Chapter 58 - Don't Kill Anyone for a While

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon asked for liquor the moment he sat down. I brought out the liquor I kept at home and poured him a full cup.

"Has something upset you?"

Only after downing several cups in succession did he reveal the reason for his anger.

"Those fucking morons were openly shutting me out."

"Hahaha."

"That wasn't a joke."

"I'm sorry. I never imagined a Demon Supreme could be ostracized."

He glared even harder, making it clear he wasn't joking.

"My apologies. What exactly did they do?"

"Not one of them spoke to me."

"Isn't that how they usually treat you?"

"Well, they rarely speak to me, but never like today. I'd have been less angry if they'd confronted me outright."

"Confronted you about what?"

"You! About you!"

"What? Me?"

"They suspect you conspired with me to kill the Soul-Seizing Demon. That's why they're shutting me out."

"Did we?"

"We didn't."

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon fixed me with a cold stare.

"But you did. You killed him, didn't you?"

"Why does everyone suspect me?"

"Because you've gotten more blood on your hands lately than anyone else. Who's to say the Soul-Seizing Demon's blood isn't on them too? It was you, wasn't it?"

Instead of answering, I met his gaze. He would have read the truth in my eyes: I had killed the Soul-Seizing Demon.

"Why are you telling me the truth?"

"I haven't said a word."

"No, not in words. You said it with your eyes."

If I'd wanted to deny it outright, I could have. There were two reasons I hadn't.

First, I wanted him to feel a measure of tension around me. Friendship was friendship, but our relationship would become that of lord and retainer. I wanted him to trust and follow me without entertaining other intentions. A healthy degree of tension in a relationship helped prevent mistakes.

The second reason was that I trusted him. I wanted to tell him the truth, and I believed doing so would cause no trouble.

"You really do trust me."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have made you my Left Emissary."

"Before I am your Left Emissary, I am one of the Eight Demon Supremes."

"You may be one of the Eight Demon Supremes, but you're my Left Emissary."

"Trust people this easily, and one day you'll be stabbed in the back."

"My trust wasn't easily given. Think of everything that's happened between us."

He suddenly asked,

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Of making enemies of the Eight Demon Supremes."

"Four Demon Supremes, to be exact."

"Four?"

After staring blankly at me for a moment, he slammed his cup onto the table and sprang to his feet.

"What? When did you kill three more? Who did you kill?"

I hastily answered his roar.

"Calm down. That's not what I meant."

It had lasted only an instant, but I was amazed that he'd reached that conclusion. Just how formidable did this man think I was?

"Then what do you mean, four?"

"Hear out my calculations. The Soul-Seizing Demon is dead, so there are seven Demon Supremes now, correct? Remove you, and that leaves six. The Sword Supreme is only halfway over to my side, so that leaves five and a half. Let's say those five and a half are my enemies. You and Senior Sword Supreme wouldn't just sit idle in that situation, would you? If the two of you handled one and a half between you, that would leave exactly four. That's why I said I'd be facing four Demon Supremes. In fact, there could be even fewer. If just two more of the seven join me, I'll only have to face two. Easy, isn't it?"

He looked at me with the most incredulous expression I'd seen since we met.

"Fine. I already know you're this much of a lunatic, so let's move on. There's one thing you haven't considered."

"What's that?"

"Neither the Sword Supreme nor I will ever fight the other Demon Supremes."

I knew that too. It was an ironclad rule passed down among the Demon Supremes for a very long time.

"I know. I'll do the fighting. All you need to do is not betray me."

"People don't betray you. Circumstances do. That's why you shouldn't trust me."

"Then I won't create circumstances that lead to betrayal. So please help me, sir."

I treated the Blood Heaven Saber Demon with trust. I thought that was the best way to make him one of my people.

After taking a drink, he burst out,

"One wrong move and you'll die, you brat!"

My heart surged. I could feel the genuine concern in his outburst.

"Yes. I'll be careful."

We drank in silence. When his cup emptied, I refilled it, and we drank again. As the bottle neared empty, he told me something.

I'd once said that the Blood Heaven Saber Demon was more emotional than I was. He had denied it then, but he was undoubtedly an emotional man. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told me this now.

"The Demon Supremes have summoned someone to get to the bottom of this incident."

"Who?"

The name that came from his lips was wholly unexpected.

"The Wind Heaven Cult Leader."

I was stunned. The Wind Heaven Cult Leader, of all people? This was the very Wind Heaven Cult where I'd obtained the Thunderous Sound Bell and the Blood-Eye Purifying Water.

"Why him?"

"The Soul-Seizing Demon's sinister sorcery was based on the Blood Cult's demonic arts. As you know, the Blood Cult was the predecessor of the Wind Heaven Cult. They believe the Wind Heaven Cult Leader will be able to determine the exact cause of death by examining the body."

"I've heard the Wind Heaven Cult Leader never leaves his throne."

"He will come."

"What makes you so certain?"

"Because they'll make him come, one way or another. Don't underestimate the power of the Eight Demon Supremes. They'll get the Wind Heaven Cult Leader here, whether by threats, gifts of treasure, or whatever else it takes."

That would have been unthinkable back in the days of the Blood Cult. They had fought several wars against the Cult; the two powers could not coexist.

But the relationship changed when they became the Wind Heaven Cult. Through their ties with the Eight Demon Supremes, they had become something of an ally, though not quite one.

"What about the Wind Heaven Cult's sacred relics?"

"He'll sort that out himself. If he's that anxious, he can pack them all up and bring them."

"Why not send the body there instead?"

They could preserve it against decay and send it by carriage.

"Examining the body isn't the only reason he's coming here."

"There's another reason?"

"Three more. First, the Demon Supremes want to demonstrate their determination to find the killer. They want to show not only the Cult, but the Orthodox Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance as well, that the Eight Demon Supremes must never be touched. That's their most important objective."

"They want to show they can mobilize even the Wind Heaven Cult Leader. That harming a Demon Supreme will always bring revenge."

"Exactly."

"And the second reason?"

"The Cult Leader."

"Father?"

"They want to make a point to him. They want to flaunt the fact that the Wind Heaven Cult and the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon are allies because of the Eight Demon Supremes, not because of the Cult Leader."

The Eight Demon Supremes had ceaselessly kept Father in check. Perhaps his decision to draw me into this had also stemmed from that conflict.

"And the third reason?"

"You."

"Me?"

"If you killed the Soul-Seizing Demon, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader will uncover that fact through you. He'll figure out what sort of person you are and discover how you killed him."

He was right. The Wind Heaven Cult Leader might discover that I'd put Blood-Eye Purifying Water in my eyes.

I had to conceal the fact that I'd killed the Soul-Seizing Demon at all costs. If it came to light, revenge from the Eight Demon Supremes would be the least of my concerns. Their vehement opposition would prevent me from becoming the successor.

"But will you be all right?"

"Me? Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've become my accomplice, haven't you? We drank together all night, so they might think we acted together."

"Perhaps I dozed off for a moment while we were drinking."

I chuckled at his proposed escape route if things went wrong.

"Which of the Eight Demon Supremes went to fetch him?"

"How did you know one of them had gone?"

"Naturally, they'd send someone important. Given the situation, it wouldn't be strange if all of them went, would it?"

"The Demonic Buddha went."

The Demonic Buddha, one of the Eight Demon Supremes, was close to the Wind Heaven Cult Leader. Sending him demonstrated their determination to bring the leader here without fail.

Smiling, I asked the Blood Heaven Saber Demon,

"Shall I chase after the Demonic Buddha and kill him? Or kill the Wind Heaven Cult Leader as he sets out? Or... kill them both?"

"That would start a war with the Murim beyond the frontiers. If we split apart, those idiotic Orthodox Martial Alliance bastards would suddenly start shouting about overthrowing the Demonic Cult after sitting quietly all this time. And the Unorthodox Alliance would have bloodshot eyes searching for scraps to snatch up."

"Join me. Let's have a good, refreshing bloodbath."

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon rose to his feet.

"If you want to die, do it alone."

"Weren't we supposed to live and die together, sir?"

"Second Young Master, from the moment we're born, it's every man for himself. I'm leaving."

He left my room.

I downed the last of the liquor.

'So the Wind Heaven Cult Leader is coming?'

* * *

The next morning, I answered Father's summons to Heavenly Demon Hall. When I arrived, he was standing by the window rather than sitting in his grand armchair.

"You summoned me, Father?"

"Come here."

I slowly climbed the steps and walked over to where he stood.

"I hear there's already unrest in the Western Illusion Formation."

"Would ghosts be any different? The struggle for power must be starting."

Having lost its master overnight, the Western Illusion Formation was in turmoil.

There was no grief at the heart of that turmoil. The Soul-Seizing Demon had always been immersed in his own world, so no one mourned his death. The ghost sorcerers were intent only on who would become the next Soul-Seizing Demon.

"Go away for a little while."

"Where do you mean?"

"Isn't it time you toured Yellow Springs Pavilion's branches in the Central Plains?"

I could tell. Father also knew that the Eight Demon Supremes had summoned the Wind Heaven Cult Leader. Worried about me, he was trying to send me away.

"Please reconsider sending me away."

"Why?"

"The Eight Demon Supremes have summoned the Wind Heaven Cult Leader to investigate the Soul-Seizing Demon's death."

As expected, Father showed no surprise whatsoever. He already knew. It occurred to me that one of the Demon Supremes might be his agent. Or perhaps a skilled spy was providing accurate intelligence on their movements.

"If I leave the Cult at a time like this, they'll suspect me."

"They already suspect you. That's why they've summoned him. The Wind Heaven Cult Leader is no easy opponent. I don't know what method you used to kill the Soul-Seizing Demon, but he will uncover your involvement."

"It wasn't me, Father. Couldn't the Orthodox Martial Alliance have sent an assassin?"

"That would mean they want war with us, and they're nowhere near ready for war right now."

We and the Orthodox Martial Alliance knew one another inside out. If war were to break out, however secretly preparations were made, we would detect the signs at least three days beforehand.

"Are you truly confident you can get through this unscathed?"

"Yes."

"Where does that confidence come from?"

He had asked me the same question before. I gave the same answer in different words.

"If you were in my place, Father, would you leave the Cult?"

"No."

"I'm your son."

"Yes, you're my son. You're not me."

"But I can at least imitate you. If you're the one I'm imitating, even that is enough."

Father decided he could no longer bend my resolve.

"Very well. Then keep one thing in mind."

I thought he would tell me to be careful. Of course he would, I'd assumed.

Father turned and walked away as he spoke.

"You mustn't kill the Wind Heaven Cult Leader."

At that moment, I understood.

"Don't tell me... All this time, you weren't worried about me, but about the Wind Heaven Cult Leader?"

Striding toward the exit, Father added,

"Or any other Demon Supreme! Don't kill anyone for a while."

"I'm telling you, I didn't kill him!"

I denied it to the very end, but Father had already gone out and closed the door.

I slowly descended the steps, walked along the Path of Blood, and left Heavenly Demon Hall.

Kill the Wind Heaven Cult Leader? You have no idea how well I know him and his Cult. He's someone I'm grateful to have, like a treasure vault. But if he comes all the way here to pressure me... he'll give me even more reason to be grateful.