The Regressed Young Master’s Guide to Living on Easy Mode

Chapter 14 : When Coincidence and Fate Overlap, It Becomes a Misunderstanding (1)

"Really, no?"

Is this old man crazy?

"No!"

"I'll cut it cleanly and stitch it up so there's no scar!"

"Absolutely not."

"Tch! So stingy!"

"This isn't called 'being stingy', it's called 'being normal. Being common sense.' Usually, if someone asks to cut open your stomach, you don't say, 'Yes! Go ahead!'"

"Alright! Such a pathetic excuse! I'll give up this time because you're so disgusting."

He has a strange talent for making people angry. I should never come to the medical hall again.

"By the way, are your parents one of the elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult?"

"No?"

"Hmm... really not? You know, like an illegitimate child! You can be honest with me. I'll keep it a secret!"

"Really, no."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Really, really not?"

"Really, really, really not."

"Tsk... alright. I get it. If you're all better, you can go. I'm not interested in people who won't let me cut open their stomachs."

He's definitely a dangerous old man.

"Yes. I'll be going. But if I get hurt again later, can someone else treat me next time? I have a bad memory about my stomach."

"Don't worry. I don't cut people's stomachs open without permission. I may look like this, but I was once called a divine doctor. A divine doctor because my medical skills are outstanding! A divine doctor because I uphold righteousness!"

A divine doctor my ass!

Still, I knew that the old man in front of me wasn't completely lying.

I don't know if the Demonic Doctor is a divine doctor, but it seemed to be true that his medical skills were outstanding.

In fact, the wounds from the tournament had healed completely.

"I'll be going."

"You look all better on the outside, but if anything feels strange, come back. You were supposed to be lying down for at least a month."

"I'm definitely not coming back."

I asked, just in case.

"By the way, how long was I out?"

"A week."

"I see."

I was unconscious for longer than I thought. But for that, my body feels strangely refreshed.

"Thank you for the treatment. I'll really be going now, elder."

"Alright."

After Yoo Jae-ha left, the Demonic Doctor licked his lips.

"Tsk! It's a shame I met such an interesting body after so long."

When Yoo Jae-ha was first brought in, the Yoo Jae-ha the Demonic Doctor saw was so serious that even if the treatment ended safely, he would have to live as at least a half-cripple afterwards.

Twisted meridians and blood vessels everywhere.

Some were even completely severed.

Eighty percent of his muscles and bones were broken or cracked.

Wouldn't it be like this if a bomb exploded inside the body?

Even the Demonic Doctor couldn't completely heal wounds of this extent. But in just a week, the kid walked out of the medical hall on his own two feet, perfectly fine.

And the Demonic Doctor, who had watched all of this from the side, even felt like his past life as a doctor was being denied.

In fact, all the Demonic Doctor had done for the young brat named Yoo Jae-ha was to feed him a medicinal bath that boosted his vitality.

The rest was all healed by the energy deep inside the young brat's stomach.

"Hah! I should have cut open his stomach to confirm why there are two innate qi in one person!"

The Demonic Doctor, vowing to cut him open next time for sure, immediately set off.

The direction was the Lord's hall.

* * *

The Heavenly Demon, Hyeok Sa-wol.

He was, in name and reality, the number one under the heavens, acknowledged by everyone.

However, only he didn't think so.

Right now, Hyeok Sa-wol was facing the Demonic Doctor.

"Was there anything unusual?"

"If you say there was, there was, and if you say there wasn't, there wasn't."

"I believe I told you to stop with the unfunny jokes in front of me?"

"I tend to forget things often as I get older."

After ascending to the position of Heavenly Demon, Hyeok Sa-wol had cut off all the remnants of the past. To be more precise, he had killed all those who did not acknowledge him as the Heavenly Demon.

That was how he was able to become the true ruler of the Great Demonic Era.

And the old man in front of him was the only one who had a connection to the previous generation.

"Any contact?"

The reason Hyeok Sa-wol had kept the Demonic Doctor alive was not because his medical skills were so outstanding that he was called a divine doctor, nor was it because there was no one to replace him.

It was because he was the only person the previous generation had opened their heart to.

"Not yet."

"I see. Then, you may go."

Hyeok Sa-wol buried himself in his chair and washed his face with his dry hands.

The Demonic Doctor raised his head and faced Hyeok Sa-wol. When he smiled on his heavily wrinkled face, the wrinkles deepened even more.

The current expression was a unique habit of the Demonic Doctor when he had found something interesting.

"I believe I told you not to smile like that."

"I still vividly remember the time when the Lord saw me at night and cried, calling me a ghost. The Lord back then was quite cute."

Hyeok Sa-wol seriously considered whether he should have killed that old geezer too when he was cleaning house back then.

"That child the Lord is interested in, was his name Yoo Jae-ha? He has a very strange energy."

"Energy?"

"Yes. Is there anyone among the elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult who has a connection with that child?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I need to know that to decide what to say next."

"There is none."

"Hmm... if the Lord has confirmed it, then there really is none... This is really strange."

"What is?"

Hyeok Sa-wol, at the Demonic Doctor's continuous beating around the bush, came to the conclusion that if the next words were useless, he would just kill that old geezer today.

"Everyone is born with their own life force. We martial artists call it innate qi."

"If you're trying to show off your paltry medical knowledge in front of me, I won't tolerate it."

"Of course not. If you keep listening, the Lord will probably find it interesting too. Or should I go back?"

"Continue."

"Yes. As the Lord who has reached the heavens in martial arts, you would know well. Unlike internal energy, the amount of innate qi cannot be increased. It can only be consumed. And when that innate qi runs out, a person dies."

"Why are you spouting the obvious?"

"But, you see. The child named Yoo Jae-ha had twice the amount of innate qi of a normal person in his body."

"Is that strange? Couldn't that child just be a special case?"

"Of course, that could be the case, but it is by no means a natural phenomenon. Rather, it's so unnatural that it would be more natural to say that someone artificially shared their innate qi."

The moment he heard these words, something came to Hyeok Sa-wol's mind. He looked at the Demonic Doctor without a word, and the Demonic Doctor erased the playful expression from his face.

He had instinctively realized that if he joked around from here on, the Lord would kill him this time for sure.

"Based on my medical knowledge, I dare to say that if someone transfers their innate qi to another, the person who transferred it dies on the spot. And to be able to transfer one's innate qi, one must be a martial artist who has reached at least the Demonic Zenith. Also, the probability of making another person's innate qi one's own just by receiving it is extremely low. Innate qi is closer to the source than internal energy. The moment another person's innate qi enters the body, the body will probably explode and die from the repulsive force."

"The reason you're dragging this out is because the next words will pique my interest, right?"

"Of course. That's why a minimum safety device is needed. If they both learned the same internal energy heart method, or if their sources are similar, the probability of success increases. For example, between a parent and a child. Of course, what I've said now is just my inference. As far as I know, there are no successful cases of transferring innate qi."

"Is there anyone else you've told this to besides me?"

"The Lord is the first."

"Today's conversation is to be treated as top secret. Do not speak of it to anyone. You may go."

"I understand."

After the Demonic Doctor left, Hyeok Sa-wol was lost in deep thought.

His Heavenly Demon True Qi had definitely reacted to that child.

The conditions for the Heavenly Demon True Qi to react were either that the person was learning the same Heavenly Demon Divine Art, or that their demonic energy was purer.

There were only two.

And the Demonic Doctor had said.

That there was a possibility that a being who had reached at least the Demonic Zenith had shared their innate qi with that child.

The condition was that they had learned the same internal energy heart method, or were of the same bloodline, or both.

"Could it be?"

Hyeok Sa-wol could feel his speculation gradually reaching a single conclusion.

The previous Heavenly Demon, Yoo Jin-seong.

He was the only person in the history of the Demonic Cult since the first Heavenly Demon to have surpassed the Soul Detachment Realm and reached the Divine Demon Realm.

But he too could not overcome the limits of being human in the end.

-The current Heavenly Demon Cult needs stability more than anything else. Hyeok Sa-wol! The only being I trust in this world. My younger brother! You become the Lord.

His brother had a chronic illness.

Even though he had surpassed the Soul Detachment Realm and reached the Divine Demon Realm, as time passed, his brother's body became like a corpse.

That's why his brother left on his own to protect the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Without even telling him where he was going.

That was 15 years ago.

The time he had established the nursery almost coincided with that. Because he had been considering the possibility.

-I am now going to fulfill the dream I have dreamed of for a long time. I want to start a family, have a child, and live an ordinary life like others, not as the Heavenly Demon.

What if his brother had a child?

And what if he had left something for that child?

His brother was also the only person in this world who knew the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, besides himself.

"It can't be, right?"

Doubt was gradually turning into certainty.

* * *

Suddenly thinking about my parents, a memory I had forgotten came to mind.

My father was a gambler. He ran away after getting into debt, but was eventually caught by the debt collectors, beaten up, and passed away.

My mother was a courtesan. When I was five, my mother told me to wait for a moment in the marketplace, and then she never came back.

After that, I entered the Heavenly Demon Cult, became the Young Lord, had my dantian pierced by my junior sister, and was eventually killed, and now I have regressed like this.

I ended up recalling a bitter past because of that old geezer.

When I arrived at the Little Demon Academy, the Sword Demoness, the Mad Demon, and the Demonic Brain welcomed me.

"Jae-ha!"

"Captain!"

"...!"

"How have you been? By the way, did you win the tournament?"

I couldn't bring myself to ask because of the unimaginable question the old Demonic Doctor had asked earlier. "Can I perform an autopsy?" He has to say something that makes sense.

The Mad Demon answered, punching the air.

"Of course! What the Captain showed back then is still vivid in my eyes!"

"Did you really win?"

"Ung! It was no joke! The Blood Demon appeared on the tournament stage! The elders surrounded the area! Suddenly, the Blood Demon knelt! And the Heavenly Demon even gave us a reward that day!"

I didn't get one.

"What did you get?"

"A tasteless pill! The Captain probably ate one too."

Phew... I went through the most trouble, so I would have been upset if I was the only one who didn't get one. So that's why I recovered so quickly?

"By the way, they didn't bully you because I was gone, right?"

I wasn't worried about the Sword Demoness and the Demonic Brain, but I was a little worried about the Mad Demon.

"Hehehe."

The Mad Demon laughed and pulled me towards the Little Demon Academy's training ground.

"Jae-ha will be a little surprised when he sees it too."

When even the Sword Demoness reacted like this, I became a little excited.

When we arrived at the training ground, all the Little Demon Academy students were gathered.

"They all gathered because you were being discharged."

The Sword Demoness's words sounded as if she had made it happen. They couldn't have gathered to celebrate my discharge.

The Fifth Elder's grandson approached.

"Your name is?"

"I told you it's Gwang Se-hyeon!"

"Ah, sorry."

"Remember it now!"

"Sorry, sorry. But why are they like that?"

They were timidly watching me. Anyone would think I was giving them a punishment right now.

"We took care of everything while you were gone."

"That's right! We took care of it with Se-hyeon!"

"Right?"

"Of course!"

It seems the two of them have gotten close. But I was feeling a slight sense of incongruity about this combination.

'Uh... Gwang Se-hyeon's grandfather, the Fifth Elder, is the Spear Demon. And before my regression, the Mad Demon took the place of the dead Spear Demon. The original Mad Demon would have had no problem killing the Spear Demon himself and taking his place.'

I carefully called the Mad Demon and asked.

"You're on good terms with Se-hyeon's grandfather, right?"

"Grandpa Spear Demon is a very nice person! He bought me something delicious yesterday too!"

Phew... that's a relief. It seems the incident of killing a friend's grandfather won't happen.

Still, I can't let my guard down. Well, looking at the Mad Demon now, it's hard to imagine him killing anyone.

Just then, the child who seemed to be the leader of the opposing faction of the Little Demon Academy came up to me and offered a handshake.

"Ahem! I saw the tournament well. It was amazing. I have judged that even I cannot win against you right now. So we have also decided to serve you as our captain."

I said.

"I don't want to."

It was obvious that bossing around someone who would become my superior in the future could lead to a very uncomfortable relationship in my future honey-sucking life. However, I proposed something new.

The more connections you have, the better.

All the kids here are the children of Heavenly Demon Cult executives.

"Let's be friends instead."

"Friends? Good! I am Jeong Cheon-ak, the grandson of the Fist Demon."

I knew he was from a well-off family, but I never thought he was the Fourth Elder's grandson.

Hehehe. My connections are gradually increasing.

"I am Yoo Jae-ha!"

The youngest elder, the Sword Demoness.

I don't know what will happen to the Mad Demon now, but at least he'll be a grand commander.

The Demonic Brain, who will become the cult's strategist.

And the grandsons of the Fifth Elder and the Fourth Elder.

"Alright! Let's get along well!"

And so, my life at the Little Demon Academy seemed to be flowing smoothly.

Until the vacation came.

I had forgotten because I was enjoying my youth after a long time.

The Little Demon Academy has a vacation every year.

The period is three months.

This was a time to return to their respective homes and refine their achievements, and also a time to learn new things from their respective families. In a way, learning at their own homes could be more efficient than at the Little Demon Academy.

Because the Little Demon Academy is also a place for networking.

So during this vacation period, the Little Demon Academy completely stops its activities. In other words, this means that everyone who was living at the Little Demon Academy had to return to their respective homes.

"We've been apart for a year. I'm going back to my hometown to spend time with my younger siblings. See you later."

"Y-yeah."

The Sword Demoness left.

"My father told me to help with some housework. Captain! See you after the vacation!"

"Y-yeah."

The Mad Demon left.

"...!"

"You too?"

"...!"

"Y-yeah."

And everyone left.

"Hahaha! I had forgotten for a moment that there was a vacation because everything was flowing so smoothly after the tournament."

It was a shame I wasn't prepared, but it wasn't a problem. Even before my regression, I used to work at an inn during the vacation.

My body and mind were a bit tired, but life at the inn was also fun in its own way.

And so, I was on my way out after packing my things in my room.

"Oh dear, it seems you have nowhere to go?"

"That's right."

"Then, would you like to stay at my house?"

There are people who can't just pass by when they see a stray cat on the street.

The person I had just met was someone who belonged to the highest authority in that category.

I knew I would meet him someday, but I never thought I would meet him now.

"I have many rooms in my house!"

He was one of the people I trusted and followed the most before my regression.

And he was also a being I had killed with my own hands.

The current number one rising star of the demonic path.

The current Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The number one prodigy of the demonic path, Hyeok Won-sang.

"You look just like a lost cat, so I couldn't just pass by."

-You were my everything. I hate and curse you for taking that away. And you still call me your brother?

To the being I thought I would never see again, I said.

"Can I call you hyung?"

"Of course!"

I met one of the connections I regretted the most before my regression.

(End of Chapter)