?”

Father answered my startled question frankly.

“I hit a wall.”

“If even you reached a limit, I’ll never overcome it.”

Father looked at me for a moment, then shook his head.

“Even if I cannot surpass it, you can attain complete mastery.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is a wall created by the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. Having learned that first, I could not attain complete mastery of the Wind God’s Four Steps.”

“Ah!”

I understood what he meant. Compatibility existed between martial arts, too. Some were fundamentally incompatible, while in other cases, the order in which one learned them could prevent complete mastery.

“If you do not attain complete mastery before learning the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, you will never attain it afterward.”

“I’ll make certain I master it before then.”

Once I completely mastered the Wind God’s Four Steps, combining it with my twelfth-level Heaven-Soaring Sword Art would bring another advancement. Later, when combined with the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, it would produce an even greater effect.

Father studied me for a moment, then asked,

“Are you still struggling?”

“Your lesson has given me confidence.”

“Do you still intend to become a cheerful Heavenly Demon?”

“I want to live with a smile.”

Father gazed at me for a moment, then turned away without a word. Only after reaching the first floor did he casually toss out a remark.

“Come play a game of Go when you have time.”

Jo Chunbae, who had been hiding beneath the counter, bowed so deeply he folded at the waist, then looked up at me.

“Nothing’s broken, so don’t worry.”

Wouldn’t the Demonic Path I pursued be the favorite of every tavern owner in the world?

Jo Chunbae sighed with relief.

“And so this long day comes to an end.”

* * *

Jo Chunbae’s day was over, but mine was not.

I went to see the Blood Heaven Saber Demon. He was sitting by the window, reading a book. I had expected him to be swinging his saber in anger, but he was calmer than I had imagined.

“You’re not training today.”

“Why have you come?”

“Because I wanted to see you, Elder.”

Before bringing up what had happened at the tavern, I handed him what I had brought. That incident was not what I had come to discuss.

“What is this?”

“A restorative tonic.”

“A tonic?”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was startled.

“You’ve grown thinner since we first met. This medicine will stimulate your appetite and nourish your body. I pestered the Demon Physician into giving it to me, so you can trust its effects.”

He was flustered—even more so than when I had given him the poison-warding pearl for his birthday.

“Take it to the cult leader instead.”

“He’d suspect I’d poisoned it and make me swallow the whole thing in front of him.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon burst out laughing at my joke that wasn’t entirely a joke.

I lowered my voice almost to a whisper.

“This is actually what Father takes. I pestered the Demon Physician into giving me some. You know how carefully Father looks after his health, don’t you? So don’t worry about it. Just take it.”

As I walked out, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon asked from behind me,

“Why are you so good to me?”

I turned back to answer.

“Because you’re good to me, so I’m good to you. Because I think that if I treat you well, you’ll help me more than the other three Demon Supremes combined. You have no idea how selfish and calculating I am. Now, get some sleep. And make sure you take your medicine. I’ll check through Investigator Seo!”

His gaze deepened as he watched me. I bowed to him and turned away.

I should do what I can while I can. If I don’t do it now, when it occurs to me, there may never be a next time.

At last, my long day was over too. Only then did the drink begin to catch up with me.