Bi Sa-in was doing everything he could to recover his body as quickly as possible.
Circulating his qi, then circulating it again.
After completing several rounds of breathing and qi circulation, he rose from his seat. His entire body still ached and throbbed, but the frustration made it impossible to remain still.
When Bi Sa-in walked out into the yard, Geom Mugeuk was standing there, looking up at the sky.
Bi Sa-in stared for a moment at that back, which looked lonelier than anything, then approached him.
“What are you staring at so blankly?”
Geom Mugeuk turned to Bi Sa-in and smiled. Now, when he looked at him, he smiled so easily like that. He was always one step ahead. In making plans, in putting them into practice, and even in relationships between people.
Could he really smile as brightly as that smile? Could he completely shake off the suspicion that Geom Mugeuk had approached him only to use him? It was truly an endless repetition of believing and doubting.
“I’m trying to look at the sky, even if I have to force myself. When was the last time you looked at the sky?”
“It’s been a while.”
“Then come here and let’s look at it together.”
Bi Sa-in sat down beside Geom Mugeuk and looked up at the sky.
“Your aura feels like the sea, so why do you like the sky so much?”
“I like the sea, too. Next time, let’s go to the sea together. We can seduce the wandering heroines who came to play there.”
Just imagining Geom Mugeuk throwing flirtatious glances at women on the beach was enough to make him laugh. And how awkwardly would he himself be standing beside him?
“Is your body all right?”
“I’m much better now.”
“That’s a relief.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze, which had been on Bi Sa-in, turned back to the sky. Bi Sa-in also gazed at the clouds drifting quietly with Geom Mugeuk.
“What kind of person is the leader of the Sado Alliance?”
Geom Mugeuk did not know much about the Sado Alliance Leader. Before he could properly learn, everyone had died. The only information he had about the Murim Alliance Leader or the Sado Alliance Leader came from what had been recorded in history.
Bi Sa-in hesitated for a moment before letting out a light sigh.
He had been wondering what he should say, but he realized that he himself did not know his master very well either.
“It hasn’t been long since I started trying to look at Master properly, in detail, so I don’t know well either.”
At the honest answer, Geom Mugeuk nodded and said,
“To be honest, I’m the same. Even though I’m trying so hard to look at my father properly, if you asked me, I wouldn’t know how to answer either.”
“Is it difficult because they’re fathers and masters? Or is it simply always this difficult?”
“Wouldn’t it be both?”
The two looked at each other and smiled faintly. A smile now suited Bi Sa-in’s rough face quite well.
“Are you nervous about meeting the Alliance Leader?”
“I am.”
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you nervous.”
“Before, I was pretending to be strong. Now we’re friends, so I’m saying it honestly.”
Bi Sa-in also conveyed his honest feelings.
“I’m sorry for leaving it to you.”
No matter how much pain he was in, it was something he should have gone to do himself. Even if he had to be loaded onto a cart, he should have gone himself. Think about it. If he sent Geom Mugeuk in his place when he was alive and well like this, what would the Sado Alliance Leader think of him?
That was why he had considered insisting that he would go himself. He had also thought about asking to go together.
But his instincts stopped him. Just leave it to Geom Mugeuk. At decisive moments, do not put forth useless pride. Step in properly when it is time to step in, and withdraw decisively when it is time to withdraw.
Instead, he wanted to say this much.
“I’m receiving your help now, but someday there will be a time when I help you.”
“That’s why I asked you in advance, didn’t I? When that time comes, pull me along a little. The more you get used to me, the more you’ll realize I’m not such an extraordinary person. When that time comes, think of it like this. Let’s not allow familiarity to devour all sense of value. There is still old affection between us, so let’s not disregard it too much.”
Would that really happen? Geom Mugeuk seemed like someone who would keep surprising him until his hair turned white. So even when they were old, he felt he would still be saying this: Isn’t it about time you got tired? Please stop being so clever now. Stop surprising people so much.
Even if that were not the case.
‘The more familiar you become, the more I will respect you.’
Bi Sa-in was still not able to reveal all of his inner thoughts.
At that moment, a demonic practitioner from the safe house came and delivered a letter. It was a letter that had secretly arrived from the Sado Alliance.
“The Alliance Leader has sent word that he wants to meet separately.”
Illang had done it.
Bi Sa-in looked at Geom Mugeuk. Now his fate hung on this meeting.
“I’ll be back.”
When Geom Mugeuk rose, Bi Sa-in rose with him. He had been about to make a joke telling him not to get punished for acting impudent before the Alliance Leader, but he did not.
“Please explain things well to the Alliance Leader.”
And prove once again that my instincts were right, my friend.
* * *
Geom Mugeuk arrived at a windswept field.
In that place, open on all sides, Baek Jagang had arrived first and was waiting.
The moment he saw Geom Mugeuk walking toward him, Baek Jagang could tell.
‘He is definitely that man’s son.’
He had not revealed demonic energy, nor had he shown any particular aura, but Baek Jagang could tell. And most decisively.
‘They look alike.’
Geom Ujin’s figure overlapped with Geom Mugeuk’s, then separated again. He imagined the two of them walking side by side.
‘At least in looks, it’s a bumper crop.’
Compared to Geom Ujin’s cold and intense appearance, he was certainly handsome and pleasant to look at. Instead of that arrogant gaze that looked down on others, his clear and deep eyes also drew attention.
“I greet the Alliance Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk bowed politely in greeting.
Though he knew the other party was the Young Cult Leader, Baek Jagang pretended not to know.
“How am I supposed to believe that you are the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?”
He wanted to see how Geom Mugeuk would react.
Geom Mugeuk put on a deliberately startled expression.
“Would there be anyone in this world who would dare attempt fraud before the Sado Alliance Leader?”
“The Murim is a place where experts as numerous as grains of sand live, so there may well be someone like that. Is there any guarantee that you are not an assassin who came to kill me?”
“If I had the skill to succeed in assassination while under the Sado Alliance Leader’s suspicion, I wouldn’t be working as an assassin.”
Even at Geom Mugeuk’s answer, Baek Jagang’s expression did not change at all. In the end, Geom Mugeuk rubbed his own face once and shouted,
“Have you ever seen an assassin this handsome in your life?”
At that banter, Baek Jagang could not help but let out an incredulous laugh.
Since no one usually joked with him, he was rather weak to this kind of jest. If Geom Mugeuk had taken even that into account while speaking with him, then for his young age, he could be called quite clever.
“To be honest, I have never seen an assassin.”
“Of course not. What kind of fool would come to kill the Alliance Leader?”
Within his casual words, he included words that acknowledged and elevated the Sado Alliance Leader. As he did with the Demon Supremes, even if he did not openly flatter him, he tried his utmost to match his mood.
Baek Jagang’s first impression was strange. He was different from his father, and different from the Murim Alliance Leader Jin Paecheon as well. Was it because his eyes were small? It was hard to sense what he was thinking.
“If you speak with me for just a little while, you will think, Ah, this fellow really is the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. By the time we part, you will be reluctant to let me go and ask, Won’t you come with me to the alliance? After a few days, you will even tell me to try sitting in the Taishi chair.”
“You’re very confident.”
“If I didn’t at least have this reckless confidence, how could I dare face the Alliance Leader?”
From the start, Baek Jagang had been wary that Geom Mugeuk was someone who bewitched people. So he had been confident that he would not be shaken no matter what Geom Mugeuk said.
But at the very least, this kind of conversation was fresh. It had truly been a long time since someone had spoken so freely in front of him.
All the more so for someone who even said this.
“What do you think it would be like to have a son like me?”
“I would certainly dislike it.”
Baek Jagang answered firmly.
To be honest, I would too.
Geom Mugeuk agreed as well. Rather than disliking it, it would be closer to being burdensome. Looking at it that way, he thought that perhaps this Baek Jagang might have something in common with him.
Staring into the clear eyes looking at him, Baek Jagang asked,
“I hear you enjoy bewitching people.”
“I simply like people. That’s why I’m often suspected of being a flatterer.”
“Because I have never seen a demonic practitioner who likes people.”
“Then today, at last, you are seeing one.”
Baek Jagang stared intently at Geom Mugeuk. The rumors that he was good at detecting lies were not exaggerated. When someone lied, Baek Jagang felt it. Ah, this fellow is lying. Goosebumps would rise along his ears.
“Please watch me today. Judge whether I am bewitching people, or simply liking them.”
So far, he did not sense any lies from Geom Mugeuk. He was merely curious where this confidence came from. It was not easy to be this bold in front of him.
“Why did you ask to see me?”
“The reason I asked to see you today is to tell you the truth.”
“What truth? That the Deputy Strategist of our alliance, who is to sit in the position of Chief Strategist, is a traitor?”
“That’s right.”
“And not an evil, dark truth imbued with the schemes of the Demonic Cult?”
“The truth shines all the more when it is in an evil and dark place.”
Geom Mugeuk knew. For Baek Jagang, this would not be easy to acknowledge. The moment he acknowledged it, it would mean that he and the Sado Alliance had been played by those bastards.
“Where is Sa-in now?”
“He is treating his injuries at a safe house of our cult.”
The moment he said those words, Geom Mugeuk saw it. Irritation and worry flickered across Baek Jagang’s expression at the same time.
“How badly is he hurt?”
“He suffered serious injuries, but fortunately, they are wounds he can recover from.”
“Whose doing was it?”
“Have you not yet received a report on who was responsible? Well, if they are going to fabricate evidence, reporting as late as possible would be advantageous. The ones who ambushed the Young Alliance Leader were the Yeomcheon Twin Swords. The person who sent them was Hyeok Sagun.”
Geom Mugeuk observed Baek Jagang’s reaction.
Baek Jagang showed no emotional disturbance. It seemed he had not yet decided who the traitor was, or perhaps he was treating Geom Mugeuk’s words as lies altogether.
“And not someone you sent?”
“That was my first time meeting those people. Though it was also the last time I saw them.”
With those small eyes, Baek Jagang stared at Geom Mugeuk as if trying to pierce through him.
If he had to endure that gaze, he would have done so calmly, but Geom Mugeuk deliberately shifted his eyes slightly as if afraid. Taking one step back was courtesy toward the Sado Alliance Leader.
“Right now, he is being protected at our cult’s safe house by Goeak, one of the Seven Great Masters of the Sado. You need not worry. Ah, perhaps you may not trust Goeak, Alliance Leader.”
“At the very least, he is not someone who would harm Sa-in. Rather, it is you I cannot trust.”
“Do not think of me as a demonic practitioner. Think of me as your disciple’s friend. Please trust your disciple’s eye more than you trust me.”
“A friend, is it? I have never had one in my life, so I would not know.”
As expected, he was not easy to deal with. He seemed frank, yet it was not easy to know what was inside him.
“You will know by watching Hyeok Sagun’s next move.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am saying you should watch whom he frames for the crime. Hyeok Sagun will use this incident as an opportunity to eliminate a political enemy. He has probably already planted all the evidence as well. Please watch carefully whom he points to.”
Geom Mugeuk did not intend to turn his heart around immediately with this single meeting.
What always ruins matters is haste. The greater and more important the matter, the more people want to see results quickly, and that is what always ruins things.
They could part now and meet again after Hyeok Sagun dealt with his political enemy. He would meet him ten more times, and if necessary, a hundred more. This matter had to be handled with that kind of mindset.
“I will see you again then and speak further.”
“There is no need.”
“Pardon?”
“I understand well enough, so withdraw from the affairs of our alliance now.”
This was precisely the response Geom Mugeuk had feared and worried about most. Whether Baek Jagang believed him or not, he would try to make him withdraw.
“Return to the Demonic Cult.”
When Geom Mugeuk gave no answer, Baek Jagang released his aura. The baleful energy he emitted pressed down on Geom Mugeuk and surged toward him.
As if demanding an answer at once, his energy was so powerful that it made it impossible to breathe. The Heavenly Demon Protective Art activated on its own and protected Geom Mugeuk’s body.
Ordinarily, he would have said, I’ll go, I’ll go right away, while joking around and retreated for the time being. There was no need to reveal his skill unnecessarily.
But Geom Mugeuk endured. It was what his instincts told him to do.
‘I have to withstand this.’
Instead, he wore a relaxed expression, as if provoking Baek Jagang.
Baek Jagang’s baleful energy grew even stronger. The energy he emitted whirled around Geom Mugeuk. Rocks shattered and flew away from the force alone.
Baek Jagang’s momentum was truly powerful. If not for the cry of his instincts, it was a dangerous energy he should never have tried to endure.
Even so, Geom Mugeuk endured and endured again.
At the very moment Baek Jagang’s baleful energy reached its peak.
Geom Mugeuk’s expression brightened radiantly, and he shouted,
“I did it!”
At the same time, unable to hold out any longer, Geom Mugeuk was sent flying and rolled across the ground.
Only then did Baek Jagang withdraw his baleful energy.
As he approached, wondering just why this fellow had endured, Geom Mugeuk sprang to his feet and said,
“Thanks to you, Alliance Leader, I have achieved a breakthrough in my martial art.”
In the process of withstanding Baek Jagang’s baleful energy, the Heavenly Demon Protective Art had reached great completion. With his recent continuous training, it had been tickling and stimulating Geom Mugeuk, and today it had borne an unexpected result.
Geom Mugeuk had truly never dreamed that he would achieve great completion of the Heavenly Demon Protective Art through this meeting. The movement of great martial arts was truly impossible to predict.
Geom Mugeuk dropped to the ground and gave a deep bow.
At that sight, Baek Jagang flinched in surprise. He had never imagined that the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult would bow to him.
“Alliance Leader, you guessed why I was enduring and continued sending your energy until the end. I am truly grateful.”
Of course, that was not why he had pushed him to the end. He had pushed him because he wanted to know the extent of Geom Mugeuk’s martial skill. There had also been a bit of the thought, You dare endure against me?
“Why are you telling me that? You did not need to say it.”
“If I am to thank you, I must tell you. It is an achievement I gained thanks to you, Alliance Leader.”
From the start, he had met Geom Mugeuk with such deep wariness that he had not felt especially impressed. He spoke well, joked well, and was clever. That was all. How could one be bewitched by a brat like this?
And yet, he bowed without hesitation and expressed his gratitude like this?
Come to think of it, not once today had goosebumps risen along his ears.
“Your father would not be pleased if he learned of this.”
Baek Jagang imagined the displeased expression of that arrogant Heavenly Demon.
“If my father learned that you helped his son achieve progress in martial arts, he would have expressed his gratitude to you, Alliance Leader. He would have told me to bow ten times if I had to. My father is not someone who lets pride ruin a greater cause.”
A comparison with the Heavenly Demon. It was a provocation Baek Jagang absolutely could not avoid.
‘Look at this little brat.’
Absolute Regression, Chapter 362