Moonlight settled over the inner quarters of the Cheonma Divine Cult.
Hyeolcheon Doma had planted the Myeolcheon Daedo in the courtyard and was drinking while leaning against it. Nothing beat the pleasure of drinking while leaning against the Myeolcheon Daedo.
Just then, a welcome voice came from behind.
“You always had a book in your hand; why a cup of alcohol today?”
A smile formed at the corners of Hyeolcheon Doma’s lips as he drank.
Geommu Geuk sat down beside him. At first, they had always sat facing each other, but now sitting side by side was more comfortable.
“Give me a glass too.”
Geommu Geuk drank the alcohol Hyeolcheon Doma passed him.
“Kya, this is good.”
“Must be busy with your affairs?”
“No matter how busy, you have to see the people you want to see. You were bored without me, weren’t you?”
“If I’m bored, I read a book; if I’m still bored, I drink.”
“What about Master?”
“He’s training in the rear courtyard.”
Since he couldn’t go to the late-night training gathering, it seemed he was training alone. Come to think of it, Cheon Sohui must be training alone as well. Or rather, perhaps she was enjoying her freedom and playing around.
“What troubles you?”
How quick he was to notice.
“Are you reading the will of heaven?”
“An old man ought to have some perceptiveness. Why? Has the Orthodox Murim mobilized in full force to capture you? Are they spreading a heavenly net?”
“If only it were that simple; then it wouldn’t even be worth worrying over. I’d just run, Elder! One word would be enough.”
When his heart grew complicated, the person he found himself seeking was Hyeolcheon Doma. Not to find some answer, but simply because being with him like this put his mind at ease. And often, talking like this, he would find the answer too.
Hyeolcheon Doma poured him a drink and spoke.
“Don’t try too hard to do everything right.”
“Do I look like I am?”
Hyeolcheon Doma nodded. It seemed he had stiffened without realizing it. Since it was related to Hwamugi, he was truly being cautious.
“Later, when you die, do you think you’ll die thinking, ‘I should have done better then’? Absolutely not. ‘I should have seen that person one more time.’ ‘I should have said one more good word.’ That is life.”
The more he learned of Hyeolcheon Doma, the more unexpected sides he saw. When he first met him, could he have imagined this was the kind of person who would say such things? Of course, meeting him had changed him somewhat, but he thought the ability to say such things came from reading many books.
“Then I am doing well. I came to see you like this so I wouldn’t have regrets.”
Though inwardly pleased, Hyeolcheon Doma did not forget the line he always said.
“As if you think kindly of me. Masked rascal, drunkard, brawler, fight-maniac—that’s probably all you think of.”
Geommu Geuk laughed and looked up at the moon.
“You probably can’t see because it’s hidden behind this great blade, but you are always at the very foremost front, Elder.”
Hyeolcheon Doma also smiled and looked up at the moon with him.
“Elder, what do you think you would regret the most?”
His gaze deepened slightly. Was he recalling his youth, when things could have gone well with Ilhwa Geomjeon? Or was he thinking of another lingering attachment he could not speak of?
“I have neither regrets nor lingering attachments.”
A faint smile formed on Geommu Geuk’s lips. Yes, he wished for him to live a life without regrets. Not a life without regrets only in words, but truly a life without regrets.
“Today, I met Jin Hagun’s master.”
At Geommu Geuk’s words, Hyeolcheon Doma’s eyes grew sharp. He knew Baek Cheongyeong was the one who held the key to this matter.
“How was he?”
“He was no ordinary man. Both his mind and his martial arts.”
Hyeolcheon Doma nodded.
“If he weren’t, there would be no reason for us to have come this far.”
“No matter how we handle this, I believe we must be cautious.”
“It won’t be easy. Because even if you are cautious, your opponent may not be.”
“What do you mean?”
Then Hyeolcheon Doma said something unexpected.
“If they make you their enemy, they will inevitably grow anxious and afraid.”
“It feels good to hear praise from you after so long, Elder. Please praise me more! I won’t grow conceited, so don’t worry.”
“You ought to, a bit.”
Geommu Geuk laughed loudly, and Hyeolcheon Doma laughed along.
The two of them drank.
He wished they could simply drink in such good spirits, but Geommu Geuk had come today for a reason.
Geommu Geuk took something from his bosom.
“Have you seen this before?”
It was a doll he had taken from Baek Cheongyeong’s workshop.
Hyeolcheon Doma shook his head.
“An unpleasant-looking fellow.”
Its body was perfectly carved, yet its face was empty, making it look all the more so.
“Do you know of the Mokhyeong Cheonhonsul?”
At the words Mokhyeong Cheonhonsul, Hyeolcheon Doma was startled. His gaze immediately turned to the wooden doll.
“Surely this doll is used for that martial art?”
As expected, Hyeolcheon Doma knew of the Mokhyeong Cheonhonsul. He possessed outstanding knowledge and insight into the various sects and martial arts of the Murim.
“That man Baek Cheongyeong was practicing it. He carved this doll as well.”
“Impossible!”
There was a reason for Hyeolcheon Doma’s shock.
“The Mokhyeong Cheonhonsul was a martial art of a mysterious sect called the Mokcheon Family. But the Mokcheon Family was already destroyed; you’re saying someone who learned that art is alive?”
“Destroyed?”
Geommu Geuk knew of the Mokhyeong Cheonhonsul, but he had not known their family had been destroyed.
“They were destroyed over ten years ago.”
“How were they destroyed?”
Hyeolcheon Doma shook his head.
“Almost nothing is known about it. True to their nature as a mysterious sect, their end was shrouded in secrecy.”
Baek Cheongyeong is a descendant of the destroyed Mokcheon Family? It was a moment when an unexpected fact was revealed.
“The master of the Murim Alliance Leader’s grandson is a descendant of the destroyed Mokcheon Family? This is certainly no ordinary matter.”
“Jin Hagun knows nothing of this. I suspect the Murim Alliance Leader does not know either.”
“I’ve heard that the Mokcheon Family’s secret arts are as secretive as the breath of a forest. If they deliberately hid it, it might have been impossible to know. But how did you find out?”
“The Guhwamagong reacted. It seems the martial roots of the Mokhyeong Cheonhonsul stem from demonic arts.”
It was the Guhwamagong, the absolute demonic art that superseded all demonic arts, standing at the apex of demonic arts.
A descendant of a destroyed mysterious sect has infiltrated the Murim Alliance? Not just any ordinary status, but the master of the Alliance Leader’s grandson, and even Hwamugi behind him to boot?
“What must be done? Give me an answer, Elder!”
No matter how much he feigned distress, Hyeolcheon Doma had no answer to give.
“I don’t know. I’ve lived a life killing everyone without thinking of the consequences.”
Hyeolcheon Doma tilted his cup and added.
“That is why for the inferior, killing is difficult, and for the superior, keeping alive is difficult.”
* * *
At the same time, Jin Haryeong was meeting with Jin Hagun.
“What happened?”
At his younger sister’s question, Jin Hagun hesitated in answering for a moment. The words that his master did not regard him as a disciple did not come out easily. So he only conveyed part of what Geommu Geuk had said.
“He said it’s the first meeting, so he doesn’t know yet.”
Jin Haryeong simultaneously sensed two emotions from her older brother’s expression: anger and hope. She could infer who each target was.
“Brother.”
“What?”
She wanted to tell him that she believed in him. Therefore, to believe in himself. But she knew Jin Hagun’s personality. In this situation, such words would only hurt his pride and be counterproductive.
“As expected, a martial artist is a martial artist.”
“What do you mean?”
“When a crisis comes, your eyes sparkle.”
Jin Hagun smiled bitterly. It was his younger sister’s eyes that were sparkling. Because even without looking in a mirror, he knew what his own eyes looked like.
“But don’t try to shoulder that crisis too much alone. ‘Doing it alone is cool’—I think that’s just bravado.”
The little brat who used to cry and beg to be carried everywhere had already grown so much and was now comforting him.
“If by any chance you’re struggling, couldn’t it be because your faith is half-hearted?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re going to trust Geommu Geuk, you have to trust him completely, but you can’t. Why don’t you just trust him outright? You asked for his help because you trust him anyway, didn’t you?”
“What if I end up losing everything?”
“If you’re going to lose everything anyway, wouldn’t you lose it even if you didn’t trust him?”
“!”
“When I look at that man Geommu Geuk, I’ve never once felt the door was closed. Because it was wide open, it actually felt like one couldn’t enter carelessly. If the other side can open it anyway, wouldn’t it be better to remove the clumsy lock? Ah, I’m talking too much. Then rest.”
As she was about to leave, Jin Hagun spoke.
“Thank you.”
Jin Haryeong felt that her brother was growing. He didn’t flare up, nor was his pride hurt. If it were the past… though at that time, this wouldn’t have been the atmosphere for such words anyway.
Jin Haryeong pretended to hold a ball to her chest, just as Jin Hagun had done when comparing himself to Geommu Geuk before—no, one much larger than that.
“To me, Brother is this big of a person!”
* * *
The next day, I went to find Baek Cheongyeong.
He didn’t seem surprised at all, as if he had expected my visit.
“The Young Cult Lord is quite free.”
Now that I knew he was a descendant of the destroyed Mokcheon Family, he felt different from when I had seen him yesterday.
Baek Cheongyeong, what are you doing here?
Even the same question felt different. And I would not hear the answer to this question from him.
After leaving Hyeolcheon Doma’s quarters last night, I had immediately sent an urgent message to Go Wol. It was a message to cooperate with the Tongcheongak and find out all information related to the Mokcheon Family and send it. I would hear the answer from Go Wol.
“Unless a war broke out with your lot, what would the Young Cult Lord have to be busy with?”
“Do you have time to see me? Shouldn’t you be busy meeting Haryeong?”
“Jin Daeju is furiously blocking it. He says before Master’s permission is granted, you absolutely cannot meet your younger sister. He says the moment you contact her, war will break out.”
“So you’re afraid war will break out while the Young Cult Lord of the Demonic Cult strides through the Murim Alliance.”
“It wasn’t that I feared such an obvious threat. As a fellow man, I understand Jin Daeju trying to protect his younger sister.”
“Even so, this isn’t right. The invitation was clearly extended by his own younger sister.”
Baek Cheongyeong pretended not to hear and sat down, beginning to carve wood. Since I arrived, he had only shown me the sight of him carving wood. But now I knew. How terrifying this moment was. Because every time we met, he was creating subordinates.
He asked while carving the wood.
“If I tell you not to meet her, will you go back?”
I strolled around the workshop nonchalantly and asked back.
“Would I?”
I didn’t think so. He would try to use me in whatever way benefited him.
“Naturally. I must accept my disciple’s will.”
“You must cherish your disciple greatly.”
Baek Cheongyeong neither affirmed nor denied it. What did he truly think of Jin Hagun deep in his heart? Was he planning to use him to the fullest and then discard him? Or did he have genuine feelings of considering him a disciple?
“I won’t back down until you let me meet her. I’m someone who does what he says he will.”
As he spoke, he lifted the cloth covering the display stand. The dolls’ positions had changed again from yesterday. All the dolls stood in a battle formation, having drawn a circle to surround someone. They were wielding weapons and attacking—clearly attempting to strike an opponent. But at the very center, there was no doll at all.
“Whose place is this?”
“That depends on how you turn out. It could be yours, or it could be Hagun’s.”
“Why are you excluding yourself?”
Baek Cheongyeong raised his head and looked straight at me.
“Didn’t you say so yesterday? That you didn’t come to kill me.”
“That’s right. I did.”
“Then it is most likely yours.”
I took a doll from my bosom. It was the faceless doll I had taken yesterday.
“Or perhaps it could be this person’s.”
He didn’t mention it separately, perhaps because he already knew I had taken it.
“I’d like to try carving this doll’s face.”
But at these words, he reacted immediately. Baek Cheongyeong looked at me and asked.
“Who will you carve?”
“Since the one who made this is you, you should know who it is.”
Our gazes tangled in midair.
“He can become anyone.”
“Would you teach me how to carve? I’ll try finishing it.”
As if it wasn’t worth answering, he began whittling the wood again.
Scrape, scrape.
I put the faceless doll back inside my robe.
Then I took another carving knife and a piece of wood from the workbench and copied what he was doing.
“This carving knife is still a knife in the end, isn’t it? I’m someone with a fair bit of expertise when it comes to blades.”
I roughly made it by following what he did.
Would he be able to move the one I made too? He probably could, right? This was ultimately made of wood as well. Or perhaps, since he hadn’t made it himself, it might not move according to his commands.
“This is harder than it looks.”
I spent quite some time carving the doll like that. Once I had roughly made the shape of a person, I showed it to him.
“What do you think? It looks fairly convincing, doesn’t it?”
Baek Cheongyeong seemed utterly unable to understand me.
“What is your true purpose?”
“To win Miss Jin’s heart.”
He was half in doubt. If he tried to believe me, it would be unbelievable; if he did not, he would wonder why I was doing this.
“If you permit me to meet her, I will repay you.”
“Repay me?”
“If something comes, should something not go in return?”
“I would not accept anything from a man of the Demonic Path, not even for a thousand gold.”
“What if I gave you something more important than a thousand gold?”
Curiosity flickered across Baek Cheongyeong’s face.
“For instance, the Cheonhwa Sect?”
Surprise passed over Baek Cheongyeong’s eyes, as if he had not expected those words.
“I know that you brought the Cheonhwa Sect Leader and Unit Leader Jin together. Why did you act for the Cheonhwa Sect Leader?”
I mentioned the Cheonhwa Sect at an unexpected moment and watched his reaction.
“I was merely trying to save the Cheonhwa Sect Leader’s son from your grasp.”
“You must have known that son was an evil man. Are you not of the orthodox faction?”
“Good and evil are relative concepts. To be honest, are you not the more evil one?”
“True. It does seem to be relative. I have the feeling that you are more evil than I am.”
A faint smile formed at the corner of his mouth. It seemed like a sneer of denial, and also like a smile of acknowledgment.
With that, Baek Cheongyeong’s gaze returned to the wooden doll he had been carving.
Scrape, scrape.
He was endlessly making subordinates. What did he intend to do with so many dolls? Just what was he planning to commit?
“I will come again tomorrow to learn.”
* * *
After Geom Mugeuk left the place, Baek Cheongyeong at length finished the doll he had been carving.
He looked down at it for a moment, toying with it, then rose from his seat and walked slowly toward the display stand.
“That doll can become anyone, and…….”
Baek Cheongyeong set the doll he had made down in the center of the encirclement, speaking in a tone as sunken as his gaze.
“Anyone can come here.”
The completed doll was a young woman.