Chapter 770: I Came to See You Today Too

TL: FoodieMonster007

Cha Yiran had never been so flustered in her life. She could say with certainty that this was the first time her face was burning so hot that she could feel the heat.

Seeing her face blaze red, the Sword King felt a pang of guilt. He had played along with Geom Mugeuk, knowing full well that he would tease her.

"You must wait here without moving. You can't come out until I give the signal, okay?"

"What kind of prank are you trying to pull now?!"

He wondered if letting Geom Mugeuk drag him along as if he could not refuse was really the right thing to do, but deep down, he was curious.

Does she really like me?

Geom Mugeuk had repeated it so many times and made such a fuss that it did not seem like baseless nonsense.

Well, her reaction confirms it. She truly does like me.

The Sword King found it surprising. He had only ever exchanged greetings and light chatter with Cha Yiran.

She seriously likes me?

"Long time no see," he greeted.

Cha Yiran struggled to calm her pounding heart and compose herself. "Yes, i-it's been a while," she replied, a slight but undeniable quiver in her voice.

After all, only one thought filled her mind right now.

How much did he hear? Surely he didn't hear everything, right?

She had shouted so loudly about finding her love.

Please, just say you didn't overhear it!

This was all Geom Mugeuk's scheme. If the Sword King were not here, she would have grabbed Geom Mugeuk by the collar and shaken him.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she said anxiously.

"The same goes for me," the Sword King replied.

"What happened?"

"……" The Sword King hesitated. He had no simple explanation for how he had ended up at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Headquarters.

Geom Mugeuk answered for him. "He came to our Cult because he heard you wanted to see him."

"Stop teasing me already!" Cha Yiran exclaimed, thinking Geom Mugeuk was teasing her.

Geom Mugeuk smiled innocently, trying to keep the prank going until the very end. He had brought Ak Gunhak here not only to tease her, but him as well.

Still, this was a prank that was also very sincere.

The Sword King said calmly, "One of the reasons I came to the Divine Cult was indeed to meet you."

Cha Yiran's calmed heart started pounding again. Her heart confirmed it. She truly did like him.

Though of course, the Sword King did not reveal his feelings.

"Since you and I are the only ones who survived, I felt we should see each other at least once," he added.

Finally, Cha Yiran realized that only she and Ak Gunhak remained out of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.

"So they all died in the end," she whispered, glancing at Geom Mugeuk.

When they were carrying out tasks for the Darkness Palace, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was never on their radar. However, he had gradually became the center of events, and ultimately, it seemed that he had he wiped out everyone except for her and the Sword King.

Honestly, she could understand it if were the Cult Leader, but she had never imagined they would all be defeated by the Young Cult Leader.

Geom Mugeuk truly is a man who doesn't know the meaning of impossible.

Most importantly, he had also kept his promise to save her love. He had rescued Ak Gunhak from the clutches of the fearsome Darkness Palace Lord and placed him right before her.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked worriedly.

The Sword King shook his head. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm perfectly fine too." Cha Yiran smiled. Her heart surprisingly calmed as she spoke with the Sword King. Still, she asked cautiously, "By any chance, did you hear what I said earlier?"

The Sword King nodded. This wasn't something he could hide forever, so he might as well admit it now.

Cha Yiran immediately made up an excuse, saying, "It's a prank the Young Cult Leader and I often play, so please don't mind it."

"Won't you regret it?" Geom Mugeuk cut in, knowing that if this moment passed, it would be hard to create such an atmosphere again. She would never blush like this again. "I'm asking if you won't regret it later. 'I should've confessed my feelings then.' 'Since our relationship was going to end like this anyway, why did I worry so much?' 'It would've been just one moment of embarrassment.' No, in fact, not being able to confess your feelings is the truly embarrassing thing."

Cha Yiran could not refute him. She was certain she would have such regrets.

Sighing, she asked, "Why are you trying so hard to set us up?"

"Because you're both good people."

The Sword King interjected, "That's a lie. He's doing that because he enjoys seeing us flustered. The Young Cult Leader loves teasing people."

"Ak-hyung! That's a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding, my ass!"

Cha Yiran challenged Geom Mugeuk. "You said I'm a good person, right? Name three good things about me."

"……"

"I knew it."

Cha Yiran stood beside the Sword King, forming a united front. "I get it now. The real reason we were dragged all the way here was for the Young Cult Leader's momentary fun and entertainment."

"If we don't stay sharp, we'll fall for the Young Cult Leader's tricks again."

Geom Mugeuk's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I was trying to matchmake you two, but not like this."

The three of them smiled at the same time. The banter lightened the atmosphere, and the awkwardness vanished.

Cha Yiran looked at the Sword King. "By the way, I survived because of you. Thank you for saving my life."

The Sword King blinked in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

Cha Yiran looked at Geom Mugeuk. "The Young Cult Leader spared me when he found out that I liked you."

"!" The Sword King stared at Geom Mugeuk, shocked. "Is that true?"

"How could I kill someone who might be Ak-hyung's lover, even if she was an enemy?"

The Sword King shook his head helplessly. Geom Mugeuk must have been in a life-or-death situation when facing Cha Yiran, and yet he stuck to his principles.

Cha Yiran sighed, "Honestly, I can't understand you, Young Cult Leader. Why are you giving Gunhak the freedom to choose whether he wants to stay or go? If you like someone a lot, you should hold on to them, right? Why try to send them away? I really don't get you!"

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "Then you should be able to understand me now. You see, the plan has changed. Back then, the plan was to free this man, but right now, we're going to tie him down tightly by our side."

Cha Yiran's heart fluttered. She wished for nothing more than to stay with Ak Gunhak.

"Are you seriously holding a strategy meeting in front of the target?" Ak Gunhak grumbled.

Geom Mugeuk retorted, "Would you be fooled even if we talked behind your back and tried to deceive you? Okay, Cha Yiran. From now on, our plan is to break this man's wings and cling tightly to his trouser legs. I'll grab the left leg, and you grab the right leg. We'll pour out all our friendship and affection. If that still doesn't work, as soon as the Blade Demon and the Sword Supreme return, we'll pull on that ponytail of his."

Cha Yiran's mind went blank. For some reason, she didn't feel opposed to the idea of Geom Mugeuk saying such things openly in front of the Sword King or him telling her to grab the man's leg.

Ak Gunhak also smiled helplessly. Truly, Geom Mugeuk was the only person in the murim who could pull off something that insane.

Geom Mugeuk continued, "Fortunately, our Ak-hyung will be staying at our Cult for a while. What I said earlier about teaching martial arts wasn't a joke either."

Of course, he would not ask Ak Gunhak to teach his unique martial arts, but even improving their basic swordsmanship would make the Third Squad much stronger than if they had learned from a martial arts manual.

"Will you really teach me and my subordinates swordsmanship?" Cha Yiran asked cautiously.

Ak Gunhak replied with a smile, "If you can accept being taught by a martial arts academy instructor."

Lee Ahn trained alone. Her sword flowed like a smooth wave, then erupted like fierce lava. Her gaze never left the tip of her blade.

She fought an imaginary opponent. After mastering the Soaring Sky Sword Art, she had begun this earnest training against virtual foes.

As she grew stronger, so did her imaginary enemies. She pushed her imagination to its limits.

This meant the fight did not look particularly cool. She dodged an attack, then dodged again, even rolling on the ground to evade.

At a glance, it looked ridiculous, but Lee Ahn was very serious. She did not use a half-baked imagination, knowing that improper training could be more harmful than helpful. If her body grew used to easily blocked attacks, she would fail to block a real enemy.

After tearing up the training ground, she took a deep breath and pointed her blade forward. The imaginary enemy was not yet defeated and still stared her down.

"Isn't this too unfair?" A welcome voice came from behind her.

"!!!" Lee Ahn's expression brightened instantly.

"If someone this beautiful also trains so hard, isn't that just too perfect?"

"Young Master!" Lee Ahn turned to see Geom Mugeuk approaching her. She stared at him for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Young Master! Congratulations on your Body Reformation!"

Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened in shock. "Who did you hear it from? Did you just meet with my father?"

"No, I can just tell by looking at you," Lee Ahn replied. She had recognized the change in Geom Mugeuk immediately. As his bodyguard since childhood, she was more astute to changes in his body than most. This time, the change was so significant she could tell he had undergone Body Reformation at a glance. "How could I not notice when you've changed so much?"

"Why don't you seem the least bit surprised?"

"I know, right? Why am I not surprised?" Lee Ahn widened her eyes and tilted her head shyly. "I guess I just thought it was only natural for you to achieve Body Reformation. After all, you're the kind of person who would step out for a moment, come back, and say, 'Hey, I just saved the murim from destruction,' right?"

SHUFFLE…

Suddenly, Geom Mugeuk pulled Lee Ahn into a hug. He used to give her piggyback rides, and she would run and jump into his arms, but it had been a while since he had last even touched her.

"I missed you, Lee Ahn," he said, squeezing her tightly.

Lee Ahn hugged him back with all her strength, thinking her Young Master must have endured some tough times. Still, she teased, "Ah, this embrace feels so unfamiliar. Your chest is broader, and you're taller. I feel like I'm cheating on someone."

Geom Mugeuk laughed at her joke. Only Lee Ahn could give him this unique flutter of excitement and comfort. "They say that I smell really nice now."

"This scent is very nice too, but I think I like your original scent more."

"You're probably the only person who would say the original scent is better than the one from a body that has undergone Body Reformation."

"But it's the truth… Ah!" Lee Ahn suddenly pulled away, startled. "I… I smell of sweat."

She had forgotten she just finished training.

"Since we're on the topic, are you always training when I come? You should use those martial arts you've worked so hard on to beat up guys you don't like, get drunk and cause a scene, or just go on vacation somewhere. I told you to live true to your desires!"

"My greatest desire is to become the world's strongest."

"Then what's your second desire? Your third!"

"My other desires are ones that can only be achieved after my first one is fulfilled."

"So what are they?!"

Lee Ahn smiled and dodged the question by changing the subject. "Now that you've returned, Young Cult Leader, I'll summon the Ghost Shadow Squad."

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "Alright. I have someone to introduce to you all anyway."

The Seventeenth Bridge wore a blue palace gown that Cha Yiran had given her, looking incomparably more beautiful than she did in her martial arts uniform. As always, her superior had a precise eye for color matching and fashion.

She took a deep breath and walked into the Valley of Evil. She had been near the valley before but had never stepped inside.

No martial artists guarded the entrance, but gazes watched her from above. The Faceless Warriors sat on tree branches on either side of the entrance. Some squatted, while others sat comfortably.

She walked past the watching warriors and continued deeper inside. She was more nervous now than she had ever been on an assassination mission.

She hoped to run into the Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior, but it was futile. Many more Faceless Warriors moved about here than during their mission together. Only the elites had come then, but now everyone was here. The sheer number of masked people made her dizzy.

She finally gave up on finding him herself and asked a passing Faceless Warrior, "May I ask you for a favor?"

The Faceless Warrior stared at her intently, then nodded.

"I'm looking for someone," she said. "I'd like to see the person with a crescent moon drawn on his mask."

"Wait here," the Faceless Warrior replied, then dashed off.

Sometimes the Faceless Warriors felt bizarre, but at other times, they seemed like perfectly normal people.

A moment later, the Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior appeared. His eyes behind the mask were filled with surprise, as if he never expected her to come here.

The Seventeenth Bridge was nervous, but she had mustered the courage to come this far and decided to see it through. "I know it's rude to show up unannounced… but I wanted to see you," she said. "Since you didn't come to see me, I came to see you."

Many eyes still watched them from the surroundings, but she was not ashamed.

"I came to see you today too," the Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior replied unexpectedly.

The Seventeenth Bridge was startled, but she soon realized he had been among those watching her earlier.

He really took off his mask and came to see me!

She was deeply moved. The words 'today too' meant he had come on other days as well.

Her courage surged.

"Could you show me around your home?"

The Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior nodded.

The two of them walked into the Valley of Evil.

At the same time, one of the watching Faceless Warriors shot ahead of them using swift movement arts. The Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior had sent him a telepathic message.

[Hurry and help me clean the house before we get there!]