Bu Eunseol looked at the enraged Pung Yeoryang and replied calmly, “I’m making them because they’re needed.”
“Needed?” Pung Yeoryang snapped.
“Won’t there come a day when they’re used?” Bu Eunseol said.
“Are you joking with me right now?” Pung Yeoryang growled, black mist rising from his body.
Though he had reached the Extreme Demon realm, his uncontrollable fury merged with his Black Demon True Energy, amplifying his killing intent. “If you spout nonsense one more time, I’ll crush your skull.”
With a deep sigh, Bu Eunseol didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up a saw and hammer and began working on the wood.
Scrape. Swish.
With each delicate movement of his hands, the wood took on a new shape. The way he crafted planks of uniform thickness with every motion was almost like magic.
Tap, tap, tap.
As he pieced together the split planks, a curved coffin began to take form. His utterly focused expression, as he worked with intense concentration, resembled that of a master carpenter who had spent a lifetime crafting coffins.
“This…” Hyeok Gongbaek murmured, his eyes narrowing as he watched Bu Eunseol work silently.
He sensed something in Bu Eunseol’s gaze and movements.
“Are you just going to let him be?” Pung Yeoryang demanded, pointing at Bu Eunseol.
Raising a hand to calm Pung Yeoryang, Hyeok Gongbaek said in a low voice, “Stay a moment and observe.”
For a full geok (about fifteen minutes), Hyeok Gongbaek stood motionless, closely studying Bu Eunseol.
‘So that’s it,’ he thought. Bu Eunseol wasn’t just making coffins haphazardly. He was crafting them with meticulous care, pouring his entire being into the task.
“These coffins…” Hyeok Gongbaek said, approaching Bu Eunseol and speaking softly. “They don’t seem to fit me.”
Hyeok Gongbaek’s height was nearly identical to Bu Eunseol’s, well over six feet.
But Bu Eunseol, without even glancing at him, continued shaping the wood and replied calmly, “I’ll make one over six feet later.”
“I see. Understood,” Hyeok Gongbaek said, nodding with satisfaction before turning back to Pung Yeoryang. “Let’s go.”
“What?” Pung Yeoryang exclaimed, pointing at Bu Eunseol in disbelief. “You’re just going to let him keep doing this?”
“Don’t you feel it?” Hyeok Gongbaek asked.
“Feel what?”
Hyeok Gongbaek’s expression turned bitter. “Then keep your mouth shut and watch him craft for one sikyeong (about two hours). You’ll understand.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m heading back,” Hyeok Gongbaek said, then turned warmly to Bu Eunseol. “Keep up the good work.”
Bu Eunseol, too focused to reply, continued shaping the wood.
Hyeok Gongbaek, with a faint smile, turned and left without delay.
Pung Yeoryang, dumbfounded, could only stare at Hyeok Gongbaek’s retreating figure.
***
The rumors about Bu Eunseol spread through Peach Blossom Paradise once more.
“That young guy from Nangyang Pavilion—he was a mortician before entering the martial world.”
“Not only can he craft coffins properly, but he’s also skilled at preparing bodies.”
These rumors came from Pung Yeoryang, who had frequently visited Bu Eunseol’s hut.
“That guy… he understands the honor of the dead.”
Watching Bu Eunseol craft coffins, Pung Yeoryang finally realized.
These were once masters who shook the martial world, now living quietly in retirement. They spent their days reminiscing about the past. They weren’t esteemed enough to reside in Majeon’s Elder Council, nor did they have heirs or kin to carry on their legacy. In truth, even young maids tending to them would feel bothersome at their age.
“He’s saying he’ll take responsibility. That he won’t abandon us even after we die.”
The demonic path does not honor the dead.
As always, they would be coldly discarded in some nameless hill when their time came. No one in the world would remember those who fought for the demonic cause. Of course, death ends all, but in old age, one naturally yearns to be remembered.
“And he’ll pass down our lives to future generations.”
But Bu Eunseol was different.
By crafting coffins himself, he would likely make memorial tablets too. And when their time came, he would honor their achievements and bury them in a sunny place. He wasn’t making coffins to mock the demonic masters but to show his commitment to remembering and honoring their lives.
Through actions, not words.
As this realization spread, the demonic masters of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect opened up candidly.
“How much longer do we have to live, anyway?”
“We came here because we couldn’t die, but what we truly wanted was one thing.”
The life of a martial artist, forgotten after death. But now, someone had emerged to honor and pass down their legacy—Bu Eunseol, who crafted coffins with all his heart.
Finally understanding, the demonic masters’ anger subsided.
Moreover, some began visiting Bu Eunseol’s hut to chat, drawn to the young man crafting their coffins.
***
“Are you always this quiet?” asked the Ghost Whip Demon Elder, squatting in the front yard of the hut at the foot of the mountain in Peach Blossom Paradise, watching Bu Eunseol work.
“My hands do the work, not my mouth,” Bu Eunseol replied, his lips tightly sealed.
“Have you eaten?” the elder asked.
Scrape, scrape.
“What’s the state of the martial world these days? We don’t get much news since young folks rarely come here.”
Swish, swish.
“Come on, can’t you at least keep an old man company?” the elder grumbled.
This was a common scene.
The demonic masters of Peach Blossom Paradise visited the hut in droves, but Bu Eunseol remained taciturn. Even sitting for hours, getting one or two responses was considered a lucky day.
“Wait, is that coffin… for the Golden Mask Blood Monster, Yi Geom?” the Ghost Whip Demon Elder blinked.
The coffin Bu Eunseol was crafting was three times wider than a standard one. In Peach Blossom Paradise, only Yi Geom, the Golden Mask Blood Monster, had such a massive build.
“You should remake it as a normal coffin. It won’t do for him,” the elder said.
“…”
“Yi Geom may be huge now, but that’s because of his Black Poison Demon Art inflating his body.”
Scrape.
Bu Eunseol’s hands paused. “If the Black Poison Demon Art is undone, does his size shrink?”
The Ghost Whip Demon Elder’s jaw dropped at the response. “You didn’t know? The Black Poison Demon Art isn’t a physical training technique. It uses true energy, like the Arhat Steel Energy, to alter muscles and physique.”
“I didn’t know,” Bu Eunseol admitted.
But that was it. He fell silent again, as if he were a mute.
“Oh, speaking of which, the Thousand Hands Poison Lord’s technique…” the elder continued.
Bu Eunseol responded again. “You mean the Thousand Hands Blood Poison Art?”
“Huh? Yeah, that’s the one.”
‘Wait a minute…’ The Ghost Whip Demon Elder realized something and began speaking more eagerly. He rambled on about things Bu Eunseol hadn’t even asked about.
“Are you curious about my Blood Shadow Ghost Whip technique?” From that day, Peach Blossom Paradise buzzed with talk about Bu Eunseol again.
“That wooden block of a guy—he goes crazy for martial arts talk!”
“What, is he after our techniques?”
“No, he just loves any talk about martial arts.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been silent no matter what was said, reacted differently when the Ghost Whip Demon Elder rambled about martial arts. The stoic young man’s eyes lit up like a child hearing a bedtime story.
“I could chat with that weirdo all day! Heh heh!” Idle old men loved nothing more than spinning tales.
As the rumor spread, the demonic masters began visiting Bu Eunseol whenever they were bored, regaling him with martial arts stories.
“You know, when I fought that guy called the Lute Divine Sword, I learned something…” The Yin Mountain Demon Owl detailed the techniques used by the Lute Divine Sword.
“Back in my day, when we met righteous sect folks, we’d start with an inner energy clash. Do you know how to push a wine cup properly?” The Blazing Great Demon rambled about a technique for sending solar true energy while performing midair object manipulation.
And it didn’t stop there.
“When I was young, my nickname was Thousand-Mile Flying Shadow. I stole secret manuals whenever I got the chance. When I went to Mount Hua, under the waterfall…” The elders spilled not only their heroic tales but also secrets meant for the grave.
“You know that old hag called the Silk Flower Bell? She was actually expelled from the Sword Pavilion…” They even revealed hidden histories of the martial world.
When they ran out of stories, they recited martial arts principles and insights gained from their wanderings.
“When I killed that guy called the Flawless Sword, I created a move for the Blood Whisker Blade Line on the spot! It’s a bit different from typical demonic fanning techniques…” The Heavenly Roar Blood Hand sat on a wooden chair in the hut’s yard, chattering away.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol, who had been hammering, stopped. “Can you show me?”
“Huh? Sure, why not?” The Heavenly Roar Blood Hand leapt up excitedly. “Wait a sec. I left my fan at my place.”
Bu Eunseol’s hut became as lively as a marketplace. The idle elders began demonstrating their martial arts in the front yard while Bu Eunseol crafted coffins.
‘Truly a treasure trove of martial knowledge,’ Bu Eunseol thought, a faint smile on his lips as he watched the endless stream of visiting demonic masters. Though their chatter seemed chaotic, it was infused with their life’s experiences and insights.
Bu Eunseol was indirectly absorbing the wisdom they had gained over a lifetime.
‘But I haven’t heard the most important thing,’ he thought.
The Phantom Demon, Hyeok Gongbaek.
He had earned his title through his fantastical yet overwhelming martial arts. Bu Eunseol longed to experience, even indirectly, the techniques of this great demonic master. But even the most formidable masters here had never sparred with Hyeok Gongbaek or witnessed his techniques.
“You don’t eat much, do you?” remarked the Red Mountain Hidden Demon and the One Cloud Ghost Demon, chuckling as they entered the hut while the Heavenly Roar Blood Hand went to fetch his fan.
“What do you even eat?” they asked.
“Chestnuts and pine nuts from the mountain,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“You eat raw food?”
“Eating is a hassle,” he said.
The Red Mountain Hidden Demon clicked his tongue. “Tch, tch. No appetite, huh? Eating like that at your age is no good.” Then, as if struck by an idea, he clapped his hands. “Nothing sparks an appetite like liquor. I’ve got some good stuff—want a drink?”
“Liquor?” Bu Eunseol asked.
The Red Mountain Hidden Demon’s jaw dropped again as Bu Eunseol responded to something other than martial arts. “Hahaha! What do old men like us do when we gather? Pick fruit and brew liquor, that’s what.”
He hurriedly returned from his place with a jar wafting a rich aroma of alcohol.
Bu Eunseol went inside and came back out, holding a paper parcel. “What’s that?” the elder asked.
“Jerky from the Blue Horse Ghost Sword elder. It’ll make good drinking food,” Bu Eunseol said.
‘Getting jerky from this stoic guy!’ The Red Mountain Hidden Demon and One Cloud Ghost Demon exchanged looks and burst into wide grins.
They now had something to boast about to the other masters of Peach Blossom Paradise.
***
Mountain and River Retreat
The residence of Hyeok Gongbaek, the Phantom Demon, leader of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
A steaming teacup sat on the table. Bu Eunseol, looking at it, felt a slight tension. ‘He’s not going to ask me what it tastes like, is he?’ As Bu Eunseol entertained such stray thoughts, the door opened, and an elderly man with neatly groomed white whiskers entered.
It was Hyeok Gongbaek, the Phantom Demon, leader of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
“Impressive,” Hyeok Gongbaek said, sitting down and smiling at Bu Eunseol. “Winning over all the masters here without spending a single coin. Heh heh heh.” His kindly demeanor and hearty laugh briefly reminded Bu Eunseol of his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang, who had always cherished him.
“I heard you were a mortician before becoming a Ten Demon Warrior. Is that true?” Hyeok Gongbaek asked.
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol confirmed.
“That explains your ingenious idea,” Hyeok Gongbaek said, letting out a deep sigh. “Truth be told, the people here shouldn’t be treated this way.”
Taking a sip of tea, he continued, “Those here are heroes who made Majeon and the demonic path what they are. Yet, because they’re old and frail, they’re treated as relics and left to stay here.”
They had all fought fiercely for the demonic cause.
Though injuries left their bodies impaired or their inner energy diminished, surviving those battles alone deserved respect.
Clink.
Setting down his teacup, Hyeok Gongbaek said, “Yet Majeon ignores them until it’s time to choose a successor, then suddenly pays attention.”
“…”
“Knowing this, the people here naturally resent any successor candidate.”
“I’m sorry,” Bu Eunseol said, feeling a pang of guilt.
He, too, was just another candidate seeking Heaven and Earth Severing Sect’s support.
“No need for you to apologize. This is a systemic flaw created by those above,” Hyeok Gongbaek said with a sigh. “What demonic sect honors the old and frail? If you look at it another way, it’s only because of Majeon’s coalition that this place even exists.”
“They’re far too strong to be called old and frail,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Of course, to you, they may seem like formidable masters who’ve reached the Extreme Demon realm. But to top-tier experts, they’re just injured demonic masters,” Hyeok Gongbaek said with a bitter smile. “From their perspective, their inner energy has drastically diminished due to injuries, and their bodies are no longer what they were. They should be in Majeon’s Elder Council if they were whole, but since they’re not, they stay here, burdened with self-reproach.”
Hyeok Gongbaek shook his head. “Do you know why I’m telling you this?” Without waiting for a response, he continued, “If you truly aim to become Majeon’s successor, you need to understand this place’s reality.”
Clearing his bitter smile, he said with a grin, “Regardless, you’ve directly tackled and resolved the greatest fear and pain of the masters here. They trust you’ll honor the dead, so they can live with greater peace of mind.”
With a kind smile, he nodded. “For that, I sincerely thank you.”
“Thank you,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Now, since you’ve fulfilled the first condition, I’ll tell you the second,” Hyeok Gongbaek said, his expression turning solemn and serious as he looked at Bu Eunseol. “Awaken my grandson.”
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