Chapter 75: I'll Accept a Drink

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jo Cheonbae and I crossed the final boundary of the inner court. We underwent the same identity check and body search as the previous two times. The various ingredients Jo Cheonbae brought were inspected again.

Jo Cheonbae was frozen stiff. The martial artists on guard grew stronger and more intimidating the deeper we went into the inner court, and he could barely breathe.

Only after we passed the boundary did Jo Cheonbae finally relax.

"Whew, I've never been this nervous in my life."

"You don't have to be so tense. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Of course. If it weren't for you, Director, how could I have ever come this far? This is my first time in the inner court."

We headed toward the residence where the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader lived.

"What's your first impression of the inner court?"

"I was too scared to even look around properly."

"There's nothing to be afraid of. In this vast place, few people work as hard as you, proprietor."

"Oh, please don't say such things."

Jo Cheonbae waved his hands dismissively, but the corners of his mouth lifted happily with each wave.

"I don't know how I got so lucky. The Second Young Lord visited my tavern, and thanks to that, I got to serve food to people I could never have dreamed of meeting. I never imagined I'd get to come to the inner court like this."

I brought Jo Cheonbae today to cook while I drank with the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. The real reason, however, was to let him see the inner court.

He had once mentioned in passing that he wanted to see the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's inner court, and today I intended to grant that wish.

My personal chef, Chef Lim, was busy providing meals for the Heavenly Wind Cult members waiting in the outer court, so I had a perfectly good excuse to bring Jo Cheonbae.

"I must have accumulated a lot of merit in my past life."

"Our proprietor must have saved the murim in his past life."

"Even if I didn't save the whole murim, I must have at least beaten an Elder from the Murim Alliance to death with my iron ladle when they invaded our Cult."

I laughed pleasantly at his joke. Just then, some passing inner court martial artists saw me and bowed respectfully. Jo Cheonbae couldn't even make eye contact with those burly, frightening men.

"Now that I'm actually here, I feel both happy and afraid."

"That's why I established a Branch in the Demon Village. It's a place that's difficult for most people to visit easily. So, proprietor, please keep a close eye on the people of the Demon Village and the Branch. If you have anything to report to me, be sure to do so."

"Yes, I will."

Just like that, we arrived at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's residence.

"You're here?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader greeted me warmly. I had promised to treat him to a drink once the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme was decided. He was in a good mood because Cheong Seon had won. On top of that, I had refused the divine object, so the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader seemed very pleased.

"This is the proprietor of the Pungryu inn, whom you've met before. Rather than serving you cold food, I wanted to eat a warm meal prepared by the proprietor, so I brought him along. Proprietor, if you would."

"I will put my very soul into my cooking."

"I don't particularly want to eat your soul, proprietor, so just make it like you usually do."

"……"

While Jo Cheonbae went to prepare the food, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and I entered a room.

"Congratulations on taking a Demon Supreme as your disciple."

"It's something I never could have accomplished without you, Second Young Lord. Thank you."

"It's because you taught your disciple well, Cult Leader."

"Let's just call it our victory."

We enjoyed our victory, exchanging such pleasantries. I knew Cheong Seon would win. Once a master of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's caliber got involved, he would have secured victory no matter the method. His first disciple, Yang Do, was too outmatched to create any unexpected variables.

A short while later, Jo Cheonbae served the dishes and alcohol.

After tasting the food, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was satisfied.

"This chef's skills are quite good."

"I'll pass that on. The proprietor will be pleased."

We enjoyed the alcohol and the food. As if he had resolved to do his best, Jo Cheonbae's cooking today was superb.

"Have you met with my father yet?"

"I'm scheduled to see him soon."

"When you meet him, emphasize this. Tell him that by taking Cheong Seon as your disciple, you will raise her to be an even stronger Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme than the previous one. To my father, that point is the most important."

"I understand what you mean. Thank you for telling me."

"Don't mention it."

As the drinking session deepened, I spoke to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nonchalantly.

"Would it be alright if I offered a drink to the man in shackles over there?"

For a moment, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader flinched in surprise.

"Why do you want to give him a drink?"

"I don't have any special reason. I've seen him several times whenever I come to see you, Cult Leader. On such a pleasant day, I just wanted to offer him a drink."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader smiled as he replied.

"That man doesn't touch alcohol at all."

"Is that so?"

It was then that the shackled man opened his mouth.

"I'll have a drink."

I was startled, but the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was even more so. His expression slowly hardened. From that unconcealed change in his face, I could guess the truth.

The shackled man had never once accepted a drink from the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"Then I'll give you a drink."

I pretended not to see the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, who looked like he was about to explode, and rose from my seat.

I took a cup and a bottle of alcohol and went over to the shackled man.

I sat in front of him and held out the cup.

The shackled man, who had been looking down, raised his head and took my cup.

I slowly filled his cup.

I said nothing else. I didn't use telepathy. I simply poured him a drink.

The shackled man accepted the drink with his head bowed and drank it down.

Then he returned the cup to me. This time, he poured me a drink.

I accepted the drink and drained it refreshingly.

We, who had only exchanged glances, had finally shared a drink. We had only drunk alcohol without a single word of conversation, but for me, that was enough.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, who had been watching this, seemed truly furious. Otherwise, he would not have uttered such words.

"Do you know what that fellow's specialty is? He has a nose like a dog. He's ridiculously good at sniffing out those who come to steal the divine object. What do you think? Don't those shackles look like a dog's leash? Hahahaha."

Spitting out words that were closer to contempt than a joke, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader laughed loudly.

Only the sound of his laughter filled the room.

And then, silence.

What he had just said was a clear slip of the tongue, an insult to the shackled man. I didn't give him a chance to recover from his blunder with a witty retort. This carelessness of his was a kind of gift to me.

I returned to my original seat and poured alcohol into his cup, which had become empty.

"Here, have a drink."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader downed the alcohol without a word.

The shackled man, just like always, lowered his head and froze like a fossil.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader stared at him and bit his lip gently. At least when it came to the shackled man, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was unable to hide or control his emotions. It was just like how the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was with matters related to the Flower Sword Supreme.

I bid my farewell earlier than originally planned and left.

I had given the shackled man a drink, and I had drunk his. I had achieved the purpose of my visit today.

After Geom Mugeuk left, the atmosphere was chilly.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader acknowledged he had done wrong, yet he felt strangely upset. He didn't want to apologize, but he forced himself to.

"I was sorry about before."

Despite the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's apology, the shackled man said nothing.

"I said I'm sorry."

When there was still no reaction after he apologized again, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader finally exploded.

"Damn it! What do you think you're doing? I'm your master. You're my subordinate. Can't I even say something like that? I've been letting you have your way, and now you've gotten arrogant, haven't you? Do you want to die? Is that it?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader shouted, but the voice in his heart was chiding him.

What are you doing right now? What did you do right that gives you the right to shout?

The greater his self-reproach, the louder his voice became.

"How much have I put up with until now? Five times speaking informally? What kind of madman gives a subordinate a chance like that? Me! It was only because it was me, wasn't it? And you don't even appreciate it. You said you couldn't drink, right? That you'd rather die? But you accept a drink from the Second Young Lord? And right after I said you couldn't drink?"

No matter how angry he was, he should have stopped there.

However, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader couldn't contain his surging anger and crossed a line he shouldn't have.

The next moment, the space they were in changed.

It was not the place with the ever-present blue sky and fields.

It was the middle of a battlefield where blood flowed and corpses were strewn about. The stench of blood pierced the nose, making it a difficult place to be for even a moment.

"A place that suits you perfectly. From now on, this will be the only place you'll ever see!"

Ultimately, the reason the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader couldn't stop his anger was that he had been the only one making a scene from start to finish. He made the mistake, and he got angry.

The shackled man hadn't said a single word. He had merely accepted a drink.

No, he was the one who was wrong first. He shouldn't have accepted that drink. Didn't he tell me? That I'm petty and greedy? If you knew that, why would you do this?

Just then, as if reading his inner thoughts, the shackled man opened his mouth and spoke politely.

"I was thoughtless. I apologize."

He was so polite that the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's heart sank.

A wave of anxiety that he might never again hear the shackled man's frank words began to make the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's heart pound.

This isn't right. Apologize, quickly. Quickly!

He screamed in his mind.

But the words "I'm sorry" wouldn't come out. He, too, had a lot of pent-up feelings.

Why should I apologize? I'm his master. I'm the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader!

Although he had argued with him several times, they had never had such a major conflict. So he was flustered about what to do.

If he were dealing with anyone else, he would have handled it much more coolly. If his opponent had been the Demonic Buddha, he would have been calculating on his abacus internally even while shouting on the outside.

But with the shackled man, that wasn't possible.

The sea of blood and corpses spread before his eyes was the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's heart. He agonized and agonized, but in the end, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader could not apologize.

Oblivious to his feelings, only the howls of wolves that had caught the scent of blood sounded cruelly in the air.

In a corner of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's courtyard, I watched Seo Daeryong's training.

He had moved past basic training and was now honing his technique. The way he wielded his dao was different from before.

I had told Seo Daeryong back at the Pungryu inn that even though he started late, he would learn with more dedication, and that would be fine. My words had become reality.

He did not neglect a single movement. Moreover, just as smart people learn martial arts well, Seo Daeryong was improving by leaps and bounds.

Just then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon came and stood next to me.

"Did you come to watch your subordinate suffer?"

"He suffers enough during the day, so I don't have such a twisted hobby."

"Then what brings you here at this hour?"

"I came to consult you about something."

"Come in."

Leaving Seo Daeryong to his training, I entered the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's residence.

I looked at the books filling the bookshelf and marveled.

"You have so many books."

"Go on, say the rest of what you want to say."

"They don't suit you."

"They're for decoration, not for reading."

"Even as decorations, they don't suit you."

"You brat! If you counted all the books I read in my youth, the number would be as high as the number of people the Cult Leader has killed."

"Then you would have become a great scholar."

After exchanging such jokes, we got to the main topic.

"What did you want to consult me about?"

"There's someone whose shackles I want to remove."

Startled by the unexpected words, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon misunderstood.

"Did you find someone in the underground prison you want to release?"

"No. It's someone near me."

This time, he took it in a symbolic sense.

"Right, everyone lives with some kind of shackle."

"What kind of shackles do you have, Elder?"

"Mine are…."

He seemed about to say something but trailed off and asked instead.

"Who is this person?"

"He's the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's subordinate."

"Oh, dear."

His expression already showed the difficulty he foresaw.

"Since he's someone you want to acquire, he must be a decent person. Which means it's highly likely the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader also cherishes him."

"You're exactly right."

"Does the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader know you want him?"

"He doesn't."

"Have you spoken with the subordinate?"

"No, I haven't said a single word to him yet, but I believe our hearts have connected."

"Hearts? You believe? This is truly a mountain of obstacles."

When I thought about who to consult about the shackled man, the first person who came to mind was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Even if he couldn't give me the answer, I felt that by talking with him, I might be able to find the answer myself. That's the kind of person the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was to me.

"That's why I came to see you, Elder. Please tell me the way."

"Did you leave the method in my keeping?"

I smiled brightly and said confidently. "Yes! Please give me what I left in your keeping. Show me the way out of this mountain of obstacles."