Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: In Shaanxi (3)
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Hearing someone call for him from outside, he opened the door to his room to find a man standing there.
“Hm?”
“…I am Mun Chuhyeok.”
“Ah, Elder O’s son?”
“That is correct.”
Mun Chuhyeok, noticing Jinmyeong didn't remember him, scowled and stated his name.
Only after hearing the name did Jinmyeong recall that he was the son of Elder O, the Ice Demon.
“The Young Master is waiting for you.”
“Where?”
“I have found a decent tavern nearby.”
Jinmyeong nodded and followed Mun Chuhyeok.
After leaving the Yuyun Escort Agency, the two entered a rather lavish tavern.
“Welcome.”
“Did you always drink in places like this?”
Jang Hu had arrived first and was waiting.
“It looks expensive.”
“Surely you're not worried about money?”
The tavern itself was opulent, and Jang Hu was waiting on the third floor.
‘There were some pretty wealthy-looking people on the second floor, too.’
But the third floor was empty.
There were few tables, but aside from them, there was no one else.
In other words, one needed immense wealth and status to come up here.
“Don't worry. This place also belongs to our Cult.”
“Ah, so that's how it is.”
Only then did he understand how Jang Hu had managed to secure a spot on the third floor.
“I ordered some food in advance. Is there anything you can't eat?”
“No.”
Jinmyeong shook his head, and soon, the waiters brought up the dishes Jang Hu had ordered.
Jang Hu sat quietly, saying nothing until the waiters had left.
“Did you always come to places like this in town?”
“I did.”
Unlike Jinmyeong, who rarely left his lodgings in town, Jang Hu frequented taverns.
He couldn't know if they were all run by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but judging by this place, Jang Hu had clearly only drunk in lavish establishments.
“We're not pressed for time today, so let's drink at ease, shall we?”
Jinmyeong nodded at Jang Hu's words.
Until now, they had mostly camped outdoors, and even when they occasionally stopped in a town, they would set off again the very next day.
He had always felt rushed, but the commander had said they would use this place as a base.
This meant he didn't have to immediately prepare for the next day, as he had before.
“How about you tell me now? The reason you called me here, leaving out even Senior Brother Gye.”
He had called only Jinmyeong, excluding Gye Buil, who was always with him.
Jang Hu paused, the cup halfway to his lips.
But he soon downed the drink in one go and slammed the cup roughly onto the table.
“Youngest… no, Jinmyeong. Come work under me. Help me become the Young Cult Leader.”
At Jang Hu's words, which were exactly as he'd expected, Jinmyeong let out a small laugh and brought the cup to his lips.
“I didn't think you'd be so blunt about it.”
“You knew anyway, didn't you?”
Of course, he knew.
In fact, it would be strange if he didn't.
“Didn't you accept the invitation because you were considering it?”
Jinmyeong didn't answer Jang Hu's question, merely sipping his drink.
“Junior Brother, come work under me. I will give you a position second only to one, and above all others.”
He was saying that if he became the Cult Leader, he would give Jinmyeong the position of Vice Cult Leader.
“Aren't there others who are close to you, Senior Brother?”
Jinmyeong said as he poured a drink into his empty cup.
Whenever Jang Hu stopped in a town and went to a tavern, he always went with Gye Buil and Yeong Soso.
“I guarantee you more power than them.”
“Senior Brother Gye would be sad to hear that.”
A smile touched Jang Hu's lips as he raised his cup.
“We are all just competitors.”
“I see. So those two haven't joined you.”
It was true.
Jang Hu, Yeong Soso, and Gye Buil were in a simple cooperative relationship.
An alliance until Mok Jagyeong was defeated.
In other words, once Mok Jagyeong was defeated, the alliance would end.
“It's about time you gave me an answer.”
Jang Hu looked straight at Jinmyeong and asked.
He had said all he needed to say.
Now it was Jinmyeong's turn to answer.
“I'll say it again. Come work under me. Come and help me become the Cult Leader.”
He had formed an alliance with the other disciples, but not with Jinmyeong.
Jang Hu was telling him to come under his command.
“You don't have any real power base anyway. Of course, the Vice Cult Leader is helping you, but that's it. You have no other factions, do you?”
The Mad Demon was indeed more powerful than the other elders.
However, most of the smaller families within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had already pledged allegiance to other disciples.
Taking them into account, Jinmyeong was at a clear disadvantage.
“Even so, I don't think I'm at a disadvantage.”
“Do you think the Vice Cult Leader will step in during the competition for Young Cult Leader?”
If the Mad Demon, the Vice Cult Leader, were to intervene, Jinmyeong would certainly have the highest chance of winning.
But Jang Hu was certain that would never happen.
“The elders lend their strength, but they don't intervene directly. The Vice Cult Leader will be the same.”
They had allied with the Heavenly Demon's disciples, but only to the extent of lending their heirs and warriors.
There had never been a case where the elders directly participated in the competition for Young Cult Leader.
This meant that the Mad Demon, who possessed the most overwhelming power in the Cult besides the Heavenly Demon, would not get involved either.
“So you're telling me to join you?”
“Although your martial arts are outstanding, there's a limit to what you can do alone.”
As Jinmyeong listened silently, Jang Hu continued.
“Besides, I don't think you have the ability to lead the people of our Cult.”
The Jinmyeong that Jang Hu remembered was timid towards the strong and endlessly domineering towards the weak.
Of course, this wasn't very apparent because he was so incompetent.
In any case, such a narrow-minded Jinmyeong could never be the talent to lead the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
No matter how much his personality had changed, a person couldn't change completely.
“You must be afraid of Senior Brother Mok, seeing how you're trying so hard to pull me in.”
Jang Hu gave all sorts of reasons, but in the end, it was all because of Mok Jagyeong.
If Mok Jagyeong had been weaker than Jang Hu, he wouldn't have made such an offer to Jinmyeong with all these justifications.
“…Your answer?”
Jang Hu pressed Jinmyeong for an answer.
“I don't like how you're not answering my questions, but if you insist, I'll give you one.”
That's why he came, wasn't it? To give an answer.
“My answer is: I'll hold off.”
“Hold off?”
“Yes. Hold off.”
Jang Hu scowled and glared at Jinmyeong, who was bringing the cup to his lips.
“Don't glare at me like that. I can't just blindly make you the Young Cult Leader, can I?”
“It sounds as if you could make me the Young Cult Leader if you wanted to.”
“That's not it. But I would be helpful, wouldn't I?”
Jinmyeong chuckled.
“I was surprised that you came to meet me alone, without bringing Senior Sister Yeong or Senior Brother Gye, who are always with you.”
“Hmph.”
“Should I take that to mean you're that desperate to have me as your subordinate?”
Jang Hu didn't answer and drank cup after cup.
‘First, let's find out what kind of person this guy is.’
Unlike Mok Jagyeong, whom he had concluded must not be left alive, he knew very little about Jang Hu.
“Let's say I help you and you become the Young Cult Leader. What will you do then, Senior Brother?”
“What do you mean?”
“I'm asking what you want to do once you become the Young Cult Leader.”
“Naturally, I want to master the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon and become the strongest under heaven.”
Jang Hu's words made Jinmyeong shake his head.
That wasn't what he was asking.
“Mastering the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon and becoming the next Cult Leader is the predetermined path anyway.”
“I don't know.”
Right now, his goal was to become the Young Cult Leader.
He had lived his life training in martial arts for that very purpose.
He had never once thought about what he wanted to do after becoming the Young Cult Leader.
“I suppose what I want most is to reign over the world.”
A dream shared by all martial artists, not just those of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
‘He's talking nonsense.’
Even the person who came closest to reigning over the world was ultimately stopped by the protagonist.
“And?”
“Hm?”
“Shouldn't you first solidify your position?”
Jang Hu looked confused by Jinmyeong's words.
“Is there a need to solidify it? Once I become the Young Cult Leader, there will be no one left to threaten me.”
“Will the other disciples follow you, Senior Brother?”
“I'll probably only have one junior brother left.”
He was saying he would kill not only Mok Jagyeong but all the other disciples as well.
‘I knew it.’
Anyway, he couldn't blame just Jang Hu for this.
Not just Jang Hu, but the other disciples would have been the same.
There was no need to leave behind loose ends that could cause trouble later.
“How do you plan to reign over the world?”
“What do you mean?”
Jinmyeong, who had been silently sipping his drink, lost in thought, asked Jang Hu.
“You said your dream is to reign over the world, right? That's not something you can achieve by just sitting around, is it?”
“Of course, I will strike the Central Plains. First, I must eliminate the arrogant Kunlun.”
The martial world was maintained by a balance of three powers.
And now, Jang Hu was saying he would break that balance.
‘This guy won't do.’
Jinmyeong wanted this balance to remain unbroken.
The moment Mok Jagyeong became the Cult Leader, this balance would shatter, and it seemed the same would happen if Jang Hu became the leader.
“If you invade the Central Plains, the Righteous Alliance and the Heretical Alliance might join forces.”
“Hmph. There's no way those bastards would ever do that.”
How could he be so optimistic?
And how could he use the word 'never' so carelessly?
The reason the balance was maintained was that if one power made a move, the other two would join forces.
If two joined forces to eliminate one, then they would only have to deal with each other.
They would truly get closer to reigning over the world.
And neither the Righteous Alliance nor the Heretical Alliance were foolish enough to miss that opportunity.
‘This man must not become the Cult Leader.’
His actions would plunge the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult into a pit of despair.
There was nothing more to say, as he wasn't acting out of malice.
“I guess this won't work out after all.”
“What's that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
Watching Jinmyeong shake his head, his face contorted into a frown.
“It's because your thoughts and mine are different, Senior Brother. I believe this balance must not be broken.”
Jinmyeong tossed back his drink and stood up.
“Thanks for the drink. I'll see you around.”
Jang Hu's body trembled as he watched Jinmyeong's carefree back leaving.
*CRASH! CLANG!*
Jang Hu slammed his fist on the table.
The table broke, and the food and drinks on it crashed to the floor.
“How arrogant.”
Jang Hu recalled Jinmyeong's smirking face.
‘I want to kill him right now, but he needs to bring about mutual destruction with Mok Jagyeong.’
It wouldn't be easy to kill him anyway, but in any case, Jinmyeong and Mok Jagyeong had to be put in a position where they would kill each other.
‘I need to think of a way.’
Before the competition began, he had to create a situation where Jinmyeong and Mok Jagyeong became sworn enemies, intent on killing each other.
‘But how am I supposed to do that?’
Mok Jagyeong was incredibly cunning, but Jinmyeong was not an opponent to be taken lightly either.
It would have been better if he were simple and ignorant like Gye Buil, but instead, he was an incredibly cautious fellow.
‘He pretends to be cautious, but he can't hide his arrogant nature. If I can just use that…’
It was faint, but it seemed like he was starting to get an idea.
Jang Hu's mind raced furiously as he stared at the food scattered on the floor.