Chapter 270 - Can You Handle It?

“Aren’t you going back?”

Despite the Wind Heaven Cult Leader’s question, Go Wol kept looking back and forth between the go board and the booklet in his hand.

“The work’s all done now, isn’t it? Let’s go back!”

They had finally finished establishing an intelligence organization in the Central Plains.

Geom Mugeuk had named it Hidden Moon. Go Wol had added no suffix such as division or corps. He had decided to use the name exactly as Geom Mugeuk had given it.

“Let’s go!”

“I’m not going.”

“Why?”

“I’ll go back when I can beat the chief strategist at go.”

Of course, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader understood what Go Wol really meant. He would return only after making sure Hidden Moon was a better organization than the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion led by the chief strategist. However well an organization was built, there was a clear difference between one whose leader actively managed it in person and one whose leader did not. A newly established organization, especially, needed its leader’s diligence.

“Do you think the Second Young Master will appreciate all this?”

“Not the Second Young Master. The young lord.”

“Same brat either way. Now that he’s achieved his goal, you and the Demon Supremes will all be left out in the cold. He’ll shove you into a corner, then when he runs into you, he’ll say, ‘Who were you again?’ He won’t even call you that strategist from back then anymore. He’ll probably say, ‘Stop getting in the way. Move aside! The young lord is coming through.’ Even if he doesn’t want to, that’s how life goes. Who actually wants to live neglecting people?”

Still studying the go board and the book in his hand, Go Wol said,

“Aren’t you tired of saying that yet?”

“I’ll say it again and again until the day I die. You’ll hear it again and again. Listening like that is what close friends do.”

“Then aren’t we a little too close?”

Without another word, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader walked toward the window.

“That won’t work! Pretending to sulk.”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader smoothly turned as though he had never intended to go to the window and headed for the bed instead. Just as he began feeling his forehead, pretending to have a fever, Go Wol beat him to it.

“Stop pretending to be sick, too!”

In the end, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader returned to his original seat.

“Let’s just bad-mouth the Second Young Master. At least that makes me feel better. Where was I?”

“Move aside! The young lord is coming through.”

For all his complaints about being tired of it, Go Wol had listened to every word.

“Now that he’s the young lord and Hidden Moon is complete, you’ll be pushed aside. Before long, he’ll casually ask what you think of merging Hidden Moon with the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion. What will you do then?”

“If he asks us to merge, we’ll have to merge.”

“No wonder you look so delicious to the Second Young Master! He’ll tear off every scrap of your flesh and lick your bones clean.”

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them.

“You really do bad-mouth me every time we meet.”

They turned in surprise to find Geom Mugeuk standing there with a smile.

“You have a truly astonishing knack for showing up only when I’m bad-mouthing you.”

“Are you sure you don’t simply spend most of your day bad-mouthing me?”

“Sometimes I do it all day, then even in my sleep.”

Despite his words, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader’s face was full of delight.

Geom Mugeuk respectfully cupped his fist in greeting.

“Thank you for all your hard work, Cult Leader.”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Is this the divine technique of giving treats to someone you hate?”

“I heard that Hidden Moon is complete. Without your help at his side, things could never have gone so smoothly.”

“So you two have been exchanging messages again. Leaving me out!”

This time, Go Wol greeted Geom Mugeuk with proper respect.

“At last, I can congratulate you formally. Congratulations on becoming the young lord.”

“You deserve much of the credit.”

“You could have stood a broom in my place, and it wouldn’t have changed the outcome.”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader cut in.

“Don’t be so modest. He’ll believe you mean it. Tell him you worked yourself to death. No matter how often you tell them, people only think about how hard their own lives are.”

Go Wol smiled.

“Our cult leader worked very hard. Please acknowledge his efforts and praise him.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader raised his voice.

“Stop pretending to be so nice and say what you really mean!”

Geom Mugeuk and Go Wol exchanged smiles.

Then Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to the go board behind them.

“So you’re finally becoming the perfect strategist, skilled even at go?”

He walked over to the board, and Go Wol joined him.

“Shall we play a game?”

“I’ve only just learned. I still have a long way to go.”

Contrary to his words, however, the position on the board was far beyond a beginner’s level.

“The fighting is fierce on this side.”

Go Wol answered Geom Mugeuk with a pointed remark.

“Doesn’t it resemble our current situation?”

The moment he heard that question, Geom Mugeuk knew. Go Wol already understood everything that had happened at the Hunan branch. Perhaps he had been playing alone while pondering that very problem.

“This move was played to rescue a stone destined to be sacrificed. It goes too deep to be a probe, yet it’s rather reckless for a move intended to save a sacrificed stone.”

Go Wol’s gaze shifted from the board to Geom Mugeuk.

“It’s the move the Orthodox Martial Alliance played to save the Heavenly Harmony School.”

Indeed, Go Wol already knew what was happening. He even knew things Geom Mugeuk did not.

“Jin Hagun, the Martial Alliance Leader’s grandson and commander of the Demon-Slaying Squad, exercised his special authority to mobilize the Orthodox Martial Alliance. The Cult Leader accepted their demand. Of course, I understand it is customary for the Orthodox Martial Alliance to accept a later demand from the Cult in return for such a concession.”

Geom Mugeuk nodded. Since this also served to test his son, his father would be watching these developments with interest.

“But do they know what Seo Cheong has done?”

“I believe they’ve learned some of it.”

Apart from Seo Cheong, the principal culprit, and Seok Pung, who had exposed his crimes, all the other Martial God Society brats had been released. Through them, word of what had happened at the banquet would be spreading to some extent.

“And they’re pushing ahead anyway?”

“The gain is great enough to justify enduring the criticism.”

Geom Mugeuk shook his head. The Martial Alliance Leader he had met was domineering, but fair and just.

“Perhaps the grandson on their side is being tested, too.”

Go Wol immediately understood and nodded.

“How should we respond now?”

Geom Mugeuk had come all this way to hear the answer to that question.

The journey had been worthwhile. Go Wol already had a plan.

“The Heavenly Harmony School has been able to walk a tightrope between the Cult, the Orthodox Martial Alliance, and the Unorthodox Alliance not only because of its own strength, but because it has thirty-odd small and medium-sized sects following it. And most of those follow the Cult or the Unorthodox Alliance, rather than the orthodox factions.”

“They must be unhappy that the Heavenly Harmony School has joined hands with the orthodox factions.”

“Exactly. We should seize this opportunity to absorb all those sects. Then the Orthodox Martial Alliance will have made a great deal of noise without gaining anything of substance.”

“An excellent plan!”

Geom Mugeuk was delighted.

Go Wol, however, also recognized the flaw in his plan.

“The problem is how the Orthodox Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Harmony School will react. They certainly won’t sit idle. We must prepare for that.”

He was right. They would never simply stand by and watch.

If tensions escalated, a clash could follow. Since his father had ordered Seo Cheong’s release, Geom Mugeuk could not engage in a contest of force with them.

After considering it for a moment, he picked up a white stone.

“They’re overreaching to bring a dead stone back to life. They ought to be punished. However...”

CLICK!

Geom Mugeuk placed the stone away from the area where the battle was unfolding.

“If I openly charge in to capture them, they’ll struggle desperately to survive. So I’m thinking of making my move on the opposite side.”

“A feint in the east, a strike in the west.”

At Go Wol’s words, Geom Mugeuk gave a knowing smile.

“As it happens, that man really is east of us.”

* * *

Geom Mugeuk raced east.

Having reached tenth-level complete mastery, Swift Step had made the Central Plains small for him.

Faster than a bird, he reached his destination and found the man he sought. The welcome face he had come to see was dining at an inn again today.

“I told you to eat a balanced diet, but you’re still being picky.”

Bi Sain chuckled at the incoming sound transmission.

First Wolf, standing nearby, asked him,

“Why are you laughing?”

“I just thought of a ridiculous fellow.”

After Yelü Han’s death, Bi Sain had taken complete control of the actual power. He was now the firmly established successor to the Unorthodox Alliance in both name and fact, with many people following him. It was fair to say he owed all of that to Geom Mugeuk.

“Meet me at the cliff tonight.”

“Let’s stop meeting already.”

* * *

That night, when Bi Sain reached the cliff, Geom Mugeuk was sitting on its edge.

“I don’t know why seeing your back always makes me want to push you off.”

“Give me a good shove today. Once you realize it’s pointless, you won’t feel that way next time.”

Bi Sain came to stand beside him.

“Why are you here again?”

“Why else? I need your help.”

“What kind of Demonic Cult is always asking the Unorthodox Alliance for help?”

Despite his words, Bi Sain’s heart was fluttering. Just when his repetitive daily routine began to bore him, Geom Mugeuk would suddenly appear before him like this.

Still seated, Geom Mugeuk looked up at Bi Sain’s face.

“Oh, you’re quite handsome from this angle. Even your scar looks good from here. If you ever find a woman you love, make sure you seat her here and stand right there.”

“Enough nonsense. Tell me what you came for.”

“Let’s do something together.”

“What are you proposing?”

“The Orthodox Martial Alliance has been getting greedy lately. But when it comes to greed, we’re no slouches ourselves, are we?”

Bi Sain’s expression grew slightly grave.

“You mean the Heavenly Harmony School?”

As expected, he already knew about the matter. He had heard that Geom Mugeuk had taken the school’s successor prisoner. Naturally, he had expected them to ask his side for help, but instead they had unexpectedly joined hands with the Orthodox Martial Alliance. That development had put both Bi Sain and the Unorthodox Alliance on alert.

“As expected, you knew everything.”

“How could I not, with all the commotion you’re causing? Even the children playing in the streets must know.”

“As you know, I like attention.”

“So? Why have you come?”

His goodwill toward Geom Mugeuk aside, this was a matter of great importance. A major neutral power was choosing a side.

“We can’t simply stand by and watch, can we?”

“Surely you could resolve this on your own?”

Bi Sain knew better than anyone how capable Geom Mugeuk was. That was precisely why he was suspicious.

“Of course I could have resolved it alone. If not for my father.”

“What do you mean?”

“An official order came down to release the Heavenly Harmony School’s successor. In other words, I’m not to clash with them head-on.”

“So you intend to use me instead?”

“Something like that.”

Bi Sain answered firmly.

“I refuse.”

As he started to turn away, Geom Mugeuk said,

“Let’s divide it three ways.”

Bi Sain stopped in his tracks. How could he simply leave after hearing that?

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the small and medium-sized sects following the Heavenly Harmony School are aligned with the Cult or your alliance. They must be very unhappy with the school’s unilateral decision. Let’s absorb all of them.”

Bi Sain started in surprise. He had been so focused on the Heavenly Harmony School that he had not thought that far ahead.

“Why offer me a chance instead of absorbing them all yourself?”

Geom Mugeuk answered honestly.

“For three reasons. First, as I said earlier, I’m in no position to act unilaterally and clash with them. But if your side intervenes, the situation changes.”

“And the second reason?”

“What would I gain by forcibly recruiting people who want to serve you? They would only betray us later. If we were in desperate straits, we couldn’t afford to be choosy, but I have no desire to swell our ranks merely for appearances. That’s the old way.”

Bi Sain’s scar twitched. He wondered what hidden motive Geom Mugeuk might have, but could not tell. Anyone else’s intentions would have been easier to read. Geom Mugeuk was truly difficult.

“What’s the last reason?”

“I’m curious. As you know, the Heavenly Harmony School dealt mainly with the Cult and your people. Yet when a crisis struck, they joined hands with the Orthodox Martial Alliance. Shouldn’t they normally have turned to you? Their lives and their fate are at stake, yet they acted against common sense. What could be happening behind the scenes to make them do this? Who orchestrated it? Aren’t you curious?”

Bi Sain answered honestly as well.

“I am. No, I’m even more curious than you.”

“In truth, I think that alone is reason enough for you to act.”

After a moment’s thought, Bi Sain abruptly asked,

“What will you do if I get greedy? If I try to absorb the Heavenly Harmony School, too?”

The school had as many dealings with the Unorthodox Alliance as with the Demonic Cult, so an alliance between them was not impossible.

“Then be greedy.”

“What?”

“If you can, join hands with the Heavenly Harmony School.”

“Do you hate those orthodox bastards that much?”

“That’s not why. It’s because I intend to absorb the Heavenly Harmony School, too. If I want it myself, I have to acknowledge your right to want it. Let’s compete. Let’s see who gets the school.”

Bi Sain looked down at Geom Mugeuk in silence. From their first meeting to this very moment, the man had always felt like a wall. But not a wall that crushed him. It was a wall he wanted to surmount, a wall that spurred him not to remain as he was.

Bi Sain spoke abruptly.

“Now I want to push you off again.”

Geom Mugeuk responded by holding out a hand for help getting up.

Bi Sain shook his head in disbelief.

“I really think you ought to seek counsel from the Medical Sage.”

“Even the Cult’s Demon Physician is completely smitten with me, so that’s impossible. If you won’t give me a hand, I’ll have to get up myself. Oh, my back.”

With an exaggerated show of discomfort, Geom Mugeuk stood.

Bi Sain made his final decision.

“I’ll see you in Hunan.”

He was accepting the proposal.

Geom Mugeuk told him,

“Bring experts who can make things intimidating. We don’t know what might emerge from their side. And I need a justification to act, too.”

Bi Sain challenged him.

“Can you handle it?”

“Why should I have to? I’ll call in my own people. Demon Supremes scarier than yours.”

“You really won’t concede even once.”

Bi Sain turned and disappeared into the darkness.

“You grow more impressive by the day!”