Chapter 91: Is It That Obvious?

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sat by the window, gazing outside.

In the courtyard, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme Cheong Seon trained her martial arts. Her training time had decreased since she officially became the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, but her skills improved daily. She definitely had a talent for the Soul-Stealing Arts.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader fiddled with the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron throwing knife as he watched Cheong Seon train. He habitually glanced behind him at the empty display cabinets where the sacred relics once stood.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sighed.

He had told himself it was fine to accept the throwing knife as a sacred relic. Now, the only one left in his room was the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron throwing knife in his hand. He had essentially traded all those other relics for this single knife.

No. I won't live a life of looking back anymore.

He had to turn this emptiness into a sense of relief.

In the past, he couldn't have even gone out for tea, worried as he was about the sacred relics, but now, he could go anywhere with just this throwing knife. They say you must empty yourself to become free, and that saying was perfectly true. Yes, this is how I should think.

While he was thinking, Cheong Seon finished her training.

"Master, I'll take my leave for today."

"Good work."

Cheong Seon, who had been about to turn away, came back and hesitantly spoke.

"Master."

"What is it?"

"When will you pass down your true secret techniques to me?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had not yet passed on his secret techniques.

"Cheong Seon."

"Yes, Master."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"It's because I'm weak. Being weak naturally makes one impatient."

She was the one who had killed her Senior Brother to become the Demon Supreme. At first, all the shamans of the Western Illusion Sanctum were enthusiastic about her, but she could feel that popularity slowly fading. These days, she felt pressured to show the shamans some kind of overwhelming martial arts.

Furthermore, she disliked Sa Woojong, who tried to meet her whenever he had a chance. She used to like him so much, but once she became the Demon Supreme, she magically started to dislike him. Every single thing he did got on her nerves.

If she had her way, she would cut ties with him completely, but she still met with him occasionally, worried he might spread strange rumors.

She even thought she might have to kill him, which left her feeling troubled.

"What kind of Demon Supreme do you want to become?"

"I don't have the luxury to think about such things. How could I possibly sleep with my current skill level?"

"If an ambitious and talented person like you trains hard for about thirty years, you'll become me. How about that? That's your future."

Cheong Seon flinched for a moment.

"I think I'll have to train ten times harder than I do now."

After saying it, Cheong Seon worried she had made a needless joke. Thankfully, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader laughed heartily and took it well.

"Couldn't you have just said about five times?"

"I'm sorry. I was originally going to say twenty times."

Taking the opportunity, she joked again, and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader laughed even louder.

It was the first time they had exchanged jokes since they met.

Cheong Seon saw a new side of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. She had thought he was just a stuffy person. It was unexpected.

"Yes, you have eyes and ears, so you probably have a rough idea of what I've been through and what my situation is."

He had not told her directly, but she likely knew as much as she needed to. He had given up his position as Cult Leader and joined hands with Geom Mugeuk. What does she really think of me?

"I know that deep down, you probably think I'm pathetic."

"That's not true. You made a choice I could never make."

"And that makes me even more pathetic, right?"

"And that makes you even more admirable."

"The reason I brought this up is that I wanted to tell you that while martial arts are important, something else is more important."

"What is that?"

"People. To be precise, the ability to judge people."

"……"

"You're thinking this right now, aren't you? 'What nonsense is he spouting about people?'"

"No, Master."

"I would have thought the same. So it's fine."

"Absolutely not."

As the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader stared at her, Cheong Seon revealed her true thoughts.

"I believe that if your martial arts are weak, people are useless anyway. They'll all just leave in the end. I'm sorry to say this, but for now, I still think martial arts are more important than people."

"Yes, I used to think that way too. The day will come when you understand my words."

"Yes! I understand."

What could she possibly understand? He had been the same way. At that age, no matter who told him, the words never sank in.

Only after being bewitched by someone like Geom Mugeuk, finding her sacred relics gone every time she turns around, and being dragged around with shackles wrapped tightly around her neck will she think, 'Ah, what my Master said back then was all true.'

She will only realize then that martial arts are only important when you're killing someone, but in reality, the ability to judge people is a hundred times more important.

"Soon, after seeing your progress, we will move on to the next stage."

"Thank you, Master."

Cheong Seon left with a pleasant smile.

When he first took Cheong Seon as a disciple, he had only thought of her as a venomous woman full of ambition. At the time, his mind was elsewhere, so he had not thought deeply about her.

He had wondered if he could ever grow truly fond of her, but as he taught her, a certain affection developed.

Especially after being pushed around by clever people recently, having someone he could nag a little and act like an adult toward felt like a breath of fresh air.

But that was only for a moment.

Not long after she left, a visitor arrived. It was First Young Lord Geom Muyang.

"I came because I wished to see you, Cult Leader. I apologize for not sending word in advance."

"It's fine. Come in."

Geom Muyang sat down facing the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"I was in a state of confusion that day and couldn't greet you properly."

"I was the same, so don't worry about it."

"I heard you've become quite close with my younger brother."

"There were many twists and turns."

"It must have been a great miraculous encounter for Mugeuk."

"Actually, that wasn't the case."

"What do you mean?"

"Your brother is so clever that I had much to learn from him."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was indirectly speaking of his own ordeal, but Geom Muyang misunderstood and thought he was praising Geom Mugeuk.

"My younger brother is indeed clever."

"He was the cleverest person I've ever met."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon said he moved his heart, and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader is saying he was the cleverest person he'd ever met. He's clever and has a charm that can move people's hearts?

Geom Muyang still did not feel that such compliments suited his younger brother.

"Anyway, what brings a busy person like you here? Isn't the First Young Lord the busiest person in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"

"Please help me become that person in reality. I'm someone who likes being busy," Geom Muyang said bluntly.

"If you join hands with me, I will grant you the two things you desire most, Cult Leader."

As the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader listened, he realized they were indeed the two things he wanted most. Throughout the conversation, he thought of one person.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader went to see Go Wol.

"Where is the Second Young Lord?"

"He hasn't returned yet."

Perhaps because Geom Mugeuk was not there, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was needlessly grumpy with Go Wol.

"What's the difference between being lonely here by yourself and being tied up in shackles?"

"You keep saying that because you've never been in shackles. Would you like to try it once?"

"Never mind, never mind."

He felt more at ease making the same kind of joke than before.

"Listen. I have a favor to ask."

"Go on."

"Couldn't you speak casually to me, at least when it's just the two of us?"

Go Wol stared at him for a moment before finally speaking.

"Cult Leader."

"Yes! That's it!"

"You threw away the important position of Cult Leader for me, so how could I not grant such a small request? However, there is one thing I'm worried about."

"What is it?"

"You like it so much now, but what will you do if you come to hate me later? If you start to hate me, this is the first thing you'll think. 'This young bastard is speaking informally to me.' It'll be incredibly annoying then."

"By then, our relationship will already be shattered, so what does it matter? It'll be a situation where I've already lost you anyway."

For a moment, Go Wol's heart stirred. He had truly hated this man so much, yet there was no one who liked him as much as this man did.

"Alright, fine. Just don't regret it later."

"Regret is mine to bear. Don't worry."

"Why did you come today? It couldn't have been just to say that."

"I just came to see you."

Go Wol, who had been quietly observing the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, said abruptly.

"The First Young Lord came to see you, didn't he?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader flinched for a moment.

"How did you know?"

"I had a feeling."

"This is one of those things, isn't it? You secretly spied on me and now you're pretending to be smart with what you found out? Are you all just a bunch of scammers?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader wore an expression that said, 'How desperate must I be to say something like this?'

"What did the First Young Lord offer you?"

"He promised to help us advance into the Central Plains if I sided with him. He said that if the Second Young Lord promised a Branch, he would establish multiple Branches."

"That's a promise he can't keep. It's a lie."

"Why are you so sure?"

"The First Young Lord is someone who unconditionally obeys his father's words. Unlike the Second Young Lord, he has no unpredictable side to him at all. He will follow his father's will and never allow the Heavenly Wind Cult to advance into the Central Plains. If the First Young Lord becomes the Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Wind Cult will never be able to hang even a palm-sized plaque in the Central Plains."

"You're just judging him unfairly because you're on the Second Young Lord's side."

Go Wol ignored the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's words and asked a question.

"What else did he offer?"

"There were no other offers."

At that, Go Wol's eyes narrowed at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"Don't look at me like that. He didn't offer any other conditions."

"It's obvious when you lie."

"It's obvious? How?"

Go Wol did not tell him. Instead, as if to prove his words were true, he guessed Geom Muyang's offer exactly.

"He used me as a bargaining chip, didn't he?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's eyes flew open.

"How did you know?"

"He must have promised to send me back to you, Cult Leader. If there was an offer that could sway you, that would be the only one."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had honestly been tempted by the First Young Lord's offer.

If only he could get Go Wol back? It might sound crazy, but he had thought he could even give up on that damned advance into the Central Plains.

Seeing how the First Young Lord could sway his heart, even after he had thrown away the position of Cult Leader, he thought the First Young Lord was formidable.

"The First Young Lord is incredibly clever too."

"The First Young Lord is not a clever person. If he were truly clever, he wouldn't be fighting with the Second Young Lord."

"You're sick, you are. Sick with the Second Young Lord disease."

"So what did you say?"

"Don't worry. I rejected him firmly."

"Stop lying. You're probably scheming how to use the conflict between the two of them to get me back. You came to see me to sound me out, wondering if there was a way."

After a moment of silence, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader asked.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Cult Leader. Why do you keep forgetting? You said it clearly yourself, didn't you? That you're no match for these clever bastards. You say that, so why are you trying to pull your petty tricks again?"

"Well… it's because of you."

"If you do this, you'll… lose me forever."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sighed.

"I'm sorry. I knew better, but I acted like an idiot again."

"You have to fight with your other strengths. Against someone who uses their head, you have to fight using your other charms as a weapon."

"What charms do I have?"

"If you had no charm, Cult Leader, I would still be bound in shackles."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's eyes trembled slightly.

"You're the only one who says things like that to me."

"No. It's because you only see me, Cult Leader. It's because you sat on your throne and casually looked down on others. Now that you're out in the real world, if you show people what kind of person you are, they'll be lining up to say such things. At that point, you might be the one to say this about me. 'Ah, those shackles from back then? I wonder if they're doing well?'"

"You're talking nonsense."

The two of them looked at each other and chuckled.

"Cult Leader, think of me as a bonfire. Warm yourself by the fire from a little distance. If you get too close, you'll get burned, and you'll be covered in soot."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nodded silently and said.

"…Just don't remember me as the Cult Leader from back then."

Go Wol's heart trembled as well. Not even Geom Mugeuk had been able to create such ripples in his heart.

"Cult Leader, from today on, shout this five times before you go to sleep."

"What is it?"

"It's the Second Young Lord until the end. It's the Second Young Lord until the end. Now, say it."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader forced himself to complete the remaining three.

Contrary to his words, he shouted inwardly.

I envy you, Second Young Lord. I envy you, Second Young Lord. You bastard, I envy you.

Still, he felt fortunate to have Go Wol. He felt closer to him today than when he had kept him by his side in shackles.

It seemed there was a kind of compatibility even in relying on someone. Because honestly, he felt it would be fine even if he burned to death in that bonfire.