Chapter 173 - Who I Am Doesn't Matter

Jin Haryeong could barely think straight. Never in her life had she experienced lightness arts this fast. Her surroundings flashed past too quickly for her to make out any of the scenery. She could hardly keep her eyes open, and even breathing was difficult.

'How can he possibly run without crashing into anything?'

It was astonishing, awe-inspiring. Yet she also felt a curious joy.

'He was this powerful all along?'

Anyone capable of such lightness arts must have reached a level of martial mastery beyond her imagination.

'He's no ordinary servant.'

She wasn't sure whether that was really something to be so happy about, but she was happy nonetheless. It felt as though the uncrossable line between them had vanished.

When Geom Mugeuk briefly stopped his mad dash, she said, "... Let me down for a moment."

Jin Haryeong climbed off his back, staggered, and sank to the ground. Only after several deep breaths did she calm down.

"What are you? Did you learn lightness arts before you learned to walk?"

Geom Mugeuk was smiling as he looked off into the distance. Her gaze naturally followed his, and she started in surprise.

She had thought he'd stopped to let her rest, but that wasn't it. Far ahead, she could see someone running away from them. Astonishingly, it was her grandfather, who had left before them.

'He caught up with Grandfather!'

She realized he'd stopped briefly to avoid overtaking him.

'He's faster than Grandfather?'

She was so shocked she nearly screamed. She believed her grandfather was the greatest martial master under heaven. Some claimed the Heavenly Demon was stronger, but she believed her grandfather could defeat him.

Yet this man had caught up with him. Her grandfather was running with her attacker tucked under his arm, while this man was carrying her on his back. He had caught up with her grandfather under similar conditions?

She hated having to ask such a clichéd question at a moment like this, but it was the only thing she could think to say.

"Who are you, really?"

Geom Mugeuk answered, "Geom Yeon. Someone who'll vanish like smoke once the job is done."

"Fine. If you're going to vanish like smoke, at least tell me the truth before you go. Who are you really? If you've shown me your skills, didn't you intend to reveal your identity too?"

At last, Geom Mugeuk revealed his qi presence. It was on an entirely different plane from the presence he'd shown her until now. At that moment, an image arose in her mind.

A vast blue sky. Stretching endlessly, it was immeasurably broad and blue.

Entranced by its beauty, she reached out.

PLOP!

Then she realized it was the sky reflected in water.

She dipped her hand into the water, and her body slowly began to sink. She had thought it shallow, but it was deep. Looking down, she could see no bottom. What lay in those depths? The instant fear crossed her mind, the image vanished, and she returned to reality.

Then she heard him say:

"Geom Mugeuk. The second son of the leader of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon."

Jin Haryeong stood dazed for a moment.

'What? Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon? Cult leader? Son?'

At first, she thought she'd misheard him. But which part could she possibly have misheard? The Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon? The cult leader? His son?

"I misheard you. What sect did you say you belonged to?"

"The Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon."

"I misheard you again. Where?"

"The place you people call the Demonic Cult. The Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon."

Jin Haryeong's eyes grew wider and wider, like someone waking from a half-dream. Just as he was beginning to wonder whether her eyes had always been that large, she drew her sword and stepped back.

She leveled it at Geom Mugeuk and spoke from behind its keen blade.

"I'll put up with any other joke, but you can't joke about the Demonic Cult!"

It showed how the promising young martial artists of the Orthodox Martial Alliance viewed the Cult. To them, the Demonic Cult was a primal fear instilled from childhood, a horde of evil, and the very reason they learned martial arts.

How great must her shock have been, then, when he claimed to be the Heavenly Demon's son?

The sword she pointed at him trembled. Never in her life had she been so shocked or frightened. By contrast, Geom Mugeuk stood perfectly composed before its tip. His qi presence was clear and tranquil as that sky, deep as that sea.

Then a question suddenly occurred to her.

"Does Grandfather know who you are?"

"He does."

She couldn't understand. If this man was the Demonic Cult's Second Young Master, her grandfather would never have left her alone with him, would he?

"At the very least, he trusts that I won't hurt you. So lower that sword now."

She slowly put her sword away. She had been terribly startled, but hearing that her grandfather knew calmed her.

Geom Mugeuk explained the situation to her.

"A mysterious force called the Heavenly Mandate Society has appeared in Murim. While pursuing them, I found indications that they intended to recruit you during this Young Dragon Tournament. After that, I revealed my identity to the alliance leader, and we've been pursuing whoever is behind them together. If his granddaughter weren't involved, he probably wouldn't have acted personally. Especially not alongside the Demonic Cult's Second Young Master."

She understood the situation immediately.

"The alliance leader wanted me to keep my identity secret from you until the end. But I told him we shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because that would mean underestimating you. Because I believe knowing who I am won't change anything. Whether I'm a servant or the Heavenly Demon's Second Young Master, nothing will change."

"How could nothing change? Apart from both being men, those two are worlds apart!"

"Are they?"

Geom Mugeuk laughed. Jin Haryeong gave him an incredulous look, then finally laughed along.

The boundary of his servant status had vanished, only to be replaced by a new one: heir to the Demonic Cult. The first could at least be crossed by force of will. The second was so high and so perilous that one wrong move could spark a war between the orthodox and demonic factions.

"If you're upset, forgive me."

"I can't. You gave me a shock like that, and you expect me to forgive you? I won't forgive you for the rest of my life."

Despite her words, however, she wasn't all that upset. If anything, knowing he was the Demonic Cult's Second Young Master gave her a strange thrill.

"Then what did you mean earlier at East Lake, when you told me to become alliance leader?"

"Exactly what I said. Get stronger, gain more experience, and become alliance leader. I thought you'd do well."

"And that Martial Alliance Leader would have the Heavenly Demon for a friend?"

"That would be nice, but things are pretty vicious on my side. I don't know whether I'll survive to see you again."

Somehow, it didn't sound entirely like a joke, and Jin Haryeong hoped he would survive rather than die. With that wish in her heart, she held out her hand.

"Now that I know who you really are, let's shake hands properly."

Geom Mugeuk took her hand. She gripped his firmly, then, perhaps feeling awkward, shook it playfully.

"I never imagined the day would come when I'd shake hands with the Demonic Cult's Second Young Master."

"Neither did I. Come on, let's go. We need to hurry too."

Geom Mugeuk turned his back for her to climb on.

She did. It felt completely different from the first time he'd carried her.

"I'll have to brag about this someday. Let me tell you about the time I rode on the Heavenly Demon's back when I was yoooouuuung!"

* * *

Cheol Gon was locked in a secret chamber. Since the alliance leader had immobilized him personally, no one else could release his sealed pressure points even if they tried.

Sitting alone in the room, he struggled to make sense of the situation.

It hadn't happened by chance. The alliance leader wouldn't have appeared there by coincidence.

Nor had he been guarding his granddaughter. If she'd needed an escort, the Heavenly Dragon Guard would have provided it.

In other words, he must have known about the ambush. But Jo Sin was the only person who'd known.

Just then, someone entered.

"You?"

Cheol Gon was startled when he recognized the visitor. It was Geom Mugeuk. One look at his eyes was enough to tell him: this was not the cowardly servant whose arm he'd tried to cut off.

"Ah!"

Cheol Gon let out a groan. He assumed Geom Mugeuk was the alliance leader's subordinate. Had the alliance leader acted personally to root out the Heavenly Mandate Society? That would explain everything about this baffling situation.

Geom Mugeuk sat down opposite him.

"I know you belong to the Heavenly Mandate Society."

Cheol Gon said nothing.

"Tell me who its leader is, and I'll spare your life."

Still, Cheol Gon said nothing. Watching him sit silently, a faint killing intent hanging about him, Geom Mugeuk sensed the Heavenly Mandate Society in him. This was precisely the kind of organization they were: silent, steeped in sinister killing intent.

"Right. Even if you wanted to tell me, you don't know who the leader is either."

In any case, Cheol Gon's usefulness had ended when Jo Sin saw the alliance leader carry him away.

Then Cheol Gon spoke for the first time.

"Release my paralysis points and fight me like a man."

His eyes blazed with killing intent.

SWISH! SHUNK!

Geom Mugeuk's sword flashed from its sheath and pierced his heart. Even if he'd released Cheol Gon's paralysis points and fought him, the man wouldn't have lasted more than a single move. But Geom Mugeuk denied him even that chance.

It was because Martial Alliance Leader Jin Paecheon was waiting outside.

Opening the door and stepping out, Geom Mugeuk said, "You mustn't give these people any opportunities."

Jin Paecheon stared at him in silence. He had no interest whatsoever in Cheol Gon's death. What unsettled him now was this young, utterly unhesitating heir to the Demonic Cult.

"Now, let's arrest Jo Sin."

"He may have hidden himself out of fear."

Geom Mugeuk smiled.

"He'll come looking for me of his own accord."

* * *

It happened exactly as Geom Mugeuk predicted.

As he was about to enter the inn, Jo Sin approached with a bamboo hat pulled low, seized his arm, and dragged him into an alley.

"What the hell happened?"

"That's what I should be asking you. That man tried to cut off my arm. What on earth happened?"

"I was supposed to appear before he cut it off. But the alliance leader appeared first. Why did he show up?"

"How should I know?"

"You don't know?"

"Of course not. How would a mere servant like me know what the Martial Alliance Leader is doing? Didn't you let the secret slip while arranging things, Young Master Jo?"

Jo Sin couldn't dispute that. Yes, he was right. Asking this bastard about the alliance leader was strange in itself.

"So? What happened afterward?"

"The alliance leader took away the man who tried to kill me, and Miss Jin and I came back."

After staring at Geom Mugeuk for a moment, Jo Sin said coldly, "You little shit. This is all your fault!"

SWISH!

He thrust at Geom Mugeuk's throat with the dagger he'd intended to give Jin Haryeong.

But Geom Mugeuk had already caught his wrist.

"That's right. It is my fault."

TAP! TAP!

In an instant, Geom Mugeuk struck his paralysis and muting points.

Jo Sin's eyes widened in shock until they could grow no wider.

A short while later, Jo Sin had been dragged into the secret chamber where Cheol Gon had died. The corpse had been removed, but the smell of his blood lingered.

Jo Sin sat there with fear written on his face. He was bewildered. The revelation that that servant bastard was a greater martial master than he was had shocked him. He couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Then the door opened and Geom Mugeuk entered.

Looking frightened, Jo Sin asked, "Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. What difference does it make whether I'm the servant you tried to cripple over your pathetic pride, or someone from the Heavenly Mandate Society you've secretly allied with? What matters is the situation you're in now."

Jo Sin instinctively sensed that, at least, this man wasn't from the Heavenly Mandate Society.

'He's one of the alliance leader's men!'

That was the conclusion he reached.

"The man who ambushed Jin Haryeong confessed everything."

Jo Sin's heart sank. That terrifying Cheol Gon, so full of killing intent, had confessed this easily? Barely a few watches had passed since his capture.

"What exactly did he confess?"

"That he tried to kidnap Jin Haryeong on your orders."

Jo Sin shouted furiously, "You're the one who planned this!"

"When did I do that?"

"What?"

Jo Sin's face twisted.

"Do you know that attempting to harm the alliance leader or his family is treated as the gravest of crimes? If your guilt is proven, you're beheaded, regardless of your reasons."

At the word 'beheaded,' terror engulfed Jo Sin. He realized the man before him had trapped him.

"What do you want from me?"

After gazing at him, Geom Mugeuk rose.

"You look tired. Get some sleep."

FSSHT.

A streak of finger force struck his sleep point. Jo Sin slumped forward and fell asleep on the spot.

Outside the secret chamber, Jin Paecheon was waiting. He had been listening to their conversation.

"What's the next step?"

"We need to hook his father, Jo Ibaek. Meet with him and tell him that Jo Sin was recruited by an organization called the Heavenly Mandate Society, and has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to kill Miss Jin on their orders."

Geom Mugeuk was truly unhesitating.

"Then Jo Ibaek will make a move, one way or another. We'll also learn whether he's the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society or merely someone its leader recruited. If he was recruited himself and didn't know his son had been recruited too, he may feel betrayed by the Society and hand its leader over to you. Of course, you'll have to give him some breathing room."

"And if he is its leader?"

"Then I believe he'll abandon even his own son."

Listening to Geom Mugeuk, the Martial Alliance Leader once again thought:

'If this man becomes the Heavenly Demon, orthodox Murim will have a hard time of it.'

If he possessed such drive and insight at this young age, he would be impossible to handle once he grew older. At least at this moment, Geom Mugeuk seemed a more difficult enemy than the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society.

Whether or not he knew those private thoughts, Geom Mugeuk was concerned for the Martial Alliance Leader.

"There's one favor I'd like to ask in advance."

"What is it?"

"If we identify the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society, please leave the finishing blow to me. Not because this is my succession trial, but because, judging by how meticulously he's acted so far, he'll keep plotting even from prison if we let him live. He'll inevitably come back to haunt us."

Handling the matter impartially, or according to the law, might require imprisoning the Heavenly Mandate Society's leader and his followers. He was advising against that.

It wasn't something Jin Paecheon could readily answer in his capacity as Martial Alliance Leader, so he said nothing.

With a look that said he understood completely, Geom Mugeuk added quietly, "I'll wipe them all out and disappear without a sound."