Chapter 289: You Wouldn't Have Done That

TL: FoodieMonster007

The joy of survival mixed with the presence of the two Demon Supremes, making Jin Haryong's heart pound harder.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stood beside them with his giant dao. The Fist Demon walked slowly toward them. Both men were truly terrifying.

So these are the Demon Supremes!

Until now, the Demonic Cult had been an abstract concept for Jin Haryong. She had only heard they were fearsome and cruel. The Demonic Cult she had actually met was Geom Mugeuk, who was young, handsome, and quick with a joke.

But today, she felt she had seen the real Demonic Cult.

The approaching Fist Demon's face was frightening, but Jin Haryong tried her best to remain calm.

"Thank you so much for saving my life."

Her gratitude was for both the Demon Supremes and Lee Ahn.

"I'll be sure to repay this debt."

Jin Haryong feared the Demon Supremes, but she did not dislike the two men who had saved her.

The Demon Supremes simply nodded once, not making a show of their deed.

Her Orabeoni would call her crazy if he heard, but she grew curious about the Demon Supremes.

After greeting the two men, Jin Haryong looked at Lee Ahn.

She knew how dangerous it was to fly while clinging to a dao, especially one that had flown while killing enemies.

Like the Demon Supremes, Lee Ahn also did not make a show of having saved her.

Lee Ahn released Jin Haryong's inner arts and joked playfully.

"Friend! We were supposed to meet. How could you break our promise?"

The word 'friend' resonated more deeply with Jin Haryong than any other word she had heard. At that moment, the friendship between the two women grew stronger.

Jin Haryong touched her own face.

"That's why I'm in this state, isn't it? My face is all I have."

Lee Ahn gave an unexpected reply to her half-joking, half-deprecating comment.

"Then from today on, you'll have to show something else."

Jin Haryong understood. Lee Ahn did not use her own beautiful appearance as a weapon. That was why Lee Ahn was so strong and could call her beautiful. Lee Ahn was telling her again that appearance was not important to them.

That's right. From today on, the number one beauty of Hubei is no more. I will become the number one sword of Hubei, and I will advance toward becoming the world's number one sword. I will never again face a crisis of death from someone like Chorim.

She also learned a great lesson today.

Life and death had been decided by a hair's breadth. If she had simply given up and tried to die, she would have been dead before Lee Ahn and the Demon Supremes arrived.

But because she had fought until the end, she survived. She felt certain that even heavenly luck chooses from among those who never give up.

Just then, something as fast as light rushed toward them.

SWOOOOSH.

Geom Mugeuk landed using the Swift Step. He landed so naturally that it seemed he had been there all along.

Geom Mugeuk looked around and sighed in relief. He saw that the Demon Supremes and Lee Ahn had arrived in time to save Jin Haryong.

"You sure took your sweet time. If it weren't for these gentlemen, I'd already be dead."

Geom Mugeuk smiled at Jin Haryong's joke.

"That's why I'm close with them."

Geom Mugeuk looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Fist Demon. His faith in their judgment had been correct. They were two men who repaid trust with trust.

"You can puff out your chests even more. You're truly magnificent!"

"Where were you dawdling? You made an old man suffer."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's worried gaze, however, was fixed on the bloodstains on Geom Mugeuk's clothes.

"But it was worth making the old man suffer, wasn't it?"

"Hey, you rascal!"

Just then, the Fist Demon asked Geom Mugeuk a question.

"Are you hurt?"

"It's not my blood. I'm fine."

The Fist Demon nodded.

Watching their conversation, Jin Haryong finally realized that Geom Mugeuk was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. She felt the rumors about him seizing control of the Demon Supremes were wrong. He had not seized control. He had made them his people. The two men looked at Geom Mugeuk the way her grandfather looked at her, and also like her Orabeoni.

She could tell. Lee Ahn and the two Demon Supremes had saved her, but ultimately, she had survived thanks to Geom Mugeuk. They would not have moved if not for Geom Mugeuk.

"The granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Chairman owing her life twice to a demonic practitioner! I'm completely ruined."

Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn laughed together at her playful complaint.

Geom Mugeuk spoke to the two Demon Supremes.

"Please wait with Lee Ahn at the safehouse. I'll take Miss Jin to the Murim Alliance and then join you."

"Is it all over now?"

"No, there's one thing left to confirm before I go."

He had to confirm if the Murim Alliance Chairman had really annihilated the Wood Heaven Clan.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely that Jin Paecheon would commit such an act, but it was another story if Jin Paecheon had fallen into someone's conspiracy.

Geom Mugeuk gazed at the distant Murim Alliance and repeated a joke he had made before, this time seriously.

"This time, I might really have to say, 'Run, Elder!'"

Jin Hagun strode into the Chairman's Hall.

Jin Paecheon, who had been staring out the window, turned around urgently.

"What happened?"

"We mobilized the Demon Slaying Brigade and searched the entire West Lake area, but we couldn't find her. Has there been any word from the Green Dragon Brigade yet?"

Jin Paecheon shook his head.

"What about the Flying Tiger Squad?"

Still, Jin Paecheon shook his head. Despite dispatching all of the Murim Alliance's elite forces, they could not find Jin Haryong's whereabouts.

Baek Cheongeong, the presumed kidnapper, had made no demands. They were burning up with worry.

"Why don't you just announce it to the murim?"

They were searching in secret, which limited the search. A public search might produce a witness.

However, Jin Paecheon shook his head. The kidnappers were bold enough to take the Murim Alliance Chairman's granddaughter. They were unlikely to have been spotted, and a public announcement could attract the Evil Alliance or other villains.

Jin Hagun expected his grandfather to say, 'This is all your fault!', but Jin Paecheon said no such thing, proving Jin Hagun's worry was narrow-minded. Jin Paecheon was not the type to shift responsibility when cornered.

"Is there still no word from Geom Mugeuk?"

Jin Paecheon silently nodded.

The situation was gradually turning Geom Mugeuk into their last hope.

The more that happened, however, the more complicated Jin Hagun's feelings became.

Could I have really been deceived?

What if all of this was Geom Mugeuk's conspiracy?

The image of his sister, captured by Geom Mugeuk, came to mind.

He thought Geom Mugeuk might capture his sister and blackmail him at a crucial moment.

The fear of losing his sister filled him with all sorts of thoughts. His sister was the only person in the world who truly understood him.

He had never once thought he would lose his sister. Now that it was becoming a reality, he could not control his fear.

What if he lost his sister?

His own life would also change drastically.

At that moment, Jin Paecheon was thinking the exact opposite.

"That boy was confident that he alone could save her."

Jin Hagun felt that his grandfather believed in Geom Mugeuk.

When Jin Hagun had rushed back after hearing the news, his grandfather had not trusted Geom Mugeuk.

His grandfather had answered his question of who was responsible with, "Either Geom Mugeuk, or Baek Cheongeong."

Staring intently at him, his grandfather had asked.

"Who do you think it is?"

Back then, he had not fully trusted Geom Mugeuk and had hoped the Murim Alliance martial artists would find her.

But now, his grandfather believed in Geom Mugeuk. It was not a belief born of trust, but of desperation. He was stronger than anyone, but with his granddaughter's life on the line, Jin Hagun felt he had become an ordinary grandfather.

"I'll go and search again."

Just as Jin Hagun was about to leave, a Chairman's Hall martial artist ran in.

"Haryong Young Lady has returned."

Jin Paecheon and Jin Hagun were startled.

Jin Paecheon shot up from his grand chair and leaped down.

Soon after, Jin Haryong entered the hall.

She walked in first, and Geom Mugeuk followed her.

"Grandfather!"

Jin Haryong ran and hugged Jin Paecheon. Tears poured out as soon as she saw her grandfather. After this brush with death, she realized anew how significant her grandfather was in her life.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm okay."

Her face and body were injured, but she had no internal injuries.

"Welcome back, welcome back."

Tears welled in Jin Paecheon's eyes. He had a heart of iron, but seeing his granddaughter return safely overcame him with emotion. He could not remember the last time he had cried.

Jin Haryong also reunited with Jin Hagun.

"Orabeoni."

Jin Hagun hugged his sister tightly.

"I'm sorry."

All of this had happened because of him. It had all started when he began to doubt his master.

"Why are you sorry, Orabeoni? It's my fault for being careless and getting caught."

"Don't say that."

After the reunion reminded them how precious they were to each other, Jin Paecheon and Jin Hagun turned their intense gazes to Geom Mugeuk.

Saving Jin Haryong was more important to them than anything else. It was a greater deed than saving their own lives.

"Thank you so much for saving Haryong."

Jin Paecheon formally expressed his gratitude with a clasped hands greeting.

Geom Mugeuk also responded with polite courtesy.

"Miss Jin is not only the Chairman's granddaughter, but also my friend. Please don't worry about it."

A life debt is repaid by saving a life. Jin Paecheon resolved that one day, he would save Geom Mugeuk's life.

Meanwhile, Jin Hagun was ashamed for having doubted Geom Mugeuk, even for a moment.

I still have a long way to go.

In the past, it would have ended with shame and inferiority, but now it was different. He felt he had to try harder. Geom Mugeuk stimulated him even now. He was a person whose very existence was a stimulus.

"First, go get treated and rest. We can catch up later. You, talk with me for a moment."

Jin Hagun and Jin Haryong noticed that their grandfather wanted to speak with Geom Mugeuk separately. Since their conversation could wait, the two of them obediently withdrew.

"Yes, Grandfather."

As she walked away with Jin Hagun, Jin Haryong turned back.

"I'm so happy to see you again, Grandfather."

Jin Paecheon smiled and nodded. The thought of what would have happened if he had never seen that child again made his heart sink.

Only the two of them remained in the Chairman's Hall.

"What happened to that person, Baek Cheongeong?"

"He is dead."

He had expected as much since his granddaughter had returned, but hearing the words from Geom Mugeuk felt strange.

"Did he say why he kidnapped Haryong?"

Then, Geom Mugeuk said something surprising.

"Baek Cheongeong is the younger brother of the Wood Heaven Clan's patriarch."

For a moment, Jin Paecheon's eyes widened.

How could he have forgotten about the Wood Heaven Clan?

"They all died."

"No. Only one person, the Patriarch's younger brother, survived."

"I was under the impression that he died as well."

"He faked his death."

Jin Paecheon now understood Baek Cheongeong's dual nature. Could this whole affair be related to his son's death?

Then came the most important question.

"I would like to ask you, Chairman. Were you the one who annihilated the Wood Heaven Clan?"

A heavy silence fell.

Geom Mugeuk did not think this was a silence of admission. If Jin Paecheon had really committed the act, he would not have fallen into such a suspicious silence. This silence had a story behind it.

At last, Jin Paecheon let out a short sigh and began his story.

"That day, I went to find them for revenge. It was revenge for my family, so I went alone."

His expression contorted as if the scene from that day replayed vividly in his mind.

"When I arrived, they were all already dead."

Jin Paecheon proved he was telling the truth in the most powerful way he could.

"I swear on my dead son and daughter-in-law. I did not kill them."

For a man who valued honor, swearing on his son meant his words were true. He too knew how important it was to reveal the truth.

The events of that day had remained a great scar for Jin Paecheon.

"Seeing that sight snapped me to my senses. Do you know what I thought as I looked upon that scene, after having rushed there like a madman for revenge?"

After a brief pause, Jin Paecheon loaded the emotions of that day into a long sigh.

"I thought it was a relief."

Geom Mugeuk listened silently.

"I, the Murim Alliance Chairman, thought it was a relief. I truly thought that if this hadn't happened first, I might have committed such an act myself. I, who should have mourned and been angered by the innocent deaths!"

Jin Paecheon's expression hardened. Anguish was evident on his face.

"You would not have annihilated them, Chairman."

Jin Paecheon stared intently at Geom Mugeuk.

"Do you really think so?"

No, it was impossible to know. How could one presume to know how far a parent who had lost a child would go? Nevertheless, Geom Mugeuk spoke firmly.

"Yes, because you are not that kind of person, Chairman."

Jin Paecheon let out another long sigh. It did not suit his usual domineering demeanor. It showed how much this incident had remained a great scar in his life.

He must have been tormented all this time, disappointed in himself for thinking he might have annihilated them and for feeling relieved upon seeing that scene. As someone who had lived his entire life for righteousness, that wound must have been deeper for him than for others.

Geom Mugeuk repeated his earlier words once more.

"You would not have done that, Chairman."

Jin Paecheon's pupils trembled. At this moment, he knew. He had wanted to hear these words from someone for a very long time, and he had wanted to say these words himself.

That's right, I would not have done that.

Jin Paecheon looked at Geom Mugeuk with a deepened gaze.

"Why do you trust me this much? You don't even know me that well."

"Yes, I don't know you well, Chairman. However, isn't one thing certain?"

Geom Mugeuk added calmly.

"Isn't it because you are the kind of person who would not have done that, that I am able to stand alone in the middle of the Murim Alliance?"