Chapter 136: Because I'm a More Cold-Hearted Person Than I Appear

TL: FoodieMonster007

The next day, I started a ten-day seclusion training.

I entrusted the Sanzu River Hall's affairs to Seo Daeryong and put the Demon Supremes out of my mind.

This was an urgent training session.

Everything has a catalyst and a proper time. In a duel, you must press for victory when the moment is right. Training also has its opportune moments.

My catalyst was the duel with Father, which was still vivid in my mind. I had to absorb its lessons and make them my own before the memory faded.

I resolved not to think about the Demon Supremes.

The Drunken Demon might have looked for me the next day. The Demon Supremes might have started fighting among themselves. Since I couldn't control them anyway, I focused only on what I had to do.

I replayed the duel from the Alluring Inn exactly as it happened, recalling how I fought in a state of selflessness.

I recreated the duel with Father down to the smallest detail. When I moved one way, Father moved another. When I attacked, Father blocked. I compared and analyzed Father's movements against my own.

This duel was significant in many ways. Fighting without setting limits on myself was important. The major constraint of not touching any objects during that urgent fight was also important.

Because of that, I felt a great deal and had much to learn.

This training didn't exhaust my body. It was one of deep contemplation and introspection. I thought only of martial arts and became more engrossed than ever before.

Ten days later, I emerged from the training grounds with a scruffy beard.

A sudden, strong smell of alcohol hit me.

No way.

Just then, a voice spoke from behind.

"Who're you trying to kill, training so hard? Is it me? It's not, right?"

Surprisingly, the Drunken Demon was waiting for me.

"Why are you here?"

"Why do you think? I was waiting for you to come out. I went to see you the day after we drank at the Alluring Inn, and they told me you'd started a ten-day seclusion training. I rushed right over when I heard."

"You don't mean you've been waiting here this whole time?"

"Of course! I've been waiting since the first day."

I stared at the Drunken Demon for a moment, then smiled.

"You're lying. You must've told a female martial artist to let you know when my ten-day training was over. Then you went off to drink and have fun, didn't you? When did you get here today? Just a little while ago, right?"

"Hmm. Has Yeo Bin switched to your side?"

I laughed at his honest confession.

The Drunken Demon asked with a suspicious look, "But you didn't go into seclusion training just to avoid me, did you?"

"To be honest, I enjoy drinking and having fun with you, Drunken Demon. The problem is that it's too much fun."

"When I heard you'd started seclusion training, I thought the sky was falling. If you'd gone in for a hundred days, I would've turned into a fossil waiting for you."

"Don't you have other drinking buddies?"

"……"

"You could drink with the Sword Supreme."

"After that bastard, the Smiling Demon, humiliated her so badly, who'd want to meet up and drink? You have to give her time to cool her anger."

Is that really the reason? This man came all the way to the training grounds to wait for me. Right now, his interest is piqued by me more than the Sword Supreme, so she probably isn't even on his mind.

"Isn't this when a friend is needed most?"

"It's because I'm her friend that I'm staying away."

That was also true, so I couldn't argue.

"Come on, let's go for a drink."

"Do you enjoy drinking with me that much?"

"Didn't you say we wouldn't be on brotherly terms after just two drinks?"

I had told him that at the Alluring Inn. It seemed to have stuck with him.

"Won't you do it after we've had about two hundred drinks?"

"If we've shared two hundred drinks, wouldn't the title be meaningless by then anyway?"

"No, it's important. If we've drunk together two hundred times and still can't be on brotherly terms, wouldn't that be a strange relationship?"

"I suppose so, but."

"If I asked you to have tea, we probably wouldn't even make it to five times, but if it's drinking, I can definitely make it to two hundred."

"Why are you going to such lengths to be on brotherly terms with me?"

Then, the Drunken Demon gave an unexpected reason.

"It's simple. Right now, your chances of becoming the Heavenly Demon are about fifty-fifty, right? Isn't this a chance to have the Heavenly Demon as my younger brother with a fifty percent probability?"

"You're making one big mistake."

"What mistake?"

"If I become the Heavenly Demon, I won't treat you like an older brother. Those two hundred drinking sessions will vanish in that instant."

"Outwardly, perhaps, but?"

"I won't in my heart, either. Nor behind your back. In fact, to avoid any misunderstandings, I might even treat you, the Drunken Demon, more strictly."

The Drunken Demon looked at me with a peculiar expression.

"I thought even if you became the Heavenly Demon, you'd be open and frank. I thought you'd break formalities and treat the Demon Supremes like brothers."

"That must be a preconception you have about me. I'm a colder and more heartless person than I appear. Maybe I pretend to be affectionate to hide that. If I become the Heavenly Demon, I'll draw a sharp line between public and private matters. If you were expecting to casually become my brother, then spending the remaining one hundred and ninety-eight drinking sessions with my brother would be a better investment."

The Drunken Demon then said in a meaningful tone, "Your brother must not become the Cult Leader."

"……"

"I'll tell you over a drink."

The Drunken Demon quickened his pace and walked away.

I walked in the opposite direction.

The Drunken Demon, who had already gone some distance, chased after me.

"Hey, this is too much. Second Young Lord, aren't you curious?"

"Not at all."

"It's the reason why your brother must not become the Cult Leader."

"……"

"Why on earth not?"

This time, I spoke in a meaningful tone.

"You're curious why I'm not curious, aren't you?"

"I am."

"I'm pretending not to be curious to make you curious, Drunken Demon. It's the same for you, isn't it? You're trying to bait me into drinking with you by making me curious, even though there's no real reason, right?"

"When a person is too smart, they lose their human touch!"

"I already told you I'm a cold-hearted person."

As I strode away, the Drunken Demon persistently followed.

"I waited ten days. Second Young Lord, are you really going to be like this?"

Alright, I suppose I should acknowledge this much effort.

"I lose. I'll wash up and rest for a bit, then I'll visit you at the Great Drunken Forest in the evening."

Only then did the Drunken Demon's expression brighten.

"I'll be waiting. You have to come."

"But you have to tell me the reason why my brother must not become the Cult Leader."

"You said you weren't curious."

"How could I not be? Well then, I'll see you later."

I returned to my quarters, shaved my beard, washed myself, and changed into new clothes.

Then I stood before a bronze mirror.

The me of ten days ago and the me of now were different yet again.

Through the recent seclusion training, I had elevated the Four Strides of the Wind God to a new level.

The eighth star of the Four Strides of the Wind God.

I had anticipated this outcome when I began the seclusion training.

I had achieved complete mastery of the Soaring Sky Sword Art at the Twelfth Star and gained enlightenment from the words left by the Myriad Evil Sect Leader. I had fought a duel with Baek Manggi, and afterward, I had the unusual experience of reviewing that fight through the eyes of a third party in a dream.

On top of that, the duel with Father was the deciding factor. As if he had anticipated this result, Father used the Four Strides of the Wind God as his movement art to face me throughout the duel.

Ah, there was one more thing. I was desperate to achieve complete mastery of the Four Strides of the Wind God before I somehow received the transmission of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

As a result, I achieved the splendid, and in some ways expected, feat of reaching the eighth star of the Four Strides of the Wind God.

When the Four Strides of the Wind God reached the eighth star, the biggest change was an overwhelming desire to run somewhere using the Swift Step. My body itched to run, and I had to suppress the urge to dash to the training grounds right away. I needed to properly satisfy this desire. A small run wouldn't be enough.

First, I lay on my bed and slept. Perhaps because I was in a good mood, I slept soundly without any worries for the first time in a while, catching up on lost sleep.

That evening, I bought a bottle of liquor and went to the Great Drunken Forest. The Drunken Demon was lying in a small boat, drifting on the lake.

I boarded a small boat provided by Yeo Bin and slowly approached the Drunken Demon's boat.

His boat contained nothing but liquor bottles.

"Just as I thought! You don't eat side dishes when I'm not looking."

"If you drank with me every day, I'd eat side dishes every day. Here, have a drink."

"I'll drink the liquor I brought."

One of the good things about the Drunken Demon was that he never forced alcohol on anyone. It didn't matter what kind of liquor you drank, or if you just touched your lips to it and put it down. He didn't care. He also didn't force you to get drunk with him. I think the Drunken Demon is someone who truly loves liquor.

"I felt this when I came before, but this lake is really nice."

"There are even more wonderful places than this in the Great Drunken Forest. I'll take you there next time."

"Do you really think there'll be a next time for us?"

"Why do you think there won't be?"

Instead of answering, I drank my liquor.

"Right, I know what you mean. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon despises me."

The Drunken Demon also drank.

"Then again, am I the only one he hates? Are you really planning to gain the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and lose the three of us? Isn't that a bad deal? That man is someone who'd go to the First Young Lord anytime if the conditions were right."

The Drunken Demon slowly began to sow discord, trying to push the Blood Heaven Blade Demon away.

"Didn't I tell you that day? That I would gain all three of you. That's why I came here today."

"If you can't distinguish between ideals and reality like this, the First Young Lord will end up becoming the successor. The successor who'll become the Heavenly Demon isn't decided simply by who has superior martial arts or who is smarter."

"Then what is it decided by?"

"Think about it. Choosing a successor isn't about picking the world's number one demonic sword. It's about choosing someone who can lead our Cult well. A Cult Leader who can compromise when needed and harmonize well with the Eight Demon Supremes. If not, our Cult will be divided and eventually devoured by the Murim Alliance. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I didn't know you were someone who thought so rationally about the future of our Cult, Drunken Demon."

"I'm a classic victim of misunderstanding and prejudice."

"If you don't like it, why don't you just quit drinking?"

"The Drunken Demon who quit drinking? The entire murim would laugh at me."

Saying that, the Drunken Demon took a drink.

"May I ask you something? I've wanted to ask for a while."

"What is it?"

After a brief pause, I asked the Drunken Demon.

"Drunken Demon, do you drink to forget? Or do you drink so you won't forget?"

"……"

The Drunken Demon flinched for a moment, then stared at me before answering that it was neither.

"To enjoy it. I drink simply because I like liquor. Because I like liquor itself. The assumption that I must have some story behind my drinking is also a preconception."

With that, the Drunken Demon drank again. I couldn't tell if he was sincere or just making an excuse. As long as he was drinking, it wasn't easy to see the truth in him.

I also drank the liquor I had brought. When I was with the Drunken Demon, I found myself drinking more and more. When I used to drink heavily, there was definitely a reason.

Back then, did I drink to forget? Or did I drink so I wouldn't forget?

"In that case, why don't you just support my brother as the successor? He wouldn't say something absurd like I did, about having to reconcile with Elder Blade Demon."

Then, the Drunken Demon said something unexpected.

"The First Young Lord must not become the successor."

He brought up the same thing he mentioned in front of the training grounds. The fact that he was bringing it up first showed that it wasn't just a line to lure me into a drinking session.

Could this be the reason he approached me? While asking to be on brotherly terms.

"The First Young Lord… is too fond of the Cult Leader."

"……"

Words I never expected came from the Drunken Demon.

"I'm fond of Father too, but."

"He's fond of him on a level that can't be compared to you."

I couldn't deny it. Whether he genuinely liked him, was crushed by our father's authority, or was just trying to become the successor, my brother was the type to do anything our father said.

"I admit that you're more outstanding than the First Young Lord, but I'm still not convinced that you'll become the successor."

I had to admit that as well. Father was the kind of person who could have a duel with me today and then bluntly declare tomorrow, 'The successor is your brother'.

"Alright. Let's say that's true. Why is my brother being fond of our father a reason he shouldn't be the successor?"

"Because the First Young Lord won't be able to defy the Cult Leader's will."

"What will?"

Once again, astonishing words flowed from the Drunken Demon.

"The will to unify the murim."

The Drunken Demon knew. He knew that Father held the ambition to unify the murim.

I recalled a past conversation with Father regarding the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"The time is not yet right. Just know that."

At that time, I had thought Father might be dreaming of unifying the murim.

The Drunken Demon had noticed our father's ambition. Perhaps it wasn't just the Drunken Demon. Some of the other Demon Supremes might have known as well. After all, the Demon Supremes refrained from mentioning anything related to our father.

"The First Young Lord will become the successor and faithfully follow our father's orders. He'll undoubtedly become the vanguard and set out to conquer the murim, but what about you? You would try to stop the Cult Leader. From what I've seen of you so far, you're not someone who approves of war."

"That's right. I do not want war."

"Then you must become the successor and stop the Cult Leader."

I never would have dreamed that the Drunken Demon had chosen me for such a reason.

He chose me to prevent a future war? This Drunken Demon, who is always drunk? This man, who seems the most thoughtless among the Eight Demon Supremes?

I brought my face close to the Drunken Demon's.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see how much of it is truth and how much is lies."

"Everything I've said is the truth."

"You, the Drunken Demon who does nothing but drink all day, chose me for the sake of peace in the murim? You expect me to believe that?"

"Let's just call it my last preconception."

The Drunken Demon looked at me with his drunken eyes and revealed the truth as if confessing.

"That is the very reason I sent the broken liquor bottle to the First Young Lord."