Chapter 2: The Duel
The Heavenly Demon’s mastery of the Celestial Crane Arts had grown even stronger. Now, he was formidable enough to face off against me in a duel of Celestial Crane Arts.
“Shall we have a go?”
“Later.”
“Do you think I’m not skilled enough yet? You’re full of yourself.”
“It’s not that. I just want to have a proper match.”
“Hmph! You’re just underestimating me.”
He had no idea how much I was looking forward to our duel.
“To be honest, it’s not because of you. It’s for me. I want to train more.”
“What?”
To show I wasn’t lying, I began practicing the Celestial Crane Arts right next to the Heavenly Demon. He watched me with a bewildered expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What are you doing?”
“Trying a new training method.”
I was executing the techniques with as much force as possible, abandoning the previous softness.
“Someone advised me that my martial arts were incomplete and that I was stuck in a rut.”
“Whoever it was gave you good advice.”
“Stop talking and come train with me.”
“No thanks. Playing with amateurs dulls my skills.”
“Haha.”
I continued my training, whether the Heavenly Demon watched or not.
He observed my practice in silence.
“That’s better.”
“Do I look improved?”
“Definitely. As I said before, you suit a more aggressive style. You’ve been wearing the wrong clothes all this time.”
“For something wrong, those clothes were quite comfortable. An incomplete martial art and a flawed method, yet I was the best in the world? Am I a martial arts genius?”
“You arrogant fool. You really say that about yourself?”
“Honestly… training has become fun again.”
Just when I thought he’d mock me, the Heavenly Demon spoke up.
“Me too.”
He crossed his arms and said no more.
We were both over seventy, yet we were changing.
Just as the world of martial arts seemed infinite, so too did the changes in our lives feel endless.
I was curious about what awaited us at the end of this continuous transformation.
A few days later, I was on a small boat heading to a secluded island.
“Oh, I didn’t know there was an island here.”
“There’s a hideout here too.”
“Impressive. No one would expect a hideout in such a place. Why show it to me now?”
“Because there was no reason to come before.”
That wasn’t the real reason. Here were Baekryeon, Im Yeonjeong, and Jang Geun. Especially since the Heavenly Demon was also within Jang Geun.
I had hesitated to come here… but now it felt like the right time.
I docked the boat and entered the estate.
Im Yeonjeong and Baekryeon, having been informed of my arrival, greeted me at the entrance.
“Welcome, my lord.”
The two women greeted me with respectful bows. I still wasn’t used to being called “my lord” by them.
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, yes.”
Im Yeonjeong replied, and Baekryeon added, “We’re trying to overcome the barrier.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The two women exchanged a glance and laughed.
“That woman likes you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She can’t even look you in the eye.”
Im Yeonjeong was as bright and healthy as ever, while Baekryeon couldn’t meet my gaze.
“Maybe she dislikes me.”
“Are you an idiot? She definitely likes you.”
How could I not know what the Heavenly Demon, who had just met her, knew? But now wasn’t the time to concern myself with personal feelings.
Especially since I had tasked Song Hwarin with taking over Shandong, I couldn’t entertain Baekryeon’s feelings.
“You have a fiancée, yet you’re a flirt.”
“A flirt? I’ve talked to you more than her.”
Just then, Jang Geun came to greet me.
“Have you been well?”
He had grown quite a bit since I last saw him.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes, thanks to you, my lord. Thank you.”
Such mature manners for his age.
The Heavenly Demon suddenly shouted.
“This brat! Now I see why you didn’t bring me here. It’s because of that kid.”
I admitted honestly.
“Yes, you’re right. That’s why.”
“Why the change of heart now?”
“Because I know you a little better. At least I know you wouldn’t try to take over that kid’s body.”
After a pause, the Heavenly Demon spoke.
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“I understand.”
“What? You fool! What do you understand? I said it’s a misunderstanding! I will take over that kid’s body!”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Damn it!”
He was uncomfortable and hated being seen as good.
After a moment, the Heavenly Demon asked.
“Do you really trust me?”
“Yes, I trust you.”
“It’s humiliating to be bested by someone so soft.”
“They say softness overcomes hardness.”
“And yet you practice the Celestial Crane Arts with a foundation of aggression?”
“Haha, that’s true.”
That evening, I enjoyed a meal prepared with care by Im Yeonjeong and Baekryeon. After dinner, I discussed matters related to the organization with Im Yeonjeong.
“I’ve felt for a long time that the leader of this organization is preparing some kind of grand technique.”
It wasn’t just her intuition.
“I realized it while researching various techniques of the Demonic Cult. Many materials were sent to the upper echelons. Some of them were things I procured and made.”
A grand technique?
I recalled the last cave and the eyebrowless man I met there. The atmosphere of the cave and the man’s bizarre appearance lent credence to her words.
If so, what kind of grand technique was the old man preparing? It was unlikely to be an ordinary one.
Perhaps he had ordered Joo Cheolryong to kill Seong Wangbo to buy time.
“Please be careful, my lord.”
“Thank you. You’ve been a great help.”
As I turned to leave, Im Yeonjeong spoke to me.
“A new flower has bloomed in the pond at the back garden. You should take a look.”
By the pond in the back garden, Baekryeon was practicing martial arts.
I had a hunch when I came here. Im Yeonjeong wouldn’t have just sent me to look at flowers.
Baekryeon must have been training here at this time regularly.
Her martial arts skills were impressive. Moreover, with her extensive combat experience, she would be even stronger in a real fight than she appeared during practice.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Baekryeon was flustered and embarrassed by my sudden appearance. She hadn’t expected me to come here.
“See, I told you. You’re a flirt.”
“Be quiet!”
I asked her, “What did you mean by overcoming the barrier?”
She smiled.
“You don’t need to know.”
Fortunately, my question seemed to ease her tension, and she began speaking more comfortably.
“How are things going?”
I explained the recent situation to her. After my detailed explanation, she asked cautiously.
“Is it okay to tell me all this?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“What do you mean?”
“By being so open with you, I’m setting a trap so you won’t hide anything from me in the future.”
“If it’s a trap like that, I don’t mind.”
Baekryeon smiled brightly. She seemed much more cheerful than before.
We strolled through the garden and stopped by the pond. The lotus flowers were blooming beautifully.
“You were the first to tell me that flowers can bloom even in the mud.”
When I thought of her, I always remembered her standing alone by the pond.
Had her loneliness eased a little now that she was with me?
I couldn’t say. Loneliness doesn’t disappear just because someone is by your side. Sometimes, the more people around you, the greater the loneliness.
“Is Lady Song well?”
“She’s fine. She’s in Shandong now.”
“She’s so beautiful and intelligent, I’m sure she’ll do well.”
“I think so too.”
“Confess.”
“You crazy old man. What are you talking about?”
“Heroes are said to have many women. Stop pretending to be a gentleman and just embrace her!”
“Stop talking nonsense and be quiet.”
Embarrassed, I couldn’t look her in the eye.
Fortunately, she was gazing at the lotus flowers in the pond.
“Why do those behind the scenes, with all their wealth, still crave more?”
“When greed consumes a person, the flames don’t easily die out. I think they’re just people who have lived that way. Gathering, hoarding, lost in insatiable greed.”
“Once you teach them a lesson, they’ll realize that’s not all there is.”
I smiled faintly.
Would they realize it? I doubted it. Even if they did, they’d deny it.
It didn’t matter. I wasn’t doing this to enlighten them.
It was for those harmed by the flames.
Extinguishing the fire was a worthy cause in itself.
A carriage traveling through the night came to a stop, and Seong Wangbo stepped out.
An enigmatic figure stood alone by the roadside. The carriage had been sent to meet here.
“The night air is refreshing.”
Perhaps due to preconceived notions, Seong Wangbo thought the mysterious figure suited the night perfectly.
“Let’s take a walk.”
“Sounds good.”
Seong Wangbo glanced around. It seemed like he was admiring the scenery, but in truth, he was curious about who might be protecting this mysterious figure.
Of course, he couldn’t detect anyone, as he wasn’t skilled in martial arts. If someone was hiding, they must be truly formidable.
Walking side by side, the mysterious figure spoke.
“I’ve been greedy since I was young.”
Seong Wangbo felt a twinge of tension, wondering what would follow. The atmosphere was different from the usual demeanor of the mysterious figure.
“I wanted everything. If I had one, I wanted ten. If I had ten, I wanted a hundred.”
“You’ve had a strong drive for achievement since you were young.”
“Achievement? It was just greed, pure and simple. An insatiable greed. People used to say about me, ‘You could fill the ocean, but you’d never satisfy your greed.’”
Today, the Dark Lord seemed unusually candid, which made Seong Wangbo even more uneasy.
“Isn’t it foolish to compete in wealth with the wealthy or in greed with the greedy? Let alone both.”
“The more foolish something is, the more alluring it becomes.”
“Hahaha, true enough. But even if you give a river to a little mouse, no matter how much it drinks, it can only fill its tiny belly.”
Seong Wangbo felt the sting of those words, a warning to know his limits.
The Dark Lord turned to him with a sly smile. “Life isn’t easy, is it?”
“No, it’s not easy at all.”
“All you need is one clear standard. But that’s the hardest part, isn’t it?”
What kind of standard did he mean? Perhaps he was suggesting that Seong Wangbo accept his own insignificance.
“I want to meet him.”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. Arrange a meeting.”
Seong Wangbo asked, half in disbelief, “Are you planning to kill him?”
“That’s the idea.”
The casualness of the response made him question if he’d heard correctly.
“He’s no ordinary man.”
“I know. That’s why we spent so much to bring him to our side, didn’t we?”
“But why?”
“Since Cheon Ga has decided to disappear, we won’t be able to find him.”
Seong Wangbo flinched internally. He had given Cheon Ga a hint, allowing him to escape.
“When the prey is gone, there’s no need to keep a hunting dog that might turn on its master. Kill the dog and recoup the cost of the leash.”
The Dark Lord’s decision wasn’t just because Cheon Ga had vanished. He had a bad feeling about the events to come. It seemed like something big was about to happen. Why else would he have gone to a brothel to drink, something he never did with Daejeo?
And the conclusion he reached was this:
“It’s time to clean up the martial world. Sweep it all away and start anew. It’s a good opportunity to sharpen our blades.”
Just as Seong Wangbo was about to protest, he saw the street ahead lit up brightly. Despite the late hour, merchants were lined up, selling their goods under the lights.
Seong Wangbo’s eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks.
“Could it be?”
The Dark Lord gave a knowing smile, as if Seong Wangbo had guessed correctly.
“You’ve heard of it, I see.”
With a trembling voice, Seong Wangbo said, “The night market… it’s already open.”
The Dark Lord began to walk slowly toward it. “Come, let’s see if there’s anything worth buying.”