Chapter 247 - Drunk on Wine, Drunk on Moonlight

The Demonic Buddha opened his eyes.

Startled, he sprang upright, but he was still in the world created by The Art of Space-Time Transposition. Beside him, Geom Mugeuk lay asleep.

'I fell asleep?'

He, who had assumed Geom Mugeuk was pretending when he saw him sleeping on the rock?

Since becoming a Demon Supreme—no, even long before that—he had never fallen asleep so defenselessly. This was the first time.

The Demonic Buddha silently looked down at Geom Mugeuk. He slept with a peaceful expression.

'Now I understand.'

Nothing more needed to be said. He could see why the other Demon Supremes had lost their hearts to the Second Young Master. When someone like this asked you to become his Demon Supreme, how could you refuse?

Sensing the Demonic Buddha stir, Geom Mugeuk woke as well.

"I hope I didn't wake you unnecessarily."

"Not at all. It was brief, but I slept soundly."

"Let's leave now."

"Of course."

Before leaving, the Demonic Buddha looked back at the cave behind them.

"I don't think I'll miss this cave anymore."

The Demonic Buddha who had hidden there as a child had finally emerged from that cave. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps it was time for his adult self to come out of his cave as well.

"Then I'll release The Art of Space-Time Transposition."

When the art dissolved, the two stood beside the stream in the Thousand-Poison Forest once more.

"Let's head back."

"Already?"

"What do you mean, already?"

"I want to have more fun."

"What's so entertaining about spending time with an old man like me?"

"It is entertaining. And we still need to get someone to buy us drinks."

"Drinks?"

"We need to get the Poison King to buy us drinks after using us as herb gatherers."

They had promised to buy drinks for whoever found the seven-life grass first.

"Today? Right now?"

"Could you come here next time and say, 'Now, Poison King, didn't we agree that the losers of our wager would buy drinks?' Could you make that demand?"

Of course, that would never happen. Even if they happened to meet, he wouldn't mention it. In fact, had Geom Mugeuk not brought it up, he would have forgotten all about it.

"Once today is over, we won't be able to punish the Poison King."

"You really intend to see this through to the end?"

"How can you be tired already? It may feel as though we've spent ages having fun, but it's only been half a day. Not that I'm comparing, but I've left the Cult with the other Demon Supremes for dozens of days at a time. You know that, don't you?"

"That is a comparison."

"Come on, let's go. You're not old enough to be tired of having fun already!"

He let himself be dragged along as though reluctantly, but his steps toward the Poison King's residence were quick and light.

* * *

Jo Chunbae, proprietor of the Merry Life Tavern, politely addressed the youthful-looking man entering his establishment.

"We're not accepting any more customers today. My apologies."

Speaking carelessly to someone merely because they were young could spell disaster. If anything, the younger they were, the more careful he had to be. For someone running a business, nothing was more frightening than a reckless youngster swinging a sword without a thought for the consequences.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk looked down from the upstairs railing.

"I suppose I'll have to bid you farewell, proprietor."

He had arrived with the Demonic Buddha about half a watch earlier.

"Are you leaving already?"

"No, I don't think I'll be seeing you again."

"What do you mean?"

Geom Mugeuk addressed the puzzled Jo Chunbae in an ominous tone.

"You just told the Cult's Poison King that you wouldn't sell him any wine and sent him away."

Jo Chunbae turned his gaze toward the young man and recoiled in shock.

"Oh, goodness! I didn't recognize you. I'm terribly sorry!"

The Poison King stopped him from prostrating himself.

"There's no need for a fuss."

Geom Mugeuk spoke up.

"He can't help making a fuss. I can't say for certain, but I suspect our proprietor fears you more than any other Demon Supreme."

When the Poison King looked at Jo Chunbae, the proprietor lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Am I truly the most frightening?"

"You were, but I'm astonished by how young and handsome you are. You're the most handsome man in the Central Plains."

Watching this, Geom Mugeuk refused to let it pass.

"Proprietor, what about me?"

"You're the most handsome man of all time, Pavilion Master."

The Poison King asked coldly,

"So I'm not the most handsome?"

"Oh, goodness! That's not what I meant. What I was saying..."

Leaving the flustered proprietor behind, the Poison King went upstairs.

Jo Chunbae looked up at Geom Mugeuk on the second floor, his face brimming with emotion.

'Thanks to you, Pavilion Master, I've even had the honor of serving the Poison King. I have no regrets left.'

Geom Mugeuk smiled, answering with his eyes.

'You never know. No one knows who might come next.'

And so the Poison King joined them at their upstairs table.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"How could I not, when you left me something like this?"

The letter he produced had been written by Geom Mugeuk. When Mugeuk and the Demonic Buddha visited his residence, the Poison King had naturally fled through the back door. So Mugeuk had left a letter with Sang Seon, which the Poison King had read.

"If you don't buy us drinks, I'll buy the wine myself and storm your residence. I'll bring not only the Demonic Buddha, but Investigator Seo, Yi An, the Demon Army commander, and Cheon Sohui as well!"

The Poison King scowled.

"How could I possibly stay away after that?"

Had the letter threatened to spread rumors that the Poison King had lost a wager and failed to honor his promise, he wouldn't have come. He didn't care what other people thought.

But a crowd descending on the Thousand-Poison Forest to drink and make a racket? That was something he absolutely could not tolerate.

Of course, that wasn't his only reason for coming. Once again, he took the letter as Geom Mugeuk asking for help. It was an extension of his request to spend the day with them.

"I'm sorry. Surely that shows how badly I wanted to spend time with you?"

"We've already had plenty of fun, haven't we?"

"It takes seven days and nights before you can tell people you've been off having a little fun. I'm ready to stay up all night."

The Poison King waved his hands, protesting that staying up past midnight would leave him exhausted in the morning.

"The youngest-looking person here is complaining?"

"Just wait until you're my age!"

The Poison King's arrival made the Demonic Buddha uncomfortable again, but a tiny part of him was pleased to see him, too. He knew the Poison King hadn't come merely because of that letter. It meant his relationship with Geom Mugeuk was that deep.

He could understand Mugeuk befriending the Drunken Demon. People could grow close over drinks. But to become this close to the Poison King, who lived in his own private world? Even seeing it with his own eyes, he could hardly believe it. To the Demonic Buddha, no one was more uncomfortable or difficult to deal with than the Poison King.

"Now, let's have a drink."

The three toasted and drank. It was their first time drinking together.

Seeing the Demonic Buddha drain his cup readily, Geom Mugeuk asked,

"Wasn't your rule to eat absolutely nothing when the Poison King was present?"

"It was."

"Yet you're drinking quite comfortably."

"If the Poison King decides to poison me, what difference does it make whether I eat anything?"

The Poison King smiled faintly, his expression saying that yes, that was exactly right.

That was what made him frightening. If he resolved to administer poison, not even a Demon Supreme could prevent it.

The Poison King sent Geom Mugeuk a sound transmission.

"You came out rather late. What were the two of you doing?"

"Resting with our feet in the stream."

"The Demonic Buddha too?"

"Yes."

"I can't picture it."

He would never believe they had fallen asleep side by side.

We had another drink. The fine wine Jo Chunbae had saved and the delicious food lifted our spirits without any effort.

"This is why I come to the Merry Life Tavern."

When Jo Chunbae brought a fresh dish, Geom Mugeuk said to the Demonic Buddha,

"Why don't you leave a few words or a mark of your martial arts on that wall to commemorate your visit?"

"Why?"

"Most of the Demon Supremes have sat here. Even my father has been here. Starting now, I'd like each of you to leave a mark when you visit. Isn't it a nice idea? You'll be the first!"

The word "first" stirred the Demonic Buddha. His needless competitive streak surfaced: if everyone would eventually write something, wouldn't it be better to go first?

"Then let me..."

Just then, a sound came from behind them.

SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH.

Geom Mugeuk and the Demonic Buddha turned around. The Poison King was already writing something on the wall with a chopstick.

A single line in elegant handwriting:

The Poison King Was Here.

He said to Geom Mugeuk,

"This is what you meant, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I was just offering the Demonic Buddha the first opportunity."

"Were you? I didn't hear."

Geom Mugeuk believed the Poison King had simply retreated into his own world again and missed the end of their conversation, but the Demonic Buddha took it as a challenge.

His body shone gold, and his hands formed a seal.

A flash!

The Golden Great All-Encompassing Demonic Art left its mark on the wall: a golden dragon with its jaws open, looking ready to devour the Poison King's inscription.

It was both the Demonic Buddha's petty revenge for being robbed of first place and a manifestation of supreme martial mastery, leaving a mark without piercing the wall.

"Woooow!"

The people in the tavern had come upstairs and were marveling at the marks on the wall.

The Poison King's writing and the Demonic Buddha's martial imprint complemented each other so perfectly that they looked deliberately arranged. Could the onlookers possibly imagine that the dragon wanted to swallow those words?

Amid their cheers, the Demonic Buddha sat down as though it were nothing, though his face was full of pride.

The Poison King sent Geom Mugeuk a sound transmission.

"Sulking over something like this. What a child."

"And what about the person who couldn't wait even a moment before rushing to write first? You two should be friends!"

"No. That man makes me terribly uncomfortable!"

Geom Mugeuk turned and saw Jo Chunbae some distance away, grinning from ear to ear with delight.

We drank some more, freely. No one pressed anyone to drink, and no one tried to keep the conversation going. If silence fell, we let it. If we talked about this or that trivial matter, that was fine too. We drank at ease.

As he drank, Geom Mugeuk looked down through the upstairs window. It wasn't late yet, so plenty of people were passing by.

As he idly watched them with his mind empty, he spotted the Poison King disappearing into the crowd. At some point, he had paid the entire bill and left without saying goodbye.

Then the Demonic Buddha asked from behind him,

"How can I trust you? Trust that you won't change your mind once you become the Heavenly Demon?"

So much for setting everything aside and simply enjoying a few drinks together.

Without turning, Geom Mugeuk answered,

"You can't know."

For these people, taking even a single day off was this difficult.

* * *

When the Demonic Buddha returned to his residence, someone was waiting in the courtyard. It was Geom Muyang.

"Young Master!"

The Demonic Buddha was drunk and held a bottle of wine in his hand.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Yes. For the first time in a while."

"Let me have some too."

"Of course. I'll fetch a cup."

"No, just hand it to me."

Both of them were behaving strangely tonight.

The Demonic Buddha wasn't someone who bought wine to bring home, and Geom Muyang wasn't someone who drank straight from the bottle.

"I met with the Second Young Master and the Poison King today. I'm returning from drinking with them."

"I see."

After each took a sip, their gazes naturally turned toward the night sky.

The Demonic Buddha thought he had looked up at the sky a great deal today. With Geom Mugeuk by day, and now with Geom Muyang by night.

Geom Muyang glanced at him. His flushed cheeks mingled with the gold of his skin, glowing in a peculiar hue. But it wasn't merely the difference in color. The Demonic Buddha was different from usual today.

Guessing what had caused it, Geom Muyang felt his heart grow heavy. He had hoped that even if everyone else left, the Demonic Buddha would remain by his side. Though he hadn't expressed it, he had been anxiously worrying about that.

To be honest, there had been times when he wished the Blood Heaven Saber Demon or another Demon Supreme would become his right-hand man. But that had been before he knew how deeply the Demonic Buddha cared for him.

"The Poison King appears to have committed himself entirely to the Second Young Master's side."

The Demonic Buddha spoke honestly.

It was time to make him face reality. Everything will work out. I'll try harder. Such words would now only drive Geom Muyang further toward the edge of the cliff.

It was time to walk away from that precipice together.

'I think this is as far as we can go, First Young Master.'

But the words wouldn't come. He couldn't bring himself to say them.

The Demonic Buddha looked at Geom Muyang.

Even at the news that the Poison King had changed sides, he remained calm. In the past, he would have pretended to be fine, then abruptly made some cold remark or shifted the blame onto the Demonic Buddha. He would have reacted sharply.

But now he was calm, as though he had expected it.

"Then only the Fist Demon remains."

The Demonic Buddha was actually grateful that he had said only the Fist Demon, rather than the Demonic Buddha and the Fist Demon.

At least that meant he placed the Demonic Buddha in a separate category, trusting that he would never change.

He could see that Geom Muyang had grown through this ordeal. Enduring, then enduring some more. Several times a day, he must have been tormented by the urge to kill Geom Mugeuk. He must have been tempted to use every means available to him and simply kill him first.

And he had resisted admirably. Whether it was out of concern for the Heavenly Demon's reaction, because of his relationship with Geom Mugeuk, or because he simply wasn't that wicked by nature, he had restrained himself well.

That was why he truly wanted to tell him this:

'Let's see it through to the end! I'll do the work of a hundred men.'

But he didn't. That would only deceive the First Young Master.

'The Second Young Master is someone we cannot defeat.'

Had Geom Muyang read the resignation in his eyes?

Drunk on wine and moonlight, he finally understood.

Why he had remained until the very last. It wasn't because Geom Mugeuk had approached him last. Even if he had approached him first, the outcome would have been the same.

His parents had failed to protect him, but he wanted to protect the First Young Master to the end. It was because of that desire. To the Demonic Buddha, the First Young Master was both his child and his own self.

Even if the First Young Master failed to become the successor, he would never leave his side.

"What sort of person do you think Mugeuk is, Demon Supreme? Please tell me honestly."

After a pause, the Demonic Buddha answered.

"I'm not sure what sort of person he is."

That answer convinced Geom Muyang that even the Demonic Buddha had been swayed by Geom Mugeuk. The fact that he had bought wine to bring home told him as much. A bottle of wine in the Demonic Buddha's hand? He had never seen that before.

"In that respect—being someone whose nature you can't quite grasp—Mugeuk resembles Father more than I do."

Geom Muyang smiled at the Demonic Buddha, bowed his head slightly, and turned away.

As he walked off, the Demonic Buddha called after him.

"First Young Master!"

"Yes?"

"You're the one who resembles the Cult Leader."

"Am I?"

"Yes. I'm certain of it."

Walking slowly, Geom Muyang looked back.

Gazing up at the night sky, the Demonic Buddha drank straight from the bottle. He drank for a long time without stopping.

Geom Muyang realized that the time had come for him to make his decision.