Hwi turned the carriage around.
The carriage that had been trying to leave Zhongjing was now heading back toward the center of Zhongjing.
"Let us head to the safe house first."
His father did not say a single word on the way there.
Geom Mugeuk also remained silent. It was not a situation for jokes or idle chatter. He could clearly feel his father's fury.
His father was not one to show emotion toward enemies. It had been the same when facing the assassins earlier. Though he despised assassins, he had not shown such feelings particularly while dealing with the Slaughter King.
But this time was different. Had it merely been news of someone impersonating the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, his father would have suggested returning to the main cult immediately.
But the problem was the message left behind.
The Demonic Way Under Heaven.
They had uttered words that should never be spoken lightly. Moreover, these days his father must be contemplating many things between his own Demonic Path and his son's Demonic Path.
The place where the carriage arrived was a special location among Zhongjing's many safe houses. The safest of places, reachable only by passing through a hidden path and formations—it was the Cult Leader's private safe house.
Upon arrival, Geom Ujin went straight to his quarters.
Geom Mugeuk helped Hwi unload the luggage from the carriage.
"Please go inside. I will do this."
"No, I should carry my own things."
Geom Mugeuk, together with Hwi, moved his luggage and the artifacts brought from the treasury into the room.
He packed them away neatly, but continued wearing the Black Dragon armor and the Twin Wolves he had donned earlier.
He had defied his father's words to choose items for himself, instead taking several sets to give to others. Out of apology for that, he intended to continue wearing these until they returned to the main cult.
After unpacking in this manner, Geom Mugeuk went straight to his father's room.
In the meantime, a new report sent by the Tongcheon Pavilion had arrived. Geom Mugeuk read it, having already been checked by his father.
"It seems the Martial Alliance is considering casting a massive dragnet centered on Zhongjing."
Casting such a dragnet was no simple matter. Countless martial artists had to be mobilized, and it required enormous expense.
Furthermore, it was an act that would touch the nerves of the other two great powers. With so many troops and experts on the move, the fact that they were rushing to consider a dragnet meant—
"That they consider this matter to be of utmost importance."
At Geom Mugeuk's words, Geom Ujin nodded.
"What do you think of this matter?"
At his father's question, Geom Mugeuk conveyed what he had been thinking during the carriage ride.
"As you know, there have always been those who slander and impersonate our main cult. Yet this case leaves me with some concerns."
"And what is that?"
Geom Mugeuk cocked his head and replied as if to himself.
"Why of all places Yumyeong Manor?"
Had he been thinking the same thing? Or had Geom Mugeuk touched upon something he had not considered? A strange gleam flickered across his father's eyes.
"I do not know much about Yumyeong Manor, but I do know that the master of Yumyeong Manor is deeply respected by the Righteous faction martial artists of Zhongjing."
Though Yumyeong Manor was no more than a small-to-medium-sized sect, its master's renown far exceeded its scale. It was because he always led the way in acts of chivalry rather than expanding his own influence.
"Therefore, to strike at the master of Yumyeong Manor in Zhongjing is also to attack the entire Righteous faction."
That was why talk of a dragnet was already surfacing. The Martial Alliance had to catch the culprit behind this incident, and they intended to do so.
Even amid the Martial Alliance's urgent situation, his father did not rush.
His father was one who had led the main cult alongside Military Adviser Sima for a long time. He knew better than anyone that moving hastily in anger meant dancing to the enemy's tune.
His father called Hwi and gave an order.
"Place all branches and sub-branches in Zhongjing on high alert, and order the Tongcheon Pavilion to focus its entire intelligence network on this matter."
"Yes, understood."
His father's fury was cold.
And Geom Mugeuk knew. That this coldness held molten lava within.
Those who withstood this coldness and melted it away would instead face his true rage then.
* * *
That evening, Father, I, and Hwi were dining at the largest inn on the main street.
Since ancient times, inns have been the source of all rumors in the world. Thus, at times, they are places where one can obtain information more useful than that bought from information dealers at great cost.
We took our seats and ordered simple dishes and drink, and indeed, the surroundings were filled with nothing but talk of Yumyeong Manor.
Most conversations started with longing for the chivalrous acts the master of Yumyeong Manor had performed in life, only to end with curses toward the damned Demonic Cult.
Amidst the ordinary chatter going around the table, Geom Mugeuk focused on one fact.
"The rumors are spreading too quickly."
"Of course, given the master of Yumyeong Manor's reputation in Zhongjing, it is natural for this to be the center of attention. But the problem is this."
"The Martial Alliance would have kept the words left on the wall as secret as possible while investigating this incident."
"Because it involved the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they would have handled it with utmost caution."
"Yet for rumors to have spread this far already means there is someone deliberately spreading them. Very intentionally and methodically."
Then, Hwi asked cautiously. It was unlike him to ever intervene in conversations between the two, but as the captain of the guards, he had to confirm this much.
"Could it be that they are targeting the Cult Leader?"
Before answering, Geom Mugeuk looked at his father, who was tilting his cup in silence. Though seated comfortably, there was not a single opening to be found.
The fact that he could find no openings even with his own martial prowess meant that there were none to begin with, did it not?
Soon after, Geom Mugeuk answered Hwi.
"If it were such a reckless fool, it would be easier to deal with."
This matter was a far more calculated conspiracy than that.
"My instincts tell me this will not end with just this one incident."
And that premonition became reality far faster than Geom Mugeuk had imagined.
A man entered the inn and shouted to everyone.
"This time, it is the Daejeong Gate that has been attacked by the Demonic Cult bastards!"
The people in the inn erupted into commotion all at once, and the hall grew noisy. Daejeong Gate was also one of the orthodox sects symbolizing the Righteous faction in Zhongjing.
Enraged by someone's shout that the Demonic Cult must be destroyed, the gathered heroes cried out together.
The enemy's intent was clear. They were trying to incite conflict between the main cult and the Righteous faction.
Geom Mugeuk spoke cautiously to his father.
"Should we not send word to the Martial Alliance?"
He meant that his father should personally inform the Martial Alliance Leader that this was not their doing.
At that, Geom Ujin emptied his cup and rose from his seat.
"We must verify things first."
* * *
Jin Hagun entered Daejeong Gate with a stiff face.
Though the perimeter was thoroughly controlled by Martial Alliance martial artists, nothing could block the stench of blood wafting from within. Already, Righteous faction martial artists from Zhongjing were gathering after hearing the rumors.
The rumors were spreading far too quickly. That meant the nerves of Zhongjing's martial artists were on edge.
Jin Hagun stopped in his tracks after entering the building.
A deep sigh escaped him unconsciously.
The scene before his eyes was truly a massacre.
Daejeong Gate martial artists lay dead, their bodies torn and slashed, a miserable sight.
At Yumyeong Manor earlier, no bodies had been found. Thus, he had harbored hope that perhaps they had survived. Seeing these corpses, that hope vanished.
Jin Hagun carefully passed between the corpses and entered the sect leader's chamber.
The Lord of Daejeong Gate was dead, leaning against the wall. His chest had been completely torn open; he had died so horribly that one could hardly bear to look.
And above the corpse, characters carved in blood were written in large letters.
The Demonic Way Under Heaven.
The same words left at Yumyeong Manor.
As Jin Hagun glared at it in silence, Ju Gwol, the head of the Zhongjing branch, entered.
"They killed every last person belonging to Daejeong Gate. Even the women who cleaned and the cooks who prepared meals in the kitchen were all killed."
Jin Hagun clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
Even for those who lived by killing, there was a minimum line that must not be crossed. Even if one held a grudge, one should only kill the person with whom one had the grievance. What happened here today crossed that line.
'I will never forgive them.'
This was exactly why they existed—to prevent such incidents and to punish those who committed them.
Ju Gwol, standing beside him, wanted to ask if this still wasn't the work of the Demonic Cult, but he held his tongue.
"Master Seong is arriving now."
Master Seong was a demonic arts researcher of the Martial Alliance who had spent his life studying demonic arts.
He was a figure more versed in demonic arts than anyone; a man who could determine which demonic art had killed a person based on bloodstains at the scene, traces of combat, and wounds on the corpses.
Ju Gwol intended to endure until Master Seong arrived and presented his results. For even after seeing the characters left on the wall, this Demon Annihilation Commander refused to believe it was the work of the Demonic Cult.
'He can't possibly doubt even Master Seong's findings.'
Had Jin Hagun read Ju Gwol's mind?
"Had this been a few years ago, I too would have thought it the work of the Demonic Cult, like Branch Leader Ju."
"What has changed since then?"
Jin Hagun, looking at the characters written in blood, turned to Ju Gwol and answered.
"I have changed."
Ju Gwol understood the meaning behind those words. It was something he would not normally say, but now that two Righteous sects in Zhongjing had been attacked in succession, Ju Gwol spoke what he had been holding back.
"I have heard of the relationship between the Commander and the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult."
For the figure most at the center of attention recently was none other than the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
He had also heard rumors that among the high-ranking figures of the Martial Alliance, there were words of concern regarding the friendship between Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun.
"You must not trust the Demonic Cult."
After a brief pause, Jin Hagun answered.
"I do not trust the Demonic Cult either."
Two thoughts rose simultaneously in Jin Hagun's mind.
'However, as long as he is the Young Cult Leader, the Demonic Cult would never do such a thing.'
The next thought.
'But what if this truly is the work of the Demonic Cult? What if everything was merely an act to hide such deeds?'
Considering his relationship with Geom Mugeuk until now, the second thought was a suspicion he should never have. He knew he shouldn't think it. He also knew how sorry he would feel toward Geom Mugeuk later.
But faced with the horrific corpse of the Lord of Daejeong Gate and the words "The Demonic Way Under Heaven" written in blood, he couldn't help but think it.
It was at that very moment.
"That hurts. I trusted you."
At the voice from behind, Jin Hagun and Ju Gwol turned around in shock.
Without anyone noticing, Geom Mugeuk was standing at the entrance.
Jin Hagun was so startled he froze, unable to say a word. He had never dreamed he would see Geom Mugeuk here today. Moreover, he had just been thinking of him, which made it even more shocking.
Ju Gwol drew his sword and shouted.
"Intruder!"
Dozens of subordinates were deployed outside, yet someone had sneaked in here. Were they merely branch martial artists? There were also Demon Annihilation Corps martial artists led by Jin Hagun.
'How did he get here?'
At Ju Gwol's cry, martial artists swarmed in. They too were surprised and bewildered to see Geom Mugeuk, who had entered right under their noses.
Then, Jin Hagun spoke to everyone.
"He is someone I know. Sheathe your swords. All of you, withdraw."
Jin Hagun dismissed all the martial artists.
Ju Gwol sheathed his sword and recalled a certain person.
'Could it be?'
As Ju Gwol had expected.
"It's been a while, friend."
These days, the only person who could call Jin Hagun a friend was that very person from the rumors.
'So this is the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult!'
Ju Gwol's heart trembled. Today was the first time he had seen the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
Jin Hagun had no leisure to exchange relaxed greetings.
"What brings you here?"
To Jin Hagun's question, Geom Mugeuk let out a light sigh and answered.
"You won't believe it, but I stopped by on my way through."
Because something had truly happened just as he was passing through Zhongjing.
Ju Gwol's expression soured. Crazy! He just stopped by on his way through?
With the Young Cult Leader appearing here, Ju Gwol became even more convinced that this was the work of the Demonic Cult.
On the other hand, Jin Hagun was only now truly feeling that he had met Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk was someone who gave such absurd answers. And those absurd words were all sincere and true.
Frankly, he was glad to see Geom Mugeuk. But he could not show that joy in this situation. For his heart was now filled with rage toward the perpetrator and sorrow for the dead.
Given the situation, Geom Mugeuk clarified that he had truly been passing by, rather than speaking frivolously.
"You will know if you investigate. I received help from your Shaanxi Branch, after all. I am on my way back to the main cult after handling affairs there."
Fortunately, he had received help from the Shaanxi Branch while handling the matter of the Slaughter King. If they investigated his route and timing, it would somewhat explain why he was here.
Geom Mugeuk slowly walked over to where the two were standing.
Ju Gwol was inwardly on guard, gathering his internal energy to strike at any moment.
'Truly, I cannot feel even a hint of demonic energy.'
He was astonished that a Demonic Cult member could hide his demonic energy so thoroughly. He felt as if Geom Mugeuk knew no martial arts at all.
It truly seemed as if he were the perfected image of Returning to True Self.
Geom Mugeuk stood before Jin Hagun. Their gazes intertwined in the air.
"If I am this angry, I cannot even imagine how furious you must be."
At Geom Mugeuk's consolation, Jin Hagun revealed his resolve.
"I will never forgive whoever did this. Even if, by some chance, it were you."
"You should. I intend to do the same."
Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned toward the characters written on the wall.
"The one who left those words has no idea what my father's and my Demonic Path truly is."
Jin Hagun had also thought that this wasn't the work of the Demonic Cult, if only because of the words left behind.
The Heavenly Demon Arts he had witnessed at the tripartite meeting, and the Geom Mugeuk he knew—they were not ones who would kill and leave such words behind.
'Yes, this man didn't do it. Because he is not someone who would do such a thing.'
Just then, a subordinate's voice was heard from the entrance.
"Master Seong has arrived."
They turned to see a white-haired old man entering.
Absolute Regression, Chapter 497.