Chapter 282: What Kind of Person Are You?

TL: FoodieMonster007

He could not remember the last time he felt this excited. His heart pounded like crazy.

Hwa Mugi.

The moment has finally come to see a fragment of you. Where are you and what are you doing now? How strong are you now?

The thought of Hwa Mugi made anger boil like lava throughout his body. Perhaps the trees sensed that intense emotion.

SHHHHHHH.

Tree branches extended from all directions, closing in on Geom Mugeuk to pressure him. Hundreds, even thousands of branches swarmed him. He could not possibly dodge or cut them all down.

At that moment, CHAK! CHAK! CHAK! CHAK!

Something materialized in the four cardinal directions around Geom Mugeuk. He was surprised to see the four demons of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art's First Stance, the Human Destroying Stance.

The demons blocked the way like shields. Frightened by their vicious aura, the branches dared not advance and retreated.

Geom Mugeuk had not known the four demons would appear within the Wood King's qi to protect him. They were terrifying, handsome, mysterious, and clever beings.

If they are this formidable, what would the Heavenly Demon Soul be like?

At the same time, Baek Cheongeong sank into an abyss.

Such qi at such a young age?

No matter how deep he went, there was no end. Just as Geom Mugeuk had walked endlessly into the forest, he swam down into an endless abyss.

He was curious about what lay at the end of that darkness.

His instincts warned him it was dangerous to go deeper, but Baek Cheongeong could not bear the curiosity. He had a premonition that something incredible waited deep within the darkness.

His breath ran short and the increasing pressure felt like it would crush his body, but Baek Cheongeong continued downward. He was about to give up, thinking he could endure no more.

PAT. He felt the world turn off and on again.

Baek Cheongeong stood in the middle of a battlefield. Blood flowed like a river and corpses were strewn everywhere. There were corpses of humans, demons, and fiends. Nothing was alive. No, one person remained.

A man stood with his back turned, looking up at the sky.

Is that Geom Mugeuk?

The man's back, however, was one that only a person who had overcome all the world's hardships could possess. He thought that no matter how great the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was, someone so young could not have a back that carried such a weight of time.

Then who could it be?

The moment he tilted his head in confusion, the space vanished. Baek Cheongeong was back in the deep abyss.

SHWAAAAAAAK.

He was pulled toward the surface at a terrifying speed. The moment the abyss spat him out, Geom Mugeuk's qi disappeared.

Simultaneously, Baek Cheongeong's qi also vanished. Geom Mugeuk, who had been in the forest, and Baek Cheongeong, who had been in the water, both returned to reality.

The two men stared at each other without a word.

Geom Mugeuk's heart was still in turmoil.

You who followed Hwa Mugi. What are you doing here now?

He wanted to ask so many things, but he could not ask any of them.

Whether he killed him, spared him, or investigated his background, he had to be cautious as long as it was related to Hwa Mugi.

Geom Mugeuk transformed his boiling anger into a relaxed smile and greeted him first.

"I am Geom Mugeuk from the Divine Cult."

"I'm Baek Cheongeong."

He stated only his name, with no further explanation.

"I heard from your disciple on the way here."

At that, Baek Cheongeong's gaze turned to Jin Hagun. Jin Hagun tensed internally, worried about what Geom Mugeuk would say.

"What did he say?"

"He said you're the person he trusts the most."

Baek Cheongeong's gaze shifted from Jin Hagun back to Geom Mugeuk.

"You came to see Haryong?"

"I've come a long way to find the lover I adore."

The words sounded like a joke to Baek Cheongeong, so he stared into Geom Mugeuk's eyes with his own small, long ones. As he looked into those deep eyes, the back of the man from the qi vision overlapped with Geom Mugeuk.

This young, bright appearance seemed so different from the figure of the man in the qi vision.

Who is that man?

Baek Cheongeong walked to the guest table.

"Sit. A guest has arrived, so I must serve tea."

"I'll prepare it, Master."

"I'll do it. Stay seated."

"Yes, Master."

Jin Hagun sat with Geom Mugeuk, avoiding his gaze. He focused completely on his role for the day. His nerves were on edge as he sensed the undercurrents flowing between Geom Mugeuk and his master.

Baek Cheongeong brought the tea.

"Thank you."

Geom Mugeuk tasted the tea. Seeing him drink without checking for poison, Baek Cheongeong asked, "What would you do if it were poisoned?"

"Did you put any in?" he asked, taking another sip.

Jin Hagun could feel it. A strange war of nerves unfolded within the seemingly trivial conversation.

Geom Mugeuk looked around the workshop as he drank his tea.

"You seem to like martial arts."

The workshop was decorated with Baek Cheongeong's carvings. An aura emanated from everywhere, one that could only be felt by someone who had learned the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

He knew he would only understand how the carved wooden tiger would transform and attack if he fought it.

Then, Geom Mugeuk's gaze fell upon a display stand covered with a black cloth.

"What's under there? May I take a look?"

When Baek Cheongeong said nothing, Geom Mugeuk rose and walked over. He took the silence as permission to look.

Geom Mugeuk removed the cloth from the display stand.

The dolls were still engaged in a fight, but Jin Hagun noticed a change.

The dolls' positions have changed!

The hero doll, which his master had called Geom Mugeuk, was now on the opposite side. It stood right next to the fallen Jin Hagun doll.

A new doll stood where the hero doll had been. Judging by its appearance and features, the doll was undoubtedly Baek Cheongeong himself.

In the end, Baek Cheongeong was speaking through the dolls. He believed that Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun were on the same side.

Once the cloth was lifted, Baek Cheongeong revealed his inner thoughts.

"Young Cult Leader, did you come to kill me?"

Baek Cheongeong did not believe Geom Mugeuk had come for Jin Haryong. It was a question one could only ask if they believed they were the target.

Geom Mugeuk was not flustered by the sudden question.

"If you thought so, why did you agree to meet?"

"If the Demonic Cult were to try to kill me, where in this jianghu could I hide?"

Baek Cheongeong's gaze turned to Jin Hagun, who looked wronged.

"You still don't trust me."

Geom Mugeuk looked at the dolls on the display stand.

"That's probably because your Master is someone who has never truly loved a woman. Don't worry. I only came to the Murim Alliance to see Miss Jin. If I intended to kill you, would I have gone through such an unnecessary and complicated process? Don't forget which Young Cult Leader I am."

That was also why this meeting had been arranged. He wanted to know Geom Mugeuk's exact intentions.

"By the way, you've made these dolls really well."

Geom Mugeuk lowered his body to look closer.

"It's as if they could come to life and jump out at any moment."

Geom Mugeuk knew. These small wooden dolls were more terrifying than any other craft in the room.

He isn't making dolls, he's carving subordinates, and these can't be the only things he has carved in his entire life, can they?

Then, Geom Mugeuk pointed to one doll.

"Who is this doll?"

The doll he pointed to was not the hero doll, the Jin Hagun doll, or the opposing Baek Cheongeong doll. It was one of the countless dolls standing around them.

"Only this doll has no face carved into it."

It was the faceless doll Geom Mugeuk had seen in Baek Cheongeong's qi. It certainly had to be a doll with some meaning.

"Who is it supposed to be? You?"

Surprise flashed across Baek Cheongeong's face. He seemed surprised that Geom Mugeuk had singled out that specific doll among so many.

"It could be anyone."

At Baek Cheongeong's answer, Geom Mugeuk bent down to look closer.

"It seems only this one isn't involved in the fight."

Even without an expression, the doll exuded composure.

From behind, Baek Cheongeong asked, "If there are those who fight, there are also those who watch. Are you a fighter, or a watcher?"

Geom Mugeuk watched the dolls for a moment, then picked one up. It was the Jin Hagun doll that had been lying fallen next to the hero doll.

Geom Mugeuk glanced between the doll and Jin Hagun. Anyone could tell it was made in Jin Hagun's likeness.

Geom Mugeuk stood the Jin Hagun doll upright next to the hero doll.

He was showing directly that he was neither a fighter nor a watcher, but someone who helps others stand up.

Jin Hagun stared at his own doll, now standing. It was such a small thing, but for some reason, he felt a surge of emotion.

No, it was not a small thing. The Master who had taught him for ten years had made a doll of him and left it knocked over.

"I've seen enough."

Geom Mugeuk covered the display case with the cloth and turned back to Baek Cheongeong.

"I only came today because the head of the Demon Slaying Brigade said I absolutely had to meet you to see Miss Jin. Now, say what you have to say. I have to go see Miss Jin."

Jin Hagun sent a telepathic message to Baek Cheongeong. [Master, please say something firm to intimidate him.]

Despite the telepathy, Baek Cheongeong said nothing. He turned his gaze away from them and looked out the window.

"If you have nothing to say, I'll be on my way."

Geom Mugeuk walked out without hesitation.

Jin Hagun wanted to stay and demand why he had said nothing, but Baek Cheongeong's gaze remained fixed outside the window. It was a clear dismissal, telling him to leave, so Jin Hagun also left quietly.

Outside, Jin Hagun walked alongside Geom Mugeuk. Once they were far from the workshop, Jin Hagun finally asked, "Is he someone to be killed, or someone to be spared?"

Jin Hagun was curious about Geom Mugeuk's assessment of his master.

"I thought you said you don't believe what I say?"

"I'll just take it into consideration."

Of course, he is someone who must be killed.

Instead of answering, however, Geom Mugeuk showed Jin Hagun what was in his hand.

"When did you take this?"

Jin Hagun was surprised because Geom Mugeuk held one of the dolls from the display case. It was the faceless doll.

"Why did you take it?"

Geom Mugeuk stared intently at the doll.

"Aren't you curious? Who he had in mind when he made this doll."

"If you were curious, you should've left it there."

"I think I'll carve this face myself."

"What?"

What on earth is he talking about? To Jin Hagun, Geom Mugeuk was truly an incomprehensible person.

"One thing is certain, your Master is no ordinary person. I definitely felt that he is, at the very least, not someone who should be the Master of the Murim Alliance Chairman's grandson."

"Did you perhaps exchange telepathy with my Master?"

Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

"Then what was it about my Master that made you think that?"

"Honestly, just from seeing him once like this, I still don't know if he's a villain and therefore someone who must be killed."

Of course, he will die by my hand. It is only a matter of when and how.

"But his attitude toward you was definitely a problem."

Geom Mugeuk pointed out the part Jin Hagun would most easily understand.

"The look in his eyes and his attitude when dealing with you couldn't be seen as that between a master and a disciple. It was cold and detached. Even if you had made a great mistake, he should have covered for you in front of an outsider, but your Master focused only on me. No, he was focused on himself. That man does not consider you his disciple."

Jin Hagun thought he would feel relieved after hearing a conclusion, but his heart remained just as troubled.

This time, Geom Mugeuk asked, "What did you think of your Master? You must have had many thoughts as well."

Jin Hagun revealed his honest feelings.

"I don't know. I'm still suspicious of my Master, and I'm suspicious of you too."

This was precisely why he felt so lost. He felt his master had changed and his survival instincts had kicked in, but he had called Geom Mugeuk without any proof that his master was a bad person.

What if I'm being used? What if I've misjudged? These thoughts kept trapping him in a fog.

Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly with an understanding look.

"That's why a definite enemy is better than an ambiguous friend."

Jin Hagun realized he was struggling because he did not know who was a friend and who was an enemy.

Why did the person who made me realize this have to be the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?

Geom Mugeuk stopped at a fork in the road.

"You go on ahead. I have somewhere to be for a moment."

"Where are you going?"

Instead of answering, Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.

"That thing I said about having a good sense of direction and never getting lost, that was a lie."

This was what he wanted to say to Jin Hagun.

"I rush, I wander, and I get lost often too. Maybe that's why I don't really like people who loudly insist their way is the only right way…"

"Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"It just came to mind."

After speaking, Geom Mugeuk launched himself forward using his movement arts.

Watching him disappear into a dot, Jin Hagun looked up at the sky. Geom Mugeuk's words came to mind.

To find the way, ask people, look at the sky, and if that doesn't work…

This is crazy, he thought, taking off his shoe.

He then threw it upwards. The fallen shoe pointed in the same direction Geom Mugeuk had just disappeared.

Of all the luck. Is even coincidence telling me to follow Geom Mugeuk? No way. The first round is always a practice run.

Jin Hagun threw his shoe once more. He threw it higher than before, but the coincidence repeated. He threw it again, and again.

When it finally landed pointing in the direction he wanted to go, he put his shoe back on.

"As if you've ever rushed or wandered. Don't try to comfort me for no reason. I'll find my own way with my own strength."

Jin Hagun walked vigorously toward his residence.

He tried not to think about it, but the image of his doll, once lying down and now standing, kept coming to mind.