Chapter 629
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 629
Chapter Title: It's Because of That Guy, Mun In-baeksong
Han Seol-bing and Gwan Ha-kyeong's gazes immediately turned backward.
There stood Ha Mu-baek, alternating between the pile of documents and Han Seol-bing.
The distance from Hyeongsan to the administrative office wasn't far, so returning to the Fierce Dragon Corps took just one day.
"Ha."
A small sigh escaped Han Seol-bing's lips.
It carried a wealth of emotions.
Ha Mu-baek asked with a calm expression.
"What is all this?"
The exact same question from moments ago.
Gwan Ha-kyeong watched the two of them carefully, gauging the mood.
She had a feeling a massive explosion was imminent.
But her prediction was off the mark.
"Hoo..."
Instead of an outburst, there was only Han Seol-bing's deep sigh.
'This can't be good for her health...'
The thought suddenly crossed Gwan Ha-kyeong's mind.
She could plainly see Han Seol-bing suppressing her frustration.
Was Ha Mu-baek not completely oblivious?
He didn't ask again and simply went to the desk to examine the documents.
As the corps leader, it was perfectly fine for him to do so.
"Leave request?"
That was the title at the top of the documents.
"Come to think of it, no one except Squad Leader Gwan has taken leave."
Ha Mu-baek muttered as if he hadn't considered it before.
"You've been so busy with outside matters, Corps Leader."
Han Seol-bing's response carried a thorny edge.
Ha Mu-baek looked at her and chuckled softly.
"You've worked hard. And thank you."
At Ha Mu-baek's unexpected words, Han Seol-bing's eyes widened round.
"You've worked hard" had crossed her mind, but what followed...
"Pardon?"
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
She blurted out a reflexive question, but Ha Mu-baek repeated it once—no, twice—to confirm she hadn't misheard.
Thank you.
"Are you really the corps leader?"
Han Seol-bing couldn't help but ask.
He looked like Ha Mu-baek, but the words didn't sound like him.
"Yes."
A curt reply.
"But how...?"
Her face showed utter disbelief.
"I just met an exemplary subordinate who thinks the world of his lord."
Ha Mu-baek's words made her tilt her head.
"He told me you're that kind of loyal subordinate to me. You've worked hard all this time, so take a break."
With that, he swept all the documents from Han Seol-bing's desk using Energy Absorption Technique and vanished.
The two stared blankly at the door Ha Mu-baek had left through.
"I mean, really..."
Han Seol-bing muttered in sheer disbelief, a faint blush barely coloring her cheeks.
"It seems the matter with the Saha League has been resolved."
Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong reported to Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong.
Intelligence agents from Heavenly Eye Pavilion had sent word from Hyeongsan.
Beggar Clan intelligence had arrived as well.
"Was passing on that information worth it?"
So Hwi-woong asked, setting down the documents.
"In some ways yes, in others no."
So Hwi-woong looked puzzled at Gong Son Dan-gyeong's ambiguous reply.
Either it was or it wasn't—how could it be both?
And for Gong Son Dan-gyeong to speak so vaguely, of all people.
"Gongya Jang-cheon didn't kill Gongya Ha-rang."
"What?"
So Hwi-woong expressed his surprise.
By the precedent of Bang Sa-uk, if Gongya Ha-rang turned into the same demonic abomination, Gongya Jang-cheon would be the only one capable of dealing with her.
There were other masters, of course, but Gongya Ha-rang was a hidden shame Gongya Jang-cheon had kept under wraps.
He'd have no choice but to step in.
That was the hidden intent behind passing them the information.
After forcing him to kill his own brother, the aftermath.
It would deal a psychological blow he couldn't easily recover from, weakening the Saha League's forces for a time.
That was the true purpose of So Hwi-woong and Gong Son Dan-gyeong sharing the intel with the Saha League.
"Gongya Ha-rang is alive."
At Gong Son Dan-gyeong's follow-up report, So Hwi-woong's face twisted in a frown.
The variant Dark Blood Gangshi—that abomination—hadn't been eliminated?
"Has Gongya Jang-cheon gone mad? Leaving that monster be? If he did that..."
So Hwi-woong spat out angry words before pausing and quickly calming himself.
"No, actually, this might be better. If that monster tears through the Saha League and sows chaos."
But he soon shook his head.
"No, no. If Gongya Jang-cheon falls from power because of it, it'll be a bigger headache."
That's why they'd passed on the information.
They had already considered every possibility before sharing it.
From the Righteous Heaven Alliance's perspective, the best outcome was Gongya Jang-cheon remaining league leader while their forces weakened.
Yet Gongya Jang-cheon had made a choice against their expectations.
The Saha League's power would weaken, but so might Gongya Jang-cheon, leading to chaos that could turn its blade toward the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
They'd shared the intel to prevent that, but it hadn't worked.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong subtly shook his head.
"What?"
So Hwi-woong asked again.
"Gongya Ha-rang has returned to normal. Not a Dark Blood Gangshi."
"What do you mean?"
So Hwi-woong's question was laced with shock.
"Didn't she definitely cultivate the Demolition Art?!"
It was intelligence obtained years ago.
Even reports of her resisting the Demolition Art's curse from some hideout.
There had been no further info on her becoming a Dark Blood Gangshi after that.
Incredible as it seemed, she'd resisted the Demolition Art's curse for years.
Bang Sa-uk's emergence had made them think of her too.
"From the compiled reports across multiple channels... she became a Dark Blood Gangshi but somehow reverted to normal."
So Hwi-woong's eyes bulged.
It was utterly unbelievable.
How on earth!
"Is that even possible? Did the Saha League find a way?"
So Hwi-woong shot to his feet.
"It seems to be Corps Leader Ha."
"Mu-baek?"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong nodded.
[According to covert intel from a mole planted in the Black Mist Corps.]
Heavenly Eye Pavilion surely had moles in Black Mist Corps too.
Both sides knew it.
And yet they let it be.
To use each other.
"Huh? Hah. Haha... hahaha."
So Hwi-woong slumped back into his seat, laughing in disbelief.
"What the hell is that guy's deal?"
He knew full well, but it was too astonishing to accept.
"He achieved the goal of stopping the variant Dark Blood Gangshi's blood curse, but failed at weakening the Saha League's power. Tsk."
He soon accepted reality.
"What about our orders?"
"We didn't set a time limit."
"Tsk."
So Hwi-woong clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"Why the hell would a guy like that help the Saha League?"
At So Hwi-woong's grumbling,
"According to Corps Leader Dam, he owes Mun In-baeksong a debt from the Great Martial Tournament. A debt of Hocheon Corps members' lives."
So Hwi-woong shut his mouth at that.
He knew Ha Mu-baek was the type to repay such a debt without hesitation if demanded.
"Don't you owe that guy anything?"
So Hwi-woong asked half-hopefully.
"Unfortunately not."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong gave a wry smile.
"Where is that guy now?"
"Seems he's returned to the Fierce Dragon Corps."
So Hwi-woong tilted his head at Gong Son Dan-gyeong's answer.
"Why the face...?"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong asked, puzzled.
So Hwi-woong stared at him pointedly, as if wondering why he was asking something so obvious.
"Don't his two disciples still remain at Heavenly Eye Pavilion?"
"Ah..."
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun, the siblings.
They had adapted so seamlessly to Heavenly Eye Pavilion, living as if it were their home from the start, that even Gong Son Dan-gyeong had overlooked it.
"He's not the type to forget his disciples..."
Cheol Dam-gae lay in the shade, watching the two children intensely training in the practice hall.
Today, too, they were a heartwarming sight.
But Cheol Dam-gae's expression was grim.
'When the hell is he coming?'
The Beggar Clan's blood matter had been settled.
The Hocheon Corps, sent by the Righteous Heaven Alliance to aid the Beggar Clan, had already returned.
Yet the one who should come hadn't.
The children's master, Ha Mu-baek.
He couldn't leave until Ha Mu-baek arrived, having promised to watch over them.
Even though the children had fully adapted to the Righteous Heaven Alliance and Heavenly Eye Pavilion, and the Beggar Clan urgently needed him now.
Cheol Dam-gae stayed, guarding the children.
A promise.
It was a weighty thing.
Countless people broke them without honor, but could they against Ha Mu-baek?
Ha Mu-baek himself valued and kept promises above all.
Breaking a vow with such a man?
It meant never facing him again.
The Beggar Clan couldn't afford that.
This incident alone had spared them great sacrifice thanks to him.
People change from entering the restroom to exiting, but Cheol Dam-gae couldn't.
For his own honor, and to avoid the consequences.
Thus, despite his body aching to return to Kaifeng, he guarded the two children here.
Clutching his increasingly anxious heart.
Then Gong Hae-jun caught his eye.
"Hae-jun, you're too fast there. Slow it down a bit."
He instinctively pointed out the flaw.
He wanted to give them whatever he could.
Cheol Dam-gae hadn't just watched.
He intervened like this from time to time.
Having seen them perform the Three Talents Arts perfectly, he corrected any mistakes in their subsequent practice.
Thanks to his guidance, the children's proficiency in the Three Talents Arts was rising rapidly.
"Thank you, sir."
Gong Hae-jun called out his gratitude while still focused on the Three Talents Sword Method.
How much time passed?
The two children paused their swords and sat to rest.
Panting heavily.
Cheol Dam-gae fetched the bamboo canteen and towel he'd kept nearby and handed them over.
"Thank you."
"Thanks."
They accepted familiarly, wiping sweat and drinking.
"When will Master come?"
Gong Hae-jun asked.
"I'm wondering too. Tsk."
At his tongue-clicking,
"We're sorry... it's because of us."
As Gong Hae-jun shrank back, Cheol Dam-gae waved his hands hastily.
"No, no. It's my promise holding me here. I spoke out of turn."
"When Master arrives, he won't scold us for slacking in training, right?"
Gong Hae-bin asked worriedly.
"I've never seen children like you. It won't happen, but if your master scolds you, he's the one in the wrong. I lack the skill to stop him, but I'll make damn sure he knows how diligently you've trained."
Cheol Dam-gae stated firmly that it was unthinkable.
However.
'That monster's standards might be different...?'
Knowing Ha Mu-baek's strength, he couldn't help but worry a little.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku!
Ha Mu-baek raced at full speed, kicking up a deafening roar.
Focused straight ahead, streaking toward Luoyang like lightning.
"Fuck."
Curses flowed freely.
"I'm the crazy one."
Self-reproach followed.
"How could I forget..."
Deep, profound self-reproach.
"Damn it. It's because of that bastard Mun In-baeksong."
And he shifted the blame elsewhere.
Mun In-baeksong, utterly devoted to Gongya Jang-cheon—thanks to him, Ha Mu-baek had reunited with Gongya Jang-cheon and Gongya Ha-rang.
Watching them, he'd envied Gongya Jang-cheon and wondered if he had such a subordinate.
That fleeting thought brought Han Seol-bing to mind.
And his sister Ha Seol-ran.
And so, impulsively, Ha Mu-baek had returned to the Fierce Dragon Corps.
Forgetting something terribly important.
He blamed the culprit, Mun In-baeksong.
"Hoo. You stupid bastard..."
But he knew.
It was all his own fault.