Chapter 363: I Was the Most Impatient Man in the Murim
Chapter 363: I Was the Most Impatient Man in the Murim
Geom Mu-geuk returned to the safe house.
Bi Sa-in had been pacing, waiting for his return the entire time.
"How did it go?"
Bi Sa-in was dying to know how the meeting between Geom Mu-geuk and the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader had unfolded. He felt like seizing the man by the collar and shaking the answers out of him.
"Let me catch my breath first. I just came back from meeting the terrifying Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader, of all people. Let me have some water."
"As if you actually know the meaning of fear. So, what happened?"
Anxious, Bi Sa-in limped after Geom Mu-geuk.
"At this rate, you'll be using your light body technique soon."
"I’m in agonizing pain right now. Stop teasing me and tell me what happened."
Geom Mu-geuk took a refreshing drink of water and turned back to Bi Sa-in.
"As you can see, I didn't come back beaten to a pulp."
"What did the Alliance Leader say when you told him? Did he believe us?"
"He was skeptical."
Ideally, it would have been better if the Leader had trusted him completely, but the current situation was heavily stacked against them.
Geom Mu-geuk considered it a success that the Leader believed even half of it. Well, it was Geom Mu-geuk who went; of course he did a good job, Bi Sa-in thought. I trust him. If I can't trust this man, who can I? He believed Mu-geuk had explained things better than he ever could have.
"How was the Alliance Leader? Was he... injured anywhere?"
Bi Sa-in’s voice trembled slightly. Beneath his rugged exterior, his deep concern for his master was evident.
"The Alliance Leader is fine, so do not worry."
Only then did Bi Sa-in breathe a sigh of relief. Now that it was confirmed that Hyeok Sa-gun was an explicit enemy, he couldn't help but worry. In his heart, he wanted to rush to the Leader’s side and protect him immediately, but he could only lament the reality that prevented him from doing so.
"You’ve worked hard. Go rest."
Bi Sa-in wanted to ask if the Leader had mentioned him, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words. If he heard the words, 'He didn't say anything about you,' he knew he would feel needlessly hurt. It was only natural, given that his innocence hadn't been proven yet, but human emotions were fickle things.
Just as Bi Sa-in was about to turn away, Geom Mu-geuk spoke the words he had been waiting for so desperately.
"The Alliance Leader had a message for you."
Bi Sa-in spun around, startled. Anticipation and fear swirled in his heart.
"What did he say?"
Geom Mu-geuk stared at Bi Sa-in and relayed the Alliance Leader's words exactly.
"Don't get used to it."
At first, Bi Sa-in didn't understand and tilted his head slightly.
"That was the message the Alliance Leader sent to you. He said you would understand once you heard it."
"Don't get used to it? Don't get used to it..."
The moment he repeated the words, Bi Sa-in flinched. As he remembered when he had heard that phrase before, a surge of intense emotion washed over his face.
"The Alliance Leader hoped you would recover quickly."
Mu-geuk probably should have said, 'He seemed to hope,' but Baek Ja-gang was clearly worried about Bi Sa-in. He could feel it plainly enough.
"Thank you."
Bi Sa-in felt it then—that Geom Mu-geuk going alone had been the best possible outcome. His master's words proved it. If the Leader had been truly angry, he never would have sent that message.
Bi Sa-in returned to his room. Once inside, he first drank the medicine he had left to cool. He remembered the day the Alliance Leader had first said those words to him. On that day, too, he had been in a room filled with the heavy scent of medicine.
It was the day he had returned injured from a mission outside the Alliance. Because it was a failure that occurred when he was highly trusted as the Leader's disciple, the emotional shock had been greater than his physical wounds.
The Alliance Leader had visited him in the infirmary. Standing beside the bed where he lay, the Leader had said:
— Don't get used to defeat.
The memory was vivid. The moment his master looked down at him and spoke.
— If you grow accustomed to defeat, your life will never be more than third-rate.
The moment he heard those words, tears had burst forth. Rather than gratitude for the Leader visiting him, a sense of shame for failing the mission had consumed his heart. He was at an age where shame could paralyze reason.
— Are you frustrated?
— Yes.
Wiping his tears, he had tried to push himself up.
— I will go back and finish it. I will definitely succeed this time.
Then, his master had forced him back down onto the bed and said:
— Who wouldn't be frustrated when they lose? But listen, if you run wild just because you're frustrated, that too is third-rate.
— How can I become first-rate? How can I keep winning?
Instead of answering, his master had fed him the medicine sitting nearby and changed his bandages.
He hadn't understood it then, but he thought he did now.
Don't be swept away by emotion; pull yourself together first. Do not draw your sword; tend to your wounds. By wrapping the bandages, his master had answered that one becomes first-rate when they know how to calmly manage their emotions and look after themselves.
"Ah... Master."
Back then, he hadn't grasped the profound meaning. He was simply frustrated and ashamed, his mind filled only with the desire to complete the mission at any cost.
Just like right now. He felt exactly the same way. Hurry, hurry, hurry. I have to go and kill those bastards. I have to go and prove my innocence to the Alliance Leader.
He felt goosebumps all over his body at the realization that the emotions he was feeling now were no different from the impatient feelings of his youth.
"Master!"
Bi Sa-in broke into tears. That day, he had cried out of frustration, but now, he cried because he missed the Alliance Leader. He cried because he was so grateful that his master remembered a day he himself had completely forgotten. Tears fell from the weight of his apology.
Bi Sa-in slowly unwound his bandages and applied new medicine. As he looked calmly at his wounds, the memory of the fight returned, and new ideas surfaced on how he should have handled his opponents.
Even without rushing out like a madman driven by spite, these wounds were telling him how to become first-rate.
"...Master."
Bi Sa-in slowly wrapped the bandages around his wounds.
*
Baek Ja-gang sat in the Grand Master’s Chair in the Heavenly Demon Hall. Ever since returning from his meeting with Geom Mu-geuk, one person kept coming to mind.
Geom Wu-jin.
The meeting with Geom Mu-geuk had felt like that. To be honest, it didn't feel like he had met Geom Mu-geuk, but rather Geom Wu-jin. It was as if Geom Wu-jin, instead of thrusting a sword and asking, 'How is my swordsmanship?' was asking, 'How is my son?'
Naturally, Geom Mu-geuk's image came to mind.
— Please buy me dinner.
He wondered if Bi Sa-in could ever handle such an absurd fellow. He really needed to take that boy down a peg. Of course, that was assuming the mastermind behind this affair was indeed Hyeok Sa-gun, as Geom Mu-geuk had claimed.
Just then, the voice of In Gung, the Escort Captain, echoed from the air.
"Strategist Hyeok has arrived."
"Let him in."
A moment later, Hyeok Sa-gun entered the room. Baek Ja-gang watched him walk toward him in silence, his eyes narrow and haughty.
"How long has it been since you joined the Alliance?"
"This is my seventeenth year."
"And how long has it been since you took over as the Acting Chief Strategist?"
"It has been nearly two years."
"Has it been that long already?"
Hyeok Sa-gun sensed that Baek Ja-gang was different from usual. However, he didn't find it strange. In the current situation, it would be stranger if he were exactly the same as usual, wouldn't it?
"Where have you been? When I came to see you earlier, I was told you had left the Alliance."
"I just went out to have a meal for the first time in a while."
Hyeok Sa-gun was well aware that there was a restaurant the Alliance Leader frequented.
"The situation is becoming precarious, so please be careful for the time being."
He had been keeping a close eye on the Leader's movements. However, when the Leader moved secretly with only the Escort Captain, as he had today, it was impossible not to lose his trail.
Hyeok Sa-gun was not in a good mood. Everything should have been running smoothly according to his plan; unexpected situations were not supposed to keep cropping up.
"I have identified the person who ordered the raid on the safe house."
This was the very matter Geom Mu-geuk had told him to watch—to see who Hyeok Sa-gun would point his finger at.
"Who is it?"
"It is Unit Leader Beon of the Extreme Blade Corps."
The moment he heard those words, Baek Ja-gang’s aura exploded from his body. A man who rarely showed emotion was now openly displaying his rage.
The Extreme Blade Corps. The most elite organization directly under the Alliance Leader's command. After Ya Yul-han, the former leader of the Extreme Blade Corps, had stepped down, the new leader, Beon Cheon, was a man whose loyalty to Baek Ja-gang was absolute.
He’s naming Beon Cheon?
If Beon Cheon was the mastermind, it was the same as having his own right arm cut off. At the very least, what Geom Mu-geuk had said was true. He said the traitor would use this as an opportunity to eliminate his political rivals.
"The evidence?"
"It is here. The Demonic Cult was behind it."
Hyeok Sa-gun walked up the steps and handed the documents to Baek Ja-gang. He appeared far too calm for a traitor. There wasn't even a hint of trepidation in his posture. This meant either he wasn't lying, or he was someone whose emotions were completely unreadable.
After handing over the evidence, Hyeok Sa-gun returned to his original position and bowed his head with a look of shame.
"It seems the Young Alliance Leader has fallen under the influence of the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult."
If Baek Ja-gang hadn't met Geom Mu-geuk beforehand, he would have been listening to this report with a different mindset. With such clear evidence, would he have doubted Bi Sa-in?
He thought not. He would have believed that Bi Sa-in had indeed defected to the Demonic Cult's Young Cult Leader. The thought was chilling—whether it was the idea that Hyeok Sa-gun had betrayed him, or the idea that Geom Mu-geuk was framing Hyeok Sa-gun as a traitor.
Of course, Baek Ja-gang remained neutral for now. It was still possible that all of this was a grand scheme by the Demonic Cult.
"How should we handle this?"
"Unit Leader Beon must be stripped of his rank and removed from the Extreme Blade Corps."
"Let it be so. However, we shall process it after I have met the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult."
"As you wish. Then, I shall take my leave."
As he turned to leave after a polite bow, Baek Ja-gang spoke.
"I find it hard to believe. The fact that Sa-in joined hands with the Demonic Cult."
"I feel the same way."
"Organize your thoughts on who should be the next successor and report back to me."
"Understood."
A faint smile played on Hyeok Sa-gun's face as he walked away. Of course, he did not know. The gaze Baek Ja-gang fixed on his retreating back was not that of an Alliance Leader, but that of King Yama, holding a pair of scales and watching which way they would tilt.
*
Geom Mu-geuk stood at the edge of a rocky cliff. Staring down into the bottomless abyss, he fearlessly threw himself over the edge.
Swoooooosh!
Geom Mu-geuk plummeted rapidly. He fell defenselessly, as if he had lost consciousness. No matter who he was, falling from this height without protection would surely mean death. The reason he was doing something so perilous was to test how the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art would react in such a situation.
Body Protection Art, I’m going to die if I keep falling like this. Are you just going to watch?
Geom Mu-geuk trusted the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art. However, the art did not activate. Do you trust me that much? Or can you tell this isn't a real crisis? Or do you only step in to save my life once I've hit the ground and am half-dead?
It was now time to stir his internal energy and use his light body technique. Geom Mu-geuk held out until the very last second.
I’m really going to die at this rate!
And at the absolute final moment, the internal energy within Geom Mu-geuk’s body moved on its own.
Whirrrr!
His body twisted in mid-air, righting itself, and his limbs moved automatically. Using the Heavenly Demon Flight Technique he had already mastered, he instantaneously slowed his descent and landed lightly on the ground. It was a movement performed spontaneously by the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art, which had reached Great Achievement.
"Phew." Geom Mu-geuk let out a sigh of relief. "You brat, you almost scared me to death."
But soon, Geom Mu-geuk cheered. He had been happy in front of Baek Ja-gang, but that was less than a tenth of the joy he felt now. Geom Mu-geuk jumped for joy at the base of the cliff.
"This is the martial art of the Heavenly Demon!"
His voice rang out like thunder. No matter what kind of life he had lived before his regression, Geom Mu-geuk was a martial artist. What made him happiest was, after all, an achievement in martial arts. Moreover, since it was the signature technique of the Heavenly Demon and no other, his joy was beyond words.
Now that he had reached Great Achievement, even if he fell into a deep sleep, the art would wake him automatically if it sensed killing intent, and it would react even more surely to protect him in dangerous moments. Furthermore, there would be other benefits of Great Achievement that he had yet to experience.
"I’ll be in your care from now on, Body Protection Art."
His father had told him: once he reached Great Achievement in the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art, he would never die. It was as if he had gained another life.
He also believed that the Great Achievement of the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art would have a positive impact on his Nine Calamities Demonic Art. The two techniques were fundamentally very similar.
Now, only the Twelve-Star Great Achievement of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art remained. If only he could manifest the Heavenly Demon Soul before his eyes—and not just the Heavenly Demon Soul of the Ten-Star stage, but one that had reached the Twelve-Star Great Achievement.
For that moment, he had to further elevate his mastery of the Time Heaven Secret Technique. At this rate, he wouldn't have enough time.
I am moving forward like this, step by step.
Was it because he had reached Great Achievement in the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art? He missed his father more than usual today. If he told his father he had reached Great Achievement, the man would probably ball up his fist and say, 'Shall we test it out?' Even if he were hit by that massive fist, he wouldn't mind.
Father, I miss you!
*
The next day, Geom Mu-geuk left the safe house to meet the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader.
"Be careful."
"Your eyes are very swollen."
"Stop talking nonsense! We don't know what kind of scheme Hyeok Sa-gun might have cooked up!"
"It’s not a matter of what he might have cooked up; he’s already done it. He probably gave the Alliance Leader evidence that you conspired with me to plot this whole thing. That’s the only way he can drive me away from you."
Bi Sa-in let out a soft sigh. "If I could, I would follow you."
He missed the Alliance Leader. This was the first time since meeting Baek Ja-gang that he had missed him this much.
"Don't be in such a hurry. The opponent has spent years meticulously planning this conspiracy. Don't try to catch up all at once."
Bi Sa-in could see that Geom Mu-geuk and Baek Ja-gang shared a common trait. They were the type to remain calm, especially in crucial moments. They didn't look for answers from the outside; they trusted themselves and found the answers within.
"If you get the chance, please tell the Alliance Leader... that I will live according to the words he gave me."
"I will."
With that, Geom Mu-geuk left the safe house. Bi Sa-in didn't go back inside but watched him depart. Just then, Goe Ak came and stood beside him.
"Don't be too anxious. An opportunity will come for the Young Alliance Leader soon."
"It’s alright even if an opportunity doesn't come. Until two days ago, I was the most impatient man in the Murim, but I’m not impatient anymore."
As Goe Ak looked at him in confusion, Bi Sa-in gave a relaxed smile.
"Because now is not the time to draw a sword, but the time to wrap bandages. And the sword drawn by someone who has learned to wrap their own bandages will be far more terrifying."