Geom Mugeuk and the escorts of the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency were waiting in Cheongsu Forest. Dressed in an escort’s uniform, Geom Mugeuk looked like a young, newly recruited escort.
―He still hasn’t come, even though the appointed time has passed.
Geom Mugeuk answered Hwang Won’s telepathic message. Hwang Won was acting as temporary chief of the agency.
―Give the order to turn back immediately.
―Shouldn’t we wait a little longer?
―No. Give the order at once.
Hwang Won followed Geom Mugeuk’s advice.
“We’re turning back.”
At his command, the escorts turned the carts around.
Just as they were about to leave Cheongsu Forest, a man stepped in front of the escort convoy.
The man had pulled down a bamboo hat to conceal his face. He was Black Serpent Corps’ Black Thirteen.
“Where is Chief Escort Gong?”
He had been hiding and watching until he saw them turn back, then revealed himself.
Hwang Won answered Black Thirteen’s question.
“Chief Escort Gong is dead.”
Geom Mugeuk had told him in advance: if the contact asked, answer truthfully that he was dead.
“Dead? Why did he die?”
“He was killed by those demonic cult bastards.”
They were telling him the truth in case he had somehow heard a report about what had happened.
“I don’t know the details myself. All I know is that he got mixed up with the demonic cult and was beaten to death.”
Black Thirteen was not particularly surprised. Gong Chan, whom he had met before, did not seem like the type to live a long life. He had been arrogant despite not knowing his place, and his eyes had a way of irritating people.
“The chief sent me in his place as the person in charge.”
Black Thirteen looked at the escorts behind Hwang Won. Apart from the young escort who looked like a new recruit, they were all people he had seen last time.
“Hand over the cargo. You can confirm the details with the chief later.”
Hwang Won’s businesslike, rigid attitude was also something Geom Mugeuk had instructed him to adopt.
When Black Thirteen failed to respond, Geom Mugeuk quickly sent Hwang Won a telepathic message.
―Be more forceful.
Hwang Won hardened his expression and spoke the words Geom Mugeuk had given him.
“To be honest, I don’t like these secretive escort missions. I’m only doing this because it’s the chief’s order, even though I don’t want to. I’ll report everything exactly as it happened. That you refused to hand over the cargo.”
Hwang Won turned away and said to the escorts,
“We’re leaving.”
They had nothing to lose. That was the heart of their plan.
After glaring at Hwang Won’s back for a moment, Black Thirteen let go of his suspicions.
“Wait. Follow me.”
Following him, they arrived at a secluded spot in the forest, where a cart loaded with luggage and more than ten Black Serpent Corps warriors were waiting. They had not concealed their faces, and the pitch-black snake-head tattoos carved into their foreheads looked truly menacing.
The instant he saw the boxes, Geom Mugeuk released his qi and examined them for signs of life. They could have been a trap.
Fortunately, he sensed breathing. It was an exceedingly faint breath—children!
When Geom Mugeuk nodded, Hwang Won gave the order.
“Move them quickly.”
The escorts began transferring the boxes to their own carts.
Hwang Won asked Black Thirteen,
“Where should we take them?”
“I already told you the destination, didn’t I?”
When the conversation reached this point, Geom Mugeuk had given Hwang Won the following response:
“Do you really think that tight-lipped Chief Escort Gong would have told us before he died?”
When Hwang Won had asked whether it was all right to be that confrontational, Geom Mugeuk had said it was a trick meant to make them look at the finger instead of the moon.
As expected, the Black Serpent Corps focused on Hwang Won’s attitude. One of the swordsmen stepped forward and warned him.
“You! Watch your mouth.”
Black Thirteen stopped his subordinate, then said to Hwang Won,
“Deliver the cargo to the Flowing Sword Sect by midnight the day after tomorrow. If you’re even a quarter-hour late, I’ll kill you with my own hands.”
It was at the very moment the destination was revealed.
Whoosh!
A flying dagger embedded itself in the neck of the swordsman who had issued the warning.
As he crumpled to the ground, warriors launched a surprise attack from every direction.
“It’s an ambush! Stop them!”
But the attacking warriors were overwhelmingly superior to the Black Serpent swordsmen.
Unable to properly counterattack, the swordsmen fell one after another.
Geom Mugeuk kept the escorts clustered together in a circle so they would not be drawn into the fight.
Black Thirteen hurled himself toward the forest behind them.
But with a thud, he went tumbling across the ground. His bamboo hat flew off, revealing his face. A pitch-black snake-head tattoo was also carved into his forehead. Now that he could see it clearly, the shape of the snake differed from those tattooed on his subordinates. Apparently, the snake’s appearance varied according to rank.
Someone walked out of the forest.
Amazingly, the man who had subdued Black Thirteen was none other than Jin Hagun, Commander of the Demon-Slaying Corps.
He sauntered over and sealed the acupoints at Black Thirteen’s throat and waist as the man clutched his abdomen in pain.
By then, all the other Black Serpent swordsmen had either been killed or subdued. The entire matter had been settled in the blink of an eye.
The Demon-Slaying Corps warriors surrounded the escorts and pointed their swords at them.
One of them ran over and opened a box. When he lifted away the silken cloth used as camouflage, a sleeping child was revealed inside.
“There’s a child here.”
“Is the child unharmed?”
“Yes. The child is asleep under the Breath-Hiding Technique.”
Jin Hagun joyfully opened another box himself. A child was sleeping inside that one as well.
Just then, another Demon-Slaying Corps warrior approached Jin Hagun and reported,
“These men are escorts from the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.”
Jin Hagun shouted in fury.
“Righteous-path escorts trading with the Black Serpent Corps?”
The Demon-Slaying Corps had come tracking the children, unaware that the people who had arrived for the exchange were from the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.
“Drop your weapons and kneel, all of you.”
Hwang Won’s heart sank.
The young cult master of the demonic cult was here with him at the place where the Black Serpent Corps were transporting children. Would the Demon-Slaying Corps warriors really believe their story?
The truth would eventually come to light. There had been too many witnesses to what happened at the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.
But if a fight broke out here, they might all be killed before they could even properly reveal the truth.
All those worries flashed through Hwang Won’s mind in that brief moment.
“Kill anyone who refuses to kneel!”
When the order came down, Hwang Won instructed the escorts to kneel for the time being and do as they were told.
Jin Hagun was holding one of the children. Then he noticed that the Demon-Slaying Corps warrior beside him was staring at someone. The other warriors were doing the same.
Jin Hagun turned around while still holding the child.
Everyone else was kneeling, but one young escort remained standing. He grinned at Jin Hagun and greeted him.
“Have you been well?”
The moment Jin Hagun realized that the man was Geom Mugeuk, his eyes widened.
“You!”
He was the man who appeared in his dreams—the irritating man who always seemed to be one step ahead of him, even there. Now he was dressed in an escort’s uniform and smiling at him.
“Why are you here?”
“I came to obtain children to use as materials for the ritual.”
Hwang Won, who was kneeling, was horrified at those words.
What if he actually believed him? Wait! Could that really have been the case? Had Geom Mugeuk deceived him and brought him here? That was right—the young cult master of the demonic cult would never have come to rescue children, would he?
Unaccustomed to Geom Mugeuk’s joking manner, Hwang Won even entertained such thoughts for a moment.
Fortunately, Jin Hagun was used to Geom Mugeuk’s jokes.
“Are you joking again the moment we meet?”
“It’s a long story. To cut to the conclusion, I came to rescue the children.”
“If I’d known this would happen, we wouldn’t have needed to come.”
Though he said it jokingly, it was high praise for Geom Mugeuk.
“Everyone, rise.”
At Jin Hagun’s words, the kneeling escorts stood up.
They were relieved, but at the same time astonished. They had known that the young cult master of the demonic cult was extraordinary, but they had not realized he was on such terms with the commander of the Demon-Slaying Corps.
“We obtained information that the Black Serpent Corps had been kidnapping and selling children, so we began an investigation. We finally found the evidence.”
“We discovered that they were selling the children, but what will you do about the buyers?”
“Of course, we won’t leave them alone either.”
Jin Hagun wanted to storm into the Flowing Sword Sect immediately and punish them for purchasing the children. But the Flowing Sword Sect was a sect belonging to the unorthodox path.
For that reason, they could not simply attack without clear evidence. If they made one wrong move and the matter escalated into a conflict with the Unorthodox Alliance, the consequences would be irreversible.
“From now on, we’ll investigate the Flowing Sword Sect in secret. If we find evidence that they purchased the kidnapped children, the main corps will not forgive them.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled at his firm resolve.
“That sounds like the Commander of the Demon-Slaying Corps.”
He was not being sarcastic. He truly meant it. Jin Hagun possessed a spirit unlike the one he had shown before.
“However, there’s a problem with your plan. If the children promised this time fail to arrive, they’ll realize that something has gone wrong and destroy all the evidence. They might pin everything on some expendable subordinate and cut off the tail.”
Jin Hagun agreed with him and asked for Geom Mugeuk’s opinion.
“Then what should we do?”
“Let us continue the escort mission.”
Jin Hagun, the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Corps, and the escorts all looked at Geom Mugeuk in astonishment.
“The children are asleep under the Breath-Hiding Technique, so we can’t force them awake. They’ll only awaken when the proper time comes. Let’s deliver the children and find evidence that the master of the Flowing Sword Sect was involved in this affair.”
“And if something happens to the children in the process?”
“If something happens despite you and me being there, wouldn’t that be a natural disaster?”
Jin Hagun fell into thought. If anyone else had made such a proposal, he would have rejected it. He had no intention of taking risks with the children’s lives.
But the person who would be accompanying him was Geom Mugeuk. He knew exactly what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was.
He did not deliberate for long. Unless they uprooted this matter properly, the children would continue to be kidnapped in other ways.
When Jin Hagun nodded, Geom Mugeuk shouted to the escorts,
“Let’s continue the escort mission.”
* * *
Hwang Won looked back.
He saw Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun sitting side by side on a cart. They were not two escorts sitting together, nor were they merely two powerful martial artists. They were the son of the Heavenly Demon and the grandson of the Martial Alliance Lord sitting beside each other.
It was a sight he would never witness again in his lifetime.
Hwang Won and the escorts were truly having an astonishing experience.
“How is the Alliance Lord?”
“He remains in good health.”
After a brief pause, Jin Hagun said,
“He sometimes speaks of you.”
“What does he say?”
“If you have to kill one person among the demonic cult, make sure it’s the young cult master.”
Geom Mugeuk laughed and took up the remark.
“He must have meant the opposite. If you have to spare one person among the demonic cult, make sure it’s the young cult master.”
“Think of it however you like.”
Through their conversation, Hwang Won and the escorts realized that what Geom Mugeuk had told U Sochu was true. He was undoubtedly well acquainted with the Martial Alliance Lord.
“What about Miss Jin?”
“She’s still as reckless as ever.”
Despite his words, Jin Haryeong had also changed since the past. She was no longer merely an immature young lady, but was growing into a central figure among the younger generation of the righteous path.
“But why did you come out alone?”
“I had to leave in a hurry, so I couldn’t notify anyone.”
Jin Hagun looked at Geom Mugeuk. He was not the type to lie, so he really must have come out alone.
“Looks like even your cult has given up on you.”
“Seems that way. So at least you should treat me warmly.”
Jin Hagun turned away with an incredulous expression.
But soon, he spoke in a calm voice.
“Since that day, I’ve been trying to look people straight in the eye.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled without a word. Jin Hagun understood. The true nature of a man named Geom Mugeuk could be seen when he was silent like this—when he looked up at the sky with those clear, deep eyes. One must not be deceived by his chatter.
The cart continued onward, rolling and rolling, until it arrived at the Flowing Sword Sect.
* * *
Late that night, the carts entered through the rear gate of the Flowing Sword Sect.
Manhong of the Flowing Sword Sect received the cargo.
“Move them carefully. Don’t stack them. Set them down separately.”
The escorts from the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency carried the boxes into the warehouse.
Once all the boxes had been moved, Manhong handed the escorts a heavy pouch filled with silver.
After the escorts left, Manhong opened the boxes to check the children.
Just then, someone entered the warehouse. It was none other than Taejo, master of the Flowing Sword Sect. He was an absolute master of the unorthodox path who had established his own school in the martial world through the Flowing Sword Technique.
“Did you really have to use righteous-path men?”
“It couldn’t be helped. They say the Demon-Slaying Corps is searching everyone connected to the Black Serpent Corps, right down to those who merely shared a drink with them.”
“Damn those unlucky bastards! How many children arrived this time?”
“Fifteen.”
“When will they wake up?”
“They’ll wake up in three shichen.”
“Call me when they do.”
Taejo was just about to leave the warehouse when—
A commotion sounded from outside. Just as the clash of weapons could be heard—
Bang!
The warehouse door was smashed open, and a group of martial artists entered. Leading them was none other than Jinhagun.
Jinhagun walked up to Taejo and calmly introduced himself.
“I am Jinhagun, Commander of the Demon Extermination Unit.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am honored to meet the renowned Commander of the Demon Extermination Unit.”
Though Taejo could guess why they had come, he remained composed.
“Even if you are a renowned figure, I wonder whether it is acceptable to barge into another sect’s grounds like this.”
“I apologize for that. The matter was urgent, and I had no choice.”
“What is the matter?”
“Recently, the Black Death Gang has been kidnapping children and selling them. Our unit has been monitoring and tracking their vile deeds, and we confirmed that a box containing children had been brought into the Yuggeom Sect.”
Jinhagun’s gaze turned toward the boxes.
“I believe those are the ones. May I inspect them?”
“If I said no, would you leave them alone?”
“If that were the case, I would not have come in here in the first place.”
At Jinhagun’s nod, two members of the Demon Extermination Unit opened the boxes. They confirmed that children were asleep inside.
“I know nothing about this.”
Even with the evidence right before him, Taejo denied everything without hesitation.
“I came here because I had something to discuss with one of my subordinates. What is the meaning of this?”
“I do not know either. I will call the person in charge of this place and find out.”
Just as Geom Mugeuk had said, he intended to pin the blame on a subordinate and slip away.
Then a voice came from behind.
“Isn’t that a lie?”
Taejo turned around in surprise. Someone rose from behind the boxes. It was Geom Mugeuk, who had been hiding there.
“There’s no point denying it. I heard everything.”
Of course, Taejo had no intention of meekly accepting that. He calmly challenged Jinhagun.
“I do not know what that young martial artist claims to have heard, but who would believe the words of a subordinate you planted?”
“He is not my subordinate.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I wish he were my subordinate, but he is someone no one in this world could possibly take as one.”
Unable to understand what he meant, Taejo looked back and forth between Jinhagun and Geom Mugeuk in puzzlement.
“Whether he is your subordinate or not makes no difference. Judging by his clothes, he appears to be a caravan escort, nothing more than a petty thief who sneaked into the warehouse. I cannot acknowledge someone like him as a witness.”
Both men appeared at ease. And the winner of this confrontation had been decided from the start.
Jinhagun spoke calmly.
“Unfortunately, you cannot refute him, nor can you easily insist on your own version of events. You cannot silence him by killing him, either. In fact, everyone except you will believe what he says…”
Jinhagun turned his head and looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk’s lips twitched impatiently, as if asking, *When will it be my turn to speak?*
“You have encountered a witness you should never have met.”
Absolute Regression
Chapter 340