Episode 848: Don’t Overturn the Leader’s Table
When Geommu-geuk and Geomwoo-jin came out, Hwi was there, having brought them food.
Hwi greeted them with a cheerful smile and a round of applause.
“I meet the leader and the sub-leader.”
He began by examining Geom Woo-jin. He was concerned that time flowed differently inside and outside, and that the leader might have changed. Fortunately, Geom Woo-jin had not changed much since he entered.
“Sir, you must have had a hard time, right?”
“No, I was just delivering food.”
“Tell the maids! Your hard work is over!”
Thanks to the monks and the disciples, my father and I were able to eat well and train well.
“If I had only eaten jerky or dried pollack, I wouldn’t have gotten out yet.”
Hwi spoke politely to Geommugeuk.
“Congratulations on your great achievement.”
Geommugeuk asked with a surprised face.
“Is the table clear?”
“No, I can no longer even fathom the level of the Young Master.”
It wasn’t a polite remark, it was the truth. He had already surpassed the realm of Banbak Gwijin, and now Geommu Geuk had reached the ultimate realm of martial arts.
“But how did you know?”
“If it hadn’t been a crucial moment, you wouldn’t have gone into the closing ceremony, and if you had gone into the closing ceremony like that, you wouldn’t have just left without any results.”
Hwi knew the two men’s personalities precisely. He knew the cult leader better than anyone else. There was no giving up halfway with the cult leader.
“Geum Woo-jin,” he said, as if proud of him.
“Geuk-i has become the youngest person in the history of our school to become the Twelve Great Star of the Nine-Hwa Demonic Sect.”
At the words “Twelve Stars, Great Stars,” Hwi looked surprised and congratulated Geommugeuk again.
“Your Majesty, I sincerely congratulate you.”
He had truly become the second-strongest master in the world. At such a young age, it was only a matter of time before he became the world’s greatest master. Considering his outstanding achievements thus far, it wouldn’t take long.
In fact, achieving the Twelve Great Stars was a great achievement, but there was something that was even more surprising to Hui.
“Reverend, do you know that you just bragged about your son to me for the first time?”
The sword dance gave the credit to his father.
“I’m not lacking in the blessings of my parents, am I? Who in this world could guide me, so young, to the Twelve Stars?”
It wasn’t just this closed-door retreat. My father’s help was also paramount in my previous journey to attaining the Ten Great Stars.
“You just have to know.”
In fact, it was a time of great help for Geom Woo-jin as well. It was an experience that made him realize that perfecting martial arts was still a long way off, and even if he achieved the Twelve Stars of the Nine-Hwa Demonic Arts, there was still a long way to go.
Whiga delivered the news that needed to be delivered when there were two people present.
“The demons, the demon army, and the demon troopers all returned. But something happened along the way.”
After the fight with the Dark Princess, the large coffin that was left there was moved to the main temple of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“It’s said the treasure disappeared during transport. It wasn’t stolen or lost, but simply vanished. Hwangcheonggak has now launched an investigation into the matter.”
Geom Woo-jin looked at Geommu-geuk. His son knew best about the secrets of the secret.
“I don’t think there’s any need to investigate.”
The sword dance could tell. The old man who had restored him to his former state had retrieved the secret weapon.
Considering the mysterious power of the secret weapon, perhaps it had never been a mortal object to begin with.
“It seems like the watch has gone back to where it was supposed to be.”
Geom Woo-jin nodded at Geommu-geuk’s words. He knew that the secret was the reason so many souls had entered Cheon Sal-seong’s body. Therefore, it was an object that absolutely had to be recovered. But his son’s words must have been interpreted as a premonition.
“The investigation will be suspended.”
“I will convey that.”
The swordsman said to his father.
“Oh, and Father. Why don’t you take this opportunity to open your eyes wide and see the Heavenly Horse?”
At the look in his eyes that asked, “What does that mean?”, Geommugeuk made an unexpected suggestion.
“Now that the big fight’s over, why don’t you gather all the demons together and hold a competition? With a few roots of eternal snow ginseng as prizes?”
“What kind of competition?”
“Since the demons can’t just fight each other, how about a fishing competition? A showdown of pride! My father, my brother, and I will attend.”
When the story of fishing came up, a look of triumph crossed Geum Woo-jin’s face.
“good night!”
Geom Woo-jin, who immediately agreed, walked toward the Cheonmajeon, and Hwi followed.
A faint smile played on Geom Woo-jin’s lips as he walked.
How could he not know? He knew his son was setting the stage for him to take care of the demons. He was using the fishing competition as an excuse to comfort the demons who had suffered so much.
Even after Geomwoojin and Hwi walked toward Cheonmajeon, Geommugeuk stood there for a moment, gazing up at the sky.
He’d originally planned to just have fun, but he’d unexpectedly ended up undergoing the most arduous training of his life.
So, he shouted at the real sky, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Don’t stop me now! I’m going to have some real fun now!”
In the silent sky, only indifferent clouds drifted slowly by.
* * *
Having achieved the Twelve Great Stars of the Nine-Handed Demon Sect, there was something he absolutely had to do.
Returning to his abode, Geomwu-geuk immediately unleashed his space-time teleportation technique. A verdant plain unfolded before him. Geomwu-geuk summoned a being who would fit perfectly into this vast expanse.
A gigantic celestial spirit descended.
For the first time, he saw his own celestial spirit, the Twelve Great Stars. Just as his father’s celestial spirit had changed, his own celestial spirit had also changed in appearance.
The flame pattern on his chest grew larger and more vivid, and the symbol of the Heavenly Demon Spirit was engraved on the backs of both hands. His father’s Heavenly Demon Spirit was only engraved on the back of his right hand, but his own was engraved on both hands.
Every part of his body was different, as if he had been wearing armor. He looked much more handsome and sophisticated, but his gaze was even more terrifying and intense.
“Congratulations. You have become the Twelve Heavenly Demon Soul.”
Cheonmahon slowly clasped his hands together, then bowed his head slightly, as if he were a human. Geommu-geuk could tell that Cheonmahon was congratulating him on achieving the Twelve Great Stars.
“Thank you, friend. We have somewhere to go, so please descend in human size.”
Then, the Heavenly Demon Spirit disappeared and then reappeared in a smaller form.
The smaller form of the Heavenly Demon Spirit certainly felt much more powerful.
Exactly.
With a snap of his fingers, the two men shifted their positions.
It was the small island he loved most.
A white sandy beach stretched out beneath the scorching sun, and there stood a broad-leaved tree. Two comfortable chairs sat in its shade.
“This is your seat.”
At those words, Cheonmahon’s eyes flickered slightly. It was said that Cheonmahon’s personality resembled that of its master, and indeed, Cheonmahon’s reaction was distinct.
The swordsman sat down first, half-reclining on the chair.
“You have no idea how much I missed this place while I was training.”
Geommugeuk continued speaking, still looking out at the sea.
“Just sitting here, looking out at the ocean, I can forget all my worries, even if only for a moment. I don’t know if you have any worries, either.”
Cheonmahon glanced at Geommugeuk and then looked back at the sea Geommugeuk was looking at.
“Now that you’re twelve, you’ll talk, right? Honestly, you’re already quite talkative, aren’t you? My father said so. There was a Heavenly Demon Spirit who spoke to the Master in the past. Since you’re not the first, there’s no need to be embarrassed about speaking. And it’s impossible for the Heavenly Demon Spirit of such a talkative Master to be unable to speak, right?”
Still, Cheonmahon remained silent.
In fact, it didn’t matter if he didn’t speak. He was grateful enough just to have someone to listen to him.
It was then. Cheonmahon slowly sat down in the chair next to him.
Geommu-geuk looked at Cheonmahon with a deeply moved face. He wasn’t simply accepting the order to sit. This action was clearly a connection between them, a signal that they had become one step closer.
Cheonmahon looked out at the distant sea with a blunt face.
Perhaps this Cheonma Soul wasn’t the talkative version of himself after his return, but rather a Cheonma Soul that resembled his personality before his return. A soul that resembled his true personality, deep within his heart.
“Yeah, if we both talk too much, it’ll be too noisy, right?”
So, Geommu-geuk and Cheonma-hon sat on the beach in silence and looked out at the sea.
* * *
“Have you already come out of the closed training?”
Chwima was astonished by the sword dance. After relaxing on the beach with Cheonmahon, the first person he visited was Chwima.
“I thought you’d be out for a while since you said you were going to close the temple with the leader?”
He seems surprised that it came out in just a few days.
“That’s it. Where are you hurt?”
“I’m fine now. Did you come here because you were worried about me?”
Geommu-geuk nodded. He was a drunk who had fought so fiercely that he had even drank all the alcohol he had. This time, he really wanted to take care of him first.
“I wanted to have a celebratory drink with my brother.”
“Okay.”
As he was about to bring the alcohol from the corner of the room, Chwima suddenly spoke as if he had remembered something.
“No, I have somewhere to go.”
Chwima took Geommu-geuk and headed somewhere.
The place they arrived at was the Absolute Forbidden Land, deep within Daechurim.
It was there, intoxicated.
Geommu-geuk could see why Chwima had brought him here. He wanted to see if his drunkenness had been damaged by the death of Cheon Sal-seong.
The two men entered with nervous hearts.
There, after confirming the alcohol content, Chwima shouted with a joyful face.
“The alcohol hasn’t hurt!”
The horse cheered loudly.
“It’s finally back to normal!”
Chwima was truly delighted, like a child. He realized once again how important this drinking was to him.
“Is it that good?”
“It is.”
Others might think it’s superstition, but for Chwima, it was the most important thing.
“Congratulations, hyung.”
“Thank you. Let’s have our celebration here.”
“Good.”
Chwima brought out the wine and glasses he’d kept in the vault.
The two sat beside the wine and drank. Chwima smiled constantly, seemingly delighted by the mere sight of the clear wine.
“This liquor tastes amazing. I’ve never tried this before.”
“I’ve been saving it. I’m going to drink it when my drinking level returns to normal.”
“The liquor I’ve been saving keeps coming out.”
“There’s also liquor I’m saving to drink on the day you become the leader. That’s my favorite liquor.”
“Wasn’t the liquor you planned to drink when you retired the best?”
Geommugeuk laughed loudly at the sight of Chwima flinching.
Drinking alcohol in the absolute forbidden zone of Daechwirim had its own charm.
After a few drinks, Chwima spoke to Geommugeuk.
“Don’t worry about the future.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Your face is filled with worry.”
“You know? I’m the type of person who tends to worry a lot about unnecessary things. I worry about things that won’t even happen. When something is a matter of fact, it’s not easy to put it off for later.”
After finishing his drinks, Geommugeuk shared his honest feelings.
“Brother, I even had this nasty thought a little while ago. If Father were to truly unify the martial arts world, I’d hope this drunkenness would be ruined again. Then, I thought, I could use this to stop him.”
“The leader wouldn’t care if this drunkenness happened.”
Chwima filled the empty glass of the sword dance.
He had nothing to say. He was the kind of person who would obey the orders of the cult leader. Even if he was ordered to kill Jin Ha-gun or Bi Sa-in, he would gladly carry them out.
Chwima looked down at the glass in his hand for a moment, then blurted out something he hadn’t thought of.
“Don’t overturn the cult leader’s table.”
Geommu-geuk looked at Chwima. Chwima continued speaking, his gaze still fixed on his glass.
“The cult leader has been drinking the drink called Murimiltong for a long time, and he’s been intoxicated by it. How would he feel if someone suddenly appeared, overturned the table, poured cold water on him, and sobered him up? Even if it was his son.”
Geommugeuk asked Chwima.
“Then what should I do?”
Chwima answered, emptying his glass.
“You sit at that table too.”
It was a word that Geommugeuk had never thought of.
“Sit down and think about it. Don’t just think about flipping the table.”
Sitting down to drink with your father? What next?
“What if I get drunk too?”
“I don’t know about that.”
Chwima laughed self-deprecatingly and poured alcohol into Geommugeuk’s empty glass.
“That’s just the advice of a drunkard.”
“No. It was helpful advice.”
“Really?”
Geommu-geuk nodded. Up until now, he’d been thinking only of overturning the table, as Chwima had suggested. He’d only been thinking about how to end the drinking party.
But Chwima was right. From his father’s perspective, this was abrupt and unjust.
“I felt it when I went to the Ice Palace before, but you’re really smart, hyung.”
Although he waved his hand and said it wasn’t a drink, he couldn’t hide the look in his eyes that said, “Add more.”
“Among the demons, you’re the smartest.”
“If I hadn’t been so addicted to alcohol, I might have been a soldier at Tongcheon Pavilion.”
Gowol told him to become the leader, and the leader of the Pungcheon cult told him to give them a grandchild. And Chwima told him to get drunk with his father. They all offered advice in their own way.
“Yeah, like you said, I should sit down at that drinking party first.”
At least one thing was clear.
“Father knows too. How terrible the hangover from this drinking party will be.”
Because it was an event that resulted in the loss of countless lives.
‘What if I become your drinking partner, but you never stop drinking?’
I don’t know if that’s possible, but at least I’ve gotten one thing straight:
I shouldn’t blindly try to stop my father.
The drunkard brought a box of alcohol that he had kept in a corner of the forbidden area.
“Take it with you when you leave. It’s the alcohol I just drank.”
“Why are you giving me this precious thing? And the whole box?”
It wasn’t given to me because I was praised for being smart.
“You said you were going to meet people and have fun now? Good alcohol creates a good atmosphere, and that good atmosphere…”
The drunkard added, holding out a box of liquor.
“It will help you find the answer.”
