Chapter 329 : Shadow (4)
Chapter 329: Shadow (4)
"Then I'll stay and send one of the martial artists to headquarters."
When Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang expressed his refusal, Il-mok firmly shook his head.
"That won't do. That letter contains what's needed to govern this place going forward. Since it must reach Master without fail, I'd like the Family Head to handle it personally."
The justification was excellent, but his true intentions were different.
He was simply trying to get rid of Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang, who kept filling his head with useless nonsense. He fully intended to work the Hyeokryeon Family's elite martial artists to the bone as manual laborers, while simultaneously using their grand leader as a glorified mailman.
Before Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang could open his mouth to say something, Il-mok spoke again.
"Also, didn't the Family Head clearly say so yourself? That I'm the one in command of this mission. The Head of the Great Hyeokryeon Family isn't going to say one thing and mean another, right?"
"…"
While Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang was left speechless by those words hitting the mark, Il-mok pulled out another letter and held it out to Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang once more.
"Since you'll be traveling around the Taklamakan Desert, please stop by Lanzhou in Gansu Province and deliver this letter to Ouyang Mun."
Il-mok was genuinely treating one of the strongest men in the world like a common postman.
* * *
About a month after Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang left the Potala Palace, the Heavenly Demon heard about what had happened through Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang who returned from Tibet and burst into hearty laughter.
"Does it please you so much?"
Hearing Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang's bitter tone, the Heavenly Demon responded with a satisfied smile.
"How could I not be pleased? News has reached my ears that my youngest has once again defeated villains who were tormenting the common folks."
"......"
Hearing the Heavenly Demon conveniently skipped over the part about using him as a messenger, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang found it awkward to complain.
'Like master, like disciple.'
Everyone in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult already knew the Heavenly Demon cherished his youngest disciple, but looking at the situation now, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang strongly suspected it was simply because the boy resembled the Heavenly Demon the most.
"Haha. I never expected the Potala Palace to have turned into such a wicked place in just those few years. It seems I did well to send you along with my youngest."
Smoothly pivoting the conversation, the Heavenly Demon glanced down at the sealed letter resting on the table in front of Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang.
"So, is that letter the one my youngest sent?"
"That's correct."
When Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang pushed the letter forward, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord stepped forward and delivered it to the Heavenly Demon.
"Hmm."
After reading the entire letter, the Heavenly Demon put it down and asked Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang.
"It seems these reinforcements will be quite insufficient to govern Tibet…"
"I anticipated as much; I actually just arrived after making a detour through Gansu Province before returning to the main headquarters."
Hearing Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang's grumpy answer, the Heavenly Demon burst into laughter again.
"Hahahaha."
"...Does the fact that your youngest disciple shamelessly used me as an errand boy really bring you this much amusement?"
"How could I not be pleased? Do you remember the time when you first saw Il-mok? Back then, you firmly demanded that the boy be executed."
"…"
Hearing the Heavenly Demon strike hit the mark in the exact same manner his youngest disciple had, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang had no choice but to firmly snap his mouth shut.
That youngster they had debated killing or sparing had grown in just a few years to the point of using him as a messenger.
If he had killed the youngest disciple, none of this would have happened.
Neither the reality of him rapidly growing into a grand vessel fully capable of shouldering the future of the Divine Cult, nor the hilarious reality of him working one of the Divine Cult’s strongest warriors as a common messenger.
The Heavenly Demon let a smile settle on his face as he looked at Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang.
"So, how was it watching the boy closely from the front lines?"
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang had said he would join this journey to assess Il-mok's character.
"...It seems my granddaughter's eyes were more accurate. Perhaps this old man's eyes have grown cloudy with age."
Of course, his official public excuse had been to evaluate Il-mok's worthiness as Seon-ah's Lord, rather than his worthiness as the next Cult Leader.
* * *
Coming out of his brief reverie about the conversation he'd had with Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang a month ago, the Heavenly Demon slowly organized his thoughts with a faint smile still resting on his face.
Before long, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord returned to the Heavenly Demon Palace.
"I have conveyed the Supreme One's will to the Demonic Physician and have confirmed Third Young Master entering the Pure Mind Hall before returning."
"You've done well."
The Heavenly Demon nodded with a much more relaxed expression, then said something the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord never expected.
"For this particular incident, I will assign the investigation solely to the Dark Shadow Pavilion, and officially, I will remain completely silent on the matter."
"Wh-what do you mean by that, O’ Supreme One?"
Asking the question out loud before he could even process it, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord immediately recoiled in horror at his own insolence and slammed his knees onto the floor.
As the Heavenly Demon's shadow, the mere concept of daring to question the Supreme One's direct command was an unforgivable sin.
No matter how absurd the order might seem, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord had to follow without a word even if the order was to slit his own throat.
"Forgive me, Supreme One. Please punish this disloyal servant."
"Haha. I know you spoke out of concern for this old man, so don't worry about it."
The Heavenly Demon looked at the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord with a gentle expression.
"Just as you suspect, it's not that I haven't heavily considered immediately declaring all-out war against the Imperial Palace. In fact, right now, while this old man still draws breath, successfully severing the head of the Emperor is a highly plausible outcome."
"If the Supreme One sets his mind to it, is there truly anything in this world that could be considered impossible?"
The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord answered reverently as he slowly raised his bowed head.
In his eyes appeared the face of the Heavenly Demon looking down at him with a gentle expression.
"However, a certain thought crossed my mind. Even if this old man manages to successfully march in and sever the Han Emperor's head from his shoulders... what would actually change?"
The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord couldn't understand the Heavenly Demon's words.
The Emperor was an enemy; they must punish the enemy. What other complicated factors could possibly matter?
Seeing his loyal shadow's confusion, the Heavenly Demon patiently continued his explanation as if he were instructing a student.
"The Central Plains is a very vast and fertile land. Its sheer scale cannot even begin to be compared to the barren wastes of Xinjiang here. What I am saying is, even if this old man single-handedly kills the Emperor, the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult simply lacks the administrative power and manpower required to actually govern the Central Plains."
"Who would dare oppose the Supreme One after you've executed the Emperor?"
"They couldn't oppose me to my face. But how could this old man possibly maintain order over every single corner of the massive Central Plains all at once? To properly govern an empire, you need legions of civil officials to manage the laws and armies of soldiers to root out the wicked rebels who torment the innocent masses. Sadly, the Divine Cult as it currently stands simply does not have the manpower for that."
"The Cult's martial artists will spare nothing to spread the Supreme One's will and punish villains."
"Haha. Aren't they already doing so? Look at our current state; if we suddenly had to govern the entire Central Plains on top of everything else, do you really believe our people could handle the workload?"
"…"
Only then could the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord understand the Heavenly Demon's words.
And precisely because he understood, he couldn't offer a single word in rebuttal.
He too already knew how worn down the heads of each institution and the martial artists were.
They were already overworked just governing Xinjiang and Gansu Province.
"The Han remnants and the hypocrites of the Orthodox Faction entrenched in the Central Plains will cause disturbances everywhere. In that process, how many innocent people will shed blood? However... the biggest problem is actually something else entirely."
"What might that be, Supreme One?"
"The problem is that this old man doesn't have much time left."
"H-how can you say such a thing? The Supreme One is still—"
"Now, now. Listen to the end. If this old man dies after executing the Emperor but before stabilizing the Central Plains, what would happen? No, what if I die during the war with the Han Dynasty?"
"…"
The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord couldn't say anything.
He too could imagine what terrible things would happen.
In the middle of a war, or worse, right when the Central Plains was destabilized, the pillar of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult disappear and a struggle for the Cult Leader position broke out.
If that nightmare came to pass, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would collapse like a house built on sand.
While the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord was unwittingly imagining that disastrous scene, the Heavenly Demon spoke with a smile.
"Haha. Don't be sad. This old man hasn't given up either."
The Heavenly Demon smiled with genuine benevolence and began to speak.
"The children who completed education at the Demon-Teaching Pavilion led by my Eldest are increasing, in the Central Plains where my Third is, the Cult's followers are growing with Gansu as the base, and at the Missionary Hall where my Sixth is, they're also increasing followers in the north and foreign lands."
The Heavenly Demon omitted one person, but the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord could tell who that one person was even without guessing.
The Eldest Young Master's Demon-Teaching Pavilion, the Third Young Master's operation in Gansu Province, and the Sixth Young Master's Missionary Hall.
All of those things had been set in motion by the Eighth Young Master, Il-mok.
In truth, they were all monumental tasks that Il-mok had laid all the groundwork for before handing them over to each disciple.
"Thanks to my disciples, the Divine Cult is developing so rapidly that in ten years we'll have the power to govern the Central Plains. Haha. Yes. In ten years, even our Cult's long-cherished wish of recovering the Central Plains will become possible."
The Heavenly Demon was trying to move past this matter by recalling the story of enduring hardship to achieve one's goals.
Because he believed in the potential of the rapidly growing Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Because he knew that the moment war broke out, this growth would be broken.
If there was just one regret.
There was one lingering in his heart.
"Haha. It simply saddens me that I will not be able to see that grand dream realized during this old man's lifetime."
"My Lord..."
Seeing the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord look up at him with a gaze filled with indescribable sorrow, the Heavenly Demon offered a distinctly bitter smile.
"I can only apologize to you and the others. You've wasted your years serving an incompetent Heavenly Demon."
"That's not true at all!! Though the Eldest and Eighth Young Masters are leading the Divine Cult's development, how could anyone dare claim that it is solely the Young Masters' achievement!? Everything was only made possible because the Supreme One personally brought stability to the Divine Cult in the first place! It is entirely because the Supreme One tirelessly plowed the harsh fields in advance that the Young Masters were even able to safely sow their seeds, and right now, we are merely witnessing those very same seeds finally beginning to sprout!"
Hearing the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord passionately cry out with a fiercely loyalty that made his throat raw, the Heavenly Demon smiled softly.
"Haha. Is that so?"
In a way, it could be seen as mere flattery, but the Heavenly Demon found genuine consolation thanks to the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord's words.
"So this old man's years weren't worthless after all."
Consolation for the years that had passed.
Furthermore, anticipation for the future as well.
'Brilliant seeds those children have sown upon the sturdy foundation this old man built with his own two hands. I wonder, how far can they grow?'
The Heavenly Demon's abandonment of war was also, in a way, because of that anticipation.
If it had been the Heavenly Demon of the past, he might have boldly chosen war the moment he realized the Imperial Palace's involvement.
Because while he had always been a benevolent Heavenly Demon who fiercely cherished the Cult even back then, he was a martial artist first before being the leader of a cult.
He had never been a true statesman.
He had almost no knowledge of what matters he had to pay attention to to govern a region.
However, everything changed following Il-mok's appearance.
He had come to realize that even just governing this narrow and poor place called Xinjiang required attention to more than one or two things.
He was a Heavenly Demon who had finally accepted that the current administrative vessel of the Divine Cult was far too small to embrace the vast Central Plains.
Yet, he was also a Heavenly Demon who had finally realized that fully conquering the Central Plains in the future was indeed an achievable reality.
Ironically, both of these profound realizations had been sparked entirely by Il-mok.
'Huhuhu. My youngest. Because of you, this old man has abandoned war, so it seems you will have no choice but to take full responsibility for the Divine Cult's future when the time comes.'
The Heavenly Demon's gaze slowly drifted toward the south.
Toward the direction where Il-mok would be busily spreading the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's doctrine under the name of Maitreya Luminous Cult in Tibet.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Potala Palace in Tibet.
A certain young man who was currently aggressively scribbling through endless paperwork inside the grand pavilion previously occupied by the Dalai Lama suddenly let out a massive sneeze.
"Achoo!"
Feeling a bizarre sensation of physical weakness creeping in despite possessing a perfected body that had undergone an Overhaul Body Transformation, the young man grumbled bitterly to himself.
"Damn it. Once this is over, I really need to hole up in some quiet countryside and rest for a year or something."
He was a tragic man, unknowingly dreaming a completely vain, impossible dream.