Chapter 355: The Dark King (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 355: The Dark King (5)
The Gathering of the Orthodox Faction.
This was an assembly of the Orthodox Faction's key figures, convened only when a major event threatened the very foundations of the Murim Alliance.
The Ten Sect Alliance, the Four Noble Clans, other prominent families, and even the large mercenary groups that had aided in reviving cities—all would gather in one place for this discussion.
At the very least, they would debate how to handle this incident. It could even escalate into a deliberation on the future existence of the Murim Alliance itself.
The incident was significant enough to warrant such a meeting, so I felt certain it would take place.
And if it did, it was obvious that the most important figures would converge on Henan.
I wasn't entirely certain the meeting would be held in Henan, but it was my strongest suspicion.
Of course, no one was obligated to attend simply because the meeting was called.
But would they really stay away?
This was a rare opportunity for the Orthodox Faction's leadership to gather and exchange views. The meeting's significance would be immense, regardless of the agenda, and mere attendance would be a mark of honor and status.
These people valued their pride more than their own lives. I was certain they would come.
Moreover…
This incident had endangered their children.
They would come, if only to voice their outrage. That much I understood. But what Moyong Hi-ah said next left me utterly bewildered.
"...What do you mean? Run away?"
Moyong Hi-ah's father, Moyong Tae, was the lord of the Moyong Clan, known throughout the Murim as the White Heavenly Sword.
In his prime, he was a master martial artist who had vied with Namgung Jin for the title of Sword King.
He was renowned as an exceptionally skilled martial artist and swordsman, though his prowess was said to have declined after his marriage and the birth of Moyong Hi-ah.
Regardless of his current strength, he would undoubtedly attend the meeting as the clan lord.
So, she's telling me to run away because of him?
I didn't understand.
What did Moyong Hi-ah's father have to do with me needing to flee?
"What, did the Lord of the Moyong Clan say he was going to kill me or something?"
It sounded so absurd that I replied with a joke.
But then…
"Yes."
"…"
That was her response.
What did she just say?
"…W-What?"
The White Heavenly Sword might come to kill me?
I frowned, questioning her, but Moyong Hi-ah averted her gaze as she spoke.
"…It's a bit embarrassing, but…"
Her hand brushed over her forearm, a clear gesture of her discomfort.
"My father… he's a little too fond of me."
Moyong Hi-ah began to explain, the tips of her ears turning red. Just how embarrassing was this for her?
I was already aware of it.
It was so widely known it didn't even surprise me. The Lord of the Moyong Clan was infamous for his intense, overbearing love for his daughter. The decline in his abilities, and the Moyong Clan's diminished standing among the Four Noble Clans, were partly attributed to Moyong Hi-ah.
"And?"
That might be true, but it wasn't reason enough for him to hate me.
"My relationship with Master Gu… it's not exactly ordinary, you know?"
"Is it not ordinary? I thought it was perfectly—"
"Just shut up and listen."
"…Oh, right."
I had to shut my mouth after hearing her sharp tone.
Our relationship, huh?
To be honest, it wasn't exactly conventional. I transferred my Yang heat to her from time to time. It was necessary to treat her critical condition.
Ever since I discovered that my heat could alleviate her ailment, we'd maintained this arrangement for several years. Her condition involved Ice Qi slowly freezing her body from within. She could barely suppress the Ice Qi on her own, and every time she used her Qi for martial arts, it would surge out uncontrollably.
As a result, Moyong Hi-ah had halted her martial arts training, at least for the duration of my treatments. This had been ongoing for a few years. It was a serious issue for a martial artist, but Moyong Hi-ah didn't seem overly concerned, and her condition was genuinely improving. The treatments had become less frequent; now I only needed to transfer my heat once a month, a clear sign it was working.
Oh, maybe that's the problem?
Some strange guy has been infusing his heat into his precious daughter. I suppose it wasn't the strangest thing for a father to get mad about.
However…
"Wait, didn't you get approval for that, though?"
"Huh?"
I asked Moyong Hi-ah if she'd received her clan's official approval for the deal we made years ago. In truth, my clan had gained considerable wealth and influence from the arrangement.
One of the Moyong Clan's elders had visited us once, and since then, their businesses had established a strong presence on Shanxi's streets, drawing more people and commerce. Surely, something of this magnitude couldn't have happened without the Moyong Clan Lord's explicit approval.
"…About that."
Moyong Hi-ah looked down at my words.
What was that reaction?
"You… did you do something?"
"It's not that I did anything."
It was unusual to see such an expression from her. Moyong Hi-ah was never one to make excuses. She preferred finding solutions over justifications and avoided actions that required her to explain herself.
"…Hey, Master Gu."
Given all this, her current demeanor was incredibly unusual. I hadn't seen it even once in my past life.
"Speak."
"I believe that humans make mistakes in their lives."
She wasn't wrong, but hearing such philosophical leniency from Moyong Hi-ah felt completely out of character.
I replied, "Someone once told me: 'You should prepare carefully to avoid mistakes entirely. And if that's not possible, you shouldn't even start.'"
"Who said that? How could they be so narrow-minded and arrogant… Were they educated at all? Humans are bound to make mistakes… Maybe they have no sympathy? How terrifying."
"…"
Seeing her frown in genuine distaste, I could only sigh inwardly. By the way, that was something the Snow Phoenix of my past life had said to me, after I'd made a mistake during a demon hunt.
"So, what exactly did you do?"
What could she have done to make the White Heavenly Sword despise me to this extent?
After hesitating and opening her mouth a few times, Moyong Hi-ah finally spoke.
"You might not know this, but we gave the Gu Clan more than we initially agreed…"
"Hmm?"
"For instance, placing our businesses on Shanxi's streets was a bit forced, though it eventually succeeded."
To be fair, Shanxi's streets weren't very active before, though I wasn't sure what they'd been like in the past. Honestly, establishing a foothold in Shanxi was more disadvantageous for the Moyong Clan when they could have chosen more prosperous regions like Anhui or Henan. When I saw it happen, I simply assumed her treatment was that important to them.
But was there something I wasn't aware of?
"It's probably because of something I said."
"Hmm?"
"Father… No, my Lord, truly despised the idea of me depending on another man."
"Well, that's understa—"
"He said he couldn't allow a man who already had a fiancée to do such a thing for me, so I had no choice."
Hmm?
Wait, what?
"So I told him that, yes, Master Gu has a fiancée, but I'm his true love… and that he plans to break off his engagement and propose to me instead."
Eh?
"Because of that, I told him not to worry and suggested he start thinking of you as a future son-in-law."
"…Wait, you, what, huh?"
"He seemed fine with it after that and gave in to my stubbornness. Isn't that fortunate? Everything turned out well."
Moyong Hi-ah still avoided my gaze as she spoke, as if she knew perfectly well she was spewing nonsense.
So, essentially, the White Heavenly Sword was under the impression that I was a man engaged to the Namgung Clan who intended to break off that engagement because my true love was Moyong Hi-ah.
"Why did it… become that way?"
Just hearing it gave me a headache. How did things get so twisted?
"It's like I said earlier."
When I asked, rendered speechless, Moyong Hi-ah replied simply.
"People make mistakes in their lives… don't they?"
Did she really think that was an adequate explanation?
I didn't respond, just stared at her face. Moyong Hi-ah kept her gaze down, acutely aware of my stare. An awkward silence stretched between us.
The sharp-witted Moyong Hi-ah likely knew exactly what she needed to say next. But her pride was stopping her from saying it.
After a few moments, unable to bear the silence any longer, she finally spoke.
"…I'm sorry."
I gave a slow nod at her words. Every so often, Moyong Hi-ah needed to set aside her pride. She had probably said all those things just to lead up to this apology. I wasn't certain, but I felt that the Moyong Hi-ah I knew would do just that.
So…
From the White Heavenly Sword's perspective, I wasn't actually the devoted future son-in-law he believed me to be. My engagement with Namgung Bi-ah remained intact. And on top of that, I had Wi Seol-Ah, Tang Soyeol, and even his own daughter constantly around me.
In his eyes, I probably looked like a scoundrel taking advantage of his daughter's condition to stay close to her.
Woah…
It's understandable if he wants to kill me…
Though I couldn't fully empathize, having no children of my own, I could at least understand why he would feel that way toward me. From his perspective, cutting me to pieces and burning the remains might not feel like sufficient punishment.
…Not good.
I'm really screwed, huh? Now I understood why Moyong Hi-ah suggested running.
The problem was that we couldn't run. Actually, maybe it would have been better for the White Heavenly Sword if we had run. It might even look like a romantic elopement, so maybe even he would…
"…?"
I quickly glanced at Moyong Hi-ah as the thought crossed my mind. She flinched under my gaze. Judging by her reaction, she seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.
"…You."
"Oh, it's hot. It's really hot today, right Master Gu?"
It was spring, with a lingering winter chill in the air, yet Moyong Hi-ah, whose body was suffused with Ice Qi, was claiming to feel hot.
How convincing.
"Ha."
I let out a short, dry laugh at the sight. I was grateful things were like this now. If my relationship with her were the same as in my past life, she'd just be yelling at me.
I glanced up at the sky.
Whether it's the White Heavenly Sword or the Orthodox Faction's gathering… I have to handle this first.
The black barrier that enveloped everything. I needed to break through it before I could do anything else.
But I had no idea how to tackle it.
I thought I damaged it in my Demonic Human form.
I had managed to crack it slightly using Red Heaven while transformed, but it instantly restored itself, making it a truly vexing defense.
There must be another way.
It seemed impossible to overcome with martial arts alone, so I had to find a different method. The Black Dragon was imprisoned somewhere, as far as I knew. Perhaps I needed to pay him a visit?
"…Gu."
If the barrier is still active even after he was subdued, I doubt I can get rid of it just by tortu—
"Master Gu…!"
"Huh?"
Lost in thought, I suddenly felt Moyong Hi-ah grab my shoulder and shake me.
"What's wrong?"
"Look, over there."
I looked in the direction she was pointing, curious about what had caught her attention.
And then…
"…What the?"
Crack, craaaack-!
I saw something begin to shift in the black barrier. The speed was completely different from when I'd tried to break it. It was much, much faster.
I realized what was happening moments later.
The barrier was disappearing.
* * *
A shadowed area lay behind the Heavenly Dragon Academy. The darkness there, untouched by any light, felt profoundly unsettling.
It wasn't a basement, nor was it inside a building. Its nature was identical to the black barrier that had once shrouded the sky over the academy.
-Guhhhh.
In that shadowed space, a figure groaned, barely clinging to consciousness. It was the old man known as the Black Dragon.
"Guh… Guuhhh…"
His monstrous form was gone, and he was back in his original body. However, he wasn't able to move freely. His legs and arms were unbound, yet he seemed utterly restrained.
The one who had been observing him stepped forward and knelt in front of him. As they drew closer, the Black Dragon began to grind his teeth.
"You… bastard…"
"I will start asking."
Ignoring the Black Dragon's thick aura of killing intent, the man continued with his questions, completely unfazed.
"Who is behind all this?"
"You… bastard!! Dark Kiiiing!"
His voice, thick with hatred, was dense and powerful. It was brimming with emotion, but the man, the Dark King, found it only tiresome. He had heard so many voices filled with rage in his life that none amused him anymore.
With cold, emotionless eyes, the Dark King stared at the Black Dragon.
"I already know the answer, but I'm asking to confirm. I hope you'll answer."
"…How dare you betray me… Have you forgotten our deal…!"
The Dark King tilted his head slightly at the Black Dragon's words.
Deal, huh?
"I thought you'd never betray your clients. Do you think Shackle is a joke…!"
In response, the Dark King pulled up his sleeve. There, the Shackle's symbol was burned into his skin, the surrounding flesh already beginning to rot. A foul stench wafted from it.
The Dark King must have been feeling immense pain from the Shackle, yet he didn't utter a single groan.
" 'I never betray my clients,' you say…"
It was one of the reasons why the Night Reapers were so famous. They never failed a mission and were rumored to never betray a client.
"How foolish…"
The Dark King wasn't fond of such rumors.
"They simply don't know because the clients were killed. Your head must be full of pretty fantasies, huh."
"…What…?"
"Besides, I never intended to help you in the first place."
Slash.
Thud.
The Dark King sliced off his own arm with a single, sharp finger, letting the limb bearing the Shackle's symbol fall to the ground.
"You bastard…"
"It seems you're struggling to answer, so I'll ask something else."
With a calm expression, utterly unaffected by his missing arm, the Dark King continued his questioning.
"Is it true the Heavenly Abyss is behind you?"
The Black Dragon could only grind his teeth in response to the Dark King's quiet, relentless inquiry.