Chapter 311: Now You’re Even Picking at My Weakness |
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
========================
Was it because he liked what I said?
“I shouldn’t just look after my other disciple. I need to take care of this one too.”
Jeong Dae snapped his fingers and activated the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique.
When I first learned the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique from him, I had promised to treat him as my master—at least within this place.
“My disciple. What’s troubling you?”
Instead of answering his playful question, I first looked around.
“Why on earth did you open a place like this? Where are we?”
“I figured a place like this would suit you.”
Because I knew it wasn’t just a joke, I asked him in a calm tone.
“Is this what you see in my heart?”
He stared at me and asked in return.
“Isn’t the reason you grow stronger each time we meet because your heart is always a battlefield?” 1
This was the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader without his usual mischief. A man who, by instinct, could always smell blood.
“I’m sorry, but this is what my heart looks like.”
This time, I mimicked the former Cult Leader and snapped my fingers. He always liked to snap his fingers when opening the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique.
Swish, swish, swish!
The scene shifted. Now, it was a beautiful field, with pure white petals fluttering in the breeze.
“This is what my heart looks like.”
Jeong Dae glanced around, then smiled and asked,
“You’re not dreaming of a place like this, are you?”
I didn’t argue. I just gave him a faint smile.
Picking up a petal that had fallen to the ground, the former Cult Leader spoke again.
“When I stay in a place like this, sometimes I get confused about which one is the real world. This place or the one out there. I suppose it’s because I selfishly want to stay in the world I created. What about you?”
“It’s the same for me. Sometimes, I want to forget everything and run away to a place like this. When I rest here, it feels… too good.”
The sun, the sea, the sandy beach, a wide-leafed tree, and a comfortable chair underneath. I figured Jeong Dae must also have a space of his own like mine.
“If this place becomes a sanctuary, it’ll be paradise. But if it becomes a refuge, it’ll turn into hell. Whether it’s this world or the one outside.”
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader tossed the petals in his hand into the air and asked again.
“Now, let me ask again. What are you thinking? What do you hope to learn from the one pulling the strings?”
A hint of worry flashed across his face. I appreciated the concern—but I couldn’t tell him about Hwan Wang.
“You’re someone who brings storms with him. Even pulling in people who use the Soul Reaping Art on the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.”
“Anyone hearing this might think they all showed up because of me.”
“If not for you, these things might’ve passed unnoticed. So yes, you could say they came to light because of you.”
It was a twisted argument—but not entirely wrong. If it weren’t for me, Hwan Yeo would have just remained remembered as the flower garden’s owner and disappeared.
“Still, since this is a matter involving the Blood Sect, I’ll take care of it.”
He was trying to protect me. He intended to take full responsibility and put an end to this mess that began with the Soul Reaping Art. I appreciated him for caring this much.
“I have a question for you, Cult Leader.”
“What is it?”
“What is the weakness of those who have learned the Soul Reaping Art?”
Jeong Dae gave me a bewildered look, as if to ask what kind of question this was.
“Really now? You’re even asking me to hand over my own weakness?”
“Isn’t it best to quickly throw out anything rotten?”
“Gowol! Look at this. This is the Young Cult Leader you admire so much. Didn’t I tell you? He’s not just a simple Young Cult Leader—he’s a wicked one.”
Though he joked like that, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader must have realized that my question was to find the flower garden woman’s weakness.
“You can leave it to me. Why are you going so far—what do you hope to learn from her?”
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader began walking slowly. I followed, walking down a path blanketed in flower petals.
With every step, he seemed to drift back in time, remembering that distant moment.
“I can’t forget the first time I succeeded in using the Soul Reaping Art. Not just me—anyone who has learned it would say the same. Think about it. How astonishing it is to make someone move exactly as you want. But after a few successes, a sudden fear creeps in. What if someone stronger than me starts controlling me like I’ve done to others?”
This was the reason Seo Daeryong once said that the previous Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was the most terrifying of all the Demon Supremes. He’d rather die cleanly by a blade than be turned into a mindless puppet and meet a wretched end.
“Do you know what happens after that phase passes?”
I stayed silent and just listened to what he had to say.
“You start to look down on human will. No matter how strong-willed someone is, you see them all fall to the Soul Reaping Art, and then it hits you—Ah, human resolve isn’t much after all. And do you know what comes next?”
Jeong Dae stopped for a moment and looked at me.
“You start looking down on people.” 2
Was he ashamed of having been that way himself? His gaze turned away from me and toward the distant mountains beyond the path.
“When you start looking down on people, eventually you begin to look down on the entire world.”
“How did you overcome it?”
“Overcome? I didn’t.”
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader spoke with raw honesty.
“You think becoming a master changes you? That’s no different than saying old age brings wisdom. It’s the wise youth who becomes a wise elder.”
For the first time since we met, Jeong Dae let out a sigh.
“You would’ve been different. Even if you mastered the grandfather of the Soul Reaping Art, you still wouldn’t look down on others. But people like me—we’re ordinary. And when you take something from another person’s mind, there’s always a price to pay.”
Maybe he was confessing that he’d been the same back when he kept Gowol shackled.
But I knew. Though he said he hadn’t overcome it, he already had. When he freed Gowol from his chains, he began to see people differently.
“Somewhere deep inside that woman’s heart, there’s bound to be arrogance, pride, and a sense of emptiness. She’ll look down on your heart, look down on people, and look down on the world. Somewhere in that heart, there will be a gaping, pitch-black hole.” 3
A pitch-black hole in the heart.
I knew well what that meant—because in the life before my regression, I had a hole like that too. So deep it had no end, and nothing could ever fill it. 4
Then the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader suddenly said,
“Thank you.”
He believed I was the reason he had started to fill that hole.
“If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be locked up in the Cult Leader’s chambers of the Heavenly Wind Cult. Staring at the same old divine relic every day, afraid of losing it—keeping Gowol bound tightly. Back then, I thought I was living the easiest life in the world. But now I know it was never easy. Looking back, the one who was shackled all along was me.”
Snow-white petals fell upon us like rain.
“So? Was it helpful?”
He had even handed me his own weakness. What kind of thanks could be enough for that?
Yes—just this one sentence would be the perfect answer.
“Yes, Master.”
As if none of the seriousness had ever happened, Jeong Dae laughed heartily and said loudly,
“It’s been a while since I came in here. Should I stick around a little longer before heading out?”
He had the full experience of being a master today, and I let him enjoy it for a good while longer before we left. It was spring inside—but outside, winter was on its way.
* * *
I stepped into the Demon Dragon Court, where the Demonic Army resided.
Passing Demonic Army soldiers recognized me and greeted me respectfully.
It had been a while since I’d seen those bulky guys.
But the Demonic Army was no longer what it used to be. Their eyes and movements were now filled with discipline and spirit.
It was all thanks to this man.
“I heard you had returned, Young Cult Leader.”
Demonic Army Commander Jangho welcomed me with a proud presence. People change with their roles—he felt completely different from the Jangho I used to know. Now, he suited the title of Demonic Army Commander more than anyone.
“I came because I missed you, Commander Jang.”
“I should’ve come to greet you first. My apologies.”
“No need for that from someone as busy as you. It’s people like me, with nothing but free time, who should be making the rounds.” 5
Jangho chuckled. He knew full well how busy I’d been. I was someone people rarely saw, even when they wanted to greet me.
Anyway, seeing that eerie scar on his face and feeling oddly glad about it made me realize—it really had been a while.
“How’ve you been lately?”
“Nothing’s changed for me. If anything, it’s Martial Artist Lee and the Pavilion Lord who’ve gotten too busy. We haven’t even had time for a drink.”
“It’s always the lazy ones pretending to be busy.”
Jangho laughed again. Like Seo Daeryong, he probably didn’t get many chances to laugh while with his subordinates. Both of their organizations needed their leader’s authority to be absolute. So at least when he was with me, I wanted him to laugh as comfortably as he liked.
Whether it was the Fist Demon King or Jangho—when these usually stone-faced men laughed like this, it somehow lifted my own spirits, too.
“You’ve lived up to my trust.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you, didn’t I? That you’d become the greatest Demonic Army Commander in history.”
“You flatter me too much.”
But it wasn’t flattery. People were already openly saying that.
My words must’ve brought back old memories for Jangho as well.
“I haven’t fulfilled my wish yet.”
“What wish?”
“When you placed me in the Commander’s seat, I told you—I wanted to become someone like you. The kind of person who makes you believe you can do anything, no matter how difficult, just by being there. That was my wish, and I haven’t achieved it yet.”
“Are you sure you haven’t already?”
As he looked at me with a puzzled expression, I added,
“When things got tough, I came to you, didn’t I? I need your help.”
His expression lit up. The words I need your help—they probably meant more to him than any praise could.
“I heard the Demonic Army includes training to resist dark arts and illusion techniques.”
“Yes, we run special training sessions in preparation for unorthodox experts.”
“What about Soul Reaping Art?”
“We’ve formed a special unit composed of individuals with innately strong mental fortitude.”
“Send them with me.”
A flicker of joy passed across Jangho’s face. It had been a while since he got to work with me—finally, there was something he could help with.
“When do you need them?”
“Right now.”
A short while later, Jangho and I stepped out, accompanied by twenty or so Demonic Army members.
I could sense the tension from Jeokyeon and the day team who had been waiting outside. When the Demonic Army got involved, it meant things were about to get truly dangerous.
* * *
Hwan Yeo had not left the flower garden.
She was still stuck there because of the Young Cult Leader’s threat—if she left before the investigation was complete, he would spread her portrait all across the Central Plains and hunt her down.
More than anything, being exposed to the world was the one thing she could never allow.
But even so, she couldn’t stay trapped like this indefinitely—not knowing when the investigation would end.
Just then, a man entered the flower garden, pushing a cart. He had come to deliver seedlings and flower pots. As he unloaded the pots from the cart, he sent a sound transmission to Hwan Yeo.
—Reporting in. The former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader has returned to the main division of the Demonic Cult.
For a moment, Hwan Yeo’s expression grew grave. Of all times, for him to appear now?
“No… it can’t be.”
Could it be that the former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had noticed that she used the Yin-Yang Soul Reversal Art on the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme? If it were him, he might very well have sensed the effect of the technique. No—more likely, he had already sensed something, and that was why he came back in the first place.
—It seems you’ll need to leave.
Despite the worried sound transmission, she remained calm.
—Don’t make a fuss.
—My apologies.
After a brief pause in thought, she gave her command.
—Have the Blood Spirits stand by, and tell Guiseuk[a] there may be a guest. 6
The man flinched slightly but quickly answered with respectful composure.
—Understood.
Receiving her command, the man pushed the cart and left the flower garden.
Just as Hwan Yeo was about to lift the delivered flowerpots—
The wooden wind chime hanging beneath the eaves gave a sudden ring.
Still holding the pot, she headed toward the back of the flower garden.
The moment she rounded the corner—her figure vanished instantly.
Wuuuuuuuuuuung.
She was walking through a space filled with a low, resonant hum. The walls around her squirmed like they were alive, grotesque protrusions jutting out here and there. It felt like walking inside the belly of some monstrous creature. 7
Upon entering, even her appearance had changed. Her lips had turned a vivid crimson, and her eyes were now sharply slanted and terrifying.
And that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. The flower in the pot she held had transformed into a carnivorous plant that devoured insects. Judging by the ominous aura it gave off, insects were probably not the only thing it could consume.
After she passed through a maze-like corridor, a small chamber appeared.
The air was heavy and eerie. As she entered, the wall in front of her began to writhe and protrude.
Chiiiiiiiiiiiik.
A man’s face began to push through. Like he was trying to break through a transparent film—his appearance was grotesque. Naturally, his voice sounded eerie as well.
“He’s wondering why you haven’t returned.”
It was a message from her younger brother.
“Tell him I still can’t return.”
“He’ll want to know why.”
“Later. Tell him I’ll explain later.”
“He’s worried abou—”
Before the message could even finish, she waved her hand.
The wall suddenly tensed like it had repelled the man, and the protruding face vanished.
She let herself fall backward.
The floor rose and undulated like waves, then wrapped around her like a comfortable bed.
This was her favorite place—her only space of rest.
She closed her eyes for a moment and fell into thought, pondering how to handle the situation. The problem was the Young Cult Leader. The fact that she couldn’t read his mind—that was what unnerved her.
Chiiiiiiiiiiiik.
Once again, the face from earlier pushed out from the wall. Struggling to pierce through the membrane.
“I said I’ll handle it.”
In the next moment, she flinched.
It wasn’t the subordinate who handled the connection to her younger brother. The face pushing through the membrane looked strangely familiar.
Puwaak!
The membrane tore open, and someone thrust his face through.
Shockingly, it was Geom Mugeuk.
Their eyes met—and Geom Mugeuk grinned.
—Who would’ve thought an evil person could love flowers?
At that instant, Hwan Yeo’s eyes snapped open.
It had been a nightmare.
She had dozed off for a moment—and dreamed in the meantime.
This was the first time she had ever dreamed just from sensing someone’s presence.
Then, from the flower garden outside, she heard someone calling for her.
“Shopkeeper! Is the shopkeeper here?”
It was the voice of her nightmare. 8
1 : Perceptive. His trauma hidden under the abyss.
2 : The inevitable corruption of power.
3 : Hail the brokens, the empty, for they will see, the pain in your heart you carry.
4 : The abyss who drag him down. It’s honestly impressive how everything in his life has an influence over his Intent, his martial arts. Maybe… rather than a path to divinity, Mugeuk seeks a path to mortality. How a single wish from a powerless farmer can influence the world and utterly change it. The kind of power a divinity built on blood and violence can’t obtain.
5 : If that is his ‘free time’, I don’t want to imagine what he’s like when he’s ‘busy’ XDXDXD
6 : Blood Spirits… Like the Poisonous Martial Spirits ? (Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon)
7 : Looks like she watched too many body horror movies.
8 : You have nooo idea how much you’re right ^^
[a]귀숙