Chapter 84 - This Is My Usual Place

I entered Demon Family Village with Father.

Walking through the marketplace together felt entirely new. There was always something moving about a first experience.

"How long has it been since you last visited Demon Family Village?"

"Quite a while."

Judging by his answer, it seemed he hadn't been here in a long time.

"It's nice to get some fresh air, isn't it?"

What did these streets mean to Father?

We strolled slowly along, taking in the shops lining the street, the peddlers set up in front of them, and the people passing to and fro.

It seemed people really did possess an innate air of authority. Father neither stirred his internal energy nor released any qi, yet a path naturally opened before him.

Without even realizing it, everyone stepped aside rather than block his way. There was something about him that the word presence alone couldn't explain.

I stopped in front of a cloth shop that sold both silk and clothing.

"Father, why don't we have a martial outfit made for each of us to commemorate our outing?"

"I already have dozens made by master tailors."

"But none you had made together with your son. Just one outfit. Please?"

I went into the shop first. Father followed, pretending to give in reluctantly.

All kinds of silk, fabric, and clothes were piled inside.

I hurried to choose an outfit before he changed his mind.

"What do you think of the outfit hanging over there?"

It bore the Heavenly Demon's Soul emblem, the symbol of the Cult. Originally, the design wasn't to be used without permission, but banning it didn't stop people from selling it. At some point, its use on souvenirs had come to be tolerated.

Father, however, pointed elsewhere.

"What about that one?"

It was a bright white martial outfit, with plum blossoms embroidered on the sleeves and legs. Anyone wearing it would look like a member of an orthodox sect.

"You want that one?"

"Didn't you say we should visit the Central Plains sometime? We can't go wearing something like that, can we?"

"!"

I was truly astonished. He had remembered my suggestion that we visit the Central Plains together!

"I like it too. Two of those outfits, please."

To my surprise, Father even paid for them.

"You said you'd buy the meal, didn't you? I'll buy the clothes."

"Thank you, Father."

I carefully gathered the two outfits, each wrapped in paper.

There was so much I wanted to say, but I held my tongue. If I started chattering unnecessarily, Father would probably respond with something sharp to dispel the awkwardness. For now, the best thing to do was simply enjoy the feeling and the moment.

"Where are you buying me dinner?"

"Over there."

I took Father to Merry Life Tavern.

With Father as my guest, I ought to have chosen the finest inn, tavern, or courtesan house in town, but I didn't want to. Even the finest would only be somewhere the Demon Supremes frequented. I thought a place that meant something to me would be better.

"This is my usual place."

Jo Chunbae greeted us with a broad smile.

"You've brought a guest I haven't met before today."

"He's family, not a guest."

"This is the first time you've brought family, isn't it? Huh? Family? By family, you mean..."

Startled, Jo Chunbae studied Father.

The bamboo hat hid his face, but once Jo Chunbae realized from his bearing that he wasn't a young man, he involuntarily stepped back.

Then his eyes asked me a question.

It isn't him, is it? Surely not?

I answered with a nod.

Yes, the very man you're thinking of.

Realizing my companion was the Heavenly Demon, Jo Chunbae turned deathly pale and trembled like a leaf. How could I pass up such wonderful entertainment?

I ordered the dishes Father had chosen.

"Now, make them delicious, please."

"Yes."

Jo Chunbae's legs shook as he headed toward the kitchen. Thanks to that, he heard my sound transmission for the first time as well.

"Relax and cook as you normally would. Surely you don't think my father would kill you over bad food?"

He staggered even more violently and barely made it into the kitchen.

"When was the last time you had a drink in a tavern like this?"

"I used to come when I was young."

"Not once since becoming cult leader, then?"

Father nodded.

"Don't you feel cooped up?"

"I'm fine."

"Then again, you might find the outside world even more frustrating. There are people you'd like to kill everywhere, and you can't kill them all."

I poured Father a drink as he chuckled. He filled my cup in return. Even pouring drinks for each other felt natural now. Well, we were even buying matching clothes now.

"Your internal energy has increased considerably. Where did you get it?"

"I received a Blood God Pill from the Wind Heaven Cult Leader."

My honest answer startled Father.

"He gave you that? That greedy man?"

"Everyone must feel sorry for me. The moment they see me, they just want to give me elixirs."

"As if."

Father drank, and I emptied my cup as well. He seemed to have plenty to say, but in the end, he said only this.

"As long as he didn't take anything of yours."

"Don't worry. I take after you when it comes to greed for martial arts."

Meanwhile, the food arrived.

Normally, Jo Chunbae strode freely around the tavern. He had the skill to run about with both hands full of dishes without spilling a drop.

Even spilled liquor on the floor couldn't make him slip. He bounded about as gracefully as a master using Treading Duckweed, Crossing Water, and if someone at another table ordered an expensive dish, he raced over to take their order as swiftly as if he were using Shifting Form, Changing Position.

But today's Jo Chunbae was different. He crept toward us, almost crawling for fear of disturbing the food. I had never seen him carry dishes so carefully.

"I thought an assassin was approaching."

His face pleading with me not to speak to him, Jo Chunbae approached despite my teasing and respectfully set down the dishes.

"Please call me whenever you need anything else!"

Then he went downstairs looking as though he could barely breathe.

He couldn't even stand by the stairs on the first floor to overhear Father's verdict on the food. If he dared eavesdrop on the Heavenly Demon, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to save him.

Father tasted the food and nodded.

"Not bad."

"Please tell the owner yourself later. He'll be delighted."

"Nonsense."

"That nonsense could become someone's lifelong memory and a source of pride. He won't know unless you tell him."

Father merely continued eating in silence.

Then he suddenly asked,

"Why did you unsettle the Wind Heaven Cult Leader so much? Tell me that instead."

My actual answer should have been, "At first, it was to acquire a sacred relic, and later, to win him over."

Instead, I gave an answer more fitting for a successor.

"I wanted to separate the Wind Heaven Cult from the Eight Demon Supremes."

"And? Did you succeed?"

"For now, it appears so."

"What did you promise in return?"

"I'd like to let them open a branch of the Wind Heaven Cult in the Central Plains. Even a very small one."

"Out of the question!"

"Why not?"

Father gave an unexpected answer.

"Do you know why I oppose their coming into the Central Plains?"

"Isn't it because of the history between the Blood Cult and our Cult?"

Father shook his head.

"What does the past matter? That isn't why."

"Then is it because they joined hands with the Eight Demon Supremes?"

"I deliberately let them join hands."

What followed would have shocked the Demon Supremes had they heard it.

"Whether I strike at the Wind Heaven Cult or the Eight Demon Supremes, it's easier to create a pretext if they're entangled with each other."

Clearly, Father feared neither the Wind Heaven Cult nor the Eight Demon Supremes in the slightest.

"Then why do you oppose it?"

"The time hasn't come yet. That's all you need to know."

Those words struck me deeply.

I could guess what he was thinking. The Wind Heaven Cult's entry into the Central Plains would be significant not only to us, but to the Orthodox Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance as well.

In particular, the Orthodox Martial Alliance had suffered heavily during the Blood Cult's invasion of the Central Plains. If it began portraying the Wind Heaven Cult's expansion as the Blood Cult's revival, the political repercussions could be enormous.

Wasn't saying the time hadn't come yet another way of saying he would decide when it did?

'Father, could you be dreaming, deep down, of unifying Murim?'

Hwa Mugi had prevented him from realizing that dream, but given Father's abilities, perhaps that really was his ambition. The Blood Heaven Saber Demon called me a hidden dragon, but perhaps the true hidden dragon had yet to awaken...

I wanted to sound him out discreetly, but I held back for now. An ill-advised question might ruin this lovely occasion. There would be plenty of chances to find out later.

"Understood. I'll take care of that matter myself."

"How?"

"My ties with the Wind Heaven Cult Leader are personal, so I'll resolve it on a personal level."

"On a personal level? That's the hardest way."

"But it should also be the most effective. Don't worry. I won't be arrogant enough to think I understand someone else's heart. Nor will I be greedy enough to try to win it, and I certainly won't trust him."

That was only half true. I didn't want to live that kind of life. What would be the point of becoming the Heavenly Demon while suspecting everyone?

I might never fully understand people's hearts, but I would try. I might never win them over completely, but I would at least earn enough goodwill that we wouldn't treat each other with lies and hypocrisy. And I still intended to trust those worth trusting.

"Leave the Wind Heaven Cult Leader to me. I'll handle it properly."

Father nodded and rose.

"Thank you for the meal. Come play go next month."

"Yes! You'd better have your stones nicely sharpened!"

Father held out his hand, and one of the two outfits beside me flew into it.

Carrying it, he went downstairs.

More than buying the outfits together, more than his paying for them, the sight of him taking his outfit without any reminder from me moved me most.

And Jo Chunbae provided the finishing touch to this unexpected side of Father.

As Father passed, Jo Chunbae, who was standing beside the counter, bowed so deeply he nearly bent to the floor.

"It was an honor to serve you."

Father had been about to leave without a word, but he stopped.

"The food was good."

Leaving Jo Chunbae standing there with a gasp, stunned and overwhelmed, Father stepped outside.

Jo Chunbae stood dazed for a moment before belatedly shouting,

"Yes! Thank you! Please visit again!"

Father was already far down the street.

Only then did Jo Chunbae relax. He let out a long sigh of relief and sank to the floor.

He pulled out the liquor hidden beneath the counter and took a long swig. He ordinarily didn't drink while working unless something exceptional happened, but today had gone well beyond exceptional.

Leaning against the second-floor railing, I asked him,

"How do you feel?"

"I could die without regrets now. Even if I'm reborn, I'll live as the owner of Merry Life Tavern."

"If you're reborn, you ought to live as a hero of Murim."

"No, thank you. I'm satisfied with this life, watching someone like you from close by, Young Master. Serving delicious food is enough for me."

"Couldn't you become a martial master and still live this way?"

"Then I'd be even less happy. I'd still have to hold myself back, even though I was a master."

"That's true."

After watching the rare sight of Jo Chunbae drinking, I looked outside the tavern. In the distance, I could see Father's back as he walked slowly among the crowd. Who could have known they had just passed the Heavenly Demon?

Before my regression, I hadn't looked closely.

Not at Father's retreating back, not at Jo Chunbae smiling happily with flushed cheeks, not at those people hurrying along the street toward wherever they were going. I hadn't looked. I hadn't looked into their eyes or at their mouths to see what feelings they lived with. Because I hadn't looked closely, I hadn't understood. Because I hadn't understood, I hadn't been able to win.

Yes, I hadn't lost to Hwa Mugi. I'd lost to my own life. To the heedless life I'd lived.

"Would you like more liquor, Young Master?"

Jo Chunbae called up from below.

"No, thank you. There are people I need to see today."

Leaving Merry Life Tavern, I followed the very road Father had taken and returned to the Cult.