Chapter 666: Who Is That Person?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Ju Somyeong, the general manager of the Nothing Manor, was rushing down a mountain path in a desperate attempt to escape Wuhan.

Hwa Yulcheong had once told him, "When the Black Pearl shatters, it means I am dead." The sacred artifact, the Black Pearl, had shattered after Hwa Yulcheong left for the great battle that was meant to change his destiny.

He had never dreamed that Hwa Yulcheong, his leader, could be defeated. If Hwa Yulcheong's identity was revealed, then Ju Somyeong's status as his subordinate would surely be exposed as well.

Damn that Young Cult Leader!

This was all the fault of the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.

The chance had been there when he failed to notice the Young Cult Leader's presence in the residence's hallway. It was there when Hwa Yulcheong mentioned that the Young Cult Leader knew about him.

He should have advised Hwa Yulcheong to leave Wuhan for a time and only come back after the Young Cult Leader had gone. The problem was that he had placed too much trust in Hwa Yulcheong's abilities.

I will kill him without fail!

Ju Somyeong swore to avenge Hwa Yulcheong. He planned to make a forceful report to his organization, insisting that they must kill the Young Cult Leader first.

While running along the deserted forest path, he kept his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Given the current situation, the surveillance networks of both the Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would be spread out like a spider's web. It would be impossible for anyone to escape Wuhan if the two sides were sharing information. He could only hope that was not the case.

He suddenly stopped running.

Up ahead, he saw two people digging for medicinal herbs. Their appearances were immediately eye-catching. The older man was very short, and the younger was a handsome young man with an herb pouch tied to his waist.

Ju Somyeong was startled by how much they stood out, but they were clearly just herb gatherers. They paid him no attention, looking only at the herbs with admiration.

"To find the Cold Blood Grass in a place like this! You're amazing."

"Wuhan is truly a treasure trove of poisonous herbs."

"It's not a treasure trove that opens for just anyone."

"I was just lucky. Go on, you dig it."

"Is it really okay?"

The short man seemed to enjoy the thrill of digging. When he offered the opportunity to the younger man, the man's face lit up with joy.

Watching them, Ju Somyeong slipped to the side and darted into the forest. Their appearances were unusual, but they seemed to be genuine herb gatherers. Still, there was no reason to cross their path. He would have killed them on the spot if they had turned and seen him, as they could have told pursuers which way he went.

However, they were completely absorbed in digging for herbs.

You should know that saved your lives.

He took a detour and came out of the dense forest. Then he heard voices again.

"There's another one here!"

"This time it's the Hell Apostle Grass!"

The Hell Apostle Grass was another poisonous herb, just as rare as the Cold Blood Grass. The two were delighted, but Ju Somyeong's expression hardened completely.

He was certain he had taken a different direction from them. Had they managed to reach this spot by cutting through the forest because they were skilled herb gatherers?

Just in case, Ju Somyeong turned and ran back the way he had come. As he ran down a completely different path, a chill went down his spine. They were there again, up ahead.

At this point, how could Ju Somyeong not understand the situation?

They're masters!

They were true masters whose skills were so great they were unrecognizable, who did not even look like martial artists. Of course, they were the Poison King and the Demonic Buddha.

"Is there a need for this?"

At the Poison King's question, the Demonic Buddha looked at Ju Somyeong and replied.

"Still, wouldn't it be fine to give him one chance?"

"He looks stubborn."

Ju Somyeong knew. He knew they were talking about him. There was no need to even test their martial arts.

In that case?

Without any hesitation, Ju Somyeong pulled something from his robes. What he took out and aimed at his own head was the forged hidden weapon, the Blitz. It was the same kind of Blitz used when Hwa Yulcheong faked being ambushed.

"You will find out nothing from me."

His hand trembled as he aimed the Blitz. The thought that he might actually die filled him with terror. In contrast, the Poison King and the Demonic Buddha just stared at him blankly.

The Demonic Buddha spoke first.

"That's going to hurt."

The Demonic Buddha gestured for him to aim a little lower.

"The bone is thickest there. If it gets stuck without piercing through, you'll die feeling the agony of your skull melting."

The Poison King, who was listening, added a word.

"The poison is crappy, so it'll hurt even more."

From their words, Ju Somyeong could tell. His opponents were masters from the Demonic Cult.

"You damn Demonic Cult bastards! Do you think I'll get scared and talk just because of some dog-shit threat like that? Take one more step and I'll pull it!"

A moment of silence passed. The Demonic Buddha and the Poison King paid him no more attention.

"Let's take that ridge on the way down."

The direction the Demonic Buddha pointed was a place they had not yet been, and the Poison King's face brightened.

"Sounds good."

With that, the two of them left the spot. Left alone, Ju Somyeong was bewildered.

They're letting me live? Really?

But he soon understood their intention.

Those bastards! They plan to tail me and find our location.

That was a tactic that proved they did not know him at all.

You fools! Did you think I'd fall for such a shallow trick and obediently return?

They also knew nothing about his organization. He himself did not know the organization's location. He simply left a message to make a report.

But there was something he did not know. He knew nothing about his opponents.

His feet would not move.

"……"

Why was his body not moving?

That was the last conscious thought of the living Ju Somyeong.

"……"

In an instant, his body melted away. There was no pain, but there was also no trace left behind.

The carriage arrived at the residence where Geom Muyang was staying.

Gwak Ju stepped out of the carriage with a flushed face. His heart pounded with the thought of finally being able to see his Noona. Jin Hagun did not go inside. Instead, he sent a subordinate to announce his arrival.

A moment later, Geom Muyang came out.

"Why did you not come in?"

"My role ends here."

Jin Hagun did not consider himself the one who had saved Gwak Ju. This was not just because the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme had helped.

"The First Young Lord is the one who saved this man."

Jin Hagun knew. He understood that Geom Muyang entrusting him with the task of saving Gwak Ju was by no means an easy decision. That proud man had bent his pride to make a request, for the reason that the Demon Slaying Brigade had a higher chance of saving this person.

This person had been saved at that very moment.

It was a detail he would not have considered in the past. He had changed after meeting Geom Mugeuk. As he tried to see people for who they truly were, he had come to understand the person named Geom Muyang a little more deeply. He now knew that sometimes, quietly enduring was harder than fighting at the forefront.

Geom Muyang observed the state of Jin Hagun and the other Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists. Their blood-soaked uniforms told him how hard they had fought. What more needed to be said?

"Thank you. I will be sure to repay this debt later."

The two men faced each other and nodded once. That was enough. Because of this incident, their relationship would be different from before.

Jin Hagun left the place immediately. He wanted to see his grandfather as soon as possible.

When Gwak Ju went inside, his Noona, Gwak Yeong, was waiting there. She had originally been at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Wuhan safehouse but was brought here right after Jin Hagun sent word that her brother had been rescued.

"Noona!"

He felt so emotional that he wondered if he had ever been this happy to see his Noona in his life. Gwak Ju ran to Gwak Yeong.

"Gross, what are you doing!"

Gwak Yeong dodged his hug, but a huge smile was spread across her face.

Gwak Ju first delivered the words he had resolved to say as soon as he saw his Noona.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine."

So you can be fine too, Noona.

At those words, Gwak Yeong's eyes reddened. She had been acting as if nothing was wrong, but he could not know how much she had worried. She was a woman who had even thrown away her honor as the Murim Alliance's youngest smithy artisan to save him.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine."

"You're bleeding!"

"It's not my blood. The Commander of the Demon Slaying Brigade saved me."

He could never forget the gratitude he felt for the man who had taken care of him until the very end.

"Where is the Commander?"

"He already left."

Gwak Yeong was disappointed. She should have at least offered her thanks to the lord of the Demon Slaying Brigade. This was also part of the reason Jin Hagun had left without coming inside. He wanted her to give all her thanks to Geom Muyang, so that Geom Muyang's efforts to save her would not be diminished.

Gwak Yeong walked over to Geom Muyang. She knew this whole affair had started from her meeting with this First Young Lord. It had all begun when he tracked down the forged hidden weapons she had made.

Gwak Yeong bowed her head to Geom Muyang.

"Thank you."

Geom Muyang passed the credit to the absent Jin Hagun.

"The lord of the Demon Slaying Brigade saved your brother, so there is no need to thank me."

Gwak Yeong knew. She knew that without this Geom Muyang in the first place, her brother could never have been saved. She, too, would have been used by their captors and eventually met her death.

"Now, you should return to the Murim Alliance with your brother."

At Geom Muyang's words, Gwak Yeong revealed her decision.

"I will follow you to the Divine Cult."

Gwak Ju was startled by his Noona's sudden declaration. Geom Muyang, on the other hand, was not surprised.

"I made a promise, didn't I? To make a weapon for you."

Geom Muyang then said to her, "There is no need for that. That is all in the past."

"Please let me keep my promise."

Her resolve was already set.

Gwak Yeong spoke to Gwak Ju, who was just watching.

"Why aren't you stopping me?"

He should at least know that this place was a den of demonic practitioners. Yet her brother was just watching.

"You've always made the right choices, Noona."

"You have to follow me, you know?"

Even though it meant he would have to devote himself to the Demonic Cult, Gwak Ju was not surprised.

"If you're going, Noona, then I have to go too."

I can't send you to that dangerous place alone, Noona.

Gwak Yeong's eyes trembled as she looked at her brother.

"Hey, you!"

"Yeah, I know you're grateful. Where else would you find a brother like this? I don't resent you for getting kidnapped because of my Noona, and I'm brave now that I'm out. Right?"

Gwak Ju had inherited Gwak Yeong's bright personality.

Gwak Yeong spoke to Geom Muyang again.

"Please take us siblings with you. We'll figure out how to make a living on our own. We won't be a burden."

Geom Muyang gave her one last chance.

"If a war breaks out, the weapons you make will kill people you used to know."

Gwak Yeong had already steeled her heart.

"Then I'll just have to make a lot of new acquaintances at the Demonic Cult."

At her words, Geom Muyang wore a dumbfounded expression.

"To be honest, I'm looking for a way to save myself."

She conveyed her honest feelings.

"I abandoned my honor as a smithy artisan and made forged weapons."

"The Murim Alliance will understand, given that your brother was kidnapped."

"Even so, I probably won't be able to become the artisan of the Murim Alliance smithy again."

That was likely true. They would not accept someone who had made forged hidden weapons as the artisan of the Murim Alliance smithy, regardless of whether it was for her brother.

"I can't go from making weapons for the elites of the Murim Alliance to making hoes in the marketplace. I'm clinging to you to save myself. I was even prepared to cling to the Young Lord's pant leg if you called me a selfish bitch."

Geom Muyang could see that her resolve was firm.

"You may have to start from the beginning."

"I don't think that will be the case. My skills are too exceptional for that."

She said this with a faint smile. Beside her, Gwak Ju pressed his hands together and bowed his head with an expression that said, "I apologize on behalf of my Noona's shamelessness."

"It will be even harder for a woman to endure in our Cult's smithy."

"You've never worked there, have you? It's hard for everyone there, men and women, artisans and newcomers alike. No one has the energy left to torment others."

Geom Muyang's deliberation was not long. The bond was deep enough to be accepted.

"If you make a shoddy weapon, you'll get a scolding from me."

After saying that, Geom Muyang turned away.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Without looking back, Geom Muyang entered the building. Only then did Gwak Yeong let out a sigh. It was a sigh mixed with relief at having received permission and anxiety about her new life.

Once they were alone, Gwak Ju asked her.

"I'll follow your decision, Noona, but…"

Gwak Ju's gaze turned toward Geom Muyang.

"Who is that person that you're so determined to follow him?"

Judging by the aura he gave off, he did not seem like an ordinary person.

How could she explain without startling her brother?

"That person is…"

Just as she was about to explain carefully, someone spoke from behind them.

"He's my brother."

When Gwak Yeong and Gwak Ju turned in surprise, Geom Mugeuk was walking in.

Gwak Yeong blinked for a moment.

If he's the First Young Lord's younger brother, then?

Her eyes widened. She already knew that the Second Young Lord was the heir to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Before she could utter a word in her shock, Geom Mugeuk wrapped an arm around Gwak Ju's shoulder and acted like a tattling friend.

"My brother looks gentle on the outside, right? But he has a nasty temper and is full of wicked ambition. He's especially harsh on his younger brother. So when you get to our Cult, you protect your Noona from my brother! Got it?"

Having said his piece, Geom Mugeuk went inside. Gwak Yeong stood there blankly, not having had a chance to greet him properly.

Gwak Ju asked his Noona again.

"What's with that guy? He just says what he wants and…"

"Shh! Quiet! Shut up!"

His Noona's hand, desperately clamping over his mouth, was trembling. Who on earth was he that she was this nervous?

"Who is he?"

Just then, another person appeared.

"Who else? A worthless younger brother who badmouths his older brother behind his back."

The person who appeared was someone who, of all people, should not be scolding someone for badmouthing others behind their back. He was none other than the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"Is that all? He steals any valuable items he sees, and he's a vicious leader who makes his subordinates suffer while he just crosses his arms and watches. So you protect your Noona from that man! He's more dangerous!"

Gwak Ju had seen for himself how incredible the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was. The image of him riding a wave and soaring to its peak was still vivid in his mind. Frozen stiff, Gwak Ju answered in a loud voice.

"Yes! I'll keep that in mind."

Following behind the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme entered with him. Gwak Ju bowed so low his waist nearly touched the ground. As he kept his head down until they entered the building, Gwak Yeong, who was also bowing, asked her brother.

"Who is that person?"

Gwak Ju answered in a trembling voice.

"That person is…"

Just then, yet another person appeared.

"A fool."

A person who perfectly met their bowed gazes walked past. He was none other than the Demonic Buddha.

"A fool the likes of which the world has never seen. A fool who gives away his liver and gallbladder because he's too nice, a fool who abandoned even his Ghost Shadows."

As a friend of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, he was able to say such things. With long strides, the Demonic Buddha entered the building.

Gwak Ju asked with a surprised expression, "Who is that person?"

Someone answered his question. Finally, the Poison King walked past them and said nonchalantly.

"They're all crazy people."

Seeing the surprised Gwak Ju, the Poison King added, "So you protect your Noona."

And with that, the Poison King also entered the building.

Gwak Ju blinked, trying to process what had just happened in a flash.

"So, let me get this straight. The person my Noona wants to follow has a younger brother who badmouths him behind his back. Right? But then there's a scary master who badmouths that younger brother. The one who saved me. But then there's someone who calls that terrifying master a fool. And all of these people are crazy. Did I hear all that correctly?"

Just as Gwak Yeong nodded, dark clouds gathered as if it were about to rain again, and the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Noona, where are we going?"