Chapter 130: You Are The Epitome Of Prejudice

TL: FoodieMonster007

Silence fell, long and heavy between the two of them.

I brought the same liquor the Drunken Demon had sought just before his death. A brewery near the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult sold it, but no one knew why he specifically wanted this drink. The Drunken Demon died after drinking this very liquor.

"Why did you bring that liquor?"

His voice trembled as much as his eyes.

His reaction confirmed it. There's some story connected to this liquor.

I feigned ignorance and offered an excuse.

"Because I was in a bad mood. You must've been expecting some fine vintage, but I just stopped by a random place and bought it. If you sent an empty bottle to test me, you should've been prepared for some common local liquor. Didn't I tell you how I felt when I received that empty bottle?"

The Drunken Demon stared at me for a moment, his eyes glaring at my meaningless explanation.

"Why are you acting like this? Was I not supposed to bring this liquor?"

Asking back was the best way to reduce suspicion. I pressed forward without avoiding the topic. I had to ask openly.

"Does this liquor have some special meaning?"

When I met his gaze with my own suspicious one, the Drunken Demon deftly changed the subject.

"You've got a temper."

"Who doesn't? Everyone just endures it and lives on."

The Drunken Demon relaxed from his tense posture and leaned back against the backrest.

"You said you know the heart of a man lost to drink? How?"

"Because I was once lost in it myself."

He scoffed openly at that.

"So, a young drunkard can't be recognized as a real drunkard again?"

I continued my earlier retort, questioning if a young man's story didn't count as a real story.

"I understand. It's an age where everything is intense."

"Don't mock me."

"I'm not mocking you. I'm just saying age is something you can't help. I don't want to act like some detestable Senior who acts all high and mighty and tries to lecture people either."

"But that's exactly what you're doing right now."

"That's why I said you can't help your age, right? If you're angry, drink that liquor."

Then, as if he were the angry one, he gulped down his drink.

"Damn it!"

He slammed the cup down, shattering it. He raised his hand, and the broken pieces floated into the air before flying to a corner. A large pile of broken cups already sat there.

The Drunken Demon poured liquor into a new cup and spoke.

"I told you to have a drink too."

"I'm angry, but I won't drink."

"……"

"Because I came here today intending not to drink. If I drink while dealing with the Drunken Demon, what do you think the outcome will be?"

"A plausible thought, but have you not considered the opposite? How can you possibly deal with the Drunken Demon without drinking?"

"Then please promise me one thing. That today, we will only drink."

"Isn't that my line? Please don't get drunk and ask me for help."

"Fine."

I drank the liquor I brought straight from the bottle. My throat burned even from the small amount.

"It's strong. Would you like to try this liquor?"

The Drunken Demon shook his head.

I took the bottle and walked over to the Drunken Demon, then sat across from him at the liquor table.

"I need to eat side dishes while I drink."

"A drinker with no style."

"Health over style. Besides, I'm not a heavy drinker."

I took out a silver needle to check the dishes for poison. The Drunken Demon snapped at the sight.

"Do I look like the kind of person who serves poisoned food to a guest?"

"Isn't that why I'm checking? To see if you're that kind of person or not."

The Drunken Demon snatched the dish I was about to check and ate it with his hand.

"What do you take me for? There's nothing like that in there! Just eat!"

"I refuse. How can I trust you?"

When I stuck the silver needle into another dish, he snatched that one and ate it first too.

"Trust me. I despise those who put poison or drugs in liquor or side dishes! I'm the kind of person who would chew them alive."

I spoke calmly to the infuriated man.

"You're eating the side dishes well. Please keep eating like that from now on. Think of the sincerity of the person who made them. Are the side dishes flowers? Meant only to be looked at?"

Honestly, I deliberately came over to eat the side dishes just to say this to him. Among the people around him, no one would likely dare tell the Drunken Demon to eat his food.

This man, if he keeps going like this, he'll die from a liquor-related illness. You love liquor this much and have such high pride when it comes to it, you can't die because of that very thing, can you?

This was a separate issue from whether he would side with me or my brother. Even if he were to commit evil deeds and die by my hand, I would rather he die by the sword.

If a person loves and enjoys one thing their entire life, wouldn't it be too tragic for them to die because of it?

If he were to see his future self, I can guarantee it. He would take his own life.

"Now, let's have a drink."

"I won't drink if you don't eat the side dishes."

"Is this good enough? I asked, is this good enough!"

"Excellent."

We drank together. He gave off the feeling that it would be difficult if he drank more, yet he kept drinking. He was gradually getting drunk.

In the midst of it all, I unfailingly put my divine art of flattery to use.

"You are the most handsome of the Eight Demon Supremes."

"That's something anyone would admit."

The art of flattery requires a push-and-pull technique. After saying something good, you must also say something bad to make the good words shine even brighter, just like this.

"Honestly, you're so much like a sculpture that it can actually create a sense of distance."

"Tell the women of the world. Please keep their distance from me."

"Ah! I can't stand this. I need a drink."

Who in the world dislikes being called handsome? The Drunken Demon also drank cheerfully.

"Once upon a time… women really lined up for me. Can you imagine a female warrior from the orthodox sects and a female master from the unorthodox sects fighting over me? Ah, it really brings back memories."

As if suddenly overcome with excitement, he shot to his feet and took off his shirt. Then, before I had a chance to stop him, he threw his body into the lake.

He swam around like a madman for a good while before climbing back up to the pavilion. His body, dripping with water, was firm and muscular, but it was covered in scars. Come to think of it, I had never seen the bodies of the Demon Supremes. Perhaps the other Demon Supremes' bodies also bore such scars. The scars demanded by one's position, just as my own body became a wreck while seeking the ingredients for the great technique.

"Ah, I'm finally sobering up a bit. Now, let's start drinking again."

He returned too lucid for it to be called a drunken antic. He threw on his clothes haphazardly and started drinking again.

I drank slowly. He drank without rest but never forced me to drink. That one thing was truly good.

"Shall I be honest about why I called you?"

"Please tell me."

Then, the Drunken Demon gave a truly unexpected reason.

"Because no one comes to see me. Why don't you or the First Young Lord visit me? You go around meeting the other Demon Supremes just fine. Are you ignoring me? Is that it?"

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have visited you today."

"Then why? And spare me that nonsense about the main character appearing later."

"If I had to give a reason, it would be because the Drunken Demon somehow feels like someone who is far removed from the succession struggle."

"Me?"

"Am I wrong?"

"Not at all. What relationship is there between me liking liquor and me striving not to be pushed out of the cult's power struggles? Aren't they completely separate matters? What? If you like liquor, you have to like people, have no desire for power, and have no greed. Do I have to be like that? Who decided that?"

"I suppose this was also a prejudice of mine. Truly, the Drunken Demon, you are the epitome of prejudice."

"Ugh, what a dreadful world."

The Drunken Demon drank again. Whether he was happy, angry, or feeling any other emotion, the moment he felt it, he drank. Drinking like this, it was only natural that he would die from a liquor-related illness.

After a few more drinks, I asked the question I had been waiting to ask.

"Did you send a bottle to my brother as well?"

"I did."

"Did my brother come to see you?"

At that, the Drunken Demon shook his head.

"He sent this instead."

He extended his hand, and a box from the corner flew to him.

When I opened the box, I saw a bottle identical to the one he had sent me, and the bottle was shattered.

"Do you know what I thought when I saw this?"

"I do."

"You do? What was I thinking?"

"What the hell is this bastard trying to pull?"

When I repeated the words I had said upon seeing the empty bottle he sent, the Drunken Demon drank, laughing as if he would die.

"Second Young Lord, you're amusing. How about we become sworn brothers? Having an entertaining younger brother like the Second Young Lord would be absolutely fantastic."

"I really wish my brother felt the same way."

The Drunken Demon laughed even louder and drank.

I felt a sense of bewilderment.

Since three Demon Supremes are interacting with me, my brother is in a position where he desperately needed even one, and yet he rejected the Drunken Demon's offer so blatantly?

If this is true, I have to find out why my brother made such a choice. There has to be a reason.

"That's an uncharacteristic reaction from my brother."

"It could be that you're seeing the First Young Lord incorrectly."

"There's no one who knows my brother better than I do."

"Look here, Second Young Lord."

"……"

"Do you know this? The people closest to you are the ones who see you the least clearly."

He said it as if it were some cool line, but in the middle of it, the Drunken Demon spilled his liquor. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he tried to go for another swim.

"I need to sober up. Those insolent fish bastards! They probably have a lot of prejudices about me too. I'll go teach them a lesson."

I stopped him as he staggered to his feet.

"You should stop drinking. I have to go now."

Honestly, I wanted to drink more. Was it because I was drinking with the Drunken Demon? Or was it because the drinking bug sleeping inside me had awakened? This drinking session was enjoyable.

However, this was a session with the man one should be most cautious of in this murim, at least when it comes to drinking, so I intended to end it after finishing only the bottle I had brought.

"I'll be taking my leave for today."

Unable to support his own body, the Drunken Demon leaned against the backrest and asked me.

"Will you drink with me again?"

"Anytime, if you call for me."

"We should become sworn brothers, right?"

Instead of answering, I asked him a question. It was the very same question Lee Ahn had mentioned.

"Drunken Demon, which liquor that you've drunk was the most delicious and enjoyable?"

I believe this is an excellent question that allows one to glimpse a facet of what kind of person he is.

Then came an unexpected answer.

"Right now."

"Are you talking about this drinking session with me? This is quite an honor."

"Our Second Young Lord sure has big dreams."

The Drunken Demon stared at the lake with unfocused eyes.

"For me, the liquor I'm drinking right now is always the most delicious. Whether I'm drinking alone, or with a stranger passing by. The liquor I'm drinking at this very moment is the best. Even if an assassin comes to kill me after you leave, the liquor I drink with that bastard will be the most delicious."

Saying that, the Drunken Demon emptied his last cup. The drunkenness seemed to be overwhelming him now, as he leaned against the backrest almost as if lying down and closed his eyes. He gestured for me to hurry and go, his words slurring.

"In the liquor of the past that has already left as piss… what memories could there be? Go on now."

With those words, he fell asleep.

I turned and left quietly.

Yeo Bin, one of the Three Great Drunkards who had greeted me earlier, rowed the ferry.

When I was about halfway across the lake, I looked back.

Unable to support himself, the Drunken Demon was draped over the pavilion's railing like laundry, staring at me.

It was a distance too far to see his facial expression, but thanks to the Divine Eye Technique, I could see his face clearly. On his face, red as if it would burst, his two eyes were… indifferent.

His gaze was so empty it made me wonder what the liquor, the jokes, and the time we had spent together had all been for.

He wasn't easygoing like the Flower Sword Supreme had felt, nor was he unpleasant like the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had felt. He was like a drunkard, yet not a drunkard. He seemed like an easy target, yet he was not.

I still don't know what kind of person the Drunken Demon is.

After leaving the Great Drunken Forest, I went straight to see the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was in the middle of his dao art training again today.

"Why are you so absorbed in your training these days?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon plunged the Heaven Destroying Dao he had been wielding into the ground and leaned his body against it. His body was drenched in sweat.

"You may believe you can end the succession struggle without bloodshed, but I do not."

It meant that a bloody battle could break out.

"Are you going to fight for me?"

"I'm fighting for myself."

"That's one and the same."

"You've been drinking."

"I drank with the Drunken Demon."

"With the Drunken Demon?"

"Yes. He approached me first."

I wondered what the Drunken Demon looked like in the eyes of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"The Drunken Demon is an insidious man. Do not get close to him."

An insidious man. It was a moment when another side of the Drunken Demon was revealed.

"Why do you only associate with such bad people?"

"There has to be someone who isn't bad for that to be an option."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon could only smack his lips.

"If you had to choose only one between the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and the Drunken Demon?"

He could not easily pick one.

"Are you saying he's that insidious?"

"I hate bastards who are lost to drink. They're different when they're drunk and when they're sober. The drunken antics, the scenes they make, the shameless forgetting. The one who stands at the very extreme of that madness is the Drunken Demon."

However, that wasn't the only reason the Blood Heaven Blade Demon disliked the Drunken Demon.

"Have you ever seen him when he's sober?"

"No, I haven't."

"Neither have I. Probably no one has. That's why. That's the reason he's an insidious bastard."

The decisive reason why the Blood Heaven Blade Demon disliked him was revealed.

"He has never once shown himself when he is not drunk."

Is his drunken appearance his true self? Or is his sober self the real one?

"Be careful. The insidious bastard has started to make his move."

I don't know what was on his mind when he sent me that bottle, but perhaps, Drunken Demon, the time has finally come for you to sober up for once in your life.