Chapter 2: Did You Push Me?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Cruel time flowed on relentlessly. The world still belonged to Hwa Mugi. Rumor had it that Hwa Mugi had grown even stronger, walking the path toward the pinnacle of martial arts through endless training.

Ruling the world alliance were twelve absolute masters from among his followers. The world called them the Twelve Zodiac Kings.

An absolute ruler had unified the murim, but life did not improve. All sorts of injustices ran rampant in connection with the Twelve Zodiac Kings. Those who curried favor with them gained fame, and those who defied them lost their lives. Life became even harsher than in the days when the world was divided into the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic.

Meanwhile, the Murim Alliance, the Evil Alliance, and the Demonic Cult still had not lifted their closed-off states. Everyone said that as long as Hwa Mugi lived, they would never be able to end their seclusion.

Just when people thought the man must have died in some nameless valley, he returned.

When they first met, the man had been in the prime of his youth. Now he was a middle-aged man with graying hair at his temples. The man exuded an incomparably more mature aura than before.

He had changed. His face and body were tanned as if he had traveled the entire world, and he had several new scars. He had changed frighteningly, but his eyes, cold yet clear, simple yet deep, were the same as the day he had first sought him out.

"Here, this is the inner core of the 10000 Year Fire Carp." Inside the box he held out was indeed the inner core of the 10000 Year Fire Carp.

"It really existed!" Ghostly Sage's voice trembled.

"How on earth did you find it?"

"I searched every place it could possibly be," the man said. "I can confidently say I'm an absolute master of mountain climbing, swimming, diving, and camping. I could probably draw a map of the Central Plains with my eyes closed."

"That's truly incredible."

"What's incredible isn't that I found it, but that I didn't go mad in the process."

Ghostly Sage suddenly had a thought. Perhaps this was not the inner core of the 10000 Year Fire Carp, but the man's will itself. As he was lost in the strange fantasy of a sky-blue will flowing from the man's body to form the inner core, the man urged him again.

"Now, what's the next ingredient?"

"Don't you want to brag?"

What incredible tales of adventure must there be from acquiring the previous ingredients? If it were him, he wouldn't have been able to resist boasting about his success to anyone.

"I'll do plenty of bragging to that bastard's corpse after I kill him. I'll say it again and again. I'll turn him into a mummy and do it for the rest of my life. All to kill you…"

"It's strange hearing you make a joke like that."

Ghostly Sage wanted to laugh and chat with this man, to talk about the murim and life. However, the man was as busy as ever.

"Now, what's the fourth ingredient?"

"Money."

The man asked, surprised by the unexpected answer. "How much do you need?"

"Five million taels."

It was an unimaginably large sum of money, but the man's reaction was the same as always.

"I'll be back."

Ghostly Sage knew that even if he had said a hundred million or a billion taels, this man would have jumped to his feet, saying he would be back. He might even add a joke, looking at him. Should I just kill you and quit this whole thing?

However, he was a man who would silently press on toward his goal. Ghostly Sage was witnessing an extreme example of how terrifying a person's will could become when they were truly pushed to the edge.

"Wait a moment."

"What is it?"

"I'll provide the money," Ghostly Sage said. "My family has been saving money for generations for this grand ritual. I'll use that money."

"……"

"Because succeeding in this grand ritual is a long-cherished wish of mine and my family's."

"Good. Thank you, thank you so much. This will save a lot of time." The man was genuinely pleased.

"So, will you have a drink with me for just today?"

"I'll have one drink and then leave."

"You're a cruel friend."

He brought out alcohol, and they sat side by side on a rock in the yard, pouring it into large cups. The two savored the drink slowly.

"When we first met, you and I were both so full of life."

"My body is aging, but my heart is the same. I'm desperately trying to keep my killing intent young."

"Why make such an effort?"

"Because I will return to the me of my youth. Whether I go back at fifty, sixty, or a hundred, I am the same person who came to you that day. My time stopped on that day."

If he had heard this when they first met, he would have thought, 'The effort is admirable, but is it even possible?' Now, however, he knew better than anyone how formidable the man's willpower was.

"If the grand ritual truly succeeds, and you can go back to the past, may I ask you for one favor?"

"Tell me."

"If you do go back to the past, please make sure to find me."

"And then?"

Ghostly Sage let out a long sigh and said, "Stop me from getting married."

The man burst out laughing at the unexpected request. "Hahaha." It was the first time the man had laughed since they met.

"I'm not joking. Please, you must stop me."

"Is that more important than five million taels?"

"It's more important to me. Just tell me to live alone my whole life. Please, do that for me."

"I understand."

Ghostly Sage told him the year he got married and then pleaded again. "Promise me. Promise you'll stop me."

"I promise."

The two men finished the rest of the alcohol.

"What is the final ingredient?"

"It's something you know as well."

"What is it?"

"The Secret Demon Soul."

The man's expression darkened, as he knew what it was.

"It was your late father's sacred object."

"I know. Father never let it leave his side for a moment."

"Do you have it?"

The man shook his head.

"Do you know where it is?"

"I don't."

"What if, by some chance, Hwa Mugi has it?"

"Then all these past years will have been for nothing. Fortunately, even if it remains with our Cult, it won't be easy to obtain."

Currently, the Demonic Cult was in a closed-off state, led by a new Cult Leader. Although they couldn't lift their closed-off state due to Hwa Mugi's power, the Demonic Cult had been gathering strength and solidifying its internal affairs over the years.

They would not welcome him, the son of the former Cult Leader, upon his return. On the contrary, the new Cult Leader would likely try to kill him. His appearance would be a shock after he was thought to be dead.

"Still, let's hope it's in our Cult."

"Don't take too long. I'm old now, too."

"You must not die before I return. Thank you for the drink."

Downing the last of the alcohol, the man left. Ghostly Sage stood there for a very long time, watching the man disappear into the distance.

The man who left did not return. There was no news of any incident at the Demonic Cult. Still, he always kept his ears open.

Years flowed by, and now Ghostly Sage had also aged, the flowers of the underworld blooming on his face. Today, too, he sat blankly on the wooden porch, staring at the spot where the man always stood.

Then, as if seeing a ghost, Ghostly Sage rubbed his eyes.

He could see someone staggering toward him.

It was him, the man.

The man who had left to find the final ingredient had returned. He was so different. His face was so severely damaged that he looked like another person, and he had lost his right eye and left arm. His body, which would surely be covered in scars if his clothes were removed, was soaked in blood.

At the sight, Ghostly Sage was at a loss for words.

After handing over the Secret Demon Soul, the man collapsed on the spot.

"You… how on earth did you get the Secret Demon Soul?"

"…Let's go to the place where we can perform the grand ritual." He didn't even have the strength to answer.

Ghostly Sage supported him and went to the space where the grand ritual would be performed. All the preparations were complete there. The final ingredient, long awaited.

Ghostly Sage took the Secret Demon Soul and placed it in the center. As if it were the final, life-giving touch, the Secret Demon Soul began to glow brightly. All around it, strange paintings and characters started to appear.

Ghostly Sage stood before it and began to chant.

Blue and red light started to envelop the surroundings. The Echoing Thunder Bell rang, and incense rose from the Divine Incense Burner. The moment Ghostly Sage's chant reached its peak, the main ingredients merged and became one, creating a shimmering haze of light. It looked like an entrance leading somewhere.

"I did it!" Ghostly Sage's face overflowed with emotion. It was the moment he fulfilled a family wish that had been passed down for hundreds of years.

Ghostly Sage approached the man, who was leaning against a pillar. Was it because he had lost so much blood? He was unconscious. Instead of waking and helping him up, Ghostly Sage spoke softly.

"…I'm sorry."

He had decided to go back to the past himself.

"I'm truly sorry."

He felt even more sorry because he knew how hard this man had worked to obtain the ingredients. However, these ingredients were impossible to obtain ever again.

"I will be sure to find you and warn you of the disaster to come. I promise."

Ghostly Sage stood up and turned toward the haze of light.

"Returning to the past was my family's lifelong wish. It was my wish, too."

Just as he was about to walk toward the light.

"……"

Ghostly Sage flinched and stopped in his tracks. His major acupoint had been sealed. He didn't even know when it had happened.

A languid voice came from behind. "How could you do this?"

The man he thought was unconscious stood up from his spot.

"My friend."

Ghostly Sage's voice trembled.

The man staggered over and stopped in front of Ghostly Sage.

"You of all people… how could you do this!"

The man grabbed Ghostly Sage by the throat. The old and frail Ghostly Sage's neck felt like it would snap at any moment.

"…I must have lost my mind. Sob, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Ghostly Sage thought the man would kill him. Yes, anyone else might have, but he shouldn't have. Only he knew how hard the man had worked to prepare the ingredients for this grand ritual.

Then, the man released his grip on Ghostly Sage's throat.

"I'm a selfish person, too. I was able to gather all those ingredients because I only think of myself. So it's okay. If it had been anyone else, I would have struck them dead with a single blow, but I understand you."

The man did not reprimand Ghostly Sage. Instead, he spoke warmly with a sincere gaze.

"Thank you for waiting for me your whole life."

At the man's sincere words, Ghostly Sage's eyes welled with tears. It was a mixture of guilt and regret. They could have had a much better farewell. They really could have.

The very moment Ghostly Sage's tear fell, the world stopped as if in a lie.

"Huh?" The man looked around in surprise.

All movement had ceased. A butterfly in flight hung in the air like a painting, and blades of grass, bent by the wind, did not rise. The same was true for Ghostly Sage standing in front of him. The tear he had shed also hung suspended in mid-air.

The man wondered if he was hallucinating from the blood loss.

It was at that moment. An old man appeared in the place where time had stopped for everyone but the man.

"You have passed all the tests."

The man, surprised by the old man's words, asked, "Who are you?"

"The one who can send you to the past."

"!"

"How can human strength go against the laws of heaven? Did you think a mere spirit beast and some treasures could make that possible?"

When the old man raised his hand, the five artifacts the man had spent his life gathering reappeared and floated around him. They were the ingredients that had vanished with the grand ritual.

In that moment, the man knew. The old man was a being beyond human.

"The true ingredients for this grand ritual were not these artifacts, but the effort you dedicated to collecting them."

When the old man waved his hand, the artifacts vanished like smoke.

"You have passed the test. You sacrificed your entire life, living for a single purpose, and forgiving that Ghostly Sage was the final test. In fact, it was the most difficult test, but you passed it with the most ease."

The man's whole body trembled. He had always thought the heavens were indifferent, that there was no such thing as heaven, yet a being that seemed to be heaven itself now stood before him. His surprise soon turned to anger.

"Are you a being that only responds after one tries this hard? Are you that great?"

"Don't be so angry. People can see me more easily than you did. There are even those who meet me every day, but a wish like yours is not something that can be granted so easily, is it?"

The man had to agree with that. It wasn't about becoming rich or marrying a beauty. His wish was to return to the past.

"Let me go back."

"And then?"

"I will kill the one who must be killed and save the ones who must not die."

Killing Hwa Mugi and saving everyone was the first thing, and there was something else just as important.

"And… I want to live my own life properly. Perhaps the reason I want to go back so desperately is not just my anger toward Hwa Mugi, but also because I regret my own life."

"What do you regret so much?"

"Everything. From birth until now, my life wasn't one I led, but one I was pushed into. Pushed this way and that, and it ended just like that… Was it you? The one who pushed me?"

The old man gave an awkward laugh and asked, "What kind of life do you want to live after you've had your revenge?"

"I don't know either. Whether I'll follow in my father's footsteps and become the Heavenly Demon, live quietly with my back to the world, become a lecher who possesses all the beauties of the world, leave the cult and live a life beating up trashy bastards, or become trash myself… I haven't decided anything."

"I'm also curious what kind of life you'll live. I look forward to that new life."

"Thank you."

"Let's have a drink next time we meet."

With those words, the old man disappeared.

Next time? He had a premonition that the old man might appear before him again someday.

At the same time, the stopped time began to flow again. The halted butterfly flapped its wings and flew into the sky, the grass swayed in the wind, and Ghostly Sage's tear, which had been suspended in mid-air, fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry. Really."

The man silently gazed at Ghostly Sage, who was shedding tears of apology. He would never dream of it. That his grand ritual was a great one connected to the will of heaven. Although the final decision was made by heaven, Ghostly Sage's ritual was undoubtedly the medium that connected him to it.

Ghostly Sage pleaded with a desperate face. "Ah! It's a shameless request, but don't forget the promise you made me! You have to stop my marriage!"

The man let out a small laugh. Even at this old age, on the verge of death, he was making the same request.

"Is it still hell?"

"A hotter hell. I have no shame, but I'm still asking you. If I don't listen to the very end, just rip off my manhood."

"Is it that bad?"

"It's worse."

"Good. In that case, that's a fitting punishment for trying to betray me, so go through that hell one more time."

"Aah! My friend! Please!"

The man walked toward the haze of light, leaving the wailing Ghostly Sage behind.

Watching the light embrace him and begin to scatter brilliantly, Ghostly Sage was overcome with emotion, but in the end, what he wanted to say was this.

"I want to go too! Uwaaaaaaaah! I want to be the one to go!"