Chapter 172: We're Out of Time, So Get on My Back

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Where in the world have you been?" Cho Sin demanded, his face angry. He had waited a long time at the inn before Geom Mugeuk finally appeared.

"I was just getting some fresh air," Geom Mugeuk replied.

Cho Sin never imagined that Geom Mugeuk had just met his own father and the Murim Alliance Chairman. He also did not know that he himself was Geom Mugeuk's prey. He had walked right into the tiger's maw.

"You have a lot of free time for an attendant." Cho Sin took a throwing knife from his robes. It was the one he meant to give Jin Haryong, inscribed with words congratulating her victory.

"Should I use this to stab your master to death?" Cho Sin asked. "It seems like a fitting end to this whole affair."

"The best ending would be for you, Young Lord, to marry Miss Jin, and for me to get my hundred thousand taels," Geom Mugeuk said.

"Then you'd better be worth the money."

"I have to receive the money to be worth it."

"How much do you think it's worth that I'm not stabbing you in the neck with this throwing knife?"

Cho Sin grew impatient, worried the marriage would not happen. He had boasted to Cheolgon, who had pressured him about it, so he had to make it work. That was why Cho Sin, who had never waited for anyone, had waited two hours for Geom Mugeuk at the inn.

Geom Mugeuk looked at the throwing knife on the table. "It's time for a big move," he said.

"A big move? What kind of big move?"

"Living as the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Chairman, how many scions of prestigious families do you think she's seen?" Geom Mugeuk asked. "They all boast about their families, wealth, and martial arts. How pathetic and boring must that be from her perspective?"

Cho Sin had recently boasted about his own wealth and family, so he said nothing.

"You have to show her something different from the other scions."

"So what is it?"

"There's one move that works on every woman, whether she's pretty, ugly, kind, wicked, young, or old. It's this." Geom Mugeuk raised the throwing knife as if to stab Cho Sin.

Cho Sin quickly grabbed Geom Mugeuk's wrist.

"Are you trying to kill me? Do you want to die?"

"This is it."

"What?"

"You save her from a crisis," Geom Mugeuk explained. "A man who saved her life. What more could she need?"

Cho Sin's eyes widened.

This is it.

A belated self-reproach hit him.

Why didn't I think of this?

"It's an old method, hundreds of years old, but it's the best and most effective one," Geom Mugeuk continued. "What's more powerful than a life debt? But you'll have to plan it well. Miss Jin is a sharp person."

Geom Mugeuk could feel it. Cho Sin was already halfway convinced.

"Ah, and one very important thing! You must entrust this to someone reliable. If something goes wrong and Miss Jin gets hurt or killed, your life will be forfeit too, Young Lord Cho."

Geom Mugeuk predicted that if Cho Sin was connected to the Heavenly Enlightenment Society, he would ask them for help. He could not entrust such an important task to just anyone.

"You must not use someone from the First Young Lord's family. It'd be a huge problem if it were ever revealed. Do you know any masters who are completely unrelated? It has to be a master strong enough to subdue Miss Jin, and they must be trustworthy."

The moment Cho Sin heard those words, he thought of one person.

Cheolgon.

That fearsome man would be perfect for this task. Of course, Cho Sin did not know if Cheolgon would accept, but there was hope. Cheolgon's mission was to get him and Jin Haryong married quickly. He was in enough of a hurry to pressure Cho Sin personally.

Geom Mugeuk noticed Cho Sin was thinking of someone.

Just as I thought! There is someone around him.

Pretending to know nothing, Geom Mugeuk said, "Don't involve me in such a dangerous affair! I've done my part."

Of course, his words actually meant, Please, involve me. It was human psychology to want what was forbidden, and Cho Sin now had a very good reason to include Geom Mugeuk.

"You have to help me to the very end."

"I absolutely despise dangerous work."

Cho Sin imagined it. He would appear and rescue Jin Haryong and this attendant from danger. He would be a stark contrast to the incompetent fool. Yes, there was no need to overthink it. This would be enough.

"And you have to be the one to bring Miss Jin out," Cho Sin said. "If I take her out and a villain appears, it'll be obvious I orchestrated it, won't it?"

"Fine. I'll help. I need to get paid, after all," Geom Mugeuk said. "If you're going to do it, you must hurry. If this happens after Miss Jin formally joins the alliance, the Murim Alliance will launch an official investigation."

Even without that reason, Cho Sin's mind was already racing.

"Wait at the inn. Don't leave until I contact you."

"Understood."

Cho Sin left in a hurry. Geom Mugeuk quietly followed him.

Cho Sin and Cheolgon met in a shabby warehouse near the Murim Alliance.

"I believe I told you not to contact me unless it was a matter of life and death," Cheolgon said.

"This is just as important. You must help me just this once."

"What is it?"

"If you help me, I can marry Jin Haryong."

Cheolgon's face twisted into an expression that said, What is this nonsense?

"I need you to pretend to kidnap her," Cho Sin explained. "Then I'll appear and rescue her."

Cheolgon was so dumbfounded he almost cursed aloud.

"Look here, Young Lord Cho. Are you drunk?"

"I'll be honest," Cho Sin said. "I may have talked big, but right now, Miss Jin has no intention of marrying me."

Cho Sin revealed everything honestly. He judged that begging and pleading would work better on this cold, fearsome man than any trickery.

"If you pressure me to marry her in this situation, what am I supposed to do? If it were any other woman, I could threaten her into it, but my opponent is the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Chairman. Do you think I'd resort to this if I weren't so desperate?"

"You think such a shallow trick will work?"

"That's why I need you," Cho Sin insisted. "Someone with the skills to fool Jin Haryong. Someone who can subdue her without fail and without hurting her."

"So, after I subdue Jin Haryong, you'll appear and rescue her," Cheolgon said. "If you, with your skills, manage to drive me away, do you think she'll believe it?"

Cheolgon considered Cho Sin a notch below Jin Haryong in skill.

"Why do you think I'm weaker than Jin Haryong?" Cho Sin revealed his aura. It was a sharp presence, not at all like a prodigy's, and it was not the slightest bit weaker than Jin Haryong's. It seemed Cho Sin had a hidden card of his own.

"Isn't your mission to get me married to Jin Haryong? If you miss this chance, you'll never complete your mission. Honestly, I don't care. I'm only doing this because you people are forcing me. What do I have to worry about?"

Cheolgon considered it. The proposal was ridiculous, but if it worked and the two married, his mission would be complete.

"You said you wanted me to grow into a giant tree, didn't you? Well, don't you think you need to fertilize the seedling once in a while for it to grow?"

After a moment of thought, Cheolgon nodded. "Fine. Let's do it."

Cho Sin's face brightened when Cheolgon accepted.

"Ah, and while you're subduing her, cripple that attendant bastard. Cut off an arm, and a leg too."

Cheolgon looked openly annoyed. "If you hate him that much, why not just kill him?"

"I want to see how she reacts when that bastard is in a miserable state." Cho Sin smiled coldly as he imagined the attendant crippled. Would Jin Haryong pity the fool and keep him by her side for life? He was certain that would never happen.

"If she shows such a self-sacrificing side, then I'll acknowledge her." He just wanted to see that Jin Haryong was a shallow, insignificant woman.

To Cho Sin, Jin Haryong was still a tainted woman who had shown interest in an attendant over him. Even if they married, he would never love her.

Cheolgon inwardly found Cho Sin pathetic. He did not know if Cho Sin was stupid or just young, but it was a thought Cheolgon himself would never entertain.

"Let me know when the time and place are decided." Cheolgon left first, and Cho Sin followed.

After they disappeared, two other people appeared. They were Geom Mugeuk and the Murim Alliance Chairman, Jin Paecheon. Jin Paecheon had announced he was entering seclusion for a few days, but he had been moving secretly with Geom Mugeuk.

Jin Paecheon was flabbergasted by Cho Sin's true colors. He forcibly restrained the urge to run out and crush him on the spot.

"Why aren't we capturing that Heavenly Enlightenment Society bastard right here?"

"He's not our target," Geom Mugeuk said. "He may be a master, but he's just a disposable pawn. No amount of interrogation will lead us to the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman."

From what they had seen, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was not someone who could be caught by taking down one subordinate.

"Then what's the plan?"

"Our target is that Cho Sin."

"What are you going to do with Cho Sin?"

"We're going to take him to the gates of hell. Let's see how Jo Yibaek reacts when we push Cho Sin to the edge of a cliff. Jo Yibaek is the one who will guide us to the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman."

Jin Paecheon inwardly marveled at Geom Mugeuk's intelligence and relentless drive. If he were not the Demonic Cult Second Young Lord, Jin Paecheon would have used any means to make him his son-in-law.

What a true waste.

But forget a son-in-law. Geom Mugeuk was a potential enemy of the orthodox sects' murim, and a very dangerous one at that.

Hiding his thoughts, Jin Paecheon said gruffly, "There are four days left."

The next day, Jin Haryong put on her favorite martial arts uniform and left her residence. Geom Mugeuk had suggested they go to West Lake.

She was in a good mood the entire ride. At times like this, she saw just how hypocritical she was.

As good as she felt, her regret was just as great.

If only he weren't an attendant.

Behind this thought lay the conviction that she could not, and would not, marry an attendant.

And she knew it. She would never be able to cross that line of status.

You'll regret this later. You pathetic wench, you snob! Just live alone. Live alone.

Lost in her thoughts, the two of them arrived at West Lake.

After staring silently at the lake, Geom Mugeuk spoke first. "Someone once said that it's more important to part well than to meet well."

"Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"I'm leaving in a few days."

"What?"

"Thanks for everything."

Geom Mugeuk's words startled her.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

She felt a sense of loss. She preferred to be alone and had few friends, but none had ever given her this sense of closeness. The words "Don't go" rose to her throat.

But she could not take responsibility for his life. Once she joined the Murim Alliance, she would be too busy to see him often anyway.

"You should become the Murim Alliance Chairman later."

"What?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

Someone ambushed her from behind. Distracted by Geom Mugeuk, she had failed to notice the approach.

She turned in belated surprise.

TAK! TAK!

A masked Cheolgon instantly sealed her acupoints. The difference in their skills and the surprise attack left her completely off guard.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk had sensed his approach from a distance. He was prepared for any contingency, just in case another variable arose.

After subduing her, Cheolgon turned his gaze to Geom Mugeuk.

At that moment, Jin Haryong shouted, "Not him! Don't kill him!"

Jin Haryong thought the masked man would kill Geom Mugeuk. If she was the target, he would not leave the attendant with her alive.

"No! Please! Let him go!"

Despite her desperate cries, Cheolgon strode forward. He intended to cut off Geom Mugeuk's arm with a single strike.

Just then, Cheolgon's sword stopped mid-air. A colossal presence erupted behind him. The hair on his entire body stood on end, and his survival instincts screamed for him to run. Any other time, he would have fled without a second thought, but his body would not move. He felt like he was flailing in the ocean, with no boats or islands to save him, just the vast, empty sea.

Cheolgon desperately raised his qi and turned around.

A massive tidal wave of unknown height surged before him. The Murim Alliance Chairman, Jin Paecheon, stood right behind him.

"……damn it!"

He desperately tried to turn and flee, but Jin Paecheon sealed his acupoints before he could take a single step. No matter how much of a master Cheolgon was, he was only a one-move opponent for Jin Paecheon.

Cheolgon could not understand the situation.

Why did the Murim Alliance Chairman appear here?

According to the plan, Cho Sin was supposed to appear and rescue her after Cheolgon cut off the attendant's limbs, but why was this happening?

If things had gone wrong, Cho Sin should be appearing right now. He should be smiling, explaining to Jin Haryong that it was just a prank to look good, and that this man was his subordinate. He should be smoothing things over.

But Cho Sin did not appear.

Then, a chilling thought ran down his spine.

A trap?

Did he sell me out to the Murim Alliance? Otherwise, there's no reason he wouldn't show up, right?

Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk noticed Cho Sin hiding in the distant forest.

Don't come out!

A rift between Cheolgon and Cho Sin was exactly what Geom Mugeuk wanted.

Cho Sin hid in the forest, watching the situation unfold. He was greatly flustered by the Chairman's appearance.

I'm screwed.

What would he say to the Chairman if he went out? That he had faked a kidnapping to rescue her? The moment he did, the marriage would be off forever. Besides, how would he explain who Cheolgon was?

However, he could not just stay put. He could not let Cheolgon be captured like this.

He tried to step out, but his feet would not move. He thought it was fear of the Chairman, but in reality, Geom Mugeuk's qi subtly pressed down on him. Panicked and frightened, Cho Sin did not notice it at all.

Damn it!

In the end, Cho Sin decided to retreat and deal with the situation later. When he stepped back and turned, his body moved freely. He left without looking back.

Jin Paecheon released his granddaughter's acupoints.

"Grandfather! How did you get here?"

"I'll explain everything later."

Right now, it was important to proceed with the plan.

Jin Paecheon and Geom Mugeuk looked at each other and nodded once.

Jin Paecheon tucked the immobilized Cheolgon under his arm, shot into the air, and vanished instantly. It was a truly awe-inspiring supreme movement arts technique.

Jin Haryong asked Geom Mugeuk, "What is all this about?"

She sensed something was happening that she did not know about.

"Let's go back too. We don't have time for this," Geom Mugeuk said. "Can you handle dizziness well when using movement arts?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm asking if you can handle it."

"I've never once felt dizzy while using movement arts."

"If you get dizzy, close your eyes tight. Don't throw up on my back."

Geom Mugeuk turned his back and crouched down.

"Get on. We're out of time, hurry."

The situation seemed unusual, so she got on Geom Mugeuk's back.

He's going to run with me on his back? Why? I'm not even hurt.

She decided to just see what would happen.

"Don't tell me you were worried I'd get dizzy while you were running with me on your baaaaaaaaaack!"