Chapter 156: Master (1)

Master.

It was definitely my Master.

The one who always snatched away my coin pouch just to buy more liquor.

The one who, once drunk, would ramble on about restoring some long-lost sword technique.

He occupied a corner of the memories of my life, and I had vowed that one day, I would find him again.

It was certainly something surprising, delightful, and something I should be happy about, and yet…

Why!

Why did he have to appear at such a perfect moment only to interfere!

“Step back, Jin Yeomyung.”

Cheon Yura’s voice, blocking my path, was filled with tension.

“He’s an incredible master. Perhaps even stronger than a Murder Demon…”

In my past life, I didn’t have the eye to judge Master’s strength.

I hadn’t awakened my senses, and my skills were meager at best.

But now, I could see it.

The aura of intent that emanated from him.

Master laughed while blowing into a liquor bottle like a trumpet, seemingly having a grand time.

“Hehe, you want to fight? Here of all places?”

“….”

Startled!

I had drawn my sword on instinct from the tension, but this was the middle of the bustling night market in the heart of Miok Fortress’s street.

Naturally, countless eyes around us were fixated on the scene, wondering what was going on.

“Hey, hey! I’ve no intention of fighting, so put that menacing thing away!”

Was he telling the truth?

Cheon Yura remained skeptical, but I knew he was telling the truth.

At the very least, Master wasn’t the type to pull dirty tricks—he was a true martial artist who stood his ground fair and square.

– Kyaa, Myeong-ah! This stuff is killer! Go grab one more bottle!

…Probably.

In fact, I had never once seen him fight seriously in my past life… but still.

“Young Lady, please calm yourself for a moment.”

This time, I stepped in front of Cheon Yura.

“…Jin Yeomyung?”

“Well, I believe he’s… a guest of mine.”

Even though it was downright infuriating how he interrupted my precious moment alone with Cheon Yura.

Still, what could I do? A Master is still a Master.

“Hehehe…”

Facing the bleary eyes that lazily drifted toward me, I respectfully cupped my fist and saluted him.

“Greetings, revered one.”

Master’s eyes glinted at my greeting and he questioned in return.

“Did you just call me deceased?”

“…If you’re going to spout nonsense, we’re just going to leave.”

“Ah, no! I misspoke! Totally slipped out!”

Flustered, Master waved his hand when his masterstroke of a joke failed to land.

‘Still spewing nonsense that makes no sense—some things never change.’

I wasn’t imagining it—Cheon Yura’s gaze next to me was growing colder by the second.

“If it pleases you, I would like to treat you to some Dukang liquor nearby. What do you say?”

“What? Dukang?! That sounds fantastic!”

Master’s expression instantly brightened.

Dukang was his favorite liquor. Along with Springtime South of the Sword imported from around Sichuan, he used it as an excuse to never leave the Cult.

“Will you be okay, Jin Yeomyung?”

At Cheon Yura’s concern, I nodded slightly.

“I have a general idea of his intentions. I don’t believe anything major will happen.”

“I will accompany you.”

“Mm… very well, then.”

Even if Cheon Yura didn’t come along, meeting with Master shouldn’t be particularly dangerous.

‘No… Am I being too optimistic?’

Having only seen his silly and harmless demeanor in my past life, my assessment of him had naturally plummeted.

But now, standing before me, he was unmistakably the first absolute sword master I had encountered since Sword Demon.

“Alright, let’s go! I’ve grown sick of drinking cheap bamboo leaf liquor—I’ve missed the real taste of Dukang!”

…We’ll be fine… right?

***

Though it was technically our first meeting in this life, he was still my Master.

I couldn’t bring him to some cheap tavern.

“Ooh? This is my first time coming to such a lavish place.”

Since the city’s top establishment, Tower of Demonic Heaven, was likely in chaos right now, I brought him to the second best—Cheonhyangru.

Cheon Yura glanced around the interior of Cheonhyangru, nodding in mild approval.

“There don’t seem to be any women serving drinks here.”

“That’s because this is a wine house, not a brothel.”

And what would I have done if I’d taken him to a brothel?

Forget the consequences—that wouldn’t have even been proper.

“Hehehe, a place like this probably has decent booze, right?”

As expected, Master was the type who didn’t care whether women were present or not, as long as there was alcohol.

Once we were seated on the third floor with a good view, a well-dressed server approached with a soft smile and a respectful bow.

“What would you like to order, esteemed guests?”

“Of course, some Duk—”

I cut Master off before he could finish.

“One bottle of every premium liquor this establishment offers. As for side dishes, bring whatever suits the setting.”

The server’s eyes widened.

“A-All of them? We have over twenty types of top-grade liquors alone…”

I silently took out my coin pouch and tossed it to her.

The jangling pouch was filled with dazzling gold coins.

“V-Very well! I shall honor your request, Young Master!”

Bowing like a family retainer from the main house, the server rushed off somewhere in a frenzy.

In an instant, I had become the top spender at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion for the day, and Master looked at me with trembling eyes.

“Are… are you the God of Wealth?”

I offered a gentle smile.

“For serving you, this much is the bare minimum. Dukang is delicious, yes, but since we’re here, why not enjoy a variety?”

Honestly, twenty bottles of liquor was nothing in front of Master.

There were times he would bring an entire earthenware jar of strong spirits and chug it straight…

“Disciple…!”

“……”

We hadn’t even exchanged names, and he was already calling me his disciple.

At that, Cheon Yura, who stood quietly by my side, frowned.

“What nonsense is this…?”

“Ah…”

At her words, Master seemed to snap back to his senses and hastily covered his mouth with a fake cough.

“Ahem! Ahem! I must’ve shown a bit of an undignified side.”

“……”

“……”

“W-Well then, let me introduce myself first. I am a wandering swordsman by the name of Old Han. I currently hold the qualifications of a mid-level martial officer in the Cult.”

“…Mid-level martial officer?”

Cheon Yura’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

Claiming to be a mere mid-level officer with skills like his was basically announcing, ‘I have something shady going on behind the scenes.’

But I treated him with courtesy, showing no sign of suspicion.

“I see. I am Jin Yeomyung.”

“Ah, Jin Yeomyung! What a fine name! Hahaha! You must come from a distinguished family, yes?”

Cheon Yura’s suspicion only grew deeper.

In the current Heavenly Demon Cult, only the Jin Clan of Demonic Heaven bore the Jin surname.

And yet he was treating me like this?

“Yes, by fortune, I was born to good parents and am affiliated with the Jin Clan of Demonic Heaven.”

“Hahaha, I see! The Jin Clan of Demonic Heaven… Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan… Huh?”

Only then did Master tilt his head, as if he finally noticed something odd.

“From what I recall, the Jin Clan of Demonic Heaven was famous for their brute strength and fighting with bare hands…”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then what about swordsmanship…?”

I lightly revealed the sword at my waist and replied.

“I suppose you could call me a black sheep of the family. Ah, the liquor has arrived. Would you care for a drink first?”

Before we knew it, the table was filled with elegant bottles of high-end liquor.

Master’s attention instantly shifted from me to the alcohol.

“Here you go. Allow me to pour you a drink.”

“O-Oh? Well then…”

As I poured liquor into Master’s cup, a clear light shimmered and a refined fragrance spread rapidly around us.

“Ooh, ooooh!”

As if he had forgotten his original purpose, Master audibly swallowed with delight.

Without hesitation, he downed the contents of his cup.

“Khaaaa!”

Watching that familiar sight, I smiled faintly, caught up in nostalgia.

“Here, Young Lady, have a drink too.”

Judging by how she had sipped during the exchange ceremony, Cheon Yura wasn’t someone who couldn’t handle her alcohol.

Accepting the cup, she muttered softly.

“I don’t get it. Aren’t you being far too deferential?”

Cheon Yura didn’t seem to appreciate that I, the Grand Heir of the Jin Clan of Demonic Heaven, was acting so submissive.

“Well, just observe for now.”

“More than anything, I’d have preferred to enjoy a quiet drink without an intruder…”

“There’ll be other chances, I’m sure.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess…”

With her grumbling fading out—

The cups were quickly filled and emptied in repetition.

Before long, Master wore a blissful expression, pouring for himself and completely ignoring us.

“Is the liquor to your taste?”

“Huh? Oh yes, indeed. It’s been ages since I’ve been able to drink so freely like this!”

‘…You always drank freely. With my money.’

Unaware of my internal complaints, Master chuckled and emptied his cup once more.

When I judged that the mood had warmed enough after that light start—

“So, may I now ask what reason brought you to find us, Master?”

“The reason? Ah… ah, right.”

Only now did Master, who had been utterly distracted by the drink, begin to speak of the real issue.

And he didn’t beat around the bush.

“You two… when you fought the Murder Demon earlier, you used Resonant Qi, didn’t you?”

“Resonant Qi, you say?”

No attempt to hide or soften his words—our Master came at us with a direct fastball.

“When the qi of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art and the Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art combine, it causes an abnormal amplification of power. That’s what we call Resonant Qi.”

He already knew something we had only learned today?

“That’s curious. How did you know about that, Master?”

He could’ve brushed it off or stayed silent in response to that question.

“Hmm~ must’ve been around four hundred years ago? The Heavenly Demon at the time and his lover apparently used Resonant Qi to kill someone from the Assembly. Anyway, the records are still kept on our side. That’s how I knew.”

“……”

“……”

Cheon Yura and I fell silent, our expressions hardening.

In our past lives, Master had always shown plenty of gaps, but he would never say something like this.

Which meant he was deliberately revealing information now?

No—before that, the fact that he mentioned the Heavenly Demon and his lover, and even used the word ‘Assembly’…

There was no doubt that Master was—

“Anyway! That’s not the important part!”

Clack!

Slamming down his cup, Master stared straight at me.

“It’s you, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? The one who inherited the Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art… no, the Heaven’s Limit Divine Art and the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword.”

…As expected.

So this was Master’s purpose?

To be honest, if Master had wanted those martial arts out of pure interest, I would’ve gladly handed over the mantras of both to him.

…If only I hadn’t become certain that he was tied to the Heaven-Defying Society.

“It’s you, right? Hm?”

“……”

There was no point lying now.

Master had already come half-convinced.

Even in my past life, he had a way of sniffing out my lies like a bloodhound.

“Yes, that’s correct. I inherited the martial arts of the Yoo Clan.”

“Knew it~ I knew it!”

I asked him more bluntly about his intent.

“So what now? Are you going to steal my martial arts and kill me to erase the threat?”

The moment he answered yes here…

Cheon Yura and I were preparing ourselves to fight a life-or-death battle with Master…

“Hm? No? Why would I?”

Master casually betrayed my expectations (or fears?).

“Uh?”

While I stood there dazed, Master emptied his cup and shouted:

“I finally found a worthy successor in the twilight of my life—why would I kill you? If anything, I should be doting on you!”

“Then… the reason you came looking for me is…”

“Obviously, to take you in as my disciple!”

Disciple, disciple…

I couldn’t quite hide my disbelief.

Was this really how a connection from a past life carried on into this one?

But—wait a minute.

‘It might have made sense in my previous life, but the Master standing here now clearly… belongs to an organization.’

And not just any group—one with whom I had become irreconcilable enemies.

“Master.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“If I become your disciple… does that mean I have to be affiliated with some organization?”

Master paused mid-sip, thinking for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah, I suppose that would be necessary?”

“…Might I ask what this organization is called?”

And just like that…

He casually uttered the name of the group he had never spoken of even once in our past life.

“Oh, it’s the Heaven-Defying Society. A bunch of slightly deranged folks hang out there.”

“……”

“……”

“Not to brag or anything, but I’m pretty high in the ranks there, you know? Though honestly, it’s mostly in name only, and I just take on the occasional job here and there. Still, if you’re going to be my disciple…”

In an instant, Cheon Yura’s hand moved to the sword at her waist.

“Jin Yeomyung, I’m going to kill him now, right?”

“…Wait—just wait, please hold on, just for a moment.”

I desperately stopped Cheon Yura, who looked ready to draw her sword and strike him down right then and there.

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