Chapter 51 - That Is Everything

“Ughhh!”

Seo Daeryong sat up in bed, his face contorting into every imaginable grimace.

“I'm thirsty. Water! Water!”

“Beside you!”

At someone's words, he instinctively reached for the water on the bedside table and drank.

“Ugh, my head. If I ever drink again, I'm a dog. A dog!”

He gulped the water straight from the pitcher.

Only after quenching his thirst did he realize he had woken somewhere unfamiliar. The bed was large and plush, the bedding soft and luxurious.

'Come to think of it, who just said “beside you”?'

He looked around.

Some distance away, a man sat by the window reading a book. The sunlight kept him from making out who it was.

“Who are you?”

As his eyes gradually adjusted to the light, the man's figure came into focus.

“Aaah!”

Seo Daeryong screamed. The man reading the book was none other than the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

“Wh-where am I? Why are you here, Demon Supreme?”

He was so startled that he stammered.

“Because this is my room.”

“Oh, heavens! Why am I here?”

“You don't remember?”

“... No.”

“When we were about to part ways at the tavern, you sprang up and shouted at the top of your lungs that I had to carry you home on my back. You asked how I could abandon my disciple. You even grabbed my trouser leg.”

“I did? Surely not?”

Good heavens, he had ended up grabbing the man's trouser leg after all. Seo Daeryong was so flustered he didn't know what to do.

“I can't remember how many decades it's been since I let anyone get at my feet.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon glanced at him.

“Do you want to die, but lack the courage to jump off a cliff?”

“...”

Then a question occurred to Seo Daeryong.

“But why did you let me sleep in your bed, sir?”

“Of course, you don't remember that either, do you?”

He gasped and tensed.

“When I brought you here and tried to put you in a guest room, you called me a heartless master for making my disciple sleep in such a shabby place. Then you sank onto the floor, saying you were a wretch who deserved to be treated that way, making a spectacle of yourself and even shedding tears.”

“...”

“Is life hard? It was hard for me, too. Holding back the urge to kill you.”

Seo Daeryong scrambled out of bed and knelt.

“I'm sorry. I'll stop drinking.”

“Why give up perfectly good liquor? Give up your drunken antics instead.”

“Yes, I'll give it all up. Please forgive me. I drank far too much yesterday.”

No matter how much he had shouted and caused trouble, the man could have pressed his sleep pressure point and tossed him into the stables rather than a guest room. It was utterly unexpected that he had let him sleep in his own room—and in his bed, at that. Of course, it must have been because of Geom Mugeuk, but even so, to let him sleep in his own bed! Seo Daeryong saw a new side of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

“Go on.”

“Yes, sir.”

His outer robe lay neatly folded on the bedside table. A maid must have folded it, of course, but he felt as though he had been properly looked after.

All the while, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon continued reading. The sight was unfamiliar.

'Is he trying to look learned in front of me?'

Strangely, though, reading suited him. Looking around the room, Seo Daeryong saw several bookcases filled with books.

Then one book caught his eye.

“Oh? This book?”

Without thinking, he pulled it from the shelf. It was an adventure story about a boy who met a peerless martial master and grew into a hero, a book he had read repeatedly since childhood.

“This is my favorite book. Have you read it?”

He turned excitedly toward the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

The man, however, was glaring fiercely at him.

“There's nothing I hate more than someone touching my belongings without permission.”

“Ah!”

Startled, Seo Daeryong dropped the book and tried to stop it from hitting the floor with his foot. It bounced off his foot and tumbled across the floor.

Silence fell.

At the sight of the book lying open and crumpled, his vision went dark. Soon he would end up just like it.

He rushed over, picked it up, and smoothed the creased pages with his hands.

“I'm sorry. Ah, fortunately, it's the boring part that got crum—I'm sorry!”

Fortunately, instead of cutting off Seo Daeryong's arm, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon returned his gaze to his own book. Today, he was forgiveness incarnate.

“I'll be going now.”

He timidly said his farewell and was about to leave when the Blood Heaven Saber Demon suddenly asked,

“Why do you like that book?”

“Oh, because I feel the protagonist is like me. Born poor, gloomy by nature, unable to fit in with the people around him. It's a story about someone like that becoming a hero... I've probably read it twenty times by now. I keep it close and take it out to read whenever I can't sleep.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon gazed at him for a moment, then returned to his book without replying.

“Then I'll be on my way. Thank you very much for letting me sleep here.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon asked another question.

“Do you think the Second Young Master will become the successor?”

This question required no hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He's an admirable man. More so than anyone I've ever met. I believe he'll change the Cult. For the better, of course.”

“Would you give your life for him?”

After a moment's consideration, Seo Daeryong answered honestly.

“No.”

“You said the Second Young Master was an admirable man.”

“But I'm not. I'm not the sort of man who can sacrifice himself for someone else.”

Though his gaze remained on his book, the corners of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon's mouth lifted slightly.

“Wait in the courtyard.”

“Yes, sir!”

Seo Daeryong stood in the courtyard waiting for him.

'Is he going to use my saying I'm not prepared to die for the Pavilion Master as an excuse to beat me up? Should I have said I could die for him?'

As he fretted, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon finally emerged and tossed a large saber toward him.

THUNK!

The saber sailed lightly through the air and embedded itself in the ground before his feet. It wasn't as large as the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber, but its blade was broader and longer than an ordinary saber's.

“Pick it up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Seo Daeryong pulled it free. Since the martial art he had learned was swordsmanship, he had never practiced saber techniques. He had scarcely even held one like this.

“How is it?”

He didn't know what the question was meant to ask, but voiced the first thought that came to him.

“It's heavy.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon nodded.

“That is everything.”

“Pardon?”

“Understanding that weight is the beginning and the end of the saber technique I intend to pass on.”

“!”

In that instant, something struck a chord in Seo Daeryong's heart.

“My heart just tingled.”

He lifted his head from the saber, his face flushed.

“That's because you drank too much yesterday. Either that, or you have a heart condition.”

“Oh! Yes, sir.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon turned away.

“Don't be late for training later.”

“Yes, sir! I won't be late!”

Seo Daeryong put the saber down in a corner of the courtyard and left, then came back to collect it before leaving again.

Even as he walked away, he wondered whether he really had just spoken with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, whether he really had slept here.

'Maybe I'm still dreaming...'

He walked out with a hangover weighing down his entire body as heavily as the saber in his hand.

* * *

Seo Daeryong entered my office.

He looked disheveled and still not quite sober, with a great saber I had never seen before strapped to his waist. That saber alone told me things had gone well with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

“My right arm is here?”

“The right arm you sent to its death, you mean.”

“Fortunately, you came back without being cut off.”

“How could you send me off with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon? You should have taken care of me, Pavilion Master!”

“It seems you don't remember a thing about yesterday.”

He flinched.

“You insisted you'd go with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon even if it killed you. Do you know what you even said to me?”

“What did I say?”

“Why was I trying to separate master and disciple! I honestly thought you two had been master and disciple for fifty years.”

“... Don't lie to me.”

“I wish it were a lie. Before you fell asleep, you said you'd rather die than learn martial arts, then you suddenly sprang awake as his chief disciple. If you really don't believe me, ask Commander Jang. He kept shaking his head at you.”

“Ughhh. Are you telling me there's a mad drunk like that living inside me?”

Seo Daeryong clutched his head.

“What a shame.”

“What is?”

“You're distinctive and likable when you're gloomy and morose, but you've been getting far too cheerful lately. You're even funny, like yesterday.”

“Don't worry. I'll be gloomy again by tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?”

“My first training session starts after work today. He'll probably beat me half to death. Ah! I wish work would never end.”

“It's a pity I won't get to see that.”

“Pardon?”

“I'm leaving the Cult today. I expect to be gone about two months, so look after Yellow Springs Pavilion while I'm away.”

The playfulness vanished from his face.

“Are you leaving because of that matter?”

“What matter?”

He pointed at his eyes. Only then did I understand what he meant.

Yesterday, before we went drinking, outside the Soul-Seizing Demon's residence, he had looked into my eyes and said they held the same look they had before I accomplished the impossible.

“Yes. That matter.”

“It must be dangerous.”

“Fortunately, this one won't be all that dangerous. I intend to use some danger I saved up before.”

“Pardon?”

He clearly didn't understand what I meant, but I explained no further.

With all trace of playfulness gone, he bowed respectfully.

“Please take care! I'm sorry I can only ever express my concern in words.”

“If you want to lend a hand someday, study hard under the Saber Demon.”

As I was about to leave, he called to me.

“Pavilion Master.”

“What is it?”

“If it weren't for you, I would never have had a chance to learn martial arts from a Demon Supreme in my entire life.”

“You never know how life will turn out. Without me, you might have had a chance to learn from my father. Well, keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir! Don't worry about things here. Have a safe journey.”

I went straight to Yi An and told her what training to do over the next two months, then quietly left the Cult.

* * *

I kept racing northwest.

As my attainment in the Wind God's Four Steps steadily rose, my Swift Step grew faster as well.

Unless they specialized in lightness arts, most masters could no longer come anywhere close to matching my speed.

I ran like mad until my internal energy dwindled, then rested in secluded spots in the forest, circulating my qi and regulating my breathing. Once my internal energy was replenished, I ran again; when it ran low, I resumed my breathing exercises.

If I grew hungry while running, I hunted using the qi emission Father had taught me.

Now I could readily sense a wild boar far away in the woods.

When I caught a boar and roasted it over a campfire, passing hunters or herb gatherers sometimes joined me for drinks. Before my regression, I had met such people often and grown close to them, so I liked their company and felt at ease around them.

Once I was about halfway to my destination, I began moderating my pace.

There was no point arriving too early anyway, so I enjoyed the journey itself.

Whenever I found a mountain worth climbing, I climbed it. Of course, I didn't simply walk up; I scaled its cliffs. Using only my physical strength, without internal energy, I checked the condition of my body: whether anything hurt, and where my muscles needed strengthening.

Relying mainly on internal energy makes it easy to neglect the body itself, and that is where the difference between a true master and a middling one emerges. True masters never overlook even the smallest details. Knowing that differences in little things ultimately mean everything, they never neglect a single part of their bodies.

If the sun began setting in the distance while I climbed, I sat on a rock or tree jutting out halfway up the cliff and admired the view.

Watching the beauty of nature like that, I felt as though something that had been blocking my chest had opened wide.

I had promised Yi An we would tour the Central Plains together, but sitting on the edge of a cliff watching the sunset like this, I thought of Father before I thought of her.

I wanted to travel with him. I wanted to talk with him as we admired views like this together. I wanted to know what sort of person he was, what thoughts he lived with.

Would I ever have that chance? Would such a moment come for us?

Before my regression, I had never dreamed I would come to feel this close to Father. Perhaps I had... missed the father with whom I had never even had a proper conversation.

Even while enjoying the journey, when it was time to run, I ran until my lungs felt ready to burst.

By the time I neared my destination, my Swift Step had advanced another stage. I ran faster while consuming less internal energy.

“Hahahahaha!”

I raced down the road, laughing like a madman.

As my attainment in the Wind God's Four Steps rose, I realized that Swift Step touched something in human nature. It heightened the exhilaration of running to its utmost limit, making it so addictive that I wanted to keep running.

Now I moved so fast that even people on the road who saw me couldn't make out my appearance. I simply flashed past them.

I actually overheard exchanges like this several times.

“Didn't someone just pass us?”

“What? I didn't see anyone.”

I had reached a stage where someone walking lost in thought wouldn't even notice me passing by.

One stage higher, and even someone watching with eyes wide open wouldn't know whether it was a person or a bird that had passed.

What would Swift Step be like at complete mastery?

Perhaps they wouldn't even sense anything passing at all.

The place I finally reached was somewhere no one in the Cult would have imagined as my destination.

It was Mount Hong, beyond the frontiers, where the Wind Heaven Cult's headquarters stood.

The place where I had obtained the Thunderous Sound Bell, the first material for the Great Art of Regression.

I had returned here once again.