Chapter 99 - When We Return From This Journey

After leaving Villains' Valley, I went to the Southern Saber Sect, where the Blood Heaven Saber Demon lived.

Seo Daeryong was training in the courtyard. At the sight of the white mask dangling from my waist, he recoiled in shock.

"Gasp! Don't tell me... You killed the Wicked Laughing Demon too?"

Apparently startled by his own words, he hastily clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Of course. Would I have let a villain like that live?"

Despite my cold tone, Seo Daeryong lowered his hand in relief.

"What a relief. I thought you'd really killed him."

"I'm telling you, I did!"

"You're not foolish enough to wear evidence of murder on your belt, Pavilion Master."

"Then why ask whether I killed him?"

"The mask startled me so much that it just slipped out. What is it for, though? Are you planning to infiltrate Villains' Valley?"

"Why would I need this to infiltrate that place? You might need it, though."

My Wind God's Four Steps had now reached a level where none of the Faceless Wanderers could detect my presence.

"This was a gift from the Wicked Laughing Demon."

Seo Daeryong looked even more shocked than before.

"The Wicked Laughing Demon gave you a gift?"

"And the Laughing Demon bought it himself in Demon Family Village. He even paid for it."

"I'm more surprised that he carries money. He seems more likely to kill someone and take what he wants. Anyway, you'll be the first and last person ever to receive a gift from the Wicked Laughing Demon."

"Investigator Seo."

"Yes?"

"Our future is as unknowable as what's inside another person's heart. On the day we first met, could either of us have imagined having this conversation in the Blood Heaven Saber Demon's courtyard?"

"True enough. When you talked me into joining you at that tavern, I certainly didn't know this training hell was waiting for me."

I smiled as he sighed.

"One day, you'll say this too: 'I never imagined that hellish training would save my life.'"

Seo Daeryong grinned at me. He himself was proof of what I'd said. There was no longer a trace of bitterness or gloom about him. You never knew what the future held.

Leaving him to resume his training, I entered the Blood Heaven Saber Demon's house.

He was taking books off a shelf.

"Keep playing pranks like that and you'll get your damn head knocked off."

"Such coarse language from a cultured gentleman who reads poetry commentary?"

"That's what you get for wearing that damned thing."

I'd put on the white mask as a joke before entering his room.

As I had done with the Wicked Laughing Demon, I pushed it onto the top of my head like a hat.

"I'm leaving the Cult grounds with the Wicked Laughing Demon tomorrow. I came to ask you to look after things here while I'm away."

Still removing books, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon spoke without looking back.

"Don't worry. Things will run just fine on their own. They run without me, and they'll run perfectly well without you."

"They will, won't they? So well it's a problem. Oh, please pass along word to the Sword Supreme for me."

"Me?"

"Yes. Tell her I'm too busy to say goodbye before leaving."

I had deliberately asked him because I wanted this errand to give the two of them an excuse to meet again.

Perhaps guessing my intent, he made no objection. Moments like this made it clear that he, too, wanted to reconcile with the Sword Supreme.

"I'll be off, then."

As I turned to leave, he asked from behind me,

"Do you really intend to bring the Wicked Laughing Demon over to our side?"

"Even if I can't make him an ally, I'll at least keep him from becoming an enemy."

"Is that really necessary?"

"If he joins forces with my brother, things will become several times more difficult than they are now."

"It's not as though he'd sincerely serve the First Young Master anyway."

"That's precisely the problem. They'll keep a comfortable distance and move forward, trading tasks for rewards. Given their personalities, they won't get into emotional quarrels or wound each other's pride. That's why he'll get along with my brother even better than the Demonic Buddha does."

That was exactly what had happened. They worked so well together that they eventually became closer than my brother was with either the Demonic Buddha or the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

"I'll be off, then."

"Wait a moment."

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon put the books back into different places on the shelves. The moment he inserted the last one, the bookcase slid open, revealing a secret room. It was an elaborate concealed entrance that opened when particular books were placed in particular slots.

More surprising than the existence of the room was how readily he opened it in front of me.

He went inside and returned with something, which he casually tossed onto the table before me.

"Take it."

"What is it?"

I opened the carefully wrapped package to find a thin shirt inside.

"A Ghost-Guard Robe. Wear it, and getting beaten up will hurt a little less."

It would do far more than make a beating hurt a little less. The Ghost-Guard Robe was among the finest protective garments, impervious to swords and sabers.

"Are you really giving me something this precious?"

"I am."

"You should wear it yourself, sir."

"What would an old man like me do with it? It'd be unseemly."

"Then sell it."

"And then?"

"Make some money."

"And do what with it?"

Come to think of it, he had no family to leave his wealth to.

"Travel around the Central Plains and enjoy all the finest delicacies."

"Delicacies, my ass. At my age, I can barely digest the noodles I had for lunch."

Knowing he wasn't entirely joking made my heart ache. I'd experienced it myself. No matter how skilled a martial artist might be, age caught up with everyone.

"Don't want to wear it? Fine, then."

"Of course I do."

When he reached to take it back, I snatched it up and put on the Ghost-Guard Robe right there. Surely wearing a protective garment on the spot was the polite way to accept such a gift?

"It fits perfectly! It's really comfortable."

Thin and stretchy, it felt as though I wasn't wearing anything. If I wrapped supreme-grade heavenly silkworm silk over it and activated the Heavenly Demon's Body-Protection Art, even a hit from sword qi or sword force wouldn't sever any part of my body.

Never one to make a show of his generosity, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had already gone out to the courtyard and begun nagging Seo Daeryong, as though afraid I might thank him.

I watched the two of them train for a while, then quietly left his residence.

I had no intention of repaying him with mere words.

* * *

"When did you say you were leaving?"

For some reason, Yi An seemed even less worried about me than the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Then we can't have a farewell party. Ah, I'd hoped we could all get together for a drink. It's been so long."

"Yi An! Is that really what matters right now? I'm going to the Central Plains with the Wicked Laughing Demon. What happened to 'Won't that be dangerous? I'll guard you!' Where's my old Yi An?"

"I miss her too, that tenderhearted Yi An."

"It's all this training. I should put a stop to it."

I walked over and examined her hands. The layers of calluses on her palms spoke of the grueling training she'd endured.

"Something feels different when I hold my sword these days."

She offered no further explanation, but I knew what she meant.

Having reached the eighth level, her Heaven-Soaring Sword Art would constantly be tempting and prodding her to seek out strong opponents and fight.

She still fell far short of me or the Demon Supremes, but at the eighth level of the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art, she would have difficulty finding a worthy opponent out in Murim.

"Well, I'll be off trembling in fear beside that terrifying Wicked Laughing Demon."

"I hear you went to Heavenly Demon Hall yourself to get permission for that terrifying ordeal."

"Who told you that?"

"Investigator Seo has already been by."

"He must be the most loose-lipped right-hand man in Murim."

Yi An didn't laugh at my joke.

"I used to be the first to hear anything about you, Young Master. And whenever you left the Cult grounds like this, I naturally went with you."

"Are you hurt?"

Her true feelings suddenly spilled out.

"Yes, I am. I'm terribly, terribly hurt."

With a long sigh, she let out the emotions she'd been holding back.

"I'm worried about you! I want to go with you and protect you! I'm no longer your bodyguard, and you've given me the position of commander of the Ghost Shadow Squad, which is far more than I deserve, but all I still want is to protect you at your side. Even if I die, I want to die beside you. That's my dream... I keep telling myself that if I become stronger, I'll truly be able to protect you, that I have to endure until I become someone useful, that I have to be patient and train..."

Then she choked up.

"... I know how busy you are, and how hard things are for you... That's why I wasn't going to say any of this... I'm sorry. I'll... keep training hard."

At last, a tear she'd been holding back fell from her eye.

"Pack your things."

Yi An flinched.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please don't send me away."

"What are you talking about? Pack your things. Come with me tomorrow."

She stared in surprise.

"Really?"

"You're right. Who will protect me if you don't? Come with me. Protect me to your heart's content."

"Yes! I'd love to!"

For the first time in ages, Yi An jumped for joy.

"Thank you, Young Master. Thank you so much."

"What's there to thank me for? Leaving home means hardship. And we're traveling with the Wicked Laughing Demon, no less."

"I'd go even if it were the cult leader instead of the Wicked Laughing Demon! I'm going! See you later. I have so much to pack. Women have lots to prepare!"

Acting as though she had no time to spare, Yi An ran out of the training grounds ahead of me.

Watching her excitement, I realized something.

Martial training was good, and so were changes in her life, but that joy making her leap about right now mattered most... Right now, this very moment, mattered most.

Perhaps, beneath my wish for her to become stronger, there had been a selfish desire to put my own mind at ease.

Had some cowardly, unconscious fear been at work—the knowledge that her suffering would become my own?

Her life was so vividly alive, unfolding in the present, yet perhaps I'd driven her into these training grounds to conceal my own anxiety.

Only now did I realize that the true time to perform the Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure was not determined by her, but by the moment I overcame my own fears. That realization allowed me to make my decision.

Yes. Now, at last, the time had truly come.

When we returned from this journey, she would come back a different person.

* * *

The following morning, I went to Villains' Valley with Yi An.

By the time we arrived, the Wicked Laughing Demon was ready to depart.

"I'd like to travel quietly, so I'm bringing just one fellow to attend me."

The Faceless Wanderer he introduced wore a mask with a stylish blue stripe across it.

"This is Blue Face."

He greeted me respectfully. I knew the Wicked Laughing Demon's right-hand man well.

His martial skills were excellent, and his loyalty even more so. He had still been the demon's right-hand man when I returned in search of the Great Art of Regression.

He was also an unfortunate man who had never become the next Wicked Laughing Demon because the current one lived too long.

I introduced Yi An to them as well.

"This is my bodyguard."

Yi An greeted the Wicked Laughing Demon respectfully.

"I'm Yi An. It's an honor to meet you."

I added,

"She's also my heart."

Yi An flushed slightly, but given the company, she remained still and silent with her head bowed.

The Wicked Laughing Demon chuckled at my words.

"First you showed me your right-hand man, and now you're telling me where your heart is."

"I intend to reveal all my weaknesses so you won't know which one is the real weakness."

"Well, shall we set off?"

"Let's."

The Wicked Laughing Demon and I climbed into the carriage, while Yi An and Blue Face took the driver's seat. The two exchanged brief nods. Though they had never met, they shared the common duty of guarding their masters.

As the carriage began to move, the Wicked Laughing Demon made no effort to hide his delight.

"I'm in a wonderful mood."

"So am I. It's been a while since I went to the Central Plains."

I meant it. For some time, I'd been confined to the Cult grounds, going in circles between Yellow Springs Pavilion, the training grounds, Heavenly Demon Hall, and Merry Life Tavern.

At least when I felt stifled, I could use the Art of Space-Time Transposition to rest somewhere new. Without even that, I would have felt truly trapped. It went without saying how suffocated the Wicked Laughing Demon must have felt after two years of confinement.

"You brought that mask."

The white mask he'd given me hung at my waist.

"Of course I brought it. It was a gift from you, Laughing Demon."

"I'll have a better one made for you, rather than that cheap thing."

He meant one like his own, which concealed the wearer's eyes from the outside.

"No, that's all right. I prefer this one."

"You prefer that?"

"You bought it for me yourself, didn't you? That's enough."

"Second Young Master, suspicion is my first response to anyone I meet. The sweeter their words, the more suspicious I become."

"Of course you should be suspicious. I'm being this kind to someone with 'Wicked' in his epithet. Surely I must have an ulterior motive."

"And what is your ulterior motive?"

I grinned.

"You asked whether it wasn't harder to make all those different expressions, didn't you? I actually prefer it. At times like this, I can dodge the question with an ambiguous expression."

He couldn't press me for details. After all, I hadn't pressed him to keep his promise to remove his mask either.

"Why haven't you asked where we're going?"

"Somewhere in that dull world, I suppose."

The Wicked Laughing Demon laughed loudly at my joke.

Meanwhile, the carriage left the Cult grounds and began picking up speed toward the Central Plains.