Chapter 502
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 502
Chapter Title: What Makes You So Happy?
Jegal Cheol-san.
The second son of Jegal Nam-cheon and the father of Jegal I-jong, who had been captured by Ha Mu-baek.
In this affair, he wielded authority second only to Jegal Nam-cheon as he roamed the land.
While matters within the clan were coordinated by Jegal Go-pung and reported to Jegal Nam-cheon, affairs outside the clan were handled directly by Jegal Cheol-san under his own judgment.
He had been granted a certain degree of decision-making power.
The base he had chosen was the city of An-gang in Shaanxi Province.
It was a fairly large city close to Yungjung Mountain, and since it was in Shaanxi rather than Hubei, he deemed it a suitable location.
Of course, since the mountain was breeding grounds for the messengers, the surrounding villages had fully fallen under the domain of the Church of the All-Compassionate Guanyin.
Great Emissary.
That was the title by which Jegal Cheol-san was known within the Church of the All-Compassionate Guanyin.
Great Emissary San-cheol.
His other identity.
"We request an audience with the Great Emissary."
In a manor of moderate size on the outskirts of An-gang, which served as the church's main base.
As Jegal Cheol-san was organizing his plans in his room, the voice of a follower came from outside.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a burly man with fierce eyes entered.
He was a commoner, not a martial artist.
Yet this man had risen to the rank of emissary.
Concerned that limiting emissaries to those sent from Yungjung would cap the faith of the commoners, Jegal Cheol-san had unilaterally appointed him as an emissary.
After his appointment, the other followers seemed to gain a sense of purpose, throwing themselves even more fervently into the church's affairs.
However, there were side effects as well.
"Emissary Ji-gwang. Have you come about that matter again today?"
Ji-gwang.
That was the name of the commoner visiting Jegal Cheol-san.
He didn't even have a family name.
Even when Jegal Cheol-san offered to grant him one upon becoming an emissary of the church, he had refused.
"Great Emissary. When on earth will we get to see the Cult Leader?"
The largest building in the center of the manor.
It served the same role as the main hall of a temple.
A space prepared for the Cult Leader, though its master was absent at present.
A massive statue of Guanyin was all that occupied it.
"How long must we leave the Great Guanyin Hall empty like this?"
A faint undercurrent of anger colored his voice.
Jegal Cheol-san inwardly frowned.
To dare defy the Great Emissary like this.
And not just anyone, but the very emissary he had personally appointed.
"When on earth will the Cult Leader grace this sacred ground where the Great Emissary and emissaries await?"
His voice rose even higher.
"Emissary Ji-gwang!"
Jegal Cheol-san's voice boomed in response.
"That is for Guanyin and the Cult Leader to decide! The Cult Leader's emergence into the world is determined solely by Guanyin. Are you, an emissary, daring to question the will of Guanyin?"
At Jegal Cheol-san's roar, Ji-gwang bowed his head.
However, the look in his eyes as he stared at the floor told a different story.
'These cult bastards. Just a little longer... just a bit more patience...'
Jegal Cheol-san had no way of knowing the thoughts behind those eyes.
"You may withdraw now."
Ji-gwang bowed even deeper at Jegal Cheol-san's dismissal.
Then he turned and left the room.
"Hoo."
A sigh escaped Jegal Cheol-san's lips.
"Have I taken in a tiger cub?"
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
He kept fending him off with talk of Guanyin's will, but the man's actions were increasingly crossing the line.
"How did it go?"
After Ji-gwang emerged from the Great Emissary's room, a few like-minded followers approached and asked.
Ji-gwang shook his head lightly.
"Let's move to another place first."
He led them out of the manor.
They went to the largest tavern in An-gang and reserved a private room.
The raucous clamor of voices from the main hall made it unlikely their conversation would leak out.
After several rounds of drinks had passed.
"Just as we expected. The Great Emissary refused to discuss the Cult Leader's existence again this time."
The others nodded at Ji-gwang's words.
They were devotees selected from various provinces and villages for their loyalty to the church and sent to the main base.
Each had acted on their own suspicions, and upon arriving at the main base, they had found kindred spirits and banded together.
Among them, Ji-gwang was the leader.
He had shown the most zeal, and though not from the sacred ground, he had become an emissary.
He hadn't been sent out to spread the faith to other regions, but at the main base, he enjoyed the treatment befitting his position as an emissary.
"What do you think these cultists' true goal is?"
Ji-gwang shook his head.
That alone remained a mystery.
Enormous wealth was flowing in from all corners of the land, yet its whereabouts were utterly unknown.
All of them had intuited the truth the moment they first encountered the Church of the All-Compassionate Guanyin.
A sham religion.
It wore the guise of a faith, but its essence was something else entirely.
A group pretending to be religious for some ulterior purpose.
They had attended gatherings on a whim and confirmed it.
The group preached the end of this corrupt world and the dawn of a new one, declaring worldly wealth worthless in the coming apocalypse and urging all to offer it to Guanyin.
Here lay the contradiction.
If it were worthless, discard it—why offer it to them?
The more you offered of the worthless, the greater your happiness in the new world.
Absurd nonsense, but those who had lost hope in this world and yearned for a new one could entertain such thoughts.
Especially with the formations spread across the gathering sites and the near-hypnotic suggestions woven in.
Ji-gwang and the others were among those strangely resistant to the suggestions.
They themselves were unaware of this trait.
Once they realized it, they made their decision the moment they verified the massive offerings piled before the so-called emissaries day after day.
We don't know these cultists' aims, but it means money.
Then we'll worm our way to the center and claim a share of that wealth.
With that goal, they fervently donated riches and took the lead in church activities to catch the emissaries' eyes.
And this was the result.
They recognized each other and gathered in secret.
Upon arriving at the main base, they realized it was a nascent force with some hidden purpose, its Cult Leader not even revealed yet.
That fueled their greed anew.
Why not devour the Church of the All-Compassionate Guanyin entirely?
They moved covertly, gradually building their faction within the main base.
And pressured the Great Emissary.
Where is the Cult Leader?
Such actions were for show to the other followers at the main base.
Perhaps there is no Cult Leader—it's all the Great Emissary's scheme.
In truth, the true Cult Leader chosen by divine revelation from Guanyin is Ji-gwang.
Preliminary groundwork for such claims.
They were unaware that the Church of the All-Compassionate Guanyin and its operations had been established by the martial clan, the Jegal Clan.
They simply assumed the swindler calling himself Great Emissary San-cheol was staging a massive con with his cronies.
Thus, they plotted in conspiracy to deceive the followers and seize the church for themselves.
The Jegal Clan had underestimated the common folk.
They believed in their own formations and suggestions, convinced they were the smartest in the world and dismissing the intellect of the masses.
They never anticipated such a faction quietly taking root within their main base.
Ha Mu-baek discovered the peculiar presence hidden among the Guanyin Church followers the night before departing Yangyang.
That day too, he had secretly visited one of the church's gathering sites.
Countless people were bowing repeatedly toward the Heavenly Demon Guanyin statue, their eyes glazed over.
Yet Ha Mu-baek instantly spotted the anomaly among them.
'Not affected by the suggestion.'
The formation was still active, with the Heavenly Demon Guanyin statue at its center.
Those within were gradually being brainwashed, ensnared by the suggestion without realizing it.
All but one.
He appeared glazed-eyed, but Ha Mu-baek could tell it was an act.
He had seen numerous church followers on his way here and knew the true look of those under the suggestion.
This one was pretending to be affected while remaining immune.
He bowed more fervently than anyone, yet Ha Mu-baek read the lack of sincerity in it.
'No internal energy.'
Just an ordinary commoner, then—how had he resisted the Jegal Clan's suggestion?
In the end, Ha Mu-baek delayed his journey toward Yungjung Mountain.
Curiosty had been piqued by this discovery.
The gathering ended, and the people dispersed in small groups toward their homes.
The Yangyang gatherings began in the evening and concluded late at night.
As soon as the man left the site, his eyes sharpened to normal.
A faint smile even played on his lips.
Ha Mu-baek quietly trailed him.
Confirming no one was nearby, he approached and asked,
"What makes you so happy?"
"Eek!!!"
The man was genuinely startled.
No presence at all, then suddenly a voice—he half-thought a ghost had appeared.
He bolted in fright.
From that reaction, Ha Mu-baek reconfirmed he was an ordinary commoner ignorant of martial arts.
A trained martial artist would have been on guard, not fleeing outright like that.
Catching up to him was instantaneous.
Ha Mu-baek cut ahead, blocking his path.
"Eek! G-G-Ghost!!!"
In the dead of night, clad in black attire, blocking the way—he certainly looked the part.
The man halted and flattened himself to the ground.
"G-Gu-Guanyin, have mercy on this wretched soul! Drive away the ghost!!"
He pleaded with utter sincerity.
A far cry from the facade at the gathering site—this was genuine desperation.
Ha Mu-baek couldn't help but chuckle.
"You invoke the Guanyin you don't even believe in when it suits you. Wouldn't calling on Buddha or the Primeval Heavenly Lord be quicker?"
"......"
The man's mouth snapped shut at Ha Mu-baek's words.
He cautiously lifted his head, peering at Ha Mu-baek.
"A... person?"
His trembling voice probed carefully.
"Were you hoping for a ghost?"
Ha Mu-baek countered, and the man vigorously shook his head.
"Fine. What had you smiling so contentedly as you walked?"
"Wh-Why do you ask?"
Still quaking with fear, the man replied.
He was puzzled and terrified why this man took interest in him.
Not a ghost, yet acting like this—undoubtedly a martial artist.
He glanced around frantically.
Hoping against hope for a passerby.
"No one will come this way."
Ha Mu-baek had already sealed off sound with his energy and emanated an intimidating aura to deter any approach.
"I'll ask again. What made you so pleased? By the way, I've never asked anything four times. This is the third."
A genial smile.
Simple enough, yet the man sensed killing intent within it.
His imagination, perhaps.
"I-It felt good because I've been carving out a position for myself in the Guanyin Church."
The man stammered in reply, shivering.
"Carving out a position feels good... You're seemingly unaffected by the suggestion too. What's your intent?"
"S-Suggestion? What do you mean...?"
The man feigned ignorance, countering with a puzzled expression.
Ha Mu-baek nodded slightly at the response.
For whatever reason, some people were simply immune to the suggestion—he was satisfied with confirming that.
Ignorance of the suggestion itself meant he hadn't actively resisted it with some method.
It simply didn't affect him from the start, like the Jegal Clan's technique.
'His constitution, probably.'
Ha Mu-baek concluded and pressed on.
"Good. Never mind the suggestion—what's your intent?"
"Th-That is... Y-You seem to sense something off about the Church of the All-Compassionate Guanyin too... Actually, there are those who feel the same. The emissaries' words are utter nonsense from the start, aren't they?"
The man's mouth opened, and Ha Mu-baek's expression turned intrigued.