Chapter 281: The One Who Is Lost
Chapter 281: The One Who Is Lost
“Is it too soon for us to meet again?”
Standing at the door, Jin Ha-ryeong offered a warm greeting.
Water was still dripping from Lee An’s hair. Having just finished her martial arts training, she had bathed and changed into simple, comfortable clothes.
“The sooner the better for a reunion with someone you’re glad to see, right? Please, come in.”
Jin Ha-ryeong stepped inside with a smile. Some people have a way of making others feel good with just a single sentence. Perhaps that was why Lee An had wanted to see her.
As Jin Ha-ryeong took a seat, she noticed a bottle of liquor on the table.
“Were you about to have a drink?”
“Ah, I looked around and found some.”
It seemed to be alcohol provided for those staying at the safe house.
“Would you mind if I joined you for a glass?”
“Of course not. Just a moment, please. I didn’t prepare any snacks since I was just going to have a quick drink.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just drink.”
“Are you sure?”
“You don’t think the granddaughter of the Alliance Leader only drinks when a feast is laid out, do you?”
Lee An laughed and shook her head. The two women poured drinks for each other and clinked their glasses.
“Did something good happen today?”
“Why do you ask?”
“The alcohol, for one. And your expression seems brighter than usual.”
Something good? Of course, there was. She had received martial arts instruction from Geom Mu-geuk for the first time in a while, but what made her feel even better were the words he had said.
—Then why did you bring me along?
—Why else? I just wanted an excuse to come out and play with you after all this time.
How could she not be utterly loyal to a man who had passed down a technique only the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline could learn, who always told her that her happiness came first, and who said things like that?
Lee An didn’t answer, but Jin Ha-ryeong could feel it. Her good mood was clearly related to Geom Mu-geuk.
Lee An naturally shifted the topic.
“Isn’t it hard? Living as the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader?”
“You’re asking the opposite of what most people do.”
“Pardon?”
“Everyone else asks how wonderful it must be to be his granddaughter.”
“I suppose I’m just a negative person.”
“I’ve never seen a truly negative person describe themselves as such.”
Jin Ha-ryeong emptied her glass and looked at Lee An.
“It is hard. Much more than you’d think.”
“I thought it might be.”
“I imagine it’s hard for you too, isn’t it? Serving someone who isn’t exactly easy to handle.”
Regardless of her question, Jin Ha-ryeong felt a pang of envy toward Lee An, who had been by Geom Mu-geuk’s side for so long.
“It’s not hard. When I’m with him, things happen that wouldn’t occur once in a lifetime otherwise. Like occasionally sharing a drink with the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader.”
Jin Ha-ryeong fully empathized with Lee An’s joking remark.
“True, isn’t it? You really never know what will happen in this world.”
Her relationship with Geom Mu-geuk, and even this very moment, were proof of that.
The two shared various stories. Life in the Murim Alliance and life in the Demonic Cult—glimpses into worlds they had never experienced passed between them with every emptied glass.
At times, a subtle tension flickered; at others, they spoke of Geom Mu-geuk. They discussed martial arts, then returned to the topic of Geom Mu-geuk again.
In her heart, Jin Ha-ryeong had honestly hoped to find some flaws in Lee An. But the more they talked, the more she thought, This woman is alright.
When the bottle was empty, Jin Ha-ryeong stood up. She didn’t ask for more. Instead, she made a proposal that caught Lee An off guard.
“Lee An, shall we be friends?”
“So spontaneously? This is only the second time we’ve met.”
“What does it matter? This is the Murim, a place where people kill each other the first time they meet.”
Asking someone to be her friend was something Jin Ha-ryeong had never done before.
People usually lined up to be her friend. Yet, she had never asked any of them. To think she was the one suggesting it to Lee An after only two meetings. Jin Ha-ryeong realized she understood herself as little as she understood the unpredictable world.
“Are you really okay with that? Being friends with a demonic practitioner?”
“I’m fine with it. What about you?”
Lee An stared at Jin Ha-ryeong in silence for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.
“How could I say no to making such a cool friend?”
In that moment, any lingering regret Jin Ha-ryeong had about speaking up vanished instantly.
*
Jin Ha-gun sought out his master once again.
Scrape, scrape.
“Have you found a way?”
His master continued to ask for a solution. By now, Jin Ha-gun knew. His master didn’t actually want to hear a method; his goal was to pressure him. To keep him under his thumb. The fastest and surest way to bind a person was to make them feel small and intimidated.
“No. I’ve come today for a different reason.”
At the somewhat firm reply, Baek Cheon-gyeong stopped his woodcarving. As he looked up, Jin Ha-gun spoke his mind candidly.
“I know you’ve been very disappointed in me lately, Master. I’ve offered excuses, but in my heart, I am deeply reflecting on my actions.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s expression remained largely unchanged.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
A flicker of curiosity crossed Baek Cheon-gyeong’s eyes. Given the current atmosphere, he hadn’t expected Jin Ha-gun to ask for anything. That meant the request was likely significant.
“Speak.”
“During the Young Dragon Tournament a while back, there was a connection between Ha-ryeong and the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, Geom Mu-geuk.”
Jin Ha-gun let out a light sigh before adding, “It seems Ha-ryeong developed feelings for him then.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong listened in silence.
“That reckless girl invited the Young Cult Leader to this Rising Stars gathering. And now, he is secretly here at the headquarters.”
“The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is here at the Alliance?”
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s gaze sharpened.
“I only found out a short while ago myself.”
“Are you saying Geom Mu-geuk came here just to see Ha-ryeong?”
“Yes. It seems he also has feelings for my sister.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong didn’t believe it.
“The Young Cult Leader I’ve heard of in rumors is not a man to be trifled with. You saw him yourself and even suffered at his hands, so you should know better than anyone. Such a man came to the Alliance headquarters just for a woman?”
“You’re right. He is no ordinary man. But perhaps that’s exactly why there could be no other reason.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Would a man that clever choose to come to the Murim Alliance alone? There is only one reason a smart man becomes a fool.”
Some of the words Jin Ha-gun was saying had been coached by Geom Mu-geuk.
—Will this really work on my master?
—It will work because it involves your sister. Matters of blood relatives are often incomprehensible and inexplicable.
Baek Cheon-gyeong still looked skeptical.
“And? What is this favor you want to ask?”
It was a request Baek Cheon-gyeong had never anticipated.
“Please meet Geom Mu-geuk.”
The man who rarely showed emotion could not hide his surprise this time.
“What did you say?”
“Meet him and warn him. Tell him to stay away from my sister.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong looked dumbfounded. He truly hadn’t expected such a request.
“Are you saying that after losing the West Blade Sect, you now want me to make sure you don’t lose your sister?”
The rebuke was painful, but Jin Ha-gun did not back down.
“I can lose the West Blade Sect, but never my sister.”
“Then why don’t you, her brother, warn him yourself?”
“He won’t listen to me. Throughout the West Blade Sect affair, he thoroughly ignored and toyed with me. He’s the type who would approach her even more just to spite me. From what I’ve seen, Geom Mu-geuk is that kind of persistent man.”
“If you can’t do it, you should ask the Alliance Leader.”
“Don’t you know my grandfather’s personality? He would kick the man out immediately. We’d be lucky if he didn’t attack him in a fit of rage. If he’s driven out like that, he’ll surely harbor a grudge. He’s a madman who came all the way to the Murim Alliance alone just to see my sister.”
“This is not my place to interfere. How can I handle something that neither the Alliance Leader nor you can?”
Baek Cheon-gyeong refused firmly.
Jin Ha-gun dropped to his knees on the spot.
“You know better than anyone what my sister means to me, Master. Until now, I have served you as if you were my own father.”
Because it was the truth, this moment was incredibly painful and stifling for Jin Ha-gun.
“Please, I beg of you, grant this unworthy disciple’s earnest request.”
Scrape, scrape.
Baek Cheon-gyeong fell into thought as he continued to carve the wood. Jin Ha-gun did not leave, remaining on his knees.
How much time passed?
Whatever his thoughts were, Baek Cheon-gyeong finished the piece he was working on and spoke.
“Bring him tomorrow.”
*
“My master agreed.”
Jin Ha-gun spoke with a look of relief. Geom Mu-geuk replied as if he had expected the result.
“I knew you could pull it off.”
Praise wasn’t important right now.
“What do you intend to do when you meet him?”
“I’ll have to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“Whether he’s someone I can let live, or someone I must kill.”
Geom Mu-geuk stared into Jin Ha-gun’s eyes and asked, “Will you trust my decision?”
“How could I trust someone who loves to play games as much as you? I will only trust my own judgment.”
Jin Ha-gun stood up. As he was about to leave the room, he stopped at the door.
“Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your way?”
It was a thought that had been haunting him lately. Even as he proceeded with this plan, another part of his mind tormented him: Master is a good person, and you’re being used by Geom Mu-geuk.
“No. I have an excellent sense of direction.”
Just as Jin Ha-gun was about to turn away, thinking it was another joke, Geom Mu-geuk spoke from behind him.
“Isn’t it that you haven’t lost your way, but rather forgotten where you were going?”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“They say all roads in the world are connected, don’t they? If you know where you need to go, you can’t really be lost.”
“What if you’ve forgotten even where you’re supposed to go?”
“Then you should sit down on the ground and wail.”
“Don’t joke with me.”
Geom Mu-geuk recalled the days he had wandered across the Central Plains searching for materials for the Great Regression Art. There were times when it was so hard he truly wanted to burst into tears.
“You could ask the people you meet. If there are no people, look at the stars in the sky. If you still don’t know, throw your shoe and leave it to luck. And if you still don’t know after that… then you just have to walk wherever your feet take you.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“What is there to be afraid of? You’re already lost anyway.”
“...!”
Jin Ha-gun fell into silent thought for a moment, then let out a sigh.
“You are truly… a strange man.”
“You people are certainly polite. Everyone in the Cult calls me a madman.”
“Then I suppose you’re a strangely mad man. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
With those words, Jin Ha-gun left.
Geom Mu-geuk stared out the window for a while. Jin Ha-gun was still young, so he didn’t know. He didn’t know what it truly meant to be lost. A person who is truly lost doesn’t even realize they’ve lost their way.
*
The next day, Geom Mu-geuk arrived at the master’s workshop with Jin Ha-gun.
“Master, I’ve arrived. I’ve brought the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult with me.”
“Come in.”
As they stepped inside, Jin Ha-gun flinched. His master looked different than usual. He was wearing a brilliant red robe and had a long sword strapped to his waist. Jin Ha-gun remembered him wearing such ornate attire when they first met.
Geom Mu-geuk and Baek Cheon-gyeong’s gazes met in midair. Between Geom Mu-geuk’s clear, deep eyes and Baek Cheon-gyeong’s narrow, long ones, it was difficult for either to read the other’s emotions.
Amidst the thick tension, Geom Mu-geuk released his aura. It was to gauge the other’s martial prowess. Regardless of the master’s will, a deep abyss began to pull Baek Cheon-gyeong in.
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s counter-aura was unique.
Geom Mu-geuk looked around. Suddenly, he found himself standing in a dense forest. It was filled with trees that soared endlessly toward the sky. The sight of that infinite expanse brought an overwhelming sense of solitude, as if he had been dropped alone outside the world.
While Baek Cheon-gyeong was sinking into the abyss, Geom Mu-geuk walked into the forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and birds chirped. A man with such a bright aura? No. If he were such a person, Jin Ha-gun would never have called for him.
Geom Mu-geuk continued to walk deeper into the woods. The forest presented the same scenery over and over, tempting him with the illusion that there was no need to go further. Geom Mu-geuk brushed aside the temptation and kept walking.
What led him was neither his own will nor the opponent’s aura. Surprisingly, what guided him in this moment was the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.
There is something over there.
It was hidden so deeply that it would have been impossible to detect without having mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. It was a testament to how formidable the opponent’s martial arts were.
Finally, in the deepest part of the forest, Geom Mu-geuk discovered a wooden statue in the shape of a human.
The statue, standing with its arms crossed, was crafted so vividly that it felt like a living person. However, the face had been left uncarved and flat. There was a mystical feeling to it, as if the wood might bulge or recede at any moment to form a human face.
As Geom Mu-geuk tried to approach the statue, the surrounding trees began to move, stretching out their branches. Like living things, the branches blocked his path to the statue and surrounded him threateningly.
In that instant, Geom Mu-geuk knew.
The Wood Form Thousand Soul Technique!
An ultimate secret art performed by manipulating every tree in the world.
Suddenly, Geom Mu-geuk was swept by shock and intense emotion. It wasn’t because this technique was a mystical martial art where trees moved at will and small wooden dolls grew in size to attack like masters.
It was because he knew who used this martial art.
After Hwa Mu-gi went into seclusion, his followers had formed the Under Heaven Alliance. The twelve absolute masters who ruled that alliance—those whom the world called the Twelve Zodiac Kings!
In the past, they had operated as the Twelve Zodiac Kings while concealing their true identities. Perhaps they had feared the revenge of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions that might come later.
And the Eighth King among those Twelve Zodiac Kings was the one who used this Wood Form Thousand Soul Technique.
Geom Mu-geuk’s heart began to pound violently.
It’s the Wood King!
This was the first time since his regression that he had encountered one of Hwa Mu-gi’s followers.