Chapter 22: You Can Just Teach Me in Secret

TL: FoodieMonster007

After leaving the Heavenly Demon Archives, I went straight to the Heavenly Demon Hall.

"I'm back."

Father looked down at me quietly and beckoned me forward.

"Come closer."

I took five steps forward.

"A little more."

This time, I took three steps.

"More."

I walked right up to the foot of the stairs.

Father scrutinized me. He must have been curious about what martial arts I had learned, but since I walked without using the Four Strides of the Wind God, he couldn't discern anything from my movements.

"What martial arts did you learn in the Heavenly Demon Archives?"

"It's a secret."

Father seemed to expect that response. He unleashed his demonic qi without hesitation.

"I won't ask a second time."

The demonic qi that flew at me was on a completely different level than the qi from the demon fiends. It didn't sting. Instead, it felt like sinking into a dark abyss. My body grew cold, and my true qi naturally slowed.

I never intended to hide it from Father, so I answered honestly.

"I learned a movement art."

"What kind of movement art?"

"The Four Strides of the Wind God."

A stunned silence followed.

Soon, the demonic qi that had briefly receded washed over me again.

"Cut the nonsense."

"It's true."

The demonic qi dragged me into a deeper abyss. It rose to my neck and submerged my face, but I stared back at Father without flinching.

I sank endlessly into the swamp-like abyss. I couldn't breathe. I believed he wouldn't actually kill me, but the unavoidable terror of suffocation washed over me.

In that moment, it felt as if something enormous was staring at me from within the darkness.

"!"

The instant our eyes met, the crushing pressure vanished. I stood on the edge of the red carpet in the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Father withdrew his demonic qi and spoke like he was giving a command. "Demonstrate the martial arts you claim to have learned."

Father still didn't believe it was the Four Strides of the Wind God.

"What will you give me in return?"

Father looked at me in disbelief. No one in his life had ever made a demand with conditions attached.

"I'll let you live."

I smiled faintly, stepped back, and stood in the center of the great hall. Then, I slowly demonstrated the Four Strides of the Wind God.

When I performed the Shadow Step, Father shot up from his seat. He had recognized from the very first step that it was different from other martial arts.

I completed all the techniques of the Four Strides of the Wind God.

Father rarely showed his emotions, but he couldn't hide his shock. It was a lost martial art, so this was his first time seeing the Four Strides of the Wind God. Even so, he recognized its incredible power.

"Where did you learn the Four Strides of the Wind God?"

Now, Father believed that this movement art was indeed the Four Strides of the Wind God.

"I learned it in the Heavenly Demon Archives."

HWI IK.

In an instant, Father crossed the space. He appeared before me, grabbed my throat, and asked coldly.

"Do you dare lie to me?"

He seemed ready to break my neck at any moment. It was the first time Father had ever laid a hand on me, and the emotion behind it was rage.

But I wasn't angry. Father was sincere about martial arts. That sincerity was why he held his position and why he was so strong. I understood that about him.

"The Four Strides of the Wind God was not in the Heavenly Demon Archives."

A chilling energy, cold enough to freeze my blood, flowed from his fingertips. It was a different sensation from sinking into the abyss earlier.

"I am certain I learned it there."

"That's a lie!"

"Can you guarantee you've read every single one of those numerous secret manuals? It could have been on a different shelf, not the one for movement arts."

"Then you knew the Four Strides of the Wind God was there!"

"I didn't know."

"Lies!"

"I really didn't. I was trying to learn a different martial art and happened to find it by chance."

I stuck firmly to this part of the story. There was no other way to explain it. Of course, Father wouldn't believe me.

Father released his grip on my neck and asked again.

"Where was it?"

"It was being used as a prop under a bookshelf."

"And how did you discover it?"

"I found it when I tried to straighten the crooked prop."

Father considered whether to believe me. He started to call a subordinate to fetch it, but then stopped.

"You must have already destroyed the important parts of the secret manual."

"How did you know?"

"Because I would have done the same."

After glaring at me for a moment, Father returned to his grand chair with the same speed he had used to fly at me.

"Recite the oral secrets."

As expected! That's Father.

My goal isn't to defeat Father and take the seat of the Heavenly Demon. Nor do I plan to wait for that bastard Hwa Mugi in the same situation as last time.

Killing him is important, but the purpose of my regression was to save Father and the members of the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Revenge will not be the entirety of this regression. Revenge is the reason for my return, but the purpose of my return is to live this life happily.

After killing Hwa Mugi, until Father passes his position down to me, I plan to live freely, wandering the world without being tied to the Cult.

That's when my real life will begin. With this young body, I will live a life without constraints. The title of my autobiography will be 'Life, Like Geom Mugeuk'.

Therefore, teaching Father a movement art is not a problem at all.

Of course, not for free.

"I refuse."

I quickly added the next part to stop my angry father from flying at me again.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"As I recall, the secret technique I taught you at the hunting grounds was free."

"That was payment for the drinks you had at the hunting grounds."

Father looked dumbfounded at my shameless words.

"How on earth have you held back until now? You shameless bastard."

"You have to be big to defy someone. I'm taller than you now, Father. I gritted my teeth and endured it until I grew this tall."

I didn't yield a single word to Father.

Father. You can't win against me. You have no idea how much I've suffered. I've overcome near-death experiences several times.

"Is there something you want?"

"Since I'm giving you the oral secrets of a martial art, it's only fair that I receive the oral secrets of a martial art in return. I'd love to be taught the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, but that seems difficult, so I'll settle for the Heavenly Demon Defense Art."

A moment of silence fell.

The Heavenly Demon Defense Art was, as its name suggests, a body protection art. It was a unique martial art of the Heavenly Demon passed down only to the Heavenly Demon himself.

"Impossible!"

"What I'm offering is the Four Strides of the Wind God. Strictly speaking, I'm the one getting the short end of this deal."

"The Heavenly Demon Defense Art can only be learned by the Heavenly Demon and his successor."

"You can just teach me in secret. The Heavenly Demon Defense Art is a martial art that activates without any obvious signs anyway, so no one else will ever know."

It was a martial art that would never be revealed to outsiders.

I could feel Father's hesitation. If he got serious, became angry, and pressured me intensely, I would eventually have to tell him, but Father didn't do that. He was who he was.

In any case, it was a martial art I absolutely had to obtain. Learning the Heavenly Demon Defense Art was like gaining an extra life.

"Please think it over and let me know."

I bowed politely and was about to turn away when Father's voice reached me.

"However, the Four Strides of the Wind God comes first."

To my surprise, Father had decided to pass down the Heavenly Demon Defense Art.

He's really going to teach me the Heavenly Demon Defense Art?

Perhaps Father wants me to be his successor. Or does he not care, assuming I'm just a kid who will die fighting the Eight Demon Supremes anyway?

"Very well."

"Why do you accept so readily? I could just take the Four Strides of the Wind God and not teach you."

"Because you're not the type of person to do something shameful in front of your own son."

A sneer touched Father's lips. Using a word like 'shameful' was the strongest card I could play. How could Father not see through my intentions?

I'm sorry, Father, but I can't just hand over the Four Strides of the Wind God for nothing, can I?

Fortunately, Father's reaction wasn't too bad. He was the type to value someone who secured a price for something, rather than naively offering up the oral secrets of a martial art.

"Good. Tell me the oral secrets."

"……"

I recited the oral secrets of the Four Strides of the Wind God to Father.

Father quietly closed his eyes and mulled over the oral secrets.

When six hours had passed, Father began to perform the Four Strides of the Wind God.

I watched him without blinking.

Father's demonstration of the Four Strides of the Wind God was both the same as and different from my own. His movements were a declaration of his interpretation.

I engraved every single movement of Father's performance into my mind. It was not to imitate him exactly. I knew that one's level of martial attainment is determined by how one interprets the subtle differences, what sets my version apart from his, and why.

After performing all the techniques, Father fell into silent contemplation.

I too fell into a deep meditation, comparing the Four Strides of the Wind God Father had just performed with my own.

I must learn.

Father's approach to martial arts. The way the strongest thinks and the depth of his interpretation.

Eventually, Father emerged from his meditation.

"This is truly a fine martial art."

For Father to call a martial art 'fine' was the highest praise.

"You can't just take it for free now, can you? Your conscience wouldn't allow it."

Father scoffed, but this time, his scoff was tinged with satisfaction.

I had now created the biggest variable since my regression.

Could Hwa Mugi truly defeat a father who had also mastered the Four Strides of the Wind God?

Of course, I planned to beat Hwa Mugi myself, but teaching the Four Strides of the Wind God to Father was a kind of backup plan.

Father kept his promise.

"I will now impart the Heavenly Demon Defense Art. I will say it only once, so memorize it well."

Before listening to the oral secrets, I sat down in a cross-legged meditation posture.

Father would truly say it only once. Instead of memorizing it with my mind, I intended to circulate it directly and memorize it with my body. This was something no one but a master of my level should ever attempt.

Father began to recite the oral secrets of the Heavenly Demon Defense Art.

"Move your internal energy gently from Myeongmun-hyeol to Sinyu, Jisil, and Wiyu. At this point, the true qi must be as light as snow settling on a blade of grass. Speed is crucial up to Biyu, Ganyu, and Gyeogyu. Increase your speed as if walking, then running, then taking light flight, and upon reaching Sinju, Pungmun, and Goguon, pour it out forcefully like a cascading waterfall…"

The oral secrets were blatantly difficult from the very beginning. The difficulty was extreme. My heart pounded as I moved my true qi according to the secrets. I almost resented Father for not stopping me from circulating it directly, knowing how difficult it was.

Naturally, several crises arose. I managed the smaller ones well, but as I neared the end, I faced a major crisis.

In an instant, my true qi reversed its flow and ran rampant, as if my meridians were about to burst. The taut meridians felt like they could rupture at any moment. If I hadn't strengthened them with the Meridians Strengthening Art before, I would have surely suffered severe internal injuries.

So learning the Meridians Strengthening Art was all preparation for this very day. In that case, I will not die today!

On the edge of a cliff where qi deviation, internal injuries, and death awaited, I became the incarnation of positivity and fought back.

I also believed.

That it was not my destiny to die while learning martial arts from Father.

Did my faith get through?

The true qi that had been rampaging like a wild horse calmed down. The qi flowed along its proper meridians. Having passed the crisis, I was able to complete the final oral secrets of the Heavenly Demon Defense Art.

HUUUUU.

Completing one full circulation with a long breath, I slowly opened my eyes.

Father was standing by the large window of the Heavenly Demon Hall, gazing outside.

Did he know that I had just overcome such a great crisis?

If I had fallen into qi deviation, would he have helped me?

Until I heard the words 'From now on, you are the next Heavenly Demon' from Father's lips, I couldn't be sure of anything.

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Father continued to gaze out the window as he spoke of the greatness of the Heavenly Demon Defense Art.

"When your life is on the line, the Heavenly Demon Defense Art will activate on its own. In the future, if you achieve complete mastery of the Heavenly Demon Defense Art, you will never die."

The moment I heard those words, a single question arose in my mind.

Then why did you die, Father?