Once Our Usefulness Ends
“Once we’ve outlived our usefulness, let’s go our separate ways.”
Proposing an alliance while simultaneously confirming their eventual parting.
Eon I-gyeom found this strange contradiction baffling.
Yet, this was Jeok-un’s absolute, unvarnished truth.
‘Once his cultivation is high enough to retrieve the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo, my relationship with him in this life will end.’
Was it because Eon I-gyeom was useless to him now, unlike in his past life?
Of course not.
Eon I-gyeom belonged to the Dongchang, which, alongside the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stood as one of the two pillars of the imperial court’s martial might.
Furthermore, the true strength of the Dongchang did not lie in mere martial prowess.
It lay in the backing of the state—the very authority that had allowed them to resolve the crisis in Tongseong County as cleanly as slicing through a knot.
Of course, Eon I-gyeom would not stay with the Dongchang forever.
His dream was to rebuild the Jinju Eon Clan.
However, as long as he remained in the Dongchang, he would be a great asset to Jeok-un. And if he recovered the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo and grew even stronger...
‘He will be able to restore all the secret techniques and sorcery passed down through the Jinju Eon Clan.’
That would undoubtedly be a massive asset in the war against the Demonic Cult.
The forces under the Heavenly Demon did not consist solely of demons skilled in demonic arts.
They also included sorcerers who wielded all manner of bizarre curses and anomalies.
In his past life, the one who had been the greatest help in countering them was the man standing right before him: the "Black Bamboo," Eon I-gyeom.
Even so, Jeok-un intended to let Eon I-gyeom go.
Even if it meant giving up the man’s vast potential.
Even if it meant leaving their past ties in the past, to be chewed over by Jeok-un alone.
He believed it was the right thing to do.
‘Because that is the better path for him.’
The situation was different from Hae-yeon’s, whom he had taken under his wing without a second thought.
After regressing, Jeok-un had sought out Hae-yeon because he believed protecting her himself was the safest path for her.
Once the Demonic Cult rose, they would hunt down and eliminate anyone who had ever been associated with any sect, whether Orthodox or Unorthodox.
Since Hae-yeon was already part of Sadocheon, her fate would have been sealed in death the moment the Cult mobilized.
Thus, keeping her close was the best and safest option.
But as mentioned, Eon I-gyeom was different.
‘Once he obtains the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo, he can forge a new life on his own.’
One only had to look at how he had deceived the imperial court to enter the Dongchang.
Though it wasn’t outright treason, could a descendant of the fallen Eon Clan—a family that had collapsed after causing a horrific calamity—really enter the Dongchang just by changing his surname?
Not a chance.
The Dongchang was not so easily fooled.
There was a very good reason why the magistrate of Tongseong County had trembled at the mere mention of its name and aided Jeok-un.
The fact that Eon I-gyeom had entered the Dongchang and risen to an officer’s rank was proof enough of his talent and resourcefulness.
‘If he grows even stronger, he will find a way to vanish. He will have the ability to evade the imperial court’s pursuit.’
By gathering his strength and biding his time, he would be able to achieve his lifelong dream and duty: the revival of his clan.
The very dream he could never achieve in their past life when he was by Jeok-un’s side.
‘I cannot force the same sacrifice on him this time.’
In his past life, Jeok-un had met Eon I-gyeom after unifying the Unorthodox faction.
To be precise, it was when the Murim Alliance, feeling threatened by his unification, attacked the Evil Hegemony Alliance, sparking a war.
Naturally, Jeok-un was not one to take a blow lying down. That day, he had completely decimated one of the Murim Alliance’s branches.
When he entered the fallen branch to claim his rights as the victor, he found a man trapped in the underground dungeon.
“Kill... me...”
With one eye gouged out, just like Jeok-un.
A horrific sight, begging for death.
It was Eon I-gyeom.
On the very day Eon I-gyeom was scheduled to be promoted to the high-ranking position of Chief Inspector in the Dongchang, his identity as a descendant of the Eon Clan was exposed.
Subsequently, he was charged with disloyalty for changing his surname—deceiving the imperial family.
Knowing he would be captured and executed if he stayed, Eon I-gyeom naturally chose to flee.
Unfortunately, the Beggars’ Sect caught his trail, and he ended up imprisoned in the Murim Alliance’s dungeon.
And then, Jeok-un had smashed through that very branch.
“Release him.”
“Leader, if we let this man go, we will make an enemy of the imperial court.”
“Hmph. Let them come. I’ll just crush the Emperor and everyone else.”
Even though handing him over to the imperial court would have yielded a massive bounty, Jeok-un had merely snorted.
Even when warned that he would make an enemy of the imperial court, Jeok-un did not care.
Though they had no prior connection, Jeok-un rescued Eon I-gyeom and took him in under the banner of the Evil Hegemony Alliance.
The reason?
A sense of kinship because they had both had an eye gouged out by their enemies?
No, not really.
He just felt like doing it.
“I will surely repay this debt of saving my life before I leave.”
Those were the first words Eon I-gyeom spoke after recovering.
Using the Eon Clan’s techniques and sorcery, Eon I-gyeom proved useful in many ways.
It was only after Eon I-gyeom joined that Jeok-un managed to secure several of the Patriarch’s Seven Sacred Artifacts.
From then on, the "Black Bamboo" Eon I-gyeom was called the Lord of the Black Heaven, becoming a core pillar of the Evil Hegemony Alliance.
And just as the war with the Murim Alliance was drawing to a close, and it was time to wind down their deep-seated ties, the Demonic Cult invaded the Central Plains.
Eon I-gyeom could have left the Evil Hegemony Alliance at any time.
The debt of life he had spoken of had long been repaid, as he had saved Jeok-un from the brink of death countless times.
Yet, Eon I-gyeom did not leave.
He remained with the Evil Hegemony Alliance, aiding Jeok-un and the other martial artists.
Just as Jeok-un and the others had accepted Eon I-gyeom as one of their own, he too had become part of the alliance’s family before he knew it.
Then, one day, a battle broke out on Mount Heng.
And that incident occurred.
“Keke, is this the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo? The very relic of the Eon Clan you’ve spent your whole life searching for.”
The Blood Sect Leader, who had marched south on the orders of the Heavenly Demon, had seized the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo.
Jeok-un and Eon I-gyeom had rushed there with the warriors of the Evil Hegemony Alliance, but they were already a step too late.
“Lord of the Black Heaven. Do you want this back? Then you know exactly what you must do, don’t you?”
The Blood Sect Leader’s offer was simple.
If you want the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo back, betray the Evil Hegemony Alliance.
It was blackmail, holding Eon I-gyeom’s lifelong dream hostage.
Yet, Eon I-gyeom did not betray them.
Far from betraying them, he fought alongside Jeok-un at the very front against the Blood Sect Leader, and they won.
Yes, they won.
But the price...
“The... the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo!”
“It has been... destroyed.”
“Commander...!”
They had lost the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo forever.
The hope of rebuilding the Eon Clan was completely shattered.
The Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo was not just a simple relic; it was the core that bound the Eon Clan’s sorcery and martial arts together.
With it gone, even if they hung the Eon Clan’s nameplate once more, they would be entirely severed from the clan that existed before its ruin.
When Jeok-un looked at him, not knowing how to offer comfort, Eon I-gyeom had simply said:
“I am fine, Leader.”
And until the day he died on the battlefield, Eon I-gyeom never once mentioned the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo or the revival of the Eon Clan again.
But even if he never spoke of it, the shattering of Eon I-gyeom’s lifelong dream was a burden Jeok-un carried in his heart forever.
An unpayable debt, a lifelong homework assignment.
But now, having regressed to the past, all possibilities were open.
‘I will never let that happen in this life.’
He would help him obtain the relic he desired, safely and quickly.
And then, he would let him leave his side to live his life pursuing his own desires.
Sending him off with a smile—that was Jeok-un’s resolve.
Just then, Eon I-gyeom, having organized his thoughts, spoke in a cautious voice.
“...Your proposal to use each other. Are you truly serious?”
To an outsider, nothing seemed to have changed, but Jeok-un, who had known Eon I-gyeom for a very long time, noticed it immediately.
The man’s attitude had shifted.
He hadn’t definitively switched sides or taken an active stance yet, but...
If they found even a trace or clue of the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo on Mount Heng, he would undoubtedly throw his full support behind Jeok-un.
With Eon I-gyeom’s sharp intellect, he would surely conclude that trading their mutual usefulness, just as Jeok-un suggested, was the fastest and most certain way to obtain the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo.
“Of course I am.”
Jeok-un replied, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
Eon I-gyeom stared at the smiling Jeok-un for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“Whew, fine. Then tell me what you want.”
“Right. There are two things you need to do.”
“First, I assume, is to act as the backer for the smuggled salt, as you mentioned earlier.”
“Correct. For the initial start, having you watch our backs will be more than enough.”
Suddenly, a strange gleam flashed in Jeok-un’s eyes.
“But to expand beyond Hunan and into other provinces later on... 'that person' backing you should be more than capable of handling it.”
“!”
Smuggled salt was not something a mere chief of the Dongchang could easily manage.
Since it was a capital offense akin to treason, other salt smugglers secretly aligned themselves with powerful factions.
And the most common destination for those lines was...
The imperial family.
It reached the royals.
And behind Eon I-gyeom stood one of those royals.
A giant who was currently keeping his head low, but would one day rise.
“...How on earth do you even know about— No, never mind. Asking will only give me a headache.”
“Mm, you catch on quick.”
“Then what is the second thing?”
“I need the location of the Yukhonbang.”
“Sigh, how do you only ask for the most absurd things...”
Eon I-gyeom groaned, but Jeok-un knew.
The Dongchang had likely discovered it long ago.
Though Eon I-gyeom himself had no idea, the future had changed once again.
Before long, with Jeok-un’s help, Eon I-gyeom would recover the intact Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo and rebuild the Eon Clan.
Of course, there was a minor issue to address before that.
‘Hehe. I’ll let him go when the time comes, but I’m going to work him to the bone first.’
The ill-tempered eldest brother was going to thoroughly torment the younger brother who had dared to get in his way.