Chapter 851: The World is Full of Swindlers

TL: FoodieMonster007

When Geom Mugeuk went to see the Demonic Buddha, he found him sitting in the prayer hall, tending to a fishing rod.

The sight startled Geom Mugeuk. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" the Demonic Buddha asked, looking at Geom Mugeuk quizzically.

"About that fishing."

"What about it? I've got nothing better to do. I just thought I'd try to fish for a while."

"Is that the only reason?"

"What else? Does there need to be another?"

"……" Geom Mugeuk sat beside the Demonic Buddha, his eyes still filled with suspicion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing."

The Demonic Buddha turned his gaze back to the fishing rod and asked nonchalantly, "I hear you've been busy meeting with the Demon Supremes lately?"

"You know about that too."

Geom Mugeuk was now convinced he had found out about the competition in advance. Could his intention to go fishing be a coincidence? No way! If the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had a fishing rod, it might be a coincidence, but the Demonic Buddha?

"You're truly amazing," he said sarcastically. "How on earth did you find out about the fishing competition?"

Indeed, the Demonic Buddha showed no surprise at the mention of a fishing competition.

"Didn't you tell me? To return to my old self. Was there ever anything that happened in our Cult that I didn't know? I even know the location of the fishing competition."

"You found out something even I, the Young Cult Leader, don't know! You're truly magnificent!"

For the first time in a while, Geom Mugeuk praised, "Our little giant, the Demonic Buddha, has finally returned to his original form! The ambitious incarnation of power! Our Demonic Buddha has returned!"

An unreadable hint of mischief crossed the Demonic Buddha's pleased face.

"By the way, are you good at fishing?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

"I did a bit in my younger days," the Demonic Buddha replied proudly.

Geom Mugeuk panicked. The way his hands handled the fishing rod was extraordinary. This won't do. The Poison King needs to get first place. I didn't even tell the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon that I was backing the Poison King.

"Are you aiming for first place?" he asked.

"Of course."

"Didn't the Buddhas of old preach about abandoning greed?"

"Our Bloody Buddha is different. He says to take whatever you can, by any means necessary."

Geom Mugeuk pouted.

However, was it just his hands that were quick? The Demonic Buddha was quick-witted too. "Why? Is there someone you want to support?" he asked.

"Of course not," Geom Mugeuk denied. "Am I not the incarnation of competitiveness myself?"

I can't let him find out I'm trying to support the Poison King. That's the only way to ensure his victory.

The Demonic Buddha went back to arranging the line on his fishing rod.

Geom Mugeuk sat beside him, looked up at the sky, then offered him the wine he had brought as if suddenly remembering. "Oh, please keep this wine and drink it later. The Drunken Demon gave me some of his prized collection."

"He wouldn't just give you this precious wine for nothing. What do you want?"

"Don't you already know my worries without me having to say anything?"

The Demonic Buddha placed the fishing rod on the prayer hall floor. "The only problem you have left is the Cult Leader."

Geom Mugeuk sighed, but he was calm. "What should I do?"

"You've been running around diligently. Haven't you already found the answer?"

Geom Mugeuk tilted his head in confusion. Combining all the solutions given by each of the Demon Supremes would yield a single answer, and in creating that answer, he felt the Demonic Buddha's thoughts were essential. This Demon Supreme possessed a unique insight unlike any other. He asked, "Still, among all the Demon Supremes, aren't you the most brilliant and level-headed, Demonic Buddha? I must hear what you have to say."

Even knowing it was just flattery, the golden aura around the Demonic Buddha's body intensified. "I have one thing to tell you." he said. He did not view the situation emotionally, so he offered a single-word solution. "Justification."

"!" Even without further explanation, Geom Mugeuk understood what the word meant. "You mean I must give my father a good reason to give up the war."

The Demonic Buddha nodded. "To you, he is your father, but to us, he is the Cult Leader. It may not seem like it, but everyone in the Cult is watching him. They watch what decisions the Cult Leader makes, and why he makes them. Each and every one of those decisions builds his authority and leads to loyalty." He emphasized again, "You must give him a valid reason to back down. One that everyone watching can accept. That is the most important thing."

Geom Mugeuk nodded. He was right. It was valuable advice from the Demonic Buddha, who had strived to gain power by navigating the relationships between people. "Thank you, Demonic Buddha. You've told me something important that I was overlooking."

"So? Was that worth the wine?"

"How could this compare to the price of a single bottle? I'll go and steal all the wine in the Great Drunken Forest right now."

However, the Demonic Buddha didn't even accept that one bottle. "Take this and give it to someone else."

"Why? This wine is delicious."

"I've already had some."

"What? You've had some?"

"The Drunken Demon came by yesterday, and we had a drink together."

Geom Mugeuk was stunned. He had never imagined that the Drunken Demon would visit the Demonic Buddha to drink.

In truth, the two had grown closer during the fight with the Darkness Palace Lord. The Drunken Demon had been particularly moved when the Demonic Buddha tried to sacrifice himself in the battle within the painting.

"You truly are blessed with good people, Demonic Buddha. You lose one person, and another appears."

"Who did I lose?"

"Ah, you haven't met him yet, have you? Once you meet the Poison King who has shown his true colors, you'll find out who the greatest swindler in this murim is. You must go and see for yourself, and take back all the poisonous herbs you've given him until now."

The Demonic Buddha could tell that the Poison King had shown a new side of himself to Geom Mugeuk. "We all deceive and let ourselves be deceived," he muttered like an enlightened old monk.

Geom Mugeuk picked up the wine and stood. "Then I'll take this wine back. I guess I don't need to stop by home."

"Who are you taking it to now?"

"I'm going to see the Sword Supreme."

"You've heard my advice, do you need more?"

Geom Mugeuk shook his head and said as he walked out, "I'm going to ask the Sword Supreme about something else."

When Geom Mugeuk arrived at the Flower Sword Supreme's residence, she also showed him a new side of herself. She was wearing beautiful clothes and had on vibrant makeup.

"I put on some makeup for the first time in a while. What do you think?" she asked.

Geom Mugeuk's eyes popped. "You're so dazzling I can't even look at you."

For a long time, the Flower Sword Supreme hadn't cared about her appearance at all. Not only did she not wear makeup, but she also only wore a martial arts uniform. Today, however, she looked exceptionally elegant and radiant.

Naturally, there was a reason for this.

The Flower Sword Supreme explained, "There's an event tomorrow, so I thought I'd practice getting dressed up for the first time in a while."

Geom Mugeuk tilted his head. "What event is tomorrow?"

"You don't know yet?"

KNOCK KNOCK!

A subordinate entered the room and brought the Flower Sword Supreme a fishing rod.

Geom Mugeuk's jaw dropped in shock. "Huh? How did you know, Sword Supreme?"

"How did I know what?"

"About the fishing competition!"

"The Cult Leader sent someone to inform me earlier. He told all the Demon Supremes that we should go fishing tomorrow. He also said there's a prize for the person who catches the biggest fish."

Geom Mugeuk was speechless. Finally, he realized that Demonic Buddha had played a prank on him. He had pretended to have figured it out on his own when he had already received a message from the Heavenly Demon Hall!

I take back the 'little giant' comment! Give me back my praise! And Father, if you're going to set a date, you should have told your son first! I was the one who brought up fishing in the first place!

"Haaaah…" he sighed. Unfortunately, he and his father took pleasure in pranking others in the same way.

"What's wrong?"

"The world is full of swindlers!"

The Flower Sword Supreme teased, "There's one in front of you right now."

"Haha!" Geom Mugeuk laughed, knowing she was telling him to be wary of a woman wearing makeup. "By the way, this wine is from the Drunken Demon's prized collection. He gave me a whole box, so I'm giving one bottle to each of the Demon Supremes as a gift."

"I know about this wine."

"Oh? How?"

"This is the wine he would never give me, even when I begged for a single bottle. And yet, he gave you a whole box?!"

Geom Mugeuk grinned, but he couldn't bring himself to tattle on the Drunken Demon, who had voluntarily shared this wine with the Demonic Buddha. Instead, he simply said, "He must have known it would eventually find its way to you, Sword Supreme."

The Flower Sword Supreme snorted. "Don't take that drunkard's side."

She and the Drunken Demon were friends, which was why they could speak so informally.

"Young Cult Leader."

"Yes, Sword Supreme?"

"I know what you want from the Demon Supremes. You want us to support you and stop the Cult Leader. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're correct."

The Flower Sword Supreme stated her intentions clearly, "Saying this might make our duel friend title seem like just empty words, but I cannot help you. I will follow the Cult Leader's will."

"I understand your position, Sword Supreme, and I won't hold it against you. Our duel friend title isn't just for show. We'll continue to be good friends."

The Flower Sword Supreme smiled pleasantly, though her slightly trembling eyes betrayed her feelings. She had just flatly stated she couldn't help him, yet the Young Cult Leader was offering to help her. She couldn't be more grateful for that. She asked, "In that spirit, shall we have a duel?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "A duel is always welcome."

The Flower Sword Supreme was moved. Her skills were constantly improving, but there was no one to verify those skills and show her the path forward. She couldn't duel with the other Demon Supremes, nor could she go to the Cult Leader. Now, even the enemies with whom she could have life-or-death battles had disappeared.

Geom Mugeuk was fulfilling that most crucial role in her life, even at this moment, after she had said she could not help him.

Truly, if the opponent wasn't the Cult Leader, I would have definitely stepped up for the Young Cult Leader.

The two of them went outside. Both swordmasters had reached a different realm since their last duel.

"Dueling with you always makes my heart flutter, Sword Supreme."

"Not as much as mine, I'm sure."

And so, their duel began. Just as their realms had changed, this duel was different. It wasn't as fierce as other days. The duel was calm and elegant, the least intense they had ever had.

Their swords never traced the same trajectory twice. Like an artist endlessly painting new pictures, the blades continuously drew new lines.

The one leading today's duel was Geom Mugeuk. He led the Flower Sword Supreme, just as his father had led him.

The Flower Sword Supreme could feel the Young Cult Leader's sword constantly asking her, 'What is the sword?'

Well, she was called the Sword Supreme, so how could she not have an answer?

She had many answers, and those answers changed throughout her life. Sometimes the sword represented power, and other times it represented fear. Sometimes it was a wall, and sometimes it was freedom. Sometimes it was death; sometimes it was life. Sometimes it was honor; sometimes it was guilt. The meaning of the sword changed endlessly.

And now, she could not answer the question posed by Geom Mugeuk's sword. Being unable to answer meant she still had a long way to go.

Soon, the duel ended.

The Flower Sword Supreme recalled their duel. It wasn't a long duel, but it was one that left her thinking. The exchanges, which she would have remembered vividly before, were now a blur.

How did I survive with such a mindset? Did the Young Cult Leader go easy on me?

She mused, "Young Cult Leader, I thought the more I cut with my sword, the clearer the world would become."

"Is that not the case?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

"No. The more I cut, the blurrier the world becomes. Am I getting old? Or is my sword getting old?" The Flower Sword Supreme looked down at the sword she was clutching. Have I regressed instead of advancing to the next stage? Why does everything feel so vague and hazy?

Geom Mugeuk's gaze was deep and calm, as if he understood what she was feeling. After all, he too had walked the path of that bewildering moment when everything seems to deconstruct. "I like the sight of a mountain shrouded in thick fog. It's mysterious and beautiful. It has its own ineffable feeling. In that moment, I believe the fog is also a part of the mountain."

The Flower Sword Supreme interpreted his words this way: 'Don't strive so hard to seek perfection. So what if it's blurry, and so what if there's fog? If one part is blurry, you might not see the details, but you'll see the whole picture better. When you're young, the individual parts are so clear that you can't enjoy the deep blurriness of the world, which is like fog.'

Enlightenment struck her, and she loosened her grip on her sword.

Instantly, she realized that a new sword path had been bestowed upon her sword.

She politely clasped her hands, showing her respect. This gesture transcended the relationship between a Demon Supreme and the Young Cult Leader. It was the respect one martial artist paid to another who had journeyed further along the same road.

"Thank you so much for showing me that there is an endless new path for me," she said sincerely.

Geom Mugeuk bowed politely in response. "I am also happy that the path I walk is not a lonely one."

The two of them faced each other and smiled.

The Flower Sword Supreme declared, "From now on, I'll wear makeup when I want to and not when I don't."

After all, not caring about one's appearance is, in the end, still a way of caring about one's appearance.

Before they parted, Geom Mugeuk said, "I have one thing to ask you."

"What is it?"

"It's about my mother."

The Flower Sword Supreme's expression noticeably hardened. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"During my recent seclusion training, I asked Father about Mother."

"What did he say?"

Geom Mugeuk told her exactly what Geom Woojin had said. "Father said that Mother was the only one he ever loved."

The Flower Sword Supreme slowly nodded. "Yes, she was the only one the Cult Leader ever loved."

"…?" Geom Mugeuk could sense her nervousness.

After a moment of silence, the Flower Sword Supreme sighed. "To be honest, I didn't like the Demon Queen."

It was a difficult thing to say to Geom Mugeuk, but she didn't want to lie.

"In fact, my feelings were closer to hatred…" The Flower Sword Supreme trailed off and said no more.

Geom Mugeuk could feel a mix of complex emotions coming from her. He apologized, "I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry, Sword Supreme."

It was clear that the Flower Sword Supreme hadn't disliked his mother out of simple jealousy. Her loyalty to his father had always been pure and clear. There was definitely a deeper story behind it.

"I'll see you at the fishing spot tomorrow. Please show up looking even more beautiful than today and surprise Elder Blade Demon!"

He bowed and turned to leave.

"She was beautiful beyond comparison," came the Flower Sword Supreme's low voice from behind him.

Geom Mugeuk turned back towards the Flower Sword Supreme, whose eyes deepened as she recalled a certain day long ago.

"I still vividly remember the ornate, flower-patterned gown that the Demon Queen used to wear."

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