The Grandson of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

1. Heavenly Demon Divine Art (2)

"……What did you say you wanted to learn?"

Hyeok Je-un asked again, as though he hadn't heard properly.

But the words Jeong-min spoke, standing across from him, were the same as before.

"Please teach me the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. I need it."

"I must be nearing death—I thought my old ears had gone deaf, but I suppose not."

‘No, Grandfather.’

'You will live past eighty. And until you have lived out every last day of your natural life, I will be there to watch over you.'

Jeong-min thought this and smiled, and it must have seemed strange to Hyeok Je-un.

"I assume you know what the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is before you speak of it."

"Yes."

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Literally, the divine art passed down through the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Its transmission was limited exclusively to the Hyeok family, a unique internal energy cultivation method—the supreme martial art of all ages, one that would later draw the envy of the Orthodox Faction.

And Jeong-min needed it.

'To cure the Demon Vein Affliction, and to grow stronger myself.'

He could not wait until adulthood. No—because of the Demon Vein Affliction, he would certainly die before then.

A direct approach it was.

"Grandfather. I have heard that only the Heavenly Demon Divine Art can cure my Demon Vein Affliction."

"……That is correct."

"Then should I not learn it and cure myself?"

"You are wrong. What you are saying is no different from eating poison to put your aching head to sleep."

Hyeok Je-un scolded him and let out a deep sigh.

Still—had this child always spoken like this?

"Let us consider today's conversation unheard. Go back and rest. Seol-hwa will be worried."

Seol-hwa was the name of Hyeok Jeong-min's mother. Someone Muyeong had not killed in his past life. By the time he had gone by the name Nameless Sword Wraith, she had already been dead for several years.

Even after being dismissed, Jeong-min did not leave. The anger on Hyeok Je-un's face began to slowly rise.

"Did you not hear me?"

"Grandfather."

"Yes."

"Do you want me dead?"

"What?"

The anger immediately took on the weight of Internal Energy.

‘My, how frightening.’

"Does this grandfather of yours say such things because he wants you dead?! Is there no sense in this child at all? How can you not know that I say this out of worry for you!"

Boom, boom, boom!

The Internal Energy rang out in all directions, and yet not a trace of harm came to Jeong-min's body.

Even in this moment, Hyeok Je-un had controlled himself, wary that his own Internal Energy might affect his youngest grandson.

Grateful for that affection, Jeong-min nevertheless spoke his mind with conviction.

"Grandfather. Please speak plainly. It is not me you are worried about. It is my mother and yourself—who would be left behind after I am gone. Is that not so?"

"……!"

Had he struck the mark?

Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un drew a sharp breath as though he had been hit by a hidden weapon.

Jeong-min continued.

"Set aside your consideration for me. Whose grandson am I? I am the grandson of Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un—called the greatest under heaven since the First Cult Leader. Do I look like someone who would die to a wretched illness like the Demon Vein Affliction?"

Jeong-min's declaration rang out, and a cold wind swept through and wrapped around everything.

Hyeok Je-un felt a tingling warmth. Had this youngest grandson of his, whom he had thought so frail, carried something like this within him all along?

"You……!"

And yet Hyeok Je-un could not hold himself together.

"If you die—what am I to do? Do you think your mother would survive it? Even if she lived, it would not be living. Do you know what it feels like to send a child ahead? Do you know?!"

"I do not. And I will not let you find out. I will not die."

He meant it.

Jeong-min would not die. It was not bravado—it was certainty.

Because.

'This body carries the Heavenly Martial Physique.'

Because the Heavenly Martial Physique was vast enough to swallow the Demon Vein Affliction whole.

Well—saying that much aloud was best left for another time.

"……."

A silence followed—brief, or perhaps long.

After what felt like a quarter of an hour, Hyeok Je-un rose from his seat.

He walked toward Jeong-min and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The Demon Vein Affliction has…… grown worse."

I see. Hyeok Je-un could not perceive the martial gift dwelling within Jeong-min's body.

It was understandable. The Demon Vein Affliction wrapped around Jeong-min like a shell, concealing the Heavenly Martial Physique hidden within.

Just as even the sharpest eyes could not tell whether a soldier behind a shield was eating peanuts or gripping a sword.

"I did not know."

It was the voice of Hyeok Je-un—resigned, or perhaps accepting.

"I did not know that you had not given up. Perhaps the one who gave up…… was me. Because I could not bear to lose you."

"Grandfather."

At last resolved, Hyeok Je-un lifted his gaze.

He had been so indifferent to this Jeong-min that he had not even noticed the change in the child's manner of speech as he grew.

In truth, the shift in tone had come when Muyeong entered the body, but Hyeok Je-un had no way of knowing that.

With a face full of resolve, Hyeok Je-un spoke.

"Follow me. Let us go outside."

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The night wind was cold.

Even with the Heavenly Martial Physique, the Demon Vein Affliction still covered him like a second skin—so to Jeong-min, the cold air was like a blade against his flesh.

'Cold.'

But he did not show it.

The Heavenly Demon Cult's outdoor training grounds. Beneath the open sky, standing across from Jeong-min was Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un.

"Do you know why those with the Demon Vein Affliction die when they train in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"

"Because a body weakened by the affliction cannot endure the Demonic Energy within the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."

"That is correct. So I cannot simply teach you without consideration. Courage and recklessness are not the same."

Hyeok Je-un spread his hand wide.

He folded his fingers one by one.

"I will send Demonic Energy through you in five stages. I assure you—it will be far easier than training in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."

"……."

"If you cannot withstand even one stage, I will not pass on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Do you understand?"

In other words—if he could not even endure this Demonic Energy, then he would certainly die training in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and so it would not be taught in the first place.

Jeong-min nodded.

"Yes."

"Say when you are ready."

"I am always ready."

Hyeok Je-un gave a small smile at Jeong-min's boldness.

Then, his expression turned serious as he unfolded one of the five folded fingers.

"First stage."

Flinch!

Hmmmmmm—

Jeong-min's skin reacted fiercely.

Sharp and precise Demonic Energy surged forth from Hyeok Je-un.

His entire body began to tingle.

'Strong.'

But it was still bearable.

Without giving him a moment's rest, Hyeok Je-un unfolded a second finger.

"Second stage."

Thud!

Fwisssh!

The birds of the night sensed the killing intent and shot high into the sky.

Demonic Energy so fierce it was hard to keep his eyes open!

Jeong-min found himself involuntarily scrunching his nose.

It felt as though his body were being slowly pushed back.

"Can you not endure it? Then say so."

"I can endure it……!"

"Good. Third stage."

The Heavenly Demon unfolded one more finger.

Boom! Rrrumble!

Like a crack of thunder, Jeong-min dropped to one knee.

All the world began to shake. He could hear the Cult Members stirring as they felt Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un's Demonic Energy.

—What's all this commotion?

—There's an incredible Demonic Energy coming from the training grounds……!

—What is this?! Ugh! I can't hold on!

Jeong-min gritted his teeth and forced his buckling leg back up.

His entire body trembled, as though it might shatter apart.

'He truly is the Heavenly Demon.'

The first two stages had been child's play. At full strength, he really was something else.

Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un's face was beginning to show signs of anxiety.

"Say so if you cannot endure it. I will withdraw it."

"I'm fine……!"

"Why must you do this?! If I raise the Demonic Energy any further—"

I may kill the grandson I cherish most with my own hands—Hyeok Je-un shut his mouth tight on those words.

Jeong-min's entire body shook like a leaf in the wind, and sweat poured down like rain.

At last, Hyeok Je-un unfolded the fourth finger.

"Fourth stage……!"

"Ugh! Aaargh!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Jeong-min let out a cry.

What the—!

'Grandfather, why are you this strong?!'

This was probably only a tenth of his true power.

If the Martial Alliance had attacked while the Heavenly Demon was at his peak like this, they would have lost at least half their combined forces.

The Demonic Energy was that overwhelming.

"Jeong-min!"

"Ugh!"

The noise from the Cult Members grew louder, and at last someone stepped foot into the training grounds.

"Cult Leader!"

"W-what in the—!"

It was none other than Jeong-min's two older brothers, Hyeok Jang-ho and Hyeok Mun-ha.

To their eyes, it looked as though their grandfather was ruthlessly bearing down on their youngest brother.

"Grandfather, stop—Ugh!"

"Jeong-min! Are you all right?!"

Hyeok Jang-ho and Hyeok Mun-ha tried to move closer but were swept back by the Demonic Energy. They could not advance.

It was like trying to swim upstream against a rushing river—no matter how they struggled, they could not move forward.

"Grandfather! No—Cult Leader! What are you doing to the youngest, whose body is not even well?! Please, stop this at once!"

Even at Hyeok Jang-ho's words, Hyeok Je-un paid no heed.

Jeong-min's knees buckled and began to fold beneath him, but he bit down on his lip until it bled and held onto his senses.

"Please raise it one more stage."

"Jeong-min, you—!"

"Raise it!"

With no choice, the Heavenly Demon unfolded all five fingers.

"Fifth stage!"

Demonic Energy erupted from every inch of Hyeok Je-un's body.

Rrrumble! BOOM, RUMBLE!

It was destructive Demonic Energy powerful enough to shake the entire grounds of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

It felt as though blades were piercing every part of his body. That was no illusion. It was a sensation he felt through his very skin.

"Kahk!"

Jeong-min coughed up blood.

At that sight, the Heavenly Demon moved to withdraw his power, but Jeong-min stretched out his hand to stop him.

"Jeong-min!"

"Grandfather, I will……!"

Jeong-min opened his eyes wide, blazing, and stared at Hyeok Je-un.

‘Is this truly the sickly grandson I raised?’

"I will surely…… overcome this!!!"

At that moment, through the chaos of scrambling Cult Members and his brothers, a single figure pushed her way inside.

Drenched in sweat, she was none other than Jeong-min's mother, Hyeok Seol-hwa.

"J-Jeong-min! Jeong-min!"

Crack, crack, crack—

Thud!

"Uuhh……"

At last, Jeong-min let out a moan and collapsed where he stood.

Only then did Hyeok Je-un withdraw his power and rush to Jeong-min's side.

"Go to the Medical Hall and fetch a physician! Now!"

"Yes!"

Hyeok Je-un checked the pressure points and found that, thankfully, there was no threat to his life.

He pressed a hand to his chest in relief, exhaling deeply.

"Father, what on earth is the meaning of this—!"

Even at Hyeok Seol-hwa's fury, Hyeok Je-un had not yet come back from the feelings of a moment ago.

"Ha……"

None other than my Jeong-min.

The grandson I had always thought so fragile.

"Seol-hwa."

"Yes!"

At Hyeok Seol-hwa's reply—still raw with anger—

Hyeok Je-un spoke, his voice carrying the weight of what he had just witnessed.

"I believe the time has come to pass on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to Jeong-min."

It went without saying that he spent the next several hours being given an earful by his daughter as he explained everything from start to finish.

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"Haah! Ugh, eaaargh……"

The moment he woke in his bedchamber, Jeong-min was assaulted by pain that wrapped around every inch of his body.

Dawn had come.

"Owww, ahh. Every bone aches."

He had passed out without even realizing it—sleeping clean through the night.

That alone said everything about how tremendous Hyeok Je-un's Demonic Energy had been.

'And even after all five stages, it felt like he still had plenty left.'

He laughed at himself despite everything—Hyeok Je-un's power was genuinely astonishing.

Groaning, Jeong-min tried to push himself up from bed, when he noticed something sitting beside his pillow.

"Hm? What is this……"

It was an old book—worn, with many torn places.

The title read only: Secret Manual.

He opened it, and its identity became clear at once.

'This is a book with the secret teachings of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.'

Somehow he felt as though he could hear Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un's voice. 'Do not be disappointed. The basics come first.'

Jeong-min smiled softly.

"I am not disappointed. The basics are what matter most."

Whatever the martial art, the basics are everything.

He had earned Grandfather's recognition. Thanks to that, he would be able to cure the Demon Vein Affliction.

Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. Then—first things first, mastering this book.

No sooner had he just woken than Jeong-min sat cross-legged on his bed.

Then it happened immediately.

"Eugh……"

His head swam. It was difficult to hold himself upright even for a moment.

‘This was too much too soon, was it? My head feels like it's splitting.’

'Of course—yesterday I absorbed Demonic Energy through my whole body. The poison still hasn't fully cleared.'

Just then, there came a knock at the door, and someone entered.

"Little brother."

"Brother?"

It was none other than his eldest brother, Hyeok Jang-ho.

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"I heard what happened. To think you spoke to Grandfather like that……"

Hyeok Jang-ho stared at Jeong-min and spoke.

Jeong-min, for his part, was happily scooping up the white porridge Hyeok Jang-ho had brought.

"Thank you. I was quite hungry."

"It's Mother's cooking. You—honestly. All the worry you put people through."

That this carefree little brother was sitting here spooning porridge, completely unbothered, without any idea how worried everyone had been—it was a little irritating, really.

And yet Hyeok Jang-ho found himself smiling despite it all.

"Jeong-min. There is something I want to say to you."

"To me?"

Still blissfully spooning porridge, Jeong-min looked up as Hyeok Jang-ho drew something he had kept hidden in his robes.

It was a sword.

'A real blade.'

Jeong-min, who had handled swords extensively in his past life, could tell at a glance whether a blade was real or decorative.

‘Why did he bring this?’

"These days, when I go out hunting near the edges of Xinjiang, I sometimes run into the Seventy-Two Forest Bandits."

Hyeok Jang-ho said, looking down at the sword.

Jeong-min watched him and swallowed briefly.

'Come to think of it—in my past life as well……'

Hyeok Jang-ho had been a swordsman.

Jeong-min could still vividly remember Hyeok Jang-ho falling, cut down by the blade he himself had wielded.

"Fortunately, as long as we pay tribute on time, there's no trouble."

"……Yes."

Tribute? To the Forest Bandits? The Heavenly Demon Cult?

For what reason?

Hyeok Jang-ho held the sword out to Jeong-min.

Jeong-min set down his spoon and took it.

"Draw it."

"Pardon?"

"Draw it."

A martial artist never hands his weapon to another.

Even to a brother, that did not change.

"……Then."

Shing—

Jeong-min drew the sword. The blade was sharp, clear, and beautifully bright.

A weapon worthy of being counted among the great swords.

"I came across it while out hunting. Someone from the Forest Bandits must have dropped it."

"Yes. It is a fine sword."

"To hold a sword is, in the end, to wield it. It is not an ornament. Are you prepared to cut someone down with its blade?"

Prepared.

At Jang-ho's question, Jeong-min thought for a moment.

'Why is he asking this?'

It must have been right after hearing that his younger brother had gone directly to Hyeok Je-un to ask for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Seeking to train in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art while gravely ill was no different from seeking death.

What Hyeok Jang-ho had extended to Jeong-min, after deliberating, was this: do you have the resolve to justify it?

'If it is mere rashness, please—give it up.'

That was what Hyeok Jang-ho was saying.

Jeong-min thought about it. As the Nameless Sword Wraith, he had cut down hundreds. But he had not done so having braced himself or made himself ready.

'I cut because I had to cut. I killed because I had to kill.'

Jang-ho was worried. When he had heard the news of his younger brother suddenly declaring he would learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the very first question that rose in him was: does Jeong-min have it in him to harm another person?

'The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is a martial art for harming others. If you are not ready—please, stop here.'

That was the gaze Hyeok Jang-ho held as he looked at Jeong-min.

Jeong-min quietly looked down at the blade, and then—

He raised the sword swiftly and struck the dresser beside him.

Tsst!

Not a single mark was left on the dresser.

"—!"

Jang-ho stared at Jeong-min in shock. He clearly had not expected him to actually swing it.

Jeong-min held Jang-ho's gaze directly and spoke.

"Brother. My thinking is a little different. When it comes to cutting someone down, what is needed is not preparation."

"……Then what?"

"What is needed is courage."

Shing—clink.

Jeong-min sheathed the sword.

"The courage to cut down one's enemies in order to protect one's family."

Then he extended both hands respectfully and returned the sword to Jang-ho.

Jang-ho took the sword and fell into thought.

"Courage……"

His younger brother's words took root in his chest.

"That too is right. You teach this brother of yours, Jeong-min."

"Not at all."

"Training in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art will not be easy. Neither I nor Mun-ha have been given it yet. They say it takes at least a year to reach the first star—but……"

‘For you, it ought to be different……’

Hyeok Jang-ho rose from his seat, and Jeong-min stood as well to see him off.

"Brother."

Jeong-min stopped Jang-ho as he turned to leave.

Jang-ho looked back, and Jeong-min continued.

"I am going to live."

‘Live—and save you too, Brother.’

‘I will save everyone. I will not let a single one of them die.’

"Are you planning to start your training today?"

"I intend to try right now."

"You could…… take a few days. It would not be too late."

"What would be the point of dragging it out?"

"……All right. Let me hold you for a moment."

Hyeok Jang-ho, carrying the worry swelling in his chest, pulled Jeong-min into an embrace.

‘Perhaps this is the last time I will see Jeong-min……’

At that thought, he never wanted to let go.

But it was what his younger brother wanted. And so.

"Brother?"

"You have grown up all of a sudden. Jeong-min."

There was something in his voice—like he might cry.

"This brother of yours loves you. Always."

"……Yes. I do too, Brother."

‘Why is he like this?’

His embrace was a feeling not so easy to simply receive.