The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was in the middle of his training.
He had started long before I took this trial, meaning he had been immersed in training without rest for quite some time.
“Are you really preparing for a war?”
He answered without even turning his head at my words.
“When you get old, every day is a war.”
“I’m back.”
This time, I ran and threw my arms around the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“What is this disgusting act?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, startled, forcibly pushed me away.
To be honest, I wanted to hug my father like this, but I couldn’t bring myself to try, afraid he would strike me with the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
“I missed you, Elder.”
“You act as if we haven’t seen each other in ten years.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon thrust his Heaven-Slaying Blade into the ground.
He then leaned against the blade.
At times like this, the sword looked like his friend, which was a pleasant sight.
“What about the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society?”
“He is dead.”
“There must have been many people around him.”
“I got a lot of blood on my hands this time.”
Sensing the bitterness in my answer, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon went inside, brought out some wine, and poured me a cup.
“What can you do? That is your destiny. Drink up and shake it off.”
I drained the cup he gave me in one go.
It felt as if the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was washing the blood from my hands.
At the very least, it was wine and comfort offered by a man who knew better than anyone what it meant to kill another person.
I didn’t say thank you.
As always, words could never be enough to repay him.
“The First Young Master will never give up, so the road ahead will not be easy. Though his skills and qualities do not match yours, his obsession with becoming the Heavenly Demon is stronger than yours.”
Trying to save a brother like that was indeed a difficult task.
“By the way, have you met your disciple?”
“He came by earlier.”
“You did very well in choosing him as your successor.”
“We’ll have to wait and see.”
“He will do better than anyone. Oh, and you must have heard that he won the Young Dragon Tournament.”
“He won?”
“You wrote that he would die if he lost, so how could he not win? Even if it were the Great Tournament of the Martial World, not just the Young Dragon Tournament, he would have had to win. And whose martial arts is he using? How could he lose?”
A hint of joy crossed the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s face, as if he truly hadn’t expected him to win.
At times like this, his affection for Seo Daeryong was clear.
“Whew. To think that chatterbox wouldn’t boast about it shows how much he respects you, Elder. Please be a little easier on him.”
“When there’s too much comfort between master and disciple, trouble is bound to arise. Anyway, he must be full of himself now. He’ll need some hellish training.”
Ah, Investigator Seo.
This was something I hadn’t anticipated.
I’m sorry.
“You should go. You have other Demon Sovereigns to see, don’t you?”
“No. I’ll see the other Demon Sovereigns slowly. Today, I’m only here to see you, Elder.”
When you like someone, you should show it this clearly.
As they say, a person who likes everyone likes no one, because regardless of their true feelings, everyone else will see it that way. ‘That person just likes everyone, right?’ That was a misunderstanding I didn’t want from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, at least.
“Your flattery is as good as ever.”
But an undeniable smile bloomed on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s lips.
He secretly enjoyed these things.
“Go and greet the Demon Sovereigns. They all stepped forward for you, so it’s only polite to greet them.”
“Yes, I’ll do that then.”
“You wanted to go deep down.”
“Just know that you are always my top priority, Elder.”
Leaving the Blood Heaven Blade Demon to swing his blade once more, I left his residence.
Before going to the Valley of the Wicked, I stopped by my home to pick up my white mask.
Wasn’t it polite to wear a mask when visiting the Valley of the Wicked?
The Faceless Ones in white masks no longer watched me with any particular attention.
The hostility in their eyes toward me had also vanished.
From their reactions, I could tell that my relationship with the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was deepening.
If they were to greet me with friendly eyes, it would mean we had grown even closer than now.
Guided by a Faceless One, I entered the residence of the Lord of the Valley of the Wicked.
At first, I thought these Demon Sovereigns were as important as my martial arts training, so meeting them was a task.
Now, it was no longer a task but a relationship.
Surprisingly, I was visiting them because I truly wanted to see them.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon was once again facing a white wall today.
I truly wondered what thoughts he was lost in while staring at that wall.
“I’m here.”
I lifted the mask to the top of my head and greeted him cheerfully.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon then turned his body toward me.
My eyes met his through the mask.
To think a day would come when I would feel so happy to meet the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s gaze.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon and I had fought for our lives together twice.
The first was the battle against Sword Emperor Baek Mang-gi, and the second was against the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s Martial Uncle, Yang Cheo-gi.
Both of these were life-or-death battles, and perhaps because of that, there was a special bond, like comrades in arms who had protected each other’s lives.
“I heard you finished the matter with the Heavenly Fate Society.”
“Whose revenge was it? How could I have been neglectful?”
In fact, this trial was also related to the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
After all, they had recruited his Martial Uncle, Yang Cheo-gi.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon smiled and said, “As you know, I am clear about my favors and grudges.”
He was alluding to the time he gave the Coin of Favors and Grudges to Chu Saeng of the Moon Wind Sect.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon and the Coin of Favors and Grudges, what an ill-fitting combination.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon held out a small box.
“What is this?”
“Please open it.”
When I opened the box, there was a single white pill inside.
“It is the White Spirit Pill, a secret elixir passed down in my sect.”
A pungent yet intense fragrance quickly filled the room.
I could feel that its effects were extraordinary.
“It was sent to me from my sect. It seems peace has returned since my Martial Uncle Yang Cheo-gi died.”
It seemed it was sent as a thank you for sending back the martial artists from his sect, who had come under his martial uncle’s command, without harming any of them.
“I will give this to you, Second Young Master.”
“Why are you giving me something so precious?”
“Because I received it thanks to you, Second Young Master.”
It was a gift given to me with sincerity.
I was taken aback by the unexpected present.
“No. Please, you take it, Laughing Demon Sovereign.”
Then, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon said something unexpected.
“I’m giving this to you because I also want to earn some points with the Second Young Master, so please stop refusing and accept it.”
“I want to earn points too. Alright. Then how about this? Let’s split it in half.”
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon was surprised by my words.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m a greedy person and not one to share elixirs, but I want to make an exception this time. To commemorate surviving our battles together, let’s each take half.”
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s eyes shone brightly.
It was the clearest gaze I had ever seen from him.
I could feel it.
We were passing another turning point in our relationship.
“Very well. Let’s do that.”
I drew the Black Demon Sword and split the White Spirit Pill exactly in half.
As if drinking wine, we consumed it at the same time.
I swallowed the White Spirit Pill.
A refreshing energy filled my mouth before it dissolved and went down my throat.
It was an extremely potent elixir, but because my existing inner energy was so profound, I absorbed all its effects without any problems.
Even though it was only half, the amount of inner energy added to my energy core was not insignificant.
My eyes shone with a clear, deep light before returning to their original state.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon also finished his energy circulation and rose from his seat.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“It is more delicious than any elixir I have ever had.”
No more words were needed.
We simply laughed together.
“By the way, what if I had given you poison? Why did you eat it so readily? What if that was a fake White Spirit Pill?”
“That’s why we split it, wasn’t it? To die together.”
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon laughed out loud.
To everyone else, his laughter might just be a habitual one, but at least to me, it was filled with emotion.
I felt his feelings in his laughter.
“But are you alright just staring at that wall like that?”
“Isn’t it good? I look like a madman. People don’t mess with a madman. Why? Are you worried? That I might go mad.”
“A little.”
At my honest answer, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon revealed an unexpected truth.
“Shall I tell you a secret? The heart technique of my sect is enhanced when you train while looking at a white wall.”
“Ah, so that’s why.”
I hadn’t known that the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was practicing his heart technique by looking at the wall.
I realized it once again.
He may seem unstable to my eyes, but everyone is living their own lives just fine.
“After you returned, did you see the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and then come here?”
“Yes.”
“It must be tough to take care of everyone one by one.”
“There are only four of them for now, right?”
“You plan on taking care of all eight.”
Surprisingly, his prediction was correct.
“Yes. Whether they are allies or enemies, I will manage and take care of all eight of them.”
“Can you handle it?”
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
A relationship can be fine and cheerful like this, but one never knows when or how it might turn sour.
If I take the Demon Sovereigns lightly, I will surely face trouble one day.
“I told the one with the pretty heart that martial arts and life are connected. That doesn’t just apply to her, does it? If I become a vessel capable of embracing all Eight Demon Sovereigns, I should be able to overcome the walls in my martial arts that block my path.”
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon, who had been staring at me for a moment, shared what he had been feeling.
“What is it that you are looking at, Second Young Master? At times, it feels as if you are not just looking at becoming the successor, not just the Heavenly Demon, but something beyond that.”
Is it because we only look into each other’s eyes? He, too, sees what I see beyond.
What even those closer to me do not sense, only the Evil Heart Laughing Demon does.
A day might come when I tell him.
About my great enemy.
And perhaps then, we will once again stand back to back, crossing the threshold of life and death.
“If it’s with you, Laughing Demon Sovereign, and not someone else, I don’t think that moment would be so bad.”
I spoke without any context, but the Evil Heart Laughing Demon didn’t ask what I meant.
“I will wait for that moment.”
“Then, I’ll see you again.”
I bid him farewell and left the Valley of the Wicked.
The reunion with him was as clean as the white mask.
*
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign and the Drunken Demon were drinking, so I was able to see them both at once.
The two friends often drank together, and they happened to be drinking today as well.
“Welcome, Second Young Master!”
Both the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign and the Drunken Demon were drunk.
It was the first time I had seen the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign this intoxicated.
“You’ve fallen for the temptation of evil.”
“Hurry and save me, now that you’re here.”
Even as she said that, the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign poured me a cup of wine.
“Thank you for your help with the matter in the Valley of the Wicked.”
“What did we do? We just stormed in there.”
Just then, the Drunken Demon asked me with a disgruntled face.
“You’ve already met the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why are we last? Why third and fourth? You could have come to see us first, you know?”
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign joined his complaint.
As she glared at me with a face flushed from drink, I smiled and said.
“Which one of you is third?”
The two of them readily accepted this powerful attempt to drive a wedge between them.
“Me.”
At the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign’s confidence, the Drunken Demon shook his head as if in pity.
“My friend. I’m sorry, but it’s me. I’m on sworn brother terms with the Second Young Master.”
“Hey, friend. If you were truly sworn brothers, you wouldn’t be fighting over being third or fourth, would you?”
“We’re the kind of friends who drink and swim together.”
“I didn’t want to say this, but we even sparred under the moonlight.”
The two, who had been bickering, now looked at me.
They wanted me to choose.
Who was third, and who was fourth.
The Drunken Demon asked with a desperate look in his eyes.
“Little brother. I’m not last, am I?”
“You’re not last.”
“Right?”
Just as he was smiling brightly.
“You’re in the middle. Fourth among the eight Demon Sovereigns.”
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign drank the victor’s wine.
“My friend, not all brothers are close, you know?”
The Drunken Demon pouted and drank his wine.
I was so grateful to both of them.
Were these people who deserved such treatment? Were they people who should be in third or fourth place in the first place? They were enduring it for my sake.
They were willingly fighting over third and fourth place.
“Let me tell you both something today. You know the first two, right? They’re picky, stubborn, and eccentric. On the other hand, how are you two? You’re the most generous among the Demon Sovereigns, aren’t you?”
“It’s because we’re generous, right? Not because we’re easy to deal with?”
When I made a flinching expression at the Drunken Demon’s question, the two of them laughed heartily as if they found it amusing.
The three of us toasted and emptied our cups.
Putting down his cup, the Drunken Demon delivered some rather surprising news.
“Not long ago, the Blade Demon, myself, and the Sword Sovereign here had a drink together.”
It was hard to picture the three of them drinking together.
“How was it? Did you have a good time?”
“Do you think we had a good time?”
The Drunken Demon sighed.
“There wasn’t a sword fight, was there?”
“It almost came to that.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Then, the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign spoke.
“What do you mean, fine? Don’t ever call me to a gathering like that again!”
Yes, if people whose relationships have soured could reconcile so easily, why would there be fights in the world?
Still, it was meaningful.
The Drunken Demon was trying to reconcile the two.
I raised my cup and said with my eyes.
You worked hard, brother.
The Drunken Demon smiled and raised his cup.
Sometimes, acknowledging the hardship once is better than a hundred nice words.
“I’ve paid my respects for my return, so I’ll be on my way.”
I bid them farewell and stood up.
The Drunken Demon tried to make me stay longer, even grabbing my pant leg, but I managed to get up.
I could hang out with the Demon Sovereigns another time, but the opportunity to hunt with my father didn’t come often.
At dawn the next day, I shouldered a leather pouch larger than before and headed to the Heavenly Demon Hall for my second hunt with my father.