Chapter 849: Have You Ever Asked the Cult Leader?

TL: FoodieMonster007

When Cha Yiran arrived at Geom Mugeuk's residence, she met someone unexpected at the entrance.

"Huh?"

She was a woman who wouldn't bat an eye at the most vicious demons, but one person always made her fluster—the Sword King.

The two bowed to each other in greeting.

"The Young Cult Leader invited me for a meal."

"It's the same for me."

It was clear that Geom Mugeuk had invited them both without telling either one.

The Sword King knew Cha Yiran had feelings for him, making the encounter incredibly awkward.

"Let's go in."

"Yes."

A delicious aroma wafted from the residence as the two entered.

"Ak-hyung, you're here? Welcome, Division Leader Cha!" Geom Mugeuk greeted. He was cooking in the courtyard. A large table was already set with alcohol and dishes, with meat grilling beside it. "If you wait just a moment, it'll be ready to eat."

Just then, Lee Ahn came out of the building carrying cups, bowls, and chopsticks.

Cha Yiran greeted her first, "Commander."

"Division Leader Cha, you're here?" Lee Ahn waved back.

Cha Yiran looked at the dishes on the table and asked Lee Ahn, "Is today a special occasion?"

Lee Ahn turned to Geom Mugeuk with the same question. "Is today a special occasion?"

Geom Mugeuk answered, "It's a day for drinking with friends since the Drunken Demon gifted me some fine liquor. It's also the day our Ak-hyung announces his new life plan."

Cha Yiran glanced over, asking what he meant, but the Sword King looked flustered. This was clearly the first time he had heard of this.

Cha Yiran quickly grasped the situation. "Now that the Celestial Killer Star is gone, you need new prey, I see."

The Sword King nodded at her joke. "Aren't we from that side of things?"

Cha Yiran nodded in agreement.

"Don't misunderstand! Today's prey is this meat I've cooked," Geom Mugeuk protested, cutting meat he was grilling and bringing it to the table. "This is the first time the four of us are sharing a meal together, isn't it?"

This gathering was part of his plan. He had wanted to drink with the four of them. Luckily, the Sword King provided the reason and the Drunken Demon provided the liquor.

After tasting the Drunken Demon's liquor, Cha Yiran marveled at its flavor. "This is truly delicious."

It was her first time tasting it, a flavor that naturally lifted one's spirits.

Lee Ahn sent a telepathic message to Geom Mugeuk. [You arranged this to get those two together, didn't you?]

[Nope.]

[Then?]

[I wanted to hang out with you. I just invited those two as a bonus.]

Though she knew it wasn't true, Lee Ahn smiled happily at his pleasant words.

The Sword King watched them exchange telepathic messages and smile, shaking his head. He knew exactly what Geom Mugeuk was scheming. He was surely going to bring up the inn story to Cha Yiran.

Just then, Cha Yiran asked the Sword King, "Do you still have the desire to leave?"

The Sword King shook his head. He had now completely abandoned any thought of leaving. "I feel like the place I arrived at after leaving is this very place."

A smile touched Cha Yiran's lips. She felt the same way. "By the way, you promised to take charge of our division's swordsmanship training, didn't you?"

Geom Mugeuk cut into their conversation. "That might be difficult. Ak-hyung is planning to start a new business."

"What kind of business?"

"He's planning to build the largest inn in the Central Plains."

Geom Mugeuk explained what kind of inn it would be. It would be luxurious and grand, with a strict rule that no fighting was allowed inside.

"He's looking for a business partner right now. Someone sharp and decisive would be good. Our Ak-hyung has a surprisingly soft heart." He then revealed his true intentions. "Division Leader Cha, aren't you interested in a business like that? You must have saved up a lot of money to invest."

"…?" Cha Yiran hesitated.

The Sword King stepped in. "Stop with the nonsense."

He tried to stop Geom Mugeuk, worried Cha Yiran might feel burdened, but of course, Geom Mugeuk was not one to be stopped so easily.

"I'm not telling you two to date. I'm giving Division Leader Cha a choice." Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to Cha Yiran.

She could feel that he was truly giving her an opportunity, just as he said. It was not an opportunity to run an inn, but an opportunity to hold onto the man named Ak Gunhak.

Her relationship with Ak Gunhak was currently ambiguous. If he didn't know that she liked him, it wouldn't be this awkward. If she didn't create some kind of change, their relationship would fizzle out. Moreover, if he really started an inn, they would have no reason to meet at the Divine Cult.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze seemed to be telling her, 'You're an assassin, aren't you? Your target is right in front of you. Don't miss!'

Finally, she answered, "I'm interested."

The Sword King was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to be interested.

"I'd like to participate in that business too," Cha Yiran added.

The Sword King asked, "Were you interested in running an inn before?"

Cha Yiran answered honestly, "No. I've never once in my life thought about running an inn."

"Then why?"

Cha Yiran gathered her last bit of courage as she stared at the Sword King. "Because I'm still holding onto your right foot."

The Sword King knew what that meant. The day they first reunited at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Geom Mugeuk had joked that he would grab Ak Gunhak's left leg so he couldn't run away, and she should hold onto his right.

That was why he knew how much courage it took for her to say this. This was her confession.

The Sword King didn't dislike Cha Yiran. It would be a lie to say he disliked a woman beautiful enough to be considered the world's number one beauty, though her beauty was also burdensome.

Most importantly, though, he still didn't know her well as a person.

"We don't know each other very well, do we?" he asked.

Cha Yiran stared silently at the Sword King before replying, "Don't you think we'll get to know each other well after seeing each other for a long time?" She pointed at Geom Mugeuk. "Did you decide to change your life only after you knew everything about what kind of person the Young Cult Leader is?"

At least, she hadn't.

Neither had the Sword King, evidently. He still didn't fully understand the man named Geom Mugeuk, and yet, he had become his friend. He had seen one good side of a person and, intoxicated by its intensity, changed his life.

"……" Still, he hesitated to answer right away.

Cha Yiran drained her cup and continued, "Don't feel burdened. I only said it because I felt like I'd never be able to if not today. I hope your business prospers." She bid farewell to Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn. "Thank you for inviting me today. The liquor and food were delicious."

She rose to her feet. I have no regrets. If I had let him go without even saying this properly, I would have regretted it forever.

Suddenly, the Sword King declared loudly, "Let's do it!"

Cha Yiran looked at him in surprise.

"Let's open an inn together!" the Sword King exclaimed, picking up a liquor bottle and gesturing for her to receive a drink. "No fighting is allowed in the inn, but we need to beat up anyone who doesn't listen. Let's give it a try, the two of us. If we fail, we can curse our friend over there to our heart's content for tricking us into opening such a strange inn and making us fail spectacularly."

Cha Yiran sat back down and accepted the drink from the Sword King. "I'm the type who either doesn't start something or, if I do, I'll make it the number one inn in the Central Plains for sure."

The Sword King inwardly flinched at her intensity. This must be why I need her, right?

Cha Yiran belatedly looked at Lee Ahn. "Oh, I should have gotten permission from the Commander first."

Lee Ahn giggled playfully, "I know, right? Resigning without authorization is tantamount to desertion. What should we do?"

"How about this? The Commander and the Young Cult Leader can use our inn for free forever."

Lee Ahn nodded. "That sounds acceptable."

Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk and the Sword King were exchanging telepathic messages.

[This is an unexpected variable, Ak-hyung! I think you've already lost the inn to Division Leader Cha! No, I think you might have sold your soul to her without realizing it too!]

[Don't you dare think you can get away scot-free after pushing me down this path.]

[I'll have to see whether you live well or not before I decide.]

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Ak Gunhak had only considered running an inn, but Geom Mugeuk had scaled it up to be the best in the Central Plains and set the stage for him to do it with the world's number one beauty. The Murim Alliance Chairman and the Evil Alliance Chairman had watched his every move, trying desperately to recruit him, yet this Young Cult Leader was sending him away, telling him to live his own life.

He smiled. Thank you, my friend.

Geom Mugeuk raised his cup high and announced, "Now, to our free inn for life!"

The next day, Geom Mugeuk visited the Thousand Poisons Forest with a bottle of liquor.

The Poison King's right-hand man, Sangseon, greeted him. "It's been a while, Young Cult Leader."

"Have you been well?"

"Thanks to you, I have been. Young Cult Leader, congratulations on repelling the great enemy."

As they walked and chatted, Sangseon said something unexpected.

"By the way, please don't be surprised today."

"What do you mean?"

"The Poison King has changed a little since the fight at the Demon Village."

"Don't tell me he's completely shut himself off from the outside world and retreated into himself?"

Sangseon shook his head. "No. It's the opposite."

"Pardon?" Geom Mugeuk tilted his head.

Sangseon smiled cryptically. "You'll know when you see him."

Geom Mugeuk soon arrived at the Poison King's workshop. The Poison King was alone inside, perched on a large workbench.

He looked up and greeted Geom Mugeuk. "You're here?"

Geom Mugeuk flinched. He was startled by the unfamiliar sight of the Poison King greeting him first, as he was usually completely absorbed in something else.

"Have you eaten?" the Poison King asked.

Geom Mugeuk shouted when the Poison King even asked about his meal. "Who are you? Who are you that's possessed the Poison King's body?"

The Poison King chuckled and looked at the liquor bottle Geom Mugeuk was holding. "Is that liquor? Bring it here."

Geom Mugeuk was astounded. The Poison King seemed like a completely different person. Now he understood why Sangseon had told him not to be surprised.

With a bewildered expression, he approached and handed the Poison King the liquor.

The Poison King drank straight from the bottle. He wiped the liquor that trickled down his chin with his sleeve. "I just failed to concoct the Blood Snake Poison. I thought I'd succeed this time, but why is this liquor so delicious?"

"The liquor is delicious because it was a gift from the Drunken Demon, but…" Geom Mugeuk stared intently at the Poison King's face. "Were you always like this?"

"What was I like?"

"You were quiet, always lost in your own thoughts."

"That won't do. A person who handles poison must be colder and more rational than anyone."

Geom Mugeuk's jaw dropped. Come to think of it, he's right. How could a person who blankly stares at poison insects all day handle poisons that could kill hundreds, even thousands, in an instant?

Just as he had a lonely side, it seemed the Poison King also had another side hidden away.

"Demonic Buddha!" he cried out. "You must see this. You've been completely deceived all this time! You were used as an herb gatherer by such a cold-hearted person!"

The Poison King smiled faintly at Geom Mugeuk's cry and offered him the bottle.

Geom Mugeuk took a refreshing swig, then asked again, "Why did you act like that?"

"It wasn't an act."

"Then?"

"I realized that one cannot uncover the ultimate secrets of the poison arts with only a cold, rational mind. You have to be obsessed with poison, study poisonous insects all day, and think only of poison to master the art."

He meant that one needed both sides to reach the true final realm of the poison arts. One had to be completely immersed in their own world when necessary, but also rational when the time came.

"If you misuse poison, you don't just kill yourself. Your family dies, your comrades die, and even passersby die. That's why if you're not prepared to go mad for poison, you shouldn't learn poison arts in the first place."

Perhaps for the Poison King, the more comfortable of the two opposing sides was when he was immersed in his own world. But now, he had closed the door to that world and emerged. It felt like he would be the same tomorrow and the day after.

"It's because of my father, isn't it?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

The Poison King, who had been drinking, flinched.

Until now, his existence had been the most powerful deterrent to war, but if a war were to break out, he would become the Cult's most powerful weapon. As intelligent as he was, he naturally understood that with the death of the Celestial Killer Star, the real fight was only now about to begin.

This was not a fight to protect the Young Cult Leader, but the start of the Cult Leader's war to conquer the murim.

His personal change signified this. He had begun preparing for war.

Geom Mugeuk handed over the liquor bottle. "Please teach me how to make one antidote."

"What kind of antidote does someone with Myriad Poison Immunity need?"

"I mean an antidote that can stop a war."

The Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk. Despite his changed words and actions, he was still the same Poison King who had once barked like a dog with him. "You can only make an antidote if you properly understand the poison."

Geom Mugeuk nodded. The Poison King had once said that the pinnacle of the poison arts was not administering poison, but detoxification.

The Poison King asked, "Have you ever asked the Cult Leader about his dream?"

"!" Geom Mugeuk was stunned. Come to think of it, he had never asked his father what kind of world he dreamed of.

"If you want to make an antidote, you must know exactly what kind of poison it is," the Poison King advised.

Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly. The Poison King's advice was a pointer, just as the Drunken Demon's had been, on what he should do first when he sat at that liquor table. He thanked the Poison King, "Thank you for your advice. Thanks to you, I have an idea of how to make the antidote."

The Poison King hadn't just given him a clue. He had also given him the dilemma of whether he should really detoxify the poison.

"On that day, the Cult Leader was prepared for death," the Poison King muttered, his eyes darkening as he recalled that time. "He was determined to save you, and only you. He was sincere."

Geom Mugeuk was shaken. Can I even dare to imagine my father's heart as he entrusted my well-being to the Poison King? Or the Poison King's feelings as he received that order?

He remarked, "Seeing as the last person he entrusted his son to was you, it seems my father trusted you the most."

The Poison King shook his head. "Not a chance."

Geom Mugeuk pouted. Perhaps the relationship between the Poison King and his father was like his own relationship with his father before the regression, blocked by walls of misunderstanding, rigidity, and prejudice. "You should have a heart-to-heart talk with my father about poison arts someday. Show him this side of you today, too. It might not be as bad as you think."

The Poison King froze. Talk with the Cult Leader? That's not an easy task for me!

Geom Mugeuk decided he had to take action to improve the relationship between his father and the Poison King.

"There are days like today when, no matter how hard you try and how much you focus, you still fail to concoct a poison. Shall I tell you a method for making an antidote, too?" He whispered suggestively as if he was sharing a huge secret, "Start practicing your fishing starting today."