Chapter 631
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 631
Chapter Title: Should I Kill Them?
Whiiing!
In the afternoon, a fierce gust swept through the streets of Luoyang.
The people passing by on the street were startled by the sudden wind.
Ha Mu-baek simply raced toward the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
'Heavenly Eye Pavilion?'
His senses pinpointed the locations of the two children.
He dashed straight there.
The wall before him wasn't the main gate of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, but it didn't matter.
He leaped over it in one bound and headed to the Heavenly Eye Pavilion's training ground.
No gate guard noticed Ha Mu-baek's presence.
The warriors patrolling inside the Righteous Heaven Alliance didn't sense his aura either.
They merely frowned at the sudden whirlwind.
The gale Ha Mu-baek had conjured altered the air currents over Luoyang, whipping up strong winds throughout the city.
The only ones who sensed his arrival were So Hwi-woong and Yeon Ja-kyeong.
Their profound realms allowed it, and Ha Mu-baek wasn't hiding his presence while sprinting at full speed.
'He must be here to pick up his disciples.'
So Hwi-woong quickly realized the reason.
He had been wondering why Ha Mu-baek hadn't stopped by the Four Seas Alliance to collect them before heading to the Fierce Dragon Corps.
But was there really cause for such haste?
To leap over Luoyang's walls and the Alliance's barriers with such unmasked lightness skill.
'He must have forgotten.'
Seeing the urgency, So Hwi-woong concluded that his earlier suspicion was true.
A sword danced.
Blue silk unfurled, blanketing the sky in brilliance.
A reverent yet ornate sword movement.
Blue Silk Heavenly Flower Sword.
The Hubei Yeon Clan's strongest sword art revealed itself fully before halting abruptly.
"Hm... Why is that guy suddenly...?"
Yeon Ja-kyeong, sensing Ha Mu-baek's energy from the underground training chamber, furrowed his brow.
He had been demonstrating his recent insights when this unwelcome presence interrupted him.
He had no desire to tangle with someone like that, especially not with such a bold entry into the Alliance.
Shaking his head, Yeon Ja-kyeong sheathed his sword and sank back into meditation.
His mood was ruined.
His Blue Silk Heavenly Flower Sword had ripened to perfection.
Not just the first five forms, but the final three as well.
He felt confident enough to test himself against So Hwi-woong if he appeared.
The more he trained lately, the stronger he grew, so he immersed himself fully.
That voice still tempted him. He hadn't shaken off the heart demon yet.
Yet he trained harder because his efforts to dispel it were elevating his realm.
[Do you desire power?]
The voice echoed again.
Had he lost focus for a moment, lost in thought?
The heart demon seized the opening.
When would this damned thing finally vanish?
'Begone.'
Yeon Ja-kyeong snapped curtly and refocused on his meditation.
A sword sliced through space.
It was a simple form of the Three Talents Sword Method, yet it carried power and showed a certain attainment.
Sitting in the shade of a tree, Iron Staff Beggar nodded occasionally or yawned.
The shadows had already stretched long.
"Hm. His skills are improving by leaps and bounds, but when is that master of his coming...?"
As he muttered.
"I'm here now."
Shuuuung.
Ha Mu-baek's sudden voice, followed by the sound of wind.
And then.
Whiiing!
A blast of wind hit.
Iron Staff Beggar blinked in shock.
"What the hell is this...?"
That was his first question upon recovering.
"Your master arrived, what else?"
Ha Mu-baek replied and turned his gaze to the training ground.
Given his flashy entrance, Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun were staring at him.
"Master?"
Gong Hae-bin murmured blankly.
"Master!!"
Gong Hae-jun ran toward Ha Mu-baek.
"I was delayed because of some business."
Ha Mu-baek answered calmly.
He patted the head of the rushing Gong Hae-jun.
Seeing that, Gong Hae-bin hurried over too, and Ha Mu-baek stroked her head as well.
"You've been training hard. You've improved quite a bit."
His praise brought smiles to the children's faces.
Seeing those faces, he couldn't bring himself to say he'd forgotten them.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
And so Ha Mu-baek tucked the truth away in a corner of his heart.
He hadn't lied.
He just hadn't told everything.
Being delayed by business was true enough.
From Kaifeng to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, back to the Four Seas Alliance, and then the Fierce Dragon Corps' vacation issue.
All of it was his business, after all.
Of course, he could have stopped by the Righteous Heaven Alliance before the Fierce Dragon Corps, but he simply omitted that part.
It might seem cowardly or petty, but so what?
No one knew.
'Ah.'
Then, a figure crossed his mind.
Han Seol-bing.
She might have guessed from his actions.
A faint worry arose, but it was just his speculation.
She might not have noticed.
Even if she had, he believed she wouldn't casually tell the children.
"Did you resolve your business well?"
Gong Hae-bin asked.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"Yes, I handled it cleanly."
His answer filled the children's faces with admiration.
"Ahem. Then may I take my leave now?"
Iron Staff Beggar had plenty to say and ask.
But Ha Mu-baek's arrival meant he could go, so he was eager.
He seemed ready to dash off to Kaifeng immediately.
"Thanks for your help, old timer. Sorry for the delay."
"No need. I'm the grateful one. You handled that matter so well."
With the kids around, they skipped the details.
But the Beggar's Sect had already received all the news.
He knew how many sacrifices Ha Mu-baek had prevented.
"Well then, I'll be off. It was fun while it lasted, kids."
Iron Staff Beggar bid farewell to Ha Mu-baek and the children.
"Thank you, elder."
"We're grateful for your help, elder."
Hae-bin and Hae-jun clasped their hands in respect.
And so Iron Staff Beggar departed.
Half an incense stick's time.
All that had happened in mere moments.
Ha Mu-baek looked up at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong watched the training ground from a window.
That smirking smile.
Seeing it soured Ha Mu-baek's mood.
It felt like the man was saying, I know why you're only showing up now.
Ha Mu-baek scowled back before turning to the children.
"That's enough for today. We leave on a long journey tomorrow, so rest up."
The kids' eyes widened at the sudden break.
Ha Mu-baek just kept stroking their heads.
"Where are your quarters?"
Gong Hae-bin moved first at his question.
"This way."
The guest quarters within the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
There were rooms available, and the children had been given the best one.
A maidservant was assigned too.
"You're back early today? Miss, young master?"
She greeted Hae-bin and Hae-jun with a bright smile, then startled upon seeing Ha Mu-baek.
"This is our master."
Gong Hae-jun said proudly.
"Ah, greetings, Corps Leader Ha."
She had been briefed on the children's master.
She bowed politely to Ha Mu-baek.
"Thank you for looking after them so well."
Ha Mu-baek smiled and expressed his gratitude. The maidservant's eyes widened.
The real Ha Mu-baek was different from her training.
"Rest up, then. I'll wrap up Alliance business and return."
"Yes."
"Got it."
Hae-jun and Hae-bin replied, and Ha Mu-baek turned away.
First, the top floor.
He leaped up and entered Gong Son Dan-gyeong's office in an instant.
"You're here."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong sat at his desk, welcoming Ha Mu-baek leisurely, as if expecting him.
"What was so amusing, Gong Son old man?"
"I realized you're human after all. Heh heh."
That laugh confirmed it—the old man had guessed everything.
"And if I'm not?"
Ha Mu-baek asked shamelessly.
"I thought you were just a monster. But to make such a human mistake, forgetting your disciples. Heh heh heh."
Ha Mu-baek's aura shifted.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong stopped laughing upon sensing it.
It had been fun.
But teasing Ha Mu-baek ended here.
"Well, truth be told, I forgot too. The kids adapted so naturally to the Pavilion, I started thinking of them as family."
Ha Mu-baek's aura softened slightly.
"I see them daily, so maybe. But the Alliance Leader noticed right away. He asked if your two disciples were still at the Pavilion."
Ha Mu-baek's face twisted.
More people knew the truth than expected.
Already three.
'Should I kill them?'
The thought flickered briefly.
To protect his master's dignity with murder and silence.
"Whoa! Put that ridiculous idea away."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong exclaimed in alarm.
The killing intent on Ha Mu-baek's brow was thick, if only for an instant. Even he had felt it.
"Tch."
Ha Mu-baek clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"So, what happened at the Four Seas Alliance?"
That was what he really wanted to ask.
That's why he'd smirked from the window, making sure Ha Mu-baek saw.
To lure him here on his own.
"Gong Ya Ha-rang, Gong Ya Jang-cheon's sister, cultivated Annihilation Merit. She fell to the curse like Bang Sa-uk. I cured her. That's it."
A truly concise summary.
"I had no idea you were so close to Pavilion Lord Gong Ya."
Ha Mu-baek shot back incredulously at Gong Son Dan-gyeong's words.
"Are you probing me now? You've probably heard everything from Dam Mu-hyeon already."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong admitted readily.
"Indeed. I heard it all. How you handled Bang Sa-uk's issue, informed us, and vanished."
"Ah."
He'd forgotten one more.
Dam Mu-hyeon too.
It was a split-second reaction, quickly masked.
But Gong Son Dan-gyeong stared steadily, lips curling slightly.
"So very human of you."
Killing intent gathered again on Ha Mu-baek's brow.
"Easy, easy. Calm down. That's what intrigues me. Curing the Dark Blood Jiangshi. Wasn't Bang Sa-uk impossible?"
"Dealing with him gave me a clue. It unraveled while facing Gong Ya Ha-rang."
"So you can cure Dark Blood Jiangshi from now on?"
"Depending on the state."
A short reply.
"That's welcome news. The Blood Cult is gone, but Annihilation Merit lingers."
"Truly fortunate. So, how does it work?"
"Only I can do it."
Another curt answer.
Disappointment flickered on Gong Son Dan-gyeong's face, but he nodded in understanding.
Only this monster could.
That seemed to be his take.
"You'll be busier now."
Meaning he'd call Ha Mu-baek whenever a Dark Blood Jiangshi appeared.
"Only if it hasn't claimed victims. Only then is it worth saving."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong's expression grew subtle.
"The bloodbath after turning isn't the victim's will, but the jiangshi's, right?"
"They chose to cultivate Annihilation Merit knowing the consequences now."
"Pavilion Lord Pang didn't know."
"True, there are idiots like that. Ultimately, greed brings disaster. If victims fall to a Dark Blood Jiangshi, I won't treat it."
"Hm."
"Even if treated, it would be hell for the restored person."
"......"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong had no retort to Ha Mu-baek's words.
The first victims of those turned by Annihilation Merit's curse were always those closest to them.
Precisely because of that closeness, they fell first upon the jiangshi's birth.
If reason returned after curing such a monster, and they learned what they'd done?
Well?
"Complicated."
A sigh escaped the pondering Gong Son Dan-gyeong.
"That's why I keep it simple with a clear criterion."
With that, Ha Mu-baek rose.
Time to return to his disciples.
Pausing, he glanced somewhere.
"Ah, Yeon Ja-kyeong. That old man's gotten much stronger."
That was all.
Ha Mu-baek's figure vanished.