Chapter 773: I Will Not Run Away

TL: FoodieMonster007

"You like him that much?" Dan Ah asked, laying in bed.

Seo Daeryong looked at the baby in his arms, having rushed home the moment he finished work at the Sanzu River Hall. "I do. Very much so."

Five days ago, Dan Ah had given birth to a son. Seo Daeryong only now learned that childbirth was no ordinary matter. He had naively thought a pregnant woman just gave birth. Watching from her side, he realized it was not an easy task at all.

"That's enough staring," Dan Ah said.

Despite his wife's protest, Seo Daeryong had no intention of putting down the baby.

Dan Ah giggled. This was the same man who had trembled like an aspen leaf on the first day, terrified of dropping the child. "You should eat quickly and go train your martial arts."

"I'll stay just a little longer. Ah, the little guy just smiled. That's right, I'm your Daddy."

Even holding his son, it did not feel real.

Have I truly become a father? I can't tell if I'm dreaming or awake.

"It's a huge relief that he looks like you," he said.

The son was the spitting image of his mother. He had worried what he would do if the boy took after him and had a gloomy face.

"I was hoping he'd look like you," Dan Ah replied.

"What are you talking about! How would I handle the resentment later if that happened?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"I like how things are now. I'm so happy to have such a handsome son who looks like you."

"His mouth is the spitting image of yours," Dan Ah pointed out.

Seo Daeryong mimicked the baby's mouth. Seeing the child in person was completely different from when he was in the womb. "My son! My handsome son!"

Just then, a voice came from behind him. "Bragging about your son already?"

Seo Daeryong turned in surprise and saw Geom Mugeuk standing there. "Young Cult Leader!"

"Congratulations, Daeryong," Geom Mugeuk said.

"Young Cult Leader! I've become a father!" Seo Daeryong exclaimed.

He should have first asked if Geom Mugeuk had returned safely, but seeing Geom Mugeuk's face made him unable to contain his surging emotion. Looking at Geom Mugeuk, he felt the same overwhelming feeling a woman experiences when she sees her own mother after giving birth.

Geom Mugeuk approached and looked at the baby. "He's definitely worth bragging about."

"I'd say this is a success, right?" Seo Daeryong grinned.

"It's a perfect success! What's his name?"

"We named him Yeongha."

"Seo Yeongha. That's a good name." Geom Mugeuk turned to Dan Ah. "Lady Dan, congratulations. You've worked hard."

"It's all thanks to you, Young Cult Leader," Dan Ah said sincerely.

Geom Mugeuk smirked. Her husband said the same thing every time he opened his mouth. As if without the Young Cult Leader, he would never have known such happiness in his life.

He handed Seo Daeryong the medicine he had brought. "I asked the Demonic Physician to specially prepare this. It'll help your wife with her postpartum recovery."

"Thank you, Young Cult Leader."

Seo Daeryong and Dan Ah bowed together politely to express their gratitude.

"Would you like to hold him?" Seo Daeryong asked.

"Of course, he's your son. I should hold him."

As he handed the baby over, Seo Daeryong quickly added, "You have to support his neck and head well. Support him with your arm like this, and use your other hand to support his back and bottom. Yes, like that. Relax."

To his surprise, though, Geom Mugeuk held the baby skillfully, proving his worries needless.

"What am I supposed to do if you're good at holding babies too? Isn't it okay for you to be bad at something like this?" he grumbled.

"You say that because you haven't realized that I'm using a tremendous amount of qi right now."

Seo Daeryong stretched out his senses. Like Geom Mugeuk said, a soft, cloud-like qi swirled around the baby. "…Baby, pay your respects. This is the Young Cult Leader."

The baby beamed, as if he had truly understood the words.

A smile naturally formed on Geom Mugeuk's lips. "Yeongha, congratulations on being born to good parents."

He handed the baby to Dan Ah and asked Seo Daeryong, "So, how does it feel to be a father?"

"I'm still dazed."

Geom Mugeuk smiled, then promised Seo Daeryong the greatest gift of all. "When the child is older, I'll personally open his Conception and Governing Vessels for him."

Seo Daeryong and Dan Ah were stunned. Opening the Conception and Governing Vessels consumed a lot of qi and the process was extremely dangerous. It was something never done for anyone outside one's own family.

"Young Cult Leader! Thank you. Thank you so much."

Seo Daeryong was as happy as when the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had opened his own Conception and Governing Vessels. No, he was even happier. This meant Geom Mugeuk truly regarded the baby as a nephew.

Amidst it all, he did not forget to make a witty remark.

"When it wouldn't be enough to pledge loyalty for generations, I'm receiving love for generations instead."

Truly, it was a debt he could not repay even with his death.

"As I watch my child grow, I'll find the right way for him and raise him well."

If that was the advice he had given before the child was born, Geom Mugeuk now offered new advice. "I once heard someone say this. Raise your child as if he were a guest. Just as we don't treat guests poorly, you should raise your child with kindness and respect, and just as a guest leaves, you should consider that your child will also leave one day. It must mean to treat them well, but not to be tied down."

Seo Daeryong repeated Geom Mugeuk's words in his mind. "I'll keep that in mind and raise him well, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to let this guest go."

Geom Mugeuk chuckled. Right, that must be why people tell even their fifty-year-old children to be careful.

"Later, you'll probably say this to me," he said. "'Young Cult Leader, you don't know how big the difference is between reality and theory, do you? When it comes to children…!'"

Listening, Seo Daeryong and Dan Ah laughed together.

"Come to think of it, I was so busy with my own child that I didn't even ask about Master. I heard he didn't return with you this time," Seo Daeryong said.

"He decided to tour around the jianghu a little longer with the Sword Supreme."

"Tell him to take his time."

"Why? So you can slack off on your martial arts training and play with the baby?"

Seo Daeryong, on the contrary, strengthened his resolve. "Wrong. I'm going to train twice as hard now, no, ten times harder."

Geom Mugeuk believed him. He was certain that Seo Daeryong would be a truly good parent.

"I'll be going now. Lady Dan, please take good care of yourself."

Seo Daeryong pouted, looking disappointed. Reaching out, he tried to stop Geom Mugeuk. "Young Cult Leader, it's been a while. Please stay for dinner."

"I have dinner plans with my father, so I'll be on my way today," Geom Mugeuk explained, then bid farewell to the baby in Dan Ah's arms. "Welcome to the world, my dear nephew. Grow up healthy and strong!"

When Geom Mugeuk had gone, Seo Daeryong said to the baby, "Don't be like your Daddy. Grow up to be like the Young Cult Leader."

Dan Ah refuted him firmly, "No, grow up to be like your Daddy. Mommy would like that much, much more."

Geom Mugeuk went to his father's bedchambers and waited while his father changed his clothes.

Some things immediately caught his eye. A scroll depicting his brother and himself hung on one wall. Next to it, the flower-patterned pajamas he had given as a gift were neatly folded. On a decorative stand beside that were dolls of his father, the Demon Supremes, himself, and his brother Geom Muyang.

He never would have known that his father was the kind of person who would hang such things in his room, wear flower-patterned pajamas, and display dolls if he had not grown closer to him.

Just then, his father entered the room.

Geom Mugeuk said seriously, "Father, I think there's some kind of conspiracy afoot. The painting, and these dolls too. It seems my brother was drawn and made to be more handsome."

"When coincidences overlap, shouldn't you suspect they might be the truth?"

Geom Mugeuk smiled and turned toward his father, who still favored his elder brother, and complained, "I'm hungry, Father."

"Let's go eat."

They had arranged it beforehand, so dinner was already prepared.

"It's been a while since I've had a meal prepared by the Heavenly Demon Hall's chefs."

It was the first dinner he had with his father in a long time.

While they ate, Geom Mugeuk told his father about his trip outside the cult. His father had already heard the important matters through the All-Knowing Hall, but Geom Mugeuk added the exciting details only he could provide to the story's skeleton.

"By the way, did you know that the Blade Demon and the Sword Supreme had feelings for each other?"

His father nodded.

"Oh, and Elder Blade Demon took such good care of the Sword Supreme that I was treated like a nuisance. I'm so sad!"

"As if you would be. I'm relieved you didn't just tease my Demon Supremes."

"You misunderstand me, Father!"

"So, where did those two say they were going?"

"They went to Lake Tai."

A faint smile touched Geom Woojin's lips. He remembered that the four of them, including the Fist Demon, had met there in the past.

Geom Mugeuk guessed from his father's expression that there was a story behind the location. "Have you been to Lake Tai?"

Geom Woojin nodded.

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "Let's go there as a family, together with my brother next time. You can have a drink with your sons on a boat on the lake."

Pleasantries done, he went back to serious topics.

"…By the way, those bastards used the Soul-Returning Song to summon the souls of those they had fought until now. It was possible because they apparently gave a one-of-a-kind miracle herb called the Heaven's Will Divine Pill to a user of sound arts."

He explained the subsequent battle in detail, knowing his father was most interested in stories of combat and martial arts.

"…And that's how I finished them off completely."

"You eliminated them with the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World?"

"Yes, their souls wouldn't disappear even when their heads were cut off."

"Were you able to control the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World?"

"Ahem! To a certain extent…"

Geom Woojin raised an eyebrow, indicating he did not think his son was at that level yet. "Still, it must not have been easy to use that in a small space with many people."

Geom Mugeuk smirked. It was time to speak of the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. "That's why I used a certain secret art to isolate them."

"A secret art?"

Geom Mugeuk hinted at it by reciting the incantation. "Would you like to try and guess what incantation this is?"

"It sounds like a demonic art from the Blood Cult."

"Good guess! I'll recite it one more time."

"No need. I've already memorized it."

Geom Mugeuk stared at his father, utterly shocked. "You memorized it after hearing it only once?"

"……"

"That can't be! I can't believe it."

To prove he was telling the truth, Geom Woojin recited the incantation from beginning to end, word for word.

"You are truly amazing!" Geom Mugeuk exclaimed. His father had even accurately guessed the martial art's origin.

"Is it the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's martial art?"

"How did you know?"

"Judging by the incantation, it's clearly a supreme demonic art. In this era, he's the only one to have mastered a Blood Cult demonic art of that level."

"That's correct. It's a martial art of the Heavenly Wind Cult." Geom Mugeuk nodded. As expected, his father was a natural genius at martial arts.

"What martial art is this incantation for?"

"The reason I was able to use the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World freely before was because of this martial art." After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk revealed what the incantation was for. "It's the Spacetime Manipulation Technique."

The Spacetime Manipulation Technique was a martial art that Geom Woojin had heard of before, but he had never imagined his son would know the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's unique martial art.

"I know about the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, but that stingy bastard actually passed it down to you?"

"Yes, I had the opportunity to learn it when the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader first came to our Cult."

"You recited this incantation for a reason, didn't you?"

Geom Mugeuk grinned. His father was too sharp. "Yes, I really want to teach this secret art to you as well, Father. I've already received the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's permission."

The Spacetime Manipulation Technique was the surest way to escape a crisis.

"I refuse."

Geom Mugeuk pouted. His father refused flatly, just as he had expected. "I want to take a walk with you in a new space, Father…"

"What's so great about being inside an illusion? It's suffocating."

"No, it's not. It's exactly like reality! No, it's even more real than reality! Also, do you know how useful this martial art is? You'll know when you see it for yourself!"

TAK!

Geom Mugeuk activated the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, and a green field spread out around him. To his father, it must have looked as if he had vanished in an instant.

Will you still say it's not useful?

PWAAAK!

The space before his eyes tore apart, and something pierced through. To his surprise, it was the Heavenly Demon Sword.

JIIIIIIK!

His father stepped through the tear, ripping the world of the Spacetime Manipulation Technique wide open. He had incredibly dismantled the technique.

"You could see how to break it?" Geom Mugeuk exclaimed, bewildered.

"Don't you know that no demonic art or wicked technique can stand before the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?" Geom Woojin replied as if it were only natural.

This was the power of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art at the Twelfth Star of complete mastery. The art could even tear apart the Spacetime Manipulation Technique.

Geom Mugeuk peered behind his father. The outside world was visible through the tear in space. He had opened the Spacetime Manipulation Technique countless times, but this sight was utterly unfamiliar.

"You may be able to enter, Father, but others can't, can they? It can be a useful refuge in a moment of crisis."

His father looked at him quizzically, as if asking why he would ever need to hide. "I will never flee," he declared resolutely.

Faced with his stubborn father, Geom Mugeuk deployed his trump card. He would provoke his father's competitive spirit.

"The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader told me he mastered this martial art in three days. He said no one would ever be able to break his record."

The corners of Geom Woojin's mouth lifted in a smirk. He knew he was being provoked. "So? How long did it take you?"

"I have the Heavenly Martial Body, don't I?"

"I asked you how long it took."

Geom Mugeuk knew the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's record would not be enough of a provocation. His father would naturally assume he could master it faster. The only record his father cared about was his son's.

In reality, it had taken him exactly four hours, but mastering it in four hours was an impossible feat, even for his father. He might not even attempt the challenge.

"It took me only twelve hours."

He gave a time that his father would find challenging but achievable.

Please forgive this white lie, Father! It's fine if you learn it and never use it. Just please learn it!

"Father, you can't compare yourself to me. Just breaking the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's record would be amazing…"

His father cut him off and set the time. "Let's meet again in ten hours."

Translator's Note: All the missing chapters have been added. Ebook will be compiled soon.