Chapter 582: Why Don't You Take Off Your Shoes Before You Speak?
Chapter 582: Why Don't You Take Off Your Shoes Before You Speak?
"Go down to the basement together?"
He should have been trying to hide it, yet here he was, suggesting they delve into the underground treasure vault together.
"Are you serious?"
Even without asking, and even if the man hadn't nodded right in front of him, Geom Mu-geuk could feel that he meant it. It seemed the man had intended to take Mu-geuk downstairs from the very beginning.
"Why do you want to take me with you?"
Naturally, it was because he needed him.
The problem would arise once he found what he was looking for. There was no way he intended to share the prize. Did he mean to use Mu-geuk to his heart's content and then discard him? Or was he simply not worried about the possibility of Mu-geuk stealing it?
The Sword King pointed a finger at Geom Mu-geuk’s chest.
"Because of that."
Geom Mu-geuk looked down. Through his parted robes, the drawing of a white snake was visible. He hadn't wiped it off yet; it felt like a waste to erase the snake Lee An had drawn for him.
"I didn't know you liked snakes."
Of course, Mu-geuk knew well that the man wasn't saying that because he had an affinity for reptiles or the White Snake Unit.
"You found the entrance leading down, didn't you?"
At the Sword King's question, Geom Mu-geuk answered honestly.
"Yes, I found it."
Geom Mu-geuk walked over to where the chairs were arranged and manipulated the primary mechanism hidden under the instructors' seats. Then, he sat back down in the Hall Master’s seat and operated the handle.
Screeech—
Geom Mu-geuk descended with the chair and then rose back up.
In the meantime, the Sword King had moved to stand in front of the Hall Master’s seat. Looking down at Geom Mu-geuk, the Sword King did not hide the admiration flickering across his face.
"You found this hidden entrance and even executed a scheme to send me outside in that short amount of time. I need a clever person like you. It's a time when I need some 'smart shoveling.'"
"If that's the case, you've made an excellent choice."
"I have a good eye for people."
The Sword King sat in the instructor's seat next to Geom Mu-geuk. The two of them stared at the empty training ground in silence.
"Who drew that picture?"
"My heart drew it for me."
He had already introduced Lee An to him as someone who was like his very heart.
"It was a fairly good idea. If I had left for even a moment, there's no telling what you would have pulled down here."
The Sword King's praise didn't stop there.
"On the way here, you used split-second judgment to let the four who could have become hostages escape."
"I knew you wouldn't have taken them hostage."
"Still, it must have weighed on your mind. That alone would have been enough."
Their gazes remained fixed on the empty sparring stage.
"I understand you promised the Hall Master a peerless martial art. Then, what will you give me?"
"Such greed! You've already mastered the greatest martial arts under heaven."
"You might not have known, but my nickname is the Incarnation of Material Desire."
After a brief pause, the Sword King spoke.
"You said it yourself. That you wanted to become stronger."
What he offered was truly unexpected.
"You will be able to become stronger down there."
If that's true... then you'll die by my hand.
Geom Mu-geuk instinctively felt that he wouldn't be able to pry any more details out of him.
"You truly are a magnificent instructor."
Finally, Geom Mu-geuk accepted the proposal.
"I made a promise, so I must keep it. Let's go."
"Aren't you afraid? Knowing what might be waiting down there?"
"There will be dirt to dig and exhausted disciples who gave up digging."
"There might also be an instructor who leads you into a death trap."
Geom Mu-geuk shifted his gaze from the sparring stage to the Sword King.
"I am a very cautious person. I'm not someone who risks his life out of pride or curiosity. The reason I'm willing to go down anyway is because of one thing I believe."
The Sword King also turned his gaze toward Geom Mu-geuk, waiting for his answer.
"I believe that the place where you intend to fight me will, at the very least, not be under this ground."
Then came the unexpected reason.
"Because when you die, you'll want to be looking at the sky, not a cramped ceiling of dirt."
"!"
"The same goes for me. So, save the deadly shoveling or the schemes like drawing snakes on chests for under the sky. No, how about we have our final fight on that sparring stage? Aren't both you and I people of this martial arts hall?"
The Sword King looked at Geom Mu-geuk and said nothing.
"Well then, the 'smart shovel' is going down."
Geom Mu-geuk descended smoothly.
As he moved into the space below, his eyes grew deep. He had spoken lightly, but he could never forget for a single moment that the man could kill him down here.
Normally, it was a risk he wouldn't have taken. However, he felt that he might be able to obtain information about Hwa Mu-gi and his organization through the Sword King this time. He judged it worth the risk. And he had prepared something just in case.
As Geom Mu-geuk waited in the space below, the Sword King also descended using the chair.
The two of them stepped onto the mechanism that led further underground. With both of them on it, the space was cramped.
Vrooooom.
The mechanism carrying the two began to descend. The Sword King spoke while looking straight ahead.
"You're too sentimental."
His face, reflected in the iron of the mechanism, was smiling. Geom Mu-geuk’s smiling face was reflected there as well.
"Why don't you take off those shoes before you speak?"
Yes, for now, he enjoyed these moments with him. Because they hadn't yet looked into the dark holes inside each other's hearts. Because they didn't yet know what they would see in that abyss.
The mechanism carrying the two continued to descend into the darkness.
*
"Where are you taking us?"
In front of the martial arts hall, Gyo Seok asked Lee An. While following the instructor, Lee An and Seo Jin had suddenly led them away from the hall. At that moment, they had even suppressed their acupoints and internal energy to drag them along, so they couldn't resist at all. They truly thought they were being kidnapped.
Only after leaving the hall did they apologize and release their acupoints and internal energy.
"You'll know when we get there."
Unlike the anxious Gyo Seok, Yu Gwang followed obediently wherever Lee An led.
They soon met a person hiding in a private house on the outskirts, a bit away from the marketplace. It was Yeon Baek-jin, who had been officially reported as killed by the White Snake Unit.
"Master Yeon!"
Yu Gwang and Gyo Seok were startled to see Yeon Baek-jin hiding in such a place. They finally realized that something serious was happening.
Of course, they had initially expected it to be some conflict between brothers over the Hall Master position, but then words they never expected came out of Lee An’s mouth.
"We are going to the Main Cult's safe house right now."
The Main Cult? A safe house?
At those unfamiliar terms, Yu Gwang and Gyo Seok looked at each other with wide eyes. They were words they knew, but words they had never used or heard in reality.
Lee An spoke calmly to the startled men.
"I'm sorry you got caught up in this. But from now on, you must listen to me."
They had to listen even if they didn't want to. The aura Lee An was projecting was not that of a mere White Dragon Unit member. They had already thought she was no ordinary person, but now she exuded a presence even greater than Yeon Baek-jin, the Hall Master’s brother.
A carriage arrived at the location. It was driven by a man who looked like an ordinary farmer. He looked so ordinary that he felt extraordinary instead. There was no way an ordinary farmer would show up in this situation.
The five of them climbed into the back of the shabby freight carriage, which didn't even have windows, and the carriage set off.
Gyo Seok asked cautiously.
"What is all this about?"
If it had been the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult before Geom Mu-geuk, they would have already been transported with their demonic acupoints and meridians suppressed. Even if their lives were saved, they wouldn't have known who the other person was or why they were going through this.
But fortunately, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult they were experiencing was the one after Geom Mu-geuk.
"A conspiracy of the Jianghu is unfolding here at the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall. We came to resolve it."
Yu Gwang turned to Gyo Seok with a "see, I told you so" expression. But right now, Gyo Seok didn't have the leisure to care about his conspiracy-theorist friend.
"Who are you guys?"
Lee An replied calmly and steadily.
"You'll find out when we arrive."
Yu Gwang, who was next to him, pulled on Gyo Seok’s sleeve to stop him from asking where that was.
"We're just going where destiny leads us!"
You mean where the pretty girl leads us!
That "girl of destiny" quietly closed her eyes and recalled the voice transmission she had heard from Geom Mu-geuk at the last moment.
— There is an entrance under the Hall Master’s seat on the sparring stage. Go to the safe house and relay this.
At the same time, he had told her something else. After hearing it all, Lee An had been puzzled.
Who on earth am I supposed to relay these important words to? To the warriors at the safe house? Or is someone waiting there?
How long had they been traveling? After switching carriages twice and confirming they weren't being followed, the carriage finally entered a manor.
Only Lee An and Seo Jin felt that they had passed through a formation upon arrival. In fact, Seo Jin felt it more accurately. As someone trained in Ghost Arts, Seo Jin was also proficient in formations, so she knew exactly how incredible the formation they had just passed through was.
The Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Path Alliance were likely the same, but in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the safe houses were strictly protected.
A man stood in the courtyard of the safe house with his back turned. Seeing that familiar, massive back, Lee An was startled. Soon, her expression brightened. The person she had missed so much was waiting there.
"Father!"
The person who turned toward her was none other than the Fist Demon.
"Lee An."
Lee An ran and threw herself into the Fist Demon's arms. When she had returned to the Cult after leaving it, they had only managed to exchange brief greetings before parting, but now they were reunited like this.
On the Fist Demon's fearsome face, a look of joy—reserved for only one person—bloomed.
Of course, the other three were terrified by the Fist Demon's frightening appearance. Even Seo Jin was overwhelmed by that intimidating presence. It was her first time meeting a Demon Lord.
He's the Squad Leader's father? How could such a daughter come from that face?
Not just Seo Jin, but everyone looked back and forth between the two with similar thoughts.
Just then, a woman walked out of the building. She was a woman of beautiful appearance, a complete contrast to the Fist Demon. With deep eyes that matched her snow-white hair perfectly, she was the One Flower Sword Venerable.
Upon seeing her, Lee An bowed respectfully with a fist salute.
"I greet the Sword Venerable!"
"Squad Leader Lee, it's good to see you."
The One Flower Sword Venerable welcomed Lee An with a smile. She knew well how much Geom Mu-geuk cherished Lee An, and now she was the Fist Demon's daughter. Naturally, her gaze toward Lee An was gentle.
The presence of the two Demon Lords was immense. They were two people who had achieved great heights in martial arts through blood-sweating training recently. And that effort was still ongoing.
On the day Geom Mu-geuk confirmed the Sword King was at the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall, he had gone out and returned. At that time, Lee An had guessed that his outing was to prepare for this situation. Geom Mu-geuk had sent an urgent missive to ask for help from the Fist Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable.
Once Geom Mu-geuk knew his opponent was the Sword King, he didn't think of facing him alone. Moreover, Lee An and Seo Jin were with him.
The reason he called the Fist Demon was because of Lee An, and the reason he called the One Flower Sword Venerable was because the opponent was the Sword King. He sensed that this fight would be a great stimulus to everyone who used a sword.
Everyone held their breath as they watched Lee An exchange greetings with the two. The world's most terrifying man and the world's most elegant woman?
Who on earth are they?
Lee An first revealed her and Seo Jin's identities to her two friends.
"I am Lee An, the Ghost Shadow Squad Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and this is Seo Jin, the leader of the 2nd Team."
Shocked, Yu Gwang and Gyo Seok froze, unable to say a word. It was the moment they finally understood the true meaning of "The Cult" and "Safe House."
"You... no, you two are from the Demonic Cult—no, the Divine Cult?"
Gyo Seok stammered, trembling. He should have known from the moment Yu Gwang started saying things were ominous. This is all because of you! Your conspiracy theories dragged in the most terrifying beings in the world!
"Yes. As I said earlier, we came out because there was something to investigate."
But the real shock was yet to come. Lee An formally introduced the two Demon Lords.
"This is the Fist Demon, one of the Eight Demon Lords of our Cult, and this is the One Flower Sword Venerable. Seo Jin, greet them formally."
At the title "Sword Venerable," they had wondered, but they were truly Demon Lords. Seo Jin bowed respectfully to the two.
"I am Seo Jin, leader of the Ghost Shadow 2nd Team. It is an honor to meet such esteemed individuals."
Her voice trembled. It was truly a moment where she met the Eight Demon Lords she had only heard of—and two of them at once. The One Flower Sword Venerable was particularly impressive. She was so beautiful and elegant that Seo Jin instinctively thought she wanted to age like that.
If Seo Jin was this shocked, how much greater must the shock of Yu Gwang and Gyo Seok have been? How could they have known they would meet the Eight Demon Lords in their lifetime?
"Oh my!"
"Please, spare us!"
The two of them prostrated themselves on the ground. It truly felt like a dream.
Of course, they weren't the only ones shocked. Yeon Baek-jin, who had been standing awkwardly, also bowed deeply. His heart sank with shock as well. Normally, he should have been more shocked when Geom Mu-geuk revealed his identity, but he was more shocked now.
When he saw Geom Mu-geuk, it didn't feel very real. He felt so far removed from the image of the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. But now was different. He realized he was dealing with the real Demonic Cult and its members. Had he ever met people who were so terrifying and gave off such an intense presence in his life?
He could feel that this fight had now entered a new phase. It was not a situation where he could step forward and speak carelessly. The vague idea of the Demonic Cult had now revealed its reality before his eyes.
"Now, everyone, please go inside and rest."
Lee An called a safe house warrior to lead the others inside. Now, only Lee An, the Fist Demon, and the One Flower Sword Venerable remained. Lee An told the two everything that had happened so far.
"It was the first time I've seen the Young Cult Leader so tense."
At those words, the Fist Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable exchanged glances. They sensed that this enemy was more formidable than any they had faced before.
"Where is the Young Cult Leader now?"
At the Fist Demon's question, Lee An shook her head and relayed only the message she was told to deliver.
"He told me to tell you that there is an entrance leading underground beneath the sparring stage."
This was the message Geom Mu-geuk had told her to relay at the end.
"And he said that if he doesn't appear at this safe house even after ten days, please come to rescue him."