When Geom Muyang stepped into the iron workshop, he spotted Gwak Yeong in the distance.
She was pushing a handcart loaded with chunks of iron.
Geom Muyang did not go over to her.
Instead, he walked straight toward where Master Craftsman Gwak was working.
Master Craftsman Gwak, who had been checking the finished weapons, looked up, saw Geom Muyang, and greeted him.
“I’m glad you returned safely.”
Geom Muyang returned the courtesy with proper manners.
“Thanks to your concern, the trip went well. Have you been well?”
Master Craftsman Gwak shook his head with a strange smile.
“No. Thanks to you, I’ve had quite a bit to think about.”
Geom Muyang could guess what he meant.
It was about Gwak Yeong.
He conveyed to Master Craftsman Gwak exactly what he had written in the letter he sent earlier.
That Gwak Yeong had been a craftsman at the Martial Alliance’s iron workshop, and that she had made counterfeit hidden weapons to save her younger sibling.
He told him to judge for himself whether to accept her into the main sect’s iron workshop or not.
He also added that he was only sending her because her skill was too valuable to waste, that he had no personal connection to her, and that Master Craftsman Gwak should decide on his own.
He had no intention of exerting any influence beyond introducing her to the iron workshop.
All authority here belonged to Master Craftsman Gwak, and Geom Muyang respected that.
“I already knew the rumors about that woman,” Master Craftsman Gwak said.
How could he not? Becoming the youngest craftsman of the Martial Alliance’s iron workshop, and doing so as a woman.
Then Master Craftsman Gwak said something Geom Muyang hadn’t expected.
“The Gwak bloodline is especially adept at working iron.”
“Could it be…?”
“Yes. That’s right. After checking, it turns out she’s also a descendant of the Gwak Clan Iron Gate.”
The Gwak Clan Iron Gate.
Once upon a time, it was a family known to possess the greatest skill in weapon crafting throughout the Central Plains.
But at some point, the brothers of the Iron Gate turned their blades on each other, and the family scattered to the winds.
The downfall of a great clan took no more than half a day.
The reason Gwak Yeong could become a craftsman of the Martial Alliance’s iron workshop at such a young age was precisely because she had inherited the outstanding bloodline of the Gwak Clan Iron Gate.
Master Craftsman Gwak’s name was Gwak In.
He too was a descendant of the Gwak Clan Iron Gate, and if one were to be precise, he and Gwak Yeong were relatives.
“That made it even harder for me,” he said. “Normally I would have accepted her right away, but I worried it might look like I was taking her in just because she’s from the same family.”
Master Craftsman Gwak had always been a man of upright character.
“But you accepted her in the end.”
When Master Craftsman Gwak first saw the counterfeit Piercing Spike, he had been truly impressed.
The workmanship was good enough that he would have believed it was made by their own hands.
And when he learned that she had made it in a place converted from a warehouse, not a proper iron workshop, and with people who were not trained iron workshop craftsmen, he couldn’t bring himself to reject her.
Of course, that didn’t mean he could entrust her with an important position right away.
“I told her to start from the bottom, like anyone entering the iron workshop for the first time. In the end, if she wants to adapt here, she’ll have to prove herself through skill.”
No one could know how long that would take.
Master Craftsman Gwak’s gaze shifted toward Gwak Yeong in the distance, carrying iron.
“That child probably lived thinking she was already a completed sword. But now that she’s been melted down and forced to start again from molten iron, I’m curious myself what kind of sword she’ll become.”
Geom Muyang looked at her, her face flushed red, sweat pouring down as she did menial labor.
After watching her for a moment, Geom Muyang took his leave of Master Craftsman Gwak.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
After exchanging farewells, Geom Muyang walked out of the iron workshop.
He deliberately did not go to see her.
He thought that acknowledging her in front of everyone would not help her.
Gwak Yeong also knew that Geom Muyang had come, but she did not look at him.
In her heart, she wanted to run over and thank him.
To thank him for giving her the chance to enter the iron workshop like this.
But she didn’t.
The person she needed to get close to right now was not Geom Muyang, not Master Craftsman Gwak, not seniors, and not colleagues.
The only thing she had to face was what lay before her eyes right now.
Iron.
How close she became with this would decide her relationship with everyone else.
‘I’ll keep the promise I made to you after I marry this iron.
Ah, I suppose it’ll be a remarriage.’
“Elder!”
After leaving the Valley of the Wicked, Geom Mugeuk ran straight to the residence of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
When he pushed open the door and went in, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was training in the courtyard.
The training of the Demon Sovereigns that had spread like a trend.
In truth, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had been at the forefront of it.
He had resumed martial arts training quite some time ago.
And recently, with Geom Woojin entering seclusion training, the Demon Sovereigns had each felt a sense of duty.
They gained a clear goal, to break through the wall blocking their path.
The martial art the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was displaying now was the Heaven‑Slaying Demon Blade Form.
Third Form, Annihilation Blade Blood Wind.
Huuuaaaang!
Ferocious blade energy burst from the saber, swirling as it flew outward.
Using such a dangerous martial art in the courtyard should have left the surroundings in ruins.
Yet at the very moment the blade energy was about to blow away the wall.
Ssssss.
As if by a lie, the blade energy vanished right in front of the wall.
Seeing that, Geom Mugeuk understood.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was exerting the Heaven‑Slaying Demon Blade Form strictly within a fixed boundary.
Just as slowly walking up into the air could be harder than flying up quickly, imposing such restrictions while using a martial art was a far higher level of mastery than simply turning the wall to dust and destroying the buildings behind it.
‘The elder has reached a new level too.’
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung the Heaven‑Slaying Blade again.
This time, his target was Geom Mugeuk.
Swaeaeaeak!
A massive wave of blade energy surged toward Geom Mugeuk, who was standing by the gate.
Second Form of the Heaven‑Slaying Demon Blade Form, Annihilation Blade Wave.
Geom Mugeuk did not dodge the terrifying attack.
At the critical moment!
Sssst.
Just like before, the incoming wave of blade energy vanished right in front of Geom Mugeuk’s face.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shouted at him in anger.
“Do you have a death wish? You didn’t even raise your protective energy!”
Only then did he realize that Geom Mugeuk had been standing there completely unguarded.
“I trusted you, Elder.”
“And what if I’d made a mistake?”
“Then I’d appear in your dreams every night as a vengeful spirit, saying, ‘Give me back my handsome face!’”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head, looking exasperated.
He could endure that, but he could not endure feeling sorry toward the Cult Master.
“I wanted to see you!”
When Geom Mugeuk rushed forward to hug him, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon blocked him with the Heaven‑Slaying Blade.
“You stink of sweat. Get away.”
“Your sweat smells better than elixirs, Elder.”
“Wipe that grin off your face before you talk.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk burst into laughter.
Seeing the Blood Heaven Blade Demon put him at ease.
There was a comfort that only he could give.
“I’ll go wash up.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine for me.”
If asked which of the Eight Demon Sovereigns was the cleanest, Geom Mugeuk would answer without hesitation that it was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
One only needed to see how immaculate his bed always was.
Strange for someone who looked like he’d be far from neat.
Then something caught Geom Mugeuk’s eye.
In the corner of the courtyard garden were flowers and plants he hadn’t seen before.
Proof that he was getting along well with the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign was growing there.
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 Master likes it, doesn’t he?”
Geom Mugeuk knew he was asking about the hunt with his father and brother.
Yes.
Perhaps the one who understood his father’s heart best was this Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Geom Mugeuk stood up and turned toward him.
“Honestly, the favoritism toward the eldest son was outrageous. I cried myself to sleep every night.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon gave him a look that clearly said, as if you would.
“That mouth of yours didn’t get any rest there either, did it?”
“How could it? It was two against one.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke with a faint smile.
“Well done.”
It was a short remark, but it carried his true feelings.
It wasn’t for Geom Mugeuk, and not for his brother either.
It was about their father.
That he had done well for the Cult Master.
“Next time, you should come along too, Elder.”
“Why would I go there?”
“So you can stand up to Father’s favoritism toward the eldest and take care of me.”
“If that’s the goal, you should bring a drunkard or a masked man.”
“The drunkard would just flatter Father and take my brother’s side, and Father wouldn’t even bring the masked man along.”
“Then bring your fist‑throwing master.”
“You know him. Master will only take Father’s side. The only one who’ll wipe my tears is you, Elder!”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed, amused.
Geom Mugeuk continued in this good mood.
“Did you know? This time, you saved me even in Wuhan.”
“I did? I didn’t go anywhere near Wuhan.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at him as if to say, what prank are you pulling now?
“You’re the reason I came to like books, Elder.”
When he was about to give up on finding the orb the secret vessel would absorb in the Martial Alliance Treasury and just leave, if he hadn’t thought at the last moment to read a book before going, he never would have obtained the Yellow Essence.
“The thought of reading a book changed my fate. Thank you.”
Geom Mugeuk bowed his head in gratitude.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon watched him silently, then spoke calmly.
“To defeat others, you must never put down that sword. But to defeat yourself…”
What followed was advice no one would believe came from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon to the next Heavenly Demon.
“Even if you put the sword down, never put the book down.”
From atop the Drunken Dream Pavilion, the Drunken Demon looked toward the lake.
Where his gaze lingered, a corpse was drifting by.
A corpse at his own residence?
One might expect surprise, but the Drunken Demon showed none.
He stepped onto the surface of the lake and walked toward the body.
Looking down at the corpse floating face‑down, he asked in an even tone,
“Is this a new way of expressing apology?”
As if waiting for that, the corpse flipped over.
The person floating on the lake was Geom Mugeuk.
“Long time no see, brother.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to surprise you. Didn’t realize you’d lost that much childlike innocence.”
“It’s not a matter of innocence. It’s a matter of conscience.”
The Drunken Demon had every right to say that.
The last time Geom Mugeuk had been expelled and then returned to become Acting Cult Master, he hadn’t even seen the Drunken Demon.
So it really had been a long time.
He usually visited even later than the other Demon Sovereigns, and the Drunken Demon had felt hurt by it.
“Brother, how long has it been?”
The Drunken Demon quietly looked down at Geom Mugeuk, then spoke with formal courtesy.
“When Father turned into a stone waiting and passed away, he still spoke of the Young Cult Master. Though he treated you the coldest among the Demon Sovereigns, Father liked you the most.”
Geom Mugeuk wasn’t one to let a joke like that slide.
“You really do look handsome, just like Father. As long as you leave out the personality and the drinking habits, you can resemble him as much as you want.”
The Drunken Demon shook his head once, then leapt back toward the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
His lightness arts as he walked across the water were smooth and elegant.
Watching him, Geom Mugeuk shouted,
“No matter what, we weren’t treated that badly!”
Geom Mugeuk lay back on the lake again and looked up at the sky.
“Ah, this is nice. The sky looks best when you see it from here.”
Floating on the lake of the Drunken Dream Pavilion after so long put him in a good mood.
After fully savoring the joy of his return, Geom Mugeuk climbed up to the pavilion.
The Drunken Demon poured him wine into the Ice Palace Sacred Cup.
“How did the trip go?”
“It went well.”
He told the Drunken Demon everything that had happened in Wuhan.
The same story he had told the Evil Heart Laughing Demon and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon before parting.
He had always done this.
When it came to matters involving hidden forces, he told all the Demon Sovereigns.
He wasn’t fighting alone, but together with them.
After hearing it all, the Drunken Demon refilled Geom Mugeuk’s cup.
“You did well.”
Geom Mugeuk tilted his head at the calm response.
“You seem different today, brother.”
“Do I?”
“You seem calmer somehow.”
He might normally have cracked more jokes.
But he wasn’t the type to sulk either.
Though Geom Mugeuk teased him for being narrow‑minded, he knew better than anyone that he was a big person at heart.
The problem was that today’s calmness felt heavy with worry.
“Is it because of Miss Yeo?”
He already knew that the Drunken Demon and Yeo Bin, one of the Three Great Drunkards, treated each other with affection.
He wondered if something had happened between them while he was away.
But he hadn’t sensed anything wrong from her earlier when she guided him.
After emptying his cup, the Drunken Demon stood up.
“Follow me.”
He led Geom Mugeuk somewhere.
The two used lightness arts to fly and landed on the opposite shore of the lake, away from the entrance.
The Drunken Demon took Geom Mugeuk into the Great Drunken Forest.
Deep within the forest, intoxication spread like mist.
The absolute forbidden zone of the Great Drunken Forest.
It was intoxication that could not be expelled through inner energy, so even top masters could not easily pass through.
As the Drunken Demon walked, the intoxication parted like a living thing, forming a path.
In that place only he could enter stood a brewery.
A place Geom Mugeuk had visited once before, following him.
After entering, the Drunken Demon spoke with a puzzled expression.
“The trip went well, the Cult Master has come out of seclusion, the Demon Sovereigns are getting stronger, everything is going smoothly.”
His steps stopped.
His gaze fell on the large jar placed at the center.
There lay the reason his mood had sunk.
“Then why is the newly brewed wine spoiled again?”