Chapter 260: Your Names Are

TL: FoodieMonster007

I ate with Father, our first meal together in a long while.

I loved this time so much. Whether we played Go or ate a meal, I cherished this quiet, wordless conversation with Father.

I usually joked around a lot, but this moment was probably the closest I got to my true self. I had, after all, lived almost my entire life in silence.

"Wasn't the training difficult?"

"My body wasn't tired, but enduring the tedious repetition was hard."

"How did you endure it?"

"Eventually, I emptied my mind. I told myself this repetition would be my lifelong task. Even if I escaped this boredom, another kind would just be waiting for me, so I should just do it. As I did, the repetition and boredom felt like they became one with me."

Father smiled. It was not a sneer, but a smile of sincere congratulations. His expression showed he believed I had found the right path.

I explained to Father in detail how I interpreted the First Stance. I described the trials and errors I went through and how I trained repetitively.

I spoke as if I were excitedly boasting, but I was actually giving Father information.

For his reference.

Father would strive to create a better technique by comparing my interpretation with his own. I prayed he would succeed.

I didn't regress to become stronger than Father or to defeat him. I came here to survive alongside him.

"If you're done eating, let's go for a walk to digest."

I followed Father outside. He looked at the distant summit of the Great Sky Peak and suggested, "Let's race to see who gets there first."

Father had proposed a movement arts competition for some reason.

"You haven't forgotten that I said we should have a match once I achieved complete mastery of the Swift Step."

"How about it? Are you confident?"

"Of course, I'm confident. For your information, even the Demon Supremes were all blown away by me."

"You can start first!"

"Then you'll have to run while looking at nothing but my back, won't you?"

I shot forward the moment the words left my mouth. This way, Father would have an excuse even if I happened to win.

I dashed forward at a terrifying speed using the Swift Step.

Could even Father keep up with this speed, now that I have achieved complete mastery of the Swift Step?

It was so fast that I had my doubts.

Just then, I thought I heard a fierce wind behind me.

When I turned my head, I saw Father next to me.

Father flew, standing perfectly erect in the air as the hem of his clothes fluttered. This was not a matter of speed.

Amazing!

While I ran for my life, Father flew with aloof elegance. The Heavenly Demon Flight Step, which he had mastered completely, suited him so perfectly it seemed made just for him.

Right, if it's not cool, it can't be slow either.

I ran with all my might. I thought I was running as fast as light, but Father reached the summit first.

"I lost. I lost in style, and I lost in speed. It seems even the god of wind is no match for the Heavenly Demon."

As I bowed my head deeply, Father remarked, "The Swift Step is fast as well."

Although he never acknowledged other martial arts, Father recognized the Four Strides of the Wind God.

Then, unexpected words flowed from Father's mouth.

"You will achieve the same result when you reach complete mastery of the Heavenly Demon Flight Step."

They were words of acknowledgment, but Father had a reason for suggesting the competition and for what he just said.

"I will pass down the Heavenly Demon Flight Step to you."

I knew why. It was because of what I had told him about the First Stance. Since I taught him one thing, he had to teach me one thing in return. That was his mindset. Father never simply accepted things without giving back.

"Thank you, Father."

I prostrated myself on the spot.

"At your current level, having grasped the pinnacle of movement arts, you should learn it without difficulty. Achieving complete mastery will not take very long either. Now, listen carefully."

Father then transmitted the oral secrets of the Heavenly Demon Flight Step. The transmission ended only after he confirmed several times that I had memorized them correctly.

I gave Father a deep bow.

"I am so happy, Father."

My joy was not just because the Heavenly Demon Flight Step was the greatest movement arts in the murim. Nor was it because I could create an even faster movement arts by combining it with the Four Strides of the Wind God.

I was happy because I had now inherited all of Father's unique martial arts. The Nine Calamities Demonic Art, the Heavenly Demon Defense Art, and now the Heavenly Demon Flight Step. This was the moment I learned all the core martial arts Father had mastered. My heart swelled with emotion.

"You may rise."

I stood side by side with Father on the cliff at the summit of the Great Sky Peak.

In the distance, the entire landscape of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was visible.

"When I became the Young Cult Leader, I came up here with Father."

I looked at Father standing next to me. I imagined Father in his youth and pictured my grandfather standing beside him.

"Father's dream was the unification of the murim."

That was a fact I had not known.

After a brief pause, I asked Father, "What about you, Father?"

Father gave no answer. I knew. I knew Father dreamed of unifying the murim, and he knew that I was aware of that fact.

I brought up a difficult topic, something that had to be said at least once.

"Even if you achieve the great feat of unifying the murim and receive the praise and respect of everyone in the world… you will not receive my respect."

My words could have made him erupt in anger, but Father said nothing. He now knew well what kind of heart his son possessed.

We silently gazed at the distant Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the sprawling horizon and sky beyond it.

To lighten the heavy atmosphere, I spoke in a cheerful tone.

"Father, please give my friends some names. I've been thinking about some cool names myself. I thought about a ghost theme, like Night Demon, Blood Demon, White Demon, and Sky Demon, but that seemed too gloomy. So I considered something more elegant with a moon theme, like Bright Moon, Waning Moon, the Hidden Moon, and Sparkling Moon, or if not that, then based on colors…"

Father interjected at that exact moment.

"East, West, South, North."

I flinched.

"You're joking, right?"

Father looked at me with a completely straight face.

"Not even Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo, or Clear Wind and Bright Moon, but East, West, South, and North?"

I couldn't tell if he meant malicious demons didn't deserve names, if he was reacting to what I said about unifying the murim, or if he genuinely thought East, West, South, and North were good names.

"East, West, South, North!"

He stated it once more, as if confirming it.

What could I do when Father was being like this?

Ah, I'm sorry. My dear demons!

"Oh, now that I hear it, it sounds great. East Demon, West Demon, South Demon, North Demon. Easy to remember, too. It's perfect. If anyone asks, I can proudly say Father named them!"

I would tell everyone Father was the one who named them! Despite that, Father did not even flinch.

In the end, the names of the four demons were confirmed as East, West, South, and North!

After descending the Great Sky Peak, I headed straight for the All-Knowing Hall.

I was going to hear from Head Strategist Sama Myeong about what I needed to do next.

As I entered the All-Knowing Hall, the strategists I encountered greeted me politely.

Their gazes were favorable. Given the nature of their work, they knew more about me than anyone, so the change in their eyes was worth noting.

After passing through several layers of strict security, I entered the operations room of the All-Knowing Hall. Sama Myeong was in a meeting with other strategists in the conference room.

I told the strategist who greeted me to let Sama Myeong be, and I waited in the operations room for the meeting to end.

The place operated at a frantic pace.

Messenger pigeons constantly arrived through a dozen holes in one wall, divided by region. Strategists sorted them according to the matter at hand.

One strategist ran around with documents. Another diligently wrote something, yet another moved dozens of different colored flags pinned on a map of the Central Plains. Not a single person was idle.

The murim was peaceful, but this place was a warzone. No, perhaps the murim was peaceful because this place was a warzone.

A short while later, Sama Myeong came out of the meeting and was startled to see me.

"Young Cult Leader, when did you arrive?"

"I just got here. I told them not to disturb you and that I would wait until the meeting was over."

"Let's go to my office."

"Let's just talk here. It's wonderful to see the strategists at work. It makes me think I should live more diligently."

"That's not something for a person who just came out of seclusion training to say. Please get some rest now."

"And that's not something for a person who has a mountain of tasks for me to say, is it?"

Sama Myeong and I looked at each other and smiled.

"How was your training?"

"As soon as I came out, I ran to boast to Father without even shaving."

The word 'boast' contained the entire result.

"Congratulations."

"It's all thanks to you, Head Strategist, for coordinating my external schedules. I'm sure my work has piled up. What should I start with?"

"First, you must visit the Hunan Branch and the Jiangxi Branch. The Hunan Branch is the first point of conflict should a war with the Murim Alliance break out, and Jiangxi is a strategic point for dealing with the Evil Alliance. Therefore, visiting these two Branches and meeting their Branch Managers is the first thing the Young Cult Leader must do."

"I understand."

"I will send the official mission order tomorrow morning."

"Yes, I will see you when I return."

As I was about to turn and leave, Sama Myeong said, "From now on, the Young Cult Leader will have a great influence on the fate of our Cult."

I smiled and told him, "That's why I plan to visit you often, Head Strategist."

I left the All-Knowing Hall and walked toward my residence.

On a quiet path, a man in a mask appeared before me. The person who dropped his concealment and revealed himself was the Heavenly Demon Hall bodyguard Captain, Hui.

"Ahjussi!"

"Young Cult Leader."

"Please just call me Geuk, like you did when I was young."

"I cannot do that."

I was overcome with emotion seeing him after so long.

"How long has it been? You have more gray hairs now, Ahjussi."

"I'm getting older too."

"It's because you have it tough serving Father. He's extremely demanding, isn't he? Does he give you a hard time?"

"It is the greatest joy of my life."

The Hui I knew truly was that kind of person. A man whose entire life was his duty as a bodyguard. A man for whom Father was everything.

"You used to give me piggyback rides on snowy days."

When Hui smiled, his two eyes under the mask curved like moons.

"You remember that?"

"Of course. I loved it so much back then."

After we exchanged greetings, Hui revealed why he had sought me out.

"Please take the bodyguards with you when you leave the Cult this time."

I could not answer readily. I had originally planned to go alone. He had anticipated this and come to me.

"To be honest, this is not for the Young Cult Leader's sake. I am well aware that your skills are such that bodyguards would be more of a burden."

Hui did not beat around the bush.

"It is for my juniors. Those kids will grow into excellent bodyguards if they are with you, Young Cult Leader. I have watched your recent actions. The Young Cult Leader I saw was an ocean. An ocean vast enough to embrace all of my juniors."

Given his personality, it could not have been easy for him to come and say such things to me. That was how much he cared for the Heavenly Demon bodyguard unit and his juniors.

That day, they all died with us.

If this was a request from Hui, who had dedicated his entire life to Father, then yes, I should take not just twelve, but twelve hundred of them.

"I will go with them."

Hui bowed his head respectfully.

"Thank you."

"Not at all, Ahjussi."

I also bowed my head respectfully to Hui.

When I raised my head again, Hui was already gone. He was not the type to repay a debt with words, so he would surely try to repay today's debt someday.

Hui Ahjussi, there's no need for that. You and your juniors have already paid with your lives.

My bodyguards were training in the martial arts training ground.

I watched them train for a moment before stepping inside.

They stopped their training and greeted me in unison with a clasped hands greeting.

"We greet the Young Cult Leader!"

Their powerful greeting was filled with spirit.

"Have you been training continuously for the past hundred days?"

Cheokyeon stepped forward to answer.

"Yes, we have trained every single day without fail."

"But why are there only six of you?"

"We do not know when we will be deployed on a bodyguard mission, so we live in day and night shifts. We switch the shifts once a month."

In other words, the night shift trained from evening until morning. I thought that was truly amazing.

Since it had been a while, I checked Cheokyeon's eyes first.

Knowing that refusal was futile, Cheokyeon obediently removed his eyepatch.

I looked into his crimson pupils and said, "The level of your Ghost Eye Art has risen by one stage."

Cheokyeon was startled.

"That's right. Did you figure that out just by looking at the color of my eye?"

"The color has changed from before."

"I look in the mirror every day and couldn't even tell."

I had distinguished the difference with the Divine Eye Technique.

My heart was drawn to his eyes because of the Divine Eye Technique. I had learned the Divine Eye Technique for myself, but he had learned the Ghost Eye Art for someone else, and that someone else ended up being me.

Although he might say it was all his choice and destiny, sacrificing one's eyes for another is never an easy thing to do.

I infused my qi into his eye to soothe it.

"It feels different."

"How so?"

"The pain has lessened significantly."

If that was the case, it was likely due to the change in my inner arts. It had become much more powerful and pure.

"Tomorrow, you will leave the Cult with me. An official mission order will arrive from the All-Knowing Hall early in the morning."

The expressions of Cheokyeon and the bodyguards brightened. They were finally getting their first mission.

Their unconcealable excitement and joy were palpable. They were so happy, it would have been a huge mistake to leave them behind.

"Thank you for trusting us."

"Protect me well starting tomorrow. I'm counting on you all."

With a resounding reply, Cheokyeon and the bodyguards bowed their heads. Right, since we're going out anyway, let's come back having grown even stronger.

The next morning, two carriages left the Cult.

It was my first official departure as the Young Cult Leader, formally attended by bodyguards.