Chapter 620: Why Look at the Sky on the Day You Die?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Who asks for permission to make a counterfeit?

Geom Muyang had not anticipated Gwak Yeong asking such a brazen question. He was even more flustered because she was correct.

"If the materials had been identical, you wouldn't have even known it was a counterfeit."

What is this? This audacity?

She was so different from what he had expected. This was a situation where she should be prostrating herself and begging for her life.

Is this a trap after all?

Geom Muyang calmly surveyed his surroundings again. He still could not find anything suspicious inside the teahouse.

Gwak Yeong lifted the teacup in front of her and took a sip. Her palms were covered in calluses and her hands were rough.

Not only were there burn marks, but there were also so many scars that it was embarrassing to call them a woman's hands. Her hands revealed her life story.

Sensing Geom Muyang's gaze, Gwak Yeong raised her hand so the back of it was visible to him.

"Scars of glory!"

She was proud of those scars.

"Thanks to these hands, many people were saved that day."

Gwak Yeong asked Geom Muyang.

"Do you have scars like these?"

When he remained silent, she found an odd reason for his silence.

"Are you perhaps angry because I called you a fool?"

At that, Geom Muyang finally opened his mouth.

"If I were angry, it would be because of the counterfeit you made."

"It's a world overflowing with fakes!"

Of course, that argument did not work on Geom Muyang. Instead, feeling his gaze grow colder, she avoided his eyes and lifted her teacup.

She took a sip of her tea and then looked out the window. It was the same scenery as always, but today it felt more vibrant.

Watching the people pass by, she lightly bit her lip. Her lips were trembling. Though she acted confident in front of him, she was just as afraid as she was confident.

She sighed as if talking to herself.

"They said I'd never get caught, so what's this?"

It seemed she had not known she would be meeting him here today. If that was the case, there was something he did not understand.

They were meticulous enough to eliminate even the witnesses. They were people who could summon the Cold Moon Warrior and the Blue Mountain Swordsman. So why would they leave her in such a defenseless state? She should be a more important figure than anyone else.

Still gazing outside, she asked.

"I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I?"

The crime of making a counterfeit was not so light that she could afford to be this relaxed. If he did not have a reason to uncover the mastermind through her, she would already be dead. Even after he obtained the information, her life would hang by a thread.

Geom Muyang rose from his seat.

"Follow me quietly."

She did not get up from her seat.

"I haven't finished my tea yet."

Does she think she'll die if she's dragged away? Her hand trembled as she lifted the teacup.

It was at that very moment. Someone passing in front of the teahouse stopped and called out to her.

"Artisan Gwak!"

He was a middle-aged martial artist in the uniform of the Murim Alliance. A dozen or so martial artists followed him, all with nimble steps and sharp eyes.

The middle-aged man was none other than Commander Do Yinsu of the White Dragon Brigade, an elite organization of the Murim Alliance alongside the Green Dragon Brigade.

"Commander Do!"

Gwak Yeong stood up and spoke softly to Geom Muyang.

"What should I do? If I don't go, he'll come over here."

Without waiting for Geom Muyang's reply, she went outside.

"How was the sword I sent you last time?"

"It was excellent. How could anything made by Artisan Gwak not be good?"

Everyone acknowledged Gwak Yeong's skill, and they were all certain she would become the youngest head of the smithy.

There was a reason the White Dragon Commander was treating her so cordially. Every organization within the Murim Alliance tried to stay on good terms with the smithy. That way, they would be sent slightly better weapons than the other organizations.

The White Dragon Commander's gaze turned to Geom Muyang. He was a strangely eye-catching person.

"Who is that Master?"

Gwak Yeong looked at Geom Muyang. Her eyes seemed to say:

What should I do? Should I just reveal that you're from the Demonic Cult?

However, for some reason, unexpected words came from Gwak Yeong's mouth.

"He's my friend. A friend who has helped me a lot with my work for a long time."

Geom Muyang rose from his seat and greeted him with a polite clasped hands greeting.

"I'm Jang Hyeong from the Sword Worshipping Sect."

"Oh, so you are Master Jang."

At the mention of him being Gwak Yeong's friend, the wary look in his eyes softened. It showed just how much he was trying to get on Gwak Yeong's good side.

"I have more to discuss with the Commander. Friend, let's see each other again next time."

Geom Muyang nodded at her words. He had no choice but to let her go. He could not forcibly take her away with the White Dragon Commander and the White Dragon Brigade martial artists watching.

And so, Gwak Yeong left with the White Dragon Commander. Walking into the distance, Gwak Yeong looked back. After looking at Geom Muyang for a moment, she quickened her pace and disappeared.

As Geom Muyang left the teahouse and walked away, Ho Myeong quietly joined his side. He had also been watching Gwak Yeong use the Murim Alliance martial artists to escape.

"I'll inform the All-Knowing Hall that Gwak Yeong will go into hiding again. I'll tell them to set up a tight surveillance net so we don't lose her this time."

Then, Geom Muyang gave an unexpected reply.

"Gwak Yeong will not run away."

"Pardon?"

"She will probably come back tomorrow."

She ran away like that, and he thinks she'll come back tomorrow? Ho Myeong could not understand Geom Muyang's thinking.

"May I ask for your reasoning?"

It was Geom Muyang's intuition. A premonition that she would not just leave like this.

If he had to give Ho Myeong a reason.

"If the masterminds had intended to hide her, they wouldn't have had her come back."

However, they had done the opposite. She, who had vanished without a trace, had returned on the very day they arrived.

The next day, Ho Myeong was even more vigilant in guarding the area around Hyanghyang.

Through Hwa Yin of the All-Knowing Hall, he tried to grasp the movements of the Murim Alliance's masters and elites as much as possible. The Branch martial artists were on high alert. The peace, where nothing was happening, made them more anxious.

Geom Muyang entered Hyanghyang alone. He sat in the same seat as yesterday and ordered tea.

"You've come again."

The owner recognized Geom Muyang and greeted him warmly. According to the All-Knowing Hall's investigation, he was not a suspicious person. He was an ordinary person who had been running the teahouse here for a long time.

The All-Knowing Hall had been meticulous enough to investigate all the regulars. However, they could not find any customers to be wary of.

Geom Muyang sat alone, drinking his tea. Even as time passed, she did not appear.

Was my premonition wrong?

Perhaps it was. He might have misjudged, confused by her overly confident and bright demeanor.

Just as a full shichen had passed and Geom Muyang was about to get up from his seat.

[She has arrived.]

Ho Myeong's telepathy was transmitted. A moment later, Gwak Yeong entered the teahouse. This was the woman who had fled as if escaping yesterday.

This time, she came directly to the table where Geom Muyang was sitting.

"The quality of the iron that came in today was the best I've seen since I joined the smithy. We've truly never had iron this good come in."

She acted as if yesterday's escape had never happened, as if she were treating a real friend. She was even smiling brightly.

"Don't you know? Good things happen on days when good iron arrives. It's an old belief at the smithy."

"It's just a superstition."

Along with the chilly reply, Geom Muyang stared at her coldly and asked.

"Why did you come back instead of running away?"

He had expected it, but he was curious about the reason. Moreover, she had come alone again today. He scanned the surroundings more thoroughly than yesterday, but there were still no masters in ambush.

"Now that I'm on your radar, where could I possibly run?"

If this reason was sincere, she had made a smart choice. Just because she left like that yesterday, there was no way they would have missed her escape.

"Unless I hide deep in some mountain."

"You could save your life that way."

After ordering her usual tea from the teahouse owner, she said to Geom Muyang.

"My life isn't so precious that it's worth protecting by hiding in the mountains."

Her words were confident, yet tinged with sadness.

"And what would I do alone in the mountains? A life where I can't work at the smithy…!"

She did not finish the sentence, but he could tell she meant she would rather die.

"If you love your work this much, why did you do such a thing?"

She only fiddled with her teacup and did not answer. He could clearly sense there were some circumstances involved. It did not matter if she did not speak, as he would be interrogating her with a truth serum anyway.

"Let's get up now."

"I've only had one sip!"

However, Geom Muyang stood up first and left the teahouse. She gulped down the rest of her tea and followed Geom Muyang out.

A carriage was waiting in an alley near the teahouse.

"Let's walk."

"Who are you planning to meet to get away today?"

When Geom Muyang boarded the carriage first, she had no choice but to get on as well. It was a carriage with covered windows, making it impossible to see where they were going.

"I'd like to watch the outside as we go."

The carriage started moving, but Geom Muyang did not open the closed windows for her.

And a single, blunt sentence was delivered.

"You'll have a chance to see the sky once before you die."

After a brief pause, she replied.

"Why look at the sky on the day you die? You should look at the people."

Geom Muyang did not answer.

After a moment of silence, Gwak Yeong asked cautiously.

"Who are you?"

From the look in her eyes, Geom Muyang could tell. The woman did not know his identity. The mastermind had told her nothing.

Geom Muyang did not answer.

Presently, the carriage arrived at a manor. They had circled the outskirts several times to check for tails, but there was no one following them, nor anyone trying to protect her. She was completely alone.

It was at that very moment, as Geom Muyang opened the carriage door to get out.

"……"

Gwak Yeong pointed something at Geom Muyang. Surprisingly, what she held in her hand was a Blitz. However, it was not the counterfeit Blitz that Geom Muyang had seen before.

It was much smaller than that. A size so small it could be perfectly concealed in her palm.

"It's a Blitz that only fires one shot. I made this one too."

Since they were facing each other inside the carriage, the Blitz was aimed right at his face. However, Geom Muyang's expression showed no fear at all.

"I asked, who are you."

She had felt from the moment she first saw him that he was no ordinary member of the Demonic Cult. He did not feel like a butcher who chased down and killed those who made counterfeits. He was a man of few words, but she could feel a certain authority from him.

Even now, with a Blitz aimed at his face, he did not even blink.

"Are you going to kill me without even knowing who I am?"

A heavy silence fell.

"Why don't you shoot? All you have to do is twitch your finger."

Gwak Yeong's eyes trembled, while Geom Muyang's were calm.

"You've never killed anyone, have you?"

"Is that something to be proud of? Having killed someone."

She trembled, but tried to remain defiant.

"It may be my first time, but I can kill you."

"Then do it."

However, she did not fire the Blitz.

"I didn't take this out to kill you. I took it out to live."

Gwak Yeong slowly lowered the Blitz she had been aiming.

"I will bet my life and my fate on you."

Her gaze was incredibly tragic and determined.

"You said you don't even know who I am. What are you trusting to bet your fate on?"

Gwak Yeong stared at Geom Muyang and said.

"I'm not trusting you. I'm trusting myself. I'm trusting my choice."

Gwak Yeong stared intently at Geom Muyang. When they first met at the teahouse, she had bowed her head slightly toward him and smiled without realizing it.

It was not a smile she gave just because she made eye contact with a customer. The moment she saw him, there was a certain resonance that rose from deep within her heart. She could not explain what it was, though.

"Since I've spared your life, please grant me one request. After that, you can kill me. If you're a man of honor, promise me here and now."

Her eyes, prepared for death, spoke of her sincerity.

It was at that very moment.

WHIP.

The Blitz she had lowered was once again aimed at Geom Muyang. She, who was aiming the Blitz, was even more surprised. Her finger was moving on its own, about to pull the mechanism that fired the hidden weapon.

"No!"

She tried to turn it aside, but her arm would not move.

"Get away!"

She shouted, but the Blitz fired.

SHWAAK!

THWACK!

In that instant, Gwak Yeong squeezed her eyes shut. She knew very well that it was impossible to dodge at this distance. After all, she had made it herself.

Ah! What on earth just happened?

She had never intended to kill him. However, her hand had moved without her knowledge and fired the Blitz.

TSSSSSS.

The sound of something melting could be heard. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.

Then, a single phrase was heard.

"Open your eyes."

At the sound of Geom Muyang's voice, her eyes flew open.

Geom Muyang was sitting in the same spot. There was a hole right next to his head. It seemed her hand had moved at the last second and shot beside him. She had been too shocked and flustered to notice her hand moving.

She let out a huge sigh of relief and asked.

"What happened?"

Geom Muyang had moved her finger and arm with his will, as if using telekinesis. It was an easy task since they were so close and she did not know any martial arts. He had shown her directly that she could not have killed him even if she had tried.

Geom Muyang opened the carriage door and got out first.

"Stop talking about fate and get out."

Geom Muyang gave an order to his subordinate.

"Take her to the interrogation room."

Gwak Yeong let out an awkward sigh and got out of the carriage.

"Today was definitely a day when good iron came in."