Chapter 720: You Don't Have to Come Anymore

TL: FoodieMonster007

"No matter what anyone says, I'll always come to see you first, Elder. Even if I get stabbed in the heart, I'll come see you first. Even if my father scolds me, I'll come to you first, Elder. Is it about the Blade Demon again? Aren't you sick of it? What about the other Demon Supremes then? No matter how upset they get, you come first, Elder!"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was reading a book as Geom Mugeuk stood outside the window, raising his voice. After parting ways with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, Geom Mugeuk had rushed straight to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's residence.

"You're pretending to read right now, but I know the words aren't registering. I also know you want to hug me because you're so happy to see me, but you're holding back because you're shy. Just stop holding back and express yourself! Isn't life a journey where we don't know what tomorrow will bring?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had been looking at his book, lifted his head.

"Are you done?"

When Geom Mugeuk nodded, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon pulled out the cotton he had stuffed in his ears.

"That's too much! I was stabbed in the heart and came back alive."

When the Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't believe him, Geom Mugeuk pointed to his chest.

"Look at this!"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon glanced over casually, but his eyes flew wide open. The playfulness from a moment ago was replaced with shock.

"That wound, what is it?"

Seeing how startled the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was, Geom Mugeuk quickly covered the wound with his clothes.

"No, it's nothing. Just a little scratch."

In that instant, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's energy exploded.

"That masked bastard!"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shot to his feet. He looked ready to find the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon at once and hold him responsible for failing to protect Geom Mugeuk properly.

Geom Mugeuk knew that if he said the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had stabbed him, the man would fly off before even hearing the full story.

"If it weren't for the Smiling Demon, I would have died."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at Geom Mugeuk. It had been a long time since he had seen him this angry.

He had forgotten because the man had been so gentle with him lately, but this was who the Blade Demon originally was.

"This time, the Smiling Demon took care of all the enemies! It's true!"

With that, he managed to soothe the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's anger. The Blade Demon sat down again.

"How pathetic! Shouldn't you be at a point where you don't get stabbed by swords anymore?"

"There were too many beauties, so I got distracted."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon started reading his book again. Perhaps because he saw the wound, he spoke first this time.

"Have you already lost interest in reading?"

"I was too busy to find time to read."

"Excuses. If you set your mind to it, you can read even while fighting."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had been reading for a moment, lifted his head. He had been silent, making Geom Mugeuk wonder what he was doing. He was only leaning against the wall by the window, looking up at the sky.

After some time passed like that, Geom Mugeuk spoke abruptly.

"Starting tomorrow, I'm going into seclusion training."

As the Blood Heaven Blade Demon raised his head, Geom Mugeuk turned from the sky to look at him.

"It might take quite a while."

Geom Mugeuk felt that the tenth stage, complete mastery, was just a step away. It was shimmering right before his eyes. His plan was to greet his father and then immediately enter seclusion training. Once he went in, he was determined not to come out until he had achieved it.

He felt as if he could achieve complete mastery in just a few days, but that was just a wish. He couldn't know if it would take a month or several years. At least he had hope that it wouldn't take an absurdly long time, thanks to the Heavenly Space Secret Art.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon accurately grasped Geom Mugeuk's current situation.

"Are you on the verge of complete mastery?"

"Yes."

Even though he had asked the question himself, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was inwardly surprised by the affirmative answer.

To be on the verge of complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art at such a young age? Had there ever been a Cult Leader in history who achieved it so quickly? It was a claim he wouldn't have believed if it hadn't come from Geom Mugeuk.

"I have a feeling it's not far off."

For some reason, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't offer congratulations or words of encouragement. He just stared at Geom Mugeuk in silence.

Just then, someone entered the area.

"Young Cult Leader!"

The person who ran over happily was Seo Daeryong, who had come to train after finishing his duties.

"When did you get back?"

"A little while ago."

"I missed you!"

Seo Daeryong rushed forward as if to hug Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk lightly dodged him and peered into the basket in his hands. Inside were alcohol and food.

"What's this? It looks delicious!"

"This is off-limits!"

Seo Daeryong quickly turned his body to protect the basket, then brought it to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"This is a dish from Young Lady Dan for you, Master."

It was a dish made by Dan Ah. She often cooked for Seo Daeryong's Master, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. The food, made with healthy ingredients, was a heartfelt dish that couldn't be found in an inn.

"I told her she doesn't need to send anything."

"She just made a little extra while making our food. Please enjoy it comfortably."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon knew that wasn't true. Most of the dishes brought to him were his favorites.

"Tell her I'll eat it well."

"Yes, Master."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon took the food and went inside his house. Dan Ah's cooking always satisfied him, so he wore a pleased smile.

Once the two were left alone in the yard, Geom Mugeuk casually asked, "Are Young Lady Dan and her sisters doing well?"

"Yes, they're doing well, thanks to you."

Not only Dan Ah, but her two younger sisters, Dan Bi and Dan Yeon, had also adapted well to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Dan Bi was doing well as an enforcement martial artist, and Dan Yeon as a Ghost Shadow Squad martial artist, each fulfilling their roles.

Dan Ah was focusing on her martial arts training while also taking care of Seo Daeryong. Although she was willing to do any job for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, even shoveling horse manure, she had decided that for the time being, looking after Seo Daeryong and her sisters was more important.

Seo Daeryong, in particular, had a grueling schedule with his work at the Sanzu River Hall and his martial arts training, so she was looking after his health. Thanks to her, Seo Daeryong was often told that he was looking better these days.

"Do you like Young Lady Dan that much? Does just thinking about her make you smile?"

A wide smile bloomed on Seo Daeryong's face. His answer was in that smile.

"Aren't you getting married?"

"I can only go after you go, Young Cult Leader. Please clear the way! Let the carriage behind you pass!"

"There are plenty of roads, so why come down a blocked one and shout for me to move?"

"The only path I walk is the one you walk, Young Cult Leader. I will follow that path for my entire life."

"Nice excuse." Geom Mugeuk narrowed his eyes and looked at Seo Daeryong with suspicion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're not confident, are you?"

"Aish, what do you take me for? I'm your right-hand man, Seo Daeryong, Young Cult Leader. Seo Daeryong!"

"Right, my right-hand man who's never properly dated a woman."

Seo Daeryong finally sighed and revealed his honest feelings.

"Honestly, I don't know. If I can get married. If I can provide for her."

"If the Director of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Sanzu Hall says that, then no one can get married. And why are you worried about providing for her? If you marry Young Lady Dan, she'll be the one providing for you."

Considering Dan Ah's cool and decisive personality, that was entirely plausible.

"Stop that and tell me the real reason you're hesitating."

How could he deceive Geom Mugeuk's eyes? Seo Daeryong finally revealed the true reason.

"I'm scared… about whether I can be a good father."

He never knew Seo Daeryong was worrying about something like this. No matter how close you are to someone, the depths of their heart are this profound.

"Worried about that before you're even married?"

He couldn't bring himself to say, 'That's so like you.' It was something Geom Mugeuk couldn't be confident about either.

"I've never experienced having a good father. I don't know how to be one."

Seo Daeryong genuinely wanted to know.

"Should I just do the opposite of what my father did?"

"You think that would work?"

"Probably not, right?"

Seo Daeryong sighed. Geom Mugeuk let him sigh his fill. Now that these long-buried emotions were out, it would be fine even if the ground sank a little.

"Even if you had met a good father, I think that's a separate issue from you becoming a good father."

"Why is that?"

"Just as you are different from your father, the child born to you will be different from you. The methods a good father used won't work the same way. I think this isn't something you learn by watching, but something you have to figure out by observing your child and finding the right method for them."

"!"

"It's like stepping onto a duel stage without knowing who your opponent is. You just get on, thinking, 'No matter who the opponent is, this is going to be hellishly difficult.'"

Seo Daeryong's expression softened.

"So in the end, it's difficult for everyone, right?"

"Look at you, and look at me. Do you think raising kids like us is easy?"

At those words, Seo Daeryong's dejected face relaxed.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who was sitting by the window drinking, chimed in with a word.

"Family members are enemies, so why would a child be any different?"

Geom Mugeuk and Seo Daeryong laughed together.

Geom Mugeuk pointed out one fact.

"And you don't have to worry about that in the first place."

"Why not?"

"Young Lady Dan will make you a good father."

At that, Seo Daeryong smiled brightly.

"Young Cult Leader, how do you know so well without having experienced it yourself?"

"It's me. Your Young Cult Leader."

"Of course, you're our Young Cult Leader who knows everything about the world!"

The two of them laughed together.

"The fact that I can have such happy worries is all thanks to you, Young Cult Leader."

"As long as you know. Pay me back with money later."

"I'll continue to repay you only with my heart."

Geom Mugeuk turned to leave.

"You're leaving already? It's been a while, stay and hang out longer!"

To a disappointed Seo Daeryong, Geom Mugeuk said, "I won't be able to see you for a while."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, emptying his cup by the window, said, "Come out tomorrow."

It was an unexpected command. He had clearly said he was going into seclusion training, yet the man told him to come out.

Geom Mugeuk didn't ask for a reason and simply replied, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He would find out tomorrow.

But when tomorrow came, he still didn't know the reason.

The next day, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't tell him why he had been summoned. He just sat in the same spot as yesterday, reading a book.

"Is there something you need me to do?"

"No."

"Anything you want to say?"

"No."

"Are you lonely these days?"

"This room is full of friends."

He meant the books were his friends.

"Perhaps you've been feeling irritable lately, with an urge to bother someone?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon scoffed.

"If not, then why did you call me!"

No matter how much he asked, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon wouldn't tell him. Of course, he couldn't just say, 'Well, if you have no business with me, I'm leaving,' and go. His companion was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, after all.

That afternoon, Seo Daeryong dropped a bombshell.

"I told Young Lady Dan."

"Told her what?"

"That I want to marry her."

Not only Geom Mugeuk, but even the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was startled.

"Really?"

"You told me to, didn't you?"

"I didn't tell you to. And even if I did, you went and did it the very next day?"

"What's the point of hesitating? The words of the Young Cult Leader, who is smarter than me, must be right. And I've decided I want to step onto that duel stage."

"Didn't you say you'd follow my path your whole life? The carriage hasn't moved yet, has it?"

Seo Daeryong bowed his head as if ashamed, but he said what he had to say.

"I'm much older, aren't I? I'm the carriage blocking the road. A cart full of manure."

"So what did Young Lady Dan say?"

"She said she was flustered to hear something like that while eating."

Geom Mugeuk asked with a look of disbelief.

"You said it while you were eating?"

"I'm regretting it enough, so please don't scold me for that part. The words just came out of nowhere while we were eating. I told her I wanted to sit across from her and eat like this for the rest of my life."

Seo Daeryong clutched his head.

"Ah! I should have recited a poem while I said it."

Geom Mugeuk laughed and said, "No. It's better that you did it that way."

"I really did the right thing, right? Please tell me I did."

To Seo Daeryong, who was worried he had caused trouble, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said, "You did well. And that cart isn't full of manure, it's full of jewels. You'll be a good father."

Seo Daeryong's eyes welled with tears. He had thought something like marriage would never happen in his life.

"Since you're getting married, you should make it the best wedding possible. We should ask my father to officiate."

"The Cult Leader?" Seo Daeryong's eyes widened in surprise.

"You'll be the first martial artist to be married with the Heavenly Demon officiating."

Normally, Seo Daeryong would have freaked out and made a fuss, but now he spoke cautiously.

"If I do get married, the officiant…"

Seo Daeryong looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and said, "I would like to ask my Master."

For a moment, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon flinched in surprise. He never imagined Seo Daeryong would refuse the Cult Leader's offer and ask him instead.

"Master, I ask this of you."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon scoffed and said, "A fine thing to ask of a Master who isn't even married."

He then spun around and went into his house.

Seeing that, Seo Daeryong turned pale.

"Did I make a mistake?"

Although he had grown closer to his master, Seo Daeryong still found him difficult and was cautious around him.

Geom Mugeuk watched the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's retreating back and imagined his expression. Wasn't there a smile playing on his lips?

"No, he's probably in a good mood right now."

He must have gone inside because he couldn't control his expression.

Just then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's unexpected words came from inside.

"If you desire something too desperately, it tends to move further away."

Geom Mugeuk flinched in surprise. The person who was even more surprised was Seo Daeryong. He hung his head low with a crestfallen face.

"Ah! I made the decision too impulsively. I was too hasty! What should I do?"

He had naturally assumed the words were meant for him.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze deepened as he said, "No, he was speaking to me."

The moment he heard the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's words, Geom Mugeuk understood. He understood why the man had told him to come to his residence.

His heart had been too rushed. So much so that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had worried about it.

Right, if it had been moving from the seventh to the eighth stage, or the eighth to the ninth, he wouldn't have been this desperate. It was the complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

With a state he had only dreamed of right before his eyes, Geom Mugeuk's heart had grown impatient without him even realizing it. His heart was filled with the desire to immediately enter seclusion training and achieve complete mastery.

Normally, he would have gone to see the other Demon Supremes, Jang Ho, and Jo Cheonbae. But now, his mind was so fixated on complete mastery that he was only trying to rush to the training grounds.

He hadn't even reached the ninth stage through seclusion training. It wasn't a result achieved through such impatience. It was something he had achieved among people. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had reined in that hasty heart and given him a lesson.

The greater the greed, the more an illusion looks like reality.

Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly and said in a loud voice, "I'll come out tomorrow, too."

At that, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon appeared at the window. As if proving Geom Mugeuk's thoughts were correct, he smiled and said, "You don't have to come anymore."

Looking at that warm smile, a thought naturally came to mind. Could he really have come this far if not for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon? Since he was the first button among the Demon Supremes, wasn't that why he had been able to come this far safely?

Geom Mugeuk looked at Seo Daeryong, who was standing beside him blinking, and said, "No, I'll be here. I have to come and plan my right-hand man's grand marriage operation."

Seo Daeryong flinched and asked, "Is this something that requires a grand operation?"

Geom Mugeuk, his eyes terrifyingly serious and hiding a playful glint, nodded firmly.

"I can't just send you off to that fierce and endless battlefield without any preparation, can I?"