Chapter 494: The Original Incarnation of Greed

TL: FoodieMonster007

When Geom Mugeuk returned to the safehouse, preparations for their departure were in full swing. The luggage was already loaded, and Hwi was inspecting the condition of the horses and the carriage. His father stood in the yard with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the sky.

Geom Mugeuk approached his father's side.

"I've wrapped things up with the Golden Dragon Clan."

As always, Geom Mugeuk reported the events to his father in detail. His father sometimes wore an expression that seemed to ask why he was being so specific, but he explained everything as thoroughly as possible.

He knew that these reports had been a great help in his relationship with his father. At the very least, they had grown accustomed to conversation itself.

"I left the final arrangements to the parties involved."

Fortunately, the Murim Alliance actively helped with this matter. Since they had agreed to deal with the forces behind the scenes through the tripartite meeting, they readily accepted the request from the All-Knowing Hall.

"In the end, you could say we pushed through and resolved it with the authority and power of our Cult."

Geom Woojin's gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, turned to his son.

"The power of our Cult is your power."

Geom Mugeuk smiled pleasantly. It was a statement acknowledging his authority as the Young Cult Leader. That wasn't the important part.

Thank you, Father. For expressing it like this.

Geom Woojin boarded the carriage first, and Geom Mugeuk followed him.

"Farewell, Shaanxi!"

Taking Geom Mugeuk's farewell as a signal, the carriage driven by Hwi departed from the safehouse. It began its journey toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

"Father, we were supposed to have a contest to see which of us was more popular with the Young Ladies in Shaanxi, but we're leaving without getting the chance. Father, if we get another opportunity, let's have a proper competition."

Geom Woojin didn't say he wouldn't do it. Nor did he say that it was a contest where the younger man would have the advantage.

This is my father.

A hint of haughtiness appeared on Geom Woojin's face. It was a subtle change in expression that others would find hard to notice, but Geom Mugeuk could now sense it.

His father was a man, after all.

Geom Mugeuk stuck his head out the window and shouted to Hwi in the driver's seat.

"Uncle. Don't forget, we have to stop in Chongqing on the way."

They had to stop by the treasure vault given to them as a gift by the head of the Milky Way Trading Company.

"I'm supposed to pick thirty items from there, you know."

Geom Woojin's voice immediately replied.

"I never made such a promise."

"Right? Now that I think about it, thirty is too many. I'll pick just ten."

……

"Actually, even ten is a lot. People might think I'm an incarnation of greed. Alright. I'll happily choose eight. It's fate, since our Cult has eight Demon Supremes."

……

"Right? What do the Demon Supremes have to do with gifts anyway. I'll just take five. No, Father! Then just three! Please!"

Listening to the conversation from behind, a smile formed on Hwi's lips. Had he ever smiled this much in his life? This journey was an incredibly precious time for him. It was a journey for the Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader, but at the same time, it was a journey for himself. The Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader had made it so.

On the way here, the Cult Leader had allowed him to visit his hometown. The Young Cult Leader had let him earn a large sum of money by splitting their earnings three ways. He had also given him the chance to kill the Death King himself, and the Cult Leader had personally given him a golden wound salve.

And they always walked together as three, instead of having him travel in stealth.

Had any Heavenly Demon bodyguard in history ever had such an experience? Hwi was certain. There had never been one.

Thank you, both of you.

A moment later, Geom Mugeuk failed to secure even three treasures. He pouted and leaned out of the carriage window to feel the wind.

"You're too much! How can you be so cold!"

Hwi glanced back. Contrary to his complaining words, Geom Mugeuk's face was smiling pleasantly as he gazed at the distant scenery.

In truth, at that moment, Geom Mugeuk was feeling a sense of regret.

When would he be able to come out with his father like this again? Once they returned, he probably wouldn't be able to leave for a while.

Why did time have to pass so quickly? They had just departed, but they would arrive before he knew it.

"Uncle, let's go back slowly. Even slower than when we came. If you see any profligates trying to steal money, stop the carriage. Stop if you see bandits, and a hostage situation would be great too! Don't miss a thirsty traveler or a lost cat on the road. Please, let's go back slowly!"

He wished his father would feel the same sense of regret, but he said nothing.

Only the fishing rod sticking out of the carriage window swayed gently in the wind.

The carriage arrived at the base of Mount Yuhua in Chongqing. The head of the Milky Way Trading Company had told them to find a man named Jung Song, who gathered medicinal herbs here.

After asking for his whereabouts in the market, they arrived at his house at the foot of the mountain. Jung Song was waiting for Geom Mugeuk's party to arrive.

"I heard that the owner of the key has appeared."

The head of the Milky Way Trading Company had sent word that someone would be visiting soon. That was why he hadn't gone out to gather herbs recently and had just been waiting at home for his guests.

"I will guide you. Let's go."

Perhaps he, the one who had been guarding the treasure, had been waiting for this moment more eagerly than the ones who would receive it. It would be the moment he gained freedom from the thing that had unknowingly bound him.

Jung Song led the three men up Mount Yuhua. Reaching the summit, he looked down at the cliff below.

"You have to jump down from here. On the way down, there's a protruding ledge halfway down the cliff. You must land precisely there."

"You go down first."

Jung Song looked at Geom Mugeuk with a somewhat worried expression. It seemed he was concerned for Geom Mugeuk, who was younger than the other two.

Geom Mugeuk reassured him. "Don't worry. I have a father who raises his son by throwing him off cliffs."

From Geom Mugeuk's words, Jung Song could tell his guess had been correct.

Just as he thought! The two of them were father and son.

They had different yet similar auras.

Jung Song leaped off the cliff. As he fell rapidly, he flailed his arms and legs to reduce his speed. Far below, there was a protruding space about halfway down the cliff.

Although he was confident in his movement arts, he was nervous every time. Jumping from a cliff and landing on a ledge might look easy, but it was by no means a simple task.

One needed a high level of mastery in movement arts and, above all, guts. One also needed experience with this sort of thing. Moreover, the wind was strong today, making it an even more difficult day.

Jung Song landed on the protrusion.

Will they be able to get down safely?

Worried, he looked up.

WHOOSH. Geom Mugeuk dropped down and landed lightly beside him.

"Huh?"

Jung Song stared with a surprised face.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"It's nothing."

He had literally just dropped. Normally, one would have to use movement arts, moving their hands and feet to slow their descent.

However, Geom Mugeuk had fallen as fast as a rock yet landed as lightly as a feather. He hadn't even moved his hands or feet.

I've never seen a movement art like this. If the young man is like this, what about the others?

Then, as he casually glanced to the other side, Jung Song was startled.

GASP!

Hwi was already standing next to him. There had been truly no sound, no presence. It was enough to make him wonder if Hwi had come down with him from the start.

The person who delivered the final surprise was Geom Woojin.

Having descended at some point, Geom Woojin was floating in mid-air, his robes fluttering. He floated in the empty space in front of the ledge with a comfortable expression, as if he were standing on solid ground.

Witnessing the three men's martial arts skills, Jung Song conveyed something he had not originally intended to say.

"The head of the Trading Company would come every year to give me new treasures and a key, and I would enter this place to stock them. So, this is a place known only to the head of the Trading Company and myself. At first, I thought it was his personal vault, but one day he told me. He said this was a place to collect gifts for his benefactor. I couldn't understand. Just what kind of benefactor was he to go to such lengths?"

Jung Song bowed his head lightly to the three men and then continued.

"Now, I understand."

They weren't just ordinary martial artists. This was a moment where he, as a martial artist, was meeting three masters at once, the kind one would be lucky to meet even once in a lifetime.

"There were difficult times while I waited, but I think it was a rewarding wait."

He was a master who could gauge an opponent's skill to some extent just by their movement arts.

At that, Geom Mugeuk expressed his gratitude to him.

"Thank you for waiting."

"There's no need to thank me. I only took on the job because of my friendship with the head of the Trading Company. I was paid a lot of money, too."

"Still, I know how difficult it is for a martial artist to be tied down to one place. You've truly worked hard."

Through this journey, Hwi could now clearly see. He could see that Geom Mugeuk's expression of gratitude was sincere. That the person who charged forward with such sincerity was the current Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Hwi's gaze shifted slightly toward Geom Woojin. I think I finally understand now. Just what a difficult battle you have been fighting, Cult Leader. Because of the heart Geom Mugeuk had shown him on this journey.

I think I've already lost. It wasn't because of the three-way split of the money. He had already lost when Geom Mugeuk laid out a leather hide for him while camping, saying he had brought it for him. He had already lost when he was pulled along to eat together.

Cult Leader, will you be able to win? There are still five years left.

Meanwhile, Jung Song pulled out a small stone embedded in the cliff face. There was a hole there, a common type of hole found on cliffs.

"You just need to insert the key here and turn it."

No one in the world would ever know that this was the entrance to a secret vault. Even if someone were to fall from the cliff and dramatically land on this ledge, they would never think that this small hole in the wall was a keyhole.

"Well then, I'll be on my way."

Jung Song bowed his head politely in farewell, then leaped and jumped down from the cliff. His body, having found freedom, flew away as lightly as the wind.

Geom Woojin walked through the air and landed where Jung Song had been standing. He took out the ten-thousand-year cold iron key he had received from Yong Jamyeong and gave it to Hwi.

Hwi inserted the key into the hole and turned it.

RUUUMBLE.

A hidden door in the cliff opened.

"I will wait here."

But Geom Mugeuk included him. "Isn't this journey about being together, no matter what?"

Geom Woojin nodded.

"Let's go in together."

"Yes."

And so, the three of them entered the cave.

There were no mechanisms to defend against intruders. Since it was in a location that was impossible to find, the key to this treasure vault was faith in the man named Jung Song.

If he had a change of heart and decided to open this place, he could have just broken down the wall to get inside.

Geom Mugeuk could see it. There was a reason the head of the Milky Way Trading Company had become the richest man in the murim. He had a trustworthy person to whom he could entrust his treasures, and he had the trust and guts to truly believe in them once he did.

The interior was brightly lit by luminous pearls embedded all around, and the air was fresh, circulating from somewhere. The first thing that caught the eye was a bronze mirror in the center. It was a large mirror that could reflect one's entire body.

Treasures were displayed on either side of it.

Clothes were hanging on the left wall. Of course, they were not ordinary martial arts uniforms.

"Father, isn't this the Flying Black Dragon Armor?"

The treasured armor, embroidered with a black dragon, was a very famous piece in the murim. That wasn't all. The treasured armor hanging next to it was just as impressive.

"This is the Flying Dragon Iron Robe. Ah! And that's the Vajra Divine Armor."

There were pieces of treasured armor that were recognizable at a glance.

"What's this?"

"That is the True Laughing Armor. It's a very old piece of treasured armor."

And there were even pieces that only his father could recognize.

In a typical vault, such armors would be displayed magnificently on the walls. The most precious item would be in the center, with the rest surrounding it.

But here, there were so many pieces of treasured armor that they were hung overlapping each other like common martial arts uniforms.

If they had collected so much treasured armor, wouldn't there be weapons as well?

The treasured swords displayed to one side were gleaming, as if their moment to finally show off had come.

"The Taiji Divine Sword, the Lotus Sword, and that one is the Blood Wind Brilliant Sword, right?"

Not just treasured swords, but treasured blades, spears, and even throwing knives. It was filled with all sorts of treasures.

And that wasn't all.

There were also martial arts manuals. Judging by the quality of the treasured swords and armor, the manuals were likely for arts that were difficult to obtain. In addition, there was the Antitoxin Bead, luminous pearls, and various other expensive treasures. It was truly a collection of a value that was difficult to calculate.

He could tell that Yong Jamyeong had collected these over a long period. These were not things that could be acquired overnight, even with money.

"Father really saved the right person."

Indeed, the things the richest man in the Central Plains had prepared for his benefactor over a lifetime were gathered here. It was a moment where one could feel the dignity of the richest man in the murim.

"This treasured armor here seems to be the White Dragon Armor. I heard it's one of the most favored pieces among orthodox sects martial artists, and it was here. Father, look at this. Huh?"

Turning around, Geom Mugeuk flinched in surprise. His father was already standing in front of the bronze mirror, fully dressed in a suit of treasured armor. It was a black suit that suited his father perfectly.

"What's that? That armor?"

His father then answered. "It's the Shocking Soul Armor. I've wanted to try it on for a long time but could never obtain it. To think it was here."

He thought his father would refuse to wear it, questioning what a martial artist needed with treasured armor.

His father had a deeper knowledge of the murim's artifacts than anyone.

His father extended his hand again. Something that had been hanging on the wall flew toward him.

CLICK. CLACK.

His father fastened it to both of his wrists. They were bracers that protected the wrists.

"This is Traceless."

Geom Mugeuk had heard of it too. The legendary bracers were said to be uncuttable by any sword qi.

His father extended his hand again, and this time, a throwing knife flew to him.

"This is the Horizon's Heart."

It was one of the top five throwing knives in the murim. He slotted the throwing knife into Traceless. Traceless was originally designed to hold throwing knives.

Watching this, Geom Mugeuk didn't forget to make a joke.

"Now I know why I always want treasures whenever I see them. The blood of the original incarnation of greed flows through me!"

A sneer formed on his father's lips at Geom Mugeuk's joke.

Seeing that sneer for the first time in a while, Geom Mugeuk felt his mood lift.

Yes, this was his father. The sight of him with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the sky, was incomparably cool, but that wasn't his father's true nature.

He was the kind of person who wanted to try on treasured armor when he saw it and wanted to wield a treasured sword when he found one. He was the kind of person who wanted to fight a strong opponent when he met one, and who absolutely had to win when he fought.

The reason this moment was so precious to Geom Mugeuk was that his father was now showing that side of himself without reservation.

His father, who had been equipping himself while looking in the bronze mirror, suddenly asked, "What are you two doing, not picking anything?"

Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened with joy as he asked, "We can pick things too?"

With an obvious expression, his father said from the mirror's reflection, "Both of you, get properly equipped. Don't think about giving them to others, just for yourselves."