Chapter 397: So Much for a Pretty Heart

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Drunken Demon's movement arts were fast. His initial speed was only a fraction of his true ability, and he grew faster the more he ran.

Just how much trouble did he get into while drunk to become this fast?

He was so fast it made Geom Mugeuk want to joke. This was how the Demon Supremes were. They had drunk, joked, and even swum in a lake together, yet the Drunken Demon had never mentioned his movement arts were this fast.

The other Demon Supremes were the same. They never mentioned their own martial arts, let alone boasted about them. That was the frightening thing about true masters.

Did an unexpected twist occur? Unfortunately, no. No matter how fast the Drunken Demon was, Geom Mugeuk had the Swift Step, which had surpassed tenth-star mastery and reached the Eleventh Star.

"I'm going on ahead!"

After running at a similar pace, Geom Mugeuk accelerated as they neared their destination. He didn't hold back or act carelessly. He couldn't, not with the Fire Dragon Wine on the line.

Geom Mugeuk pushed the Swift Step to its limit and arrived first.

The Drunken Demon arrived a moment later, panting for breath.

"What are you? Why are you so fast?"

"I saved my strength for the final moment."

The Drunken Demon knew that wasn't the reason he lost. He was panting, while Geom Mugeuk breathed calmly. It meant he was no match from the start.

He even thought that if Geom Mugeuk had used his full ability from the start, he could have gone to a nearby village, bought snacks, and waited with them laid out.

"I've never lost when it comes to movement arts before."

"I'm the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader."

Geom Mugeuk looked around smugly.

"Now, where would be a good place to drink our Fire Dragon Wine?"

Will he actually give me the Fire Dragon Wine?

"Follow me."

The Drunken Demon flew off using his movement arts.

Geom Mugeuk followed using the Heavenly Demon Flight Step, a technique he practiced occasionally. He flew with a ramrod-straight back and crossed arms, a deliberately haughty posture.

It's a movement art that suits Father so well. Flying in such a haughty posture and then slowly descending by walking on air! Ah, this is it!

This was why Geom Mugeuk couldn't give up on the Heavenly Demon Flight Step, no matter how much faster the Swift Step was.

The Drunken Demon led Geom Mugeuk to a small rock jutting from a cliff. It overlooked a spectacular view.

"On my way back to our Cult, I sometimes stop here for a drink."

In the distance, the Great Sky Peak was visible. The river before it sparkled under the sunlight, surrounded by a forest of reeds. The scene was as beautiful as a painting.

"If you're going to drink the Fire Dragon Wine, it has to be in a place like this."

The Drunken Demon took the Fire Dragon Wine from his robes and held it out to Geom Mugeuk.

"You're really giving it to me?"

"Why wouldn't I? We made a bet, didn't we?"

"But it's the Fire Dragon Wine."

"Still, I have to give it to you."

"You conspired with Father, didn't you? So you put some imperceptible poison in here, right?"

"I guess you don't want to drink it. Fine then."

"As if!"

As the Drunken Demon tried to put it back in his robes, Geom Mugeuk quickly snatched the Fire Dragon Wine from him.

The Drunken Demon took a cup from his sleeve.

"This will pour exactly three cups. It's more effective to drink it in portions rather than all at once, so drink it in three parts."

The Drunken Demon had run with such tenacity, yet he had also brought a cup. This made Geom Mugeuk think he might have intended to give him the wine as a gift all along.

The Drunken Demon took out another cup and poured wine from a gourd-shaped bottle at his waist. He would drink any alcohol when traveling, but he preferred to use his own cup.

"Well then, I admit defeat."

Geom Mugeuk vigorously clinked cups with the Drunken Demon and drank the Fire Dragon Wine. A searing heat burned down his throat. He now understood why he was told to drink it in three parts.

Geom Mugeuk immediately circulated his qi to assimilate the hot energy. It was pure yang energy, but Geom Mugeuk absorbed it into his blood vessels without difficulty.

The Drunken Demon was astonished when Geom Mugeuk assimilated all the energy in a single circulation. He knew Geom Mugeuk's martial arts were profound but hadn't expected him to absorb a cup of Fire Dragon Wine so quickly.

Geom Mugeuk clinked cups with him again and drank the second cup.

"Ugh, that's good!"

The second cup also set his body ablaze. It burned more with each sip, but the heat was manageable.

Geom Mugeuk drank all the Fire Dragon Wine in three parts and assimilated all its energy.

The potent energy circulated through his meridians, becoming inner arts that gathered in his qi center.

It was a larger amount than he had expected.

Geom Mugeuk already had more inner arts than anyone, but he needed even more. He was training in the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, the Heavenly Space Secret Art, and the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

More inner arts shortened his training time, so he welcomed any amount.

After circulating his true qi, a clear, deep light settled in Geom Mugeuk's eyes before vanishing.

The Drunken Demon watched this, shook his head, and said, "I'll have to rewrite the section on the Fire Dragon Wine."

"What do you mean?"

"The secret manual passed down through generations says it takes three days to fully absorb the Fire Dragon Wine."

The Drunken Demon had expected him to circulate his qi for at least a day, yet Geom Mugeuk had absorbed all the energy in less than two hours.

"What are you? What in the world are you that you keep surprising people like this?"

Geom Mugeuk replied to the half-joking question in a dignified voice.

"I am the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader, and who might you be?"

The Drunken Demon played along with Geom Mugeuk's jest.

"I am but a drunkard who lost a bet and was cleaned out of his Fire Dragon Wine. O, future generations! Never bet on movement arts against the Heavenly Demon Hall!"

The two men looked at each other and laughed.

"Thank you."

"For what? You won it in a bet."

"What's your favor?"

"Why the sudden question?"

"Even without the bet, I should grant you a favor. Tell me! I'll grant you anything."

"Anything?"

"Even if you ask me to go pour your wine on Father's bed, I'll do it."

"That's not granting a favor, that's assassination, isn't it?"

They joked for a while, but the Drunken Demon never stated his favor.

"It's fine. I'll tell you later when the opportunity arises."

He didn't seem to want to say it, so Geom Mugeuk didn't press him.

"Let's have another movement arts bet next time."

"Next time, let's bet the Longevity Wine."

The Longevity Wine was another legendary wine that granted inner arts as potent as the Fire Dragon Wine.

"Should we go to the Ice Palace first?"

Geom Mugeuk was being considerate, but the Drunken Demon didn't accept.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even thought of going. Go meet your heart first. You do know where she is now, right?"

"If I knew where she was, I wouldn't be going. I'm going because I'm worried. I don't know where she is or what she's doing."

"How do you plan to find her?"

Geom Mugeuk gazed at the distant river glittering like jewels in the sunlight.

"Don't worry. That one…… it'll be harder not to find her."

The two of them ran toward the North Sea. They stayed in inns when they found them and camped when they didn't.

Geom Mugeuk demonstrated proficient camping skills. He expertly butchered a hunted animal and served it with a secret seasoning, greatly impressing the Drunken Demon.

The Drunken Demon rejoiced that it was a perfect snack with alcohol. Geom Mugeuk felt a pang of guilt. He had cooked this dish for the other Demon Supremes several times and had even taught his bodyguards how to camp and cook.

They ran north, sharing stories they never had the chance to tell.

They ran, camped, and drank. After running ceaselessly, the two finally arrived at the North Sea.

"It's snow."

Spring had come to the Central Plains, but snow was piled high in the North Sea.

"I was disappointed it didn't snow much this year. Let's enjoy the view before we go back."

Watching the excited Geom Mugeuk, the Drunken Demon thought to himself.

Can we really have fun and return safely?

Strangely, being with Geom Mugeuk gives me an instinctive sense of crisis, as if something is bound to happen. It's probably just my imagination, right?

The two arrived at the village where Lee Ahn was last seen. It was located away from the center of the North Sea, so there weren't many outsiders.

The villagers wore fur hats and animal hides. Unfamiliar trees and plants grew everywhere, giving the North Sea a unique mystique.

Why did Lee Ahn come to such a distant place?

She must have come here for a reason.

The two men, dressed in thin martial arts uniforms, drew the villagers' attention. Passersby, shop clerks, and people in windows watched the strangers in silence.

"Let's go over there."

It was a peculiar tavern set up inside a cave.

As the two entered, the few customers inside turned to look at them at once. Their eyes were wary.

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon paid them no mind.

A waiter greeted them as they sat down.

"Welcome!"

"Bring us some alcohol and something simple to eat."

"Please wait a moment!"

The Drunken Demon looked around the interior, glanced at the ceiling, and said, "I don't think I'll even get drunk. Who knows when those things above our heads might fall."

Geom Mugeuk looked up. Long, spear-like icicles hung from the cave ceiling.

"It would be refreshing to break one of those off and put it in our drinks."

The Drunken Demon laughed and agreed to try it.

The waiter soon brought their alcohol and food. There was no need to break the icicles. The cups were frozen solid.

"If you drink from these, the alcohol will be cold."

Despite the cold outside, everyone drank cold alcohol.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, customer."

"Let me ask you something. Has a woman wearing a veil and carrying a sword been here?"

"No. No one like that has come here."

But Geom Mugeuk saw the waiter flinch for a split second. No amount of experience could hide that from Geom Mugeuk's keen eyes.

"We are friends of that swordswoman. We're not bad people, so please tell us."

The Drunken Demon chimed in.

"Look at our faces. Where on these faces do we look like villains?"

"In my experience, looks have nothing to do with whether someone's a villain. Anyway, I haven't seen such a person."

As the waiter withdrew, the Drunken Demon said, "Why would he pretend not to know when he clearly does?"

The Drunken Demon had also noticed the waiter was lying.

"He's trying to protect her because we look like villains."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, the Drunken Demon touched his face.

"This face? This handsome face? How dare you!"

The Drunken Demon was indeed handsome. He had the face of a handsome middle-aged man.

The Poison King, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon with his mask off, the Drunken Demon, and me. I'm confident that if the four of us traveled together, we'd be called the Four Handsome Men or the Four Heavenly Kings.

"Either that, or she's involved with dangerous people who shouldn't be spoken of."

That was probably it. Otherwise, there was no reason to hide that he had seen Lee Ahn.

After a few drinks, the waiter brought their food. It was a local North Sea dish, unseen in the Central Plains.

As the waiter set down the food, Geom Mugeuk discreetly placed a silver coin on the table. The waiter flinched. It was far too large for a tip, at least ten days' wages.

The quick-witted waiter understood it was payment for information.

"Is this your first time here?"

"It is."

"Let me tell you about some places worth seeing nearby."

The waiter told them about places worth visiting in the area.

"If you go about two and a half kilometers east, there's a place where snow flowers bloom. It's a spectacular sight you can't see in the Central Plains. The temple to the south, the Cultivation Haven, is also worth a visit. Be careful not to slip on the stairs."

He mentioned a few more places before adding one last thing.

"Ah, and whatever you do, don't go toward the manor to the west. It's a dangerous place."

That was enough. He had just told them Lee Ahn had been here and gone to that manor.

The waiter took the money and went to the kitchen. It was a witty response. Even if problems arose, he hadn't said a single word about Lee Ahn.

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon left the tavern and headed west.

They followed the waiter's directions and found the manor.

The Drunken Demon entered through the main gate, looked around, and said, "The person you're looking for, didn't you call her a pretty heart?"

A single line cut across their vision.

The trees, the stone lantern, and even the back wall were all sliced through in a long, straight line. The cut was as precise as if made with a ruler, a testament to a clean technique.

Uncleaned bloodstains covered the ground. Presumably, anyone caught in that line was sliced apart.

The Drunken Demon clutched his collar as if cold and said, "That's not a pretty heart, that's a terrifying one."