Chapter 303: Our Relationship is as Light as a Feather

TL: FoodieMonster007

I was with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon atop a giant stone statue in the great training ground.

I sat on the fingertip of the demonic statue's outstretched hand while the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stood beside me. Below us, the grand and splendid nightscape of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult spread out in a single glance.

He had suggested we play all night, but what would we do? For the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and me, simply being together like this was our way of playing.

Suddenly, I recalled my first meeting with him.

I remembered his figure standing alone, almost assimilated into the white room, and the first words I had said to him.

[What are you looking at?]

Then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had replied.

[I was looking at nothing.]

Now, I asked him again.

"What are you looking at?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon answered.

"I'm watching someone slack off. Do you see that guy with the torch down by the western wall? He was supposed to patrol back and forth, but he's been squatting in the middle and resting for a while now."

I laughed aloud at the unexpected answer. His change made me happy.

My Divine Eye Technique let me see the bored expression on the ant-sized martial artist. My telepathy flew toward him. It was the Thousand-Li Telepathy, a technique I could now use since my inner arts and martial studies had reached a certain realm.

[You should stop slacking off. A scary person is watching you.]

At my telepathy, he shot up and resumed his patrol.

"He must have heard what you said, Smiling Demon. His hearing is sharp."

Despite my joke, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon could not hide the surprise in his eyes. He realized I had sent a Thousand-Li Telepathy. After all, he knew my skills best.

Our gazes returned to the man, whose discipline had suddenly sharpened. As he patrolled back and forth twice, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke abruptly.

"If it weren't for you, Young Cult Leader, I would have died back then."

Making someone indebted to you can certainly lead a relationship in your favor. A life debt is the ultimate advantage.

However, I did not want that kind of connection with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. I actually thought this life debt was a hindrance to our relationship.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been in danger of dying in the first place."

I stood up from my seated position and looked at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

I conveyed my true feelings to him.

"I hope you don't think you owe me a life debt, Smiling Demon."

"……"

"Because then the relationship becomes heavy. The moment you think you owe someone, the relationship gets distorted. When you want to complain or curse someone out, you can't, right? But I want to. If you do something wrong, Smiling Demon, I'll curse you out without hesitation, and I want to hear those curses too. I want you to curse me when I'm wrong. I don't want a relationship where we hold back just because 'he's the one who saved my life.'"

Seeing the look in the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes deepen, I continued.

"I believe that truly long-lasting relationships are as light as a feather. Like a feather that spins into the air when the wind blows and gently flutters back down when the wind stops. I don't want to build an impregnable fortress with you, Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. It might feel good at first, like the relationship is firm, but later, those bricks will become a burden. You'll think, 'What should I do to impress him this time?' or feel the disappointment of, 'I thought we were this close, but this is all he thought of me?' I just hope our relationship can be as light as a feather, so we can see each other comfortably until the day we die."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes shone with a clear light.

Until the day we die.

I hoped he would understand that the core of my words lay in that phrase. I hoped he would realize this was a relationship I wanted to maintain until the very end.

And the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon understood my true feelings well.

"I almost died because of you, Young Cult Leader. Buy me a drink later."

This is why I like the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

I answered with a wide smile.

"That's right. Let's make time to go see the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman sometime."

That was the one place where the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon could become the Smiling Demon and drink with the most ease.

And so, we stood on the fingertip of the demonic statue, watching the night deepen over the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

The next morning, I first visited the Eastern Fist Garrison. After seeing Father and meeting the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, I had to greet my Master.

"Master!"

At the Fist Demon's residence, a scene as unfamiliar as the one in the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's flower garden unfolded.

The Fist Demon and Lee Ahn were dueling.

He was not teaching her fist techniques. He countered Lee Ahn's Soaring Sky Sword Art with his Thunder Arhat Fist.

Could there be any training more helpful than a real fight with the Fist Demon? I felt she would achieve complete mastery of the Soaring Sky Sword Art faster than I thought. Once she did, no ordinary master could kill her, unless they were a Demon Supreme.

Everyone I met was immersed in martial arts. It made me think that perhaps our approaching destiny was pushing us into a great battle.

Since I knew both martial arts well, watching the duel naturally led to a hypothesis.

What if it were me?

I became the protagonist of the duel. I was Lee Ahn wielding her sword, then the Fist Demon throwing his punches. My own form overlapped with their fight. Sometimes my movements mirrored theirs, and other times I performed different moves entirely.

At the end of that imagination, I even pictured myself fighting both of them at once. I fought the Fist Demon with the Soaring Sky Sword Art and fought Lee Ahn with fist techniques.

A fierce two-on-one battle.

When the fight ended, I stored away the enlightenment I had gained. At my current level, I gained martial achievements like this even from a duel I watched without any particular thought.

When I opened my eyes, the Fist Demon and Lee Ahn had finished their duel and were looking at me. They probably thought I had closed my eyes to avoid watching.

"Master."

"You're here?"

After I exchanged greetings with the Fist Demon, Lee Ahn greeted me cheerfully.

"Young Master."

"Lee Ahn. You can't go easy on him just because he's your father!"

I could feel Lee Ahn wanted to retort to my joke, but she tried hard to hold it back in front of the Fist Demon.

If it had just been the two of us, she probably would have joked, 'Ah! Must I defy even the laws of heaven and family to become stronger?'

"Father is very envious of you, Master."

"Me?"

"That you gained a daughter. To be honest, I would be too. Me or my brother? Lee Ahn is a hundred times better."

Lee Ahn's face flushed slightly.

"Did the Cult Leader really say that?"

Ever since Father had permitted Lee Ahn to learn the Soaring Sky Sword Art, he had become an absolute being to her.

"He might even challenge you to a match soon, Master. To make that adopted daughter his daughter."

The Fist Demon played along with my banter.

"Tell him not to covet my daughter."

Since the Fist Demon was not the type to say such things, Lee Ahn's face flushed even redder with emotion.

"Well then, please talk."

Lee Ahn excused herself.

The Fist Demon led me out of his residence.

"There's somewhere we need to go."

We arrived in front of the lodgings for the members of the Eastern Fist Garrison. When the Fist Demon and I made a surprise visit, the members were startled.

All the passing members politely performed a clasped hands greeting and showed their respect.

"Tell everyone to come out."

At the Fist Demon's command, all members of the Eastern Fist Garrison gathered in the training ground. Everyone from the White Fists to the Green Fists, the Red Fists, and even the top masters of the Black Fists assembled. Cheon Sohwi was among them.

The Fist Demon had never come here and called an assembly like this, so all the members were tense.

As the Fist Demon raised his aura, the air grew cold and heavy. He was emphasizing the importance of his announcement. In that suffocating moment, he made a surprising declaration.

"From this day forward, I will take Cheon Sohwi as my second disciple and simultaneously decide that she will be the next Fist Demon."

Everyone was stunned by the unexpected declaration.

Cheon Sohwi was so shocked that she stood there blankly, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

Belatedly coming to her senses, she knelt and showed her respects.

"I don't know what to do, being entrusted with such a weighty position despite my shortcomings. I will strive with all my might and never disappoint you."

Her voice trembled. She was probably so dazed she did not even know what she was saying.

After Lee Ahn became his adopted daughter, Cheon Sohwi would have been the most disappointed person. She must have thought that Lee Ahn would now become the Fist Demon's successor. That was why her surprise was so great.

"I believe you will do well."

At those words, Cheon Sohwi shed tears of emotion. I could feel the resolve she was making in that moment.

Everyone cheered and congratulated her. She was the most skilled in the Eastern Fist Garrison. Therefore, this decision followed the general consensus. While some might be inwardly dissatisfied, they would not dare to show it openly.

"Junior Sister, congratulations."

My congratulations would also lend great strength to this decision. After all, the next Cult Leader was congratulating her.

"Thank you, Young Cult Leader."

"From now on, you should call me Senior Brother."

"…Senior Brother."

Having announced his successor so suddenly, the Fist Demon abruptly left. I followed him out.

"Why did you bring me along?"

"So that Sohwi will think you had an influence on this decision, of course."

It was a consideration for my sake. He had brought me along to imply that the next Fist Demon should serve the next Cult Leader well.

"To think my Master was such a meticulous person!"

Come to think of it, all the Demon Supremes possessed their own unique brilliance and meticulousness. They were people who had put in an amount of effort incomparable to that of an ordinary martial artist, and it was a position that could never be achieved with a clumsy personality.

"You did well. Junior Sister will become a more splendid Fist Demon than anyone."

I imagined Cheon Sohwi having inherited all of the Fist Demon's martial arts. It would be truly magnificent. She would become a person more suited for that position than anyone else.

"The Cult Leader was pleased when you returned to greet him, wasn't he?"

"He even showed me the Heavenly Demon Vault."

"He has acknowledged you as his true successor."

"I'm grateful for that, but…"

I paused my steps for a moment. I had something to say to the Fist Demon regarding the Heavenly Demon Vault. It was something I had to say to the Fist Demon, not any other Demon Supreme.

"Seeing the miracle herbs in the vault, I could tell that Father is preparing for war."

The Fist Demon said nothing. How could he, who had Father's trust, not know that fact? If a war were to break out, the Fist Demon would be the vanguard commander.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Master. It might be a very difficult favor."

"Speak."

"If Father decides to crush the Murim Alliance and the Evil Alliance, he will reveal his intentions to you first among the Demon Supremes, Master."

The Fist Demon listened to my words in silence.

"I won't dare ask you to defy Father's will. Even if I did, you are not the kind of Master who would bend your principles."

"Then what is the favor?"

"Please let me know. I will be the one to persuade and stop Father, so just let me know."

This alone was an incredibly burdensome request. It would be tantamount to leaking such an important matter to me. Moreover, he could not know how I would stop Father.

Nevertheless, the Fist Demon accepted my request.

"I will tell you."

He said nothing else. He did not even make a show of how difficult a task this was. This was the true nature of the man called the Fist Demon.

"Thank you."

I also said nothing else and simply bowed my head respectfully.

After bidding farewell to the Fist Demon and leaving the Eastern Fist Garrison, I found Lee Ahn waiting at the entrance.

"I couldn't ask comfortably earlier because Father was here. Did you handle the matter with the Jiangxi Branch well?"

I walked up to her, stared intently at her face, and asked.

"Honestly, you weren't worried about me at all, were you?"

"Ah! Was I supposed to be?"

She reacted as if it were a joke, but I could feel that she had not been worried at all.

"I miss the days when you would stomp your feet and worry only about me."

"Did I do that? I don't really remember."

She took my banter as a joke as well.

"The only thing I vaguely remember is someone saying, 'Find the happiness in your own life!'"

"I don't know who it was, but I doubt they meant for you to be this happy."

Knowing it was a compliment about how well she was doing, Lee Ahn smiled brightly.

"How does it feel to have a father?"

"It's bewildering. This is a moment when I need your advice, Young Master."

"I've never been a parent myself."

However, if the relationship between a parent and child is ultimately a relationship between two people, then this is what I wanted to tell Lee Ahn.

"If you try too hard to be good, it will be burdensome for your Master too. Think about it. He took you in as his daughter because he likes you, but you're trying too hard, watching his every move, and being all stiff. Would that be good? Or, you could be endlessly bright and cheerful. So funny that he can't help but laugh whenever he sees you. You might make mistakes along the way. That's fine. Why? Because you're his child. So, you should never miss a chance to be funny. Make your father laugh. I think you'll be able to find the answer to your relationship there."

Lee Ahn looked at me suspiciously.

"You have children, don't you? You have about five of them hidden somewhere, right?"

"Imagine five kids like me growing up? Ah, how horrible."

"Why horrible? I think it would be really reassuring."

Lee Ahn, who had spoken without thinking, blushed. It seemed that for a moment, she had imagined those children as hers and mine.

She quickly changed the subject.

"About the Ghost Shadow Squad's Second Division Leader. I was thinking of bringing over the younger sister of the Ghostly Sage we met before."

"Do as you see fit."

The moment had finally come for Seo Jin to enter my life. Whether she would actually come or not was up to Lee Ahn.

After parting with Lee Ahn and leaving the Eastern Fist Garrison, someone spoke from a rooftop.

"Since you're so busy, when on earth are you planning to come to me?"

It was the Drunken Demon's voice.

I kept walking without looking up.

"Get in line."

I could feel the Drunken Demon walking along the rooftop, following me.

"The line is too long. Where are you going now? The Poison King? The Sword Supreme? First Young Lord? The Demonic Buddha? The Sanzu Hall Director? The Demonic Army General?"

He did not mention the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Fist Demon, or the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. He already knew I had met them.

"Were you disappointed? That I didn't visit you first, Hyung?"

"Disappointed? You have to take care of the Elders first."

"Right, I would have gone if you waited. What's the rush that you came like this?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had told me that the Drunken Demon was waiting for me. That was why he had also told me to take care of him. For him to go this far, he clearly had something to talk to me about. I threw a joke that I could only make to the Drunken Demon.

"What is it? Did you make some kind of mistake while you were sober?"

The Drunken Demon gave a faint smile at my words.

Just as he was about to say something, he looked behind me and spoke.

"The line really is long. Let's talk later."

When I turned around, an unexpected person was walking this way. It was someone who was not even among those the Drunken Demon had just mentioned. She was none other than the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, Cheong Seon.

She walked slowly toward me and said with a serious face.

"I have something I must urgently discuss with you, Young Cult Leader."