Chapter 131 – Blurry, Suddenly (1)

The old man’s fingernails slice through the skin, exposing bones and muscles.

A gasp escapes.

Tendons snap, arteries sever, and blood spurts out.

[Are you okay?]

‘I’m fine.’

With each cut into the flesh, the body recovers quickly, thanks to the power of the World Tree of Healing and the potion.

‘I’m fine.’

The nerves, now sensitive from the old man’s power, feel a piercing pain even from the mere brushing of skin against clothing.

‘I can bear it.’

She can feel more alive now than when her mind wavered. The stark reality that a single mistake could be fatal. A smile forms in spite of the pain coursing through her entire body.

“A lot has changed overnight.”

The old man, who had been watching me, halts his torment and inquires.

“What trick did you use?”
“I had a nightmare.”

“Huh, it would be more believable if the tree had used some sort of magic.”

She laughs off the old man’s jab.

“Still…”

The old man looks at her as if she’s unreliable, and in response, he offers a wry smile.

“I like the look in your eyes.”

– Flash.

In an instant, the old man’s fingernail approaches and taps precisely on her cornea.

“To the point where I want to gouge your eyes out.”
“If it can cure me, then do it.”
“…Did this girl spend all night catching and eating tigers or something?”

The old man withdraws his hand as if he’s fed up, but he doesn’t stop there. He plunges a blade into her thigh. The pain had been familiar to her from the beginning. It’s just that she didn’t have a sufficient reason to endure it before.

[Are you really okay?]

‘Actually, it’s better than I thought. Just a moment ago, I was worried this was all a dream, and I didn’t know what I’d do if I went back… But the pain shows me this is reality.’

Though she shouldn’t be happy about it, that’s precisely what brings her comfort.

Although absurd, an involuntary smile kept emerging.

The old man, who had been observing my face, diligently extracted the knife embedded in my thigh and expressed his disgust.

“Insane. I intended to watch for just a moment, but you’ve truly lost your mind. Even the old rebels weren’t as mad as you.”

“…Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Enough. Any further treatment would be a waste of medicine. Tsk, tsk, tsk… I never planned on accepting a disciple who had forsaken their humanity.”

“In my view, even you, Heavenly Demon, are scarcely human.”

“Don’t talk back.”

-Wham!

The old man’s fist struck my head.
My body crumpled forward, and my forehead slammed into the ground.

“Nevertheless, it might be enjoyable to raise you.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

I stood up while patting the protruding bump on the back of my head.
My head throbbed, perhaps due to the excessive blood loss.

‘I’ve shed enough blood to be unrecognizable.’

The surrounding area was entirely drenched in blood.

Starting with the skin, it was only natural that it affected vital organs like the lungs and liver.
He had endured every conceivable injury during the examination.

“Descend the mountain today. I’ll slowly teach you where to begin.”
“Are you taking me as your disciple?”
“Everything has its order, you wretched fool. If you don’t want to call my daughter your sister-in-law, stay quiet.”

The old man gathered the poisoned daggers he had used, placing them in the pouch he had brought.

“When others hear I’ve accepted you, they’ll go mad and jump in disbelief. There will be a secret martial arts event soon.”
“A secret event?”
“I may command Dowon, but not everyone who’s here follows me.”

Dowon was like a martial arts world created by the lineage of the peach tree.
A small realm solely for martial artists.
Naturally, other sects existed within Dowon as well.

“You’ll have to stain your hands with blood for a while.”
“Shouldn’t the Heavenly Demon be resolved with just one command?”

“Yes, why does a young man like you lack understanding? It seems that those who are barely worth mentioning are crawling up these days, so I plan to entrust this task to you instead of me.”

Is he just passing off something he doesn’t want to do? I halted my actions and turned my head.

The dizziness was finally subsiding.

“Have you ever killed someone before?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then. I’ll deal with it, thinking you know how to be discreet. From now on, you handle things yourself.”
“So when do I start learning?”

The old man furrowed his brow at my persistent questioning.

“Starting tomorrow. Don’t run away because it’s difficult.”

It was precisely what I had hoped for, not wanting to waste a single moment.

* * * * * *

I grumbled as I swept the front yard of the tile-roofed house.

“So, what is this?”

He said it would start tomorrow, but the actual work turned out to be running errands.

With a single sweep of the broom, multi-colored peach blossoms were whisked away at once.

“Master said there’s a proper sequence for everything, so we must do these tasks first.”
“Is there a reason to prohibit even magic?”
“They say that sorcery leads to the decline of the body…”
“Heavenly Demon just wants to see me angry, what does he know about sorcery?”

If I didn’t use magic, would my body still ebb and flow like a dragon?

Heaven knelt politely on the grand veranda, observing me.
If it was such an enthralling sight, she would have seated herself beside the peach tea she had brought.

“Would you like some tea?”
“Yes.”

I propped the broom up casually and took a seat beside Heaven.
A well-steeped cup of sweet peach tea.
Upon sipping the fragrant tea, a warmth spread through my chest, settling my feelings.

“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. But, do we really need to sit so close?”

Our shoulders touched, perhaps because we were sitting tightly together.

Gently caressing Cheondo’s hair with one hand, her brow furrowed.

“Why are you like this today?”
“I just feel uneasy if I’m not like this.”
“…”

Although it was only a simple nightmare, sitting still left my heart feeling uneasy.

“Your hair is getting tangled.”
“Then I’ll just hold you.”
“…Sigh.”

Cheondo let out a weary sigh and silently leaned her body. The light weight of her head pressed against my chest.

“Your emotions show through your body. What causes you to want to live like this?”

Had she noticed? Cheondo was always sensitive to changes around her. Even in my original reality, she was the one who could sense the discord in my heart like a ghost.

When I was disheartened after killing the father of an Ent-ified child, she was the first to notice and approach me.

“…Is it because of the Master?”
“Are you out of your mind? To be angry with that man. I know the value of my own life.”
“I’m glad that’s the case.”

No matter how much I had endured the forced bone-shaving experience, I wasn’t mad enough to harbor hostility toward that person.

If anything, I had become more cautious. I had no intention of letting my guard down.
I view this moment in a very positive light.

“Then why do you seem so on edge?”

Gently, I scratched Cheondo’s head and shrugged my shoulders.

“Well…”

I had witnessed the death of someone precious to me. After enduring that loneliness for weeks, how could I not be angry?

But Cheondo didn’t know my circumstances.
As long as I couldn’t share my situation, I had no choice but to gloss over it.

“There’s no need for me to worry anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Literally, just that.”

It’s not a lie.
That was truly all I had realized there.

Now, the rest depends on how I plan things out.

“…I’ve been held back by something strange until now.”

“I’m unfamiliar with that story.”
“So it seems.”

Cheondo softly murmured, her fingers tracing the teacup. Every time a word escaped her lips, the vibrations from her vocal cords could be felt through my chest.

“Someday, I’d like to know. After all, we’ve become connected through the same mentor.”
“You will, eventually. But it’ll take some time.”
“What’s that? Get off me now, I’m too warm.”
“No.”
“Tch.”

I slowly etched the warmth felt through my palm into my heart, just as animals remember each other’s scent and touch.

Then, little by little, my scattered thoughts seemed to settle.

‘I won’t be here for much longer.’

When time passes and we meet again, will Cheondo remember me? Thinking back, when I first met Cheondo, my appearance and physique were entirely different.

‘I’m not sure. They did say that changing the past won’t alter the present, after all.’

I had to cherish everything I could while I was here.

Even if I long to see many people in reality, I must endure for now. I continued to caress Cheondo’s hair and let out a heated sigh.

My left hand was still trembling.

* * * * * *

“It doesn’t make sense. You’ve chosen a successor, and now you want to increase the number of disciples again?”
“Yes.”
“You’re of advanced age, and even focusing on nurturing one successor would be insufficient.”
“Do you think my successor will only become stronger by caring for their offspring like a newborn?”

At the old man’s words, Hong Yeon’s brow furrowed.

“…You’re not merely playing with words now, are you? You’re on the brink of death. Do you intend to attempt a reversal in this day and age?”

Reversal. Such a mythical concept was not to be expected. However, I also had no intention of seeking something akin to what Qin Shi Huang found, as if grasping at straws.

The old man blew on his fingers after digging in his ear.
Hong-Yeon’s forehead furrowed even more.

“You naive girl. My successor can manage just fine without me.”

“But how can I know that without seeing it for myself? Didn’t the Heavenly Demon say he wouldn’t reveal his successor until his death?”

“Isn’t it because he has such talent that I chose him as my successor? Can the Heavenly Demon’s perceptive eyes see only water now?”

At the Heavenly Demon’s stern words, Hong-Yeon swallowed her curse.

In Do-won, the Heavenly Demon was a living hero and god.
Even if the other factions watched with envious eyes, they had no choice but to yield to the Heavenly Demon’s words.

It might have been different in the past.
Long ago, if it were the vast martial world within China that only existed in bygone times, there might have been those who would belittle the Heavenly Demon.
However, the martial world no longer existed in this generation. The era of righteousness and alliance had long since fallen, and these days, many people even questioned whether such a time truly existed.

On the other hand, this place was a world created by the Heavenly Demon, for the Heavenly Demon.

Nonetheless, Hong-Yeon had no choice but to step forward and shout. She was the leader responsible for guiding the Heavenly Demon’s legacy.

“…Please concentrate on nurturing successors.”
“Either way, that fellow is like a successor too.”
“What nonsense are you babbling about again?”

Creating two successors would complicate matters. When the identity of the successor is eventually revealed, if the factions following them become divided, war could erupt within Do-won.

“To begin with, didn’t you say that the current successor is growing well? Regardless of how sky-piercing the talent of the latecomer may be, can they surpass the present successor?”

She couldn’t help but admit that she had made a good point. A smile formed on Hong-Yeon’s lips.

“Hehehe, is that so?”

However, the old man and the Heavenly Demon merely displayed a peculiar smile.

The mischievous grin of the old man when playing his peculiar tricks!

Could things be going awry? Hong-Yeon shuddered.

“So, do you want to face him in a duel?”
“Ex-excuse me?”
“Aren’t you the sect leader? Although you didn’t rise in rank solely based on your skills, you should be able to deal with the likes of them.”
“That’s true, but to suddenly engage in a duel…”
“If you win, I shall reconsider accepting that monkey-like fellow as a disciple.”

Withdrawal wasn’t the issue; it was reconsideration.
Hong-Yeon’s lips quivered as she clenched them.

As long as the Heavenly Demon didn’t provide a definite answer, participating in the duel held no advantage for her. However, she was also a martial artist. It was only natural for her to feel anger when she heard someone say she was incompetent. Unable to bear self-deprecation, she was part of the demonic sect that revered the Heavenly Demon.

“…Let’s do it. But if I win, you must truly reconsider accepting him as a disciple.”

Hong Yeon’s piercing gaze bore down on the old man.
Despite this, the old man merely smiled.