Absolute Regression-Chapter 333 : When an Old Desire is Revealed
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Chapter 333: When an Old Desire is Revealed
The Great Drunken Demon and the One-Slash Sword Supreme arrived at the Great Drunken Forest.
“Leave the liquor box here. I’ll carry it from now on.”
“You were cold enough to leave me behind when I tried to stop you before.”
“Well, we’ve got some good liquor now.”
Of course, that wasn’t the real reason. She was trying to console him because she could feel that Song Sa-Hyuk was feeling down. After all, he was her one and only friend.
So Yeonrang spoke to Lyu Bin, one of the Three Great Drunkards who had come to greet them.
“Drink with us today.”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“I want to drink, that’s why.”
At that, Lyu Bin looked over at Song Sa-Hyuk. He glanced once at the One-Slash Sword Supreme, then gave Lyu Bin a small nod.
“Then I’ll bring something to go with the drinks.”
So Yeonrang and the Great Drunken Demon went up to the Tower of Drunken Dreams first.
“Why are you doing something so out of character?”
As he asked the question, Song Sa-Hyuk came up with the answer himself.
He had quietly worked behind the scenes to help the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One-Slash Sword Supreme reconcile. Thanks to that, the long-standing conflict between the two had largely been resolved.
And yet, even though So Yeonrang didn’t know that, she was now trying to connect Lyu Bin with him. Was this what they meant when they said life comes full circle? 1
“I got tired of doing the same thing all the time.”
When the One-Slash Sword Supreme extended her hand, a bottle of liquor rose from the box they brought and flew straight to the pavilion where she sat.
“Golden hands, huh? Out of all that liquor, you picked the rarest and most expensive one in a single try. Then again, with your hands, of course it would be the most precious.”
In the past, a comment like that might have made her bristle a little.
But now, it didn’t stir any anger. She was doing her best these days.
Yes—right now, her hands were indeed precious hands.
So Yeonrang poured a drink for Lyu Bin, who had returned with side dishes.
Lyu Bin accepted the drink politely and emptied her cup. The One-Slash Sword Supreme noticed her hand tremble with tension as she raised the glass.
“Have another.”
She poured her a second, then a third.
After downing three cups in a row, Lyu Bin’s hands no longer trembled.
“It feels like you came to the Great Drunken Forest just yesterday… and yet, time has flown by like this.”
“Do you really remember that time?”
So Yeonrang nodded. She remembered because there were so few women among the Drunkards. Of course, that didn’t mean Lyu Bin held any deep meaning in her life. It was just that, recently, as she underwent a shift in perspective, Lyu Bin had started to come into view.
When your life changes, so does your martial art.
It was the opposite of Geom Mugeuk’s idiom. It wasn’t that her martial art changed first, but rather her heart toward it did—and so, her life began to shift in consequence. In that way, life and martial arts were like two sides of the same coin, constantly influencing each other.
“Back then, you were young, I was fairly youthful, and your Demon Supreme was incredibly dashing.”
The Great Drunken Demon laughed soundlessly. On a normal day, he would’ve cracked jokes about how he looked even better now, asking how youthful flair could ever compare to the charm of a middle-aged man. But today, he was calm.
The three of them drank together. The One-Slash Sword Supreme didn’t try to bring Song Sa-Hyuk into the conversation. She simply let him drink on his own, while she chatted with Lyu Bin. She asked this and that, but true to her seasoned nature, she avoided any topic that might make Lyu Bin uncomfortable.
Except for this one.
“Don’t you want to get married?”
The Great Drunken Demon shot the One-Slash Sword Supreme a look, as if to say, What kind of pointless question is that? But she ignored his gaze and waited for Lyu Bin’s response.
“No, I don’t think about that.”
“Why not?”
“What kind of man would want a wife who drinks every day like this?”
“Then just meet someone who likes drinking too. Aren’t there plenty of men in the Great Drunken Forest?”
Lyu Bin only smiled.
“What about your Demon Supreme?”
At that, Song Sa-Hyuk cut in.
“You’re talking nonsense! Are you drunk?”
So Yeonrang said to him,
“Yes, I’m drunk. You drink way more than me—why don’t you ever get drunk? You’re the Great Drunken Demon, so you should be drunk!”
Their gazes locked midair.
And then the One-Slash Sword Supreme said what she had decided to say all along.
“Do you know why you’ve been so irritable and moody lately?”
Song Sa-Hyuk flared up. Irritable? You’re going to say that in front of my subordinate? 2
But So Yeonrang continued without stopping.
“It’s because you’re holding it in. You hold it in because you’re older now, because you’re the Demon Supreme. That damned age, that damned dignity. Listen, my friend. The older you get, the more you need to know how to express your desires—with class. That’s the only way to stop getting angry, to stop sulking all the time.” 3
He didn’t ask any more about it and picked out a few books for me.
“When you finish them, come borrow more.”
“I’ll drop by again.”
With the books the Blade Demon had lent me tucked under my arm, I returned to my quarters.
Jeokyeon was waiting for me and held out a bottle of liquor.
“What’s this?”
“A gift.”
“A gift?”
“While you bought the gift for the Great Drunken Demon, we pooled money and bought a bottle too.”
It turned out some of the liquor I had gifted Song Sa-Hyuk was among the more expensive bottles. When I bought that one, it seemed my escorts had secretly purchased a bottle of their own on the side.
“Where’d you all even get the money?”
“You may not realize it, but we happen to be the escorts of none other than the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. We get paid handsomely”, Jeokyeon’s joked self-deprecatingly. No doubt, it must’ve felt less like they were protecting me, and more like they were the ones being protected.
“Thanks for the gift. I’ll savor it slowly.”
“Then we’ll take our leave.”
With that, Jeokyeon withdrew, and I washed up and changed into fresh clothes.
Instead of turning off the lights and lying down on my bed, I picked up a book and the liquor bottle.
Click.
Using the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, I opened a space of my own.
A clear ocean, a beach of white sand, a blue sky, and broad-leaved trees—with a comfortable chair beneath them.
“I missed you guys!”
I flopped onto the cozy chair.
“Ah… this is perfect.”
This feeling of bliss here! The former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader often warned that those who learned Illusion Art should be cautious not to get lost in their own world—but this place was something I could never give up.
Looking back on my life, the most important and necessary thing as I got older had been this: a space of my own, and time of my own.
At the very least, in this place, I could forget the whole world and quietly enjoy my own rest.
Today, I added one more thing to this sanctuary.
A small chair appeared beside mine.
On top of it, I placed the Secret Box.
“What do you think? You like it?”
The Secret Box was beaming from ear to ear. 11
Reclining in the chair, I slowly sipped liquor and read the book. The only sounds were the breeze, the cries of seagulls, and the fluttering of turning pages. Even if someone offered me all of the martial world, I wouldn’t trade it for this moment.
Thus passed my first day back at the cult—busier after returning than when I had left.
1 : The beauty of Karma ^^
2 : Lol, that’s just more proof that you’re grumpy XDXDXD
3 : Release yourself from the trappings of society !!! You’re a drunkard, so do as you like !!! Laugh, cry !!! Live !!!!
4 : Yup, that’s definitely in the Epic Fail category XDXDXD
5 : Get out of the friend zone. It will slowly suffocate all of your positive feelings.
6 : Men are useless when it comes to taking initiative anyways !!! Let go of your inhibitions and throw all your feelings at his face full power !!! At worst you’ll get rejected and be able to let go of that burden. At best…. ^^
7 : Taciturn and discreet, but warm. Classic Fist Demon King ^^
8 : That really shows how abnormal their situation is. Normally, all siblings wish the reverse ^^ Playfully yes, but still XDXDXD
9 : Thanks, Heavenly Time Secret Art !!!
10 : True, that’s kinda its founding principle.
11: Wilson sure is happy to return to the island ^^ So many memories….
