I thought it was fortunate that the traitor was the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
What if one of the other Demon Venerables had been the traitor? Even if he were living a different life in this one, I would not have been able to look at him with an easy heart.
Now I could infer one fact.
The Murim Alliance had Baek Cheongyeong, and our cult had the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, so there must be someone plotting in the Unorthodox Alliance as well.
If anything, I felt hope. Until now, Hwa Mugi had felt like a natural disaster. An absolute existence that no human could stop. But now I knew those events were the result of meticulous preparations made over long years.
Cheongseon’s eyes returned completely to normal.
Having come back to her senses, she found Sa Ujong’s corpse before her and let out a sigh.
Then, seeing that I was there, she flinched in surprise.
“Young Cult Leader?”
Soon she began to reproach herself. She merely did not know she had fallen under the soul-capturing art; in every other respect, she was normal. She clearly remembered being unable to restrain herself and using the soul-capturing art on Sa Ujong.
“I fell for his provocation.”
As if she had not meant to kill him like this, Cheongseon looked down at the corpse with complicated eyes. Though brief, they had once shared a bed, and now it had ended in such ruin.
“I have no face to show you, Young Cult Leader.”
Her voice trembled slightly. She seemed terribly sorry and ashamed that, after saying she would leave it to me, she had ended up killing Sa Ujong.
“I truly can’t understand it. That man acted as if he wanted to die by my hand. He was like that last time too, but today he seemed completely determined.”
Since what was done was done, I consoled her.
“It seems he wanted to die at the hands of a Demon Venerable. If he was determined to die and provoked you, there was nothing to be done.”
“No. No matter what he said, I should have endured it better.”
She was genuinely regretting it. Yes, if she was to live as a Demon Venerable from now on, she needed to be able to control her emotions in the face of any provocation. This incident would be a great lesson for her.
“He was someone who deserved to die. However, Sa Ujong was a martial artist belonging to the Northern Heaven Sword Clan, so this incident cannot simply be buried as it is.”
Worry flashed across Cheongseon’s face. If this matter came to light, she would become the subject of gossip.
“Demon Venerable.”
“Yes, Young Cult Leader.”
“Can you trust me to the very end?”
Cheongseon’s eyes trembled faintly. There is nothing that gives a person greater strength than having someone to rely on when they are driven into a corner. She nodded.
“Leave what comes next to me, and return for now. I will have the Yellow Springs Pavilion handle the corpse.”
Cheongseon, who had been about to turn away, asked me,
“But how did you know to come here?”
I could not tell her about Hwanyeo.
“I was secretly inspecting Sa Ujong. When I received a report that he had gone to meet the Demon Venerable, I came to see what on earth he intended by meeting you.”
“I see. I am ashamed to say this, but I will entrust the aftermath to you, Young Cult Leader.”
Cheongseon cupped her fist respectfully, then left.
Left alone, I looked down at Sa Ujong’s corpse. He had said he knew the weakness of the One Flower Sword Venerable, but that secret had been buried forever with his death.
Hwanyeo.
As expected, her nature was no different from before my regression. She had used him thoroughly, then disposed of him.
If Hwanyeo is in the flower garden, where is Hwanwang? Is he somewhere nearby? Or elsewhere?
* * *
After leaving the reception hall, I returned straight to the Yellow Springs Pavilion.
Because I had suddenly rushed out in the middle of our conversation, Seo Daeryong was wondering what had happened. If Seo Daeryong had not brought up the story of the flowerpot, I would not have thought of Hwanyeo.
“Sa Ujong is dead.”
Seo Daeryong was startled. He had just reported on the contents of his surveillance of him, so hearing that the man had died in that short span would naturally shock him.
“As expected! Whenever you rush out, Young Cult Leader, wicked men inevitably die.”
At his half-joking, half-serious words, I shook my head.
“It wasn’t me this time.”
“Then who killed him?”
“The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.”
Seo Daeryong asked in surprise,
“What on earth happened?”
I told Seo Daeryong only that the one behind this incident was the owner of the flower garden.
“That woman used Sa Ujong to cast the soul-capturing art on the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.”
“Is that possible? Ah, of course the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable is still young.”
“Even so, it is no easy feat. That is how formidable our opponents are.”
Seo Daeryong’s expression grew grave. This was a conspiracy aimed at none other than a Demon Venerable.
“Do you know who the woman in the flower garden is?”
Even to Seo Daeryong, I could not reveal that her identity was Hwanyeo, so I shook my head.
“Stop the special inspection and put the flower garden under surveillance. Quietly, using skilled people. They are people who plot against Demon Venerables. Have them watch only the larger movements from afar. And send the enforcement martial artists to retrieve Sa Ujong’s corpse.”
“Understood.”
I could not predict how Hwanyeo would act. Since she had cast the soul-capturing art, I did not know whether she would leave this place for now, or remain nearby continuously to manage the soul-capturing art placed on the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
“What do you intend to do now?”
This incident could not be resolved by me and the Yellow Springs Pavilion alone. The soul-capturing art merely did not work on me; I could not undo the soul-capturing art placed on someone else.
“I must send a message telling him to return at once.”
“To whom?”
“To the only person who can resolve this matter.”
He was the only person, but when he came, two people would come.
* * *
“I have lost.”
The old man admitted defeat. He was someone reputed to be skilled at go in the vicinity. About a month ago, a young man had come seeking instruction, so he had accepted payment for each game and taught him.
At first there had been such a gap in skill that they played handicap games, but each time they played, the young man improved, until before long he had defeated him. His skill had now risen to an unbelievable degree.
“How did your ability improve so quickly? Did you perhaps deceive me from the beginning?”
The person who had learned go from the old man was Gowol. He smiled, placed the lesson fee beside the go board, and rose from his seat.
“I have learned much from you.”
It was a final farewell, implying he would not come to learn anymore.
“Let us play just one more game!”
But the old man had already lost three games in a row.
“Please don’t be too upset. It is thanks to how well you taught me, elder.”
After bowing politely, Gowol left.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, who had been watching from the side, said a word to the old man.
“That’s right. That man was a go master from the start. He’s a sinister fellow beyond compare, so he deceived you from the very beginning. He wanted to trick you, elder, and show you him turning the tables.”
But the old man did not agree with him at all. The sparks of defeat flew toward the Pungcheon Cult Leader instead.
“You look more sinister to me.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader squatted down beside the old man.
“Now, now. Perhaps because you only play go, you lack an eye for people. I am a man who has never once in my life been called sinister.”
“You look so sinister to begin with that everyone must have been cautious around you. You likely never had the chance to be sinister.”
Having tried to tease Gowol for no reason and instead become the sinister one, the Pungcheon Cult Leader bristled.
“I am a martial arts master. You should not speak to me so carelessly.”
“I will be eighty-seven the day after tomorrow. What will you do about it?”
The two engaged in a fierce battle of glares. I am an old man who would not mind dying tomorrow—with that invincible momentum, the Pungcheon Cult Leader was pushed back.
Just then, from far away, Gowol called to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
Like a sulky child, the Pungcheon Cult Leader swept the stones on the go board into disarray.
“Must be nice to be old!”
He sprang lightly into the air and landed before Gowol, who stood by the distant front gate. From behind him came the old man’s shout: Tsk, you sinister bastard!
The two left the house.
“When one grows old, one fears nothing.”
“Do you think he acted that way because he wasn’t afraid? He realized that our cult leader is a kindhearted man. He read every move.”
“Why do people look down on you so much when you treat them well?”
“To be honest, you didn’t treat him well, did you? You just grumbled beside us every day, saying you were bored, hungry, asking when it would end.”
“What? Did you become close with the go teacher already? Did the two of you plot this?”
Gowol laughed and quickened his steps.
“Now let’s go to the next branch.”
“We’re going again? You’ve become a master at go now, so let’s return.”
Gowol had said he would not return until he became a go master, but in truth, that had been an excuse. He was pouring all his strength into making sure Silver Moon, the intelligence organization, functioned properly. He was traveling to each branch, inspecting and examining them. He was striving to ensure that, even without its leader, everything would operate systematically and smoothly on its own.
“Even if you do this, the Young Cult Leader won’t acknowledge it. He’ll only appear when he needs you and say, ‘Help me with this. Tell me about that! As expected of our Strategist Go!’ He’ll praise you only with words.”
As he said that, he looked back. Whenever he cursed him, Geom Mugeuk had appeared from behind, so he was looking back just in case.
“You aren’t hoping the Young Cult Leader comes, are you?”
“What are you talking about!”
At times, he missed Geom Mugeuk. So sometimes he cursed Geom Mugeuk even more, hoping Geom Mugeuk would appear from behind, saying, “You’re speaking ill of me again.”
“That heartless bastard has forgotten us. Do you know how much money we earn for him?”
Apart from the highest-grade information sent to Geom Mugeuk, they sold information deemed suitable for sale to martial artists. The profits gained from that were used to operate the organization.
The Heaven-Piercing Pavilion was directly operated by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but Silver Moon was different. It was impossible to run this vast organization, spread across the Central Plains like a spiderweb, on Geom Mugeuk’s money alone.
“The Second Young Master is greedy.”
“He is not greedy. When he came last time, he gave me a large sum of money. He even ordered me to use it personally.”
“If he put you through that much hardship, of course he should give you money. But what about me? Why did he give only you money?”
“You’re rich, Cult Leader.”
“What kind of logic is that? Is a rich man’s hardship not hardship?”
At that moment, Gowol said something unexpected.
“That hardship is something I should take care of.”
“Why you?”
“Because the hardship you voluntarily went through was for me, Cult Leader. Not for the Young Cult Leader.”
As he said that, Gowol took something from his robe and handed it to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
When the Pungcheon Cult Leader confirmed what it was, he was astonished. It was a house deed. Even more surprising was that the owner listed on it was the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“You wanted to have a house in the Central Plains, didn’t you? It’s your house, Cult Leader.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s hand holding the deed trembled.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader had wanted to own a house in the Central Plains. While drinking with Gowol, he would occasionally say that he wanted to buy a house. When he was the Pungcheon Cult Leader, his dream had grandly been to advance into the Central Plains, but even while freely roaming the Central Plains, securing a single small house was so difficult.
The moment he bought a house in the Central Plains, he felt as though he would truly settle there, leaving the lands beyond the border behind.
“I bought it with the money the Young Cult Leader gave me this time, plus the salary I have received until now.”
“Why are you buying this!”
Gowol answered calmly.
“I thought it would be good if you had a house, Cult Leader. It is my gift.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was inwardly moved. He had received countless gifts more precious than this until now, but never had one made him this happy.
“I have a lot of money.”
“I know. Enough to buy hundreds of houses like that.”
“Thousands, you mean!”
“But you didn’t buy even one, did you? Why not? When we traveled around the Central Plains, you could have bought one in each region.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader said nothing. Gowol was looking straight into his heart.
“Can I really buy this? That was what you thought. You were still the former Pungcheon Cult Leader, after all. You somehow felt sorry toward your juniors beyond the border.”
How had he known? He had certainly felt that way too.
“I’m not sorry! Why would I be sorry? I let them become cult leader and made sure everyone had their positions before I left.”
Then Gowol gave another reason.
“You must also have been conscious of the Young Cult Leader. ‘He said he was out helping the strategist, and now he is buying houses!’ You didn’t want to show him that side of you, did you?”
Of course, he had felt that way too. How could this man know his heart so well?
“Why would I care what the Second Young Master thinks! I’m buying it with my own money.”
“Then why didn’t you buy one?”
But more than those reasons, there was one decisive reason.
With an expression that seemed to say, Do you not understand my heart? the Pungcheon Cult Leader revealed the reason.
“It’s not as if I can live only for my own happiness, can I? If I buy a house, I should buy two close by so we can live as neighbors, right? I can’t just buy one because I like it, can I? I should discuss it with you first. You’ve been so busy working—how was I supposed to ask you to go house hunting? Why? You don’t like it? You don’t want to live next door to me?”
Their gazes tangled in midair.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader turned his eyes away and spat out,
“What kind of strategist are you, when you don’t even know the heart of the person beside you? Second Young Master, you chose the wrong man! You’d be better off bringing that Go teacher from earlier and making him your strategist! That old man who saw right through my sly thoughts would be a hundred times better.”
At that, Gowol took something else out from his robes.
“So I bought another house nearby. This one is in my name.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader stood there for a moment as if his soul had left his body. After staring blankly at Gowol for a long while, he suddenly asked,
“It’s smaller than my house, isn’t it?”
Gowol burst into loud laughter.
“I know our Cult Leader’s personality too well to do otherwise. I bought a smaller one for myself.”
“Then that’s fine.”
“Your house won’t even compare to the one you used to live in. Don’t be disappointed later when you see it and think the house is small.”
“I should be disappointed. I am the Pungcheon Cult Leader! I was the previous Pungcheon Cult Leader!”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader gazed toward the distant mountains. Looking at Gowol, he felt as though tears might fall. He was happy to receive the house, but the fact that Gowol had even bought his own house beside it made him ten times happier. That was the true gift.
‘Someday, I’ll build you the largest house in the Central Plains. I’ll build you one even bigger than the Second Young Master’s.’
That was what lay in the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s heart.
It was then. A subordinate came to them, delivered a letter, and left.
“Who is it from?”
“The Young Cult Leader.”
“This is why I can’t help cursing him. On such a good day, what work is he trying to make us do now, sending a letter and all? Tell him we can’t! Tell him we won’t!”
Gowol held the letter out to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“It says he needs your help, Cult Leader, not mine.”
In that instant, the Pungcheon Cult Leader flinched and opened his eyes wide.
“Me? Not you, but me? Are you sure? He really needs my help?”
“It says your help is urgently needed, and asks that you return quickly.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s shoulders soared toward the sky as he put on a pointless fit of sulking.
“What’s this? Now that there’s no sacred relic left for him to take, he’s going to work me instead?”
“Then should I send a message saying you can’t go?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke as if reluctantly giving in.
“Let’s return, and take a look at the newly bought houses while we’re at it!”
Following behind him as he strode off, Gowol said,
“The houses we bought are in the opposite direction from the road to the main headquarters.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader pretended not to hear and quickened his steps.
Gowol followed with a smile. At last, they were returning to the main headquarters. Having completed the mission of creating an intelligence organization without fail, it was a pleasant journey home.
In contrast to what had happened earlier at the Go teacher’s house, this time the Pungcheon Cult Leader was the one ahead, waving his hand and urging him on.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come!”