Chapter 380: I Fended Them All Off Even When I Was Alone

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jin Paecheon expressed his firm intention to attend.

Geom Mugeuk looked bewildered and spoke weakly.

"I will also invite you, Chairman, to this meeting."

Geom Mugeuk remained faithful to his act until the very end.

Jin Haryong was amazed at this outcome. Although she had played a significant role, she never imagined things would actually turn out this way.

In the end, it all went according to his plan.

What if this man were an enemy? Could Orabeoni and I handle him?

She once again keenly felt the vague fear from before.

In any case, their joint plan was a success. The Murim Alliance Chairman's visit to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had become a reality.

Jin Haryong shifted from her role in the three-person operation back to being the Murim Alliance Chairman's granddaughter.

"How will you guarantee the Chairman's safety?"

A peerless master or two would surely follow the Murim Alliance Chairman's procession. However, since the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult extended the invitation, they were responsible for his safety.

"Our Cult will take responsibility. How could we be negligent after inviting such a distinguished guest?"

"Who will protect him from you?"

Geom Mugeuk laughed as if it were a joke, but Jin Haryong was serious.

"Promise me that you'll protect him. Promise you'll take responsibility so that nothing happens."

Her gaze said it all.

You know it too, don't you? That I did all this because I trusted you.

She trusted Geom Mugeuk more than the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. She truly did. She had acted with the resolve to be kicked out and left standing in the rain before the Demonic Cult's main gate.

Geom Mugeuk met her gaze and replied.

"I promise."

Jin Haryong only felt relieved after sensing the sincerity in his clear, deep eyes.

Grandfather, I'm sorry for deceiving you, but I believe this is the right thing to do.

She believed Geom Mugeuk's words that they could prevent a war. She believed this choice would ultimately be for her grandfather's sake.

Geom Mugeuk spoke politely to Jin Paecheon.

"I will speak with our Cult's strategist to coordinate the schedule. Thank you for making such a momentous decision."

The thought of the three of them meeting brought Baek Jagang to Jin Paecheon's mind.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've seen him.

Although he considered Baek Jagang a notch below Geom Woojin, he knew the man was no ordinary figure. A worry naturally arose.

"But if the Evil Alliance Chairman hears that I'm going, won't he change his mind?"

"I'll have to go and tell him myself."

"You're going in person?"

"I can't deliver such an important change of plans by messenger pigeon."

This was about seating the Murim Alliance Chairman and the Evil Alliance Chairman before the Demonic Cult Headquarters. If necessary, he would have to go back and forth ten, even a hundred times.

Geom Mugeuk bowed politely.

"Then I shall take my leave. I'll see you at the tavern in front of our Cult."

"Alright. Let's see what your demonic path is like."

Jin Paecheon sent Jin Hagun and Jin Haryong out with Geom Mugeuk to see him off.

Left alone, Jin Paecheon spoke into the empty air.

"I'm going to get an earful from the strategist."

A deep male voice then came from the empty air.

"Do you really think the Demonic Cult Leader will kill the Evil Alliance Chairman?"

"I don't know. How could I know what's in his heart? The Geom Woojin I saw over a decade ago wasn't the type to resort to such shallow tricks, but how can I know what kind of person he has become now that the rivers and mountains have changed?"

Jin Paecheon slowly walked to the window and looked outside.

He could see Geom Mugeuk, Jin Hagun, and Jin Haryong standing side by side in front of the Chairman's Hall.

There were several reasons for his decision to attend this meeting. There was the concern that the Demonic Cult and the Evil Alliance might join hands and pull some trick, and there was also his curiosity about that young martial artist, Geom Mugeuk. How on earth did he manage to drag the not-so-easy Baek Jagang all the way to the Demonic Cult?

Furthermore, he was already aware that Jin Hagun and Jin Haryong held a great liking for Geom Mugeuk, which made him think he should probably take a closer look at Geom Mugeuk himself.

However, these reasons alone would not have prompted his decision without consulting his strategist. The biggest reason Jin Paecheon decided he had to go was this.

He felt the time had come to meet the Heavenly Demon Geom Woojin again.

When they had met before, Jin Paecheon had read Geom Woojin's ambition to unify the murim. He had suspected that Geom Woojin might one day start a war.

That was why he had devoted all his strength to protecting the orthodox sects' murim.

Now, he thought he had to confirm it before he got any older.

If he still has that look in his eyes.

I cannot let those eyes look upon Jin Hagun. Because it's a gaze my grandson cannot handle.

Jin Hagun sighed as soon as they left the Chairman's Hall.

"Why are you sighing? You should be cheering."

Jin Hagun ignored Geom Mugeuk's words and spoke to his sister.

"We might have just put the Chairman in danger with our own hands."

He felt like he had woken up after a wild night of partying. He always got this feeling when he hung out with Geom Mugeuk.

"Aren't you worried?"

Jin Haryong, on the other hand, was calm.

"Worried about what?"

"The worry that we might have been tricked by him."

Geom Mugeuk cut in.

"Please, have conversations like that using telepathy!"

Jin Hagun and Jin Haryong ignored him and continued their conversation.

"He could have tricked us."

"Right?"

"It could be a conspiracy to harm Grandfather and the Evil Alliance Chairman in one place."

"But you don't look worried at all."

"Because you're worrying enough for the both of us, Orabeoni. If not, with my personality, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep properly starting today. In that sense, thank you for being born first."

Jin Hagun shook his head as if she were hopeless and glanced at Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk was looking up at the sky.

"How's the sky when you look up from in front of the Murim Alliance's Chairman's Hall?"

"It's the same. The sky is the sky whether you see it from here or there. That's why I have no ambition for this place."

His words held Geom Mugeuk's true feelings. He kept letting them know whenever he had the chance that he was not greedy. So they should not doubt him.

Again and again. He would keep saying it, even if it was bothersome. Doubt was inevitable, but being bothered was a choice.

"Still, it's better seeing it with you two."

Jin Hagun recalled the provocative look in Geom Mugeuk's eyes from earlier, the gaze that dared him to cross the line drawn in his heart.

I crossed it as you intended, and it turned out as you intended.

That was why he kept making jokes like this.

"So, is your plan to kill us all complete now?"

A slight smile formed on Geom Mugeuk's lips as he continued to look at the sky.

"I said the same thing to the Evil Alliance Chairman in a similar situation. That's not my way. My way is to send a duel request. We have a match, and the loser backs down cleanly. I'm not so… as to conspire to take something."

Geom Mugeuk did not finish his sentence.

Looking back at his pre-regression self, these words would fit.

I have no affection for people or the world.

Perhaps that was why he was the way he was now. He felt regret and longing for that empty life lived only for revenge, a life where he gave no meaning to people, the world, or even himself.

Having seen the depths of loneliness, he now intended to go to the very end in the opposite direction. He would walk that path willingly, even if a greater regret awaited him.

"I prefer to have fun. I like a seat on the second floor of the Alluring Inn more than sitting on that high grand chair."

Now, both Jin Hagun and Jin Haryong believed these words. That was why they had schemed together today.

Before leaving, Geom Mugeuk said to the two of them.

"Do you know why I was able to proceed with this matter so confidently?"

"Why is that?"

"Because I trust Father. I believe that no matter what situation I create, he won't let it become the worst-case scenario. So if you can't trust me, trust your Chairman."

"!"

Geom Mugeuk gave the two a cheerful clasped hands greeting.

"I won't forget your help this time, and you must come to our Cult together."

Even if ordered not to, Jin Haryong planned to follow, even if it meant hiding in a carriage's luggage compartment. She really wanted to visit the Alluring Inn.

That was why this moment of parting felt so regrettable.

"Are you going back to the Divine Cult?"

"No. I said I'm going to the Evil Alliance."

"Ah, right. You really live a busy life."

Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly and vanished in a flash. He disappeared like smoke, just as he had arrived.

"You're just going to leave like that?"

Jin Haryong stood there for a long while, staring at the spot where Geom Mugeuk had disappeared.

I miss him already.

Just as Jin Haryong said, it was indeed a busy life.

He had run nonstop, even skipping sleep, to arrive at the Evil Alliance Headquarters. He was truly getting proper training in the Swift Step.

Geom Mugeuk first stopped by the inn that Bi Sayin frequented. Bi Sayin was there eating a meal today as well.

Bi Sayin's chopsticks paused at the incoming telepathy. "If you eat noodle dishes too often, you'll gain weight."

A smile reflexively appeared on his face. It was the world's only voice that would nag the Evil Alliance Young Alliance Chairman about picky eating. As always, he could see Geom Mugeuk's figure in the alley across the street.

"What brings you here? I expected to see you only at your tavern."

"Something urgent has come up that I must report to the Chairman."

"Then why don't you go report to him yourself?"

"How disloyal! You have to be there with me."

"Isn't it because it takes too long to get to the Chairman without me?"

Waiting, waiting some more, and getting permission. One had to pass through all sorts of security networks to finally reach the Chairman's Hall. It was the same at the Murim Alliance. In that respect, Jin Hagun and Bi Sayin were also shortcuts to the Chairman's Hall.

"You noticed?"

Geom Mugeuk's laughter echoed via telepathy.

Of course, Bi Sayin knew that was not the real reason. He knew that Geom Mugeuk always came to find him first to place him at the center of things.

"What is it?"

"Listen to it together with the Chairman."

"How much are you planning to surprise people this time?"

"It's not that kind of thing."

"I understand."

Geom Mugeuk stopped Bi Sayin as he was about to get up.

"Take your time, finish your meal, and then get up."

"How can I eat when you're waiting over there?"

"That's all the more reason to eat well. Don't they say a martial artist's strength comes from his meals? You can wait a hundred days, see if I get up without eating. You can cause the biggest trouble imaginable, see if I get up without eating."

Bi Sayin shot up from his seat and shouted.

"Did you cause trouble?"

Geom Mugeuk was at the Chairman's Hall with Bi Sayin.

"So, the Murim Alliance Chairman has also decided to come to this meeting?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Things have gotten bigger."

"You can just think of it as gaining another drinking buddy."

"And that drinking buddy is Jin Paecheon."

The Evil Alliance Chairman, Baek Jagang, disliked Geom Woojin, but he disliked Jin Paecheon even more.

"The three who despise each other are gathering?"

What was supposed to be a private drinking session for two had turned into a tripartite meeting of the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic.

Since he had become the Evil Alliance Chairman, the three of them had never once met in the same place.

"Was this your plan from the beginning?"

"No, it wasn't. At first, I only intended for Father and you, Chairman, to meet, but I changed my mind along the way."

"Because it was easier to invite the Murim Alliance Chairman than to ask for his understanding?"

"That was part of it, but a more important reason arose."

"What reason is that?"

After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk said.

"It's because I felt that if not for this opportunity, the three of you might never have the chance to meet together in this era."

"!"

Seeing as he did not get goosebumps, Geom Mugeuk was telling the truth.

"What's wrong with not meeting?"

"Looking back later, I thought I would find it regrettable. That the three who dominated an era had never gathered in one place."

Come to think of it, Baek Jagang realized he had never deeply considered a tripartite meeting. He had always thought the next time they met would be the day one of them died.

Bi Sayin, who had been listening silently, suddenly had a thought.

Is that why you rush over to me like this, whenever you get a chance to see me?

In that respect, in their generation, they did not need to worry about the three of them not being able to see each other. That Geom Mugeuk would try to call them out to meet at any given moment.

"Did you come all this way just to tell me this?"

"This meeting started thanks to you, Chairman, so of course I had to come and tell you in person."

"What if I say no? What if I say I don't want to because that old man from the Murim Alliance is frustrating?"

"I would still have to try to persuade you. Whatever you desire, just say the word. I will take responsibility and make it happen."

What did he desire?

What he desired was to raise Bi Sayin to be more splendid than the Geom Mugeuk before him, and to fill Geom Woojin's arrogant eyes with envy.

"I'll attend. Let's meet at the tavern."

Geom Mugeuk beamed and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you so much for your understanding. As expected, you are a man of action, Chairman."

As Geom Mugeuk bowed politely and turned to leave, Baek Jagang asked one last question.

"What is the ultimate goal you hope to achieve with this meeting?"

Geom Mugeuk turned back to him and said.

"Sayin here, and Commander Jin of the Murim Alliance. When the three of us get together, it's really fun."

Bi Sayin's lips twitched as he listened.

Shouldn't you ask us whether it's fun or not?

He wanted to quip like that, but he could not bring himself to say it in front of the Evil Alliance Chairman.

"Wouldn't it be fun if the three of you gathered as well? My goal is to make this meeting an enjoyable one."

"An enjoyable meeting? We'd be lucky if the atmosphere isn't murderous."

"That would be fun in its own way."

Baek Jagang warned of one danger.

"Those people who targeted us this time, you said there was someone behind them, right?"

"That's right."

"What will you do if they target this opportunity?"

Geom Mugeuk answered calmly.

"It will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I fended them all off even when I was alone, and this time, the three of you will be together, won't you?"

A strange smile played on Baek Jagang's lips.

For now, I'll have to be satisfied with being second best in raising a son.

Those words also represented Baek Jagang's will to at least make his son win against the Murim Alliance's successor.

Bi Sayin had no way of knowing the meaning behind his master's burning gaze directed at him.

"Then I will see you on that day."

Bi Sayin followed Geom Mugeuk out to see him off.

"You really aren't worried."

"Why should I be worried? Now that the three of them have given their permission, the matter is out of my hands."

Geom Mugeuk did not flinch even at the look that seemed to ask if he was not being too shameless.

"Let's live in our own murim."

When he first heard those words, they felt like castles in the sky, but now, he could feel a bit of substance to them. The existence of their own, young murim.

"There's the bodyguard issue, and coordinating the schedule will take some time. What will you do until then?"

"I'll play with the Demon Supremes during the day and train at night. That's how I'll spend my time. Don't you dare stop me from playing!"

"Must be nice. You have people to play with."

"Don't you have five more people to play with than I do?"

"!"

For a moment, Bi Sayin was surprised. Five more than the Eight Demon Supremes would be thirteen, meaning the Thirteen Evil Wolves. Bi Sayin had never once thought about playing with the Thirteen Evil Wolves.

"Well then, see you later."

In a flash, Geom Mugeuk became a dot in the distant sky and disappeared.

Beneath the sky where he had vanished, the Thirteen Evil Wolves stood in the distance.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. Geom Mugeuk must have started with the Demon Supremes in a similar state. No, the Thirteen Evil Wolves at least had loyalty. Geom Mugeuk must have befriended the Demon Supremes from a much more difficult and awkward state than this.

Right, if I'm going to imitate him, I should do it properly.

"Today, put down your bodyguard duties, buy some alcohol, and let's go hang out somewhere with a nice view. We can catch up on things. Oh, is there anyone among you who can dance a little?"

As surprised gazes focused on him, Bi Sayin looked up at the sky.

"The weather is too nice to play alone."