The Heavenly Demon Who Reigns

Soyeon Sang left the shed and headed back to the yard.

Cheon Myeong's figure was immediately visible.

Cheon Myeong was still carrying the gourd dipper and repeatedly sitting down and standing up.

Soyeon Sang watched Cheon Myeong silently from behind.

'It's indeed too late.'

Seeing Cheon Myeong training, he could be even more certain.

Cheon Myeong was just starting his basic training.

But the children of the Five Great Demonic Families had already finished such basic training more than ten years ago.

A gap of more than ten years.

Soyeon Sang knew how big a difference that gap made.

"..."

In order to catch up with the gap, one had to train harder than others or have that much talent.

But realistically, Cheon Myeong could not properly satisfy even one of those two conditions.

As far as Soyeon Sang knew, Cheon Myeong did not lack talent in martial arts, but he was not at a level to be called a genius.

Rather, if we were to talk only about talent, the children of the Five Great Demonic Families were at a superior level.

On top of that, they were also not slacking off and were working hard to become the successor.

Their talent is outstanding, and their effort is not lacking either.

Then how can one realistically catch up with a gap of ten years?

It was a fight that didn't make sense from the beginning.

"Hoo... hoo..."

As if he didn't know that Soyeon Sang was thinking such things, Cheon Myeong was repeating the motion, breathing roughly.

And when Cheon Myeong finally put down the gourd dipper, Soyeon Sang approached him.

"Young Master."

"Oh, what is it?"

Cheon Myeong asked calmly and wiped his sweat with a towel.

"What is the reason for suddenly doing this kind of training?"

"Is there a reason for a martial artist to train?"

"Of course, it is natural for a martial artist to train. But hadn't you already given up on the life of a martial artist, Young Master?"

A statement that could be called rude.

However, Soyeon Sang seemed to have already made up his mind and was making such statements without hesitation.

"I did. But I changed my mind."

Cheon Myeong said in a calm voice.

He thought Cheon Myeong would react in some way if he said this.

But when he answered as if it was nothing, Soyeon Sang felt a little bewildered.

"...I heard from Mihwa."

"..."

"Was what happened with those guys the reason you decided to live the life of a martial artist again?"

"Well, that's part of it."

That's part of it...

That meant there was another real reason.

In fact, Soyeon Sang had asked that in advance to draw out that real reason.

But before Soyeon Sang could ask, Cheon Myeong answered first.

"I'm going back to the main headquarters."

"..."

"I'm training like this now for that purpose."

To think that Cheon Myeong would say such a thing to him so confidently.

He wanted to say that it was an excellent mindset, but he was here to give realistic advice for Cheon Myeong's sake.

"I have something to tell you, Young Master."

"What is it?"

"It's about the current situation of our cult."

When Soyeon Sang said that, Cheon Myeong's eyes changed slightly.

And he put the towel he was wiping with around his neck and said to Soyeon Sang with a serious face.

"Speak."

"..."

Is this person really the Cheon Myeong he knew?

Seeing him ask with a serious face, Soyeon Sang had that thought even more.

"Do you already know that after you were practically pushed out of the successor position due to Qi Deviation, Young Master Cheon Seong is succeeding you?"

Nod-.

Cheon Myeong nodded silently.

Cheon Seong was his younger brother and a person who inherited the same blood as Cheon Jin.

Since he had become like that due to Qi Deviation, it was natural for Cheon Seong to succeed him as the next step.

"But Young Master Cheon Seong is not showing as much progress as expected. Most of the opinions within our cult are that he does not even meet the minimum requirements for a successor."

"..."

"He will get better than now over time, but... there are many uncertain factors to wait for just that one thing. In fact, didn't you also become like that due to Qi Deviation, Young Master?"

"So the Five Great Demonic Families are eyeing the successor position?"

"...Did you know?"

When Cheon Myeong said that, Soyeon Sang asked with a surprised face.

Seeing that reaction, Cheon Myeong was certain that his prediction was correct.

'So the Five Great Demonic Families were the problem.'

The Five Great Demonic Families.

When the Demonic Cult was first founded, there were five families that were the main pillars along with the first leader.

Those five families were called the Five Great Demonic Families in the Demonic Cult, and as they were the main pillars at the time of its founding, they had a considerable position within the Demonic Cult.

Of course, the highest authority in the Demonic Cult was the leader.

But knowingly or unknowingly, the Five Great Demonic Families were also building their own forces within the Demonic Cult.

'I knew that the power of the Five Great Demonic Families grew the most during this period, but was this the cause?'

Since there was no definite successor, the authority of the leader fell, and as a result, the power of the Five Great Demonic Families had no choice but to grow.

And the Five Great Demonic Families, whose power had grown, checked each other and divided the entire Demonic Cult.

That was the future Cheon Myeong knew. The starting point of that was right now.

Because Cheon Myeong knew that fact, he could easily predict what Soyeon Sang would say.

"I didn't know, but I had expected it to some extent."

"..."

Expected... that was probably right.

The Five Great Demonic Families began to act in earnest after Cheon Myeong left the main headquarters.

That means that Cheon Myeong had been thinking about the future of the Demonic Cult to some extent until now.

'Could it be...'

Was Cheon Myeong really thinking that?

Soyeon Sang couldn't easily believe that fact.

'Wait... does that mean he started training now even though he knew that the Five Great Demonic Families were eyeing the successor position?'

He thought Cheon Myeong would give up if he talked about the Five Great Demonic Families.

But if Cheon Myeong knew that fact from the beginning, the story changes.

Soyeon Sang began to wonder what kind of thoughts Cheon Myeong had.

"...May I dare to guess your thoughts, Young Master?"

"Do as you please."

"The fact that you are training like this now and will return to the main headquarters later... I can only feel that it means you will intervene in the successor fight, Young Master."

"That's right. You guessed well."

"...There is one part I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"If that's really the case, why did you leave the main headquarters, and why did you do nothing for two years?"

So he's asking about that part.

In fact, the answer was that he ran away because he was scared, and he didn't touch martial arts at all because he didn't want to be involved in the succession anymore.

But that was all the doing of the previous owner of this body.

He had to clean up the mess that guy had made.

And if he didn't give a plausible reason, it would be impossible to convince Soyeon Sang.

'Soyeon Sang is the one who will lead me to the main headquarters.'

Probably all reports to Cheon Jin would be made through Soyeon Sang.

So, depending on how Soyeon Sang spoke to Cheon Jin, it would be decided whether he could enter the main headquarters or not.

So, before persuading Cheon Jin, he had to persuade Soyeon Sang first.

'How pathetic.'

To have to speak so desperately to an escort warrior.

It was absurd, but Cheon Myeong thought it couldn't be helped since the situation was like this.

"What would have happened if I had planned for the future at the main headquarters?"

"...?"

"The Five Great Demonic Families would have probably checked me considerably."

"...Do you mean they would have even killed you, Young Master?"

"They were able to make me fall into Qi Deviation, so wouldn't that be possible too?"

"..."

To make him fall into Qi Deviation.

Hearing those words, Soyeon Sang's eyes couldn't help but widen as if they would pop out.

"What do you mean...! Are you saying that your Qi Deviation was manipulated by them!"

Of course, that was just a story Cheon Myeong had made up.

A story made up to convince Soyeon Sang.

It would be easier to talk later if he set the stage like this.

"It's just my guess. There's no physical evidence. So I've been keeping my mouth shut until now."

"..."

Certainly, if there was physical evidence, Cheon Jin would not have stood still.

To do such a thing to a promising successor candidate.

It was an incident that even the Five Great Demonic Families could not avoid the destruction of their families.

"With that incident as an opportunity, I thought. The power of the Five Great Demonic Families has already entered the very core of our cult."

"..."

"So, for now, I needed to leave the main headquarters to avoid the eyes of the Five Great Demonic Families."

"So here..."

"And to tell you the truth, I've been suspecting you for two years."

"What?"

When Cheon Myeong suddenly said that, even Soyeon Sang couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

And looking at Soyeon Sang, Cheon Myeong smiled lightly.

"Don't worry. All suspicions have been cleared now."

"...Do you mean you suspected me of being a person sent by the Five Great Demonic Families for two years?"

"Yes, so I did nothing and observed you for two years."

"..."

Hearing those words, Soyeon Sang had nothing to say.

To think that the reason Cheon Myeong had distanced himself from martial arts until now was because of that.

He also thought about whether he had so little trust in Cheon Myeong, but on the other hand, he was amazed at Cheon Myeong's meticulousness.

'Two years... at least that much time is needed to accurately grasp someone's inner thoughts.'

In fact, two years could be said to be insufficient.

Isn't there a saying that you can know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but you can't know the depth of a person's heart?

That's how much time is needed to accurately grasp a person's inner thoughts.

Moreover, Soyeon Sang was not the type to easily reveal his inner thoughts, so more time would be especially needed.

Thinking so, there was nothing strange about Cheon Myeong's words.

"And even if it wasn't you, the Five Great Demonic Families might have been watching me from somewhere, so I needed to stay still for two years."

"..."

It's amazing.

Soyeon Sang really had no other thoughts.

'The Young Master I knew was an act to avoid their eyes.'

And the person in front of him now is the real Cheon Myeong.

Soyeon Sang had no choice but to think so after hearing what Cheon Myeong had said so far.

"Is this enough of an answer to your question?"

It's enough. No, it's more than enough.

"...It is an answer."

"Then I'm glad."

Cheon Myeong answered with a calm smile.

Seeing this, Soyeon Sang had one last thing to confirm.

"Young Master, does the fact that you have started to move now mean that there is a possibility?"

The possibility Soyeon Sang was talking about.

Cheon Myeong immediately understood what it was.

And Cheon Myeong did not answer and calmly shouldered the gourd dipper he had put down again.

"We'll have to see about that."

"..."

Saying that, Cheon Myeong started training again.

Soyeon Sang watched him blankly.

And he thought to himself.

'Maybe...'

Anyone could see that this was a fight with no chance of winning.

However.

If it was the Cheon Myeong in front of him, couldn't he bet a glimmer of hope on a fight with no chance of winning?

Soyeon Sang felt as if he had been possessed by a ghost for thinking so.

(End of Chapter)