Chapter 191 - You Said Just One More Word

Why had Father come?

"Obviously, he came to support me."

I knew perfectly well that he wasn't that sort of person.

Figuring out why Father had come tonight would be just as difficult as discovering why the Fist Demon had joined the Late-Night Training Group.

"Did he, now?"

The Fist Demon acted as though he had some idea of the reason for Father's visit.

I poured liquor into his empty cup and asked, "Then why do you think he came?"

The Fist Demon drained that cup as well. He drank without the slightest change in his complexion.

"I think it was the opposite. He came to tell me to support the First Young Master."

"Did the two of you exchange sound transmissions?"

The Fist Demon shook his head.

"Then how do you know what Father is thinking?"

"The very fact that he came gives us the answer. The cult leader went out of his way to attend the first drinking party of a group I've joined with you. To congratulate us? Is he that sort of man?"

"No."

"Exactly. He isn't. Then why did he come? To let me know. To let me know that he's keeping an eye on this situation."

Even the Fist Demon couldn't know everything about Father, but he must have sensed something to speak that way.

"So you're saying Father is on my brother's side after all."

"We can't conclude that, either."

"Didn't you just say he was?"

"I said he came to tell me to take his side. I didn't say the cult leader himself was on the First Young Master's side."

With those ambiguous words, the Fist Demon rose from his seat.

"Thank you for the welcome tonight."

"I'm glad you've joined our group, Fist Demon."

"Glad?"

His doubtful gaze shifted from me to Yi An and Cheon Sohui.

I spoke for the two women, who had gone rigid with tension.

"Of course, those two find your presence intimidating and uncomfortable, but I'm sure they're also very happy about it."

Knowing Yi An, she probably wanted to joke, "No, we're not!" Instead, she nodded with a resolute expression.

"I'm so glad you've joined us, Fist Demon!"

"I'm sure you are. The Fist Demon does have a splendid physique."

At my teasing, Yi An fixed me with another pointed stare.

The Fist Demon pretended not to hear. Joke or not, a woman beautiful enough to be called the greatest beauty under heaven had praised his physique. At the very least, it couldn't have displeased him.

In truth, the person most affected by the Fist Demon's joining us wasn't Yi An, but Cheon Sohui.

She spoke to him in a trembling voice.

"I've made so many mistakes that you may not believe me... but I chose fist arts over swordsmanship because I admired you. I... want to become someone like you."

Whether from the liquor or her nerves, her face was flushed red. But she was doing her best to convey her sincerity through the look in her eyes.

"I'm truly happy you've joined our group."

After gazing at her for a moment, the Fist Demon went downstairs without a word.

Cheon Sohui stood there looking as though she might collapse at any moment. I nodded to let her know she'd done well, then called after the Fist Demon as he left the tavern.

"Next time, you're buying the drinks!"

"There won't be a next time."

"We might have a welcoming party for my father, you know."

The Fist Demon stopped at the tavern entrance, then snorted and shook his head.

"The cult leader? Don't even dream of it."

With that, he left the tavern.

Now only Yi An, Cheon Sohui, and I remained. The two women sank into their seats as though their legs had given out.

"Ahhh! It's over."

Yi An let out a relieved sigh and held out her cup.

"At last, we can relax and have a drink. Cheers, Young Master."

I clinked cups with her and drank.

Cheon Sohui's hands were shaking.

"I'll have mine in a little while. I can't even lift my cup."

While everyone was together, she'd been swept along without time to think. Now that the Heavenly Demon and the Fist Demon had left, it seemed she felt as though she'd been dreaming. After all, she'd drunk with the Heavenly Demon and told the Fist Demon to his face that she admired him. Everything she once couldn't have imagined had happened in a single day.

"Ah, I was so tense that my whole body feels stiff."

"Well? Could you do it again?"

Her answer belied her physical state.

"It was exhausting... but that tension wasn't unpleasant."

Since meeting me recently, she'd been flustered by one thing after another. But she was the Eastern Fist School's foremost Iron Fist, a woman with more resolve than anyone.

"It's not a question of whether I could. I want to."

"That kind of intensity really is thrilling, isn't it?"

Cheon Sohui smiled faintly in agreement.

Now I turned my gaze to Yi An.

"How do you feel?"

"How do you think I feel?"

She'd received martial instruction from none other than the Heavenly Demon today.

"It wasn't just the fact that the cult leader taught me martial arts that made me happy."

"Then what?"

"By teaching me, he was formally acknowledging me, wasn't he?"

She couldn't quite bring herself to say it, but by personally passing on the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art, Father had acknowledged that she was as close to him as his own flesh and blood. It was an art passed down only to blood relatives.

"I'll never forget this day. Thank you, Young Master."

"What did I do?"

"You told the cult leader, didn't you? That for him it was just one evening of drinking, but for me it could change my life. Without those words, none of this would have happened."

Yi An remembered exactly what I'd said to Father.

"Today, I felt as though I was the one being welcomed."

I smiled broadly and gave her shoulder a pat. Welcome, Yi An.

And so our evening of drinking at Merry Life Tavern came to an end.

* * *

The welcoming party was over, but my day wasn't.

When I returned to my quarters, someone unexpected was waiting for me.

The man standing in my courtyard, gazing up at the moon in the night sky, was my older brother, Geom Muyang.

"When did you get here?"

"Just now."

I had a feeling he'd been waiting quite a while. What had he thought about as he waited?

"I had a drink with the Fist Demon. If I'd known, I'd have invited you."

He merely gazed up at the moon in silence.

I stood beside him.

"You look tired."

At my words, his gaze moved from the moon to me.

"Do I? I've had a lot of responsibilities lately. How about you?"

He was gentler than usual. I could feel how hard he was trying. The further he was cornered, the harder he tried.

In a way, I felt sorry for him. It was true that my regression had made his life harder. The outcome of this struggle had been decided from the start. A young man in his twenties couldn't contend with me. And since returning to the past, I'd been growing stronger without end.

Still, Brother, we can't live the same lives again. If we continue down that path, all that awaits us is death.

"Does it bother you that I'm meeting the Fist Demon?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't."

"I've really fallen in love with fist arts lately. You don't believe me, do you?"

"Would you, in my place?"

"You should feel free to meet the Demon Supremes too. Talk about books with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, or have a drink with the Drunken Demon. I don't mind."

"So you're that confident? They're already your people? Let me give you a word of advice as your older brother. Don't underestimate the Demon Supremes. If you think they're yours just because they're smiling at you now, you're sorely mistaken. At the very last moment, they'll choose whatever serves their own interests."

I smiled at him.

"Are you mocking me?"

"No. I was just wondering when you last gave me advice. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

He turned his head to look at the wall cast in moonlit shadow.

Between us stood a wall several times taller and thicker than that one.

"The Fist Demon told me he supports you. He said Father would want that too."

Geom Muyang started in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Brother, this is who I've always been. When someone treats me kindly, I don't go out of my way to be contrary."

I revealed feelings I hadn't shared with him in a long time.

"Do you know why I told the Demon Supremes that I'd fight you for the succession without shedding blood?"

"Why?"

He genuinely wanted to know.

"You did something terrible to me when we were young. You planted a fear of Murim in me and tried to break me psychologically. Back then, just thinking of the word 'Murim' made me shrink back in fear."

This was the first time I'd brought the matter up with him. His eyes trembled. Apparently, he'd thought I didn't know. After all, he'd told me all those stories while pretending to be concerned for me.

He didn't deny it.

"Then you should take revenge. Why insist on not shedding blood?"

"Because that was as bad a bastard as you were."

"!"

"If you'd been a bigger piece of trash, you'd have found some way to kill me. You'd have destroyed my dantian or used some other vicious means. But at least you weren't someone who wanted to become the successor badly enough to hurt his little brother. You were a bastard to a degree I could understand and tolerate. That's why. I decided to be magnanimous and forgive and understand you that far. You were young then, too."

Of course, the fact that Father wanted it was another major reason.

"Crazy bastard. What a load of bullshit."

He let loose a curse, something he rarely did. He was flustered. Perhaps, at that moment, questions were bombarding him from deep within.

'What if you hadn't been sure you could become the successor? What would have happened then? Would you still have left your little brother alone? Didn't you stop there only because you were confident you'd succeed?'

What sort of person was my brother, really?

Even I didn't know that much. It hadn't happened, and no one could guarantee what choice a desperate person would make in that moment.

"But don't let your guard down. We're both still being tested. If I kill you and become cult leader after saying I'd fight for the succession without shedding blood, no Demon Supreme will follow me sincerely. The same goes for you. If you crush me with some clumsy plot and take the cult leader's seat, the Demon Supremes will never be truly loyal to you. Don't forget. They may seem not to be looking, but they're always watching us."

After staring at me quietly, he suddenly spoke.

"Why have you become so talkative? You weren't like this as a child."

"Maybe all my internal energy is going to my mouth."

"That's not funny at all."

Had the words I'd spoken to him for the first time broken even one brick in the thick wall between us? Hoping they had, I nagged him some more. With my brother, I had no choice but to unleash my divine technique of nagging.

"Since I'm a chatterbox now anyway, let me say just one more thing. Brothers can't coexist in a power struggle? They always end up killing each other? Who the hell decided that? Why should we be swayed by the precedents and suspicions of those fucking idiots who couldn't even control their own desires?"

I stepped from his side to stand in front of him. Looking him in the eyes, I said,

"So don't even think of letting them sway you. If you start worrying that I'll kill you, come find me. Once you see me, those thoughts will disappear. Don't think I looked down on you tonight! Don't think you've lost. Just think, 'My little brother talks a lot, and he's good at it.' That's all. Don't get worked up! Don't rush into any decisions!"

When I finished, he exploded.

"You brat! I thought my ears were bleeding. You said just one more word! Does that count as one word? If you start wanting to kill me, you come find me! Who are you to lecture your elder?"

He strode out.

You know what, Brother? You may find me difficult to deal with, but I feel the same way. More than Father, more than the Eight Demon Supremes, you're the hardest person for me to deal with.

I stood in the courtyard for a while, looking up at the moon he'd been watching. It was a night that brought to mind the Blood Heaven Saber Demon's words: family is your enemy.

* * *

The next day, and the day after that, we trained hard.

We worked hard during the day and hard at night. It was truly one training session after another.

Several days passed like that, and tonight we were once again deep into our late-night training.

As always, I was practicing forms in exactly the same posture as the Fist Demon when it happened.

WHOOSH!

The Fist Demon's fist came flying at me.

It looked like a mistake, but it wasn't.

BANG!

My fist collided with his in midair.

At the sound of a drum bursting, Yi An and Cheon Sohui turned toward us in surprise.

We had thrown punches in identical postures, and our fists were pressed together in midair.

"My apologies. My mind wandered for a moment."

"It happens."

"What do you say? Since we've already exerted ourselves, shall we have a spar?"

"A good attempt, but I'll decline."

At last, the Fist Demon was beginning to resort to little tricks, though he might not call them that. He wanted to fight me about ten times as much as I wanted to learn his martial arts.

"If you've declined, you should turn away. Why are you staring at me like that?"

It must have been a very unfamiliar experience for him. Hardly anyone would ever stare at him this way.

Now I intended to take a proper look at the Fist Demon. I'd looked at his fists first, but now I would look at the man himself. Directly, without any preconceptions.

"The more I look at your face, the less frightening it seems."

He shook his head in disbelief, then put his clothes on as if to signal that tonight's training was over.

After he left, Yi An and Cheon Sohui came to stand on either side of me.

"Liar!"

"The more you look, the scarier he gets."

I smiled faintly at their teasing, which was full of sincerity.

My gaze went to the Fist Demon walking away in the distance. With his broad, thick back turned toward us, he was walking alone into the darkness.

It wasn't his face that kept drawing my eye. In that lonely-looking figure walking away, I saw... myself before my regression.