The Heavenly Demon Visits the Murim Alliance (2)
Things had gotten complicated. The first thought that came to Baek-il's mind upon seeing Ara confronting the warriors of the righteous faction was this.
Baek-il had intended to win Ara over somehow. At first, his only plan was to bring her into the orthodox faction before the power she possessed could fall into anyone else's hands. It was true that Ara used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but she was a high-level martial artist capable of overwhelming the Mount Hua Sect Leader. If her power were to flow to the unorthodox factions—or, in the worst case, to the Heavenly Demon Cult—it would undoubtedly cause great damage to the Murim Alliance.
So at that time, after hearing Ara say she had no intention of going anywhere, Baek-il had simply let her go. There was no reason to force a user of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art into the Murim Alliance if she wasn't planning to join another side.
However, the situation changed drastically once she rebuilt Mount Hua. The meaning of a mere user of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the leader of Mount Hua were completely different. The former was nothing more than a strong individual, but the latter was not. The latter was an existence that could shake the very foundations of the righteous faction.
In Baek-il's view, the current Murim Alliance was a tower built on sand. The greatest problem was that the Heavenly Demon had swept through the murim and proven that groups were meaningless before true individual strength. Many sects had joined the Murim Alliance because they believed it would protect them. Yet the Murim Alliance had been utterly powerless in the face of the Heavenly Demon. While the Heavenly Demon eradicated the forces of the righteous faction, the Murim Alliance could not stop her. The reason the righteous faction could still draw breath was solely because the Heavenly Demon had allowed them to live, not because the Murim Alliance had achieved anything.
When they had been busy restoring the ruins left by the disaster, such talk had not arisen. But now that the situation had stabilized to some degree, it was different. Doubts about whether there was any reason to remain affiliated with the Murim Alliance kept surfacing. In this atmosphere, if a prestigious name like Mount Hua stood alone, the consequences were all too obvious.
That was why Baek-il had planned to coax and persuade Ara into placing Mount Hua under the righteous faction. Yet what was this? To ruin everything from the very beginning because of hostility toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Art! This was exactly why he had insisted on going to her himself!
Baek-il had quickly tried to smooth over the situation, but what had already happened could not be undone. The situation was the worst possible.
“So, what is this story you wanted to tell?”
Ara did not hide her foul mood in the slightest. The pipe clenched in her mouth. The sharpened gaze. The crooked look in her eyes. She openly displayed how unpleasant the treatment she had received had been.
“Before we speak, how about moistening your throat first? It is fine tea.”
“This one does not wish to remain in this place for long.”
Pushing the teacup before her aside was normally rude, but now it carried a different meaning. It was a rebuke. It was a clear display of how angry she was.
Baek-il smiled on the surface while his mind spun. Bringing up the topic now would clearly not yield a favorable answer. He would test the waters with another subject first, then bring it up again later.
“If you are hesitant, this one shall speak first. To put it plainly, I have no intention of belonging to the righteous faction. Neither I, nor my sect.”
She had struck first. She never missed an opportunity. Baek-il lamented inwardly yet kept his kindly smile firmly in place. Since the opponent had already brought up the main issue, changing the subject was now impossible. He had to play along.
“I had no intention of entering the righteous faction before, but today’s events have made it certain. This one is not a person who can belong here. Do you not agree?”
“It is only because some whose wounds from the Heavenly Demon have yet to heal feel that way.”
“Some? For that to be the case, were there not only those who attacked me and those who stood by watching?”
At Ara’s words, Baek-il gripped his teacup tightly. They were truly foolish. Did they believe they alone hated the Heavenly Demon? Everyone was holding their breath, sharpening blades of vengeance, yet these people’s emotions had ruined everything. Baek-il could not refute her. The perpetrators were the Murim Alliance and the victim was her; anything he said here would be meaningless.
“Regarding that matter, I will bring the parties involved and have them apologize directly—”
“Enough. This one has no intention of changing her mind. I will take my leave now.”
She rose from her seat without giving Baek-il even a moment to speak. Losing both in justification and position, Baek-il could not recklessly detain her.
After Ara left, Baek-il remained with the two untouched cups of tea. He leaned back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling.
“She is a cunning woman.”
He had been played. Completely played. From beginning to end he had danced in the palm of Ara’s hand before the conversation ended. As Baek-il reviewed the day’s events, he began to suspect that everything had been planned by her. It was not mere paranoia. From the moment he had contacted the strongest in the murim, his intentions must have already been seen through. Since he had reached out wanting to meet as soon as the newly founded Mount Hua was established, anyone but a fool could figure it out. Knowing all this, why had she bothered to set foot in the Murim Alliance when he had offered to go to her? Could someone who wielded the Heavenly Demon Divine Art truly not know how hated that martial art was? Had she not come here fully aware of everything? To seize a politically advantageous position.
Come to think of it, even when suddenly ambushed, Ara had handled the situation with leisure. …If his current speculation was correct, Ara might be far more dangerous than he had originally thought.
As soon as his thoughts were somewhat organized, Baek-il spoke.
“Shin-young.”
“Yes, Elder.”
The door opened as if the man had been waiting. He was a man whose sloppy appearance did not match the refined buildings of the Murim Alliance in any way. Greasy hair, a bushy beard, tattered clothes, and soot stains everywhere made him look like a beggar.
“Let us do some work.”
If it could not be solved with good words, then unpleasant means would have to be used. Having lived his whole life this way, Baek-il felt not the slightest hesitation in employing cowardly methods. Honor and the like were not important to him. What mattered was the survival of the Murim Alliance that his fallen comrades had left behind, and revenge against the Heavenly Demon through it. Nothing else held any importance.
“It seems the time has come to show that the Murim Alliance was not simply sitting idle after the Heavenly Demon passed through.”
If they could not keep Mount Hua beneath the righteous faction, they would have to use it as an example of what happened to those who left the faction.
Spreading the energy of the divine art to swallow the surrounding inner energy before circulating it within the body—this method was quite far from the orthodox approach. True energy circulation and breathing meant accepting the natural qi that seeped in gently through breath, not plundering the qi that flowed through nature. Any ordinary martial artist who attempted this would face qi deviation long before any increase in internal energy.
Then why was I doing it? Because for me, it was perfectly fine. How many days and nights had this one spent organizing vicious, rampaging energy inside her body?
While circulating my energy, I quietly observed my own body. The speed at which my inner energy was growing was faster than I had expected. It was not simply because my skill was exceptional or the surrounding environment was favorable. Would I have failed to predict something of that level? The body inside the game was growing at a speed that surpassed my knowledge.
If there was a point even I—who knew nearly everything about martial arts—could not predict, there was only one possibility. The game system. Since I was not a native of the murim but an outsider, I was growing at a faster rate than others. At this pace, breaking through the wall to the Peak Realm would not take long at all.
In some cases I had considered robbing the underlings of the unorthodox faction for elixirs or treasures, but there seemed to be no need to go through such trouble now.
After finishing my circulation and opening my eyes, I landed lightly from the air, took out my pipe, and placed it in my mouth. The now-empty space in my head filled with memories of the meeting with Baek-il earlier that day.
I had rejected Baek-il’s request rather roughly. The situation and justification had both been on my side, so I had pushed forward boldly. The purpose was to completely erase any possibility that I—or the current Mount Hua—might join the righteous faction. It would become troublesome in many ways if those people decided the current Mount Hua was potentially part of the righteous faction and began interfering left and right.
I do not regret what I did then. It was something that had to be done. The only thing that bothered me was that the opponent had been Baek-il. This one has suffered in many ways because of that old man. He is obsessed with the righteous faction yet not in the least like them. He chooses any means or method to achieve what he desires. That tendency has likely not changed.
Baek-il will definitely try something. It could be pressure using the power of the Murim Alliance, or it could be one of his characteristic underhanded tricks. When that time comes, this one will once again clash with the Murim Alliance. It is truly regrettable. To become the public enemy of the murim once more. The beginning may be different, but the result is the same. Is this my fate?
“Baru. What are you doing over there?”
I had thought she would emerge while the pipe smoke rose, yet Baru remained hidden behind the bushes, watching me until the end. Did she truly believe I would not notice her? No matter how much you erase your presence with Taoist magic, you cannot conceal the energy you inherently possess.
“If you knew, you should have spoken earlier.”
“Why were you hiding?”
“It is difficult to explain. It was momentarily hard to approach you, shall we say.”
“Is the mountain deity afraid in her own mountain?”
“What nonsense! This one was showing consideration for you!”
When I teased her lightly, Baru gasped in outrage and shouted. Oh dear. How frightening. Truly terrifying.
Apparently displeased by my playful laughter, Baru huffed and pointed at me.
“Even if it is elsewhere, on this mountain this one yields to no one!”
“Oh? Is that so? Shall we test it?”
“…The previous statement was a slight exaggeration! Still, more or less. Yes. That is correct.”
She claimed such confidence yet could not defeat me? Child. You understand your limits well.
Finding the sight adorable, I pressed down firmly on Baru’s head.
“Then you could handle anyone who comes to attack you.”
“Of course! Do you think this one is called the mountain deity for nothing!”
“That is quite reassuring.”
Even if Baek-il targeted Baru, ordinary forces would not be enough to defeat her. Whatever else one said, it was clear she was strong. And even if Baru were pushed back, who could possibly capture her when she wielded all manner of mysterious Taoist magic? Hm. There seemed to be no need to worry much about this one.
“I shall take my leave for today.”
“You are leaving already? It is earlier than usual. Is something the matter?”
“There is something.”
It has been a while since I last played Apis.