Immortal Spirit Art (1)
Late into the night, the lights in the Murim Alliance Lord's chambers remained lit.
Cheon Myeong-jin was reflecting on the fight at the club earlier that day.
He hadn't shown it in front of his subordinates, but it had been a close call deep down. If the woman who had been with Jang Cheon hadn't stepped in at the last moment, he might have suffered serious injuries. He'd faced plenty of foes versed in sorcery before, but this was his first encounter with such a vicious and potent Black Spirit Art.
Just then, Joo Won spoke from outside.
"Instructor Jang is here."
"Bring him in."
Jang Cheon entered and immediately asked after Cheon Myeong-jin's well-being.
"Are you alright?"
"Fortunately, yes. Thanks to the help of that righteous lady who was with you."
"I see."
"Mind if I ask what your relationship is?"
"It's... hard to put into words."
Cheon Myeong-jin glanced at Joo Won, who was about to leave after showing Jang Cheon in. Joo Won smiled and replied.
"We call that kind of relationship 'talking' these days."
"Meaning you like each other?"
"Yes."
Joo Won answered briskly before stepping out.
Cheon Myeong-jin looked at Jang Cheon with a smile.
"She suits you well."
Jang Cheon merely smiled in response. He still couldn't speak casually about Queen to others. The one time he'd opened up—telling Night, "I'm a man too"—remained the only exception.
Jang Cheon changed the subject.
"This incident wasn't the work of that shadowy organization I infiltrated."
"It wasn't?"
Cheon Myeong-jin was startled. He'd naturally assumed it was them. He'd figured they'd tried to kill him after realizing he was under Jang Cheon's influence.
"Then who was it?"
"Dae Jeong San Jang."
Cheon Myeong-jin's expression hardened.
"Do you have solid evidence?"
"For one, the organization still trusts me."
That night after the incident, he'd sent the kimono-clad Sato Mi with orders for their next moves. There was no reason for them to suddenly turn. If they had, Actor would have contacted him.
"I pursued the one who wielded the Black Spirit Art. But it was a trap."
"A trap?"
"He targeted you, Alliance Lord, while aiming to eliminate me at the same time. The only one with grudges against both of us is U Myeong-hwan of Dae Jeong San Jang."
"I see."
Cheon Myeong-jin nodded. Jang Cheon's reasoning rang true. And they had a clear motive, too.
"Because of the summons order?"
"Yes."
Anger surged in Cheon Myeong-jin's heart.
To think they'd try to kill me over that? That bastard U Myeong-hwan!
But he quickly reined it in.
"So they're cornered, then?"
"Yes. That's how it looks."
The key was An Bae-su.
"Has An Bae-su confessed?"
Cheon Myeong-jin shook his head.
"He's a stubborn one. If he just testified that U Myeong-hwan ordered it, everything would be over. But he won't budge. Even when I threaten maximum sentencing, he doesn't blink."
"We can't just push harder. U Myeong-hwan wouldn't have raised someone who'd crack under external pressure."
It sounded like Jang Cheon had a plan in mind, so Cheon Myeong-jin asked cautiously.
"Do you have a strategy?"
"Why do you think An Bae-su is holding out?"
"Loyalty to U Myeong-hwan?"
"Exactly. More precisely, he believes he can only survive by clinging to that loyalty. Whether it's twenty years or life imprisonment, he trusts U Myeong-hwan will bail him out."
Cheon Myeong-jin nodded.
"Our job is to shatter that belief. He won't abandon U Myeong-hwan...
"So we make U Myeong-hwan abandon him."
"Precisely. Even if he doesn't actually do it, we make An Bae-su believe he has."
"Well said."
Cheon Myeong-jin marveled once more at Jang Cheon's insight. He saw the situation clearly and had countermeasures ready.
"We must force the summons. Only then, cornered, will U Myeong-hwan cut An Bae-su loose."
The moment An Bae-su testified to the murder orders, U Myeong-hwan was done. Crime demanded punishment—no matter Dae Jeong San Jang's power. They couldn't fight all of Korean Murim.
This assassination attempt on him and Cheon Myeong-jin proved U Myeong-hwan knew it well. He was trapped.
"Public opinion is against them, so they'll have to comply eventually. Do you know why the media's in such a frenzy? Gangnam-il-mun's media campaign plays a part, but I think there's more."
"What?"
"Murim's been too peaceful for too long."
Jang Cheon understood.
"The blood stirs after prolonged peace. That's Murim for you—they crave the chaos. U Myeong-hwan can't block the summons."
"Leave U Myeong-hwan to you. I'll handle the one who ambushed us."
"Did you see him?"
"Regrettably, no. But one thing's certain: he's mastered the pinnacle Black Spirit Art of Choi Sang-seung. Could the Alliance share any data on Black Spirit Art?"
"Of course."
"Thank you. Stay safe until we meet again."
"You too."
Before leaving, Jang Cheon added,
"Don't give them time, or it puts us at a disadvantage. We need to press the attack while the momentum's ours."
"Understood."
Once An Bae-su cracked and they nabbed U Myeong-hwan, then dealt with the Black Spirit Art master behind this—Dae Jeong San Jang would be finished.
Bad news poured into Dae Jeong San Jang day after day.
Today, mountain warden Gwon I-tae brought urgent word.
"A petition's circulating among Murim folk."
"Petition for what?"
He could guess from Gwon I-tae's hesitation.
"Don't tell me—demanding I answer the Murim Alliance summons?"
"Yes."
"Damn it! Those crazy Gangnam-il-mun bastards!"
U Myeong-hwan blamed Gangnam-il-mun. But this movement had arisen spontaneously among Murim members.
Gwon I-tae hesitated.
It was time to consider complying—not blindly resisting, but planning a post-summons response. That was the smart play.
But voicing it would invite fury, so he held back.
Then a text came to Gwon I-tae's phone.
"Breaking news just in: Last night, the Murim Alliance Lord was attacked at a club in the city."
"The Lord? At a club?"
An odd pairing, but the moment U Myeong-hwan heard it, he knew his master was behind it.
"And? The Lord?"
"He's unharmed."
"Ah."
Unconcealed regret flashed across U Myeong-hwan's face. To mask it, he quickly asked,
"What was the Lord doing at a club?"
"No idea, but the assassin was beheaded on-site."
"What?"
"Why so surprised?"
"Nothing."
For a heartbeat, he'd feared his master was dead—his face paled.
Gwon I-tae found U Myeong-hwan's reaction odd but understandable. Normalcy would be stranger now.
"I need some rest."
"Yes, Clan Lord. Rest well."
As soon as Gwon I-tae left, U Myeong-hwan called. After a few rings, Baek Sang-du picked up.
U Myeong-hwan stared at his phone, mind churning. With petitions demanding summons, resistance was futile.
Only Baek Sang-du could save him now.
Analyzing the Black Spirit Art data from the Murim Alliance, Bishop uncovered a lead.
Jang Cheon reviewed the info Bishop had sent on his laptop. As always, Bishop had neatly formatted it like a presentation.
The screen showed the global Black Spirit Art lineage.
The screen shifted to a list of five Black Spirit Arts.
A peerless villain wielding top-tier Black Spirit Art turned Korean Murim upside down. The massacre perpetrator: Gwi-sa. His art: Immortal Spirit Art.
The laptop screen changed to an article.
Thirty years prior, a top-tier Black Spirit Art user, the arch-villain Gwi-sa, had ravaged Korean Murim. His art: Immortal Spirit Art.
"I've heard of this incident."
"You would have. Gwi-sa's qi deviation rampage killed hundreds of experts and thousands of civilians."
"What happened?"
"An absolute expert took him down."
The screen changed to a photo of a middle-aged man.
"This man."
"Who is he?"
"Dae Jeong Il Geom, Baek Sang-du."
Another photo appeared: an old black-and-white of Baek Sang-du with a young man.
"Recognize the man with Baek Sang-du?"
"He looks familiar."
"Dae Jeong San Jang Clan Lord, U Myeong-hwan."
Jang Cheon looked again, startled. Now that he knew, U Myeong-hwan's features were unmistakable.
"His master? You mean he's still alive?"
The screen shifted to a photo from inside Club Zeus: a young man.
"Club Zeus CCTV from the incident, secured with their help. He dodged most cameras but missed this hidden one. Recognize him?"
"Not Baek Sang-du...?"
"Hard to believe, but yes. Facial recognition confirms it."
"He's grown young."
Jang Cheon's gaze deepened as he studied the screen. No wonder the foe was extraordinary. As U Myeong-hwan's master, Baek Sang-du had to be over a century old.
"Baek Sang-du learned Gwi-sa's arts after slaying him. Got video?"
"Yes, brief clip."
Footage showed Baek Sang-du striding down the club corridor.
Studying the gait closely, Jang Cheon said,
"Not just illusion arts making him look young—he truly is."
"Really possible? Teach me if so."
"Absorb someone's innate essence. Want a lesson?"
"Haha, don't even joke."
"Scour every scrap on Gwi-sa's Immortal Spirit Art. Might yield clues."
"On it, Boss!"
Gazing at the photo of a youthful Baek Sang-du, Jang Cheon murmured,
"We find him before he moves."