Chapter 230 - What Was Your First Instinct?

A gust of wind blew past, heralding the approach of a new destiny.

Countless thoughts flashed through Bi Sain's mind. His first reaction was suspicion.

What if all of this was a scheme by the Demonic Cult to devour them?

But he soon dismissed the thought. Perhaps someone else might do such a thing, but the Geom Mugeuk he knew was not a man who would resort to such tricks.

"You needn't get directly involved. There's just one thing I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"Once I eliminate Yelü Han, have it treated as your doing."

Bi Sain was startled. He had never imagined that this was the help Geom Mugeuk wanted.

"Why would you ask that of me?"

"Naturally, because I don't want war to break out between the Cult and your alliance."

War between the Demonic Cult and the Unorthodox Alliance.

Bi Sain had imagined war with the Orthodox Martial Alliance, but never with the Demonic Cult. Judging by their respective strength, the Unorthodox Alliance would be destroyed. Of course, the Demonic Cult would also suffer tremendous losses. The Orthodox Martial Alliance would never let that opportunity slip by.

'Leave Yelü Han to the Demonic Cult to kill?'

Any pleasure he might take in killing with a borrowed blade was outweighed by his unease at entrusting his sworn enemy's execution to someone else rather than carrying it out himself. It wounded his pride. If Yelü Han had to die, shouldn't he be the one to kill him?

Concealing those feelings, Bi Sain raised a different objection.

"The alliance leader won't believe I killed him."

"You can make him believe it. At the very least, you can smooth this affair over."

These were not empty words. Geom Mugeuk believed in Bi Sain's ability and potential.

After a pause, Bi Sain asked,

"Can you even eliminate Yelü Han?"

"That's my problem to solve."

Geom Mugeuk turned his gaze toward the Unorthodox Alliance. An unbroken array of burning torches stood watch over its night.

"For you and me alike, taking our places there will be far from easy. Those already in power dislike change, and they don't trust us. We cannot claim those seats without effort. A seat easily won will be easily lost."

After considering it briefly, Bi Sain spoke firmly.

"I refuse. If he must be eliminated, I'll do it myself."

He turned and walked away. Geom Mugeuk called after him.

"If you change your mind, come here at midnight. I'll be here every night."

Without a word, Bi Sain vanished into the darkness.

* * *

"What has the alliance leader's office had to say?"

Cha Hwan answered Yelü Han's question.

"Nothing."

Yelü Han employed no strategist. He assessed and decided everything himself. When someone once asked why he had no strategist, he had replied that he had done well enough without one and saw no particular need for one.

It was an arrogant remark, but as word of it spread, his following within the Unorthodox Alliance grew even larger.

"Ji Saeng's and Ae Cha's deaths have dealt a serious blow to our income. Someone else can take over Ji Saeng's Immortal Debt operation, but the problem is the Berserk that Ae Cha and the True Poison Recluse manufactured and sold. With the Recluse dead, production has stopped. Why didn't you obtain the formula from him beforehand?"

Cha Hwan could not understand it. Perhaps Ae Cha could not have managed it, but Yelü Han could have secured it long ago. The True Poison Recluse had been terrified of him.

"What would you have thought if I had?"

"I would have thought you were meticulous."

Yelü Han stared at Cha Hwan coldly. Cha Hwan sensed at once that he had given the wrong answer.

"A leader who takes what belongs to his subordinates can never be the greatest of leaders."

Cha Hwan looked deeply moved. His expression conveyed just how touched he was, and how much he respected Yelü Han for it, but Yelü Han regarded it as habitual admiration.

So easily moved. So quick to admire. It was not an attitude Yelü Han particularly liked.

Still, at least there was no deceit in Cha Hwan's habitual admiration, which was why he kept the man at his side. There was a distinct difference in the warmth of their feelings toward each other.

"We mustn't sacrifice greater gains for small ones! We have a long road ahead of us!"

"Yes!"

Just then, a subordinate reported from outside.

"Young Master Bi has arrived."

A faint smile touched Yelü Han's lips. He had somehow expected Bi Sain to come, and his prediction had proved correct.

"Show him in!"

Then he signaled with his eyes for Cha Hwan to withdraw.

"I'll take my leave."

Shortly after Cha Hwan left, Bi Sain entered.

"Welcome, Young Master Bi."

"Have you been well, Corps Commander?"

Their gazes met amid taut tension. Everyone recognized them as sworn enemies. Everyone believed one would eventually die at the other's hands. The only question was when.

"I hope I'm not taking up the time of such a busy man."

"Surely you're busier than I am, Young Master Bi. Please, sit."

They sat across from each other at a table. A maid brought tea, but Bi Sain did not even touch his cup.

"I heard about the Great Night Gang."

"Their resistance was so fierce that we had no choice."

"Might you have pushed them too hard?"

The gently phrased question carried a rebuke.

"The Ultimate Corps can be somewhat rough, but they aren't men who go out of their way to enjoy killing."

Yelü Han used the Ultimate Corps as his shield. From that point on, an ill-chosen word would amount to insulting the corps. With that remark, he had silenced Bi Sain.

Bi Sain gazed steadily at Yelü Han. Judging by their faces alone, Bi Sain looked more menacing, but Yelü Han's utterly emotionless eyes overwhelmed that menace.

Bi Sain had to admit it: he had feared Yelü Han all this time. He could not know what thoughts lurked in the head of a man who never once showed his emotions. That ignorance made him all the more frightening.

"You can never truly know what's in a person's heart. To think the leader of the Great Night Gang, who devoted his entire life to our alliance, would join hands with the Orthodox Martial Alliance. Frankly, it frightens me. When I become alliance leader, who's to say another such traitor won't appear?"

"You're a man of excellent character, Young Master Bi. You'll lead our alliance well."

"It isn't as though our alliance leader was betrayed because he lacked character."

Yelü Han detected defiance and confidence in Bi Sain. This departure from his usual behavior deepened Yelü Han's misunderstanding.

'The leader of the Unorthodox Alliance must have given him a hint.'

He must have told Bi Sain that an invisible war had begun.

Yelü Han did not know that the change in Bi Sain's attitude was due not to the alliance leader, but to Geom Mugeuk.

'Can a greenhorn like you truly lead the unorthodox martial world?'

'By the time I reach your age, I'll be a far greater man than you.'

'A greenhorn remains a greenhorn even after he grows up. You will never sit in the alliance leader's seat.'

Those were the true feelings held in their gazes. Yet the words that left their mouths were gentle, at odds with their hearts.

"I misspoke and invited misunderstanding."

"Not at all. Given the gravity of the matter, I was overly sensitive. My apologies."

After apologizing politely, Bi Sain rose.

"I'd best leave before I make any more mistakes."

Before leaving, he offered one final remark.

"I'm placing my trust in you alone, Corps Commander."

Yelü Han gave him a reassuring nod.

Bi Sain left the room. He had felt he should meet Yelü Han at least once before making his decision. He had hoped seeing the man would make the choice easier, but it remained difficult.

To become leader of the Unorthodox Alliance, he had to kill Yelü Han. But was now the time? And with a borrowed blade from the Demonic Cult, at that?

When he had defeated Seok Gwanchu's grandson and become the successor, he had felt certain he could handle anything that lay ahead.

Now he realized he had still never made a major decision that would change his life.

Outside, Bi Sain looked up at the sky. The weather had been gloomy for days.

* * *

The next day, as he was eating at the inn, another sound transmission reached him.

"Eating in the same place every day makes you an easy target for assassination."

It was Geom Mugeuk.

"If you couldn't even wait a day before coming to find me, why did you say you'd wait at that cliff?"

"Waiting is one thing. Right now, I've come to persuade you. Our fates depend on this."

Bi Sain's chopsticks paused briefly. He drank a cup of wine with his meal. Watching him, the First Wolf of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path asked with concern,

"Is something troubling you?"

"First Wolf."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Do you think I'll become leader of the Unorthodox Alliance?"

"What do you mean? Of course you'll be the next alliance leader."

"I mean, do you think I'll still hold that seat ten years after I take it?"

For a fleeting instant, the First Wolf hesitated. Bi Sain knew that Yelü Han was the reason for that hesitation.

The First Wolf answered,

"We'll keep you safe for the rest of your life."

Bi Sain smiled and resumed eating.

Another sound transmission came from Geom Mugeuk.

"They'll all die too."

"There's no need to drag other people into this to persuade me."

"I'm telling you this isn't your problem alone. The same goes for me. The people I've cared about, the people close to me... My failure will become theirs, whether I want it to or not."

Bi Sain gave no answer. Geom Mugeuk pressed him no further. Instead, he asked to meet once more.

"There's something I want to tell you. Let's meet at the cliff later."

* * *

"Why did you want to see me?"

Bi Sain arrived at the cliff at midnight. Geom Mugeuk was already there, gazing at the stars scattered across the night sky.

"It's been too cloudy to see the stars these past few days, but they're wonderfully clear tonight."

Bi Sain followed his gaze upward. The sky truly seemed to spill over with stars.

After a long while, Geom Mugeuk spoke first.

"There's something I tell people. My Demonic Path does not break tables."

Bi Sain turned to look at him. Still gazing skyward, Geom Mugeuk continued.

"I cannot stand watching the powerful trample the weak. When I see it, I cannot tolerate it, whether they're from the Cult, the orthodox factions, or the unorthodox factions. I don't know if you're aware of this, but Yelü Han's subordinates created something called Immortal Debt to exploit young people and lead them to ruin. They made a drug called Berserk and drove even innocent people to their deaths. Refusing to stand by and watch that shit is my Demonic Path."

Geom Mugeuk slowly lowered his gaze from the sky to Bi Sain. When their eyes met, he asked,

"What is your unorthodox path?"

Bi Sain could say nothing. He had a vague resolve and ambition to govern the Unorthodox Alliance well, but no concrete philosophy of rule that he could articulate. Perhaps that was only natural. He was still young.

"If you find that answer, this decision may become easier."

This time, Geom Mugeuk was the first to leave.

Bi Sain remained standing there for a long time, late into the night.

* * *

The following day, Bi Sain reached the cliff first.

The moment he saw Geom Mugeuk, he spoke coldly.

"Do you even understand what you're about to do?"

His voice was low, but it carried the anger he had failed to express the night before.

"Do you understand what killing him entails? If it were easy, would I have endured this when I know full well he'll kill me someday?"

"I know it will be difficult."

"No, you don't. I'll tell you why. The alliance leader once told me that Yelü Han commands supreme masters, and that I mustn't take him lightly. I'll give you the name of one of them."

"Who?"

"Baek Haeng, the Divine Sword of Five Thunders."

Geom Mugeuk was startled.

"That man is still alive?"

He was a master of the previous generation from the unorthodox factions, a truly formidable expert who had dominated the unorthodox martial world in his day.

"So leave while I'm still asking nicely. Go home while both your legs still work."

Then Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.

"The Cult has identified one of them as well."

"Who do you know about?"

"Da Mal, the Blood-Wheel Calamity."

This time, Bi Sain was shocked. The man was evil among the evil, having slaughtered hundreds of orthodox martial artists in a single bloodbath. His martial prowess did not compare to the Divine Sword of Five Thunders, but his wickedness defied description.

"Those two might not be the only ones. You still intend to do this?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded at Bi Sain's question.

"I do."

At that utterly unhesitating answer, Bi Sain shook his head.

"You truly are mad in the strangest way."

"Even if I fail, you have nothing to lose. Why are you hesitating? Are you worried about me, perhaps? Is that why you told me about the Divine Sword of Five Thunders?"

Bi Sain was slightly flustered.

"What are you talking about? Why would I worry about you?"

"Why get angry? I only asked."

"Because you're talking nonsense."

Geom Mugeuk continued his persuasion in a gentle tone.

"I know this isn't an easy decision."

"Yet you're pushing me into it."

"Haven't you learned from experience? With major decisions like this, that first instinct is often right. Ignore that gut feeling, and all your long deliberation ends in a bad move. What was your first instinct?"

After a pause, Bi Sain answered.

"To do it."

"Then let's do it."

Bi Sain knew there would be no end to agonizing over this. A month from now, even a year from now, he would still be torn. He simply had to take the plunge.

And so he did.

"All right. Let's do it."

He decided to keep it simple.

Without Geom Mugeuk, he would not be here today anyway. The man had come to collect the life debt, so he would repay that enormous debt this way.

"Let's do it!"

At the very least, Geom Mugeuk seemed like someone who would not lead him down a bad path. That was the kind of man he was to Bi Sain.

Geom Mugeuk was delighted, and grateful to Bi Sain for accepting his proposal.

"Thank you. You've made the right choice. Without you, I wouldn't even have considered going through with this in the first place."

"I only hope that when I look back on this moment, I won't berate myself for making such a pathetic decision."

Their gazes met.

With eyes full of gratitude, Geom Mugeuk told him,

"Let's not look back now. Later, once we've become the Heavenly Demon and the leader of the Unorthodox Alliance, we can look back then."