Chapter 376: The Banquet is Canceled

TL: FoodieMonster007

It was a small lump of iron. Unlike the round Black Orb the Secret Box had absorbed from the Heavenly Wind Cult, this was a fang ornament. It looked like it had fallen from an iron beast. The ornament was too heavy to wear, making it useful only as a decoration.

"I'll take this one."

Bi Sayin stared at Geom Mugeuk with a surprised face.

"Are you serious?"

"I am."

"Can I take a look at it?"

"Be my guest."

Bi Sayin examined the ornament closely. No matter how he looked, it was just an iron fang.

There's no way Geom Mugeuk would have chosen it for no reason, right?

"Why do you want this?"

"I was strongly drawn to it."

"I really can't figure you out."

This was not the first time Bi Sayin had felt this way since meeting Geom Mugeuk, but this instance was the most baffling.

"Didn't I get the Sun Moon Sword from you and the God of War from the Chairman? This is enough for me."

"And here you were, worried about losing your mystique. The curiosity of why you chose this alone will last me a lifetime."

Geom Mugeuk and Bi Sayin walked out of the treasury together.

"I never dreamed I'd go through things like this with you."

Bi Sayin was not the only one. Geom Mugeuk had never imagined living such a life after regressing. While struggling alone in the Central Plains for materials for the Great Art, he had soothed his heart by thinking of his post-regression life. He never could have imagined walking side-by-side with the Evil Alliance's Young Alliance Chairman out of the Evil Alliance's treasury.

"There will be many more unexpected things in the future. Let's live our lives being surprised like this."

Though younger, Geom Mugeuk was someone Bi Sayin could always rely on.

There was one thing he wanted to ask such a man.

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"I mean, of those who plot these conspiracies against us. We don't know what else they'll do while hiding in the shadows, do we?"

His fear was natural, since he believed the Brawling King had escaped alive.

Now that the frantic battle was over, Bi Sayin had a moment to breathe and realize how perilous the whole affair had been. If not for Geom Mugeuk, he would have died many times.

Young Cult Leader, what on earth are you thinking?

Geom Mugeuk answered calmly.

"What is there to be afraid of? I'm living my life more diligently than they are. If I'm defeated even after doing my best, then it can't be helped. I'll just have to die willingly."

"!"

Those words would become a guidepost for Bi Sayin's future.

Even while offering such grateful words, Geom Mugeuk was the one who felt thankful.

"Thank you for keeping your promise."

When he thought of the mountain of gratitude he owed, this moment felt incredibly shameful.

Bi Sayin strode ahead and said, "Don't be late for the evening banquet."

Geom Mugeuk returned to the guest quarters the Evil Alliance provided.

He entered the room, locked the door, and closed the windows. He placed the Secret Box and the iron fang from the treasury on the table. He had already seen it absorb the Black Orb once, so he would not be surprised by what happened next.

By the way, it seems you can absorb things of different shapes too.

"You were hungry, weren't you? Here, eat up!"

However, the Secret Box did not move.

"Eat. Why aren't you eating?"

It had definitely vibrated, but the Secret Box did not absorb the iron ornament.

"Did you change your face to another side in the meantime?"

He turned the box and placed the fang on a different side, but it still did not absorb it.

"What? Was it not this one? Was it something else next to it?"

Of course, that could not be. It had definitely reacted to this fang.

Trying different ways was useless. Eventually, Geom Mugeuk gave up.

"You must be full."

The Secret Box just kept smiling brightly, just as he had drawn it.

That evening, a palace attendant guided Geom Mugeuk down the corridor toward the Chairman's Hall.

The palace attendant stopped at one spot and turned. As expected, Geom Mugeuk had stopped in front of the steel wolf.

"You won't be able to see it after today, so please take a moment to say your farewells. I will be waiting in the Chairman's Hall."

The attendant felt sorry for not giving him proper time before, seeing how much he liked the wolf statue. This consideration, of course, stemmed from the goodwill of having saved the Chairman.

"Thank you. I'll be there soon."

Once the attendant was gone, Geom Mugeuk bid the wolf farewell.

"I guess I won't be seeing you anymore either."

He could not figure out why this wolf had captivated him so.

Was it because my past life before regression resembled this lonely wolf? Perhaps.

"I won't see you again. Take care."

Geom Mugeuk patted the wolf's head and started to turn away, but he froze. A thought struck him like lightning.

He took the fang ornament from his robes.

Could it be? No, it can't be.

Geom Mugeuk placed the fang into the steel wolf's open mouth. He put it where a fang should go, but there was no change. The other side was the same.

I knew it.

He was about to leave, but since he had already started, he tried inserting it into the upper jaw.

At that moment, a blue radiance shot from the wolf's two eyes.

SWOOOOOSH!

In that instant, the wolf seemed to come alive.

Geom Mugeuk drew on his inner arts and stepped back. Fortunately, the wolf did not attack him.

Instead, something rolled from inside the wolf's mouth with a CLANK.

Geom Mugeuk was startled when he saw it.

What came out was a blue-tinged orb. If the one absorbed before was a black Black Orb, this was a blue Green Orb. It was even the same size.

This fang was the key to retrieving the orb hidden inside the steel wolf. Now he understood why the wolf statue had drawn him in. It was not him, but the Secret Box that had led him. Or perhaps the energy of the Black Orb it had absorbed had pulled him here.

VMMMMMM.

The Secret Box in his robes vibrated.

He took out the Secret Box and placed the Green Orb on top of it.

SLUUURP.

The Secret Box began to absorb the Green Orb as if it had been waiting. The hard orb seeped into the box like a liquid.

After completely absorbing the Green Orb, the Secret Box vibrated once.

SHHHHHH!

Something tinged with blue energy emerged from the Secret Box.

It was the same as with the Black Orb. It was not smoke, liquid, inner arts, or light. That indescribable something spread from Geom Mugeuk's hand and arm throughout his entire body.

This time, the Heavenly Demon Defense Art did not activate. Instead, a refreshing sensation spread through him. Geom Mugeuk's instincts were certain. This energy would not harm him.

The moment the energy spread from head to toe, a radiance burst from Geom Mugeuk's body. The light was so intense he could not open his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the blue energy was completely absorbed into his body. He had absorbed a second energy through the Secret Box.

However, his body felt no change. The two energies did not meet or mix. They simply lay dormant, each deep within him.

He thought it was because he had not yet absorbed all the necessary energy to bring about a change.

The Secret Box spat out the Green Orb, now an ordinary stone. He took back the fang from the wolf statue and stored the Secret Box and the stone in his robes. Then he expressed his gratitude to the wolf.

"I will not let what you held be used in vain. Thank you, Cheongrang."

The wolf stood majestically in its usual pose, as if it had never shot blue energy from its eyes.

Geom Mugeuk slowly made his way toward the Chairman's Hall.

Sitting in the grand master's chair, Baek Jagang thought of the Heavenly Demon, Geom Woojin. That condescending gaze was still vivid. He had met him twice, and both times, his eyes were the same.

Would the third time be any different?

In the past, he would have refused in a single word. The reason he now contemplated it was not because of the recent conspiracy, nor was it because he wished to befriend Geom Woojin. It was because of Geom Mugeuk.

He raised a son like that? That Geom Woojin?

He could not believe it. He wanted to meet him and confirm it himself. He wanted to confirm that such a son was born like a mutation, uninfluenced by Geom Woojin, but what if Geom Woojin had raised him that way? That thought was truly infuriating.

"What are your thoughts?"

Standing below the grand master's chair, Bi Sayin answered calmly.

"I think you should go."

"The reason?"

"Because I believe in you, Chairman."

"Because you believe in me?"

"Because you are the only person in this world I truly believe in."

Baek Jagang looked down at his disciple with a surprised expression. This kid never used to say such things.

He's changed.

"After meeting the Young Cult Leader, I've been thinking a lot that I need to change."

"Because you have to change to win?"

He had naturally assumed so, but Bi Sayin had other thoughts.

"No, I have no intention of winning."

"Is it not that you lack the confidence to win?"

"I've changed the dream itself. Not a dream of winning, but a dream of going together. Perhaps that will be a harder fight for me than one of winning or losing."

It is more difficult for a martial artist not to draw his sword than to draw it.

"It will be very difficult next to such an extraordinary person. I'll be compared, my pride will be hurt, and I'll feel a lot of self-loathing. However, I want to try. Instead of being satisfied as the head of a snake, I want to dream of ascending with a dragon, even if I get tangled up with it. Even if I fall and die in the process, I'll have seen the sky, so I will have no regrets."

Bi Sayin spoke his mind without any intimidation. This was also the first time he had ever spoken so much in front of the Chairman.

Baek Jagang was inwardly satisfied.

The disciple's words were right. Right now, winning or losing was not important. What mattered was the momentum. It was better for him to state his convictions like this than to make empty boasts about winning just to look good.

He had lived his whole life without children. As he got older, he sometimes felt a sense of regret.

There stands my son.

He felt that way. His son-like disciple was saying he would walk a path he himself could not. Yes, a snake is just a snake, no matter how big it gets.

Just then, news of Geom Mugeuk's arrival came. A moment later, the doors to the Chairman's Hall opened and Geom Mugeuk stepped inside.

As he reached the front of the grand master's chair, Baek Jagang asked first, "Did you rest well?"

"Thanks to you, I rested comfortably."

He must have heard what I chose from the treasury, but he didn't ask about it.

Once he gives permission, that is the end of it. That decisive nature of not looking back was very similar to his father's. That was why he hoped the two might get along.

Instead, he asked something else.

"What kind of person do you think I am?"

A brief silence followed the sudden question. Bi Sayin was also curious about what Geom Mugeuk would say.

After a moment of thought, Geom Mugeuk broke the silence.

"To be honest, I haven't known you for long, so I don't know what kind of person you are. However, just seeing you lead the Unorthodox Path with dignity while competing with Father, you must be a great man."

He spoke humbly, yet his words elevated both his father and Baek Jagang.

"Since you are the person my friend here respects the most, you must be a respectable person to me as well."

Geom Mugeuk's gaze, which had briefly turned to Bi Sayin, now fixed on Baek Jagang.

"But what I said before was an answer based on others. I want to give you my own answer, based on what I purely feel. I want to know more about who you are, Chairman. So, let's go to my tavern for a drink."

Baek Jagang looked down at Geom Mugeuk, lost in thought. If he went, he would meet Geom Woojin. This decision could change not only his own fate, but that of the Evil Alliance as well.

Finally, Baek Jagang made up his mind.

"Today's banquet is canceled."

He then added a surprising reason.

"We'll drink at your usual tavern."

A bright smile spread across Geom Mugeuk's face at Baek Jagang's decisive choice.

"Thank you so much, Chairman."

"However, as you said, you must resolve the Murim Alliance issue yourself. After that, we can set a specific schedule, but if the Murim Alliance does not accept, this decision is canceled."

"I understand. I will contact you as soon as it is resolved."

Geom Mugeuk knew how difficult this decision was for the Evil Alliance Chairman. Who would knowingly jump into enemy territory? He had just put his life on the line.

"I still don't know what kind of person you are, Chairman, but I must say this."

"Say what?"

"You're admirable."

Since he did not get goosebumps, it seemed the Young Cult Leader genuinely thought he was admirable.

"I'll pass on the flattery."

Geom Mugeuk smiled and bowed respectfully.

"Then, please take care until we meet again."

Geom Mugeuk exited the Chairman's Hall.

The Evil Alliance Chairman was someone I didn't know well before my regression, but he's such a decisive person. I like him, this man.

He waited for a moment in front of the Chairman's Hall, and Bi Sayin followed him out.

"Are you leaving right away?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded at Bi Sayin's question.

"Where are you going now?"

"I have to stop by the safehouse to pick someone up and take them to our Cult. I also have to see the Poison King. After stopping by our Cult, I'll go to the Murim Alliance again. If things go well there, I'll send word immediately."

"You're so busy."

Appearing and disappearing abruptly was his specialty, but this time, the parting with Geom Mugeuk felt particularly regrettable.

"I suppose you'll meet Commander Jin when you go."

Jin Hagun had been disappointed that he could not come along for the Evil Alliance matter, and now Bi Sayin was in the same boat.

"You should come with me too."

"The Murim Alliance Chairman would just love to see the three of us hanging out together. If I go, I'll just get on his nerves for no reason. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Then came Geom Mugeuk's surprise question.

"When are you going to dance?"

Bi Sayin's flustered face flushed hot.

"Surely the Evil Alliance's Young Alliance Chairman wouldn't go back on his own words, would he?"

"I'll keep it, I'll keep it!"

Now even his ears were turning red. He could not let his guard down for a second around this Geom Mugeuk.

Fortunately, First Wolf came to his rescue, handing over the sword case he had been keeping.

Bi Sayin then passed it to Geom Mugeuk.

"Here is the Sun Moon Sword you left in my care."

"Thank you for the gift."

Geom Mugeuk's lips twitched, about to ask about the dance again.

"I'm currently holding two swords."

"Then I'll hold back. I have to."

This playful and persistent man would tease him about this for a long, long time. He would eventually have to dance at some point.

After some final banter about the dance, the two parted on good terms.

"I will definitely persuade the Murim Alliance Chairman, so let's meet at our Cult."