Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: A Sinner's End
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Jeong Chi-su's words continued, low and steady. But his expression was one of agony, as if he were pouring out things that had festered in his heart for ages.
“At first… I wanted to be forgiven.”
“Forgiven?”
“But… I couldn't meet him. I suppose that was to be expected. After they died, how could *his* safety have been guaranteed?”
“…”
Jeong Chi-su, unaware that Neung Un-bi was the very person involved, simply referred to them as 'they'.
But what did he mean about his safety?
“Jeong Chi-su! What do you mean? What happened to him!”
Neung Un-bi's eyes shot wide open, but Jeong Chi-su, as if possessed, just continued with his own story.
“Yes, everyone was frantic. They were turning the world upside down to find anyone connected to them. I couldn't even get close.”
“Jeong Chi-su! Speak! What happened to him!”
“It was only much later that I realized it. That it was too late to be forgiven—no, that I could never have been forgiven in the first place.”
His eyes were vacant, unfocused.
Lost in the memories of the past, Jeong Chi-su seemed unable to hear any outside sounds.
It was the process of succumbing to a heart demon.
Hadn't he experienced this before? No, wasn't the process Neung Un-bi himself had experienced still fresh in his mind?
What if an external shock was applied at a time like this?
He could pass out or even stop breathing.
“…Dammit!”
Neung Un-bi's face contorted.
In this situation, he had no choice but to listen quietly.
Hoping that he would say something to resolve his questions….
“Contact with the support team was also lost.”
“…”
“Of course. They couldn't have maintained it. If even the smallest connection was revealed, they would have been captured by those bastards for any reason.”
He thought of Sin Ye-rang and Kim San.
They had said the last contact was ten years ago.
Did that mean the line of communication had been briefly opened then?
It was frustrating.
What had happened in the ten years since Sin Ye-rang mentioned? Had nothing happened to him?
While Neung Un-bi's mind was consumed with worry for him, Jeong Chi-su's words continued.
“I thought my connection with them had ended there. But while I was accumulating a karma of slaughter to forget the pain, I saw him just once.”
“What? When did you see him!”
“Five years ago, in Zhengzhou.”
Neung Un-bi focused his mind, determined not to miss a single word from Jeong Chi-su.
“He was just the same. I was happy to see him. I wanted to repent for my sins. But I couldn't approach him. For some reason, he was with those damn bastards…”
“What?”
In that instant, Neung Un-bi's eyes widened.
Those damn bastards?
It was them. The ones who hid in the shadows and turned the Central Plains into a world of filthy hypocrites.
The ones who sought only their own gain in a world ruled by the established powers.
But why? How could he, who had fought against them while hiding his identity, be with them?
“Well, there must have been a reason. He was always right.”
“…”
“In the end, I couldn't get close to him. I had to suffer until now to pay for the sins I committed.”
Jeong Chi-su said no more.
With his head bowed low and his shoulders trembling, he shed large tears as if repenting for the sins he had committed over the years.
Dammit…
So, in the end, Jeong Chi-su didn't know either?
Ten years ago, as Sin Ye-rang said, and five years ago, as Jeong Chi-su just mentioned.
He didn't know why he was with those damn bastards… but just confirming that he was alive was enough.
It was a relief.
Wasn't the reason he was trying to escape the Demonic Cult to see him and stand by his side once more?
Just confirming he was alive was sufficient. He could only hope that nothing had happened in the last five years.
Looking down at Jeong Chi-su, Neung Un-bi realized there was nothing more to gain from him.
He was sobbing with his head down, muttering something, but the meaning was incomprehensible.
It was probably words of regret for his sins. After all, he had suffered alone for the past thirty years, buried in his memories.
“You poor bastard… was pain all you gained from your betrayal?”
“…”
Neung Un-bi sighed, his expression complex.
His betrayal…
It was already in the past.
Perhaps even without his betrayal, he might have been killed by them.
Jeong Chi-su was likely just one part of their plan. Even without using him, they were capable enough to lure him and his comrades to their deaths.
But… too much time had passed for forgiveness.
“Jeong Chi-su.”
“…”
Neung Un-bi's voice grew infinitely heavy.
“Don't think you can be forgiven.”
“…”
“If you had killed those who deserved to die, it might have been excusable… but you have committed far too many meaningless killings. Your life is too light a price for that blood. Even if you died ten times, you could not make up for its weight. Even if you repent for the rest of your life, you will not be forgiven.”
Neung Un-bi's voice pressed down on Jeong Chi-su's head.
“When I think of the past, I should tear your body to shreds, take your blood, and console the spirits of my dead comrades and the innocents who died by your hand… but not yet. You must bear witness to the end of Yeom Seong-in's crimes.”
At Neung Un-bi's clenched-jaw words, Jeong Chi-su stopped muttering.
*I don't know if he's listening…*
“Enough… let's go.”
Just as Neung Un-bi was about to approach and help him up, Jeong Chi-su slowly raised his head.
…He was smiling.
Jeong Chi-su wore a faint smile, as if relieved of a great burden.
And in his hand was the blade of a broken dagger.
*Crack, squelch.*
Before Neung Un-bi could stop him, the dagger plunged into his chest.
The sound of the blade crushing his sternum and piercing his heart was sickeningly clear.
“J-Jeong Chi-su!”
Neung Un-bi urgently pulled the dagger from his heart.
*Splat!*
A spray of blood splattered across Neung Un-bi's face.
“Gah!”
Spitting up a gush of blood, Jeong Chi-su slowly closed his eyes.
“Jeong Chi-su!”
Neung Un-bi grabbed his shoulders and shook him, but it was already too late.
Blood trickled from Jeong Chi-su's eyes.
He had never imagined he would take his own life, and now it was too late to reverse it.
Having stabbed his own heart while lost to his inner demon, not even the Grand Celestial Immortal could bring him back.
And so, Jeong Chi-su died.
His eyes were open, vacant and staring.
Watching him, Neung Un-bi felt a sense of emptiness.
No, he couldn't identify the emotion. A man who deserved to die had died, yet for some reason, his chest felt heavy.
When he found out he was alive, and when he learned he had abandoned the ideals they shared and become a beast crazed with slaughter.
The anger he had felt then had vanished.
*Thud.*
Neung Un-bi, his strength suddenly draining away, collapsed onto his knees in front of Jeong Chi-su, who lay there bleeding out the last of his life.
He didn't know why. His strength had simply left him.
He didn't want to get up. He didn't particularly want to mourn him either.
But… it was clear that his memory of Jeong Chi-su had changed, however slightly.
“You poor bastard…”
That was all he could think.
Even if he was a butcher.
Even if he was an unforgivable sinner.
The wind blew.
Though winter had not yet arrived, a wind cold enough to cause chills swept past, rustling his hair.
Just… desolate.
It felt as if the cold wind had pierced straight through his heart.
It was as empty as if a memory from thirty years past, encountered again, had vanished completely.
And still, Neung Un-bi could not understand what he was feeling.
Was it sadness, anger, or… pity?
* * *
The incident was concluded.
When he returned with Jeong Chi-su's body, Yeom Seong-in was summoned, and his face turned ashen as he was forced to confess all his crimes.
He couldn't deny it. All the crimes he had committed were laid bare.
And he seemed terrified by the demonic glint in Neung Un-bi's eyes as he looked down at him.
Of course, the ledger also played a large part.
Everyone who had received bribes from the wealth illegally acquired by the Blue Cloud Carpentry Guild was summoned.
However, government affairs were handled by the government, and Murim affairs were handled by the Murim.
Naturally, a bloody storm swept through the Zhongnan Sect as well.
After checking the ledger, Jin San reverted to his old, fiery self, and not only the Sect Leader but also the elders had to descend the mountain to face hardship.
Thus, Zhongnan decided to have a period of self-reflection.
To return to the Zhongnan that was once untainted, or at least not so corrupt.
To be reborn as a true orthodox sect.
Thanks to this, the establishment of the Demonic Cult's Shaanxi branch proceeded without a hitch.
This was because Zhongnan, in order to take full responsibility for the Blue Cloud Carpentry Guild affair, withdrew all its influence within a hundred-li radius of the Demonic Cult's branch.
Time passed, and on the day the Demonic Cult's Shaanxi branch finally hung its official sign, countless merchants, including those from Sinpyeong Brewery and Onjeong Carpentry, flocked to grace the occasion.
It was a festival. Though no one knew what they truly felt inside, with the Demonic Cult hosting, everyone outwardly showed nothing but joy.
However, one person still wore a look of deep concern.
“Is he still like that?”
“…Yes.”
“It seems he won't be coming to the establishment ceremony.”
“Probably… Hah…”
In response to the question from Jin San, who was attending the Shaanxi branch's establishment ceremony as Zhongnan's representative, Wang Cheon nodded with a sullen expression.
“Hah, what on earth is the story behind it?”
“I don't know either. Dammit, it's not like I can interrogate a dead man…”
Jin San asked gently, but Wang Cheon could only shake his head.
“Indeed… The only ones who know what happened that day are Young Master Neung and the dead assassin.”
“Hah…”
Wang Cheon sighed again and again, as if the ground would collapse.
Ever since returning from Uam Valley, Neung Un-bi had been cooped up in his room, not moving an inch, and the frustration was indescribable.
Hadn't he attended the branch establishment ceremony as a representative in his place?
“How about subtly offering him some wine?”
“He's locked the door and won't let anyone in.”
“What about food? Surely he's eating?”
“He is. But the maid is taking care of it personally…”
“Hah! Goodness… I just can't figure it out. Just who was that assassin…”
“Exactly. I can't understand it at all. How could someone who has lived his whole life at the Demonic Cult's main fortress know an assassin from the Central Plains and act like this?”
“Hmm, this won't do. I'll go myself… Huh?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Jin San shot to his feet. Just then, Neung Un-bi appeared at the ceremony site, leading Hyang-i and the Dark Moon Unit.
“You…”
“My lord!”
Wang Cheon shot up from his seat as if propelled by a spring and ran to Neung Un-bi, bringing the ceremony's festivities to a halt.
For a moment, silence fell, and everyone stared at Neung Un-bi.
“My lord, how are you feeling? Are you all right? Goodness, why is your face so gaunt? Surely you haven't been skipping meals?”
“…”
As Wang Cheon fussed over him in a worried voice, Neung Un-bi stared at him for a moment before letting out a small laugh.
“You're a mess. What's all the fuss?”
“Pardon?”
“Act like you usually do. Your usual self.”
“Pardon?”
“‘Why are you so late when you're supposed to be hosting the establishment ceremony? It's a disaster that you have no awareness as the Third Young Master of the Demonic Cult!’”
“Pardon?”
“…Like that. Just nag me, like you always do. Worrying doesn't suit you.”
“Pardon?”
As Neung Un-bi spoke, mimicking his tone and even his expression, Wang Cheon seemed quite flustered, just blinking his eyes.
“Look at this party… Honestly, nothing ever gets done right when I leave it to you. Call the musicians, make some noise! Huh?! A party is supposed to be lively, isn't it? That's how all of Shaanxi will know about the launch of our Demonic Cult branch.”
“…Pardon?”
Still dumbfounded, Wang Cheon could only repeat the same word.
*I was so worried… but he's fine?*
“I am late.”
“You're here now, that's what matters.”
Jin San nodded with a warm expression at Neung Un-bi's greeting.
“So, have you resolved your worries?”
“For the most part. I apologize for causing you concern. I will tell you about what happened when the opportunity arises.”
“Hahaha.”
Jin San burst out laughing.
*He says he'll tell me… He really doesn't have to.*
He was more than grateful enough that, thanks to him exposing the corruption of the Blue Cloud Carpentry Guild, Zhongnan had realized its past mistakes and was able to take a step forward.
But Jin San didn't refuse Neung Un-bi's kind offer.
“Do so.”
“Well then, shall we drink ourselves silly?”
“Excellent!”
Jin San replied cheerfully to Neung Un-bi, who was making a playful expression just like his old self.
“Wang Cheon!”
“Yes, my lord!”
“Bring out the wine! The Demonic Cult is paying today!”
“…Pardon?”
“What are you doing?”
As Neung Un-bi frowned, Wang Cheon approached with a sigh and whispered quietly.
“Pay for what? Are we overflowing with money? Stop talking nonsense and just stay quiet. On a day like this, we enjoy ourselves with the donations from those trying to get on the good side of the Demonic Cult's branch. You don't know anything…”
“…”
Wang Cheon's objections and nagging had begun again.