Chapter 188 - What Will You Do Once You’re Stronger?

We were truly astonished. Hearing the words “Late-Night Training Group” from the Fist Demon’s mouth was surprising enough, but his request to join was nothing short of shocking.

Cheon Sohui, who had been keeping her head bowed, looked up, wondering whether she had misheard. Her eyes met the Fist Demon’s, and she hastily lowered her head again.

He looked at me, waiting for an answer.

“I’m not the leader of this group.”

I turned my gaze toward Yi An.

Her eyes said it all: No, Young Master! You’re passing this off to me? Despite the urgency in her gaze, she greeted the Fist Demon calmly.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Yi An.”

The Fist Demon merely nodded once. Even Yi An’s beauty could not soften his frightening expression.

“I did start this group, but I’m not one to make unilateral decisions.”

Yi An looked at Cheon Sohui, whose expression said: And that means you’re passing it off to me?

Pretending not to notice, Yi An asked her, “What do you think, Miss Cheon?”

Cheon Sohui shouted without hesitation, “I’m wholeheartedly in favor!”

The Fist Demon nodded and asked Yi An, “And you?”

Father was probably about the only person who could look at that face and refuse.

“I’m in favor as well.”

Only after Yi An agreed did the Fist Demon turn his gaze to me.

“And you?”

“I’m against it, of course.”

His face twitched, but I did not so much as blink.

“Why?”

“Because it would be uncomfortable. I might be fine, but imagine how uncomfortable those two would be. Especially Miss Cheon. Seeing you all day and then having to see you again at night would be sheer misery.”

Cheon Sohui spoke faster than Azure Heaven, my swift-sword form.

“I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I’m delighted to have another chance to see you.”

The Fist Demon said to me, “She says she’s delighted.”

“How could she be? Let me give you a simple example. Starting tomorrow, you have to train in martial arts with my father.”

Already, his expression stiffened. He wanted to conceal his discomfort, but could not. That was Father for you.

“After seeing quite enough of him while training together all day, you have to see him again at night. Now, how would you feel?”

It was an irrefutable example. Sorry, Father.

“Then what should I do?”

Normally, those words would never have come out of the Fist Demon’s mouth. If he was willing to go that far, of course I should open the door for him. The admission fee would simply be a little steep.

“Teach me the first form of your exclusive fist art.”

The Fist Demon’s exclusive fist art was the Thunderbolt Asura Fist.

It was a fierce, powerful, domineering art. At its highest levels, his exclusive martial art was said to produce the sound of thunder from the practitioner’s fists when unleashed.

The Thunderbolt Asura Fist consisted of six forms in all. I was asking him to teach me the first of them.

“Those girls are the ones who would be uncomfortable. Why should you be the one learning a martial art?”

“They’ll understand that much. I’m giving them just as much in return.”

Yi An and Cheon Sohui, watching us, would surely think he would never accept. Anyone would think the same, not just them, but I made the demand anyway. What mattered was moving toward my goal, one step at a time, however I could.

Of course, I had my reasons for being so bold. He had secretly visited this place twice, and now he had explicitly said he wanted to join us.

Whatever his reasons, he, too, had a strong desire to enter this group.

“Do you take me for a fool?”

“Of course not. But I do think you might be willing to play the fool just that much.”

We spoke with our eyes. You lunatic! Yes, that’s right. I get called that often.

After glaring at me for a moment, the Fist Demon turned and left.

He could have insisted. Had he demanded admission by force, we would have had no choice but to let him in. If he had used Cheon Sohui calling me Senior Brother as leverage, we would have had to do whatever he wanted.

But when I objected, he simply backed down. He was not a petty man. He was a man worthy of the title Fist Demon.

With the tension gone, Cheon Sohui sank to the ground where she stood.

“Ah! I thought my heart was going to burst back there.”

Yi An shook her head as well.

“I knew he looked frightening, but I had no idea he was that frightening up close.”

Once she had calmed down a little, Yi An asked me, “But why does the Fist Demon want to join?”

She could make no sense of it, so I voiced a thought that suddenly occurred to me.

“Because he’s lonely?”

I had not meant it as a joke, but Yi An took it as one.

“Please don’t joke around.”

“How would I know what’s going on in his heart?”

One thing, however, was certain.

“His ultimate goal must be to fight me.”

“You, Young Master?”

“Yes. He probably intends to train with us, then use that as an excuse to fight.”

Yi An was startled. She would never have imagined the Fist Demon harboring such intentions.

“If he wants to fight, can’t he do it during the day?”

“His subordinates would be watching.”

“Then can’t he call you aside and ask for a fight?”

“I told him I absolutely wouldn’t fight him.”

“So he wants to join this group and look for a chance to fight you?”

“For now, that’s the only conclusion I can draw.”

Yi An thrust her hand up.

“I hereby disband this outrageously dangerous group.”

Of course, she did not mean it. The Fist Demon had asked to join and left after being refused. Who knew what might happen if we disbanded it immediately afterward?

Meanwhile, Cheon Sohui was still sitting beside us, half out of her wits. How must she feel now that the Fist Demon had discovered she had taken Geom Mugeuk as her senior brother? She probably could think of nothing but having earned his displeasure and forever losing her chance to become the next Fist Demon.

“Should I leave the group, even now?”

“Would leaving make him let you off? I doubt it.”

“Then what do I do? Since it’s already happened, do I just say, ‘To hell with it’?”

“You should.”

“What?”

She stared at me, wide-eyed.

“You’d be better off training harder and making up for your mistake with skill.”

She sighed, her expression saying that was easier said than done.

After a moment, she asked, “He won’t come again now, will he?”

“Probably not?”

I said that to comfort her after the shock, but in truth, I doubted the Fist Demon would give up so easily.

“I’ll work twice as hard.”

She seemed to be steeling her resolve, only to clutch her head a moment later.

“I’m doomed!”

* * *

The next day, Black Fists training proceeded as usual.

We watched the Fist Demon for any signs of displeasure, but he behaved as though nothing had happened. That only worried Cheon Sohui more, and she trained so hard it was painful to watch.

Quite apart from that incident, my popularity among the Black Fists was growing by the day.

It was only natural. I considered them my own direct subordinates—people who would one day fight for me and alongside me.

That was why I answered their questions sincerely and talked with them about things unrelated to martial arts as well.

My extensive knowledge of Murim and the Central Plains often astonished them. One by one, they became absorbed in my stories, listening so intently that they lost track of time.

The Fist Demon merely watched me quietly from a distance. I, too, was curious what he was thinking.

That night, three of us gathered first for the Late-Night Training Group: Yi An, Cheon Sohui, and me.

Cheon Sohui sighed.

“The Fist Demon didn’t look at me once today.”

“When has he ever paid attention to you?”

“...”

“Since you’re already on his bad side, why not treat him more comfortably?”

“Is that sincere advice, or a trap meant to destroy me?”

“Of course it’s advice for my junior sister.”

She started in surprise.

“You still think of me as your junior sister?”

“Yes.”

Realizing I meant it, she shook her head.

“You can’t. What are you going to do?”

“Put yourself in his shoes. You’re the Fist Demon. You have a clever subordinate you’d like to pass your position on to someday. But you catch her scheming with that brat, the Second Young Master. Afterward, all she does is nervously watch your every reaction. How would you feel?”

“I wouldn’t like it.”

“So face him with confidence.”

“I think I’d like that even less.”

Her reply made me laugh. Yi An laughed, and Cheon Sohui joined us.

Cheon Sohui gathered her resolve.

“All right! I’ll take heart, just as you said, Senior Brother! It’s already happened, so whatever happens, happens. I’ll tell him confidently why I chose the Second Young Master as my senior brother. If I speak sincerely, I’m sure he’ll understand. He may look terrifying, but his heart must be different. Thank you, Senior Brother! I’ll do my best. Let’s keep being senior brother and junior sister without him knowing. But why do you look like that? What is it? You’re scaring me... He isn’t, is he? Tell me he isn’t.”

Looking ready to cry, she turned toward the chill presence she felt behind her.

The Fist Demon had arrived unnoticed and was standing at her back.

Her face, burdened with every anguish in the world, turned pale.

Before she could find anything to say, he abruptly asked, “What were you thinking when you took the Second Young Master as your senior brother?”

He had heard everything she had just said.

In a trembling voice, Cheon Sohui told him honestly how she felt.

“By chance, I saw the Second Young Master sparring with this martial artist using the fist arts we learned. In that moment, I wanted to become that strong, too.”

She had just admitted that, while the Fist Demon was teaching her fist arts, she had taken a senior brother on her own and tried to learn martial arts from him. It would not have been at all surprising if a single palm strike had killed her for it.

Yet she spoke honestly. Her mind must have been crying, You can’t say that! But once again, her mouth was speaking for her heart.

“What will you do once you’re stronger?”

“I’ll be honest. I wanted to succeed you as the next Fist Demon. Now... I suppose that’s all ruined.”

She had risked her life with that answer, but it was not the one he wanted.

“Yes, that’s something like the profession you want. I asked what you intend to do once you’re stronger.”

“!”

Cheon Sohui was suddenly at a loss.

She probably had never given much thought to the difference between what she wanted to become and what she wanted to do. Having lived solely for the goal of becoming the Fist Demon, she must have been all the more confused.

Listening to their exchange, I felt admiration for the Fist Demon.

Yes, he was a man who asked questions like this. This question alone showed he was intelligent, not some ignorant brute who knew only how to use his fists.

I stepped in to rescue her.

“What brings you here today?”

Then something astonishing came out of his mouth.

“I will teach you the first form of the Thunderbolt Asura Fist.”

I was startled. I had expected him not to give up easily, but I had never imagined he would actually teach me the first form to gain admission to the group.

For what purpose? Did he truly want to fight me that badly?

Yi An and Cheon Sohui were just as astonished as I was. No one would believe it: the Fist Demon was offering to teach the first form of the Thunderbolt Asura Fist just to join this little Late-Night Training Group.

Our gazes met in midair. Once again, we spoke with our eyes. You truly are remarkable. Hardly compared with you. Do you have no regrets? Will you have no regrets yourself, now that you’ve drawn me in this deeply? I have none.

“But I have one condition.”

“Please tell me.”

“You must keep it a secret that I taught you this martial art.”

“Of course.”

His gaze turned to the two women. Who would dare say anything else in his presence?

“Yes! You needn’t worry!”

“We were never here!”

Of course, what they probably wanted to say was:

We’d rather not be here in the future, either!

The instruction began immediately.

Through sound transmission, the Fist Demon taught me the mnemonic formula for the first form of the Thunderbolt Asura Fist.

First Form: Black Cloud Asura.

Though it was the first of six forms, this single punch possessed greater power than any other fist art. Anyone struck by it would understand why this was the Fist Demon’s martial art.

He even corrected my posture, teaching me Black Cloud Asura thoroughly.

When it came to martial arts, at least, he was utterly sincere. I could not be certain, but I suspected he was the best teacher of martial arts among the Demon Supremes—with that gentle voice so utterly at odds with his frightening face.

Yi An and Cheon Sohui turned away rather than watch us. Since we were communicating through sound transmission, it would not have mattered if they looked, but they were not so ill-mannered as to watch a martial art being passed down.

And so I learned the first form of the Thunderbolt Asura Fist.

BANG!

Someday, thunder would burst from this fist when I threw it.

Watching me perform the first form, the Fist Demon nodded.

“You’ll need to keep practicing before you can unleash its true power.”

“Thank you.”

A gift received ought to be returned. I addressed him formally.

“Welcome to the Late-Night Training Group.”

The Fist Demon, Yi An, Cheon Sohui, and me. In that moment, four people I had never imagined together were united in a single group.

And it seemed the Fist Demon was determined to keep surprising us today.

“Now, let’s train.”

He removed his upper garment. Since coming to the Eastern Fist School, I had never once seen him bare-chested. Yet now he had begun taking off his clothes, as though he truly intended to train in earnest.

Beneath the bluish moonlight, the Fist Demon’s upper body came into view.