Chapter 308: Without Even Knowing the Heart of the Person Beside You
Chapter 308: Without Even Knowing the Heart of the Person Beside You
I felt a strange sense of relief that the traitor turned out to be the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.
If it had been any of the other Demon Lords, I wouldn't have been able to look them in the eye, even if they were living different lives in this timeline.
Now, I could deduce one certain fact.
Since the Murim Alliance had Baek Cheon-gyeong and the Cult had the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord, someone was undoubtedly plotting within the Unorthodox Path Alliance as well.
In fact, I felt a glimmer of hope. Until now, Hwa Mu-gi had felt like an inevitable natural disaster—an absolute entity that humanity could not hope to stop. But now I knew that those catastrophic events were the result of meticulous preparation spanning many years.
The haze in Cheong-seon’s eyes cleared as she returned to her senses.
Discovering Sa U-jong’s corpse before her, she let out a sharp gasp. Then, seeing me standing there, she flinched in surprise.
“Young Cult Leader?”
She immediately fell into a state of self-reproach. She was unaware that she had been ensnared by a Soul-Seizing Technique herself, but everything else was painfully clear. She remembered vividly how she had lost her temper and cast her own Soul-Seizing Technique on Sa U-jong.
“I... I fell for his provocation.”
As if she hadn't intended for him to die like this, Cheong-seon looked down at the corpse with a complicated expression. They had once shared a bed, yet they had come to such a disastrous end.
“I have no face to show you, Young Cult Leader.”
Her voice trembled slightly. She seemed deeply apologetic and embarrassed for killing Sa U-jong after I had explicitly told her to leave him to me.
“I truly cannot understand it. He acted like a man who wanted to die by my hand. He was like that last time, too, but today... it was as if he had made up his mind.”
Since the deed was done, I offered her what comfort I could.
“It seems he wanted to die at the hands of a Demon Lord. If he was determined to die and provoked you, there was likely nothing you could have done to stop yourself.”
“No. No matter what he said, I should have endured it.”
She was sincerely regretful. Indeed, to live as a Demon Lord from now on, she needed to control her emotions regardless of the provocation. This incident would serve as a harsh but necessary lesson.
“The man deserved to die. However, Sa U-jong was a martial artist of the Northern Heavenly Sword House, so we cannot simply sweep this incident under the rug.”
A look of worry crossed Cheong-seon’s face. If this issue came to light, it would cause a massive scandal.
“Demon Lord.”
“Yes, Young Cult Leader.”
“Can you trust me to the end?”
Cheong-seon’s eyes wavered. Nothing gives a person more strength than having someone to rely on when they are backed into a corner. She nodded firmly.
“Leave the rest to me and return for now. I will have the Huangquan Pavilion handle the body.”
As she turned to leave, Cheong-seon paused and asked, “But how did you know to come here?”
Since I couldn't tell her about Hwan-yeo, I lied.
“I was conducting secret surveillance on Sa U-jong. Upon receiving a report that he went to meet you, I came to see what his intentions were.”
“I see. I am ashamed to ask this, but I will leave the aftermath in your hands, Young Cult Leader.”
Cheong-seon gave a polite fist salute and departed.
Left alone, I looked down at Sa U-jong’s corpse. He had claimed to know the weakness of the One Flower Sword Venerable, but that secret was now buried forever.
Hwan-yeo.
Her personality was no different than it was before the regression. She used him to her heart's content and then discarded him like trash.
If Hwan-yeo was at the Flower Garden, where was the Illusion King? Was he nearby? Or was he plotting somewhere else?
*
After leaving the guest hall, I went straight back to the Huangquan Pavilion.
Seo Dae-ryong was curious about what had happened, as I had suddenly rushed out during our conversation. If Seo Dae-ryong hadn't brought up the flowerpot, I might not have thought of Hwan-yeo at all.
“Sa U-jong is dead.”
Seo Dae-ryong was startled. He had been reporting the surveillance results just a moment ago, so hearing the man was already dead was a shock.
“As expected! Whenever the Young Cult Leader rushes out, villains are bound to die.”
I shook my head at his half-joking remark.
“It wasn't me this time.”
“Then who killed him?”
“The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.”
Seo Dae-ryong’s eyes widened. “What on earth happened?”
I only told him that the owner of the Flower Garden was behind the incident.
“That woman used Sa U-jong as a medium to cast a Soul-Seizing Technique on the Demon Lord.”
“Is that even possible? Ah, well, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord is still young, but still...”
“Even so, it’s no easy feat. It means our opponents are not to be trifled with.”
Seo Dae-ryong’s expression turned serious. This was a plot targeting a Demon Lord, of all people.
“Do you know who the woman at the Flower Garden is?”
I shook my head. I couldn't reveal her identity as Hwan-yeo even to him.
“Stop the special surveillance on Sa U-jong and monitor the Flower Garden instead. Use your most skilled individuals and keep it covert. These are people who plot against a Demon Lord. Have them monitor only their general movements from a distance. Also, send the enforcement martial artists to recover Sa U-jong’s body.”
“Understood.”
I couldn't predict Hwan-yeo’s next move. Since she had successfully cast the Soul-Seizing Technique, I didn't know if she would leave or stay nearby to maintain the spell placed on the Demon Lord.
“What do you plan to do now?”
This matter couldn't be solved by me and the Huangquan Pavilion alone. While the Soul-Seizing Technique didn't work on me, I didn't have the means to release someone else from its grasp.
“I must send a missive telling them to return immediately.”
“To whom?”
“To the only person who can resolve this situation.”
He was the only person who could fix this, but I knew two people would likely arrive.
*
“I lost.”
The old man conceded. He was famous in the neighborhood for his skill at Go. About a month ago, a young man had come to him asking to be taught, paying a fee for each game.
At first, there was a significant gap in their skills, so they played handicap games. But the young man’s skill improved every time they played, and before the old man knew it, the youth had beaten him. His progress was almost unbelievable.
“How did your skill improve so quickly? Were you playing me for a fool from the start?”
The man who had learned Go from the old man was Go Wol. He smiled, placed the tuition fee next to the board, and stood up.
“I have learned much from you.”
It was a final farewell, implying he would no longer be coming for lessons.
“Just one more game!” the old man pleaded. He had already lost three in a row.
“Please do not be too upset. It is all thanks to your excellent teaching, Elder.”
Go Wol gave a polite bow and turned to leave.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, who had been watching from the side, said to the old man, “He’s right. That fellow was a Go master from the beginning. He’s a devious brat who deceived you from the start. He just wanted to show off by making a comeback after tricking you, old man.”
However, the old man didn't agree at all. Instead, the frustration of his defeat flew toward the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“You look much more devious than him, though.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader crouched down next to the old man, offended.
“Aieee, have you spent so much time playing Go that you’ve lost your eye for people? I’m a man who has never heard the word 'devious' in my entire life!”
“Everyone probably stayed on guard because you look so suspicious. You just never had the chance to be devious.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, who had become a "devious person" while trying to tease Go Wol, flared up.
“I am a master of the Murim! You shouldn't speak so carelessly.”
“I’ll be eighty-seven the day after tomorrow. What are you going to do about it?”
The two engaged in a fiery staring contest. I’m an old man who wouldn't mind dying tomorrow. The Pungcheon Cult Leader was eventually pushed back by that invincible, elderly momentum.
Just then, Go Wol called out to him from a distance.
“What are you doing? Hurry up!”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader scattered the stones on the Go board like a petulant child.
“Must be nice being old!”
He leaped into the air and landed in front of Go Wol at the gate. From behind, he heard the old man’s shout: “Scram, you devious brat!”
The two of them left the house.
“The elderly truly have nothing to fear.”
“It’s not that he isn't afraid. He just sensed that our Cult Leader is a good-hearted man. He read you completely.”
“Why do people take me so lightly when I treat them well!”
“To be honest, you didn't exactly treat him well, did you? You just sat there complaining about being bored, being hungry, and asking when it would be over.”
“What? Did you get close to the Go teacher already? Did you two plot this?”
Go Wol laughed and quickened his pace.
“Let’s head to the next branch.”
“Again? You’ve become a Go master now, so let’s just go back.”
Go Wol had said he wouldn't return until he became a Go master, but that was actually an excuse. He was pouring all his energy into making Eun-wol, the information organization, function properly. He was traveling to each branch, inspecting and overseeing them personally. He was striving to ensure that everything would run systematically and automatically, even in the absence of a leader.
“The Young Cult Leader won't appreciate this. He only shows up when he needs something and says, ‘Help me with this, tell me about that! As expected of our Strategist Go!’ He’ll just praise you with empty words.”
As he spoke, the Pungcheon Cult Leader looked back. Since Geom Mu-geuk used to appear whenever he cursed him, he checked behind him just in case.
“You’re not hoping for the Young Cult Leader to show up, are you?”
“What are you talking about!”
Sometimes, he did miss Geom Mu-geuk. That was why he occasionally cursed him even more—hoping that the man would appear from behind, saying, ‘You’re badmouthing me again.’
“That heartless fellow has forgotten us. Even after all the money we’ve made for him.”
Excluding the top-tier intelligence sent to Geom Mu-geuk, they sold information worth selling to other martial artists. They operated the organization with the profits gained from those sales.
While Tongcheon Pavilion was directly operated by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Eun-wol was different. It was impossible to operate such a vast organization, spread like a spiderweb across the Central Plains, solely with Geom Mu-geuk’s personal funds.
“The Second Young Master is a greedy man.”
“He is not greedy. He gave us a large sum of money when he visited last time. He even ordered me to use it for personal expenses.”
“He should give it, considering how much he works us. But what about me? Why only you?”
“Because you’re rich, Cult Leader.”
“Where’s the logic in that? Does the suffering of a rich man not count as pain?”
Then, Go Wol said something unexpected.
“I should be the one to take care of that suffering.”
“Why you?”
“Your voluntary suffering was for me, wasn't it? Not for the Young Cult Leader.”
With that, Go Wol pulled something from his robe and handed it to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
Checking what it was, the Pungcheon Cult Leader was stunned. It was a property deed to a house. What was even more surprising was that the owner was listed as the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“You said you wanted to own a house in the Central Plains. It’s your house, Cult Leader.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s hands trembled as he held the deed.
He had always wanted a house in the Central Plains. While drinking with Go Wol, he would occasionally mention wanting to buy a place. Back when he was the Pungcheon Cult Leader, his dream was the grand "Advance into the Central Plains," but he would often lament how difficult it was to even secure a small house while freely roaming the land.
He felt that the moment he bought a house in the Central Plains, he would truly feel like he had left the Outer Lands and settled down.
“I bought it using the money I received from the Young Cult Leader this time, plus my accumulated monthly salary.”
“Why would you buy this!”
Go Wol replied calmly, “I just thought it would be nice for you to have a house. It’s my gift to you.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was deeply moved. He had received countless gifts more precious than this in his life, but he had never been this happy.
“I have plenty of money.”
“I know. I know you could buy hundreds of houses like that.”
“Thousands, probably!”
“But you didn't buy a single one. Why didn't you? We could have bought one in every region as we traveled through the Central Plains.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader said nothing. Go Wol was looking right into his heart.
“You were thinking, ‘Is it okay for me to buy this?’ You were the former Pungcheon Cult Leader, after all. You felt somewhat apologetic toward your juniors back in the Outer Lands.”
How did he know? He certainly had felt that way.
“I don’t feel sorry! Why would I? I made sure they became leaders and took care of their positions before I left.”
Then Go Wol offered another reason.
“You were probably conscious of the Young Cult Leader, too. You didn't want to look like you were out buying houses while you were supposed to be helping the Strategist.”
Of course, he had felt that way as well. How could Go Wol know his mind so well?
“Why would I care what the Second Young Master thinks! I’m buying it with my own money.”
“Then why didn't you buy one?”
But there was a reason more decisive than those.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader revealed the reason with an expression that said, Don't you even know my heart?
“I couldn't just live well by myself, could I? If I buy a house, I should buy two nearby so we can live as neighbors. I can't just buy one for myself. I should have discussed it with you first. But you were so busy with work, how could I ask you to go house hunting with me? Why? Do you hate it? Do you hate the idea of living next door to me?”
Their gazes met in the air.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked away and spat out, “How can you be a strategist when you don't even know the heart of the person beside you? Young Master Lee, you picked the wrong man! You’d be better off making that Go teacher from earlier your strategist! That old man who was so good at spotting my deviousness would be a hundred times better.”
Then Go Wol pulled something else from his robe.
“That’s why I bought another house nearby. This one is in my name.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader stood there for a moment as if he had lost his soul. After staring blankly at Go Wol for a long time, he suddenly asked, “It’s smaller than my house, right?”
Go Wol laughed loudly.
“I know your personality well, Cult Leader, so of course it is. I bought a small one for myself.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“Your house won't even compare to the one you used to live in. Don't be disappointed later when you see it and think it’s small.”
“I should be disappointed! I’m the Pungcheon Cult Leader! I was the former Pungcheon Cult Leader!”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked toward the distant mountains. Looking at Go Wol made him feel like he might cry. He was happy to receive the house, but he was ten times happier that Go Wol had bought his own house right next to it. That was the real gift.
Later, I’ll build you a house—the biggest house in the Central Plains. I’ll build you a house bigger than the Second Young Master’s.
That was what the Pungcheon Cult Leader was thinking.
Just then, a subordinate arrived and delivered a missive to them.
“Who is it from?”
“The Young Cult Leader.”
“See? This is why I can't help but curse him. What kind of work is he trying to make us do on such a pleasant day that he even sent a missive? Tell him we can't do it! Tell him no!”
Go Wol held out the missive to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“He says he needs your help, not mine.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader flinched, his eyes widening.
“Me? Not you, but me? Are you sure? He really needs my help?”
“He says your help is desperately needed, so please return quickly.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s shoulders puffed up as he feigned annoyance.
“What? He has no more sacred relics to take, so now he’s going to work me to the bone?”
“Then shall I send a missive saying we can't go?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke as if he were giving in.
“Let’s head back, if only to see the new house!”
As Go Wol followed the man who was now striding forward, he said, “The house we bought is in the opposite direction of the main headquarters, though?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader quickened his pace, pretending not to hear.
Go Wol followed with a smile. They were finally returning to the headquarters. It was a pleasant return, having successfully completed the mission of establishing the information organization.
Unlike earlier at the Go teacher’s house, this time it was the Pungcheon Cult Leader who gestured and hurried him from ahead.
“What are you doing? Hurry up!”