252. The Black Flame Dragon Collecting His Winnings (5)
Yeah, fine. I admit it. My actions were a bit over the top.
To the eyes of an ideological inquisitor crawling with suspicion demons, I must look like a black path spy at first glance—or at best, a traitor ready to flip sides at any moment. How else could you explain throwing your life away for the enemy general of a force no different from outright foes?
Hell, even I'd think, 'How much dirty money did that bastard take to throw himself into the fire like that?'
But from my perspective, it's bullshit. Do you think I wanted to risk my neck? Did I know that goddamn Jegumhak bastard was one of the Yin-Yang Twin Demons?
Of course, even if I had known, I still would've taken him down—but I would've tried something other than a head-on clash. I sure as hell wouldn't have engineered this dramatic bullshit just to win Damak's favor.
"Why no answer?"
Even so, wasn't it going too far to ask if the greatest contributor to the peace treaty between the Four Black Alliances and the Murim Alliance was thinking of joining the black path? I crossed a line, sure, but Ak Byeongbi leaped over it with both feet.
I shot him an incredulous look, and the furrows in Ak Byeongbi's brow deepened even more.
"Are you really planning to join them?"
With his savage features and those flashing eyes boring into me, it felt like he was just waiting for me to say yes. This damn son of a bitch.
"What the hell are you talking about? Why would I join them?"
Ak Byeongbi's eyes twitched. It had been ages since his wounds healed, so it wasn't lack of blood. Looked like his head was spinning with needless suspicions...
Better nip this in the bud.
"Why would a disciple of the orthodox Tae-eul Gate, with its legitimate lineage, join some Four Black Alliances bullshit?"
"...Legitimate?"
What was that pissy expression? I matched it with one of my own.
"If we're talking history, Tae-eul Gate predates even your Ak family."
"..."
Ak Byeongbi flinched for a moment before his face soured again.
"Orthodox great gate?"
If we're talking adherence to the righteous path, nothing compares to Tae-eul Gate. We've never built power or chased influence in five hundred years.
...Why the hell were tears welling up? I shrugged.
"If we're talking purity, what sect can match Tae-eul Gate?"
"...That's why I'm asking. As your alliance leader said, if you join the Four Black Alliances for glory and wealth..."
"The moment you join the Four Black Alliances, you've already kissed glory and wealth goodbye, no?"
Ak Byeongbi stared at me wordlessly for a long stretch. Truth be told, I wasn't exactly calm. Even without personal grudges, if word got out about what I'd done in the Four Black Alliances to the Murim Alliance and the academy, it'd be a shitstorm of epic proportions.
Those suspicion demons would probably pop bloodshot eyes and grill me about whether my black hair meant I'd been tainted by the black path. And the ideological inquisitor right in front of me would lead the charge.
The inquisitor nodded slowly.
"I see."
No way was I groveling, though. Let the red-eyed freaks live like that. I stood by my actions.
"And no plans to join them in the future...?"
"None. I'm gonna skyrocket in the Murim Alliance and turn Tae-eul Gate into a sect rivaling the Nine Great Gates and Five Great Families."
"..."
Ah, did I overplay that? Ak Byeongbi's suspicious glare shifted to one of pity. Damn it, why? It pissed me off even more.
"I don't see it happening, but..."
"What?"
I glared like a hawk, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem. Anyway, got it. Keep that resolve from now on."
Eh?
"Pardon?"
What the hell? Why was the inquisitor giving me that warm look?
"Exactly what I said. Plenty of people will envy and resent you, slandering and tearing you down."
Wasn't he the one who'd led the charge on that? Why act like it wasn't him now...?
I decided to hear him out.
"Considering what you've done, you're prime meat for them to chew on."
Ak Byeongbi's face had turned deadly serious.
"But don't flip-flop for immediate gain or let emotions lead you astray."
"..."
"The righteous path is inherently hard and painful. Those who turn from that pain... blind themselves with stubbornness, justifying their own eyes shut."
Ak Byeongbi gazed into the void, seemingly regretting his own past.
"They walk wrong but never even realize it."
He spoke as if about others, but anyone could tell it was his story.
"So even if it's painful, keep to that path. Someday..."
He paused, clenching both fists tight.
"...people who trust and help you will appear."
Then, staring straight into my eyes with utter conviction, he added,
"They appeared even for a bastard like me, so it's certain."
Ak Byeongbi turned his head away, his ears turning red. Must've been embarrassing to say something so out of character. I smirked and pressed,
"So you've confirmed I'm not a black path spy?"
"...Ahem. You were never one to begin with."
"What nonsense is..."
"Just take it as is. And..."
His flushed face dropped low. Why were his hands fidgeting like that? What now...?
"Thanks for not giving up."
I was speechless for a moment. Time for my final check.
"Uh, one thing to confirm?"
Ak Byeongbi nodded readily.
"Sure. From now on, the Inspection Hall will never suspect you of being a black path spy. I stake my name as Third Division Head on it."
That wasn't the point.
"Got it, got it. But that's not my request."
I stared him down piercingly.
"Uh... mind if I tug your face a bit?"
"?"
Just checking if it's a human-skin mask. No matter how I look, he doesn't seem like the inquisitor I know.
"Just a little pull."
"..."
In a flash, Ak Byeongbi's face crumpled like paper.
Ilgak tilted his head as he entered the chamber, spotting Ak Byeongbi's face.
He'd clearly just "talked" with Jin Sowoon, so why were both cheeks flushed red?
"Captain, what happened?"
"...Nothing."
Didn't look like nothing...
"Your cheeks..."
"I said nothing!"
"..."
Ak Byeongbi barked like an angry pup, eyes blazing. Ilgak clamped his mouth shut.
Did the talk go badly?
"Are you... still suspicious?"
"Suspicious?"
Then why were his cheeks beet red? Ilgak met Ak Byeongbi's gaze squarely and nodded.
"Jin Sowoon's ways are rough, sure, but that doesn't mean his heart's black."
"..."
Jin Sowoon just lacked a backing to protect and support him. The main sect's monk or the Moyong family's sword-breaker might act wildly, but no one in the martial world doubted their righteous essence.
Ilgak pitied the worldly fools who judged by appearances.
Then.
"I know that much. What kind of guy he is."
"Pardon?"
An unexpected line from Ak Byeongbi.
"He's like an imugi climbing a waterfall. Each leap makes him impossible to ignore."
"..."
"I only saw the scales of a dragon not yet ascended, so I suspected him. Never bothered looking at his goals or essence."
Ak Byeongbi dipped his head slightly, murmuring,
"...I'm reflecting on it."
Suddenly, Ilgak felt Ak Byeongbi's face had changed a lot. Couldn't pinpoint how, but he seemed more at ease, more solid.
"Maybe his actions grated because we've—we all—lost so much of our essence."
Ak Byeongbi cocked one brow at Ilgak.
"The Laughing Buddha thought so too, that's why he followed Jin Sowoon without hesitation. Otherwise, the world's Laughing Buddha running errands? You didn't even do that next to Yong So-a."
"...Amitabha."
A relaxed smile crept onto Ak Byeongbi's lips.
"Don't worry. No more suspicions. Hell, from now on, suspecting those who doubt him will be my job."
Ilgak gently closed his eyes. An enlightened one illuminates and guides by mere presence. Yong So-a was enlightened too, but differently—he led by the hand. Jin Sowoon forced eyes open, making you find the path yourself.
"Amitabha..."
Ilgak pondered deeply which hero this era truly needed.
Then, Ak Byeongbi muttered to himself,
"...Anyway, I'm cleared of suspicion. Small mercy."
He rubbed his sore cheeks with both hands.
"..."
Ilgak grew curious again about those swollen red cheeks.
"Where's the Blood Fight Elder?"
Where the hell was this guy holed up? I couldn't spot him anywhere.
"Oh, Young Master Jin. Finally up? I had something to tell you."
Yeom Gwi-bi reached out with a seductive fragrance wafting. I pushed her hand away.
"What do you have to say...?"
"What else do a man and woman who've overcome trials together have to share?"
She twisted coyly, stroking her lips. The alluring scent thickened, my nose starting to sting.
I scowled unwittingly and shot back. Not because of her nonsense. My nose hurt. My nose.
"What weird shit are you..."
"We've crossed life and death together. We should commemorate it properly. Hehe."
She draped an arm over my shoulder, breathing into my ear. What the hell was with this granny?
"Want some empty flattery?"
I shrugged off her burdensome arm and stepped back. She looked baffled.
"...Why isn't it working?"
At her mutter, I hurriedly checked myself. Had she done something in the meantime?
"Tae-eul Gate's arts aren't some mishmash mongrel heart method?"
Her voice even sounded chillier. I retreated another step.
"...What kind of talk for a legitimate Daoist sect."
"The old Blood Fight bastard was right. Tch."
Like a mask ripped off, she slumped into her seat with a deflated look. Then chugged from a bottle like some roughneck.
What the hell had happened?
"What's going on?"
"Forget it. Wasting effort on a guy it doesn't work on just tires me out."
"...Where's the Blood Fight Elder?"
She waved lazily.
"Check the rear training ground. He's been tooting his horn there since morning."
She seemed thoroughly pissed, her glare sharp. I'd thought they were getting along fine...
"Thanks."
Baffled, I bowed lightly and turned away.
And as I gripped the doorknob leaving...
Crack.
...Something shattered.
Looking down, the doorknob that should've been attached lay in my hand.
'Again...'
Who knew how many times now? I glanced back at Yeom Gwi-bi; she didn't seem to care.
She wouldn't snitch to Damak later, right? Even Damak was human—he wouldn't bill his lifesaver.
'If he does...'
By then I'd be at the Murim Academy. Ignore and done. Practical as ever, I carefully closed the broken door and slipped out like nothing happened.
That's why I'd handled urgent matters quick and come straight for Blood Fight.
Energy overflowed my body uncontrollably. My physique wouldn't obey. Even qi flow was abnormal.
Before, I'd needed focus to stir my dantian; now it spun at mere thought.
'What the hell did he do?'
Even I knew I should've died fighting the Yin-Yang Twin Demons. The blood I'd lost could've filled oceans—enough to greet Yama no problem.
Yet no muscle backlash, no anomalies; if anything, my body brimmed with more vigor.
The physician and even Dang Seohui couldn't figure it out. Just told me to ask Blood Fight.
Without that, I'd have shrugged it off. But wondering if he'd hexed me with sorcery? Unsettling.
Plus, I had business. Perfect chance to grill what he'd done to my body.
Entering the training ground, I spotted a man humming drunkenly.
"There you are."
"...Huh?"
Blood Fight, sprawled amid scattered bottles in the center, cocked one eye.
"What? A White Path minion strutting before the renowned Blood Fight Elder?"
"..."
Drunk?
"Here to ask something. Shall I come back?"
"Hmph! A White Path minion daring to visit the great Blood Fight again? In your dreams!"
Yup, smashed. I shot him a pitiful look, but he jabbed a bottle at me, bellowing,
"Fine! Speak! What's your question?"
"Two things. First, about my body."
"Go on."
I locked eyes, burning my face into his mind.
"What the hell did you do to my body?"
"Eh?"
Crunch—
I snatched his bottle and squeezed lightly; it crumbled to dust.
"I can't control it. Every doorknob in the Four Black Alliances is doomed by my hands. Eating means dumping cutlery piles daily."
Blood Fight grinned creepily.
"Heh heh heh heh."
This old fart. I was dead serious!
"Not the time to laugh. You know better than anyone how vital body control is for a martial artist."
But he grabbed another bottle, scolding,
"Fool clutching gold nuggets, blind to their worth—how not to laugh?"
"...Gold nuggets?"
Blood Fight gulped straight from the bottle like medicine. The scattered empties screamed overdose...
This geezer gonna collapse?
"Kah...! I did nothing. Your body changed itself."
"...Possible?"
I tilted my head; he snickered.
"That's why they call it a fated encounter."
"Fated encounter?"
"Yeah... One even rare for ordinary or special martial artists."
I stared seriously.
"So, what fated encounter did I get?"
Blood Fight paused mid-sip, eyes on me. I held my breath, nerves on his lips.
Finally, a faint smile as he spoke.
"Hwangol Taltae."
At his words, ecstasy raced up my spine, flooding my body.