Chapter 652: It's For The Chairman's Sake

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jin Paecheon, the Murim Alliance Lord, stood in the Azure Cloud Forest's pavilion with his hands clasped behind him. He was gazing at the mist drifting through the bamboo when Geom Mugeuk ascended into the structure.

"Chairman."

"Welcome."

Geom Mugeuk had requested this secret meeting, having sent word that he had something to report. For a moment, the two men simply watched the mist flow by until Jin Paecheon finally broke the silence.

"That matter is still weighing on my mind."

The Heaven's Edge Hermit he had encountered was no different than usual, but the new realization was the problem. It was the fact that in all their years together, the man had never once gotten angry at him or honestly revealed his own emotions. Attributing this to personality or his own status was difficult. The time they had spent together was simply too long for such an explanation.

"However, that isn't proof that he's an evil man, is it?" Geom Mugeuk calmly responded.

"I don't think knowing someone for a long time means you know them well. What's important is if you made an effort to see them accurately. But between friends, you don't make that kind of effort. You're friends precisely because you don't have to. That's why that man is the worst kind of bastard."

Jin Paecheon turned to look at Geom Mugeuk, who was clearly still convinced that the Heaven's Edge Hermit was a villain.

"What happened to the masters who violated the Demonic Seal Mandate?"

At Jin Paecheon's question, Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened. He asked back, "The Demonic Seal Mandate?"

Jin Paecheon stared at Geom Mugeuk. After all, Geom Mugeuk was the one who had told him the news in the first place.

"In our Cult, there are no masters who have violated the Demonic Seal Mandate." He then grinned. Jin Paecheon could tell from that playful smile that the old demons who had violated the Demonic Seal Mandate were already dead. The claim that no one had violated the mandate was obviously a joke, and Geom Mugeuk proceeded to relay the facts as they were.

"They appeared at the Clear Heart Hospital's office."

In truth, Jin Paecheon had already received this news. He knew that So Cheongrak had emptied his physician's office after meeting the two old masters and that those same masters were demonic practitioners who had violated the Demonic Seal Mandate.

"They died in the secret underground chamber of the Clear Heart Hospital's office."

Geom Mugeuk deliberately emphasized the existence of a secret chamber in the basement.

"Did you handle it yourself?"

"……"

Geom Mugeuk was perfectly fine, without a single scratch, even after killing them. Jin Paecheon noted that this young Young Cult Leader grew stronger every time they met.

"Did Physician So die as well?"

Was So Cheongrak truly a villain? He had worked so hard for the people of Murim for so long.

"Yes, he is also dead," Geom Mugeuk answered without hesitation. He then explained the reason. "So Cheongrak was trying to release their prohibitions."

A decisive statement was added to that. "He was training in poison arts in the secret underground chamber of his residence. He selected patients with the right constitutions for his experiments, conducted poison tests on them there, and then killed them."

A cold fury flowed from Jin Paecheon's eyes.

If those words were true, then So Cheongrak was a truly unforgivable man.

That was, of course, if everything Geom Mugeuk said was true.

Jin Paecheon stared at Geom Mugeuk. He knew that in this moment, if he didn't believe the words of the man before him, this entire affair would become a conspiracy orchestrated by the Demonic Cult.

"Trust your intuition, Chairman."

"If you're right, shouldn't I distrust my intuition instead? I didn't even know my old friend was an enemy."

"He is someone who approached you with intent from a young age. It's something that no one, not just you, Chairman, could have known."

His intuition told him to trust Geom Mugeuk. Nevertheless, Jin Paecheon remained cautious. This matter concerned the safety of not only himself but the entire orthodox sects murim.

"Let's say you're right. Was it necessary to prepare for so many years? If it were me, I would've overturned the world several times by now."

"That's why."

"That's why?"

"If it were you, Chairman, you would have certainly produced a better result than this."

After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk asked as if to confirm, "But they aren't you, are they, Chairman?"

The question struck Jin Paecheon.

"Having to face a Chairman like you, it would never have been easy. So much so that even decades of preparation wouldn't be enough."

Jin Paecheon could feel how highly Geom Mugeuk regarded him.

"Actually, I had thought that the person they were targeting might not have been Hageun or Haryong, but the Heaven's Edge Hermit himself."

Jin Paecheon flinched in surprise for a moment. Those words implied that the Hermit intended to sacrifice his own life to start a war between the orthodox and demonic factions.

"Why didn't you tell me that then?"

"I thought it might make your judgment about your friend even more difficult, Chairman. But thinking about it now, I should have told you then."

Geom Mugeuk bowed his head and apologized. "I'm sorry. Even though I said I'd tell you everything, I made an arbitrary judgment."

Jin Paecheon didn't think it was something to apologize for. The Young Cult Leader might claim he would tell him everything, but Jin Paecheon himself did not yet fully trust him. He had no intention of telling the Young Cult Leader everything either.

He still harbored a sense of caution towards Geom Mugeuk. He trusted him, yet he was also wary. Jin Paecheon was once again realizing just how difficult it was to trust someone completely.

"Have you found out who they were targeting?"

"Yes. So Cheongrak said it himself."

Geom Mugeuk added softly, "Their targets were me and Hageun."

The moment he heard those words, Jin Paecheon felt an unbearable killing intent for the first time in a very long while. The anger he had felt when he merely suspected his grandsons might be the targets could not compare to his fury now that it was revealed as fact.

This wasn't simple anger. It was a deep killing intent, a desire to brutally murder the mastermind. It was a primal urge that made him want to inflict extreme pain on his enemy before tearing them limb from limb.

At times like this, Jin Paecheon found his position as the Lord of the Murim Alliance to be a true nuisance. He wanted to grab a sword and rush out this very instant, shouting one thing. Where are they? Who are they?

He was originally a person with this kind of temperament. His personality had changed after he became the Lord of the Murim Alliance, forcing him to endure and endure. This incident, however, was truly bringing out his original nature.

"In a way, their target must have been my father. It seems they analyzed that if I died, my father would start a war. It was a judgment made without knowing my father at all."

Jin Paecheon stared intently at Geom Mugeuk and said, "They might have seen him correctly."

"Pardon?"

It wasn't something Jin Paecheon said just to please Geom Mugeuk. The Geom Woojin he had seen at the tripartite meeting had clearly not lost his ambition. Whether he used the grief of losing a son as a pretext or acted out of genuine sorrow, Jin Paecheon thought that Geom Woojin might indeed start a war.

Yes, perhaps the targets this time were not the Young Cult Leader and his grandson, but the Demonic Cult Leader and himself.

"There's something else I learned while handling this matter." The most important reason for meeting the Chairman today was to deliver this information. "There is a master of the Soul-Subduing Arts behind this incident."

At the mention of 'Soul-Subduing Arts', Jin Paecheon's expression hardened. The martial arts most detested by the orthodox sects murim were poison arts and Soul-Subduing Arts. So Cheongrak used poison, and the other mastermind used Soul-Subduing Arts, which meant they had deployed the most troublesome opponents imaginable.

"I hope you will prepare countermeasures. I have already sent a separate message to Commander Jin regarding the Soul-Subduing Arts."

Surely the Murim Alliance would also be prepared for Soul-Subduing Arts or poison arts. They would have countermeasures in place, if only to deal with our Cult.

"I understand."

"As you can see, the person they fear most is you, Chairman." He once again gave strength to the Chairman with those words. The most important thing right now was for Jin Paecheon to hold his ground and not be shaken.

"Finally, there is one more thing I must tell you."

"What is it?"

Geom Mugeuk said cautiously. It might be different for anyone else, but he had to inform the Chairman about this person in advance.

"I intend to meet the Heaven's Edge Hermit myself."

For a moment, Jin Paecheon flinched. He felt that what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

"If you were me, what would you do?"

After pondering for a moment, Geom Mugeuk answered calmly. "If I were in your position, Chairman, I would first ask myself. What is it that you fear most right now?"

The question struck Jin Paecheon.

He asked himself that very question.

Was he afraid of his friend being revealed as a villain? Or was he afraid of learning that he had lived his entire life being deceived?

"Are you going to kill him?" Jin Paecheon asked heavily, and Geom Mugeuk revealed his honest feelings.

"At first, I naturally thought that you, Chairman, should be the one to kill him. It was for your sake. But now, I think it's fine if I kill him. That, too, is for your sake, Chairman."

Geom Mugeuk did not explain his reasoning. He simply bowed his head respectfully and descended from the pavilion.

"First, I will find proof that he is the mastermind."

When Geom Mugeuk opened the door and stepped inside, the Heaven's Edge Hermit asked with a surprised face, "Who are you?" Geom Mugeuk had slipped inside quietly, avoiding the eyes of the martial artists guarding the outside.

"You know who I am, don't you?"

Soon, the Heaven's Edge Hermit nodded his head. "I heard about you from the Chairman."

He then added with a genuinely surprised expression, "I didn't expect you to come looking for me."

Geom Mugeuk could understand why the Chairman was so troubled. Nothing about this man's appearance suggested he was a villain hiding his true identity.

"If I shout, everyone outside will come rushing in."

"Are you going to kill all those people? Ah, that was your original goal, wasn't it? To have the martial artists of Murim be massacred at my hands."

The Heaven's Edge Hermit pointedly stood up, opened the door Geom Mugeuk had used, and stepped out. The martial artists standing in the hallway looked at him. No one was dead, and no one had their blood points or vital points sealed.

Numerous martial artists were also visible in the courtyard outside the window. Geom Mugeuk had entered the room by avoiding the eyes of all of them. The important thing was that he had entered without subduing anyone.

"Is there anything you need?"

"No."

In response to the question from the martial artist guarding the hall, the Heaven's Edge Hermit shook his head, closed the door, and came back inside.

In the meantime, Geom Mugeuk was looking around the room. "You're as frugal as the rumors say."

It appeared to be a casual glance, but Geom Mugeuk's eyes were sharply scanning every corner of the room. He was looking for a secret escape passage or a mechanism to attack an opponent.

Would there be such a thing, considering he's lived hiding himself so thoroughly? Geom Mugeuk wondered, but one could never know. As he had told So Cheongrak, the man must have been perfect at first. But could he still be flawless now?

There had to be one somewhere. A finger-sized hole that could bring down the entire dam.

"Perhaps if you enter a secret passage somewhere in this room, it leads to a really luxurious house? The kind with a grand feast laid out and beautiful women waiting on the bed." He said it like a joke, but the Heaven's Edge Hermit did not laugh.

"Does your residence have such a secret passage?"

It was a challenge, asking why Geom Mugeuk would say such a thing when he didn't have one himself.

"Wouldn't we bastards from the Demonic Cult live in such houses without hiding it?" After looking around the room, Geom Mugeuk sat in a chair by the tea table and opened the teapot.

"You use the cheapest tea, too. You should drink good tea."

"My palate is not so refined."

Geom Mugeuk acted nonchalantly, but all his senses were focused on the Heaven's Edge Hermit. He did not let his guard down for a single second. After all, this was the man at the center of everything.

POUR.

Geom Mugeuk poured tea into a cup and drank it.

"Actually, I can drink just about anything, too."

The Heaven's Edge Hermit silently stared at Geom Mugeuk, who was acting as if he owned the place.

"Hasn't it been hard, living in hiding all this time? Why don't you have a frank talk with me? After all, the Chairman and the orthodox sects martial artists won't believe a word I say anyway."

He must surely have a desire to reveal himself. He must want to boast about what he has accomplished over such a long time. A desire to ask, 'Do you know how much I endured to get this far?'

However, the Heaven's Edge Hermit showed no sign of it. "What about you? What's your purpose in doing this? What do you hope to gain by slandering me?"

The Heaven's Edge Hermit's gaze sharpened. "Are you aiming for the Chairman?"

Surprisingly, Geom Mugeuk nodded and admitted it. "Yes, the Chairman is my target."

Geom Mugeuk added to the startled Heaven's Edge Hermit, "My goal is to protect the Chairman from you."

Realizing he was being mocked, the Heaven's Edge Hermit's expression hardened. "The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult has come to protect the Lord of the Murim Alliance? How ridiculous."

"The world is full of ridiculous things. The oldest friend of the Lord of the Murim Alliance could also be his most threatening enemy." Geom Mugeuk smiled, but the Hermit did not.

"Why did you come looking for me?"

"There's an honest answer and a dishonest answer. Which one would you like to hear?"

"Let's hear the honest answer."

Geom Mugeuk honestly revealed the purpose of his visit. "It's to find proof that our dear Hermit is hiding his true identity." He wanted to drag out the man named Hwa Yulcheong hiding behind the name of the Heaven's Edge Hermit. He was waiting for that moment when he could rip the shell of the Heaven's Edge Hermit to shreds!

"Since you're being so honest, I'm now curious about the dishonest answer."

"Shall I tell you?"

When the Heaven's Edge Hermit nodded, Geom Mugeuk's demeanor changed completely. With an incomparably cold gaze that seemed to peer into evil itself, Geom Mugeuk said softly, "I came to kill you."

As if he had expected it, the Heaven's Edge Hermit showed no agitation. "Kill first, deal with the aftermath later. It's not a bad way to handle someone as dangerous as you."

The Heaven's Edge Hermit asked calmly, "This answer sounds more like the honest one, doesn't it?"

At that, Geom Mugeuk's cold expression softened. "You're right. In fact, this is my honest wish."

"Then why don't you kill me?"

The two men stood facing each other, close enough to draw their swords and slice each other's throats in a single strike.

Geom Mugeuk rose from his seat and approached him.

"Because I want to make you a proposal."

Geom Mugeuk extended his hand toward the Heaven's Edge Hermit and stated his truly unexpected proposal.

"Join hands with me."