Chapter 173: Who I Am Doesn't Matter

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jin Haryong couldn't collect her thoughts. She had never experienced such fast movement arts. The scenery blurred past so quickly she couldn't make anything out. She couldn't open her eyes properly and struggled to breathe.

How can he run without crashing into anything?

It was surprising and marvelous. At the same time, she felt a strange joy.

Was this person such a master?

She couldn't even imagine the realm of martial arts required for such movement.

He's not an ordinary servant.

She didn't know why this fact made her so happy, but she was glad. The insurmountable line between them felt like it had disappeared.

Geom Mugeuk stopped his insane sprint.

"…Let me get down for a second."

Jin Haryong slid off his back, then staggered and collapsed. She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

"What are you? Did you learn movement arts as your first steps?"

Geom Mugeuk smiled and looked somewhere else. She followed his gaze and was startled. She had thought he stopped for her to rest, but that wasn't it. In the distance, she saw the back of someone running. It was her grandfather, who had run ahead.

He caught up to Grandfather!

She realized Geom Mugeuk had stopped only to avoid overtaking her grandfather.

He's faster than Grandfather?

She was so shocked she nearly screamed. She had always thought her grandfather was the world's number one master. Though some said the Heavenly Demon was stronger, she believed her grandfather could win, yet this man had caught up to her grandfather. Her grandfather carried the attacker, and this man carried her. He had matched her grandfather's speed under similar conditions.

She hated asking such a cliché question, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"What is your real identity?"

Geom Mugeuk answered. "Geom Yeon. A person who will disappear like smoke when the job is done."

"Right, if you're going to disappear like smoke, at least tell me the truth first. Who are you really? You've already shown your skills, so didn't you plan on revealing your identity too?"

Geom Mugeuk finally released his qi. His presence felt completely different from before. An image surfaced in her mind. It was a vast, clear sky, endlessly wide and blue. Captivated by its beauty, she reached out her hand.

SPLASH!

She realized it was the sky reflected on water. She dipped her hand in, and her body slowly submerged. She thought it was shallow, but it was deep. She looked down but couldn't see the bottom. What could be in those depths? The moment fear struck her, the image vanished, and she returned to reality.

Then, she heard a single phrase.

"Geom Mugeuk. Son of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Cult Leader's second brother."

Jin Haryong was dazed for a moment.

What? The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? Cult Leader? Son?

She thought she must have misheard, but which part could she have misheard? The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? The Cult Leader? The son?

"I heard wrong. What was your sect again?"

"The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

"I heard wrong again. Where?"

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

Jin Haryong's eyes widened as if waking from a daze. Just as one might wonder if her eyes were always so large, she drew her sword and stepped back. She aimed her sword at Geom Mugeuk. From behind the sharp blade, she spoke.

"I can take any other joke, but I won't tolerate jokes about the Demonic Cult!"

He saw clearly how the Murim Alliance prodigies perceived his Cult. To them, the Demonic Cult was a fundamental fear, a congregation of evil, and the very reason they learned martial arts. Her shock at hearing he was the son of the Heavenly Demon must have been immense.

Her sword trembled as she pointed it at him. She had never been so surprised and afraid. In contrast, Geom Mugeuk remained incredibly calm at her sword's tip. His qi was as clear as the sky and as deep as the sea from her vision.

A question suddenly occurred to her. "Does Grandfather know your identity too?"

"He does."

She couldn't understand. If this person was the Second Young Lord of the Demonic Cult, her grandfather would never have left her alone with him.

"He must at least believe that I'm not someone who would harm you. So, lower your sword now."

She slowly sheathed her sword. She had been too shocked, but hearing that her grandfather knew calmed her.

Geom Mugeuk explained the situation. "A mysterious faction called the Heavenly Enlightenment Society has appeared in murim. While tracking them, we found evidence they planned to recruit you at this Young Dragon Tournament. I revealed my identity to the Chairman, and we are now pursuing the mastermind together. The Chairman probably wouldn't have gotten involved personally if it weren't for his granddaughter. Especially not with the Second Young Lord of the Demonic Cult."

She understood immediately.

"The Chairman wanted to keep my identity a secret until the very end, but I told him not to."

"……"

"Because that would be disrespectful to you. I believe nothing will change even if you know who I am. A servant, or the Second Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon. There will be no difference."

"Why would there be no difference? The only thing those two have in common is being a man. They're worlds apart!"

"Is that so?"

Geom Mugeuk laughed. Jin Haryong made a dumbfounded expression, then eventually laughed with him. The line of his status as a servant was gone, replaced by a new one, that of a successor to the Demonic Cult. She could cross the first line with some effort, but the second was so high and dangerous that one misstep could start a war between the Orthodox and Demonic factions.

"If you're upset, let it go."

"I can't. How can I let it go after you scared me like this? I'll never let it go."

But despite her words, she wasn't upset. In fact, she felt a strange excitement knowing he was the Second Young Lord of the Demonic Cult.

"Then what did you mean back at West Lake when you told me to become the Chairman?"

"I meant it literally. Get stronger, gain more experience, and become the Chairman. I thought you'd do a good job."

"And the friend of that Murim Alliance Chairman is the Heavenly Demon?"

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

For some reason, it didn't sound like a joke. Jin Haryong found herself hoping he would survive. With that thought, she extended her hand.

"Now that I know your real identity. Let's shake hands formally."

Geom Mugeuk took her hand. Jin Haryong squeezed it tightly, then shook it playfully, perhaps feeling awkward.

"To think the day would come when I shake hands with the Second Young Lord of the Demonic Cult."

"The same goes for me. Now, let's go. We need to hurry too."

Geom Mugeuk turned his back, telling her to get on. She climbed onto his back again. The feeling was completely different from the first time.

"I'll have to brag to people later. I'm gonna tell the story of how I rode on the back of the Heavenly Demon in my younger days, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Cheolgon was locked in a secret room. The Chairman had subdued Cheolgon personally, so no one else could release his sealed blood points. Sitting alone, Cheolgon tried to understand the situation. It wasn't a coincidence. The Chairman hadn't appeared there by chance. He wasn't bodyguarding his granddaughter either, or the Heavenly Dragon Protection Squad would have done it.

This meant the Chairman knew about the ambush. The only person who knew about it was Cho Sin.

Just then, someone entered the room.

"You are?"

Cheolgon recognized the person and was startled. It was Geom Mugeuk. He could tell just by his eyes. This was not the cowardly servant whose arm he had tried to cut off.

"Ah!"

Cheolgon lamented. He thought Geom Mugeuk was the Chairman's subordinate. The Chairman had moved personally to root out the Heavenly Enlightenment Society. That explained this incomprehensible situation.

Geom Mugeuk sat across from him. "I know you're a member of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society."

Cheolgon said nothing.

"If you reveal who the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society is, I'll spare your life."

Cheolgon remained silent. Geom Mugeuk felt the Heavenly Enlightenment Society's presence in Cheolgon's silent form, which was shrouded in a faint killing intent. Silent with a sinister killing intent. This was exactly their kind of organization.

"Right, you probably don't know who the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society is even if you wanted to talk."

In any case, Cheolgon's usefulness ended when he showed Cho Sin that the Chairman had captured him.

Then, for the first time, Cheolgon spoke. "Release my blood points and let's fight like men."

Cheolgon's eyes blazed with killing intent.

SWISH! STAB!

Geom Mugeuk drew his sword in a flash and pierced Cheolgon's heart. The fight would have ended in a second anyway, but Geom Mugeuk didn't even give him that chance. The Murim Alliance Chairman, Jin Paecheon, was waiting outside.

Geom Mugeuk opened the door, stepped out, and spoke. "You must not give these people any chance."

Jin Paecheon stared at Geom Mugeuk without a word. He didn't care about Cheolgon's death. What shook Jin Paecheon's heart was this unrestrained young successor of the Demonic Cult.

"Now, let's apprehend Cho Sin."

"He might have gotten scared and gone into hiding."

Geom Mugeuk smiled. "He will come looking for me on his own."

Geom Mugeuk's prediction was correct.

Geom Mugeuk was about to enter the inn when Cho Sin approached. Cho Sin, wearing a bamboo hat pulled low, grabbed his arm and dragged him into an alley.

"What is all this?"

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

"I was scheduled to appear before he cut off your arm, but the Chairman appeared before that. Why did the Chairman show up?"

"How would I know that?"

"You don't know?"

"Of course not. How would a mere servant like me know what the Murim Alliance Chairman is doing? Didn't the secret leak while Young Lord Cho was handling things?"

It was a believable statement. Yes, that's right. It's strange to ask this guy about the Chairman.

"So? What happened?"

"The man who tried to kill me was taken away by the Chairman, and Miss Jin and I returned."

Cho Sin stared at Geom Mugeuk, then said coldly, "You bastard, this is all your fault!"

"……"

He stabbed at Geom Mugeuk's neck with the throwing knife he had meant to give Jin Haryong, but Geom Mugeuk had already caught his wrist.

"That's right, it's my fault."

TAP! TAP!

Geom Mugeuk instantly sealed his blood points and mute point. Cho Sin's eyes widened in utter shock.

A short while later, Cho Sin was dragged into the same secret room where Cheolgon had died. Someone had removed the body, but the smell of blood still lingered. Cho Sin sat there with a fearful expression. He was confused. The servant was a greater master than him. That was shocking enough. He couldn't understand the situation.

The door opened and Geom Mugeuk entered.

Cho Sin asked with a frightened face, "Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. What's the difference if I'm the servant you tried to cripple over your pathetic pride, or if I'm from the Heavenly Enlightenment Society you secretly joined? What's important is the situation you're in right now."

Cho Sin knew instinctively. This person was not from the Heavenly Enlightenment Society.

He's one of the Chairman's men!

Cho Sin came to that conclusion.

"The man who ambushed Jin Haryong has confessed everything."

At those words, Cho Sin's heart sank. That Cheolgon, so terrifying and full of killing intent, confessed so easily? Not even a few hours have passed since he was captured.

"What exactly did he confess?"

"That you ordered him to kidnap Jin Haryong."

Cho Sin shouted, "This was your plan!"

"When did I ever?"

"What?"

Cho Sin's expression twisted.

"Do you know that attempting to harm the Chairman or his family is the most severe crime? If the crime is proven, it's execution by beheading, no questions asked."

The word "execution" filled Cho Sin with terror. He could see that the man before him had led him into a trap.

"What do you want from me?"

Geom Mugeuk, who had been staring at him, stood up. "You look tired. Get some sleep."

PSHK.

A single finger qi bullet sealed his sleep point. Cho Sin slumped forward and fell asleep.

Jin Paecheon waited outside the secret room, having listened to the entire conversation.

"What's the next plan?"

"We need to bait his father, Jo Yibaek. Chairman, please meet him. Tell him that Cho Sin was recruited by an organization called the Heavenly Enlightenment Society and has been arrested on suspicion of trying to kill Miss Jin under their orders."

Geom Mugeuk was truly relentless.

"Then Jo Yibaek will make a move. We will find out if he is the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society, or just someone the Chairman recruited. If he was recruited and didn't know his son was too, he might feel betrayed and hand over their Chairman to you. Of course, you'll have to give him an opening, Chairman."

"What if he is the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society?"

"Then I believe he would abandon even his own child."

Listening to Geom Mugeuk, the Murim Alliance Chairman once again had a thought.

If this man becomes the Heavenly Demon, the orthodox sects of murim will have a hard time.

With such drive and insight at his age, he would be impossible to handle when he got older. In that moment, Geom Mugeuk felt like a more difficult opponent than the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society.

Whether he knew Jin Paecheon's thoughts or not, Geom Mugeuk worried about the Murim Alliance Chairman.

"I have a favor to ask in advance."

"What is it?"

"When we identify the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society, please leave the finishing touches to me. It's not just because it's my succession trial. Considering his meticulousness, he's the type to plot things even from prison if left alive. He will definitely become a future problem."

This was advice against handling it by the book, which might mean imprisoning the Chairman of the Heavenly Enlightenment Society or his accomplices. It was not something Jin Paecheon could easily answer as the Murim Alliance Chairman, so he said nothing.

Geom Mugeuk seemed to understand and added quietly, "I will wipe them all out and disappear quietly."