Chapter 494: The Original Incarnation of Greed
Chapter 494: The Original Incarnation of Greed
By the time Geom Mu-geuk returned to the safe house, preparations for their departure were in full swing.
Luggage was already loaded, and Hwi was performing a final check on the horses and the carriage. His father stood in the yard, hands tucked behind his back, gazing silently at the sky.
Geom Mu-geuk approached his side.
“The matter with the Golden Dragon Clan has been settled.”
As was his habit, Geom Mu-geuk reported the details of the day’s events to his father. At one point, his father’s expression seemed to ask why he was being so meticulous, but Mu-geuk continued his explanation as thoroughly as possible.
Geom Mu-geuk knew that these reports had been instrumental in rebuilding his relationship with his father. At the very least, they were now comfortable with the simple act of conversation.
“I left the final resolution to the parties involved.”
Fortunately, the Murim Alliance had been proactive in assisting. Since they had agreed to root out the behind-the-scenes forces together through the Three-Party Meeting, they had readily granted the Tongcheon Pavilion’s request.
“In the end, it was resolved by pushing through with the authority and power of our Cult.”
Geom Wu-jin, who had been staring at the clouds, turned his gaze toward his son.
“The Cult’s power is your power.”
Geom Mu-geuk smiled happily. It was a statement acknowledging his authority as the Young Cult Leader. But more important than the acknowledgment itself was the sentiment behind it.
Thank you, Father. For putting it that way.
Geom Wu-jin climbed into the carriage first, and Geom Mu-geuk followed close behind.
“Farewell, Shaanxi!”
At Geom Mu-geuk’s signal, the carriage driven by Hwi pulled away from the safe house, beginning the long journey back toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Father, we said we’d have a contest to see who was more popular with the young ladies in Shaanxi, but we’re leaving without ever doing it. If we get the chance next time, let’s have a formal match.”
Geom Wu-jin didn’t say he wouldn’t do it. Nor did he point out that such a contest would naturally favor the younger man.
That’s my father for you.
A hint of haughtiness touched Geom Wu-jin’s face. It was a subtle shift in expression that others would find impossible to notice, but Geom Mu-geuk could feel it now.
His father was a man, after all.
Geom Mu-geuk leaned his head out of the window and shouted to Hwi on the driver’s seat.
“Uncle! Don’t forget, we have to stop by Chongqing on the way!”
They had to visit the treasure vault that the Silver River Merchant Group Leader had given him as a gift.
“I’m supposed to pick thirty items from there, remember?”
Immediately, Geom Wu-jin’s voice drifted over.
“I never made such a promise.”
“Right? Even I think thirty is too many. I’ll pick exactly ten.”
“……”
“Actually, ten is a lot too. I guess I really am the incarnation of greed. Fine. I’ll be generous and pick eight. It’s quite poetic, since our Cult has eight Demon Lords.”
“……”
“Right? What do the Demon Lords have to do with gifts? I’ll just take five. No, Father! Then just three! Please!”
Listening to the banter from the front, a smile played on Hwi’s lips. Had he ever smiled this much in his life?
This journey had been an incredibly precious time for him. It was a trip for the Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader, but it had also become a journey for himself.
The Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader had made it so.
On the way here, the Cult Leader had allowed him to visit his hometown, and the Young Cult Leader had allowed him to earn a fortune by splitting their spoils three ways. He had even given Hwi the chance to kill the Murder King personally. The Cult Leader had even personally handed him Golden Wound Medicine.
And instead of hiding in the shadows, the three of them had always walked together.
Had any guard of the successive Heavenly Demons ever had such an experience? Hwi could guarantee it: absolutely not.
Thank you, both of you.
A moment later, Geom Mu-geuk—having failed to secure even three treasures—pouted and leaned out of the carriage window to feel the wind.
“You’re too much! How can you be so cold-hearted!”
Hwi glanced back. Despite the complaining words, Geom Mu-geuk’s face was bright with a happy smile as he watched the distant scenery.
In truth, Geom Mu-geuk was feeling a pang of regret.
When would he ever be able to travel like this with his father again? Once they returned, his father wouldn’t be able to leave the Cult for a long time.
Why did time flow so quickly? They were just starting the return leg, but he knew they would arrive before he was ready.
“Uncle, let’s go back slowly. Even slower than when we came. If you see any thugs stealing money, stop the carriage. If you see bandits, stop for them too—hostage situations are fine! Don’t miss a thirsty traveler or a lost cat on the road. Please, let’s just take our time!”
He hoped his father felt the same regret, but the man said nothing.
Only the fishing rod sticking out of the carriage window swayed gently in the wind.
* * *
The carriage arrived at the foot of Mt. Yuhua in Chongqing.
The Silver River Merchant Group Leader had told them to seek out Jung Song, a local herb gatherer. After asking for his residence in the marketplace and arriving at his house at the foot of the mountain, they found Jung Song waiting for them.
“I heard news that the owner of the key had appeared.”
The Silver River Merchant Group Leader had sent word that guests would be visiting soon. Thus, Jung Song had refrained from going out to gather herbs and had been waiting at home.
“I will guide you. Let us go.”
Perhaps the man who had been guarding the treasure was waiting for this moment even more than the one receiving it. It was likely the moment he would finally be freed from a duty he had been bound to for years.
Jung Song led the three men up Mt. Yuhua. Reaching the summit, he looked down the sheer cliffside.
“You must jump down from here. As you descend, there is a protruding section halfway down the cliff. You must land precisely on it.”
“You go down first.”
Jung Song looked at Geom Mu-geuk with a somewhat worried gaze. He seemed more concerned about the young man than the other two.
Geom Mu-geuk reassured him with a grin.
“Don’t worry. I have a father who raised me by throwing his child off cliffs.”
At those words, Jung Song knew his hunch was correct.
I knew it! Those two are father and son.
They were alike yet different in their auras.
Jung Song leaped off the cliff. As he fell rapidly, he flailed his arms and legs to create wind resistance and reduce his speed. There was a protruding ledge about halfway down.
Though he was confident in his light body techniques, he felt nervous every time. Jumping off a cliff and landing on a narrow protrusion might look easy, but it was never simple. It required a high level of martial skill and, above all, courage. Moreover, today was particularly difficult due to the strong winds.
Jung Song landed on the ledge.
I wonder if they can land safely?
He looked up with concern.
Geom Mu-geuk plummeted down and landed lightly beside him.
“Huh?”
Jung Song stared, his face frozen in shock.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“It’s… nothing.”
The boy had literally just dropped. Normally, one would use light body techniques and move their limbs to slow the descent. However, Geom Mu-geuk had fallen as fast as a plummeting rock, yet landed as light as a feather. He hadn’t even moved his hands or feet.
I’ve never seen such light body technique. If the young one is like this, what about the others?
Then, inadvertently looking to the other side, Jung Song gasped.
Gasp!
Hwi was already standing beside him. There had been no sound, no presence. It was enough to make him hallucinate that Hwi had been standing there from the start.
The one who delivered the final shock was Geom Wu-jin.
Geom Wu-jin, who had descended at some point, was floating in the air, his robes fluttering. He hovered in the void in front of the ledge with a face as relaxed as if he were standing on solid ground.
Faced with the overwhelming martial prowess of the three men, Jung Song shared words he hadn't originally intended to say.
“The Merchant Group Leader would come every year to give me new treasures and keys, and I would enter this place to stock them. This is a place known only to the Merchant Group Leader and me. At first, I thought it was his personal vault, but one day he told me: this was a place to gather gifts for his benefactor. I couldn’t understand it. I wondered what kind of benefactor could warrant such devotion.”
Jung Song bowed slightly to the three men.
“Now, I understand.”
They weren't just 'extraordinary' martial artists. This was a moment where he had met masters one would be lucky to encounter even once in a lifetime—and he had met three of them at once.
“There were difficult times while waiting, but it seems it was a worthwhile wait.”
He was a master who could gauge an opponent’s skill to some extent just by their light body technique.
Geom Mu-geuk expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“There is no need to thank me. I only took on the task because of my friendship with the Merchant Group Leader. I was paid well, too.”
“Still, I know how hard it is for a martial artist to be tied down to one place. You truly worked hard.”
Through this journey, Hwi could now see clearly: expressing gratitude in such a way was Geom Mu-geuk’s sincere heart. The person charging forward with that sincerity was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Hwi’s gaze drifted toward Geom Wu-jin.
I think I’m finally starting to understand just how difficult a battle you have been fighting, Cult Leader.
Faced with the heart Geom Mu-geuk had shown him during this journey, Hwi realized something.
I think I’ve already lost.
It wasn't because they split the money. He had already lost when Mu-geuk laid out a leather hide for him during camp, saying he’d brought it specifically for him. He had already lost when Mu-geuk pulled him along to eat together as equals.
Can you win, Cult Leader? There are still five years left.
Meanwhile, Jung Song pulled out a small stone embedded in the cliff. There was a hole there, one that looked like any other common crack in a cliffside.
“You just need to insert the key here and turn it.”
No one in the world would ever suspect this was the entrance to a secret vault. Even if someone were to fall from the cliff and miraculously land on this ledge, they would never think this tiny hole in the wall was a keyhole.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
Jung Song bowed politely and leaped off the cliff. His body, having found freedom, flew as light as the wind.
Geom Wu-jin walked through the air and landed where Jung Song had been standing. He took out the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron key he had received from Yong Ja-myeong and gave it to Hwi.
As Hwi inserted the key into the hole and turned it, a low sound echoed.
Rumble.
The door hidden in the cliff face ground open.
“I will wait here,” Hwi said.
Geom Mu-geuk looked at him. “Aren't we doing everything together on this trip?”
Geom Wu-jin nodded. “Let us enter together.”
“Yes.”
The three men entered the cave.
There were no mechanical traps to ward off intruders. Since it was in a location that could never be discovered, the core of this treasure vault was the trust placed in Jung Song. If he had harbored ill intentions, he could have broken through the wall to enter.
Geom Mu-geuk could see it now. There was a reason why the Silver River Merchant Group Leader had become the wealthiest man in the Murim. He had trustworthy people to whom he could entrust his life's work, and he possessed the faith and boldness to truly trust them once he had made his choice.
The interior was bright with Night-shining Pearls embedded in the ceiling, and the air was pleasant, circulating from a hidden vent.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a bronze mirror in the center—a large mirror that could reflect one’s entire body. Treasures were displayed on either side of it.
On the left wall, clothes were hanging. Of course, they weren't ordinary martial robes.
“Father, isn't this the Black Dragon Flying Armor?”
The protective robe embroidered with a black dragon was a legendary artifact. That wasn't all. The robes hanging next to it were equally impressive.
“This is the Flying Tiger Iron Armor. Oh! That one is the Vajra Divine Armor.”
From protective robes that were recognizable at a glance to those that only his father could identify.
“What is this?”
“It is the Laughing Proud True Armor. A very old artifact,” Wu-jin replied.
In a typical treasure vault, these robes would be grandly decorated on the walls. But here, there were so many protective robes that they were hung overlapping like ordinary clothes in a closet.
And since there were robes, there were weapons. The treasured swords displayed on one side shone as if their moment to boast had finally come.
“The Supreme Ultimate Divine Sword, the Lotus Sword… and that one is the Blood Wind Radiant Sword, right?”
Not just swords, but sabers, spears, and daggers—all sorts of treasures filled the space. Martial arts manuals were also shelved, and judging by the level of the equipment, the manuals were likely rare techniques as well.
Furthermore, there were Poison-Repelling Pearls, Night-shining Pearls, and various other priceless treasures. It was an amount difficult to convert into mere currency. It was clear that Yong Ja-myeong had collected them over a lifetime. These weren't things that could be obtained overnight, no matter how much money one had.
“My father certainly chose the right person.”
The things the wealthiest man in the Central Plains had prepared for his benefactor were gathered here. It was a moment where one could feel the true dignity of the Silver River Merchant Group.
“The robe here seems to be the White Dragon Martial Armor. I heard it’s a favorite among Orthodox martial artists. Father, look at this. Huh?”
Geom Mu-geuk, turning around, was startled.
His father had already changed into a protective robe and was standing in front of the bronze mirror. It was a black protective robe that suited him perfectly.
“What are those clothes?”
His father replied, “It is the Soul-Startling Armor. I’ve wanted to try it on for a long time but couldn't find it. So it was here.”
Mu-geuk had thought his father wouldn't care for such things, wondering why a master of his level would need a protective robe. But his father had a deeper knowledge of Murim artifacts than anyone.
His father reached out his hand. Something hanging on the wall flew toward him.
Clack. Clack.
His father fastened them to both wrists. They were guards to protect the forearms.
“It is Traceless.”
Geom Mu-geuk had heard of those. Legendary guards known to be uncuttable by any sword qi.
As his father reached out again, a dagger flew to him.
“It is Heaven’s End Single Heart.”
It was a dagger that ranked among the top five in the Murim. He tucked the dagger into Traceless, which had been designed from the start to hold a concealed blade.
Watching this, Geom Mu-geuk didn't forget to joke.
“Now I know why I wanted to have every treasure I saw. The blood of the original incarnation of greed was flowing in me all along!”
At Geom Mu-geuk’s joke, a smirk appeared on his father’s lips.
Seeing that smirk made Geom Mu-geuk feel good. Yes, this was who his father was. While he was a man who looked incomparably cool gazing at the sky with his hands behind his back, that wasn't his father’s only side.
He was a man who wanted to try on a legendary robe when he saw one and wield a famous sword when he found one. He was a man who wanted to fight when he saw a strong person and absolutely wanted to win when he fought.
The reason this moment was precious to Geom Mu-geuk was that his father was now showing that side of himself without reservation.
His father, who had been equipping the items while looking in the mirror, suddenly spoke.
“What are you two doing, just standing there?”
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes widened with joy. “Can we pick some too?”
With a look that said it was obvious, his father spoke to their reflections in the mirror.
“Both of you, equip yourselves properly. Don’t think about giving them to others; pick only for yourselves.”