Astonishment showed in Cheonae Geosa’s trembling eyes.
Yes, he must have been shocked.
If he were not the true mastermind, it would have been nothing more than the mad rambling of the Demonic Cult’s young cult leader—but you are different.
Because the question must have suddenly occurred to him: Is this young cult leader truly proposing that I join hands with him?
He had said they should join hands in order to shake him. If he kept shaking him, Hwa Yulcheong—the mastermind behind the conspiracy, not Cheonae Geosa, the Alliance Leader’s friend—would surely surface at least once.
The first time was the hard part. Once he revealed his true self even once, it would become even harder to hide from then on.
Cheonae Geosa silently stared at Geom Mugeuk.
From his outward appearance, Geom Mugeuk could not tell what he was thinking. At the very least, the man possessed Alliance Leader–level skill when it came to concealing himself.
Then Cheonae Geosa began to move. He passed by Geom Mugeuk and walked toward the door.
Was he going to call in the people outside?
He opened the door and went out. But instead of bringing the warriors in the corridor inside, he led them out of the building.
“Everyone, follow me out.”
Not only the warriors in the corridor, but dozens more were gathered in the courtyard and outside the building. They ate their meals there and even replaced sleep with circulating qi and regulating their breath; they truly respected and followed Cheonae Geosa.
Cheonae Geosa said to them,
“You may all return now.”
At that moment, someone shouted.
“Not yet, Master!”
It was Hyeogin, the sect leader of Jeongsomun.
Earlier, Cheonae Geosa had been injured while trying to save him. Since then, all of them had been guarding his residence like this. Hyeogin in particular had not missed a single day.
Cheonae Geosa approached Hyeogin.
“My injuries are fine now.”
“Master!”
“My body is well, so who would dare kill me? Surely you are not looking down on my abilities?”
“No, Master!”
Cheonae Geosa clasped the flustered Hyeogin’s hands. Instead of Geom Mugeuk’s hand, he took his.
“I know how you feel. But now I am uncomfortable, so I am telling you to withdraw.”
Hyeogin lowered his head, and the rest of the warriors lowered their heads with him.
“The Alliance Leader is also looking out for me. So do not worry and go.”
At the mention of the Martial Alliance Leader, their expressions eased somewhat. Yes, how could the Alliance Leader not be paying close attention?
“If anything happens, please send word at once.”
Cheonae Geosa cupped his fist respectfully to the warriors and gave them a formal salute.
“Thank you, truly, for protecting me all this time. I will never forget this until the day I die. Now return to your own lives.”
The warriors cupped their fists in unison with eyes full of respect and gave a resounding farewell.
“Master, please take care of yourself!”
After sending all the warriors back like that, Cheonae Geosa returned to the room.
Geom Mugeuk asked with a peculiar smile,
“Will I finally get to see your true face now?”
In truth, he had not thought the man would reveal his identity so easily.
As expected, Geom Mugeuk’s intuition was correct.
Cheonae Geosa said something unexpected.
“I sent them all away because I thought I might have to engage in a life-and-death blood battle with you today.”
Without another word, Cheonae Geosa immediately revealed his aura.
Shaaaaaa.
Geom Mugeuk looked around. The surroundings were a pure white snowfield.
The raging blizzard made it difficult to open his eyes. If someone with weak internal energy were here, they would be unable to breathe in this cold wind and would either collapse or be blown away.
Beyond that fierce blizzard, he stood alone and lonely. He looked like a single flower blooming alone in the snow.
This was Cheonae Geosa’s aura. A pleasant fragrance came from it.
The Cheonae Geosa he felt now was different again from the Cheonae Geosa he had sensed when he first entered this room.
He had succeeded in peeling away one layer of him, and beneath that layer was a great chivalrous hero who had protected the orthodox martial world. A warrior of righteousness who stood proudly even before the Demonic Cult’s young cult leader, one who could willingly give his life.
Geom Mugeuk could tell.
This aura was real.
He could also tell how many long years of effort it must have taken to create such an aura.
He was showing him now: what kind of person an upright old master of the orthodox faction was, one who would not yield to any provocation, threat, or persuasion.
‘Beneath this aura, what is your true aura like?’
Cheonae Geosa rebuked him in a low but frostlike voice.
“How dare you ask me to join hands?”
Moreover, the reason he had sent back the warriors outside was because he was worried they might be injured or killed if a fight broke out.
“Tell me. Whom did I ask to join hands with me? I do not know who you are.”
Cheonae Geosa spoke coldly.
“Do not bewitch people with nonsense. Instead, fulfill your true wish.”
Geom Mugeuk had said his true wish was to kill him. In other words, he was telling him to fight.
Geom Mugeuk was inwardly impressed.
The man had the magnanimity to send the warriors outside away rather than use them as shields, and he also possessed the precise judgment to know that Geom Mugeuk would not fight him.
After all, he would not truly intend to engage in a life-and-death battle alone with someone who had already dealt with Ma Yeomgun, Baekgol Honma, and even So Jeongrak.
As expected, he was no easy man. With someone like this, how could everyone not have been deceived?
Geom Mugeuk raised his own hand and spoke regretfully.
“You will not find many hands as good as this one to join with. Do not regret it later.”
Of course, this was not an atmosphere that could be loosened with a joke.
Cheonae Geosa’s expression remained cold, and taut tension flowed between the two men.
“I disliked the very fact that you people set foot in Wuhan. How dare you come here, of all places?”
Geom Mugeuk quietly gazed into Cheonae Geosa’s eyes, then spoke in a gentle tone. His tone was soft, but the meaning within it was sharp.
“Our Geosa seems to have reached the final realm of deception, where he even deceives himself.”
“You are the one deceiving.”
Cheonae Geosa snorted as he retorted.
“You said it a moment ago. That you would protect the Alliance Leader from me. And yet you ask me to join hands? Is that how you people protect others?”
Then Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.
“This is all because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“As you know, I suspect you. But when I saw you in person today, I found it astonishing. I could not find anything suspicious about you at all. I observed you with certainty in my heart, and yet I could not find it? Well, I suppose it is precisely because you are this kind of person that you were able to hide your identity beside the Alliance Leader for decades.”
Normally, at this point, the words “Do not speak such nonsense” should have come out. If he truly were a chivalrous hero, it really would have been absolute nonsense.
But he was waiting for Geom Mugeuk’s next words. As a human being, he wanted to hear them. He wanted the work he had done to be acknowledged for how extraordinary it was.
And if the person saying those words was the young cult leader of the Divine Cult, their greatest enemy, the satisfaction would be even greater.
“I suddenly thought I wanted to make you one of my people. That is why I extended my hand.”
Only after hearing everything did Cheonae Geosa react. He softened the sharp momentum he had shown earlier.
“I would rather die than throw myself into the Demonic Cult.”
Somehow, he had to peel away another layer here. He had to remove that thick mask of a chivalrous hero and draw out the man’s true face.
It was not merely to show evidence to the Alliance Leader. In order to discover who stood behind them, he had to bring this man onto the stage as well.
Onto this stage called Wuhan, where they had been lured in to ignite the Great War between the Orthodox and Demonic factions.
Geom Mugeuk suddenly said to him,
“So Jeongrak of Myeongsim Clinic is dead.”
What meaning does this news hold for you?
Is it sorrow at the death of someone who spent decades with you? Or is it anger that the work you were trying to carry out has been interrupted?
Cheonae Geosa revealed no emotion at all. Geom Mugeuk did not miss that reaction.
“Ah! The Alliance Leader should have seen this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No one knows the news that he died, so why are you not surprised? The most famous physician in Wuhan, and the physician who did the most good, has died. Should you not be surprised?”
And decisively.
“Should you not ask why I killed him? He was nothing more than a mere physician, so would it not be the normal reaction to wonder why the Demonic Cult killed him?”
At that instant, he saw Cheonae Geosa’s eyes tremble slightly. It was a minute change that only Geom Mugeuk, who had experienced such moments countless times, could notice.
“Which means you knew why So Jeongrak died. Ah! I cannot show this to the Alliance Leader! What a shame I can only tell him in words!”
Did he perhaps think that if it were the words of that young cult leader delivering it, they might be even more vivid than seeing it in person?
Cheonae Geosa did not let it pass.
“What sort of absurdity are you trying to force?”
“I am not forcing anything. I am asking why you are not curious.”
After a brief pause, Cheonae Geosa answered.
“Why? I will answer you. Because it is you people.”
He returned Geom Mugeuk’s earlier words, that it was because of him.
“Because of us?”
“Are you not the ones who kill all good people?”
His gaze was dignified, as though he truly thought so, not as mockery.
Of course, Geom Mugeuk was not one to let that pass.
“So Jeongrak was not a good man, was he? Just like you.”
Before he could answer, Geom Mugeuk provoked him further.
“When I think about it, So Jeongrak was truly a pitiful man. Because of you.”
The blame of “because of you” was once again turned toward Cheonae Geosa.
“For decades, he stayed by your side, playing a physician he did not want to be, struggling to protect you. Did you shed even a single tear for him? No, you did not. Even in hell, he must be feeling wronged and resenting you.”
At times like this, how nice it would have been if he had said, What do you know! Do you know how much I cherished him! But Cheonae Geosa was exceedingly calm. Truly, he looked like someone who had not uttered a single word of mourning, let alone shed tears.
“You still do not ask why I killed him.”
The peculiar smile forming at the corner of Cheonae Geosa’s mouth was so faint that only Geom Mugeuk could sense it. His emotions were being felt like this, little by little.
Yes. If he kept searching, he would surely find the hole that would bring down this embankment.
“So Jeongrak died, and the two old men who violated the Golden Demon Order died as well.”
Naturally, Cheonae Geosa would know that fact. He would also know about the warning given by the master of soul-bewitching arts.
“Now only the one who uses soul-bewitching arts remains. Can you pull it off with that subordinate? Ah, or are you perhaps receiving orders from that person?”
Geom Mugeuk lightly prodded his pride. He watched to see how the man would react, but Cheonae Geosa walked to the tea table and drank his tea.
It looked as though he were trying not to reveal his reaction, but in Geom Mugeuk’s eyes, even this was a reaction.
“Why not simply frame me and say I use soul-bewitching arts?”
At his reply, Geom Mugeuk also walked to the tea table.
“Because that is certainly not the case. There is no way the Alliance Leader would fail to notice someone beside him who had mastered soul-bewitching arts, would he?”
Pour.
Geom Mugeuk filled his own teacup.
“You were not originally this kind of person, were you? Not a frustrating old man of the orthodox faction like this, but a fiery person. That must be why you were chosen for such an important role.”
At that moment, a subtle tremor could be felt from Cheonae Geosa. Yes, how could he forget such moments? There were moments when, even if everything else could be deceived, they could not.
“I want to talk with that fiery person. I want to have a refreshing conversation, villain to villain.”
Cheonae Geosa merely stared at Geom Mugeuk impassively, without the slightest wavering.
“Deceiving people, maneuvering in the shadows, living in hiding. Are you not tired of it now? Do you not want to drag them all out and have one grand fight? Martial Alliance, come out! Demonic Cult, come out! Is that not who you are?”
As if he did not want to listen any longer, Cheonae Geosa gave the order to leave.
“If you have finished your tea, go back now.”
Their gazes tangled in midair.
Yes, he was not someone who would be shaken by a single meeting.
But today, Geom Mugeuk had discovered several minute changes in emotion from him.
Geom Mugeuk gave a respectful farewell.
“Thank you for the tea. Next time—”
Cheonae Geosa cut him off.
“There will be no next time.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at him and said,
“Yes, that is what I hope as well. Next time, instead of this dull chivalrous hero Cheonae Geosa, I would like to meet the incarnation of revenge.”
“!”
Leaving behind the man who stared at him with a shocked face, Geom Mugeuk strode toward the door and said,
“Next time, let us meet Hwa Yulcheong, the incarnation of revenge.”
Absolute Regression, Chapter 654