Chapter 632: Rather Than a Scheming Geom Wu-jin
Chapter 632: Rather Than a Scheming Geom Wu-jin
“Are you doubting the First Young Master?”
At Jin Ha-gun’s question, Jin Pae-cheon countered with one of his own.
“Then are you doubting Recluse Hwa?”
A taut tension stretched between the two men.
Until the moment he arrived here, a part of Jin Ha-gun had been thinking, Surely not...
But the moment he heard his grandfather’s words, he knew for certain.
Heaven’s End Recluse used mind control to plant his own name in the man’s mind.
If one were to use mind control on a subordinate, wouldn't they usually force the subject to name someone else, even under the most brutal torture?
However, Heaven’s End Recluse had struck at the blind spot of common sense. By making himself appear to be the mastermind, he had perfectly cleared himself of suspicion.
This choice was only possible because the target was Jin Ha-gun's grandfather. Jin Pae-cheon had known Heaven’s End Recluse since they were young; their friendship had endured for decades.
It was likely something like this:
Suppose Jin Ha-gun continued to build a friendship with Geom Mu-geuk for decades to come. If someone then came along and claimed Geom Mu-geuk was the mastermind behind an evil plot, his reaction would be: Are you people insane?!
That was exactly how his grandfather felt right now.
And the reason Heaven’s End Recluse had made this choice was clear.
“I asked where the First Young Master is.”
Since this incident occurred while the First Young Master was here in Wuhan, Jin Pae-cheon had no choice but to believe it was a plot orchestrated by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Knowing that defending Geom Mu-yang in this situation would only further incense his grandfather, Jin Ha-gun answered obediently.
“He is staying at a manor not far from here.”
The Murim Alliance Leader could not go there himself, nor could he summon the man to the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
“Bring him to the Blue Cloud Forest.”
Jin Ha-gun followed his grandfather’s orders without protest.
“Yes, I understand.”
Jin Ha-gun stepped out of the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
Swaaaaaaa.
The rain was still pouring down. After instructing a martial artist of the hall to prepare a carriage, he stood for a moment, staring at the falling rain.
He should have handled this matter himself, but he hadn't expected the Black Dragon Unit Leader to die like that. Now, proving that Heaven’s End Recluse was the mastermind had become even more difficult. Even if other evidence surfaced, his grandfather would likely view it as fabricated.
The image of Heaven’s End Recluse came to mind. As a child, Jin Ha-gun had followed him around, calling him 'Grandfather.' Unlike his own strict grandfather, the Recluse had treated him and Jin Ha-ryeong with warmth. Whenever he came to visit, he would bring precious toys from all over the Central Plains.
Could such a man truly be the mastermind behind a conspiracy?
Jin Ha-gun raised his head and looked up at the sky. Thunder flashed within the pitch-black ink clouds.
*
Geom Mu-yang stood in the courtyard of the manor, getting drenched by the rain as he watched the carriage arrive.
When the door opened, Jin Ha-gun was inside. Geom Mu-yang instinctively sensed that something had gone wrong with the Black Dragon Unit Leader he had handed over, given that Jin Ha-gun had come for him personally.
“The Alliance Leader wishes to see you.”
As Geom Mu-yang walked toward the carriage, Ho-myeong followed behind. He offered to escort him, but Geom Mu-yang declined.
“You all wait here.”
How could Ho-myeong not know the danger? Now that the Murim Alliance Leader had stepped forward personally, they could all be killed by a single stroke of his blade.
But regardless of that, he felt anxious sending Geom Mu-yang alone. If something happened to the First Young Master, they would all have to offer up their own heads in penance. It would be better to die protecting him.
Ho-myeong sent a pleading look, asking once more to follow, but Geom Mu-yang shook his head firmly.
“Please, be careful.”
Leaving behind Ho-myeong, the branch warriors, and Gwak Yeong—who was watching worriedly from the back—Geom Mu-yang climbed into the carriage.
As soon as he boarded, the carriage set off.
Once they were moving, Jin Ha-gun informed him of what had happened at the Alliance Leader’s Hall. He judged that in this situation, there shouldn't be even a hair’s breadth of misunderstanding, so he decided not to hide anything.
“The Black Dragon Unit Leader was under mind control.”
Geom Mu-yang flinched. Even though he had personally conducted the torture, he hadn't realized it. If it was mind control capable of escaping his notice, it was undoubtedly an evil sorcery planted by someone stronger than himself.
In that case, it wasn't a technique cast by Heaven’s End Recluse. There was no way the Murim Alliance Leader would have failed to recognize such sorcery in a man he had known for so long.
“Who did he name?”
“As expected, he named Heaven’s End Recluse.”
Geom Mu-yang wasn't surprised at all. He had already confirmed several times just how meticulous those bastards were.
“He must be dead, then.”
“How did you know?”
“Because that’s how I would have handled it.”
Jin Ha-gun could tell. Geom Mu-yang had also seen through their scheme.
“There’s no way the Alliance Leader failed to see what we’ve perceived. It’s just...”
He simply doesn't want to believe it.
Jin Ha-gun couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
Geom Mu-yang merely nodded and said nothing.
Unlike Jin Ha-gun, he thought it was possible the Alliance Leader truly hadn't seen through it. Or perhaps he was thinking something else entirely.
In truth, the one who didn't want to believe might be Jin Ha-gun—the fact that his own grandfather could make a wrong judgment.
However, Geom Mu-yang did not voice these thoughts. He could view it objectively, like a spectator giving advice, because he wasn't personally invested. Who could guarantee they would remain rational if it were their own family involved?
The carriage carrying the two men eventually arrived at a bamboo forest.
The guards of the Alliance Leader’s Hall were all standing at the entrance. It seemed the Alliance Leader had forbidden anyone from entering.
Alighting from the carriage, Geom Mu-yang and Jin Ha-gun walked into the forest.
As they entered, the rain began to thin.
The two men walked through the drizzle. It had been a long time since either Geom Mu-yang or Jin Ha-gun had simply walked in the rain.
In the middle of the bamboo forest stood a small pavilion.
Jin Pae-cheon stood there with his hands behind his back. He did not hide his presence.
“I come here occasionally on rainy days.”
Geom Mu-yang walked slowly and ascended the pavilion.
Jin Ha-gun did not follow him up, choosing to wait below.
Once on the pavilion, Geom Mu-yang bowed politely.
“I greet the Alliance Leader.”
Jin Pae-cheon, who had been staring into the distance, slowly turned around.
“First Young Master, it has been a long time.”
His gaze and attitude toward Geom Mu-yang were calm and polite. Though he had seemed ready to roar in fury when he ordered the man brought to him, his current demeanor was entirely different.
Because of this, Jin Ha-gun, standing below the pavilion, felt relieved on one hand but even more tense on the other. He didn't know when or how his grandfather’s rage might explode.
“How is the scenery?”
“It is good.”
Indeed, the view from the pavilion was beautiful. The mist flowing through the thinning rain was lovely and ethereal. There, only the sound of the rain could be heard; it felt as if all the other sounds of the world had vanished.
“How is the Cult Leader faring?”
“He has entered closed-door training.”
Since the Murim Alliance likely already knew this, Geom Mu-yang answered honestly.
“To be honest, I was surprised when I first heard the news.”
At their realm, closed-door training was a rare occurrence. Because of that, the Alliance had even held an emergency meeting. They debated whether he was truly in training or if he was plotting some other scheme.
However, amidst the meeting where various reports and opinions were exchanged, Jin Pae-cheon had been picturing Geom Wu-jin in training.
He knew instinctively. The Geom Wu-jin he knew was not a man who would use such a thing as a deception. Having met him at the Three-Party Meeting, Jin Pae-cheon was even more certain.
A Geom Wu-jin who does not scheme is a more terrifying existence than a Geom Wu-jin who does.
Therefore, although he didn't express it outwardly, he was inwardly tense. The martial realm of the Heavenly Demon, of all people, was changing.
It was in the midst of such circumstances that this incident had occurred.
“My younger brother is acting as the temporary Cult Leader.”
When Geom Mu-geuk was mentioned, a smile touched Jin Pae-cheon’s lips. The only demonic cultist who could make him smile regardless of the situation. Yes, if it weren't for Geom Mu-geuk, this meeting wouldn't have happened in the first place.
“The Young Cult Leader is someone who would do well no matter what task he is given.”
Geom Mu-yang nodded as if in agreement.
Was it because they were both thinking of Geom Mu-geuk?
Silence flowed between the two men, like the mist drifting through the bamboo.
After some time had passed, Jin Pae-cheon spoke abruptly.
“It was unexpected.”
Geom Mu-yang looked at him. Jin Pae-cheon now stared directly back at him as he spoke.
“That you would come all the way to Wuhan.”
It was a natural question. The forgery of the Golden Hidden Weapons was a significant matter, but it wasn't quite enough to bring the First Young Master all the way to Wuhan.
“There were circumstances.”
“Can you tell me what they were?”
When Geom Mu-yang didn't answer, Jin Pae-cheon’s gaze turned slightly cold. Despite sensing the change in his eyes, Geom Mu-yang remained silent.
“You resemble your father more than the Young Cult Leader does.”
Looking at him brought Geom Wu-jin to mind. Then again, if it had been Geom Mu-geuk, he would have already been chattering away, saying, 'This and that happened, you see.'
Geom Mu-yang understood what those words meant. He also felt that what was needed at this moment was not his own stoicism, but his brother’s friendliness.
It was something he would never have said in any other situation or to any other person, but...
“My brother was almost killed by those hidden weapons.”
At Geom Mu-yang’s answer, Jin Pae-cheon’s eyes widened.
Jin Ha-gun, who was below the pavilion, raised his head to look up.
Now he finally understood for certain why Geom Mu-yang had insisted on seeing this through to the end.
If someone had almost killed Jin Ha-ryeong? Yes, he would have seen it through to the end as well. He would have chased them all the way to the Demonic Cult’s headquarters.
“I was merely tracking the one who made the forged weapons, and yet here I am, meeting the Alliance Leader.”
It meant that whoever it was had paved the road well. Jin Pae-cheon felt the barb in those words.
“Did you hear who the Black Dragon Unit Leader mentioned?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think?”
“I do not know that person.”
Geom Mu-yang stared straight into Jin Pae-cheon’s eyes.
“I believe you already know the answer, Alliance Leader.”
For a moment, Jin Pae-cheon’s expression twitched. A massive aura began to emanate from his body.
“What is the meaning of that?”
“Do you not already know?”
An overwhelming pressure began to swirl around them.
As dark clouds gathered, the world grew dim. Jin Pae-cheon’s aura was like a typhoon encountered on a pitch-black sea.
In the violent waves that suddenly struck, Geom Mu-yang felt as if he were repeatedly being tossed into the air and crashing back down. A fear that delved into the abyss stirred the very depths of his heart.
Originally, Jin Pae-cheon was a man suited to such an aura—domineering and powerful. It was just that he rarely had the chance to reveal that momentum during his long tenure as the Murim Alliance Leader.
Even within the storm, Geom Mu-yang stood his ground firmly. At that, Jin Pae-cheon’s aura grew even more powerful.
Below the pavilion, Jin Ha-gun’s heart grew frantic. It was his angry grandfather versus a Geom Mu-yang who refused to break.
How would Geom Mu-geuk have handled this?
He thought of various possibilities, but he was not Geom Mu-geuk. If he couldn't act like him, it was better to remain silent.
Yes, let’s trust Grandfather. Even though he’s angry now, he isn't the type of person to handle matters based solely on emotion.
He had to play the most important role in this affair. He was the one who knew his grandfather best, and he was the one who had to act as the bridge to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Right. From now on, I must not hold any prejudices. I must look at every single person clearly.
The words Geom Mu-geuk had repeated so often had once again become the most necessary lesson in his life.
Jin Pae-cheon’s swirling aura gradually subsided, and the surroundings returned to tranquility.
Though he had been pushed to the very limit of internal injury, Geom Mu-yang had held his ground without moving a single step.
Staring at him quietly, Jin Pae-cheon spoke calmly.
“Leave Wuhan.”
If it were any other region, it might be different, but in Wuhan, he had every right to demand this.
However, Geom Mu-yang did not accept.
“I cannot do that.”
Jin Pae-cheon spoke reasonably.
“This is our business. When we find the answer, I will send word to you.”
“I am sorry.”
You will never find that answer on your own.
Geom Mu-yang did not back down. This was a promise to Jin Pae-cheon, of all people. If he said he would leave and then didn't, it would be an even greater insult to the man.
“Truly, you people...!”
Who in this Murim would dare to defy his words?
The image of Geom Wu-jin overlapped with Geom Mu-yang’s face. Since he was that man’s son, his stubbornness was only to be expected.
Just then, Jin Pae-cheon’s gaze slowly shifted toward the distant mist. The look in his eyes changed.
Someone was there, deep within the fog.
The fact that he could only sense their presence after they had approached this closely proved just how exceptional the opponent’s martial arts were.
“Stop eavesdropping and come out.”
At his words, someone began to walk slowly toward them.
“Haven't you experienced it yourself over the past few decades, Alliance Leader?”
Beyond the pure white mist, a golden radiance began to spread.
“Those Demonic Cult bastards really don't listen, do they?”