Jin Paecheon wondered whether or not to draw his sword.
Even the sauce stains on Baek Jagang’s face could not ease this taut tension. No, if anything, they made the sight even more absurd.
If this was not sorcery, then what on earth was?
It was so certain that it became suspicious instead.
Just then, Geom Ujin came out of the kitchen.
“You have come?”
Jin Paecheon stared piercingly at Geom Ujin and asked,
“Cult Leader Geom, is that really you?”
Geom Ujin nodded.
Baek Jagang was still sticking his head out through the hole in the kitchen.
“I was in the middle of learning to cook from Cult Leader Geom here.”
For a truly fleeting moment, this thought even crossed his mind.
‘Have the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Evil Dao Alliance conspired to kill me?’
What a perfect trap this was. Geom Ujin and Baek Jagang, and even the four masters sitting at the table.
Even if he had brought the Gentleman Sword with him, could he defeat them? Not a chance.
Of course, Jin Paecheon knew that was not the situation. How shocked must he have been for such a thought to occur to him?
The Fist Demon, the Poison King, the Pungcheon Cult Leader, and the Sword King, who had been watching, all understood Jin Paecheon’s reaction. It would have been strange not to be shocked upon seeing this.
The one who stepped forward to resolve this tense situation was, as expected, the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“If it were me, I’d have drawn my sword already.”
Jin Paecheon’s gaze turned to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
Skipping any greeting about how long it had been, the Pungcheon Cult Leader continued speaking with an expression that said he fully understood how Jin Paecheon felt.
“What Evil Dao Alliance Leader in the world would come running to help because the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was in crisis? He’d be praying, ‘Please let them perish.’”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked at Baek Jagang, who had his head poking out of the kitchen, then turned back to Geom Ujin beside him.
“What Demon Cult Leader in the world would teach cooking to an Evil Dao Alliance Leader who came to him like that? He’d send a sound transmission like this to the Poison King over there: ‘Season the Evil Dao Alliance Leader’s soup with Formless Ultimate Poison instead of salt.’”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was in high spirits, teasing the cult leaders and alliance leaders. His gaze returned to Jin Paecheon.
“And is that all? What Martial Alliance Leader in the world would come alone all the way to the Demon Cult’s main altar to help the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? This is all an absurd illusion and sorcery, isn’t it? If it were me, I’d have blown this whole place away by now.”
The moment he heard those words, the tension drained from Jin Paecheon.
Thinking about it, even the fact that he had come here was absurd.
Right now, Chief Strategist Jegal Hyeon was probably unable to tell anyone that he had gone alone to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s main altar. They would not believe it anyway, and even if they did, they would all leap up and down asking how he could have just let him go.
Jin Paecheon looked once more at each person present.
First, his eyes met Geom Ujin’s.
Yes. No sorcery could recreate that man’s bearing, that feeling, exactly as it was.
He also looked at Baek Jagang, who had his head poking out beside him. The Baek Jagang he knew was absolutely not the sort of person to do that.
Why are you sticking your head out from there? And what on earth is that on your face?
This time, Jin Paecheon’s gaze turned to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
He was spouting nonsense, but he was undeniably an absolute ruler beyond the borders. Yet here, he was not the protagonist, but merely one among several. What was astonishing was that he did not look displeased at all.
Next, Jin Paecheon looked at the two Demon Venerables.
Not just any Demon Venerables, but the Fist Demon and the Poison King.
‘The Cult Leader has truly resolved to go all the way.’
Lastly, he looked at the Sword King. Of course, Jin Paecheon knew of the Sword King as well. The addition of this powerhouse to the Divine Cult had been a major source of trouble for the Martial Alliance.
At first, Geom Mugeuk had been astonishing and remarkable.
And now, everyone was changing. Enough that he could not help but feel impatient, wondering if he alone was stagnant.
Only after looking at them all did Jin Paecheon finally cup his fist and greet them.
“My greetings are late.”
Everyone present also rose and greeted him politely.
After the greetings were over, Jin Paecheon added one more sentence.
“It seems I need not have come.”
With just the people gathered here, they seemed capable of destroying murim several times over.
The Fist Demon guided him to a seat.
“Please sit over here.”
“Thank you.”
Baek Jagang went back into the kitchen.
“I will finish the dish I was making. You two should talk.”
Geom Ujin sat down across from Jin Paecheon. Knowing Jin Paecheon’s personality, Geom Ujin understood well how difficult it must have been for him to leave the Alliance at a time like this and come here.
“Did you come alone?”
Jin Paecheon nodded and answered,
“I cannot remember the last time I went out into murim alone like this.”
Apart from his worries about the Alliance, Jin Paecheon felt a sense of freedom.
He had come as quickly as possible, but there had inevitably been a couple of moments when he had to stop by an inn to eat.
At those times, no one at the inn recognized him. No one could have imagined that the Martial Alliance Leader would be eating noodles alone in a corner seat.
It was a situation utterly unlike his usual official processions, where martial artists came out to bow their heads and welcome him, and that moment felt new and pleasant.
As he ate, he listened to the conversations people shared. Who was rising in fame these days, which village had produced a promising junior, which escort agency had gone under.
Just listening to those words was enjoyable. It was the fresh pleasure of a life he had never experienced.
If this had not been an urgent matter, he would have gone to a tea house to drink tea and walked through the marketplace alone.
Jin Paecheon wondered if Geom Ujin had ever had such an experience.
“Cult Leader, have you ever gone about on your own?”
“I once traveled quietly with my son.”
“That must have been nice.”
Geom Ujin nodded as though it truly had been.
“When you return to the Alliance, spend some time with your grandchildren.”
What would Jin Hagun or Jin Haryeong think if he asked them to travel with him? Would they feel burdened?
At that moment, Geom Ujin’s gaze turned to the sword at Jin Paecheon’s waist.
“Could that sword be the Gentleman Sword?”
“As expected, Cult Leader, you recognize it at once.”
At the words Gentleman Sword, the four masters present were startled.
The greatest Gentleman Sword of all time.
They had only heard of it and had never seen it in person. Since they were all martial artists, they showed interest.
“This sword belongs to my grandson.”
At least here, whose it was did not matter. What mattered was who had given it.
“Your son gave it to my grandson as a gift.”
At the words that it had been Geom Mugeuk’s gift, everyone was astonished. Then, soon after, they all nodded.
As expected! The generosity to give the Gentleman Sword to someone as a gift was something only Geom Mugeuk could possess.
A smile formed at the corners of Geom Ujin’s mouth.
The Fist Demon could understand what kind of joy was contained in the Cult Leader’s smile.
The sword Geom Mugeuk wore was the Black Demon Sword that the Cult Leader himself had bestowed upon him. He must be pleased that, even after obtaining a better sword, Geom Mugeuk had not coveted it. He must be pleased by the wisdom of gifting a sword symbolizing the orthodox faction to the next Alliance Leader.
Even he, as his master, felt proud hearing such words, so how much better must it feel as his father?
The Fist Demon glanced sideways at the Poison King. Even while sitting at the same table, the Poison King was staring blankly out the window.
But he was probably hearing everything that needed to be heard. That must have been why he could say the Young Cult Leader was the most frightening.
This incident, too, was an anecdote that allowed one to say the Young Cult Leader was the most frightening.
Of course, not everyone accepted this anecdote as beautiful.
“He gives so well and bestows so generously on others! Yet to me!”
The one who shouted was the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
And it was not only the Gentleman Sword.
The needless sparks flew to the Sword King.
“That White Flower Sword of yours was a gift from the Young Cult Leader too, wasn’t it? You said he gave you those shoes as well! He gives to everyone else, so why did he only take from me!”
Then Geom Ujin said to him in passing,
“Did you not say you were happy because of my son?”
Rather than comforting him, he was bringing that up now?
The Pungcheon Cult Leader narrowed his eyes and looked at Geom Ujin.
“I can tell very well who the Young Cult Leader takes after.”
Though he was saying that the son was as vicious as the father, Geom Ujin instead laughed in good spirits.
Just then, Baek Jagang came out carrying the dish.
“Here it is, the first dish of my life, completed under Cult Leader Geom’s instruction.”
Seeing Baek Jagang looking proud, Jin Paecheon finally realized anew what kind of situation this was.
It was the moment when the Martial Alliance Leader would eat a dish made by the Evil Dao Alliance Leader in the front yard of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Was this really all right?
This pounding in his heart was different from the tension he felt when facing an enemy. It was closer to the pounding one felt as a child after doing something bad.
One thing was certain.
Right now, he had become a part of the sorcery this gathering had created. If someone saw this sight, they would think it sorcery or an illusion because of him as well.
Geom Ujin was the first to lift his chopsticks and taste Baek Jagang’s dish.
Baek Jagang watched him nervously.
Geom Ujin nodded with a satisfied expression.
“I think you may descend the mountain now.”
Baek Jagang rejoiced and this time waited for Jin Paecheon’s evaluation.
Jin Paecheon lifted his chopsticks.
Surely it is not poisoned, is it?
Even though he tried not to think it, with the Poison King present, such a thought naturally came to mind.
Jin Paecheon slowly and carefully chewed the food and swallowed it. He was doing so in order to spit it out quickly if there was any poison, but to those watching from the side, it looked as though he was savoring the taste.
Jin Paecheon’s eyes widened.
“Why is this…”
After a brief pause, he spoke as if astonished.
“…delicious?”
Baek Jagang’s face brightened radiantly.
Once the two of them had tasted it, the others also lifted their chopsticks.
The Fist Demon, who had considerable knowledge of cooking, also nodded and acknowledged the taste. Of course, it was an evaluation born of loyalty. Who had taught him, after all? How could it possibly not be delicious?
The Pungcheon Cult Leader assessed it a little more coolly.
“It would be better if it were spicier, but this is excellent enough.”
“Next time, I will show you true spiciness.”
Listening, Jin Paecheon thought inwardly,
Will there truly be a next time to this meeting?
Then again, considering their first three-way meeting, who could have known that the three of them would meet again like this? And in the same place, no less.
When the meal had been roughly finished, the Pungcheon Cult Leader asked the question he had been holding back.
“Alliance Leader Baek here said he came because he was bored, but why did our Alliance Leader Jin come?”
Jin Paecheon looked at Baek Jagang. As if that man had come because he was bored.
“Do you perhaps have any wine?”
At Jin Paecheon’s request, the Sword King rose to fetch wine, but the Fist Demon stood first.
“I will bring it.”
To him, the other party was a guest who had come to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and he believed that he himself ought to take care of that guest. Since the Poison King was not someone who did such things to begin with, the Fist Demon had taken charge of receiving the guests.
That was also why, when the alliance leaders had arrived earlier, he had personally stepped forward to guide them to their seats.
When the Fist Demon brought the wine, Geom Ujin poured a cup for Jin Paecheon.
“Thank you for coming.”
This time as well, goosebumps did not rise by Baek Jagang’s ears. The Cult Leader was sincerely grateful that they had come.
“Even while coming all the way here, I did not drink a drop. One cup here should be fine.”
It was not an atmosphere for drinking, so Jin Paecheon did not offer any to the others and drank alone.
For some reason, he wanted a drink.
“To be honest, I came because of Hagun.”
The moment he saw the Gentleman Sword lying beside the armchair, he had sensed that, in the end, he would go.
“Until now, I have held my grandson to a very strict standard.”
After entrusting him with the position of leader of the Demon Extermination Squad, he had emphasized the path of righteousness and chivalry. He had taught him that if he was a martial artist of the orthodox faction, he had to give his life for righteousness.
“I wanted my grandson to be without even a speck of blemish.”
Only then would he be able to inherit the position of Alliance Leader.
“Thinking back on it, that was not for my grandson’s sake, but for mine. ‘As expected, the Alliance Leader educated him well.’ I wanted to hear such an evaluation.”
Jin Paecheon calmly revealed his innermost thoughts, and everyone quietly listened to him.
“Since I have pushed him that way all his life, should I not grant my grandson’s request at least once?”
Jin Paecheon looked at Geom Ujin. Words that truly no one had expected flowed from him.
“At least here, you will not die before I do.”
He was determined to fulfill his grandson’s wish to help his friend’s father.
Geom Ujin and Jin Paecheon stared at each other. Jin Paecheon knew that he was not a man who lied, even if he chose not to speak.
Geom Ujin did not say thank you. He merely received Jin Paecheon’s gaze calmly.
No matter how the Pungcheon Cult Leader thought about it, he did not think the Heaven-Slaying Star would appear in a situation like this.
“If the Heaven-Slaying Star has any sense, would he come here? When all three of you have gathered as well?”
At the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s words, someone said,
“He will come.”
The one who spoke with such certainty was, astonishingly, Geom Ujin.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Geom Ujin. His calm eyes turned toward Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang.
“Until the two of you came, I was half in doubt. But seeing that you two have come, the Heaven-Slaying Star will definitely come.”
If the Pungcheon Cult Leader thought he would not come because everyone had gathered, Geom Ujin thought the opposite.
“Because fate has gathered us in one place.”
He meant that there had been a pull of destiny.
“Just as the two of you opened that door and came in, the Heaven-Slaying Star will open that door and come in.”
Geom Ujin could feel the wheel of that fate rolling toward them.
Unlike usual, Geom Ujin was revealing his inner thoughts. It was an expression of gratitude toward the two alliance leaders who had come all the way here.
“I know that the two of you are wary of me and do not trust me.”
Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang’s eyes sank calmly.
They knew. Apart from this battle, Geom Ujin was still a man who dreamed of unifying murim.
They knew that perhaps an even harder and more frightening battle than the one against the Heaven-Slaying Star might be waiting for them.
As if acknowledging that, Geom Ujin said,
“However, let us consider this battle separately.”
The reason was not the pride of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, nor his pride as a martial artist. It was not for the peace of murim either.
“This battle is deeply connected to our children.”
Not only Geom Mugeuk, but also Jin Hagun and Bi Sain had fought life-and-death battles against them.
“As the years pass, those children will inevitably have to live busy and difficult lives too.”
Finding joy in a brief rest at an inn.
Smiling radiantly at the success of a first dish.
They would have to live while bearing the greatest responsibilities in murim on their shoulders.
“So for now, let the children gather among themselves, laugh and chatter, sing and dance.”
Geom Ujin looked at them all. After meeting the eyes of Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang, the Fist Demon and the Poison King, the Pungcheon Cult Leader and the Sword King in turn,
“Let us end this battle at our generation.”