Chapter 499: Seven, Eight, and Nine Are All Here
Chapter 499: Seven, Eight, and Nine Are All Here
Jin Ha-gun gazed out the window of the Chongqing Branch Leader’s office.
Below, rows of warriors were filing into the training grounds. They were reinforcements sent from the Shaanxi Branch of the Murim Alliance, joined by martial artists flocking to the city from every nearby office and sub-branch.
Having already heard the news of the massacre, their expressions were grim. They looked ready for a decisive battle against the Demonic Cult. They weren't the only ones on edge; reports were flooding in from across Chongqing regarding skirmishes breaking out between Orthodox warriors and demonic practitioners. The atmosphere was, in a word, volatile.
Ju Gwol, the Chongqing Branch Leader, stood a short distance behind Jin Ha-gun.
“The Alliance Leader has granted you, Squad Leader, the authority to deploy the Heavenly Net at your discretion.”
It was a directive to use his own judgment.
Jin Ha-gun felt the crushing weight of that responsibility. If he mishandled this situation, his position as the successor to the Alliance could be at risk. His grandfather was not the type of man to overlook a mistake simply because it was made by his grandson. If anything, he would judge him by a stricter, more merciless standard. He had to be both careful and decisive.
“If we are to cast the Heavenly Net, we must do it immediately,” Ju Gwol urged.
The lifeblood of a Heavenly Net was timing. It would be useless to spring the trap after the enemy had already slipped away.
While Ju Gwol paced anxiously, Jin Ha-gun’s thoughts were elsewhere.
Whether the culprit is the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or not...
Jin Ha-gun’s gaze drifted toward the distant horizon beyond the city walls.
They are all here.
The conspirators and their victims alike.
They aren't planning to run. They intend to see this through to the end, right here.
If that were the case, dispersing his forces to cast a dragnet was the wrong move. It would be better to keep them concentrated, ready to respond effectively to whatever move the enemy made next.
Just then, a subordinate entered the office to report.
“We have found a witness who spotted the culprit.”
Both Jin Ha-gun and Ju Gwol snapped their heads toward the door.
“Bring them in at once!” Ju Gwol commanded.
The subordinate returned with a man who looked terrified and tense—a street vendor who sold goods from a stall in the marketplace.
“The day before the massacre, a martial artist came by and asked me where the Daejeong Sect was located,” the man stammered.
Ju Gwol leaned in. “Do you remember what he looked like?”
“He was short and had a slight build.”
“His age? Was he an old man?”
“No, sir. He was a young man.”
Ju Gwol felt a pang of disappointment. He had been hoping for a lead on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon himself. “What kind of weapon was he carrying?”
“He had a massive blade strapped to his back.”
Ju Gwol’s eyes sharpened again. A large blade.
“Do you remember his face?”
“Yes. He had a very distinct look, so I remember him well.”
Ju Gwol immediately ordered his subordinate to take the man to a painter to have a wanted portrait drawn.
“It is a well-known fact that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon passed his martial arts down to a top disciple,” Ju Gwol suggested. “Perhaps the culprit is that disciple.”
Jin Ha-gun, however, felt a growing sense of unease. The evidence was surfacing far too conveniently.
“Branch Leader, do you really think someone on their way to annihilate a clan would stop to ask for directions on the street?”
Ju Gwol faltered for a moment but quickly countered. “But what if he is the Blade Demon’s disciple? Do you think it’s a mere coincidence that a demonic practitioner who knows the very technique used in the massacre just happened to be in the area for other business?”
Jin Ha-gun found that difficult to refute. If the man was proven to be the disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the world would view this as the Demonic Cult’s doing. As Ju Gwol said, such a coincidence was highly unlikely.
“For now, have as many copies of that portrait made as possible and post them throughout Chongqing,” Jin Ha-gun ordered. “Finding him is our first priority.”
Regardless of his trust in Geom Mu-geuk, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the Blade Demon’s disciple had committed this atrocity.
“You must deploy the Heavenly Net, Squad Leader.”
“I will decide that on my own. For now, focus on finding the man in the portrait.”
“Understood.”
Ju Gwol bowed and left the room. Once he was gone, Jin Ha-gun turned to a subordinate from his own Demon Extermination Squad.
“Send word to the Young Cult Leader. Tell him I wish to see him privately.”
*
Faint moonlight settled upon the swaying grass.
Geom Mu-geuk stood alone in a wide, open field. Though he had assured Seo Dae-ryong that things would be fine, Mu-geuk was deeply worried about the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Knowing how strong the old man was only made the silence more ominous. For a man of that caliber to have all communication cut off was a dire sign.
Elder.
He missed the old man. He could vividly picture him thrusting the Heaven Extermination Great Blade into the ground and leaning against it to take a long drink.
Once this is over, let’s lean against that blade and have a drink together, Elder.
A figure emerged from the shadows. Jin Ha-gun walked up slowly and stood beside Geom Mu-geuk.
“You’re here?”
“Thank you for coming,” Jin Ha-gun replied.
“Of course I’d come if you called. You must be busy, so why the sudden meeting?”
Jin Ha-gun pulled a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to Mu-geuk. It was the wanted portrait.
“Is it a good likeness?”
Mu-geuk looked at the drawing and answered honestly. “It’s identical. It’s so accurate you’d think he sat for the portrait.”
His words were a tacit admission: the person in the drawing was indeed the disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Who provided the tip?”
“A street vendor. He said this man asked for the location of the Daejeong Sect.”
“Doesn't it seem strange? A vendor deals with hundreds of people a day, yet he remembers a face with such surgical precision?”
Moreover, the drawing captured Seo Dae-ryong’s features perfectly. Such a sketch couldn't exist unless it had been prepared in advance.
“You think it’s a fabrication?”
“That witness has likely already disappeared or been killed,” Mu-geuk said.
Since the testimony had been given and the portrait drawn, the trap was set. If the witness was found dead, it would be framed as the Cult killing to silence him, only further fueling the hatred toward the Demonic Path.
“I’ll look into it,” Jin Ha-gun said.
A small, dark part of his mind whispered: Could you have eliminated him yourself? To deceive me?
The fact that such a thought even occurred to him made him realize he still didn't trust Mu-geuk completely.
“Where is the Blade Demon’s disciple now?”
“He is with me.”
Jin Ha-gun looked at the drawing in Mu-geuk’s hand. “Starting tomorrow, these posters will be all over Chongqing. Rumors will spread that the culprit is the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s top disciple.”
Mu-geuk looked at Jin Ha-gun. “That puts you in a difficult position.”
'Difficult' was an understatement. Jin Ha-gun was responsible for finding the culprit, and his grandfather would decide his future based on how he handled this.
Hand him over to me.
The words were at the tip of Jin Ha-gun's tongue. He wanted to investigate personally to be sure. Right now, his trust in Mu-geuk was nine parts out of ten. That remaining one part was what continued to plague him.
“If he’s caught by your people, he won’t be able to escape,” Mu-geuk said calmly. “He knows the Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form used to kill the Daejeong Sect Leader, and he visited the sect the day before. But you know what?”
Mu-geuk gave a thin, knowing smile.
“This man was the top student of his class at the Huangquan Pavilion. He might look gloomy, but he’s a brilliant man. He isn't the type to leave a trail of evidence behind while annihilating a prominent Orthodox sect.”
Jin Ha-gun agreed, but... “In the end, the evidence that comes to light becomes the truth. If you want to help that disciple, you must find the real culprit. And you must do it quickly.”
The two men stood in silence for a moment. A breeze swept through, making the grass ripple like waves, and the sound of insects chirping echoed from the dark.
“What do you think they hope to gain by going this far?” Jin Ha-gun asked.
Mu-geuk replied flatly, “A war between your side and mine.”
Jin Ha-gun’s eyes widened. He had thought they were trying to drive a wedge between them for some specific gain, but he hadn't considered that the ultimate goal was a full-scale Great Demonic-Orthodox War. He looked at Mu-geuk, searching for any sign of doubt. Mu-geuk was dead serious.
“I believe these incidents are just the beginning. After deepening the conflict between us, they will trigger another event. I don't know the full plan, but by then, there will be no turning back.”
These horrific massacres are just the beginning?
“And what do they gain from starting a war?” Jin Ha-gun asked. There had to be a massive payoff to justify such a catastrophe.
“I don't know that either. I don't know what they want.”
At first, Mu-geuk thought it might be a personal grudge against the Blade Demon. But the scale was too large for that. Furthermore, they had intentionally lured Seo Dae-ryong into the fray.
There’s something more.
Jin Ha-gun let out a soft sigh. “This is difficult.”
Amidst the tension, Mu-geuk found a glimmer of hope. “But there is one fact they’ve overlooked.”
“What is it?”
“You and me.” Mu-geuk looked Jin Ha-gun in the eye. “The fact that we are closer friends than they anticipated.”
Jin Ha-gun averted his eyes. He felt it was time to say what was on his mind.
“I only trust you nine parts out of ten. Are we still friends?”
Jin Ha-gun summoned his courage. This was the thought that had always tormented him—that Mu-geuk considered him a friend, yet he couldn't offer absolute trust in return.
Then, an unexpected answer came.
“You trust me nine parts? I only trust you eight.”
Jin Ha-gun thought he was joking, but Mu-geuk’s expression was sincere.
“You really are destined to be a Great Righteous Hero. To trust someone nine parts out of ten and still feel it’s not enough... Look, friend. You’re the Demon Extermination Squad Leader and I’m the Young Cult Leader of the Divine Cult. And you trust me nine parts?”
To Jin Ha-gun, 'trust' was a word you only used when you had all ten parts.
“Let’s just stick to an eight-part relationship,” Mu-geuk continued. “We’ll work with everything we have for those eight parts. But let’s leave the remaining two as a buffer. We’re only human; we should be allowed to doubt and even dislike each other occasionally, shouldn't we?”
Jin Ha-gun stared at Mu-geuk. The man was saying things like 'doubt' and 'dislike' when they didn't suit his character at all.
“What if those remaining two parts lead to betrayal?”
“How can two parts betray the other eight? The eight are far stronger.”
Jin Ha-gun had never thought of trust this way. He had always assumed that the one missing piece was the seed of betrayal.
“If the eight are solid, the rebellion of the two isn't betrayal—it’s just a bit of disappointment,” Mu-geuk said. “If the eight are firm, you can be free from the burden of having to trust someone perfectly. Besides, giving trust is harder than receiving it, isn't it? Perfect trust? Let’s not live such exhausting lives. You and I... let’s just be okay with making mistakes and being disliked. Trusting eight is more than enough.”
Jin Ha-gun was stunned. Did Mu-geuk know he had been agonizing over this? If not, how could he put a person’s mind at ease so effortlessly?
“Then I suppose we are friends.”
“Naturally. In that spirit, would you like to see the bait?”
“The bait?”
Mu-geuk turned around. A man walked out from behind a distant tree. Jin Ha-gun recognized him immediately as the man from the portrait—Seo Dae-ryong. He was inwardly shocked that Mu-geuk had brought him here.
Instead of a formal introduction, Mu-geuk asked Seo Dae-ryong, “On a scale of one to ten, how much do you trust me?”
The answer was obvious. It was a ten. Mu-geuk was the person Seo Dae-ryong trusted more than anyone in the world. Of course, Seo Dae-ryong wouldn't be himself if he gave a straight answer when there was an opportunity for a joke.
“About a seven?”
Mu-geuk turned to Jin Ha-gun. “He’s my right hand, and even he’s only at a seven.”
“We started at a one when we first met, so that’s massive progress,” Seo Dae-ryong added. “Back then, I didn't trust a single word out of your mouth.”
A Young Cult Leader who wanted to change the Cult? It had sounded absurd.
Mu-geuk handed the wanted portrait to Seo Dae-ryong. “Here, keep this as a souvenir.” Then he spoke to Jin Ha-gun. “You don't have to distribute these tomorrow.”
Jin Ha-gun was taken aback. He realized Mu-geuk was intending to hand Seo Dae-ryong over to him. “Are you serious?”
Mu-geuk nodded. “I’m not entrusting him to you because he’s the culprit. This man is my right hand. If he’s the culprit, then so am I.”
He trusted him that much.
“Then why? You know he won’t be able to leave easily once he's in Alliance custody.”
The reason for entrusting him was something Jin Ha-gun hadn't considered.
“Because if your people don't find him, those bastards will just annihilate another sect to keep the pressure on,” Mu-geuk explained.
Jin Ha-gun understood. If Seo Dae-ryong was in his custody, at least no new incidents could be blamed on him. It was a decision made for the sake of the Orthodox Murim. Of course, that wasn't the only reason Mu-geuk had brought him.
“I intend to catch them off guard.”
“Off guard? How?”
“They likely expect that I would never give up my right-hand man. They surely know the relationship between us. So, how will they react when I hand him over to you?”
He was throwing a lure with an unpredictable move. He intended to find a clue to track them down through their reaction and response.
“I’m curious,” Mu-geuk mused. “They dragged Lord Blade Demon into this, so why did they drag his disciple in as well? What role was my right hand supposed to play in their plan?”
Was it simply to cause friction between the Cult and the Alliance? Or was there another reason? Mu-geuk looked at Jin Ha-gun.
“In the process of solving that mystery, you might be in danger.”
There was no telling how others would try to handle Seo Dae-ryong once he was in the Alliance's hands. Simply being associated with him could put Jin Ha-gun at risk. Despite the warning, Jin Ha-gun offered a faint smile.
“If a 'seven' is stepping up this bravely, surely a 'nine' can do the same?”
It had been a long time since he’d heard Jin Ha-gun joke. Mu-geuk welcomed it warmly.
“Well then, it looks like seven, eight, and nine are all here.”
The three men laughed together. Once the tension had eased, Mu-geuk looked at Seo Dae-ryong.
“Villain, it’s time for your punishment.”