Chapter 587: Because a Clean Cut Lingers Longer
Chapter 587: Because a Clean Cut Lingers Longer
The chamber overflowed with a dazzling radiance.
In the center, gold was piled high—a literal mountain of treasure. Surrounding it on all sides were display cases showcasing a king’s ransom in jewels. There were top-grade night-shining pearls, rubies, sapphires, jade, and crystals. Every imaginable gemstone flaunted its brilliance.
It was a treasure vault in the truest sense of the word.
“I must have dreamt of my ancestors last night, because I’ve hit the motherlode!”
Geom Mu-geuk stole a glance at the Sword King. The older man was clearly surprised by the staggering wealth, yet his eyes held no trace of greed. One look at his calm expression was enough to know that riches were not what he pursued.
This was exactly why fighting him was so difficult. He was no ordinary villain.
“Do you regret promising me half?”
At Mu-geuk’s question, the Sword King nodded slowly. “It is far more than I expected.”
“No take-backs.” Mu-geuk flopped down onto the pile of gold. “Sleeping amidst gold! There probably isn't a more enchanting bed in the entire world.”
The Sword King’s voice drifted over to him. “I thought you preferred cotton blankets to gold?”
Mu-geuk lifted his head, looking at him with mock indignation. “Who told you that?”
“Am I wrong?”
“I’m known as the incarnation of greed, you know.”
“Who calls you that? You probably just go around saying it yourself.”
Mu-geuk stared at the Sword King and spoke firmly. “You’re trying to pull a fast one on me so you don't have to share the treasure, but it won't work. Half of this is mine.”
Mu-geuk laid his head back down comfortably.
To think there was such a high, ornate ceiling in a place like this, deep underground. Looking up at it, a natural question arose: Who on earth built this? Was it the secret vault of some ancient tycoon?
No. The Sword King wouldn't have been digging through the earth just to claim a merchant's hoard. He clearly wanted something else.
Then who made it? Between the formations outside and the illusions in the tunnel, this place was infused with the greatest powers of the era.
Mu-geuk looked at the Sword King while still lying down. Come to think of it, the rope that had connected their waists was gone. Seeing his gaze fall on his waist, the Sword King answered.
“I cut it during the fight earlier.”
“I know you cut it so I could move more easily, but for some reason, it feels like the bond between us has been severed. It makes me sad. Surely you aren't planning to cut our relationship as cleanly as a blade, are you?”
The Sword King, of course, didn't look the least bit sentimental. “As you can see, I would sever it with a single stroke. I am the type of person who cuts things cleanly and forgets.”
Mu-geuk let out a feigned sigh. “In human relationships, cutting ties is harder than forming them.” Then, he threw out an unexpected question. “If you cut a relationship with a single stroke, don't you end up thinking about that person more?”
The Sword King turned his gaze toward Mu-geuk, waiting for an explanation.
“When you cut someone off abruptly because you hate the sight of them or want to avoid them, they actually end up lingering in your mind for a long time. You think, ‘Ugh, I’m so glad I don’t have to see them,’ and that makes you think of them. You think, ‘I did the right thing by cutting them off,’ and that makes you think of them. You think, ‘Why didn't I do it sooner?’ and that makes you think of them.”
This time, the Sword King asked, “Then how do you settle things?”
“The more I hate someone, the more carefully I plan my withdrawal operation.”
The Sword King let out a hollow laugh at the word 'operation.' “Must you go as far as planning an operation just to end a relationship?”
“Of course. If you just hack it away, you’ll never forget them for the rest of your life. Isn't that why relationships that aren't even worth remembering end up staying in your heart until the very end?”
“...!”
“Cutting ties quickly doesn't mean you'll forget quickly. You have to slowly remove them from your heart, a handful at a time. Slowly, without rushing, until you even forget that you were ever tied to that person. The more you hate them, the slower you go.”
“If you put in that much effort, you’ll think of them even more.”
“You will. But the quality of those thoughts is different.”
“How so?”
“They aren't... sticky. They don't suddenly barge into your mind. They don't make you suddenly clench your fists in anger.”
The Sword King stared at Mu-geuk in silence for a moment.
“So, don't try to cut me off so cleanly. If you do, you’ll keep thinking of me.”
The Sword King placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist and asked, “And after saying all that, are you going to cut me down with a single stroke?”
“Ah! How are you so quick on the uptake?”
The Sword King snorted and walked toward a corner. There was a door there. “Let’s go.”
“What’s the rush? Why not enjoy these treasures for a bit?”
“What we are here for is not in this room.”
Mu-geuk stood up and followed him. “Surely opening that door doesn't mean we have to break through another trial, right?”
The Sword King opened the door.
The dark passage they had seen before revealed itself once again. An energy even more powerful than before flowed out. The seductive aura beckoning them to enter was far stronger than anything they had encountered.
“What exactly is at the end of this?”
The Sword King finally spoke about the nature of this place. “Something that can change the fate of the Murim.”
Mu-geuk, still staring into the darkness, asked, “For the better? Or for the worse?”
After a brief pause, the Sword King replied, “That will depend on what kind of people we are.”
The two men stepped back into the darkness.
*
“Track them all down and eliminate them!”
Gi Seok flinched at Yeon Baek-in’s command. He had thought the same should be done, but he hadn't expected Yeon Baek-in to make such a ruthless decision so easily.
Yeon Baek-in’s heart had sunk when he received the report that all the workers in the underground had left.
He just let all those people go?
At first, he thought the report was wrong. He couldn't imagine the man underground letting them go. He had naturally assumed they would be killed to silence them. But to send them away with money?
The man underground might not care if they were released, but Yeon Baek-in did.
There is a treasure vault beneath the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall!
If even one person ran their mouth, a pack of jackals would swarm this place. Yeon Baek-in did not believe they would keep the secret. Even if the vault was now empty, they would come to see it with their own eyes.
Perhaps the man underground was pulling a stunt to drive him into a corner.
He really screwed me over.
Regardless, he would find them all and kill them. Didn't you say it yourself? A villain walks his path while being cursed by others.
“Since we cannot use the White Snake Unit, I will look for another contract organization and put out a hit.”
“Hurry as much as possible.”
Gi Seok could now see clearly. It wasn't that Yeon Baek-in had turned evil; he had been this kind of person all along. Ordering the deaths of dozens of people was not something just anyone could do.
Just then, a subordinate’s voice came from outside. “A visitor has arrived.”
“Who is it?”
“They say they are the parents of a White Dragon Unit member.”
Yeon Baek-in and Gi Seok looked at each other. Yeon Baek-in didn't meet with parents personally, and the subordinate knew that. Why bother reporting it?
Then the door opened. It was unheard of for the door to open before he had even given permission. It meant the visitor was someone the guards didn't dare stop.
The person who entered the office was a middle-aged woman. The moment he saw her, Yeon Baek-in’s eyes widened. She was a truly elegant woman who captured one's attention instantly.
“I’ve come because of my daughter.”
At her soft voice, Yeon Baek-in’s stiff expression relaxed involuntarily. “Who is your daughter?”
“It’s Lee An.”
The woman who had entered was none other than the One Flower Sword Venerable.
Gi Seok, standing beside him, sent a voice transmission.
— She’s the girl who was hanging around with Seo Jin of the Ghost Gate.
Even without the transmission, Yeon Baek-in knew of Lee An. There had been constant rumors about a truly beautiful trainee joining the hall.
Her beauty must have come from her mother.
Yeon Baek-in spoke to her graciously. “Very well. Please, come in.”
He thought she had come alone, but another person followed her in. Yeon Baek-in’s eyes bulged as he saw the man who filled the doorway. A muscular man who looked like a moving block of iron entered; his face was so terrifying that one hardly dared to meet his eyes.
“I’m Lee An’s father.”
It was Lee An’s real father, the Fist Demon.
Only then did Yeon Baek-in understand why the subordinates outside couldn't stop them. His face was terrifying enough, but those massive fists...
As soon as he entered, the Fist Demon asked Yeon Baek-in, “Where is my daughter right now?”
The Fist Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable had come here for two reasons.
First, there was the report from Tongcheon Pavilion. It was a report that all the workers who had been underground had emerged secretly. Even without being told, they knew Mu-geuk had spared them.
Sending cotton blankets underground, letting them out to see the stars, and finally, letting them all go free. It was a move so characteristic of Geom Mu-geuk.
The problem was the Hall Master before them. Based on his actions so far and the words of his younger brother, Yeon Baek-jin, it was unlikely he would let the workers live. So, they had stepped forward with the One Flower Sword Venerable to save them.
We leave them to the Demon Lords.
That must have been what Mu-geuk intended. At this moment, the two Demon Lords were of one mind with him.
The second reason for their appearance was to pressure and warn the forces behind the scenes.
We are here, so do not act rashly! We are by the Young Cult Leader’s side.
They were preventing other masters from adding their strength to the underground. Just as they were watching, the other side would be watching their movements as well.
The Fist Demon asked bluntly, “I hear she hasn't returned since she followed the instructor?”
Yeon Baek-in was inwardly flustered. He hadn't expected such a terrifying father and such an elegant mother to visit. Truly, with parents like these, there should have been no need to send their daughter to a martial arts hall.
Another voice transmission from Gi Seok arrived.
— Lee An is currently underground.
Ever since the Sword King had taken Mu-geuk, Lee An, Seo Jin, Yu Gwang, and Gyo Seok, they hadn't appeared for lessons. Since he didn't know they were at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s safe house, Yeon Baek-in naturally assumed the Sword King had taken them underground.
“I’m asking you. Where is our child?”
Normally, he would have demanded to know what this insolence was, but he didn't dare say that to the Fist Demon. Even without revealing his demonic energy, the Fist Demon’s aura was pressing down on Yeon Baek-in so hard he could barely breathe.
Then, the One Flower Sword Venerable stepped in. “Please understand, Hall Master. My husband has quite a fiery temperament.”
Truly, how could there be such a contrasting couple? Looking at the woman brought a smile, while looking at the man made one’s face stiffen.
The One Flower Sword Venerable asked in a gentle tone, “I came to see my daughter, but no one even knows where she went, so I’m getting worried.”
Though she rarely made public appearances, she was more skilled than anyone at dealing with people.
Gi Seok stepped forward to answer instead. “She is currently out on field training with the White Dragon Unit instructor.”
“But I saw the other White Dragon Unit members in class?”
“Only a few specially selected individuals went. It seems she showed exceptional talent.” Gi Seok answered calmly, without faltering. “She will return in a few days.”
“Do you often go out for training like this?”
This time, Yeon Baek-in answered. “Even as the Hall Master, I cannot interfere with how an instructor chooses to teach.” Yeon Baek-in looked at the two with a confident gaze. “Since you’ve entrusted her education to us, you must trust us.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable stood up with a pleasant expression. “We were just anxious and acted rudely. We shall take our leave for today.”
The Fist Demon left one last word before departing. “That’s right. We entrusted the child to you because we trust you.”
These significant words were a final chance for Yeon Baek-in to live—a warning never to touch the trainees. But could the current Yeon Baek-in possibly grasp the meaning behind those words?
Only after the two left the office did Yeon Baek-in feel relieved. The Fist Demon’s aura had been so intense that his heart was still pounding.
“It’s because that trainee, Lee An, is so exceptionally beautiful.”
He understood the Fist Demon’s reaction. If he had such a beautiful daughter, he would naturally be on edge. But to come to him and behave like that? It was all because they looked down on the Hall Master. Truly, once he mastered the Absolute Demonic Art, he would never have to suffer such humiliation again.
“Then only the White Dragon Unit kids he took are underground now.”
“That is correct.”
He couldn't tell what that man was thinking. Regardless, seeing as he had released the workers, the end was undoubtedly near.
“How will you handle that couple? They didn't seem like ordinary masters.”
Yeon Baek-in, on the other hand, had already thought it through. “The one who has the daughter should take responsibility.”
He meant he would leave their disposal to the Sword King.
“You, deal with the workers as quickly as possible.”
*
Gi Seok, his bamboo hat pressed down low, walked briskly.
The group he intended to hire this time was the Black Tiger Sect. Like the White Snake Unit, they were a contract organization that would do anything for the right price. Since they were on bad terms with the White Snake Unit, they were perfect for this job.
Usually, when contacting such organizations, one meets in a very secluded place or a place bustling with people like this. Today, they had agreed to meet at a tea house in the marketplace.
Walking among the pedestrians, Gi Seok looked at the tea house ahead. A man was waiting at the agreed-upon window seat. Just as he was walking toward him...
Wait, are those...?
In the distance were Lee An’s parents, whom he had seen in Yeon Baek-in’s office. The woman recognized him and waved happily. Gi Seok, about to reflexively greet her, was suddenly startled.
I’m wearing a bamboo hat; how did she recognize me?
The man beside her, instead of waving, slowly extended his fist toward Gi Seok. From far away, slowly, a fist was thrust through the crowd of people.
What is he doing?
Gi Seok thought he was being warned—to find his daughter quickly. And that warning felt like a tickle. No, it actually was a tickle. Gi Seok felt an unbearable itching in his chest.
Unable to stand it, he pulled open his collar and looked down at his chest.
“...!”
Gi Seok’s eyes bulged. His chest began to cave in, and an outline began to form. Amazingly, it was the shape of a massive fist. A giant fist that filled his entire chest.
But soon, that outline began to fade.
When the fist-shaped outline vanished completely as if it had been a lie, Gi Seok, who had been standing dazed in the middle of the road looking down at his chest, slowly collapsed on the spot. His head slumped down, already lifeless.
It was a silent punch that left no sound of flight, no scream, and no mark upon the body.