Sichuan region.
Specifically, a place slightly away from the county seat.
A place known to people only as a quiet neighborhood; not completely devoid of people, but not as populated as the center—an ambiguous location.
Gyecheon Munju Daehwan strides toward a residence within the area.
The sun was up, but for some reason, it looked a bit dark. Even the occasional signs of people grew scarcer as he went further.
With a heavily stiffened expression, the Gyecheon Munju finally reaches the front of the residence. As he appeared before the door, it opened as if it had been waiting.
Creak.
Through the gap of the open door, a man bowed his head to Daehwan.
"I greet the Munju-nim."
The Gyecheon Munju moves his steps into the residence and spits out his words.
"What is the search status?"
"Protector Jin is redirecting personnel to investigate, but... They say nothing has been discovered yet."
"Are you saying there aren't even any traces?"
"Yes, my apologies..."
Clench.
He grinds his teeth fiercely and continues walking.
The interior of the residence looked like an unremarkable boarding house, but when he lightly brushed against a bookshelf as he passed by—
Rumble-!
The left wall suddenly opened, revealing a descending staircase.
He immediately goes down the stairs.
"Munju-nim... Since Protector Jin has stepped in, we should be able to find the information soon."
The man brought it up to the Munju as if gauging his mood while descending. The recent sudden attacks were the problem.
Because of that, the Munju's temper had been quite foul.
However.
"Enough."
"Pardon?"
The man panicked at the Munju's words.
"What do you mean...?"
"It seems I've found the culprit after all."
"...!?"
Found the culprit? He wondered what he was talking about all of a sudden.
Figured out the culprit out of nowhere? As the man raised his doubts, the Munju spoke up.
"The culprit seems to be Seongwang, after all."
At the Munju's words, the man's eyes grew as wide as lanterns.
"S-Seongwang, you say?"
"Yes. That bastard."
"...Did something happen when you met him?"
"..."
The incident when he met Seongwang. Recalling it, the Munju's face contorted viciously. It was a memory he loathed to even explain.
The more they conversed, holding back his killing intent was the best he could do.
The expression the bastard made, the tone and voice he spat at him—everything fueled his anger.
-Do I look like a little shit?
Recalling the words spat with that signature expression, Gyecheon Munju clenched his fist tightly.
"The bastard asked me. If I knew about the Ilcheon Cult."
"The Ilcheon Cult...! How does that guy..."
"He said he has many eyes himself. I don't know about that, but judging by my gut feeling, it seems like it's him."
The mention of the Ilcheon Cult and the expression the bastard wore back then—the more he thought about it, the firmer his conviction became.
...The problem was.
'How?'
Just how did this situation come to be.
No matter how much he thought about it, Gyecheon Munju couldn't understand.
'How the hell did he know?'
That bastard was strange. The more he peeled back the surface, the more it was full of oddities.
Gyecheon Munju had already expected the Murim Alliance to make a move around this time.
In fact, he had hoped for it and leaked information to Mok Riseon.
Accordingly, he anticipated someone at the Commander level coming out.
However.
'I never expected two of them to show up.'
Since it was the initial stage, he thought they would proceed mainly with a search, but contrary to expectations, two Commanders were dispatched. It was a deviation from the plan.
The cause of the problem was the time difference between Mok Riseon leaking the information and it reaching Henan.
Something must have happened in Henan during that time, which was likely the cause.
Thanks to that, they had to deal with the variable called the Seongryong Squad. But up until then, Gyecheon Munju thought it was fine.
'It's actually better.'
The Seongryong Squad led by Seongwang? Looking into it, that bastard Seongwang was a rising star who had just passed the age of twenty. There was no way he had any experience.
He heard that since he reached the King rank at the youngest age, his martial prowess alone was worth acknowledging. But if that was all, it didn't matter.
At the end of the day, he was just an inexperienced kid with only strength as a Commander. That was how Gyecheon Munju viewed Seongwang.
'It went wrong.'
The Seongwang he faced directly was somewhat drastically different from Gyecheon Munju's expectations.
Not only did he suddenly find the place disguised as an inn, but the aura he gave off was hard to consider that of a rising star.
'How should I put that.'
It was hard to express. But at the very least, it didn't feel like someone who could be a Commander of the Murim Alliance. That was the Seongwang that Gyecheon Munju saw.
Until entering his later years, he had crossed countless lines of life and death. In that time, he had seen both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions more times than he could count. Thus, Gyecheon Munju could be certain about Seongwang.
'He wasn't Orthodox.'
The bastard was too twisted to be called a righteous cultivator. Even when he was subduing his sect members, it was the same.
'He really intended to kill.'
There was no hesitation in his actions. Rather, he looked like he desperately wanted to kill them right away but was viciously holding back.
While it's unreasonable to divide the Orthodox and Unorthodox solely by killing, those weren't the eyes of a mere twenty-year-old kid.
'Just how much slaughter have you repeatedly committed?'
Killing and killing again, to the point where one no longer places meaning in death. This was a realm one could only reach by living on the boundary of life and death, with death right before their eyes.
That bastard possessed it.
'...I can't understand it.'
He absolutely couldn't understand it. Had he perhaps undergone rejuvenation?
If not, then how?
'If this is the case, it becomes troublesome.'
He seemed to know something. It was hard to gauge the level of information he possessed, but it was certain he was holding onto something.
However.
'Not everything.'
He didn't seem to know everything. Only up to the point about the Ilcheon Cult in his main base. He seemed to know only that much and nothing after.
'Or maybe not.'
This wasn't a firm conviction. He could be pretending not to know.
Besides, the important thing was.
'His goal doesn't seem to be us or the Ilcheon Cult...'
Seongwang's interest wasn't immediately on them. Hadn't he said something from the moment he found their main base?
'Join hands with Ilcheonggeom.'
And to kill him... To be exact, to help Ilcheonggeom be able to kill him.
That was Seongwang's demand.
Why on earth should he induce Cheongryong Commander Ilcheonggeom to kill Seongwang? The two should be on the same side? There was no need to ponder this question for long.
Surely, they needed a justification.
The justification that would arise when Ilcheonggeom stepped forward. Seongwang seemed to desire that.
Seeing this, Gyecheon Munju joined hands with Seongwang under the name of a deal.
Because he judged it wasn't a bad thing for his own purpose. This became slightly more solidified when he met Ilcheonggeom later.
Ilcheonggeom moved according to Seongwang's intentions.
So much so that he wondered if the two had colluded to catch him.
'If they colluded, it's rather a relief.'
If not.
'It means we're entirely being played by that young bastard.'
Back then as well.
Even now.
Gyecheon Munju found it increasingly difficult to erase his lingering displeasure.
Just then.
"...Munju-nim."
The man called out to the Munju.
Turning his gaze at the call, the man spat out his words with an anxious expression.
"If it's come to this, shouldn't we first report it to Branch Manager Mok?"
"Branch Manager Mok?"
"Yes, so first, regarding Seongwang's situation..."
"Do not."
"Pardon?"
The man looked at him as if asking why, but Gyecheon Munju's attitude remained firm.
Contact Mok Riseon and gauge his reaction? No way.
'He already knows that Mok Riseon is our person.'
That alone was shocking, but the important thing here was.
'Is Mok Riseon really still our person?'
The fact that his trust in Mok Riseon wasn't that great either.
He was a man who had already betrayed the Alliance once. If he was willing to join hands with the Gyecheon Sect for his own success, it wouldn't be that hard for him to betray them again.
Therefore, he had to watch and wait first. If push comes to shove...
'Because he must be the first to be disposed of.'
Dispose of Mok Riseon first. Gyecheon Munju steadied his mind with a cold gaze.
"For now, let's act according to Seongwang's words."
"...Munju-nim. But."
"However, it might not be good to just take one side."
The Munju looked at the man and drew up the energy in his body.
"It would be right to act as Ilcheonggeom desires as well."
"Does that mean..."
"I must give a little more power to Ilcheonggeom than what Seongwang wanted."
He understood the intentions of both men.
They were trying to stab knives into each other's necks for their own territories.
"Ha..."
Recalling that, Gyecheon Munju let out a hollow laugh.
"...As expected. The Orthodox faction is rotten."
They kill their opponents for their own benefit.
What righteousness or chivalry exists in this? And to think those who are Commanders of the Alliance are acting like that.
'And they still dare to call themselves the Orthodox faction?'
Futile. Also meaningless.
'There's not much left. Make sure to watch.'
The day to unfold their will is not far off. Being called the Unorthodox faction and treated like a chicken rib will also end with this.
'You are not the Orthodox faction.'
Their roots have rotted and they lost their original intentions.
No, having lost their true roots long ago, they probably don't even have anything that can be called roots.
The true roots are the Ilcheon Cult.
What the Orthodox faction lost, they possessed. Before long, many would naturally realize it.
The true roots of the Orthodox faction.
Who inherited the will of the Iron Fist King Yeon Ilcheon.
******************
The person who suddenly opened the door and entered was none other than the master of the Tang Sect.
The Poison King.
Looking at him, I had to make a dumbfounded expression.
"...No. Gaju-nim?"
Why did that man suddenly pop up?
Even if it was sudden, it couldn't be more out of the blue.
Moreover, judging by his expression, he seemed quite angry.
"Young Master Gu..."
"Yes?"
The Poison King contorted his face and looked to the side. There sat Yeonhong... no, the Dark King.
"Another woman?"
"...What?"
Woman?
What kind of nonsense is that? I looked at the Poison King as if I didn't understand the meaning, but.
"Making our precious So-yeol suffer like that, and there are two more there...!? How many more are you planning to have?"
"Ah...?"
It didn't take long to figure out why he was reacting like that.
It seemed he had misunderstood something upon seeing the Dark King disguised as Yeonhong...
'Wait a minute.'
I stopped thinking and furrowed my brow. But why two?
It was strange. If he was only counting the Dark King, shouldn't it be one? Something seemed off, but rather than arguing about this, I first had to calm the Poison King down.
"Gaju-nim. It seems you've misunderstood... That's not it."
"Not that, my foot!"
"It really isn't. It's not like I'm some big shot who would just do that with anyone."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!"
"Pardon...?"
"You don't have a single great quality. What's the reason for keeping so many around you?"
"..."
I lost my words.
Because even though I wanted to retort, no words came to mind.
"They say heroes love beauty. I was willing to overlook it to some extent, but... isn't it too much?"
"That's... a real misunderstanding, but..."
It was hard to explain. Because even as I called it a misunderstanding, my conscience secretly pricked me.
What should I say? I racked my brain hard, but there was no answer. Because of that, just as my mouth was getting parched—
"But Tang Gaju-nim..."
A sudden question came to mind.
"...Did you come here because of that?"
Why did the Poison King come all the way here? It was a fundamental question. I was already planning to visit the Tang Sect today or tomorrow anyway.
But with the Poison King appearing like this, I couldn't help but be flustered.
"..."
At my question, the Poison King paused slightly.
Judging by his reaction, that didn't seem to be the reason.
"...Gaju-nim?"
I asked again since I couldn't hear an answer.
Then, the Poison King flinched and abruptly let out a dry cough.
"Ahem..."
"..."
When I stared at him without reacting, the Poison King averted his eyes before finally spitting out his words.
"...I had an urgent matter to find you, so I made my way here."
Which meant.
"You didn't come to get angry. There was a separate main point... But you ended up getting angry first after seeing the situation?"
"..."
As if I hit the nail on the head, the Poison King averted his gaze.
Seeing that, I scratched my cheek.
"...Um... Yes. Alright. Then... please save the anger for later, so why did you come to find me...?"
It was unfair, but I didn't bother to say it.
I wanted to clear it up as a misunderstanding, but... I also had some guilty conscience making it hard to explain away as a complete misunderstanding.
Why would the Tang Gaju come all the way here when he had gone as far as sealing the sect's gates?
When I asked this, the Poison King let out continuous dry coughs like before and looked toward Yeonhong as he spoke.
"...It's a bit much to say it here."
Did he mean we needed to be alone? Coming all the way here in person, it seemed like a quite important matter.
"Ah, then... let's go to my quarters first."
I first took the Poison King to the quarters I was staying in.
******************
Right after arriving at the quarters. I smiled awkwardly at the Poison King.
"This is really... I'm sorry. I was supposed to come see you..."
"...No."
The Poison King's expression wasn't entirely good, perhaps because traces of his earlier anger still remained.
Hmm... This is difficult.
"Um... Does Vice Commander... I mean, Young Lady Tang also know that the Gaju-nim came?"
"..."
"It seems she doesn't know."
Did he come without telling Tang So-yeol either. Then...
"Is it right for me to not say anything?"
"...Ahem."
"...Yes, I'll keep quiet."
"Thank you..."
He seemed well aware that he'd be in trouble if he got caught.
The important thing was that he came like this even knowing that.
Judging by this matter, I expected.
'Is it because of the Dokcheondan?'
The revival of the Dokcheondan, which the Tang Sect had been continuously attempting using the manufacturing method I provided.
They had been failing recently because the ingredients or conditions didn't match, but could there have been progress on this?
Was that why the Poison King, who was upset with me, came all the way here?
I was making that assumption.
"Hmm..."
Thinking of this, I poured the tea.
I thought about just talking without offering any, but I saw that the Poison King's lips were slightly dry.
So, to at least wet his throat, I tried to pour the tea that the servant had prepared in advance, but.
At that moment.
Grab-!
The Gaju abruptly blocked the mouth of the teapot with his hand.
Seeing that, I stiffened. Hot tea was coming out, but the Poison King grabbed it as if it was nothing.
Why was he suddenly doing this? Just as I was about to speak with a questioning look.
"Tang Ga--."
I stopped speaking right there.
Because I felt something belatedly.
Thump.
The Mandokbulchim within my body reacted. With just this, I could grasp the situation.
The Poison King whispered to me.
"It's poison."
Poison was mixed in the tea.
For me, it was something I had been waiting for.