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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Change 3
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-The Office of the Heavenly Dance Family Head
"Father. It is Baek Mu-heun."
"Enter."
When the office door opened and Baek Mu-heun entered, the Family Head of Heavenly Dance was taken aback.
"Ha."
A sigh escaped his lips. The sight of Mu-heun before him was nothing short of a sea change.
His hair, once unkempt and neglected like a derelict's, was now neatly styled. His clothes, always half-open, were immaculately arranged. His crooked posture was now balanced, and his once-dull skin had regained its vitality.
"I truly don't recognize you."
The Family Head, Baek Gun-hak, said with wide eyes. Awkward at his reaction, I simply bowed my head.
"Yes, it seems you've gotten yourself together."
"Yes, I have. I will tell you everything."
"Alright, but first, have some tea."
"Yes, thank you."
I sat down and spoke to my father, the Family Head, just as I had to my brothers, as the fourth young master, Baek Mu-heun. From the matter of the golden thread to my unstable soul experiencing death and being chosen by the Sacred Fire.
Of course, I said nothing of my life as one of the three great divine doctors of the Central Plains, nor of meeting the Heavenly Demon Master after death and learning the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon. It wasn't as if he would believe me even if I told him…
However, as our serious conversation progressed, the emotion I felt from the Family Head was suspicion.
He was clearly suspicious. Of his fourth son, who had changed so suddenly… a son who had never once touched martial arts in his entire life.
Even I had to admit that it was impossible for a person to change this much so abruptly. Yes, I was clearly a different person.
Certainly, for the head of the Heavenly Dance Family, a family that researched various esoteric subjects like academics, formations, and spiritual arts, it was reasonable to suspect something like the Soul Transference Art or Soul Return.
He had to wonder whether the man before him was truly his son, or another soul wearing his son's skin.
'I see… a family head is a family head. Unlike my brothers, he suspects my change. In a case like this, he's bound to test me by asking something only the two of us would know. But it doesn't matter. I have inherited Baek Mu-heun's memories… I will pass any test he throws at me!'
It was, in fact, a natural course of action. As the head of a family, when something beyond common sense occurred, it was his duty and responsibility to remain suspicious and verify the truth until the very end.
And it seemed the Family Head, Baek Gun-hak, had prepared his question even before I arrived.
Naturally, I had anticipated such a situation, so there was nothing to worry about. I had already inherited Baek Mu-heun's memories and his karma. I am Baek Jung-hyeok, and I am also Baek Mu-heun.
"How is the taste? It's called Fetal Chrysanthemum, for the way the buds look like they're pregnant."
The tea prepared to quell his suspicion was a type of chrysanthemum tea, made by harvesting the round flower buds just before they bloomed.
"As expected of tea brewed by you, Father, it has a profound depth."
"I'm glad it suits your palate. Being like this… it reminds me of when you were young, explaining this Fetal Chrysanthemum tea to me. Could you perhaps explain it once more, just like you did back then?"
Indeed… the Family Head was no fool. His words referred to a memory slumbering deep within Mu-heun's mind. A time when he would explain things to his parents to gain their attention. As such, it was a question more than capable of dispelling any doubt.
Fetal Chrysanthemum tea was not something easily encountered unless one had lived in the high mountains of Xinjiang, like the Tian Shan mountains.
Furthermore, even if one lived in the high mountains, it was difficult to know the tea in such detail.
'He's trying to confirm if I'm his son.'
Fortunately, Mu-heun had not forgotten this memory. And it was this memory that would establish me as the complete Baek Mu-heun within the Heavenly Dance Family.
"It is also called Snow Chrysanthemum, as it grows in the high-altitude mountain ranges covered in perpetual snow. It is also called Blood Chrysanthemum because of the peculiar blood-red color of the brew."
"…"
Up to this point, anyone from Tian Shan with a deep knowledge of tea might know this much. So, I continued.
"Usually, ten to fifteen buds are used at a time. When boiling water is poured, the brew turns red, and the shrunken buds slowly unfurl their leaves and begin to bloom. As you drink the tea, the buds floating on the surface blossom one by one and sink to the bottom. When they have all sunk, it means the tea is fully brewed, and the flowers can be discarded."
"Yes… you know it well."
He must have realized it by now.
He must have realized that my statement contained details only his son, Baek Mu-heun, could know. That the reason for my elaborate explanation was because I was aware of his suspicion. And that the sharp mind capable of confronting his doubt head-on had returned.
As if my sincerity had reached him, the suspicion in the Family Head's eyes vanished, replaced by feelings of trust and conviction.
He was convinced that his son had not been replaced or mixed with another's soul, but had returned as his complete self.
Furthermore, that conviction soon turned to gratitude. He had accepted the change in the son who had caused him so much grief as a troublemaker.
It seemed… I had passed the test.
I sealed it with one final remark.
"As the chrysanthemum flower blooms fully, it reveals a vivid color, and its petals and pollen remain intact, maintaining their perfect shape. From what I can see, it appears to be in a very fresh state."
'He must have understood by now. It was something we always said while looking at my late mother's teacup…'
After hearing my last words, the Family Head was silent for a long while. Then, he suddenly shed tears, raising his sleeve to wipe them away. I said nothing, quietly watching him.
I didn't know if he was proud of my return or if he was missing my late mother. But… the sense of distance I had felt from him vanished in an instant.
"I saw you use internal energy in your duel with your eldest brother. Did you absorb the Flowing Essence Pill? How did you become so strong in such a short time?"
"As I said, I met the founding Heavenly Demon in a dream while my soul was stabilizing. I received some teachings then. I also discovered I have a talent for training my body and learning martial arts."
"Ha, haha! A genius. Yes! You were always like that, even as a child."
"..."
"It's hard to believe everything you say… but it's all true, isn't it?"
"Yes. It is."
'It's not a lie, but I should change the subject before he asks more. There's something I really need to ask, anyway.'
"Father, there are a few things I would like to ask."
"Go on, what is it?"
"I would like to hear about the current power structure of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
"The Cult's power structure?"
"Yes."
"You've never once asked about such things in your entire life. Why the sudden curiosity?"
"It is true that I have not been interested until now. However, after being chosen by the Sacred Fire, I have come to an awakening about the martial path. I feel that in the near future, I will have to make a choice as a warrior of the Cult."
"A choice… do you mean to leave the Heavenly Dance Family and go to the center of the Cult?"
"I do not yet know why I was chosen by the Sacred Fire, but I feel that I may have to do so in the future. That is why I have become curious."
The Family Head, Baek Gun-hak, was slightly flustered. He had asked why the sudden interest in the Cult, and the answer was that his son intended to go to the heart of the Cult as a warrior. Knowing what that implied, he must have been filled with worry.
However, I needed to know. It wasn't just because the Master had entrusted the Cult to me; that was a story for the distant future. The most urgent matters for me right now had been twofold from the start.
First, a reason to go to Blade Leaf Valley.
The most pressing issue was to go to Blade Leaf Valley and prevent the fruit of the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree from falling into the hands of the Golden Fang Poison Claw. To do that, I needed a pretext to go to Blade Leaf Valley, which was located within the Cult's territory.
If I could grasp the Cult's power structure and find out which faction controlled Blade Leaf Valley, I could find a reason to go there.
Second, the strength to stop the Golden Fang Poison Claw. If I went to Blade Leaf Valley but couldn't stop him, it would be a meaningless, dog's death.
The Golden Fang Poison Claw was a master of a poisonous energy technique that could melt people alive, a transcendent expert. He was not an opponent to be taken lightly. Therefore, I had to become strong enough to stand against him.
However, there was something puzzling.
No matter if the Golden Fang Poison Claw was one of the three great hidden weapons of the Sichuan Tang Clan, it was simply inconceivable for him to enter the domain of the Demonic Cult, known as the land of inhuman monsters, and set up his own scheme.
'In that case… he must have joined hands with someone inside the Cult.'
Whether it was a close, long-term cooperative relationship or a temporary transactional one for mutual benefit, I had to operate under the assumption that there was a faction helping the Golden Fang Poison Claw.
There was nothing more foolish than underestimating the enemy's strength.
Therefore, understanding the power structure would give me a clear advantage. If I could identify the faction collaborating with the Golden Fang Poison Claw, I could use their rivals against them.
To use one's enemies against each other.
I was powerless on my own, so I needed their help. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all.
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, my father seemed to ponder for a moment, then answered without further questions.
"First, you know who the sky of the Cult is, don't you?"
"Yes. The Cult Leader."
"Correct. The sky of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. That is, the position of Cult Leader is not one you can simply ascend to. Only when your hands and feet are drenched in blood, when that blood forms rivers and seas, creating a mountain of corpses, can one even begin to discuss the throne of the Cult Leader."
"I would imagine so."
Of course, I knew. The entire Central Plains had such a negative perception of the Demonic Cult; how could one simply ascend to the position of its leader? It would undoubtedly require overwhelming martial power.
"Yes, the Cult Leader, the sky of the Cult, is such a being. Therefore, all factions within the Cult are formed around the Cult Leader."
"..."
So the power structure of the Cult changes depending on who the current Cult Leader is…
"The current Cult Leader was the most outstanding among the previous leader's disciples, and he is a man who has earned countless merits on numerous battlefields. In the past, he was the pride of the Cult, and now, he is its sky, its supreme being."
I had heard that the current Cult Leader was exceptional even when I was with the Sichuan Tang Clan. He was the most powerful Cult Leader in history, with the exception of my master, the Heavenly Demon.
I had heard his love for martial arts was particularly extreme.
He was the very person who had pushed the Demonic Cult's obsession with strength to its absolute peak. Because of him, the martial arts level of the current Demonic Cult was said to be excessively high.
'They said it has the most masters at the Flower Realm in the entire martial world.'
"However, the Cult Leader has passed the age of eighty this year."
"...!"
Good heavens! He's even older than I was in my past life? The Cult Leader, at eighty years of age. This was no trivial matter. To hold the position of Cult Leader in the Demonic Cult, regarded as the land of inhuman monsters, until the age of eighty.
That fact alone made me realize the extent of the current Cult Leader's martial prowess. But… no matter how strong he was, if he was eighty, he should be thinking about a successor…
Could it be?
As if he had read my mind, my father opened his mouth.
"All factions in the Cult are loyal to the Cult Leader. However, that won't last much longer. The Cult's factions are now reorganizing, lining up behind the next Cult Leader."
"The next Cult Leader, you say…"
The next Cult Leader…
That meant a 'competition for the Cult Leader's seat' was currently underway in the Demonic Cult, and that the Cult's power structure would be reorganized in the near future.
"Yes. The Cult Leader currently has five disciples. All of them have learned the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon from him. However, none of them have learned beyond the intermediate level."
"...It's a competition, then."
*Nod.*
Baek Gun-hak took another sip of tea and spoke.
"Normally, the most outstanding of the Cult Leader's disciples should have been chosen by now."
"Was it postponed?"
"Yes. The Cult Leader suddenly entered secluded cultivation to further perfect the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon. However, the seclusion, which was expected to end quickly, has lasted for five years."
'Thanks to that, the martial world was able to breathe a sigh of relief.'
Of course, it wasn't as if the wars had stopped completely. The current Cult Leader's disciples were all infamous public enemies of the martial world.
"And during that time, a succession battle erupted among the disciples."
"That's right. The disciples were busy going to battlefields to earn merit. However, when the Cult Leader emerged from his seclusion, he made a declaration."
"A-a declaration…?"
"Yes. The Cult Leader said this."
[ For the past five years, I have honed the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon in the Heavenly Demon Cave. Three years from now, regardless of past merits, I will pass on the entirety of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon to the strongest among my disciples, and he shall become the new sky of this Cult. ]
"...!"