Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: A Promise Under the Moon
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In a sky filled with pitch-black darkness, a single shooting star traced a white parabola and vanished.
It was the dead of night, the starlight flickering on and off. Deep within a certain mountain, a shadow walked through a dense forest path.
After walking briskly up a small path toward the mountainside for about half an hour, an ancient-looking mountain gate finally came into view.
*Ssk.*
Passing through the mountain gate, a wide flower garden appeared.
*Twinkle, twinkle.*
A soft light emanated from the flowers and plants blooming in the garden.
At a glance, it looked as if the stars embroidered in the night sky had been scattered across the ground.
*Step, step.*
Beyond the flower garden stood a small shrine built entirely of wood, from its foundation to its roof.
The shrine's form was so unique and mystical, a style unseen in the Central Plains.
Inside the shrine, an amber lantern burned under the eaves, and before it was a large altar that seemed to be carved from black stone.
Upon the altar rested a hemispherical piece of metal, like a great bell cut in half.
And within it was a murky liquid, moving back and forth as if it were alive.
*Step, step.*
The figure who had been gazing at the altar passed it and entered a corridor on the right.
It was a large, square-shaped room, with metal pillars that emitted a faint light standing within.
The surfaces of the pillars were engraved with the Four Symbols, such as the Qilin and the Vermilion Bird, which glowed softly.
The well-shaped ceiling was inscribed with unknown characters, its borders chaotically etched with oracle bone script.
*Flop.*
The shadow prostrated itself on the floor of the room and spoke.
“The Righteous and Unorthodox factions are forming a large-scale investigation team to look into the child kidnapping incidents.”
Pausing for a moment, the shadow continued in a low voice.
“This is all because that man found and annihilated the Five Poisons Sect.”
When no reply came, the shadow spoke again, cautiously.
“If we continue to leave him be, it will cause a great hindrance to our grand cause.”
At last, an extremely low and soft voice emanated from the room.
[Bu Eun-seol.]
The voice flowed out serenely.
Its tone and timbre constantly shifted, making it impossible to distinguish whether it was male or female.
It was also so intense and stimulating that one could never forget it after hearing it just once.
[Is he not already the successor of the Demonic Cult?]
Bu Eun-seol was one of the Seven Kings of the Four Deities, a master who wielded great influence in the martial world, and above all, the successor to the Demonic Cult.
To touch him was to provoke the Demonic Cult into action.
[Or do you intend to wipe out the Demonic Cult now, of all times?]
The voice sounded as if it truly believed it could sweep away the Demonic Cult, the concentrated power of the million demonic practitioners.
“His martial arts are formidable, and his personality is known to be exceedingly cold… but he has an unexpected weakness.”
[A weakness?]
“The Sip-ma-jeon-in.”
The prostrated shadow spoke slowly.
“He seems to have no attachment to anything, yet he holds a deep affection for the Sip-ma-jeon-in.”
The shadow paused before continuing.
“Looking at his actions so far, the only times he has acted recklessly were to save the Sip-ma-jeon-in.”
The prostrate shadow pleaded once more.
“If we use the Sip-ma-jeon-in, we can certainly lure him out alone and assassinate him.”
A strange emotion then crept into the voice from within the room.
[The most fearsome trap in the world is one that uses affection as its bait….]
For the first time, the voice was tinged with emotion.
The emotions of sorrow and anguish.
“…”
Silence lingered for a while.
After a long period of quiet, the strange voice flowed out once more.
But the voice was so soft that it echoed only in the ears of the prostrated shadow.
***
Bu Eun-seol was in his office, looking down at a letter.
He was constantly operating the information networks of the Muhasuyujeong and the Gusaldai to track Sa-hyang and the Chil-ji-ma-do, Bu Jan-yang.
It was the only way to find any trace of the fiend.
*Knock, knock.*
The low voice of a maid was heard.
“Lord, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
*Creeak.*
Just then, the door burst open, and a strapping man in black martial arts attire strode in without hesitation.
His long hair was parted to the sides, revealing androgynous yet attractive features.
It was Seo Jin-ha.
“Are you busy?”
Seo Jin-ha said as he glanced around the office.
“As expected of the successor’s office. It’s quite impressive.”
Even though Seo Jin-ha was a squad leader of the Cheonsal Brigade, there was a vast difference in status between him and Bu Eun-seol, the successor of the Demonic Cult.
But he looked around as if he were in his own living room, then perched casually on the edge of a table.
Bu Eun-seol watched the nonchalant Seo Jin-ha with a placid expression, then began writing another letter as he spoke.
“What is it?”
“I got about a month of leave. The main brigade doesn’t have any particular missions for a while.”
Seo Jin-ha grinned, revealing his white teeth.
“We said we should all get together for a drink when we had some free time.”
He glanced around and spoke again.
“Call Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong, too. I’ll treat you all to a grand round of drinks.”
“Hmm.”
When Bu Eun-seol made a troubled face, Seo Jin-ha’s eyes widened.
“What, are you too busy to even have a single drink?”
“It’s not that. They also applied for leave.”
“Huh? To where?”
“Myo Cheon-u took his squad members to Hainan. He said he was going to test his newly devised palm technique against the waves.”
Recently, Myo Cheon-u had been selecting talented squad members and passing on the essence of his palm arts to them.
He had taken leave to train them properly in Hainan.
“And Yu Un-ryong?”
“Yu Un-ryong went to Longquan in Zhejiang to have his Ten-Section Staff crafted. He said he needed to find an exceptionally skilled blacksmith.”
Yu Un-ryong, who had been drafting designs for the Ten-Section Staff, had discovered a fatal flaw in his creation.
The connecting parts, the chain links that served as the joints of the staff, were extremely weak.
What if this weakness became known to an enemy? They would target the joints first, and the weapon would be instantly destroyed.
To remedy this weakness, Yu Un-ryong intended to have the chain sections of the Ten-Section Staff newly forged.
“They got a day off, so why on earth?”
Seo Jin-ha looked dumbfounded.
“Why are they doing things like that instead of just resting comfortably? Don’t tell me you ordered them to.”
“Of course not.”
Bu Eun-seol snorted.
“I told them clearly to rest easy. But they both said it was personal business and that they would do it during their leave.”
“Ha, they’ve become complete workaholics.”
Seo Jin-ha’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
The affable Myo Cheon-u was one thing…
But to turn even Yu Un-ryong, who seemed like he would never adapt to the Demonic Cult, into a workaholic.
“How do you turn guys full of rogueish tendencies into loyal subordinates?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Mubon Brigade, and that world-class rebel Yu Un-ryong, for instance.”
When Bu Eun-seol gave no reply, Seo Jin-ha muttered with disappointment.
“The main brigade is one thing, since discipline is so strict… but honestly, demanding unconditional loyalty through power and authority isn’t my style.”
He then sighed deeply and mumbled.
“Just how can I make the guys in my squad into devoted subordinates….”
Bu Eun-seol, who had been writing, finally spoke.
“There’s no such thing as loyalty.”
“What?”
“What loyalty can you expect from men who live by the sword? They’re just struggling to not die.”
Bu Eun-seol continued impassively, his eyes fixed on the letter.
“If you have a job to do, it’s simply to train your subordinates to survive any situation.”
“…”
“That’s the duty of a commander who holds even a penny more money or a shred more power.”
Seo Jin-ha stared blankly for a moment.
Then he burst out laughing.
“Puhahat.”
After laughing heartily for a while, he nodded as if he had realized something.
“So that was your method.”
“What method?”
“You act indifferent, but you're meticulously taking care of your subordinates, aren't you?”
“I don’t take care of them.”
“Hehehe.”
Seo Jin-ha chuckled and stood up from the table.
“Well, if I had a superior like you, I’d have pledged my life and loyalty too.”
Despite the high praise, Bu Eun-seol showed no reaction, merely continuing to write his letter.
“Hmm.”
Shaking his head, Seo Jin-ha walked over and casually pulled the letter Bu Eun-seol was writing toward him.
Anyone else who saw this would have jumped in shock.
Bu Eun-seol not only had a cold personality but also utterly despised actions that crossed the line.
“What are you doing?”
Even under Bu Eun-seol’s cold gaze, Seo Jin-ha pointed to his own face with an unconcerned expression.
“What can I do? It’s my day off.”
“…”
“You’ll have to keep me company.”
On a night with a bright, hanging moon.
Bu Eun-seol sat on the very peak of the Jam-ma-gak’s roof, which seemed to pierce the night sky.
And next to him was Seo Jin-ha.
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had greatly enjoyed drinking on rooftops.
The perspective of looking down upon the world, and the sense of openness one could only feel in a high, unobstructed place.
But after drinking with the Gong Clan Twin Demons at the Gusaldai’s Yueyang branch, Bu Eun-seol no longer drank on rooftops.
It reminded him of their lonely and desolate final moments.
But was it a coincidence?
Seo Jin-ha had brought good liquor and, without a word, led Bu Eun-seol to the roof of the Jam-ma-gak.
*Gulp, gulp.*
After taking a swig from the flask, Seo Jin-ha tossed it to Bu Eun-seol.
Despite having brought plenty of liquor, Seo Jin-ha insisted on drinking from a single flask, passing it back and forth with Bu Eun-seol.
—Why on earth drink in such an inconvenient way?
An ordinary person would have asked why they were drinking like this.
But Bu Eun-seol didn’t ask.
He had long since sensed that this was how Seo Jin-ha drank with a friend he had given his heart to.
*Thud.*
After taking a drink, Bu Eun-seol tossed the flask back to Seo Jin-ha.
Drinking on a roof drenched in moonlight felt as though they had shared hundreds of words and bared their souls, even without much conversation.
The two passed the flask back and forth for a long time.
“Even on leave, it’s like this.”
Seo Jin-ha sighed, peering into the flask.
“There’s not much to do.”
Smacking his lips, a thought seemed to occur to him, and he burst out laughing as he spoke.
“Anyway, that was quite something. To think you managed to pick a flower from both the Righteous and Unorthodox factions while being so busy.”
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol’s expression darkened.
The memory of being tormented for days on end because of that ‘fiancée incident’ resurfaced.
“There’s nothing between us.”
“What do you mean, nothing between you?”
“It was a desperate measure to put an end to the rumors that I was seeking a bride.”
“Huh?”
“Otherwise, marriage prospectuses would still be flooding into the main hall.”
“The Divine Maiden’s Palace made an official announcement, too, didn’t they? That you were engaged.”
Seo Jin-ha tilted his head.
“Thanks to that, the young men who had gathered at the Divine Maiden’s Palace to catch a glimpse of the ‘Beauty of a Thousand Gold’ supposedly went home shedding tears of blood.”
“We are not engaged.”
“What are you talking about? Then why didn’t you deny the rumor when it spread?”
“There was a reason.”
Bu Eun-seol lowered his head with a gloomy expression.
“An unavoidable situation.”
Seo Jin-ha barely managed to stifle his laughter.
To think that Bu Eun-seol, not only a master of martial arts but also someone who always overcame crises in a single stroke, would make such a frustrated face.
“Don’t tell me you’re a complete softie when it comes to this stuff?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, isn’t it true? The great Lord of the Martial Soul, who breaks through any obstacle with not just his martial arts but also his brilliant strategies.”
Seo Jin-ha grinned and said.
“Yet you can’t easily solve a simple matter of the heart?”
“I did solve it. In my own way.”
“Huh?”
“If I had acted harshly, they would have only become more obsessed with me.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed.
“There are many wonderful and outstanding men in the world. With time, they, too, will come to realize that fact.”
“So, time is the cure.”
“That’s right.”
Seo Jin-ha crossed his arms.
“But what if they keep waiting for you, even after time passes?”
“…”
“What will you do if they desire only you until their hair turns white and they become stooped old women?”
“Until my hair turns white…”
A desolation filled Bu Eun-seol’s eyes as he gazed at the distant sky.
“If I could live until my hair turns white… that in itself would be a miracle.”
His gaze and tone were like those of a child left all alone in the world.
For a moment, Seo Jin-ha’s eyes reddened.
*Bu Eun-seol.*
*What on earth are you thinking, what is your goal…*
*That you despair so much for life and treat your own existence as so transient?*
Seo Jin-ha was a man of exceptionally rich emotions.
If he weren’t, he would never have been able to harbor feelings of friendship for the extremely cold Bu Eun-seol.
“By the way… how did you know about the Five Poisons Sect to strike them?”
After a long silence, he turned the topic, looking at Bu Eun-seol’s profile reflecting the bright moonlight.
“Even the leaders of the main hall didn’t know about the child kidnappings. How did you find out?”
*Thud.*
Bu Eun-seol took the flask and drank deeply.
Only after a long while did he slowly open his mouth.
“The Lord of the Cheonsal Brigade must have told you to find out.”
“Haha. I really can’t win against you.”
Even though his intentions were seen through at once, Seo Jin-ha laughed playfully.
“As you know, our lord dislikes you immensely. He’s also quite close with the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects who don’t think favorably of you.”
He then added with a bitter expression.
“He somehow found out that I’m close to you and told me to look into it.”
“He told you to find out how I get my information, how I operate my organization.”
“That’s right.”
After a moment of silence, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
“I investigated the Murim Alliance for a while.”
And he suddenly began to tell Seo Jin-ha things that would have shocked him.
“And I happened to discover a spy who had infiltrated the Murim Alliance. He was a member of the Five Poisons Sect.”
Seo Jin-ha’s eyes widened.
Bu Eun-seol had investigated the Murim Alliance. Did that mean he had sent a spy there or infiltrated it himself?
If such a fact were to be known, a great war could break out between the Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
Seo Jin-ha asked, his eyes wide.
“You promised, didn’t you?”
Bu Eun-seol said with a nonchalant expression.
“That you wouldn’t stab me in the back.”
For a moment, Seo Jin-ha’s eyes wavered.
—*This one, at the very least, doesn’t stab people in the back.*
Those were the words Seo Jin-ha had said in the Inferno when he proposed that he and Bu Eun-seol join forces.
And Bu Eun-seol had believed those words.
Even after all this time.
‘*He’s been trusting me all along.*’
Bu Eun-seol always said he didn’t believe in things like friendship.
But he had firmly believed in the words he himself had spoken. Wasn’t that… true friendship?
Barely suppressing the overwhelming emotion welling up in his chest, Seo Jin-ha grumbled deliberately.
“Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing, but the leaders of the main hall and the Ten Demonic Sects are still keeping a close eye on your movements.”
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
“For the time being, stop moving your intelligence organization and get some rest. In your current state, whatever you do will be discovered by them.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because there is something I must find.”
“What is it?”
When Bu Eun-seol didn’t answer, Seo Jin-ha sighed.
“You’re already the successor of the Demonic Cult. Is there still something you lack?”
“The reason I became the successor of the Demonic Cult was to operate an intelligence organization like this.”
Bu Eun-seol said with slightly weary eyes.
“But it seems there are things that can’t be found even with this level of power.”
“What on earth are you trying to find?”
“…”
“Is it something you can’t even tell me?”
“It is simply something I must do.”
“Bu Eun-seol.”
Seo Jin-ha looked him straight in the eye with a serious expression.
“I may not be on your level, but I am a squad leader of the Cheonsal Brigade with considerable power.”
He then said in a forceful voice.
“In other words, I might stumble upon information you don’t know.”
After a long silence, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
“Sa-hyang.”
“Sa-hyang?”
“That’s right. I must catch their tail.”
Seo Jin-ha’s expression turned strange.
Sa-hyang was known as the grandmaster of hidden weapons, but that was all.
They merely distributed sophisticated hidden weapons in the martial world. Their assassins rarely showed themselves, and they exerted no influence in the martial world.
Moreover, they were a place that thoroughly concealed their identity, so much so that their headquarters had remained unknown for a long time.
Why would Bu Eun-seol be looking for them?
Gazing into Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, Seo Jin-ha nodded.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
There was no need to know the reason.
Bu Eun-seol had resolved to find Sa-hyang, no matter the hardship.
In that case, his own duty was also decided.
Because that’s what friends were for.
“I’ve made the mood heavy with pointless talk.”
Seo Jin-ha slowly rose to his feet.
“I’ll be going. I should enjoy my long-awaited leave as well.”
Turning his head, Seo Jin-ha smiled brightly.
“Stay well until I return.”
And before Bu Eun-seol could reply, he used his movement technique and descended from the Jam-ma-gak.
“…”
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Seo Jin-ha’s receding back.
Friendship, unlike love, can be sustained even if it is one-sided.
That is both its greatness and its tragedy.
But because Bu Eun-seol did not know this fact…
He would soon come to greatly regret the events of this day.