Chapter 138 - Would I Be Wicked If I Simply Let Him Go?

“Where have you been?”

In answer to Seo Daeryong’s question, I told him where I had gone. He blinked as he asked his next question. By now, he wasn’t even surprised.

“There and back in four days?”

“Yes.”

“And of course, you’re not joking or pulling my leg?”

I nodded, and Seo Daeryong shook his head.

“I won’t ask any more questions. I won’t even try to understand. Worrying about it would only make me the strange one. You could suddenly announce one day, ‘I’m joining the Orthodox Martial Alliance tomorrow,’ and it wouldn’t seem odd at all.”

“Good, as long as you understand. Oh, what about the Drunken Demon?”

“He hasn’t come by once since you left the Cult, Pavilion Master.”

I remembered how he had looked when we last parted: sitting alone in his rowboat, drinking. I had told him to drop the nonsense about peace in Murim and tell me his real reason. Perhaps my words had angered him.

‘Unless you’re honest with me, we can never call each other brothers.’

He might well wish to prevent a war. But I could clearly sense that this wasn’t his only reason for approaching me.

“By the way, Investigator Seo, why have you been limping?”

“Master put me through hellish training yesterday.”

“Out of the blue?”

“Yes. He seemed to be in a bad mood.”

Just then, another investigator escorted the Blood Heaven Saber Demon into my office. Since we had been talking about him, Seo Daeryong jumped in surprise.

“Master!”

To Seo Daeryong, his master was always a welcome sight, someone he deeply respected. A little warmth would have been nice, but the Blood Heaven Saber Demon merely gave a slight nod and said,

“Wait outside for a moment.”

“Yes!”

Seo Daeryong went outside. He had limped so much in front of me, yet now he gritted his teeth and walked out steadily.

Hang in there, Investigator Seo. Opening that crotchety master’s heart won’t be easy.

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s small, piercing eyes looked fiercer than usual today. Apparently, the bad mood he’d been in yesterday had carried over.

“Welcome, Elder.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon went straight to the point.

“The Drunken Demon came to see me yesterday.”

Now I knew. The Drunken Demon had been the reason for Seo Daeryong’s hellish training.

“He brought a bottle of liquor. A very expensive one.”

His tone was calm, but he clearly wasn’t pleased with the situation.

“Why did he come?”

“He said he’d bought it simply because he wanted to give it to me. Then he left.”

He had begun trying to reconcile with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon. It had taken him five days to decide to deliver a single bottle of liquor.

“It was much like that time the Wicked Laughing Demon came and asked me to pass along a message when I saw you.”

“This is different. That was business with me. This time, his business was with you.”

“I thought it was still your business.”

Really, he was far too perceptive.

“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it. So, did you drink it?”

“How could I drink it without knowing what was in it? I poured it out.”

“How could you throw away someone’s goodwill like that?”

“Why do you care about someone else’s goodwill?”

“Because you said it was expensive. You should have given it to me.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon glared at me suspiciously.

“It was you, wasn’t it? What did you do? Otherwise, that drunkard would never do something he’s never done in his life.”

I considered telling him the truth, but kept denying it. If this reconciliation was to succeed, the two of them would have to work things out themselves, somehow.

“No, I know nothing about it. Perhaps you made an impression on him when we drank at the Merry Life Tavern that day.”

“What impression? All I did was curse at him.”

“Who else in the world would curse at him like that? Perhaps he’s had a change of heart.”

“Don’t defend the Drunken Demon. I told you plainly, didn’t I? He’s a devious man. Second Young Master, don’t give your heart to the wrong person. Go too far, and the road back will be an arduous one.”

Having said his piece, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon walked straight out of my office. Their reconciliation would depend on what the Drunken Demon did next. In the process, he would shed another layer of my preconceptions, giving me a chance to learn more about him.

* * *

That night.

I sat on a branch of a huge tree far away, watching Yi An train. I was too far away for her to notice me, but I could see even her expressions.

With an utterly serious look on her face and sweat dripping from her, she practiced the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art. She repeated the same move again and again. She wouldn’t rest until all that repetition finally answered her efforts.

Then someone entered her training ground. Surprisingly, her visitor was Blue Face, the Wicked Laughing Demon’s subordinate.

“Martial Artist Yi.”

“Oh, Blue Face.”

“I’m sorry to visit so late.”

“Not at all. What brings you here?”

“Is your offer to join as a team leader still open?”

“Until you give me a definite refusal, the position of First Team Leader will always remain open.”

Yi An’s voice trembled. Blue Face’s unexpected visit had flustered her. He, meanwhile, continued with his prepared questions.

“What will the Ghost Shadow Squad do?”

“The Ghost Shadow Squad will operate solely for the Second Young Master.”

“What if the cult leader’s orders conflict with the Second Young Master’s?”

Yi An merely gave a faint smile, as though she had already answered.

“Do you realize what answer you’re giving me?”

“But I haven’t said anything.”

Their gazes met. Conflict showed in the eyes behind Blue Face’s mask.

When this strange woman, once immensely fat and now breathtakingly beautiful, had suddenly asked him to become a team leader, his honest first thought had been, ‘Is this bitch crazy?’ Even if she had saved his life, smashing a carriage in the process, she wanted him to give up becoming a Demon Supreme and be a team leader instead?

In that moment, he had truly thought: ‘Heaven doesn’t give anyone everything. So beautiful, and yet a crazy bitch!’

But as time passed, he kept thinking about that crazy bitch. Rather than waiting twenty or thirty years to become a Demon Supreme, he found himself wanting to roam Murim with her, stirring things up. The harder he tried to shake the thought, the more Yi An came to mind.

Would he have agonized like this if she had made the offer before her transformation? He berated himself for being a fool dazzled by beauty, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. The thought that he would have been dead anyway if not for her only strengthened the temptation.

Rather than pleasant words to draw Blue Face in, Yi An chose honesty.

“I believe in the Young Master. If he looks at the sky and calls it the ground, I’ll live thinking of the sky as the ground from that day onward. If he asks me to die in his place, I will. I even practice in front of a mirror what I might say before I die. I’ve prepared several things. Some would make him remember me for years to come, some would let him send me off without feeling burdened, and some would hurt him. I don’t think I’ll know which I’ll say until the moment comes. That’s the sort of person who will be leading the Ghost Shadow Squad. If you join, you should at least know that.”

The longer she spoke, the steadier her voice became.

“You don’t have to decide right now. Please think it through carefully, for my sake as well.”

“For your sake? What do you mean?”

“The position I offered you is very important and precious to me. It’s the First Team Leader’s position in the first organization I’ve ever led. I don’t want to see you regret taking it. I don’t want that precious position to become a source of regret for someone. So take your time and make a decision you won’t regret. I intend to keep the position open until you decide. Even if every other team leader’s position is filled, I’ll leave the First Team Leader’s open.”

Their gazes met.

“May I keep wearing this mask even after joining the Ghost Shadow Squad?”

“Yes. But you’ll have to talk to me a lot in our everyday lives. That way, if someone appears before me wearing that blue mask and pretending to be you, I’ll recognize it immediately.”

After gazing silently at Yi An for a moment, Blue Face bowed politely and left. Only once he had disappeared did she press a hand to her chest in relief.

“Ah! I was so nervous I thought I’d die. What did I even say? Ah, I ruined it! I rambled on far too much!”

Watching her from afar, I burst out laughing.

Just then, someone leaped through the air and landed beside the branch where I sat. To my surprise, it was the Wicked Laughing Demon. Apparently, he had followed Blue Face here.

“He’s been losing sleep over this for a while, and he finally came here.”

It seemed Blue Face’s worries had already caught the Wicked Laughing Demon’s attention.

“The fool! What does he think he’s doing, bewitched by a pretty face?”

“Isn’t she beautiful enough to bewitch anyone?”

“First you took my mask, Second Young Master, and now you’re taking my subordinate.”

“Let’s set the record straight. You gave me the mask as a gift, and it’s Yi An over there taking Blue Face, not me.”

“Then I’ll have to take revenge on that pretty heart.”

“Let’s just say I’m taking him.”

The Wicked Laughing Demon chuckled softly. Perhaps because he was displeased, it sounded like a wild beast’s growl.

“What will you do if Blue Face says he’s leaving?”

“Would I be the Wicked Laughing Demon if I simply let him go? I’d have to cut off an arm before sending him on his way.”

I couldn’t tell whether he was serious or joking. When Yi An first made the offer to Blue Face, the Wicked Laughing Demon had watched without saying much. That had made me think he might let him go without trouble, but perhaps he wouldn’t. I didn’t know how he felt about Blue Face.

“Wouldn’t it be all right to let him leave without trouble?”

“Are you saying that being a team leader in that empty organization is better than becoming a Demon Supreme?”

“In this respect, yes. Becoming a Demon Supreme is a matter for the distant future. Wanting to be a team leader is what he feels now.”

In truth, there had been another reason from the start. Blue Face would never take a Demon Supreme’s seat, even when he grew older. The Wicked Laughing Demon of today wouldn’t know that he would hold his position for so long, or that Blue Face would spend all those years merely tending to him.

“Both you and I are bound by the fates we were born into, unable to live as we please, aren’t we? Why not let Blue Face, at least, live as he wishes?”

“He’ll regret it later. What then?”

“What else can he do? He made his choice, so he’ll have to live with the regret. Perhaps that regret will bring him back to you, asking you to take him in again.”

“Not a chance.”

“Take him back. There’s ample reason to.”

“What reason?”

“Because the Blue Face of today and a Blue Face who has lived his own life will surely be different. He’ll be stronger after wandering and returning. The sword of a man who has known regret will be faster.”

The Wicked Laughing Demon stared at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’ve always wondered what’s behind my mask, haven’t you? I always wonder, too, what’s inside you, Second Young Master.”

Though inwardly unsettled, I answered calmly.

“Sometimes I wonder myself. What’s inside me that makes me talk as though I’ve already lived an entire lifetime? Talking this much and trying to teach everyone won’t make me popular with women these days, will it?”

“At least you know.”

The Wicked Laughing Demon laughed, and I laughed along with him.

“While we’re on the subject, let me ask one favor. If Blue Face chooses to become a team leader, and you get so angry that you want to cut off his arm, please meet with me first.”

“Why? Will you cut off my arm so I can’t cut off his?”

“I like you more than Blue Face. Why would I do that?”

“Then why do you want to meet?”

“For Yi An’s sake, if nothing else, I’ll have to try whatever I can to stop you and persuade you. I mean that sincerely.”

“I’ll think about it.”

The Wicked Laughing Demon leaped away. My gaze returned to Yi An. She had calmed her excitement and resumed her tedious martial training.

You’re doing well, Yi An. In the end, Blue Face will come because he’s impressed by your skill, not your persuasion. I think the Laughing Demon’s forgiveness depends on that, too.

* * *

The next day, Seo Daeryong entered my office looking agitated and immediately asked,

“Pavilion Master, have you heard the rumor?”

“What rumor?”

Seo Daeryong had brought a truly startling rumor.

“They say Master is going to fight the Drunken Demon.”

I was shocked.

“Really?”

“I’m not sure whether it’s true or just a false rumor. It did start in the Southern Saber Sect, though. But isn’t it an unwritten rule that Demon Supremes don’t fight each other?”

Seo Daeryong seemed worried that the rumor might be true.

“Are you worried?”

“Honestly, yes.”

“What’s there to worry about? Your master has been training incredibly hard lately.”

“Still, he’s getting on in years.”

Did the Blood Heaven Saber Demon know how worried his disciple was about him? Then again, if he had known, would he have put him through hellish training just because he was in a bad mood?

When I rose from my seat, Seo Daeryong asked,

“Where are you going?”

“To buy liquor. Something very strong today.”

“Oh! Are you going to stop the Drunken Demon?”

As I left the office, I said,

“There won’t be a duel. I’ll kill him first.”

I told him to make peace, and now he was going to duel instead? Honestly, what am I going to do with him?