Chapter 161: Sometimes Tragedy is Close at Hand
Chapter 161: Sometimes Tragedy is Close at Hand
The two auras were fundamentally different.
If my father’s aura was like falling into an endless abyss—where the body turns cold, true qi slows to a crawl, and the terror of suffocation takes hold—then the aura of Murim Alliance Leader Jin Pae-cheon was like facing a typhoon in the middle of a dark ocean.
I stood my ground firmly against the Alliance Leader’s pressure. Though the gale threatened to hurl me into the sky one moment and drag me to the depths of the sea the next, I did not lose consciousness.
Reflexively, my martial arts began to react. Whenever I encountered a powerful foe, the Wind God Four Steps would stir within me like this.
—Let’s fight. Let’s tear that aura to shreds! Let’s pierce through the heart of the typhoon!
Struggling to suppress the temptation of this supreme martial art, I endured the Alliance Leader’s aura until the very end. Just as the sparring match with my father at the tavern had been a great help, simply enduring this pressure would prove to be a significant lesson.
As I held my ground, a flicker of interest—a look that said, "Well, look at this one"—crossed the Alliance Leader’s expression.
Simultaneously, the pressure intensified. Now, lightning began to strike the storm-tossed sea. Massive waterspouts erupted across the ocean, pulling the water upward. Truly, the Alliance Leader’s aura instilled a primal terror.
So, the Murim Alliance Leader is such a domineering man. It occurred to me that perhaps the reason my father dreamed of the Unification of the Murim was because of this man. The existence of such a powerful adversary couldn't have failed to provoke my father.
I was reaching the limit of what I could endure. It was time to either collapse or retreat.
Right then, I saw them again.
The eyes.
A pair of massive pupils staring at me.
Some colossal entity was watching me. I knew instinctively that it was the Heavenly Demon Soul I had seen in the painting before.
I hadn't even learned the Nine Calamities Demonic Art yet, so why did I keep seeing visions of the Heavenly Demon Soul?
The giant Heavenly Demon Soul stood tall in the ocean, shielding me from the blowing typhoon as it looked down at me. Its gaze seemed to find me pathetic, yet it also felt longing, pitying, and at the same time, entirely devoid of emotion.
The vision of the Heavenly Demon Soul slowly faded.
The Alliance Leader’s aura, which had surged as if to kill me, was already gone. Standing some distance away, the Murim Alliance Leader looked astonished that I had held out until the end.
I was on the verge of collapse. If the Heavenly Demon Soul hadn't blocked the final moment, I would have lost consciousness and fallen. Though the Heavenly Demon Soul was likely a phantom created by my own mental strength, it felt so vivid that it was as if the real entity had actually visited.
I repeated what I had said to the Alliance Leader earlier.
"Only I can save your granddaughter."
This time, Jin Pae-cheon did not explode in blind rage. These were the words of a man who had just withstood his aura.
"What do you mean by that?"
Meeting the Murim Alliance Leader and revealing my identity... normally, it was a choice I never would have made. Yet, I chose it in the end because of the two weapons I possessed.
The first was faith in my experience. My experience from before the regression, combined with the experience gained from facing the Demon Lords after the regression. I trusted myself.
However, I wouldn't have made the reckless choice to meet the Alliance Leader based on experience alone if not for my second weapon.
My second weapon was his granddaughter, Jin Ha-ryeong.
As long as she was deeply involved in this matter, I was certain the Murim Alliance Leader would eventually have no choice but to help me. I felt sorry for her, but I intended to use her fully. Since this was ultimately for her sake anyway, I hoped she would understand.
"Have you heard of the Heavenly Mandate Society?"
Jin Pae-cheon nodded. Since they had recently been committing various atrocities while impersonating the Cult, the Murim Alliance would naturally be aware of them.
"I was tracking them under my father’s orders. I obtained information that they are plotting a conspiracy related to this Young Dragon Tournament."
"The source of this information?"
"The Master of Villain Valley."
Jin Pae-cheon didn't look surprised. Like the Heavenly Mandate Society, he must have heard the news of the Villain Valley Master’s recent death. He simply hadn't realized the two incidents were connected yet.
"I heard the news that the master of Villain Valley has changed."
"The information is certain, as it was revealed by him in an attempt to save his own life. That is why I sent my subordinate to participate in the Young Dragon Tournament—to catch them."
"If such a thing was happening, you should have informed us."
"There are circumstances that prevented that."
"What circumstances?"
"Because taking down the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society is the successor's test assigned to me."
Jin Pae-cheon’s eyes deepened coldly as he released his aura once more. This aura was different from the storm-tossed sea from before. It was a soft aura that wrapped around my body like a spring breeze, attempting to read my emotional shifts—an attempt to verify if my words were true.
"Tell me about Ha-ryeong."
"I am certain the Heavenly Mandate Society is targeting Miss Jin."
"And why are you so certain?"
"I discovered they were plotting something regarding the Young Dragon Tournament. But upon arriving, I saw that Miss Jin is competing and is even a strong candidate for victory. You think it's a coincidence? Not a chance. They will undoubtedly target her. No, they likely planned this knowing from the start that she would participate."
"Even if that were the case, I could simply step in and resolve it myself. Why would I leave my granddaughter’s affairs to you?"
"Because if anyone other than me intervenes now, Miss Jin will be in danger."
The aura that had been softly enveloping me turned cold in an instant. At the mere mention of his granddaughter being in danger, the aura radiated killing intent.
"The Heavenly Mandate Society is a much larger and more powerful organization than we initially thought. It’s possible that people within the leadership of the Cult, the Murim Alliance, or even the Unorthodox Path Alliance have already been recruited by them. That is also why we must speak via Voice Transmission."
I told him about how the Master of Villain Valley and the senior of the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon had already been turned. If people of that caliber had been recruited, this was not a matter to be taken lightly.
"If you investigate, you will find my words to be true. Fortunately, they do not yet know that I have come here to track them. If you trust me, I will root them out completely."
Jin Pae-cheon stared at me in silence. Normally, he would have dismissed this as a plot by the Cult and never believed it. But with Jin Ha-ryeong involved, he couldn't easily turn it away.
Right now, I am the only one who can save your granddaughter.
My persuasion, led by my most powerful weapon, continued.
"I imagine you’ve heard various reports about me. I don’t know what kind of information they were, but this much is certain: I am striving to establish a Demonic Path different from the one before. At the very least, I do not stoop to using the young granddaughter of the opposing camp to plot my schemes."
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Murim Alliance, and the Unorthodox Path Alliance send countless spies to one another. Thus, they know basic information. I assumed he had some grasp of my activities as the Huangquan Pavilion Master.
"Do you know why I am determined to save your granddaughter?"
"Why?"
"Because she is the kind of person who, despite being the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader, would offer to marry a mere servant just to protect his life. You raised her wonderfully."
It was both the truth and a use of the Flattery Divine Art.
Jin Pae-cheon took long strides toward me.
Flash! In an instant, his blade was leveled at my throat.
"Go back and wait. I will give you an answer soon."
"Yes, I will wait."
I gave him a polite bow and turned around. I could feel his gaze on my back, powerful enough to pierce right through me. His suspicion was only natural, but I could only hope he would make a wise decision.
*
When I returned to the inn, Seo Dae-ryong had already packed all the bags so we could leave at a moment's notice.
"Ah! You're back!"
"What is all this?"
"What does it look like? I packed up so we could bolt if things went south."
"What about me?"
"Don't worry. I packed your bags too, Pavilion Master."
"No. If things went south, it means something happened to me, right?"
"Well, I can't exactly let myself get caught too, can I?"
"..."
"..."
"Ah! You have no idea how much I missed your dry jokes."
"I wasn't joking. Anyway, how was it? You met the Murim Alliance Leader, right?"
"I thought I was going to die."
"He's strong, isn't he?"
I nodded.
"Glad you made it back."
Seo Dae-ryong began to unpack the bags. His face, stripped of its playfulness, was full of relief.
By now, I knew enough about Seo Dae-ryong. It wasn't a joke; if something happened to me, he would flee immediately. He wasn't the type to rush in emotionally for revenge.
Only after returning and reporting the situation would his revenge truly begin. Just as he had memorized the profiles of all the Demon Army members to avenge his senior at the Huangquan Pavilion, he might memorize every single martial artist in the Murim Alliance. Whether it took ten years or a hundred, he was the kind of man who would dream of revenge until the day he died. That was Seo Dae-ryong.
"What about your identity, Pavilion Master?"
"He knows who I am now."
"Then he'll know about me too."
"That's right."
"In that case, is it still okay for me to win?"
Seo Dae-ryong’s expression was too serious for me to ask, 'Can you even win?'
"Now, you absolutely have to."
"Why?"
"The Alliance Leader knows about the Heavenly Mandate Society now. Do you think he’d want his granddaughter to win and become their target?"
"So he'll want me to win and become their target instead."
"Exactly."
"Ah, is it a crime not to have a grandfather? Grandfather! Are you watching this?"
I laughed at Seo Dae-ryong’s joke and said, "Think of it positively. This is the moment in your life where you'll have the Murim Alliance Leader cheering for you."
"Ah! You're right. That's another thing to brag about at the tavern. But is it really okay to reveal everything to the Murim Alliance Leader like this?"
"I have to abandon the idea that I can achieve anything while deceiving him. I intend to deal with him honestly from now on. I’ll show him ninety-nine truths."
"Then what is the one remaining lie?"
"Why do you assume it's a lie?"
"Pardon?"
"It might just be a truth I haven't told him yet."
"What kind of truth?"
I looked at the Murim Alliance building visible in the distance through the window and said, "You'll find out later. Much later."
*
At dawn the next day, I woke up.
The Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art had roused me.
I left my room and went down to the first floor, where someone was sitting alone in the closed inn. Though he emitted no aura, his presence was clear even as a mere silhouette in the darkness. Just the sight of him sitting there with his back turned made me tense; it was the Murim Alliance Leader, Jin Pae-cheon.
"You've come?"
I sat across from him. There was no sign of the Heavenly Dragon Small Tiger Squad nearby. However, they were likely hidden in various spots not far away, guarding the perimeter like an iron fortress.
Jin Pae-cheon abruptly brought up my father.
"I have met your father twice in my life."
I listened to his story in silence.
"Every time we met, he was a man who made me feel I needed to strive harder. It was your father who kept me from standing still."
I felt I understood the Alliance Leader’s heart. My father was a man who craved strength more than anyone else.
"I had forgotten for a while, but yesterday, you reignited the embers of my heart that were fading out."
It meant that I, having withstood his aura, had left that strong of an impression. If I was this capable while young, what would I be like later? He must have felt a sense of crisis.
"Fine, I will leave this matter to you."
He must have agonized over this decision. I wondered who he had consulted. Who was the person he trusted most?
"However, there is one condition."
"Name it."
"I must know every step of the process. From this moment on, one of my people will be attached to you. That person will watch your every move."
I sensed someone hidden around us even now. He was a master of stealth, on par with my father’s guard, Hwi. Of course, I didn't let on that I had detected him.
The Murim Alliance Leader wasn't leaving this to me solely because of potential traitors. He also wanted to test me. It stemmed from a desire to see what kind of person I, a potential future Cult Leader, was. In the end, I was being tested by both the Demonic Cult Leader and the Murim Alliance Leader.
"In return, I also have a condition."
"What is it?"
"We will handle the Leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society. However, I will deal with them as discreetly as possible before I leave."
Jin Pae-cheon nodded and stood up.
"Just do what you need to do and go."
I could tell what Jin Pae-cheon was worried about. He was telling me not to sway Jin Ha-ryeong’s heart.
"The subordinate I brought with me teases me. He says the end of a fated love is always a tragedy. But young people these days don't like tragedies. That goes for me, and likely for your granddaughter as well."
I knew well why Jin Pae-cheon was so worried. Because his son and daughter-in-law had met a tragic end together, he wanted to ensure his granddaughter wouldn't be swept up in a tragedy caused by romance.
"Sometimes, tragedy can be closer than you think."
"What do you mean?"
"The fact that your granddaughter told all those people she was dating me wasn't just because of her liking or goodwill toward me."
"Are you saying it's because of that man who's trying to kill you?"
"Miss Jin takes after you, Alliance Leader. She is someone who absolutely cannot stand injustice."
"Which is why I worry all the more."
"Then find out who that person is and how he is pressuring your granddaughter. That one investigation will do more to improve your relationship with her than a hundred worries."
After staring at me as if to pierce through me, Jin Pae-cheon left with one final remark.
"Don't worry about useless things and just do your job well."
Watching the Alliance Leader’s receding back, I headed up to my room on the second floor. Before entering, I spoke into the empty air.
"When I sleep, you should sleep too. I'll let you know if I'm going anywhere."
Despite my attempt at casual friendliness, the hidden figure gave no reply.