Chapter 57 - May No Other Monster Emerge

The next day, news of the Soul-Seizing Demon's death rocked the Cult.

Several people had died recently, but the death of a Demon Supreme was a matter of an entirely different order. The Cult was placed on alert, and a full investigation began.

Our Yellow Springs Pavilion was sent to investigate. Given the gravity of the case, every special investigator and twenty enforcement martial artists went to the Western Illusion Formation.

The Soul-Seizing Demon's disciples and ghost sorcerers were stationed outside his residence.

"You cannot enter."

They were determined not to let us inside. Flustered, they had no idea how to handle the situation. For now, they intended to bar our entry until the other Demon Supremes reached a decision.

I saw no need to clash with them.

"Very well. Then at least let the venerable Demon Physician inside. The body must be treated to prevent decomposition, and surely we need to establish the exact cause of death?"

The Demon Physician was known to be politically neutral, and every demonic martial artist in the Cult trusted and respected him, so they did not reject that proposal.

After a lengthy, meticulous examination of the body, he emerged and addressed me and the Soul-Seizing Demon's disciples.

"It appears he released an excessive amount of internal qi himself, severely damaging his heart and the blood vessels throughout his body. There are no signs of an intruder or a struggle, nor was he poisoned with any potent toxin, so I believe he died of qi deviation."

The disciples lamented at his words, while I rejoiced inwardly.

Now that the Demon Physician had pronounced it qi deviation, we could avoid a search for a murderer.

After we left the Western Illusion Formation, Seo Daeryong cautiously questioned me on the way to report to Heavenly Demon Hall.

"... It wasn't you, was it?"

"What wasn't?"

"You know. That."

Perhaps he did not dare say it aloud, because he sent a sound transmission.

—Pavilion Master, you didn't kill the Soul-Seizing Demon, did you?

—Why? Do you think I killed him?

—... You brought me that child yesterday, didn't you? The one who nearly became a sacrifice to the Heart-Soul Great Art.

And that was not all. When I left the Cult two months ago, he had told me I had the look of someone trying to make the impossible possible. Now that impossibility had become possible—and real.

—Do you really want to know?

—No, not at all! I'd rather not know. I'll head back ahead of you.

Seo Daeryong turned toward Yellow Springs Pavilion and walked away.

Heavenly Demon Hall came into view in the distance.

How would Father react?

* * *

I walked slowly along the Path of Blood.

Father sat in his grand armchair as always. Today, the chief strategist, Sima Myeong, was with him.

When I greeted them both, Sima Myeong asked me a question.

"How did your business outside the Cult go, Second Young Master?"

"The business was just an excuse. I had a good time."

"You look healthier."

"You should do more than work, Strategist. Get some fresh air and slack off a little."

"After a lifetime without a break, the one day you take off is usually the day the enemy invades."

We smiled together at Sima Myeong's joke.

Once those lighthearted greetings were over, I reported on the Soul-Seizing Demon's death.

"The Demon Physician has concluded that he died of qi deviation."

Father and Sima Myeong were silent for a moment. I could sense that neither believed the finding. What were the chances that someone of a Demon Supreme's stature would suddenly die of qi deviation?

So I spoke before they could.

"I find it hard to believe that someone like the Soul-Seizing Demon suffered qi deviation. It's possible he was murdered."

"That is a possibility."

"Yellow Springs Pavilion will investigate the case."

"The Demon Supremes will conduct the investigation this time."

"Not us?"

"By longstanding tradition, Heavenly Demon Hall cannot intervene in matters concerning a Demon Supreme's death. We can only watch how things unfold."

"Well, in that case, we won't step in. Less work for us. I can't complain."

After we discussed a few more matters concerning the case, Sima Myeong discreetly took his leave.

Once he was gone, Father asked me outright,

"How did you kill him?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did you kill the Soul-Seizing Demon?"

Father was curious, not angry. He was not a man to cling to someone who was already dead. He was probably thinking something along these lines:

How on earth did this boy kill the Soul-Seizing Demon? And with qi deviation as the cause of death, no less.

"At a time like this, I'd love to give you an impressive answer. Tell you I killed him this way for such-and-such a reason. But you're overestimating me. However talented I may be, I'm not so extraordinary that I could make the Soul-Seizing Demon die of qi deviation."

In truth, I wanted to be honest with Father.

But I had no way to explain how I had obtained the Blood-Eye Purifying Water. At least it was a real stroke of luck that the Soul-Seizing Demon's death had been attributed to qi deviation.

Had his death been attributed to combat instead, they would have thoroughly analyzed the cause and tried to identify his killer first. That would have meant burying the body somewhere. In any event, it would have been more troublesome in all sorts of ways.

"I spent all of last night drinking with the venerable Saber Demon. He can vouch for my whereabouts."

But Father scoffed.

"Did the two of you go and kill him together?"

"No. Absolutely not. Father, this was punishment from heaven. The Soul-Seizing Demon was a monster who tore people's hearts out while they were still alive."

Father believed I had killed him anyway.

Even so, there was another reason I would not tell him the truth.

It would burden him. He would be forced to turn a blind eye despite knowing I had killed a Demon Supreme.

After looking down at me in silence for a moment, Father spoke abruptly.

"Now that the Soul-Seizing Demon is dead, even the Demon Supremes who have kept quiet will begin to move."

The Eight Demon Supremes were bound together in life and death. One person's death threatened them all. Just as Father suspected me, they might suspect me as well.

I looked at Father and replied calmly.

"I only hope no other monster emerges in the process."

* * *

After leaving Heavenly Demon Hall, I visited the Northern Heaven Sword House.

Sa Ujong was the one who greeted me.

"Welcome, Second Young Master."

He greeted me with a brighter expression than usual.

'Sa Ujong, Sa Ujong. Do you realize that, strictly speaking, you're the one who killed the Soul-Seizing Demon?'

If he had not brought the Soul-Seizing Demon into this, I would never have learned about the Heart-Soul Great Art.

Sa Ujong was probably the most shocked and bewildered person in this whole situation. I was supposed to have died, yet the Soul-Seizing Demon was dead instead.

He escorted me to the thatched cottage, then bowed politely and turned to leave.

"I'll leave you to your conversation."

He was certainly no good, but I could not punish him simply for bringing the Soul-Seizing Demon into the matter.

I intended to feign ignorance and keep an eye on him. If an opportunity arose to use him against his own interests, I would take it.

"Welcome, Second Young Master."

Once, the Single Flower Sword Supreme had tended her flower garden without even turning to look at me. Now she greeted me warmly.

"Have you been well?"

"I heard you left the Cult. Did you have a good trip?"

"Yes. I went out for a little fresh air."

"You improve by leaps and bounds every time I see you, Second Young Master."

"Do I seem different to you?"

Was it because we had sparred for three days? She was certainly sensitive to the changes in me.

"Enough to make me want to challenge you to a spar right this instant."

"Let's arrange one soon."

"Very well. You're welcome anytime."

I held out what I had brought for her.

"It's a modest gift, Senior, but this is for you."

I had brought seeds that were difficult to obtain in this region.

"I heard the flowers have a lovely fragrance, so I brought some."

"Oh, I've never received seeds as a gift before."

"I've never given them before, either."

"Thank you. I'll do my best to grow them. Now, come inside for some tea."

For the first time, I entered her home.

It was tastefully furnished and smelled pleasant.

"You have a lovely, cozy home."

"Lovely? It's nothing special. Just a place where an old woman lives alone."

"Old? Take a walk through the streets of Hangzhou with me. I bet every ten steps, some fellow will come over and try his luck by asking you to have a drink with him."

"What nonsense!"

Even as she waved away the suggestion, she could not hide her smile. She was more susceptible to compliments like that than to praise of her swordsmanship.

"Let's go sometime. With the venerable Saber Demon, too."

Her expression stiffened slightly at the mention of the Saber Demon. They were still on bad terms. She merely tried not to show it because I was caught between them. Reconciling the two remained no easy task.

She smoothly changed the subject.

"Have you heard that the Soul-Seizing Demon is dead?"

"Yes, I have."

"Were you...involved in his death?"

She stared straight at me as she asked.

At that moment, her gaze was cold. Whatever goodwill she bore me, the Soul-Seizing Demon's death put the other Demon Supremes on edge.

The awareness that if one fell, they might all fall had been their principle of survival for a very long time.

"The Demon Physician concluded that he died of qi deviation."

"Not a single Demon Supreme will believe that."

"Even so, it wasn't me."

At my firm reply, the Single Flower Sword Supreme dropped the suspicion from her gaze. Whether she had dropped it from her heart was another matter.

"Why did you think it was me?"

It was probably because of our sparring. She knew my ability was on par with hers.

"Because the ripples you've stirred up are making the lake surge. Ah, you said you preferred a stormy sea to a lake, didn't you? The moment you stepped into the water, that tranquil lake became a sea. The Soul-Seizing Demon was the first to drown in it."

"I'm merely someone fishing in that sea. I don't drown people."

"That much may be true. You did catch the Saber Demon."

"Would you be a difficult catch, Senior?"

"Perhaps you could catch me if you released the fish you've already caught. I don't want to enter a net with the Saber Demon in it."

I smiled faintly. She did not.

"You never know how life will turn out. The Soul-Seizing Demon was so cautious, so protective of himself... To think he would be the first to die."

"The Western Illusion Formation will be in turmoil for a while."

"There will be a struggle over the succession."

When a Demon Supreme died, a successor took over. A candidate became the successor upon gaining the recognition of four of the seven remaining Demon Supremes.

The Soul-Seizing Demon had five disciples. Since he had died without formally naming a successor, the most capable of those five would inherit his position.

"Whom do you support?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Wouldn't it be better if someone on our side took over?"

"Our side?"

"Yes, our side. Yours and mine, as sparring friends."

I got the words out before she could think of the Saber Demon.

Perhaps she found the phrase 'sparring friends' amusing, because at last she smiled faintly.

"I could make common cause with a sparring friend."

After talking with her about a few more things, I said my farewells.

"I'll take my leave for today."

"Thank you for coming when you're so busy."

The Single Flower Sword Supreme followed me out into the yard.

"Second Young Master. When you fish, some fish are easy to catch, while others hold fast beneath the water, pulling the line taut. But be careful. Some fish may leap out and attack the fisherman. They may even overturn his boat."

In short, she was warning me to be wary of the other members of the Eight Demon Supremes, aside from herself and the Saber Demon.

"Thank you for your concern."

"And don't forget, I'm not a fish you've caught yet."

"Doesn't the fact that you're giving me this advice mean you're halfway caught already?"

The Single Flower Sword Supreme did not seem particularly offended at being called halfway caught. Perhaps she acknowledged that it was an accurate description.

"Then please take care until we meet again."

After leaving the cottage and walking a short distance, I looked back to find her planting the seeds I had given her in the yard. It felt like only yesterday that she had been glaring fiercely at me, yet our relationship had already come this far.

She was right. You truly never knew how life would turn out.

Just as Father and the Single Flower Sword Supreme had warned, the seven Demon Supremes convened that very day.

It was a special meeting held in response to the Soul-Seizing Demon's death. Only the Demon Supremes attended, so not even Father knew what they had discussed.

That night, after the meeting, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon came to see me. His expression was grim.

"Got any liquor?"