Chronicles of the Demon Faction - Chapter 873



Only Noblemtl

Side story 223. Dyeing (7)

The White Bone God, who was sitting in the pavilion drinking alone, opened his mouth calmly.

“What brings you here?”

In the place where the shadow of the pavilion fell, there stood Lee Cheon-sang.

“I came here to have a drink.”

The White Bone God smiled wryly.

“I guess I’ll come drink with you since you’re so charming.”

“It’s true.”

“You seem more like a person now. Whatever it is, if you want a drink, come up.”

Lee Cheon-sang, who had climbed up to the pavilion, sat comfortably on the railing.

The White Bone God tilted his head.

“Aren’t you going to make a masterpiece?”

“The night breeze is nice.”

“What strange words are you trying to use to embarrass me again?”

“Elder, please sit comfortably.”

“I’m sitting comfortably, man.”

“Then I will be like this.”

“It’s bland.”

After Baekgol Shinma poured alcohol into an empty glass, he waved his hand lightly. Then, the glass that had floated up flew up to Lee Cheon-sang’s chest and stopped.

Lee Cheon-sang politely accepted the glass and emptied it. He placed the empty glass on the railing and looked at the moon.

“The moon is nice.”

“I told you that you have become a man. Now you can even see the moon.”

“I have known how to see the moon since long ago.”

“You know that’s not true, right? Now I can’t even tell if you’re joking or being serious.”

“I’m not good at telling jokes.”

“It’s back and forth, really.”

The White Bone God burst into laughter and picked up the bottle of alcohol.

Lee Cheon-sang lifted his butt off the railing, gently snatched the bottle of wine from Baekgolshinma, and filled his glass.

The White Bone God opened his eyes wide.

“What day is it today? Why are you showing me a side of yourself that you don’t usually show me?”

“What’s so great about filling your glass once?”

“Aren’t you the one who has to tell me all those insignificant things?”

“I filled the 100 won glass for you.”

“He is indeed very handsome. There is quite an age difference between you and him, but with his looks and martial arts skills, the difference of a dozen years or so doesn’t mean anything.”

“Do you have feelings for Baek Won-ju?”

“There really is nothing this guy can’t do.”

The White Bone Goddess kept bursting into laughter, wondering what was so funny.

Several rounds of drinks were passed around like that.

Lee Cheon-sang, who placed the glass on the railing again, spoke calmly.

“Thank you for everything.”

The White Bone God asked, pretending not to know and raising his glass.

“What are you talking about?”

“If it weren’t for the elders, it would have been difficult to develop this much.”

The White Bone Goddess chuckled again.

“Now that you’re thanking me, I want to tell you that you have some sense of shame, but unfortunately, I should have done something for you. Instead, I was busy using you. You’ve grown up on your own.”

“That was the excuse. But I know that the elder wants something else from me.”

Lee Cheon-sang spoke bluntly, looking at the White Bone God Ma emptying his glass in silence.

“What the Elder wants is not fundamentally different from what Doheon Daeju wants.”

“… …Do-heon.”

A bitter smile was engraved on the face of the White Bone God.

“Do-heon is truly your teacher. Has there ever been anyone who has taught you and accepted you with such devotion?”

“Yes.”

“Do-heon is a good person. He is also a good man. The future can change, but if you want to be with him, he is someone you absolutely cannot lose.”

“I think so too.”

“okay.”

“But the person we cannot afford to lose is not Do Dae-ju.”

The White Bone God looked up at Icheonsang.

Lee Cheon-sang spoke in his characteristically calm voice, and in a way, he spoke words that were terrifying.

“Elder, you are also someone I cannot lose.”

“… … !”

“If Do Dae-ju was my first teacher, Elder was my second teacher.”

The eyes of the White Bone Demon shook.

“The Lord raised a novice who could not do anything on his own into a young man. Now, the Elder has made a young man who has not been able to figure out his way out of the world into a proper worker.”

“… … .”

“I will never have more than two teachers.”

Is it because I’m old, or is it because I’m sick?

Feeling like tears were coming again, Baekgolshinma lowered his head and filled his glass.

“You may call me master, but I do not consider you a disciple. I only consider you a useful talent.”

“Then I will live my life as if I were your teacher.”

The White Bone God repeated the process of emptying and refilling his glass without saying a word.

Lee Cheon-sang looked down at the White Bone God Demon with his transparent eyes.

I could tell intuitively that he was confused by emotions that were difficult to describe in words.

It wasn’t because Lee Cheon-sang was unique and had great insight that he could see it. Baekgol Shinma was unusually emotional today, not befitting his great name and presence.

How much time has passed like that?

“It’s because I’m getting older. I still get drunk just from drinking this.”

The White Bone God sits comfortably with his back against the railing.

“Look here, Heaven.”

“Please speak.”

“The future you desire, the driving force that keeps you running like this. It is truly a strong and straight steel, but it also becomes an illusion that disappears like a mirage every now and then when you let your guard down.”

“… … .”

“There will come a moment when it becomes an illusion, even if only for a moment. Usually, that happens when one of my people dies or gets hurt, or when something happens that I didn’t intend.”

Lee Cheon-sang had a hard time understanding the White Bone God’s words logically.

But I could tell intuitively that he was now beginning to feel the other person’s intentions with his heart, leaving reason and logic aside.

“At times like that, raise your head for a moment and look at the sky. It’s okay to take a deep breath. When you see that there is nothing left where your desires used to be, people are bound to collapse from the root. You need time to think in order to grasp even the last hair of that root.”

“… … .”

“You will do well. However, beware of the moment when desire becomes an illusion. That overwhelming emptiness drives people crazy.”

“Have you ever had that experience, Elder?”

“Yes.”

A tear that she had never been able to show in front of her grandchild ran down her wrinkled cheek.

“For a long time, I lived like a madman, unable to console that emptiness.”

“… … .”

“Martial arts are a means. Academics are also a means. If you ask me what the means are for, I cannot answer. However, this one thing is certain.”

“… … .”

“The more means I have, the faster I can stand upright when I waver.”

The White Bone God smiled bitterly.

“My only means was martial arts. That’s why I’ve lived in turmoil for so long.”

“… … .”

“Learn a lot and gain a lot.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Phew.”

Sighing, the White Bone God closed his eyes.

He looked very peaceful, leaning against the railing with his eyes closed, but he also looked like he was looking at a piece of white, charred firewood.

Lee Cheon-sang, who had been quietly watching the White Bone God, spoke in a much more blunt voice.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I want to rest comfortably. I had fun drinking today. I’ll be going now.”

“I have not yet achieved the purpose of coming to see you, Elder.”

The White Bone God slowly opened his eyes.

“Is there anything else you want from me?”

“Since you have chosen me as your teacher, you are going to choose me as you wish.”

“huh?”

“Doesn’t your body feel stiff?”

The White Bone Demon’s eyes widened slightly.

“Want to play a game?”

“Now that the two warriors have finished drinking, all that’s left is to wait for tomorrow and fight. Since both you and the elder are busy, it would be better to have a clean slate and part ways.”

The White Bone God laughed in vain.

“Hey, you have talent that everyone can recognize, but you still have a long way to go to reach me.”

“I’m doing this to shorten that long distance by just a few steps.”

“Oh my. Now that this guy is applauding and cheering, he’s trying to sit on top of my head.”

“So, you’re not going to do it?”

The white bone demon, who had been grinning, slowly raised his body.

“Well then, shall we watch you swordsmanship?”

After a while.

Two people stood facing each other in a large open space next to the pavilion.

Lee Cheon-sang’s eyes deepened as he looked at the White Bone God.

The sight of the old man carrying a bundle on his back with his back to the moonlight, despite his notoriety, reminded one of a fairy.

Although he is of a sturdy build for an old man, he looks small today. His atmosphere is also so hollow that it seems like he will leave this world at any moment.

“I’m a lonely old man, so I’m grateful that you came to say hello.”

Baekgol Shinma knew why Lee Cheon-sang had come.

Lee Cheon-sang shook his head.

“I know you’re not the type of person to be crushed by loneliness.”

“But you came anyway.”

“Because I didn’t get to say hello.”

“Anyway, it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve had a good drink.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“I know you didn’t just come to say hello. You probably wanted this moment too. But I’m grateful and sorry because I know you wouldn’t have come if it weren’t for me.”

“Elder, you don’t need to say that to me.”

“I don’t need to, but I do it because I want to. Just like you made me your teacher without permission.”

“okay.”

“I hope that you will be able to overcome the difficult road ahead once you go out there.”

“There are many things I need to ask for your help on. I will see you often.”

“You’ll know as time goes by.”

The smiling face of the White Bone God slowly became expressionless.

“Okay, then.”

hook!

The low-lying prayer was gloomy and heavy.

“Should we start slowly?”

At that moment, Lee Cheon-sang raised his head without realizing it.

It couldn’t be helped. Today, the body of the White Bone God Demon, which had seemed small and dwarfed, had grown to be as large as a giant.

It was an illusion created by the overwhelming energy of the White Bone Demon.

It was an illusion, but Lee Cheon-sang could not believe it was an illusion. Although he had a clearer and cooler head than anyone else, the force of the giant exploding before his eyes was so overwhelming that it completely stopped his rational thinking.

The majesty of a great demon finally revealing his power.

Boom!

Lee Cheon-sang felt pain as if every joint in his body was going to break.

‘It’s amazing.’

In the past, when I went on a mission, I received the energy of the Great Power Demon with my body.

If you think about it, he wasn’t completely unleashing his energy back then. After seeing the White Bone God Demon and Jasoda Demon who arrived late, he started to emit energy waves of a different level.

The White Bone God Demon in front of him now was one level higher than the tense aura that the Great Power God Demon was radiating at that time.

It felt as if every bone and muscle in my body was being torn apart. If this was the case just by facing the ki wave, what would happen if we kept attacking and defending? I wouldn’t be able to hold out for even a second. Lee Cheon-sang was certain.

At the same time, a feeling of never giving up suddenly came to my mind.

Furthermore, unknown negative emotions also arose.

Saaaaak!

The completely opened Jinma-gong received the Baekgol Shinma’s energy waves with a flexible flow.

The eyes of the White Bone Demon sparkled.

‘As expected, you’re getting it.’

A master at the same level as Lee Cheon-sang would not dare to even think of facing him with such momentum.

But Lee Cheon-sang was different. He tried to collide with it, and when that didn’t work, he accepted it and held on.

That alone made Lee Cheon-sang more than qualified to fight the Demon King.

The White Bone God smiled.

His smile, covered like a mask with the illusion of white bones, was eerily evil.

“Come. I will teach you a lesson.”