Chapter 193: Scary but Handsome

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Fist Demon and I stood on a cliff overlooking a plunging waterfall.

KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA!

The waterfall's massive spray felt refreshing.

"Alright, you absolutely can't use inner arts," I said.

"You'd better not break the promise either," the Fist Demon retorted.

We were about to jump from a high place. It wasn't a bet with anything at stake, just a pure battle of pride.

When I was young, girls used to watch from below. Now, I was playing the same dangerous game with the Fist Demon in these remote mountains.

"That thin torso of yours might smash to pieces against the rocks," he warned.

"And that large torso of yours, Fist Demon, will hit the rocks twice as hard," I shot back.

Our gazes locked, both of us determined not to lose.

We jumped at the same time.

At my level, would I really be scared or feel my heart drop just from jumping without inner arts? Still, I deliberately let out a refreshing shout.

"WAAAAAAAH!"

SPLASH!

The Fist Demon hit the water first, sending up a huge spray.

He immediately poked his head out of the water.

Just then, I landed lightly on the surface using Flying Over Water. I had used my inner arts just before impact. I crouched in front of the Fist Demon's head and spoke mischievously.

"I've lost."

The Fist Demon saw the mischief on my face. He looked dumbfounded for a moment, then burst into laughter that echoed through the valley.

Right, as long as he laughed, it was a success.

I also dove into the water with a splash.

The ice-cold water jolted my senses. While I swam, the Fist Demon climbed onto a flat rock on the opposite bank.

Jumping from a waterfall without qi.

Had the Fist Demon ever done something like this in his life? No, he probably had never even considered it.

"The water is really clear," I remarked.

After swimming for a while, I also climbed onto the rock where the Fist Demon was. I could have used my qi to generate heat and dry my clothes, but instead, I took them off and spread them on the rock.

"I'm going to lie down for a bit."

I flopped down and looked up at the sky.

"You should lie down too, Fist Demon."

"I'm fine," he replied.

"How long has it been since you've lain down in front of others?"

"I can't even remember."

"So you should lie down at a time like this."

Despite my suggestion, the Fist Demon remained seated. We looked up at the sky in silence for a while.

To relieve his accumulated fatigue by slacking off, we would need to cross the entire Central Plains. That's why I planned to keep moving farther away from the Cult.

"Let's get going," he said.

"Let's stay just a little longer."

The Fist Demon looked anxious and impatient. I understood him. His life at the Cult was busy all day long, teaching everyone from the White Fists to the Black Fists. When I thought about it, it was a truly difficult life.

After sitting like that for a long time, the Fist Demon shot to his feet. He looked like he was about to perform a fist technique, unable to bear the stuffiness, but I quickly stopped him.

"You've been throwing punches like that your whole life. Just for this once, please endure it."

"Just sitting here is making my body feel sluggish and stiff. I can't stand it," he complained.

"Now, now, just sit down for now."

I made him sit down again. He was not adapting easily to this slacking off.

"That's right. They say it's harder for a person to stay still, but spacing out like this is said to be good for your mental health."

"Where did you hear that?"

"It's just something I picked up somewhere."

Beyond the Fist Demon, who looked down at me, the sky was blue.

"Fist Demon, look at the clouds drifting by behind me."

The Fist Demon turned his head and looked up at the sky. As he watched the clouds, I could see distracting thoughts enter his eyes.

"Don't worry about your subordinates," I told him.

The Fist Demon looked at me with an expression that said, 'How did you know what I was thinking?'

"They're probably all cheering right now. Tell your subordinates to relax and slack off a bit too. The leader slacks off, the subordinates slack off. How great is that?"

"Then the organization would be ruined," he stated flatly.

"So what if it gets a little ruined?"

For a moment, the Fist Demon flinched.

"'So what if it's ruined?' You've never once had that thought, have you?"

"Of course not."

"If it's ruined, there are the other Demon Supremes, aren't there? If it's ruined, there's Father, isn't there? So what if you get yelled at a little? So what if your pride gets a little hurt?"

The corners of the Fist Demon's mouth curled up slightly. It seemed like a sneer that said, 'What do you know?', but it also seemed like a somehow refreshing laugh.

"Just forget about it all. The color-coded fist-wielders, forget them all."

After some time, the Fist Demon relaxed his posture. He leaned back slightly, supporting himself with his arms. He didn't lie down completely, but he seemed a bit more comfortable.

We stayed like that, staring blankly at the sky until our clothes were dry.

After coming down the mountain, we walked along a narrow path.

"Aren't we going to use movement arts?"

"The scenery is nice, so let's just walk to the end of this path."

As expected, he seemed to be itching for action.

"Wouldn't it be better to just get to our destination and rest there?" he asked.

Hearing words like these always reminded me of myself before my regression. This was how I was when I gathered materials for the grand technique. I would run to my destination no matter what. Walking was an unimaginable act.

"They say taking a walk is very good for people."

"Spacing out is good, taking a walk is good. What on earth is not good?" he grumbled.

"There are plenty of bad things. Worrying about work when you've come out to slack off. Thinking about someone when they're not even thinking about you. Coming out to have fun and still thinking about collapsing cliffs. There are many."

After a brief pause, he asked, "Did my life seem that bad to you?"

"……"

At my unhesitating answer, the Fist Demon stopped walking and looked at me.

"It didn't seem bad because it was bad, but because it was too perfect."

A hint of relief flickered across his face.

"I know what you're worried about, but I'm not a man who collapses easily."

"Really?"

"What?"

"I'm asking if you're really someone who doesn't collapse easily. How would you know? You've never collapsed before."

The Fist Demon couldn't give any answer.

"When I look at Father's grandmaster chair, it reminds me of the platform where you, Fist Demon, stand and look down at your subordinates. I get the feeling that you are both trapped there."

"!"

Fist Demon, you've come this far with that unchanging fortitude, so isn't it okay to rest a little now?

He said nothing. We walked in silence for a long time.

Where the narrow path ended, I asked the Fist Demon, "Is there anything you want to try?"

The Fist Demon couldn't easily find an answer and asked me back, "What about you?"

"I'm doing it right now."

A faint smile formed on the Fist Demon's lips. Lee Ahn and Cheon Sohwi say he's scary no matter how many times they see him, but I don't find the Fist Demon's face scary. In fact, it was never scary from the beginning.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

"Alright, then let's go eat something delicious first. It's a rule that you can't leave out good food on a trip, isn't it?"

I ran ahead first, and the Fist Demon ran with me. The Fist Demon unleashed the speed he had been holding back and started to run in the lead.

"Here we are. A famous restaurant with a two-hundred-year tradition!"

The place we arrived at was called Songmyeonggwan, which sold both alcohol and food. It was so popular that customers were lined up outside.

"How did you know about this place?"

"Is that the only thing I know? The signature dish here is a bamboo shoot dish, which you like, Fist Demon."

"How did you know that?"

"Don't look at me like that. It's not like I found out to poison your food, Fist Demon. You're the one who will become the future Master, so I should at least know that much."

The man standing in line in front of us glanced back, saw the Fist Demon, and was startled. The man trembled as he said, "Sh-should I let you go ahead?"

"It's fine."

After the Fist Demon's reply, the man turned his head forward and never looked back again.

I smiled and asked the Fist Demon, "You've never stood in line to buy food in your entire life, have you?"

Seeing the Fist Demon's expression that said, 'Of course not,' I asked again, "Isn't it fun?"

The Fist Demon looked around at the people in line, the new people lining up behind them, the people on the street, and the hawking street vendors.

"It's not bad."

Songmyeonggwan had more than ten waiters and was so large that the line shortened quickly. When it was our turn, we took a seat. I ordered several dishes and some alcohol.

"Why are you ordering so much?"

"It's been a while since I've been here, so we have to eat everything before we go."

The alcohol came out first. As I poured a drink for the Fist Demon, his displeased gaze turned towards some martial artists cursing as they passed by outside.

I reached out my hand and blocked his view.

"We're slacking off! That's a rock. That's a chair. Got it?"

"I understand."

The Fist Demon poured me a drink as well and said, "At your age, with those martial arts, it must be difficult to control your hot-bloodedness."

"That's why I'm hanging out with the Demon Supremes, isn't it? To avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

"There may be other reasons you hang out with us, but not causing trouble is a commendable thing."

"Oh! This is the first compliment you've ever given me, Fist Demon."

I raised my cup, and we toasted.

A moment later, the food arrived. The Fist Demon tried a piece of the bamboo shoot dish he liked and looked surprised.

"This is really delicious."

"There's always a reason for a place that has a line."

My gaze turned toward the kitchen.

"How about it? Should we kidnap the chef and take him to our Cult?"

"You're saying things you don't mean," he scoffed.

"Why are you so sure? If we take him, he'll come."

After staring at me for a moment, unexpected words flowed from the Fist Demon's mouth.

"I heard your demonic way is one that doesn't break the tavern's tables?"

I was shocked. I had no idea the Fist Demon knew about that.

"How did you know?"

"I have ears to hear with, too."

This is why what I told Hyung was right. It might seem like they're not watching, but the Demon Supremes are paying attention to everything.

"Yes, so if others line up, we should line up and eat too. If the chef gets kidnapped, we have to go rescue him. This is my demonic way."

The Fist Demon stared intently at me. How would my demonic way be perceived by him?

The Fist Demon, who seemed to hesitate, focused on eating again.

As we were drinking, one of the two women at the next table spoke to me.

"Master, is this your first time here?"

"Yes, it's my first time."

"Then there are some places you must visit."

"Would you care to join our table and tell me more?" I offered.

The women glanced at the Fist Demon, then readily joined our table. I ordered new dishes for them.

I could feel the Fist Demon's surprise. The natural way the women joined our table seemed to be a fresh shock to him.

A woman he's never seen before starts a conversation and joins his table?

That's why he was wary of the women. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if they were up to something, but the women were just young people who liked to have fun.

The reason I went so far as to have them join us was because of the Fist Demon. He had lived his entire life as a bachelor, with no records of him being involved with women. Perhaps he had given up on love from the start because of his appearance?

That's why I wanted to give the Fist Demon an experience he had never had before.

We drank and chatted with the women. I made them laugh with funny stories. The Fist Demon, wary at first, later began to enjoy the situation with an interested look in his eyes.

Occasionally, I would ask the Fist Demon questions he could answer better. For instance, something like this.

"Please tell these Young Ladies the story of when you broke through the Murim Alliance's encirclement in your youth."

Of course, the women didn't believe it and just laughed heartily. It was a statement that went beyond the usual bragging men do when drinking. At that moment, the Fist Demon looked at me, asking with his eyes if he should really tell them. I smiled and shook my head, conveying that no one would believe him.

After having fun for about an hour, the women got up to leave first.

That was even more surprising to the Fist Demon. He couldn't believe they were just leaving after all that, without even promising to meet again.

After they left, the Fist Demon asked, "Did you perhaps send them a telepathy message promising them money? Or did you threaten to kill them if they didn't join us? Or were they women after our wallet?"

I couldn't believe he would think something like that.

"If not, there's no way women would ask to join our table, is there?"

"Well, that's because of me."

"I figured as much. One of them was staring at your face the whole time."

"That's right. That's why I asked them to join us."

"Even with me sitting next to you?"

"You think they wouldn't have joined because they were scared of your face, Fist Demon?"

The Fist Demon nodded.

"You're unaware of two things, Fist Demon. Kids these days hang out and have fun comfortably even with strangers."

"What if they get into some kind of trouble doing that?"

"They're fearless, the kids these days."

"And you're not one of them?"

"Including me. I'm fearless too, aren't I?"

"You're more than fearless, and what's the second thing?"

"It's the fact that while your face is scary, Fist Demon, it's not an ugly face. In fact, you're on the handsome side."

The Fist Demon was startled. It was the most surprised reaction he'd had since meeting me. He had probably never been called handsome in his entire life.

"If you're going to flatter me, at least make it believable," he grumbled.

"I may be good at flattery, but what I just said wasn't flattery. To women, your face, Fist Demon, can seem attractive. They can also feel a sense of security, like you'd protect them no matter what."

To the Fist Demon, who didn't know what to say, I added, "Today's conclusion. Your face, Fist Demon, is scary but handsome!"

After emptying his cup, the Fist Demon came to a conclusion.

"You're a madman."

"Finally, I get to hear those words from you too, Fist Demon!"

Just then, a young waiter walked toward us. He looked to be barely ten years old, his eyes swollen from crying.

"I've been watching you for a while. For some reason, I felt like I could ask you for a favor, Master."

The child pleaded with the Fist Demon.

"Please help me."

In the tears welling up in the child's eyes, I could feel the weight of a pain that even an adult couldn't bear.

I gently stroked the child's head and said to the Fist Demon, "And not only are you handsome, but in the eyes of an innocent child, you also have the kind of face that looks like it would help if asked."