Geom Mugeuk silently watched the Blood Heaven Blade Demon brew tea.
He had brewed tea for them many times before, but today felt different.
“I’ll do it.”
Unable to simply sit still, Dan-ah offered to take his place.
"It's fine."
Though he spoke gruffly, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s gaze toward Dan-ah was soft.
Dan-ah helped him by his side.
She tried hard to make a good impression on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Having lived as a wanderer, she knew she couldn't afford to be seen as impolite.
“You lived as a wanderer with your sisters?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been very difficult.”
Dan-ah found his words unfamiliar.
She had never heard such a thing from an elder before.
The people around her, young and old, were all just trying to survive tooth and nail.
“If that fellow gives you any trouble, come and tell me anytime."
Geom Mugeuk could feel it.
He knew what was in the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s heart today.
For him, today was the day his son brought home the woman who would become his daughter-in-law.
Unlike Seo Daeryong, who was fidgeting nervously a short distance away from the two, the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign silently watched the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s back.
What was she thinking now?
Was she remembering the Blood Heaven Blade Demon of her youth, who used to recite poetry to her? Or was she remembering herself, listening to those poems?
Back in the days when her father roamed the Central Plains with the Fist Demon, the days when everyone was young.
Just as the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign was about to turn her head to look out the window, her eyes met Geom Mugeuk’s.
“Young Cult Master."
“Yes, Sword Sovereign.”
"Looking back, time truly is fleeting.”
“Aren’t there still more days left to come?"
"Is that really so?"
“You might even achieve rebirth.”
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign shook her head with a look of disdain.
“Don’t think it’s over. In about ten years, you might look back on today and regret, thinking, ‘I was so full of life back then, I should have done it then.’ Wouldn’t that be possible?”
She looked out the window again.
With that deepened gaze, it was impossible to know what she was thinking.
In the meantime, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and Dan-ah brought the tea.
“The aroma is wonderful.”
Geom Mugeuk savored the scent as he took a sniff.
The first person to exclaim in admiration was Dan-ah.
“It’s so delicious. It’s the most delicious tea I’ve ever had.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk told her.
“Of course. It’s a tea he said he would only serve to a precious guest, one he would never give to us."
Dan-ah thought he was joking, but Seo Daeryong nodded with an expression that said it was true.
Even the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign joined in.
“This is the first time I’ve tasted this tea as well."
Naturally, Dan-ah’s face turned red.
She was truly happy.
Until now, most of the joy she had felt was the joy of survival.
I’ve completed this contract safely.
My sisters are safe too.
But the joy she felt now was different from that kind of joy.
Right now, she was drinking a special tea served to her by the master of the man she liked.
Before her was the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, whom she had always admired, and the Young Cult Master, who had saved her and her sisters.
And most importantly, Seo Daeryong was by her side.
It was a moment that felt like a dream.
When was the last time? The last time she looked at the people around her without feeling tense and wary.
When was the last time? The last time she felt the security of being loved and protected by someone.
That was why the vibration echoing deep in her heart now was something she had never felt before.
“Thank you, truly.”
All of her emotions were contained in Dan-ah’s trembling voice.
“You can stay here while Daeryong is training.”
It was an invitation to stay with him, as Seo Daeryong trained late after finishing his daily duties.
Just as Seo Daeryong was even more moved than she was, the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign abruptly spoke.
“She’s a sword user. What good would it do to watch him swing that ignorant blade around?”
“Ignorant!”
“Watching that frustrating master and disciple will make anyone’s blood boil. So…”
Then, she said something astonishing.
“When you have some time, come see me.”
Dan-ah’s eyes widened.
The person she admired was telling her to come and visit.
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, someone she couldn’t dare to look at directly, no, someone whose presence in the same room was unbelievable.
“May I really do that?"
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign nodded.
"Thank you so much. I will definitely come.”
Geom Mugeuk could tell that a new wind of fate had begun to blow for Dan-ah as well.
Geom Mugeuk said to Seo Daeryong.
“You’re buying the drinks tonight!"
Han Seol was crossing the lake on a boat.
The person rowing the boat was one of the three great drunkards, Yeo Bin.
Han Seol had asked the Ice Cold Twin Blades to wait on the other side of the lake and boarded the boat alone.
Sa Han had protested, but So Bing had sent her on her way.
“Why on earth are you doing this?”
Sa Han couldn’t understand his wife.
She had been more concerned about her guard duties than he was at first.
“The Demon Cult Master, the Young Cult Master, and the Evil Heart Laughing Demon we saw, did any of them have any openings?"
Even the demonic practitioners they saw while passing through the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect were properly disciplined.
“In the end, if someone is targeting the Young Palace Master, it must be with the Demon Cult Master’s permission. Do you think we can stop them?”
“So you’re saying we should just give up our guard duties?"
“It’s not giving up, it’s letting the Young Palace Master see and enjoy things freely.”
Sa Han guessed the reason for her behavior.
“You trust the Young Cult Master.”
“I don’t trust the Young Cult Master.”
Her decisive reply was followed by a gaze toward Han Seol on the distant boat.
“Han Seol is no longer the little kid we used to know. I’m trusting the Young Palace Master, who is about to become an adult.”
The boat Han Seol was on arrived at an island in the middle of the lake.
Guided by Yeo Bin, she ascended to the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
The Drunken Demon was drinking alone in the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
“Greetings to the Demon Sovereign.”
“Young Palace Master, welcome! I heard you had arrived.”
Having come to the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, she felt she had to at least pay her respects to the Drunken Demon, even if not the other Demon Sovereigns.
After all, he was the one who had saved the Northern Sea Ice Palace alongside the Young Cult Master.
"The lake is very beautiful. This pavilion is beautiful as well."
“The problem is that an incorrigible drunkard lives in this beautiful place.”
Han Seol smiled at the Drunken Demon’s joke.
“You suit this place well.”
The Drunken Demon sensed that she had changed from when he had seen her at the Ice Palace.
"Here, have a seat."
Han Seol looked at the cup hanging from the Drunken Demon’s waist.
The Drunken Demon placed the cup down in front of him.
“Do you know what kind of cup this is?"
“Yes, it is the Main Sect’s treasure, the Ice Palace Sacred Cup.”
“Have you ever drunk from this cup?"
When Han Seol shook her head, he poured wine into the cup for her.
“It’s been washed clean, so have a drink."
"I will drink it gratefully.”
Han Seol drank the wine from the Ice Palace Sacred Cup.
She wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed alcohol, but her eyes widened in surprise.
“The wine tastes truly wonderful.”
“Because good wine has been combined with a good cup."
Like that, the two of them exchanged a few cups of wine.
After gazing at the lake for a moment, she said to the Drunken Demon.
“I never thought I would come all the way here.”
The Drunken Demon gave her a look of understanding.
“You were with the Young Cult Master, and when you came to your senses, you were at the Main Sect, right?”
Han Seol gave a faint smile and a slight nod.
It was an exaggeration, but it was close enough.
“When I’m with him, I find myself thinking things I’ve never thought before in my life.”
“For example?”
She paused in thought for a moment.
“I want to live like him.”
The Drunken Demon poured wine into her empty cup and said.
"That’s normal."
"Pardon?"
“Because I’ve thought that dozens of times myself.”
It was an unexpected remark, and Han Seol looked at the Drunken Demon with a surprised face.
“You compare, you get jealous. Then you get angry and want to make excuses. But do you know what? The moment you get angry and want to make excuses, that’s the moment you can know yourself best.”
When do I get angry, when do I argue back, that’s where I am?
She felt like she understood, and yet she didn’t.
The Drunken Demon smiled and emptied his cup.
“The conclusion is, we can’t live like the Young Cult Master. Because the Young Cult Master is crazy!”
Han Seol smiled and drank from her cup with him.
The word crazy, she thought, was something she could only hear from the Drunken Demon.
“Come, let’s have a drink between comrades!"
She felt it was a good thing she came to see the Drunken Demon.
She had actually hesitated a little, but she came because of Geom Mugeuk’s words.
See a lot on this trip.
Somehow, she felt it wasn’t easy to escape from Geom Mugeuk.
She thought she would only talk about herself and the Drunken Demon when she came here, but she was talking about the Young Cult Master again.
Still, being able to converse with the Drunken Demon without awkwardness was possible because of the topic of Geom Mugeuk.
“You’ll be drinking at the Flowing Wine Tavern tonight, I suppose.”
“How did you know?"
“It’s a matter related to alcohol, isn’t it?"
The Drunken Demon gave Han Seol a whole box of wine that was in the corner of the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
“Tell the Young Cult Master that I congratulate him on his safe return to the sect.”
When Han Seol arrived at the Flowing Wine Tavern, no one else was there yet.
“Welcome!”
Jo Chun-bae greeted her politely.
Having met her before, he knew she was the Young Palace Master of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
“This way, please.”
“Before that, please take this.”
She handed him the box of wine the Ice Cold Twin Blades had been carrying.
“It’s a gift from the Drunken Demon for the Young Cult Master.”
“Yes, I will serve this wine today.”
One might expect him to be displeased by wine being brought in from outside, but Jo Chun-bae didn’t mind at all.
She didn’t yet know how strong the bond between Geom Mugeuk and Jo Chun-bae was.
Jo Chun-bae guided her to the reserved seats on the second floor.
The Ice Cold Twin Blades did not follow her up and waited on the first floor.
Normally, Sa Han would have gone up to the second floor and taken a seat in a corner, but this time too, So Bing suggested they just wait here.
She even went a step further.
-Honey, let’s have a drink too.
We haven’t had a proper drink since coming to the Central Plains.
—Let’s.
If something happens to the Young Palace Master and we end up dying too, we should at least have one last drink.
He spoke as if giving up, but that wasn’t his heart.
He had always trusted her intuition and judgment whenever something big happened, and they had survived well so far.
He trusted his wife’s judgment now as well.
As she was about to sit down on the second floor, Han Seol was startled to see the writing carved into the wall.
“Is that really the writing left by the Cult Master and the Alliance Leader?"
Jo Chun-bae answered proudly.
“Yes, it is. They left it during the three-party meeting.”
Not only them, but there was also writing left by the Demon Sovereigns.
It was the first time she had seen such writing left on the wall of a tavern.
It was both refreshing and surprising.
The words, ‘Young Palace Master, you should write a few words as well,’ lingered on Jo Chun-bae’s lips, but he didn’t dare say them out loud.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk and Seo Daeryong entered the tavern.
"Innkeeper, this man here is buying the drinks tonight, so take good care of him."
“Why are you doing this to me? I have people to feed now, you know?"
“They’ll eat and live well even without you."
The Dan Sisters followed behind them.
Starting tomorrow, they would be joining a new organization, so tonight would be the last time they could drink with a carefree heart for a while.
Dan-yeon sided with Seo Daeryong.
“Don’t bother my brother-in-law!"
Dan-ah was surprised and scolded her for being rude, while Seo Daeryong beamed.
“How could you, youngest Miss! Where’s a man without a sister-in-law to live in this world with all this sorrow?”
Jo Chun-bae, coming down from the second floor, told them.
“Don’t worry about the bill tonight. The Drunken Demon has sent wine. As for the food, I will treat you all for a change.”
Seo Daeryong’s expression brightened.
He looked at Dan-yeon and whispered.
“Since I saved money, I’ll give my sister-in-law some pocket money!"
Geom Mugeuk couldn’t help but laugh.
It was the first time he had seen Seo Daeryong look so happy.
Yes, laugh like that.
The reason he had regressed was to protect that smile.
So laugh with all your heart and play with all your heart.
Just then, someone entered the tavern.
“Young Cult Master!”
The person who had arrived this time was the Demon Army Lord, Jang Ho.
“Lord Jang! Have you been well?”
“Young Cult Master! I’m so glad you’ve returned safely.”
The two had a happy reunion.
Jang Ho, who always looked dependable, seemed to have gotten even more muscular.
“Lord Jang!"
The person who was truly happy to see him was Seo Daeryong.
His heart was full of the desire to find a private moment for just the two of them to boast about Dan-ah.
Other than Geom Mugeuk, the only people he could comfortably boast to were Lee Ahn and Jang Ho.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk saw someone peeking inside from the doorway and then walking past.
“Branch Leader Kang!"
It was none other than Kang Dal.
He had come because Geom Mugeuk had asked him to, but he had hesitated several times about whether to come or not.
It could have been just a polite invitation, after all.
Even now, he was thinking of just passing by and going back.
“Over here, where are you going!”
Geom Mugeuk greeted him so warmly that his tension melted away.
“I’m not sure if this is a place I should be.”
“The start of this gathering is Branch Leader Kang! Without Branch Leader Kang, this gathering wouldn’t exist in the first place.”
Hearing him say that made Kang Dal happy.
He had been so busy adjusting since coming to the main sect that he hadn’t even realized he was happy, but with Geom Mugeuk’s return, he started to feel like he was living again.
"Greetings to the Lord!"
Kang Dal politely bowed to Jang Ho.
He hadn’t expected the Demon Army Lord to be at this gathering.
“It’s good to see you.”
Was it because Geom Mugeuk was next to him? Seeing the Demon Army Lord here felt different from seeing him within the sect.
The last person to arrive was the Fist Demon’s successor, Cheon So-hee.
"It’s been a long time, Young Cult Master.”
Knowing that she had been engrossed in martial arts training since becoming the Fist Demon’s successor, he had deliberately called her today.
He hadn’t called her for Han Seol’s sake, but for Cheon So-hee’s.
To see people, to take a breath.
And so, with a crowd gathered at the entrance, Geom Mugeuk looked up to the second floor.
“Everyone is here now."
Han Seol looked down at them with a surprised expression.
He had said he had friends to introduce at the main sect, so she had thought it would be one or two people.
But she never imagined he would bring so many people.
Why not just invite everyone from the sect?
The Drunken Demon’s words came to mind.
‘That’s right, this person is crazy.’
Geom Mugeuk led the way and walked up the stairs.
“Innkeeper, close the doors and set the tables!"