“Why has it gotten so quiet outside?”
At Song-i’s words, Jo Chun-bae turned his head.
Frying, boiling, and grilling.
He was in the kitchen, wrestling with the dishes.
Worried he might be late, worried the food might not be good, he was truly pouring all his energy into cooking.
Jo Chun-bae carefully poked his head out of the kitchen.
The once-bustling first floor had gone silent, and everyone was looking up at the second floor.
Jo Chun-bae also came out of the kitchen and looked up at the second floor.
To his surprise, the Unorthodox Alliance Leader was leaving a message on the wall.
‘Gasp!’
Jo Chun-bae covered his mouth.
He couldn’t see what was being written, but above the words the Unorthodox Alliance Leader was writing, another message was left.
It was undoubtedly the writing of the Martial Alliance Leader.
‘Ah!’
Jo Chun-bae was so surprised and excited that his legs trembled.
He thought there couldn't possibly be any more surprises.
Today, Jo Chun-bae’s heart was growing stronger.
Meanwhile, seeing the words his master had left on the wall, Bi Sa-in ducked his head as if embarrassed.
But a smile played on his lips.
Since it was a message left at the three-party meeting, it was bound to become a hot topic in the Martial World.
It was writing that could go down in history for a very long time.
His master, who surely knew this, had mentioned him.
At this moment, his master was making him the protagonist, not Geom Mugeuk or Jin Ha-gun.
After leaving their messages, the Martial Alliance Leader and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader came down.
Behind them, the Heavenly Demon and the successors followed.
The sight of them descending the stairs was deeply engraved in Jo Chun-bae's heart.
For him, every scene unfolding here was deeply moving.
The masters on the lower floor didn't know exactly what had been said upstairs.
This was because Geom Woojin had prevented any sound from leaking outside before they spoke.
However, judging by the expressions of the three leaders and the fact that they even left messages on the wall, they could guess that this historic meeting had ended successfully.
Jin Pae-cheon, who was about to leave, smiled at Jo Chun-bae standing in front of the kitchen and said.
“The wine and the food were both delicious.”
The words, "Oh my, thank you," escaped Jo Chun-bae's lips automatically.
Normally, he would have run up and bowed, but he couldn't do so in the presence of the Heavenly Demon.
He bowed from in front of the kitchen to express his gratitude.
As Jin Pae-cheon walked out, Jin Ha-gun and Jin Ha-ryeong followed, and behind them, the masters of the Righteous Faction spread out to the left and right and followed.
As if they had never been drinking and chatting, they followed the Alliance Leader's back quietly and with discipline.
Before they left, there was also one incident that only the involved parties knew about.
Taiyi Divine Sword glared at the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign one more time, and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign did not avoid his gaze until the very end.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who was next to her, sent a telepathic message to Taiyi Divine Sword instead of saying, 'So young, so young,' to the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
—Stop staring.
Taiyi Divine Sword glared at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Far from being frightened, another cold remark flew his way.
—Before I gouge your eyes out.
Taiyi Divine Sword was flustered, not expecting the Blood Heaven Blade Demon to use such crude profanity.
He couldn't even get angry.
Judging by the ferocious aura glaring at him, if he reacted, it seemed the man would immediately shout for a fight.
Regardless of winning or losing a fight against the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, after a successful meeting where the Cult Master and the Alliance Leader had even said their farewells, he couldn't start a fight.
‘He knows that and is acting this way.’
Taiyi Divine Sword, who had been glaring at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, whipped his head away.
‘Damn these bastards from the Demon Sect!’
He was truly sick and tired of the Demon Sect.
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign asked the Blood Heaven Blade Demon via telepathic message.
—What did you say?
—I politely told him to stop looking.
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign thought that couldn't be right.
His earlier reaction was not one to a polite remark.
—Thank you, my friend.
As the Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, she replied.
—We’re the same age now, aren’t we?
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon smiled faintly.
At least his response to Taiyi Divine Sword just now was fitting for the phrase, ‘If only I were ten years younger!’ The actual profanity he'd spat out was something he might have said when he was about forty years younger.
It was something he would never have done if it wasn't for the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
Next, the Unorthodox Faction left.
Before leaving, Baek Ja-gang glanced once at Geom Woojin and Geom Mugeuk.
‘Let’s see each other again on harvest day.’
In the battle of raising one's children, he thought it might be worth a try if his side's seed was Bi Sa-in.
Baek Ja-gang also went outside.
Behind him, the masters of the Unorthodox Faction spread out and walked.
After seeing off all the masters of the Righteous and Unorthodox Factions, Geom Woojin left last.
Geom Muyang and the Eight Demon Sovereigns followed behind him, spreading their wings.
And so, everyone left, and the only people left in the Flowing Wine Tavern were Jo Chun-bae and Geom Mugeuk.
Ah, there was one more person.
“Song-i. You worked hard today.”
He paid Song-i, who worked in the kitchen, and sent her off.
Since there was a lot of work today, he gave her double the pay and packed a large amount of the leftover food from the kitchen for her.
“Thank you! You should rest early too, Elder.”
After Song-i also left, only Geom Mugeuk and Jo Chun-bae remained.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Jo Chun-bae with a gentle gaze.
“You truly worked hard.”
“Ah, it feels like a dream.”
Jo Chun-bae plopped down on a seat.
Then he shot back up.
“Um, may I go up to the second floor for a moment?”
“Let’s go together.”
Jo Chun-bae stood before the second-floor wall, overcome with emotion.
“I never knew a day like this would come.”
On the wall of his own tavern, the Heavenly Demon, the Martial Alliance Leader, and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader had all left messages.
There was probably no other tavern in the world like this one.
There hadn't been one until now, and there probably wouldn't be one in the future.
At the same time, Jo Chun-bae became afraid.
“I am scared.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“What if this wall gets damaged?”
Imagining such a thing, he was terrified, and his body trembled.
What if he came in the morning and someone had graffitied the wall? What if they broke it? What if they stole the wall itself?
Geom Mugeuk smiled and said.
“It would mean becoming an enemy to all of the Demonic, Righteous, and Unorthodox Factions. Who would dare do such a thing? Even if they managed to cut out the wall and steal it, where would they sell it?”
Geom Mugeuk knew that these words wouldn't completely reassure Jo Chun-bae.
He would be anxious and worried the whole time.
“Even if such a thing were to happen, that in itself would have its own meaning.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“On such-and-such a date, someone damaged the wall for one reason or another and disappeared. That too will become a moment in history. Perhaps it might even become a more interesting history.”
Jo Chun-bae truly hadn't expected Geom Mugeuk to say something like this.
“The innkeeper just needs to remember this moment. Then that event will remain forever. Look. Among the people who left their mark on that wall, is there anyone who would be angry if the wall were damaged? They would probably come again and write another message.”
It was the moment the heavy boulder resting on Jo Chun-bae's chest was set down on the floor.
“So, let us remember this moment well in our hearts.”
“Yes, Young Cult Master.”
How could such a young person be so thoughtful? No matter how much he thought about it, Jo Chun-bae couldn't understand.
“May I offer you a cup of wine?”
“Of course. I’ll gladly accept a cup of wine from the innkeeper.”
Jo Chun-bae respectfully poured a drink for Geom Mugeuk.
“Indeed! The wine our innkeeper pours is the most delicious.”
After drinking it down refreshingly, Geom Mugeuk picked up the wine bottle.
“Please accept a cup from me as well.”
He poured a full cup for Jo Chun-bae.
After politely receiving the drink, Jo Chun-bae emptied his cup.
After drinking that wine, he could finally feel that the biggest event in his life as an innkeeper was over.
And then, Jo Chun-bae saw it.
The sight of Geom Mugeuk, sitting quietly and looking out at the street outside the tavern.
A quiet demeanor, different from when he was laughing and talking.
Jo Chun-bae now knew.
That calm appearance, which seemed to carry a sense of loneliness, was the Young Cult Master’s true self.
“Innkeeper, I will be on my way now.”
Jo Chun-bae couldn't think of what to say as a farewell.
How could he convey this great gratitude in words? So, he gave the farewell he always gave to his tavern customers.
“Come again, customer!”
How could Geom Mugeuk not know his heart? Geom Mugeuk played along, greeting him like a regular.
“Sell a lot, innkeeper.”
As Geom Mugeuk stepped out of the tavern, the people in the market street, who had been holding their breath until then, could be seen entering the tavern.
Jo Chun-bae's boasting would probably continue late into the night.
He probably wouldn't even let them cough in front of that wall.
As long as those people were alive, the wall was alive too.
*
Upon returning to the main sect, I headed straight for the Cult Master's Hall.
It was to see the protagonist of today's meeting.
My father, who had led the three-party meeting to success, was not in the Cult Master's Hall.
“He ordered me to bring you to him when you arrived, Young Cult Master.”
The place Hwi, the guard, led me to was the Cult Master's private hot spring, located behind my father’s residence.
He usually didn't let me come this far, but for some reason, he allowed me in today.
My father was soaking in the hot spring, from which steam was rising.
“Bathing with my father after so long! This is great!”
Just as I was about to take off my clothes, my father reached out his hand.
My open robe closed again, and I was pushed back by an invisible force.
“That’s too much! Please let me in too!”
My father shook his head firmly.
“You put an Elixir in that water, didn't you? Soaking in there makes your skin as strong as steel, right? That's why you're doing it alone, isn't it?”
My father closed his eyes gently and said.
“It’s ordinary water. Passed down for a long time.”
“Then shouldn't you at least put some Elixir in it? It’s the place where the Heavenly Demon bathes.”
“Then you can buy some and put it in.”
“Natural is always best, of course.”
Right, no matter how much my father had changed, he wasn't the type to bathe together.
Just letting me come this far was a big change.
“Then I’ll just get some steam here.”
I sat in front of the hot spring.
“How was it meeting the Martial Alliance Leader and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader?”
“They were the same as ever.”
Even without him saying it, he must have seen things I didn't.
To my father, they must have had a different meaning.
My father, who had been gazing at me quietly, spoke in a low voice.
“You look tired.”
At that one remark, I felt the tension that had been gripping my heart all day melt away.
As expected! Father could tell.
I was tired.
Truly tired.
I had danced, laughed, and joked around, but I had been tense from the beginning of the meeting to the end.
I had been on high alert, just in case those bastards were plotting something during this meeting.
Even with my father, the Martial Alliance Leader, and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader present, I was even more on edge because of it.
Plots always preyed on such moments of carelessness.
Fortunately, the meeting ended without any incidents.
I believe the reason our enemies didn't make any clumsy attempts was precisely because they are strong.
They made the right judgment.
A precise calculation that plotting something while we were all gathered like this would ultimately be their loss.
Because if we experienced an external enemy while the Demonic, Righteous, and Unorthodox Factions were all gathered, it would only serve to unite us even more.
“It seems I was more on edge than I realized.”
My father nodded.
“Aren’t you going to tell me I worked hard?”
“You worked hard.”
“It was a compliment I had to poke my father in the side for, but it still feels good.”
I looked around the hot spring.
“I remember coming in here.”
For a moment, the corners of my father’s eyes twitched slightly.
The steam obscured my vision, but with the Divine Eye Technique, I could clearly see my father’s expression through it.
“I remember crying that it was too hot. You carried me in your arms. I remember my older brother, too. He sat in front with an expression that said it wasn't hot at all. Thinking back, even at that young age, my brother wanted to look good for you, Father.”
“Even after becoming the successor, you still bad-mouth your brother behind his back whenever he's not around.”
“You saw how cool he was earlier, didn't you? He’s a brother you can’t let your guard down around.”
How could that be me bad-mouthing my brother? Father would know that I brought it up to say how cool my brother was earlier.
After a brief pause, I spoke politely to my father.
“Thank you, Father.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
My Demonic Path is blocking my father's Demonic Path.
He must have confirmed it once again today.
It must be bothering him and getting on his nerves.
But Father doesn't show any sign of it.
After a short pause, my father spoke.
“You must be tired. Go and rest.”
“Yes, Father. Please rest well.”
Of course, I didn't just leave.
Splash.
I playfully flicked water at my father before running away.
Of course, not a single one of the water droplets would have reached him.
Next time, I will scrub your back for you, Father.
Though I don't know if that day will ever come.
*
Returning to my residence, I used the Space-Time Displacement Art to create a second personal space.
If the first place was a beach with a blue sky and sea, this new space was a snowfield covered in pure white snow on all sides.
There, I created a small hot spring.
Seeing my father's hot spring had piqued my interest.
This place had only two things.
Snow and stars.
It was a place where only the pure white snow and the stars of the night sky could be seen.
‘How about it, Father? Isn’t this place more atmospheric?’
After taking off my clothes and folding them neatly, I placed the Secret Vessel on top.
And then I soaked my body in the hot spring, from which steam was rising.
“Ah! This is nice!”
As I sat there, looking up at the night sky where stars seemed to be pouring down, I felt all my fatigue melting away.
I finally felt that the meeting was over.
The others’ meetings had ended a while ago, but my meeting was now over.
Only after talking with Jo Chun-bae, meeting my father, and confirming that the day had ended with everyone safe, was today's meeting finally over for me.
A pleasant sense of relief washed over me.
The weariness I felt, mixed with the warm water, actually made me feel even better.
Plop.
I submerged myself completely, head and all, into the water.
Above the water, the stars of the night sky shimmered as if they were dancing.
I loved this time alone so much.
If you truly respect someone, you must respect their time alone.
Right now, I was respecting myself to my heart's content.
Ah, I'm not alone right now.
After poking my head out of the water, I playfully spoke to the Secret Vessel.
“Are you cold? Want to come in too?”
Thanks to this thing, I had already absorbed the Black Eye and the blue essence.
I had no way of knowing how many more I needed to absorb for the energy to be complete.
Truly, if it had been anyone else but me, they would have focused all their attention on uncovering the secrets of the Secret Vessel or the absorbed energy, but I was relaxed.
It had started that way, so I left it to fate.
I would just go along with it like a friend.
Still, I was sometimes curious.
“How many more energies are left to absorb?”
The Secret Vessel was not one to answer.
“Actually, you don’t know either, do you?”
The Secret Vessel just smiled brightly, as always.