Chapter 105: First Crisis, Afterword

Chapter 105: First Crisis, AfterwordOutside the Heavenly Demon Tomb, it was already a dark night.

Qing stretched vigorously.

Phew, I thought I was going to die trying to keep up appearances.

In truth, the urge to run away straight down the stairs had bubbled up several times during the ordeal, but well, somehow she had managed to carry it out splendidly and survive.

As relief and the joy of survival washed over her, Qing unconsciously got excited and performed the most successful dance in human history while moving backwards.

It was the signature move of a certain Mr. Jackson from Indiana. The Moonwalk.

The principle that the Heavenly Demon had demonstrated with his body remained, making it the most precious of the insights Qing had gained.

And as she was celebrating with this victory dance...

"Ahem."

Qing was startled by the coughing sound.

"Shit, you scared me. Gramps. Why did you follow me?"

"I packed your belongings to give to you when you leave. Even if you are leaving, shouldn’t you at least take your own things? You careless child."

"Wow, really? You packed everything?"

Only after hearing this did she remember about her luggage.

Starting with the Yangtze River Free Pass, all the Guest Plaques her friends had given her, and wasn't there also a letter from her Master to give to the Emei Sect's Grand Abbot?

Come to think of it, the old man's words were true.

If her personality had completely changed, the attention given to Qing would have disappeared along with it, and since he had even packed her luggage, he must have intended to let her go willingly after she opened the door by blowing the Bokshinjeok.

Qing followed behind Choi Leeong, trotting along.

Upon reaching a certain luggage cart, Choi Leeong went inside and came out with a bundle, revealing familiar items.

Qing eagerly grabbed the most welcome item among them.

You’re back! My Moonlight Sword!

Though it had been a while since she held the Moonlight Sword (No. 8), the handle fit snugly in her hand as if it had never left her side.

Qing grinned as she fastened the sword to her waist.

Then, as she was about to receive the rest of the luggage, Choi Leeong held onto it, hesitating to hand it over.

Qing's eyes narrowed.

"What's this about? Is the rest Pay to Win or something?"

Was this sort of business acumen also a tradition? As expected of OG China.

Do I have to pay a price to get my own things back?

However, Choi Leeong spoke while looking uneasy.

"Ahem. I am old and do not know how long I shall live, so I was thinking of looking for a good burial site. Perhaps... would that be alright?"

"Wait, why are you asking my permission to find your deathbed... No, nevermind. Sigh."

Qing sighed deeply.

Even if she pretended not to understand, it didn't seem like the old man would back down easily.

Saying he wanted to find a place to die wasn't really about reserving a sunny spot with good feng shui facing a mountain and overlooking water.

It was a desperate wish to spend what little life he had left together and die by her side.

"Gramps, let me make this clear. I have absolutely no intention of accepting you as my stepdad. In exchange, I don't care in what way you view me. I'm just going to use you to carry my luggage, pull the carriage, and do all sorts of chores."

Though her words were irreverent, it was ultimately permission.

Choi Leeong's eyes reddened.

"Thank you, thank you. Even that much is too generous..."

If the old man's remaining life could be peaceful just by following her around and taking care of her, there was no reason not to grant that wish.

He had already suffered through his life, and he was too old now to mentally abuse himself by being shackled to the dead.

But if he later came at her with "You are my daughter" or some shit like that, it would be a case of kindness turning into malice.

She might not care about other things, but she couldn't stand that.

"But. I don't have a hobby of dragging around a Great Demonic Adept and being pointed at by people while traveling. Get rid of that Demonic Art that you can't even control anyway. What if you later go crazy and come at me saying shit like 'Why did you deceive me' and 'Give me back my daughter'?"

It was telling him to disperse the hostile arts he had cultivated his entire life.

Something a martial artist valued more than their own life.

"I shall do so. Right now, even."

Yet, there was not a hint of hesitation in Choi Leeong's answer.

Qing sighed deeply again.

If there was only one Supreme in the world, there was no need to use a name.

But now he knows another reason why he had no name.

He was just a vessel for the Heavenly Demon's soul to settle in.

There was no need to give him the luxury of a name.

When he realized this fact, the Supreme simply fell into despair.

But no longer.

For the first time in his life, he learned the pain of being scolded.

And also for the first time in his life, he felt that caring touch that stroked his head.

He heard the mercy of being forgiven.

He could clearly recall, even with his eyes closed, that genuine smile coming from within, that sincere pleasure he had never known before being directed at him.

This was the love that parents bestow upon their children.

Yes. That’s right.

Can those who irresponsibly create a body and carelessly throw it into the world be called parents?

The qualification of parents lies in that very affection.

Age, beauty, and even gender didn’t matter in this; wasn’t that why humans simply call men fathers and women mothers?

But there was still one thing left.

The most precious thing parents give to their children.

Something the Supreme still didn't have. A name.

She told him to be good, so he will be good.

When they meet again, with that promise, he will finally receive a name.

The Supreme looked at the elites of the Divine Cult.

They were insolent bastards, busy whispering among themselves while daring to leave out the Supreme.

Anger boiled up in the Supreme's heart.

That wrath became strength, and black Demonic Qi seethed.

The Supreme was a martial artist of the Profound Realm, and even that was merely something he had restrained himself for the sake of Demonic Descent.

When his dantian was shattered, those restraints were also released.

As such, it resulted in the entry into the Profound Realm.

With that enlightenment, he forcibly patched together his shattered dantian. Even if the result was nothing more than a rag, he somehow managed to preserve it.

His body was one prepared for the Heavenly Demon.

The medicinal properties of the Elixirs he had consumed instead of food since childhood still flowed through his four limbs and hundred bones.

As long as the shape of the dantian was maintained, recovery was not impossible, just time-consuming.

The Supreme calmed his anger.

It wasn't such a difficult thing to do.

Just recalling the smile etched in his heart was enough.

His mind and body naturally settled, and his mouth unconsciously relaxed into a smile.

As you said, I'll be a good boy.

My beloved...

Mother.

This was the Supreme. Aged forty-seven years old this year.

----Sometimes, a person's Upper Dantian opens, allowing them to unconsciously read the workings of heaven and earth.

This was called the sixth sense, or a premonition.

Qing shuddered.

Suddenly, she had a really, really bad feeling.

The fuck is this? I just got goosebumps all over.

But no matter how much she thought about it, there was no particular reason for such foreboding.

Qing just kept mulling over the uneasy feeling.

Well, of course she would.

After all, how could she possibly know that she had just gained a grown ass son in addition to a father and an older sister?

1. Taishi Ci, courtesy name Ziyi, was a Chinese military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He had served as a minor Han official, before eventually coming to serve warlords Liu Yao, Sun Ce, and Sun Ce's successor Sun Quan.2. Though in romanticization, his name is "Shici" in Korean, it has the same characters as "Lion".3. 1/3 of a meter. Also known as a "Chinese foot".