Chapter 680: Even If You Put Down the Sword

TL: FoodieMonster007

When Geom Muyang entered the smithy, he saw Gwak Yeong in the distance, moving a lump of iron loaded onto a handcart.

Instead of approaching her, Geom Muyang walked straight to where Master Gwak was working. Master Gwak, who was inspecting the manufactured weaponry, noticed Geom Muyang and greeted him.

"I'm glad you've returned safely."

Geom Muyang also showed his respects politely.

"Thanks to your concern, I had a good trip. Have you been well?"

At that, Master Gwak shook his head with a strange smile.

"No, thanks to you, First Young Lord, I've had some things to worry about."

Geom Muyang could guess what he meant. He was surely talking about Gwak Yeong.

In the messenger pigeon he sent to Master Gwak, Geom Muyang had relayed the facts exactly as they were. He explained that Gwak Yeong was a master of the Murim Alliance smithy and that she had created counterfeit hidden weapons to save her younger sibling.

He had told him to see her for himself before deciding whether to accept her into the Cult's smithy. He also added that he was only sending her because it was a waste of her talent. Geom Muyang stressed that she had no connection to him, so he should decide on his own.

He only intended to introduce her to the smithy and had no thought of exerting any further influence. All authority here belonged to Master Gwak, and Geom Muyang respected that.

"I already knew the rumors about that woman."

How could he not know? She was the person who became the youngest master of the Murim Alliance smithy, and a woman at that.

Then, Master Gwak said something unexpected.

"The Gwak bloodline is skilled at handling iron."

"Could it be?"

"Yes, that's right. After checking, I found that she is also a descendant of the Gwak Family Smithy."

The Gwak Family Smithy. It was a family once known for having the greatest skill in the Central Plains when it came to making weaponry.

However, in a certain generation, the brothers of the iron gate fought amongst themselves, which led to a sword fight that caused them to scatter. The time it took for a great family to fall was merely half a day.

The reason Gwak Yeong was able to become a master of the Murim Alliance smithy at such a young age was also because she had inherited the outstanding bloodline of the Gwak Family Smithy.

Master Gwak's name was Gwak In. He too was a descendant of the Gwak Family Smithy, and to be precise, he was a distant relative of Gwak Yeong.

"That's why I was more conflicted. I would have accepted her right away, but I was worried it would look like I was accepting her just because we're from the same family."

Master Gwak had always been a man of upright character.

"But you accepted her."

When Master Gwak first saw the counterfeit hidden weapons, he was truly impressed. The skill was such that he would have believed it if his own people had made them. Moreover, when he learned that she had made them not in a proper smithy but in a converted warehouse with people who weren't proper technicians, he couldn't refuse her. Of course, that didn't mean he could immediately entrust her with a major role.

"I told her to start from the bottom, like anyone new to the smithy. After all, to adapt here, she'll have to prove herself with her skills."

There was no telling how long that would take.

Master Gwak's gaze turned toward Gwak Yeong, who was moving iron in the distance.

"That child has likely lived her life thinking she was already a completed sword. But now that she has to melt herself down and start again from molten iron, I too am curious what kind of sword she will become."

Geom Muyang watched her as she did menial chores, her face flushed red and dripping with sweat. After staring at her for a moment, Geom Muyang bid farewell to Master Gwak.

"Then I will take my leave."

After exchanging farewells with Master Gwak, Geom Muyang walked out of the smithy. He deliberately chose not to see her, thinking that acknowledging her in front of everyone wouldn't be helpful to her.

Gwak Yeong also knew that Geom Muyang had come, but she didn't look at him. In her heart, she wanted to run over and express her gratitude for his consideration in letting her join the smithy. However, she didn't.

The one she needed to get close to now was not Geom Muyang, not Master Gwak, not a Senior, and not her colleagues. The only one was this, right in front of her eyes.

Iron.

Her relationships with everyone else would be determined by how close she became with this.

I'll keep my promise to you after I've married this iron. Ah, I suppose it would be a remarriage.

"Elder!"

After leaving the Valley of Evil, Geom Mugeuk ran straight to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's residence. When he opened the gate and entered, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was training his martial arts in the courtyard.

This training had become a trend among the Demon Supremes. In fact, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was at the forefront of that trend, having started his martial arts training again quite a long time ago.

And recently, with Geom Woojin's seclusion training as a catalyst, the Demon Supremes each felt a sense of mission. They had gained the goal of overcoming the wall that stood before them.

The martial arts the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was currently performing was the Heaven Destroying Demonic Blade Technique.

The Third Technique the Bloody Annihilation Blade Wind.

HWAAAAAAANG!

The rough blade energy extending from his dao swirled and flew out. Since he was performing this perilous martial art in the courtyard, the surroundings should have been devastated.

Just at the moment the blade energy was about to blow away the wall, it vanished right in front of it as if by magic.

"……"

Seeing this, Geom Mugeuk could tell that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was unleashing the Heaven Destroying Demonic Blade Technique only within a precisely defined area.

Just as it is harder to walk slowly up into the air than to fly up quickly, performing martial arts with such restrictions was a much higher state than pulverizing the wall and destroying the building behind it.

The Elder has reached a new state, too!

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung the Heaven Destroying Dao again. This time, his target was Geom Mugeuk.

SHWAAAAEK!

A wave of blade energy with tremendous force stretched toward Geom Mugeuk, who was standing in front of the gate.

The Heaven Destroying Demonic Blade Technique the Second Technique the Annihilation Blade Tidal Wave.

Geom Mugeuk did not avoid the terrifying attack.

A life-or-death moment!

"……"

Just like before, the wave of blade energy that flew at him vanished like a lie right in front of Geom Mugeuk's face.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon roared at Geom Mugeuk.

"Are you trying to die? You didn't even raise your protective enhanced qi!"

He had just belatedly realized that Geom Mugeuk had been standing there defenseless.

"I trusted you, Elder."

"What if I had made a mistake?"

"I'd appear in your dreams every day as a vengeful spirit, crying, 'Give me back my handsome face!'"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head with an expression that said he was hopeless. He could endure that, but he wouldn't be able to endure the guilt he'd feel toward the Cult Leader.

"I missed you!"

As Geom Mugeuk ran to embrace him, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon blocked his path with the Heaven Destroying Dao.

"You reek of sweat. Get away!"

"Your sweat smells better than miracle herbs, Elder."

"Then stop frowning when you say it."

At those words, Geom Mugeuk burst out laughing. Seeing the Blood Heaven Blade Demon put his mind at ease. There was a comfort that only he could provide.

"I'll go wash up."

"I told you, it's fine."

"I'm not fine with it."

If asked who among the Eight Demon Supremes was the neatest, Geom Mugeuk would firmly answer that it was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. One could tell just by looking at his always-clean bed. He was someone who seemed like he'd be far from neat.

Just then, something caught Geom Mugeuk's eye. Unfamiliar flowers and plants were planted in a flowerbed in the corner of the courtyard, evidence that he was getting along well with the Flower Sword Supreme.

How long had he been crouching there, looking at the grass and flowers? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's voice came from behind him.

"The Cult Leader was pleased, wasn't he?"

He knew he was asking about the hunting trip with his father and brother. Yes, perhaps the person who knew his father's heart best was this man, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

Geom Mugeuk stood up, turned toward the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and said, "Phew, he showed so much favoritism to the eldest son. I cried myself to sleep every night."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon gave him a look that said, 'As if you would ever do that.'

"That mouth of yours must not have rested there either."

"How could it? It was two against one, I tell you."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon said with a faint smile, "Well done."

It was just one short phrase, but it was filled with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's sincerity. It wasn't for Geom Mugeuk's sake, nor for his brother's. It was about their father. That he had done well for the Cult Leader's sake.

"Next time, you should come with us, Elder."

"Why would I go there?"

"You can go and take my side against our father who only favors his eldest son."

"If that's your purpose, you should take the drunkard or the masked one."

"The drunkard would just suck up to Father and take my brother's side. And Father wouldn't want to take the masked one."

"Then take the fist-fighter, your Master."

"You know how it is. My Master would just take Father's side. The only one who would wipe my tears is you, my Elder!"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed as if he found it amusing.

Geom Mugeuk continued this good mood with an even better story.

"Did you know? You saved me in Wuhan this time, too, Elder."

"Me? I haven't even been near Wuhan."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at him with an expression that asked, 'What kind of prank are you trying to pull now?'

"Thanks to you, Elder, I came to like books, didn't I?"

In the murim treasury, when I had given up on finding the orb for the Secret Box to absorb and was about to just leave. If I hadn't had the thought to read just one book before leaving at the last moment, I would have never obtained the Yellow Orb.

"The thought to read a book changed my destiny. Thank you."

Geom Mugeuk bowed his head to express his gratitude.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared at him silently before speaking calmly.

"To defeat others, you must never let go of that sword. But to defeat yourself…"

Words followed that no one would believe were advice from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon to the next Heavenly Demon.

"Even if you put down the sword from your hand, do not put down the book."

Standing on the Drunken Dream Palace, the Drunken Demon's gaze turned to the lake. Where his gaze rested, a corpse was floating by.

A corpse in his own residence?

It was something to be surprised about, yet the Drunken Demon wasn't surprised at all. He walked across the lake's surface and approached the corpse.

Looking down at the corpse floating face down, the Drunken Demon asked nonchalantly, "Is this a new way of expressing your apology?"

At that, as if it had been waiting, the corpse flipped over. The person floating in the lake was Geom Mugeuk.

"It's been a while, Hyung."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was trying to surprise you. I didn't realize you'd lost your inner child to this extent."

"This isn't a matter of an inner child, it's a matter of conscience."

The Drunken Demon had every right to say such a thing. The last time Geom Mugeuk left the Cult and returned to become the Acting Cult Leader, he hadn't seen the Drunken Demon either. So it had truly been a long time. He was someone who was usually upset that Geom Mugeuk visited him later than the other Demon Supremes.

"Hyung, how long has it been?"

Staring down at Geom Mugeuk, the Drunken Demon spoke with polite formality.

"Even as Father was turning into a fossil waiting for you, he spoke of you, Young Cult Leader. Although you treated him the worst among the Demon Supremes, Father still liked you the best."

Geom Mugeuk was not one to let the Drunken Demon's joke slide.

"You, you look just like Father, so handsome and atmospheric. You can resemble him in everything except his personality and his drunken habits!"

The Drunken Demon shook his head once, then launched himself back toward the Drunken Dream Palace. His movement arts as he walked on water were incredibly smooth and elegant.

Geom Mugeuk shouted as he watched him, "Even so, it hasn't been that long since we've seen each other!"

Geom Mugeuk lay back in the lake and looked up at the sky.

"Ah, this is nice. The sky really looks the best from here."

Floating in the lake of the Drunken Dream Palace after so long felt good. After fully savoring the thrill of returning, Geom Mugeuk climbed onto the Drunken Dream Palace.

The Drunken Demon poured wine into the Ice Palace Chalice for him.

"How did your trip go?"

"It went well."

He explained everything that had happened in Wuhan to the Drunken Demon as well. It was the same story he had told the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon before they parted, and the one he had told the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

It had always been this way. He told the Demon Supremes everything regarding the forces behind the scenes. It wasn't a fight he was fighting alone, but one he was fighting alongside them.

After hearing the whole story, the Drunken Demon refilled Geom Mugeuk's chalice.

"You've worked hard."

Geom Mugeuk tilted his head at the Drunken Demon's calm reaction.

"You seem different today, Hyung."

"I do?"

"Somehow calmer, I guess?"

He would have usually played more pranks. But he wasn't the type to act this way because he was truly sulking. Although he teased him for being petty, he knew better than anyone that he was a big-hearted person.

The problem was that today's change was a calmness that felt tinged with worry.

"Is it because of Young Lady Yeo?"

He already knew that the Drunken Demon and Yeo Bin of the Three Drunkards treated each other with affection. He wondered if something had happened between the two of them while he was away.

I didn't sense any problems from her when she was guiding me earlier, though?

The Drunken Demon drained the chalice he was holding and stood up.

"Follow me."

The Drunken Demon led Geom Mugeuk somewhere. The two used their movement arts to launch themselves to the opposite side of the lake from the entrance.

The Drunken Demon led Geom Mugeuk into the Great Drunken Forest. Deep within the forest, an alcoholic qi spread out like a fog.

This was the absolute forbidden zone of the Great Drunken Forest. It was an alcoholic qi that couldn't be expelled with one's own qi, so it was a place that even a master could not easily pass through.

As the Drunken Demon walked, the alcoholic qi parted to make a path as if it were alive. In that place where only the Drunken Demon could go, was Division Leader Yang. It was the very place he had come to before, following the Drunken Demon.

Stepping inside, the Drunken Demon spoke with an incomprehensible expression.

"Your trip went well, the Cult Leader has come out of his seclusion training, and the Demon Supremes are getting stronger. Everything is going well."

The Drunken Demon's steps halted. His gaze turned to a large chalice placed in the center of the area. There lay the reason for the Drunken Demon's somber mood.

"Why has the new liquor I brewed gone bad again?"