Chapter 269: I’ve Seen Your Father in a New Light
Chapter 269: I’ve Seen Your Father in a New Light
Step, step.
Following the steady rhythm of his own footsteps, a man wearing a bamboo hat arrived at a small workshop.
He removed the hat and tossed it toward the wall. It landed with a light thud, hooking perfectly onto a yellow robe hanging there.
The man was middle-aged, with narrow, elongated eyes. His gaze held a mysterious depth, the look of a man who had navigated countless schemes and survived a lifetime of storms.
He sat on a small stool and began to craft a wooden doll.
Scrape, scrape.
The only sound in the cramped space was the rhythmic slicing of a carving knife through wood. With extraordinary dexterity, he shaved the block until a doll the size of a finger began to take shape.
At that moment, a young man entered the room soundlessly. He was handsome, with a bold, refreshing appearance and eyes full of spirit.
He approached the middle-aged man from behind. His footwork was exceptional; even as he drew his sword and closed the distance, he didn't make a single sound.
Sssshhh.
The young man’s blade came to rest against the side of the middle-aged man’s neck.
The scraping stopped. It wasn't because of the sword at his throat, however. The small carving knife that had been in the middle-aged man’s hand was now hovering directly in front of the young man’s eyes.
The young man withdrew his sword and reached out to snatch the knife from the air.
But the carving knife wouldn't budge, held fast by an invisible force.
The young man even channeled his internal energy to force it, but it was useless. Finally, when the young man gave up, the middle-aged man spoke.
“A master does not fall for a sneak attack. That is why they are called masters. If you wish to kill one, you must look them in the eye.”
At those words, the young man asked, “Isn't that much more difficult?”
“It is easier. Only when you realize that can you become a true master capable of killing your peers.”
Scrape, scrape.
The sound of carving resumed. Before anyone could blink, the knife that had been floating in the air was back in the middle-aged man’s hand. It happened so naturally that it felt as if the blade had never left his grip in the first place.
“I will keep that in mind, Master.”
The young man bowed politely.
The two were master and disciple.
Through the window, the silhouettes of martial artists standing guard around the workshop were visible. The characters engraved on their chests matched the ones on the young man’s robes: Demon Extermination (滅魔).
These were the warriors of the Demon Extermination Squad, the elite force of the Murim Alliance.
The young man was Jin Ha-gun, the grandson of the current Murim Alliance Leader and the commander of the Demon Extermination Squad. He was also the older brother of Jin Ha-ryeong, who shared a connection with Geom Mu-geuk. Since joining the squad, he had risen to the position of leader solely through his own merit.
The middle-aged man was his master, Baek Cheon-gyeong.
“I see you haven't been neglecting your training lately.”
Jin Ha-gun had not yet been taught the martial arts of his grandfather, Murim Alliance Leader Jin Pae-cheon. His grandfather wanted him to earn the succession fairly, through his own strength. He had officially declared that he would grant no special favors just because Jin Ha-gun was his blood.
“I have been training even at the cost of sleep,” Jin Ha-gun replied.
He walked over to a display stand in the center of the workshop. On it, wooden dolls carved by Baek Cheon-gyeong were arranged to depict a battlefield.
The scene was so vivid it looked as if a real fight were unfolding. It was a clash between warriors in white and warriors in black—a depiction of the eternal struggle between light and shadow.
Looking down at the display, Jin Ha-gun spoke. “The rumors coming from the Demonic Cult lately are unusual.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong remained silent, focusing entirely on his carving.
“They say the new Young Cult Leader, Geom Mu-geuk, has taken control of all the Demon Lords and is rapidly expanding his influence.”
Even then, Baek Cheon-gyeong acted as if it were nothing, turning the wooden doll he was carving this way and that to inspect his progress.
“To be honest, that man concerns me,” Jin Ha-gun admitted.
At that, Baek Cheon-gyeong’s hands stopped. He stood up and walked over to his disciple at the display stand.
“How does this battle look to you?”
“The warriors in white seem to be at a disadvantage.”
“The white warriors have the numbers. Why do you think they are losing?”
“Because of this person.” Jin Ha-gun pointed to the black-clad warrior leading the charge and swinging his sword.
“You saw correctly. It is because of him. He has seized control of the board and is dictating the flow of the battle.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong leaned down, peering at the wooden doll with his narrow eyes. “Do you want to play this role?”
“Yes. I want to stand in that position. No—I will stand there.”
“Indeed, you have been that way since you were a boy. You were never afraid of a challenge, and you never knew how to give up.”
Jin Ha-gun’s heart swelled whenever his master praised him. It was the reason he trained harder than anyone else. Since his parents had passed away early, he had lived his life looking up to Baek Cheon-gyeong as a father figure.
“The one standing in that position right now is Geom Mu-geuk.”
Jin Ha-gun couldn't argue. He knew that Geom Mu-geuk had ascended to the position of Young Cult Leader more brilliantly than any successor in history.
On the other hand, what about himself? He hadn't even officially been named the successor yet.
Baek Cheon-gyeong slowly touched the doll with his finger. “How will you break this momentum?”
Jin Ha-gun answered as if he had been waiting for the question. “I received a report that Geom Mu-geuk is currently in the Hunan region. I heard he is pressuring the Heavenly Flower Sect while holding the Sect Leader’s son captive.”
He had been paying close attention to every move made by the man he considered his rival.
“The Heavenly Flower Sect is powerful, but they cannot face the Demonic Cult alone. If I can rescue them from the Cult’s grasp...”
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s gaze shifted toward the hero doll. “Then you will be the one leading the battles to come.”
Jin Ha-gun asked cautiously, “But isn't the Heavenly Flower Sect originally a sect that wavered between the Demonic Cult and the Unorthodox Path Alliance?”
To the outside world, the Heavenly Flower Sect was known to split its loyalty: forty percent to the Demonic Cult, forty percent to the Unorthodox Path Alliance, and only twenty percent to the Murim Alliance.
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s gaze returned to the doll. “Do you think you can stand in that position by doing easy things?”
Jin Ha-gun was a man full of confidence, but even he hesitated. “In my heart, I want to lead the Demon Extermination Squad to strike the Hunan Branch and rescue the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader’s son, but...”
If he did that, a full-scale war with the Demonic Cult would break out. Far from being a hero, he could become a historic sinner.
After a moment of deliberation, Jin Ha-gun spoke carefully. “When dealing with the Demonic Cult, there is a unique authority the Demon Extermination Squad Leader can invoke. If the Alliance Leader accepts my special request, we can apply pressure to the Demonic Cult in the name of the Murim Alliance. However, I don't know if the Heavenly Flower Sect is worth that much effort.”
“The Heavenly Flower Sect is a large sect in its own right, but it also has dozens of small and medium-sized guilds following its lead. If you can turn them toward the Orthodox faction, there would be no greater achievement.”
“I understand the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader is not an easy man to deal with. Given how he has skillfully walked the tightrope between the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions, he might ignore our help and conspire with the Unorthodox Path Alliance later.”
Jin Ha-gun thought of the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader, a man who had his hands in everything, as a fox.
Then, Baek Cheon-gyeong said something surprising. “I will take care of that part.”
Jin Ha-gun was startled. Although his master was well-versed in the affairs of the Jianghu, he had never personally intervened in Murim politics. The reason he gave was enough to move Jin Ha-gun.
“If you pull this off, it will be the decisive contribution that makes you the successor of the Murim Alliance. That is why I am stepping in.”
Jin Ha-gun offered a respectful fist salute. “Thank you very much, Master.”
Now that his master had stepped forward, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Then I will proceed with the matter immediately.”
As he was about to leave, Jin Ha-gun flicked the hero doll with his finger, knocking it over.
After Jin Ha-gun left, Baek Cheon-gyeong continued to carve.
Scrape, scrape.
How long had he been at it?
Baek Cheon-gyeong walked over to the display stand and stood the fallen doll back up.
Then, he placed a newly carved doll in the center of the board. The doll, which could have represented himself or Jin Ha-gun, stood haughtily with its arms crossed.
*
A few days had passed since Heavenly Flower Sect Leader Seo Baek-jung’s visit.
He had taken no action to save his son. It certainly didn't seem like he was going to give up on his child, but Geom Mu-geuk simply waited to see how his opponent would move while practicing the Time Heaven Secret Technique.
The more he practiced the technique, the more he began to perceive the slight distortions in time. He sought the point where the time gained through the technique outweighed the time spent on internal energy recovery; once he mastered that balance, he would perform all his training using the Time Heaven Secret Technique. As it was a "Reverse Heaven" technique that defied the natural order, it was grueling, but he practiced relentlessly.
While he was drinking tea in the main hall after finishing his session, Jeok-yeon entered with Seo Cheong. He had brought the prisoner because Seo Cheong had pleaded for an audience.
As soon as he entered, Seo Cheong shouted in protest. “Why haven't you contacted my father?”
He had been imprisoned in the branch’s dungeon, but despite the confinement, his spirit wasn't broken.
“I did contact him,” Geom Mu-geuk replied calmly.
“Don't lie to me! If you had, there’s no way he wouldn't be here by now. Young Cult Leader, my father isn't a stubborn man. If you speak candidly, you'll get what you want.”
This was the conclusion he had reached while imprisoned: the Demonic Cult was doing this to pull the Heavenly Flower Sect to their side. Otherwise, there was no reason to keep him. They wouldn't imprison the successor of the Heavenly Flower Sect just for killing a few commoners or low-level martial artists, would they?
“Your father has already visited.”
Seo Cheong froze. “What do you mean? Are you saying he came and left without seeing me?”
When Geom Mu-geuk nodded, Seo Cheong was stunned. “That’s nonsense!”
After standing dazed for a moment, he began to pace back and forth, rambling. “If you're going to try and drive a wedge between us, do it properly. If you're the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, act like it and contact my father as promised.”
He walked over to the table and tried to pour himself some tea with trembling hands. Feeling the shake in his fingers, he turned back around. He oscillated between disbelief and the terrifying thought that his father had actually abandoned him.
“Even for someone like you, you're in big trouble now. The fact that my father left without seeing me means he is truly furious!”
Then, Geom Mu-geuk suddenly asked, “How much do you actually know about your father?”
Seo Cheong flinched. “Young Cult Leader, how much do you know?”
Geom Mu-geuk thought that Seo Cheong’s current state was no different from his own before his regression. If he had experienced something like this back then, he would have argued just like this. He would have been even more aggressive, lashing out to hide the fact that he knew almost nothing about his own father.
It was then that a subordinate from the branch arrived, delivering an urgent missive from Tongcheon Pavilion.
Geom Mu-geuk assumed it would be a message regarding the appointment of the new Hunan Branch Leader, but the content was completely unexpected. It was an order to release Seo Cheong.
Geom Mu-geuk was surprised. The fact that such a decision was made at Tongcheon Pavilion meant it had his father’s approval. And that meant immense power had intervened. The lack of detailed circumstances in the letter was likely his father’s way of saying, 'Figure it out.'
Now, how will you handle this?
Even after becoming the Young Cult Leader, his father’s tests continued.
“Release Young Master Seo.”
Jeok-yeon was also surprised by the order, but he moved quickly to unblock Seo Cheong’s internal energy.
Seo Cheong let out a shout of joy, looking as if he were walking on air. “What did I tell you? Didn't I say it would turn out like this?”
He strode over to the table and poured himself a cup of tea. “Care for a drink together?”
Seo Cheong laughed heartily as he gulped the tea. As if his previous panic had never existed, his arrogance returned in full force. He glared at Jeok-yeon and said threateningly, “I remember every single face I saw here.”
When Jeok-yeon glared back with his one eye, Seo Cheong quickly turned his gaze back to Geom Mu-geuk.
Geom Mu-geuk was smiling.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s interesting. I was feeling a bit bored. It’s not like catching you is the end, right, Young Master Seo? Young Master Yang, Young Master Jin, Young Master Cheon... all sorts of 'Young Masters' will keep sprouting up no matter how many I pluck. But to think you moved the Main Cult? I, the Young Cult Leader, am the one handling this matter, yet you managed to overturn it from above?”
Geom Mu-geuk was genuinely pleased.
“This is several times more impressive than if they had stormed in here to rescue you. I’ve seen your father in a new light.”
“You're only realizing that now? I am the successor of the Heavenly Flower Sect!”
He strode out, shouting loudly, “You won't be seeing me again!”
“We’ll see each other again soon,” Geom Mu-geuk called after him.
As Seo Cheong ran out without looking back, Jeok-yeon asked, “What happened?”
“It seems the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader moved the Murim Alliance or the Unorthodox Path Alliance.”
Otherwise, the Heavenly Demon Hall wouldn't have made such a decision.
“What do you intend to do?”
“Since they blocked the Main Cult’s Tongcheon Pavilion, I’ll have to use my own.”
Jeok-yeon could tell that Geom Mu-geuk was actually excited. It was the joy one feels when encountering a formidable enemy.
In such a situation, a guard should remain perfectly rational. Yet, Jeok-yeon realized he was feeling the same excitement. He was secretly looking forward to what would happen next.
While Jeok-yeon let out a soft sigh, Geom Mu-geuk walked outside.
“Where are you going? I will escort you.”
“You can't. Stay here and wait.”
“I can follow—”
He couldn't. The moment Geom Mu-geuk kicked off the ground and took flight, he became a mere dot and vanished in an instant.
“—not. I will wait here.”
At that moment, No. 3, who was in the yard, said to Jeok-yeon, “It’s not easy, is it?”
Jeok-yeon rubbed his aching eye and nodded. In truth, Geom Mu-geuk was the easiest leader to protect, yet simultaneously the most difficult.
Jeok-yeon looked up at the sky where Geom Mu-geuk had disappeared and said softly, “But it won't be easy for the enemies, either.”