Chapter 269: I'm Seeing Your Father in a New Light

TL: FoodieMonster007

STEP, STEP.

A man in a bamboo hat walked with steady footsteps until he arrived at a small workshop.

The man removed his bamboo hat and threw it at the wall. The hat landed lightly on a yellow robe hanging there.

He was a middle-aged man with long, slender eyes. The mysterious energy in his gaze suggested he had overcome countless schemes, and the dark cast of his face showed he had weathered many storms.

The man sat on a small chair and began to carve a wooden doll.

SCRAPE, SCRAPE.

Only the sound of a carving knife cutting wood filled the small space. With extraordinary hand movements, the man carved the wood, creating a finger-sized wooden doll.

Just then, a young man entered the workshop without a sound. He was handsome, with a gallant and refreshing appearance and a spirited glint in his eyes.

He approached the middle-aged man from behind. His movement arts were extraordinary, as he made no sound while walking or even drawing his sword.

SHIIING.

The young man's drawn sword touched the side of the middle-aged man's neck.

The scraping sound stopped. It was not because of the sword at his neck. The small carving knife that had been in the middle-aged man's hand now floated before the young man's eyes.

The young man sheathed his sword and tried to grab the carving knife from mid-air.

However, the carving knife did not budge, as if held by something invisible.

The young man tried to move it with his qi, but it was useless. When the young man finally gave up, the middle-aged man spoke.

"A master isn't defeated by an attack from behind. That's why they're called masters. When you kill a master, you must look them in the eye and kill them."

The young man asked, "Isn't that more difficult?"

"It's easier. Only when you realize that can you become a true master who can kill other masters."

SCRAPE, SCRAPE.

The sound of the carving knife scraping wood resumed. The knife that had floated in the air was now back in the middle-aged man's hand. The motion was so natural it seemed the knife had never left his hand.

"I'll keep that in mind, Master."

The young man bowed his head respectfully.

The two were master and disciple.

Through the window, one could see martial artists standing around the workshop. The characters for 'Myeolma' (Demon Slaying) were engraved on their chests, the same as on the young man's.

These were the martial artists of the Demon Slaying Brigade, the elite of the Murim Alliance.

The young man was Jin Hagun, grandson of the Murim Alliance Chairman and leader of the Demon Slaying Brigade. He was the older brother of Jin Haryong, who had a connection with Geom Mugeuk. After joining the Demon Slaying Brigade, Jin Hagun had risen to its leadership based solely on his skills.

The middle-aged man was his master, Baek Cheongeong.

"You haven't been neglecting your training lately."

Jin Hagun had not yet learned the martial arts of his grandfather, the Murim Alliance Chairman Jin Paecheon. His grandfather wanted him to become the successor fairly, through his own abilities. Jin Paecheon had officially declared he would give his grandson no special treatment.

"I've been training, even cutting back on sleep."

Jin Hagun walked to a display stand in the workshop's center. On it, Baek Cheongeong had arranged hand-carved dolls of martial artists in a fight scene.

The scene was so vivid it looked like a real battle between martial artists in white robes and those in black robes. It seemed to depict a fight between black and white.

Looking down at it, Jin Hagun said, "The recent rumors from the Demonic Cult are unsettling."

Baek Cheongeong silently focused on his carving.

"They say that Geom Mugeuk, the new Young Cult Leader, is expanding his influence by taking control of all the Demon Supremes."

Even then, Baek Cheongeong acted as if it were nothing, turning the wooden doll he was carving to inspect it from all angles.

"To be honest, that man is on my mind."

At that, Baek Cheongeong's hands stopped. He rose from his seat and walked over to his disciple at the display stand.

"How does this battle here look to you?"

"The martial artists in white robes seem to be at a disadvantage."

"There are more martial artists in white. Why do you think that is?"

"It's because of this one."

Jin Hagun pointed his finger at a black-robed martial artist who was leading the fight and brandishing a sword.

"Good eye. It is because of this one. This one has seized control of the board and is leading the fight."

Baek Cheongeong lowered his body and looked at the wooden martial artist doll with his small, long eyes.

"Do you want to play this role?"

"Yes, I want to stand in that position. No, I will definitely stand there."

"Yes, you've been like that since you were young. You were never afraid to take on a challenge, and you never gave up."

Jin Hagun's heart swelled whenever his master praised him. It was why he trained harder in everything and tried never to give up. Since his parents had passed away early, he had lived thinking of Baek Cheongeong as a father.

"The one standing in this position right now is Geom Mugeuk."

Jin Hagun could not refute it. He knew that Geom Mugeuk had ascended to the position of Young Cult Leader more spectacularly than any successor in history.

On the other hand, what about him? He had not even officially risen to the position of successor yet.

Baek Cheongeong slowly touched the doll with his finger.

"How are you going to break this momentum?"

Jin Hagun answered as if he had been waiting for the question.

"I've received a report that Geom Mugeuk is currently in the Hunan region. They say he is pressuring the Heavenly Peace Sect by holding the child of the Heavenly Peace Sect Leader captive there."

He was paying close attention to the movements of Geom Mugeuk, whom he considered his rival.

"The Heavenly Peace Sect is a sect with formidable power, but it can't face the Demonic Cult alone. If you can rescue them from the clutches of the Demonic Cult…"

Baek Cheongeong's gaze turned to the hero doll.

"You will be able to lead the fight from now on."

Jin Hagun asked cautiously, "But isn't the Heavenly Peace Sect a sect that originally went back and forth between the Demonic Cult and the Evil Alliance?"

It was known that the Heavenly Peace Sect's interactions were split, with four parts for the Demonic Cult, four for the Evil Alliance, and only two for the Murim Alliance.

At that, Baek Cheongeong's gaze returned to the doll.

"Do you think you can stand in that position by doing easy things?"

Jin Hagun was a man confident in all matters, but he could not boast about this particular task.

"If I had my way, I'd lead the Demon Slaying Brigade to strike the Hunan Branch and rescue the son of the Heavenly Peace Sect Leader, but…"

Doing so would trigger a war with the Demonic Cult. Far from becoming a hero, he could become a sinner for the ages.

After pondering for a moment, Jin Hagun said cautiously, "In dealing with the Demonic Cult, the leader of the Demon Slaying Brigade has a unique authority that can be used during their term. If the Chairman accepts my special authority, I can pressure the Demonic Cult in the name of the Murim Alliance. However, I don't know if the Heavenly Peace Sect is a sect worthy of such an effort."

"The Heavenly Peace Sect is a large sect in its own right, but there are dozens of small and medium-sized sects that follow it. If you can turn the Heavenly Peace Sect to the orthodox sects, there will be no greater achievement."

"I know that the Heavenly Peace Sect Leader is not an easy man to deal with. The fact that he has managed to walk the tightrope between the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic so vexingly well until now is proof of that, and he might later collude with the Evil Alliance and ignore the help we gave him."

Jin Hagun thought of the Heavenly Peace Sect Leader, who had a foot in every camp, as a fox-like man.

Then, a surprising remark came from Baek Cheongeong's lips.

"I will take care of that matter."

Jin Hagun was startled. Although his master was well-versed in the affairs of the jianghu, he had never directly intervened in the matters of the murim. The reason for it was something that would move Jin Hagun.

"If you accomplish this, you will have made a decisive contribution to becoming the successor of the Murim Alliance. That is why I am stepping in."

Jin Hagun respectfully performed a clasped hands greeting.

"Thank you very much, Master."

Now that his master had stepped forward, there was no reason to hesitate.

"Then I will proceed with the matter at once."

As he was about to leave, Jin Hagun flicked the hero doll with his finger, knocking it over.

After Jin Hagun left, Baek Cheongeong continued to carve the doll.

SCRAPE, SCRAPE.

After some time, Baek Cheongeong went to the display stand and set the fallen doll upright.

Then he placed a newly carved doll in the center of the board. The doll, which could have been himself or Jin Hagun, stood haughtily with its arms crossed.

Several days had passed since the Heavenly Peace Sect Leader Seo Baekjong's visit.

Seo Baekjong had taken no action to save his son. It was clear he would not give up on his son so easily. Geom Mugeuk quietly waited to see what his opponent would do, all while practicing the Heavenly Space Secret Art.

The more he trained in the Heavenly Space Secret Art, the more it began to show a slight time difference. The moment he could gain a temporal advantage by comparing the recovery time of his inner arts with the time gained by using the Heavenly Space Secret Art, all his training would unconditionally be done while using the art. As it was a heaven-defying secret art that went against time, it was not easy, but he trained and trained again.

After finishing his training, he was having tea in the main hall when Cheokyeon entered with Seo Cheong. Geom Mugeuk had ordered him brought, as Seo Cheong had pleaded to see him.

As soon as he stepped inside, Seo Cheong shouted in protest.

"Why haven't you contacted Father?"

He had been locked in the Branch's prison. Although he had been imprisoned, his spirit was not broken at all.

"I did contact him."

"Don't lie. If you had contacted him, there's no way he wouldn't have come yet. Young Cult Leader, Father isn't such a stubborn person. If you talk to him with an open mind, you'll be able to get what you want."

This was the conclusion Seo Cheong had reached while locked in the prison. The Demonic Cult was doing this to pull the Heavenly Peace Sect to their side. Otherwise, there was no reason to imprison him. They would not imprison the successor of the Heavenly Peace Sect just for killing a few insignificant passersby or low-level martial artists.

"Your father has already been here."

Seo Cheong was startled by Geom Mugeuk's words.

"What are you talking about? You mean he came and left without seeing me?"

When Geom Mugeuk nodded, Seo Cheong was shocked and bewildered.

"That's ridiculous!"

He stood there blankly for a moment, then began to pace back and forth, rambling incoherently.

"If you're going to try and drive a wedge between us, do it properly. If you're the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, then act like one and contact Father as you promised."

He walked to the table and tried to pour tea with a trembling hand. However, feeling his own hand shake, he turned back.

He alternated between believing and not believing that his father had visited.

"Even for someone like you, you're in big trouble now. The fact that Father left without even seeing me means he's really angry."

Just then, Geom Mugeuk asked abruptly, "How much do you know about your father?"

For a moment, Seo Cheong flinched.

"Young Cult Leader, how much do you know?"

Geom Mugeuk thought that his appearance was no different from his own before his regression.

If I had experienced something like this back then, I would have argued just like this. I would have lashed out even more aggressively, saying, 'What do you know that makes you so arrogant?' The fact that I had almost nothing to say about my own father would have pushed me to do so.

At that moment, a subordinate from the Branch delivered an urgent messenger pigeon from the All-Knowing Hall.

He thought it was a message about the new Hunan Branch Commander, but it contained truly unexpected news. It was an order to release Seo Cheong.

Geom Mugeuk was surprised. A decision like this from the All-Knowing Hall meant that his father had also given his permission. That meant immense power had intervened.

The fact that the detailed circumstances were not written down was likely his father's intention.

Now, how are you going to handle this matter?

Even after becoming the Young Cult Leader, his father's tests continued.

"Release our Young Lord Seo."

Cheokyeon was also surprised by the order but soon released Seo Cheong's inner arts.

Seo Cheong, looking happy enough to fly, shouted loudly.

"What did I tell you? Didn't I say it would turn out like this?"

He strode over to the table, poured tea, and drank it.

"Care for a cup?"

Seo Cheong laughed heartily and drank his tea. As if nothing had happened, he had returned to his true nature.

He glared at Cheokyeon and said in a threatening tone, "I remember every single face I've seen here."

When Cheokyeon glared back more frighteningly with his one eye, Seo Cheong turned his gaze to Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk was smiling at him.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because it's amusing. I've been feeling a bit let down. Catching our Young Lord Seo isn't the end, is it? Young Lord Yang, Young Master Jin, Young Lord Cheon… all sorts of Young Lords will keep sprouting up no matter how many you pull out, but they moved our Cult? A matter that I, the Young Cult Leader, am handling, and they've twisted it?"

Geom Mugeuk was genuinely pleased.

"This is many times more amazing than them storming this place to rescue you. I'm seeing your father in a new light."

"You're only realizing that now? I am the successor of the Heavenly Peace Sect!"

He strode out, shouting loudly.

"We won't be seeing each other again."

"We'll be seeing each other again soon."

As Seo Cheong ran out without looking back, Cheokyeon asked, "What happened?"

"It seems the Heavenly Peace Sect Leader moved either the Murim Alliance or the Evil Alliance."

Otherwise, the Heavenly Demon Hall would never have made such a decision.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Since they've blocked our Cult's All-Knowing Hall, I'll have to use my own."

Cheokyeon felt that Geom Mugeuk was, on the contrary, excited. It was the joy one feels when meeting a strong enemy.

In a situation like this, as a bodyguard, he should be perfectly rational, yet he realized he was just as excited. He was secretly looking forward to what would happen next. A bodyguard should be hoping for nothing to happen.

While Cheokyeon let out a light sigh, Geom Mugeuk walked outside.

"Where are you going? I will escort you."

"You can't. Just wait here."

"I can't follow…"

He couldn't. The moment Geom Mugeuk kicked off the ground, he instantly became a dot and disappeared.

"…I suppose not. I will be waiting."

Just then, Samho, who was in the courtyard, said to Cheokyeon, "It's not easy, is it?"

Cheokyeon rubbed his aching eye and nodded. Truly, Geom Mugeuk was the easiest, and at the same time, the most difficult leader to protect.

Cheokyeon looked up at the sky where Geom Mugeuk had disappeared and muttered softly.

"But it won't be easy for his enemies either."