The seal was a lie.
If I weren't curious about what that meant—if I didn't want to know what they were hiding and why—then it wouldn't be a lie.
"I-I really can't say anything right now!"
"Seomun unni is right! But this should all be over after the next one, so I'll tell you then! Okay? I promise!"
Seomun Hwa-rin and Seol Ri-hyang waved their arms and raised their voices the moment I opened my mouth.
"…If that's the case."
It left a bitter aftertaste, but since they said they'd tell me everything once this was over, I decided to let it go for now.
"Then keep talking amongst yourselves. I have something to take care of, so I'll step out for a bit."
"Understood! Have a safe trip!"
"Yeah. Thanks. But what's the matter?"
"It's the interrogation of the rogue monk we captured this time. My father-in-law said he'd help, so it shouldn't take too long. I'm afraid we won't be able to have lunch together…"
"In that case, it means we can have dinner together instead, doesn't it? I'm not the least bit disappointed, so don't worry and go on your way, young hero Cheon."
"I'm grateful you put it that way."
Even though the seal had been revealed to be a lie, Tang So-wol, who had remained quiet, opened her mouth, and Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin flinched at the same time.
It was something they'd find out in a few days anyway, and since there was a basic level of trust between them, it probably wouldn't be a big problem…
As the parties involved, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin would have no choice but to be bothered by it even while knowing.
I let out a snort and was about to head outside when—
Grab.
Suddenly, a weight pulled at my arm. Turning my head, I found the Illusion Witch clinging to my arm, sagging against me.
That wasn't a metaphor. She was genuinely holding onto my arm, leaning her body backward as if about to lie down, like she absolutely refused to let me go.
"Uhh… well…"
"What is it."
"Are you really leaving like this? Leaving me here among these three?"
"Is there a problem?"
"The fact that you think there's no problem is probably the problem itself…"
She was the world's most pitiful Illusion Witch, but then again, she'd always been a pitiful sort, so I suppose it was what it was.
The Illusion Witch, who had been quietly staring up at my face, nodded with a deep sigh.
"…Hah. Surely I won't die. I'm here to work. It's a business relationship. …Relationship? Human relationship… It's been a while…"
For some reason, she started grinning to herself mid-sentence, and I shook my head at the sight.
In any case, I'd never once met a retired master who was all there.
My hands had already been released long ago, so I lightly dusted off my sleeves and stepped outside.
The sun was bright, and the sky was clear without a single cloud.
"Perfect weather for an interrogation."
Or not.
***
After a short walk, I arrived at the Murim Alliance's special Prison.
It was a place built to hold not ordinary martial artists, but great masters, or criminals who couldn't be publicly exposed for one reason or another.
It was sturdy for that reason, and also prepared against various methods of escape.
For a moment, I thought it might be overkill for a guy whose Dantian was already destroyed, but if I let the only mouth I had slip away, things would get troublesome. Better to be thorough.
More than anything, what the Potala Palace had done was a fairly serious matter.
The guards, apparently already informed, let me in after a simple identity check.
As I went a bit further down, there were already people who had arrived before me.
The Murim Alliance Leader, the Jegal family, Tang Jincheon, Great Master Jeonghyeon, and among the surviving Kunlun disciples, the one who seemed to hold the highest rank.
Everyone who was supposed to come was here.
"I made sure to arrive on time, but it seems I'm a bit late."
"What of it. It was amusing enough listening to us old men talk about life, so it's no matter, son-in-law. We didn't wait that long."
"Oh my. It's true that conversing with the Poison King is enjoyable, but this one and young hero Ha-un here aren't all that old, you know."
Tang Jincheon's words drew a playful retort from Jegal Bu, who turned toward me with a welcoming smile.
"It's been a while, White Moon Sword Lord. I heard from the Alliance Leader that you performed quite the feat this time."
"It just happened that way."
"My, my. First the number one of the Unorthodox Sects, and now the number one of the Orthodox Sects? That would make you the number one under heaven… Why, that's a phrase I haven't heard in decades!"
"The number one under heaven, is it. As long as the Heavenly Demon lives, that alias will never belong to me."
"Come now. It's called 'number one under heaven,' but strictly speaking, it's 'number one of the Central Plains,' isn't it? And the Demonic Cult is practically Outer Murim anyway, so no one would object if the White Moon Sword Lord were called the number one under heaven."
"I'm grateful for the kind words, even if they're just words."
As the war with the Demonic Cult deepened and the Heavenly Demon began to reveal his power in earnest across the Central Plains, this reputation would become nothing more than empty vanity.
Before the regression, no matter how vicious a master of the Unorthodox Sects was, or how renowned a righteous hero was, their status paled before the absolute name of the Heavenly Demon.
Even I, called the Sword Demon and receiving fear and wariness in equal measure, found that by the time the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance was formed, no one paid any attention to my alias anymore.
Of course, I had no intention of suddenly turning stern with someone who was just trying to show a bit of friendliness, so I simply laughed it off.
After all, today's main purpose was something else entirely.
I looked at a young man standing a little ways off, deliberately keeping his distance as if the gathered crowd was too much for him.
He seemed to be a few years older than me. He wore the martial robes of the Kunlun Sect, and his build was quite imposing for a Taoist.
But his face was dark the whole time, and his shoulders were slumped, making him look smaller than his actual size.
I understood. It was all over now—the ones who attacked Kunlun were all dead, and the one remaining was about to be interrogated.
But that didn't mean the memories of the clan's extermination would simply fade away.
I gave his shoulder a light pat and spoke.
"You said your name is Ha-un. I imagine the interrogation will dig into the details of what happened back then. Is that alright with you?"
"…Yes. It's fine."
At the touch of my hand, Ha-un flinched, then looked at me.
"It's still a painful memory to recall… but I need to know. I need to understand why my master and my fellow disciples had to die. Only then can we prevent more people from suffering the same fate."
"I see."
After going through the extermination of his clan, the first thought that came to him wasn't revenge, but preventing others from ending up like him.
Compared to the old days when it was counted among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, its standing had diminished considerably, and it had suffered damage tantamount to near clan extermination…
Still, a prestigious Taoist sect was different after all.
"Don't worry. I've been preparing for a long time for this very purpose."
"Thank you."
"The seniors of Kunlun have fallen asleep, but with survivors as remarkable as you, it will surely soar once more. It may not be much, but I intend to offer personal support for the day Kunlun's name echoes across the Central Plains once again. Please do well today."
"R-really?"
Ha-un's eyes went wide. Seeing his reaction, Tang Jincheon crossed his arms with a look of displeasure.
"Now, son-in-law. Why would you decide such a matter on your own?"
"Eh?"
"Why would you need to do it personally? We could do it together under the name of the Tang Clan."
"Ah. So that's what you meant."
That made sense. With the pride of the Five Great Families at stake, they would have had to offer some support anyway.
And if they were going to do it regardless, it wouldn't hurt to make a bit more of a show of it.
For some reason, the Murim Alliance Leader, who had gone soft on me ever since I took down the Sword Demon, nodded with a faint smile.
"See… even if your usual behavior leaves something to be desired, at times like this, you really are a man of the Orthodox Sects."
I had no idea why he was acting like this, but it was overwhelming. Especially since I had been a martial artist of the Orthodox Sects all along—hearing him talk about orthodoxy now felt strange.
Pretending not to hear, I half-closed my ears and spoke to Ha-un, who wore a moved expression.
"But there is one favor I'd like to ask…"
"What is it? If there's anything we can do, we'll do it. Just say the word."
"The Kunlun Sect is famous for the Cloud Dragon Eighteen Forms, but I've heard it's also a sect renowned for its sword arts. I thought I might be of some help, so I'd like to exchange a few moves with you. Would that be alright?"
"…! T-To think you'd go this far for us! If you're willing to impart your teachings, we can only be grateful!"
Ha-un kept bowing his head with a look that was now almost tearful.
Good. With this, I can legally steal—no, observe the martial arts of Kunlun.
Most of them are Third Generation Disciples. There are only a few Second Generation Disciples mixed in here and there, so I probably won't get to see any great martial arts, but at least I'll be able to learn what Kunlun's martial arts strive toward.
Am I not in the middle of establishing a new sword art to replace the Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art? The more reference material, the better.
Of course, there was also the option of sneaking a peek at Kunlun's secret manuals now that there was no one left to guard them, but…
No matter how I looked at it, that would be crossing the line.
I had stolen and learned countless martial arts over the years, but strictly speaking, "stolen and learned" was closer to "watched and learned."
It wasn't as if I had secretly peered at manuals hidden away like a true thief.
Besides, the truly important parts were passed down orally as secret arts rather than recorded in writing, so manuals weren't everything anyway.
As I barely managed to suppress the corners of my mouth that kept trying to curl upward without my knowing, now not only the Murim Alliance Leader but also Great Master Jeonghyeon brought his palms together and spoke in an admiring voice.
"Amitabha. It seems the young benefactor Cheon has truly attained a great enlightenment this time."
"Hm. Something like that."
I awkwardly nodded along for a moment. Tang Jincheon, the only one who had been staring at me with suspicion, muttered quietly.
"That's definitely the face my son-in-law makes when he's up to something…"
Before Tang Jincheon could get close to the truth, I quickly brought up the main topic to divert his attention.
"Alright. Now that we've all exchanged greetings, let's go do what we came here to do."
At those words, the warm atmosphere stiffened slightly.
The cold air of the Prison felt more pronounced now. Right. This was the Prison, and we hadn't come here to exchange pleasantries—we'd come to interrogate a single person.
Though we called it an interrogation, in the end, what we were really doing was torture and persuasion.
Everyone knew this was necessary, so no one hesitated—but still, these were people who had lived their entire lives as martial artists of the Orthodox Sects, and their hearts were uneasy.
That unease had become a kind of tension, showing itself on the surface.
Nothing to be done about it. Here, I had to be the one to step forward.
Before the regression, the Central Plains and the Demonic Cult had waged a "war." When it came to matters like this, I was probably the most accustomed to them.
As we descended a bit deeper, before long, a small door came into view.
It was a solitary cell, a single room made entirely of stone and iron.
When I opened the door, there was a bald man, bound tightly, tied to a chair.
"Hmph. I don't know what tricks you've used, but don't think I'll open my mouth. The pain in this life is meaningless. Even if this body dies, someday I'll be reborn and return. Just as water doesn't stop being water when it boils, and doesn't stop being water when it freezes, life and death are originally one. In essence, they are no different…"
"Then die."
His words were too long, so I started with a light bone-crack and joint-separation technique, gently coaxing him in the Demonic Cult style.
For reference, I'd seen these methods firsthand while rescuing allies captured by the Demonic Cult, so my technique was perfectly authentic.
After about half a sijin passed, the bald man, his face now deathly pale, changed his tune.
"…After all, this is a life I'll leave behind, and a life I'll return to someday. What value is there in piling up meaningless suffering? Enlightenment is ultimately about freeing oneself from all the suffering of the mortal world. Carrying more pain than necessary is also a grave sin."
"Say it simply."
"Spare me."
"That's impossible."
"At the very least, kill me comfortably."
"Fine. It seems you're finally in the mood to talk."
After a moment's deliberation, I decided to start with a simple question.
"Raise your head and tell me your name and age."
"I have no name… As for my age, I don't know exactly, but I'm told this body was born just under fifty years ago."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
I'd expected a proper interrogation, but the answer seemed completely off-kilter.
That said, it didn't seem like he was deliberately twisting his words to mock me…
I turned to the rest of the group, my gaze asking what we were supposed to do now. And then.
"Even if he looks like that, he's from the Orthodox Sects… Even if he looks like that, he's from the Orthodox Sects…"
The Murim Alliance Leader was muttering something to himself in a small voice.
So the Murim Alliance Leader was getting on in years too, was he? Well, it wouldn't be strange for him to be slipping into senility at his age.
A pity, really.