Chapter 885: Go and Get Permission

TL: FoodieMonster007

The next day, Cha Yiran took Lee Ahn to the area behind the Hero Inn's rear garden, which was still under construction. The main building was already magnificent, but a separate annex was being built alongside it.

"The construction isn't finished yet, but our goal is to make this Hero Inn the largest inn in the Central Plains," Cha Yiran boasted.

Lee Ahn's eyes widened. "Your drive is incredible."

"Try being business partners with a laid-back man who just goes with the flow. If I hadn't taken the lead, we probably still wouldn't have decided where to even start."

Lee Ahn smiled. She thought both Ak Gunhak and Cha Yiran were remarkable for so bravely starting a new life. "You look happy."

"Same to you."

They continued their tour. Among the construction workers were some familiar faces.

"Long time no see, Commander Lee."

To Lee Ahn's surprise, the First Bridge and the other female assassins greeted her politely.

"Have you all been well?" she asked politely. They had once been her subordinates, but now that they had left the Ghost Shadow Squad, she treated them with formal respect.

When Cha Yiran left the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, all the female assassins except for the Seventeenth Bridge had followed her. Cha Yiran had given her subordinates their freedom, allowing each to live a new life.

Despite this, about a third of them, including the First Bridge, remained by Cha Yiran's side. Cha Yiran did not force them to leave. Working at the Hero Inn was a new life in itself. Instead, she told them they were free to go whenever they wished.

As much as possible, she avoided assigning them tasks that involved killing. She handled such matters herself, and she buried the bodies herself. Even when the First Bridge insisted she and her subordinates would handle it, Cha Yiran refused. She wanted them to try living a life without staining their hands with blood, even if her own sleeves were decorated with blood even more often.

After looking around the construction site, the two women started walking again.

Up ahead, at the main gate of the Hero Inn, Geom Mugeuk chatted with Ak Gunhak.

"Do you regret opening the inn?"

"I'd need time to regret anything. You saw how it was, didn't you? Every single day is hectic."

"When you're on your deathbed, won't you regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did? So you did well. If it gets too hard, you can just quit."

"Easy for you to say."

The two men looked at each other and laughed.

"Ah, I don't want to go back! I want to stay here with Ak-hyung forever."

"Then don't go."

"Should I really live here for just one month? I'll open and close the inn doors myself!"

"I told you I'd give you the best room." Ak Gunhak smirked. He had an idea of what was really on Geom Mugeuk's mind, why he was acting like this. "Hey, are you scared?"

Geom Mugeuk played dumb. "Of what?"

"Are you afraid of going back and starting a new life?"

Geom Mugeuk flinched and stared at his friend.

Ak Gunhak teased, "You're so quick to thrust a new life upon others, but now that it's your turn, you're scared, aren't you?"

Geom Mugeuk did not hide his feelings. "I've come to like her more, to love her more, but…"

"You're afraid you'll lose Young Lady Lee if you keep going like this?"

"……" Geom Mugeuk said nothing.

"But you're not afraid of losing her without ever having loved her properly?"

"!"

"You just said it yourself. When you're on your deathbed, you'll regret the things you didn't do."

Geom Mugeuk stared at Ak Gunhak incredulously. "How do you know so much? You've never even been in love!"

"Who says I've never been in love?"

The two men laughed again together.

"If you fight with Young Lady Lee later, run away here," Ak Gunhak suggested. "You won't be able to fight for at least seven days."

Geom Mugeuk shot back, "Then Ak-hyung, where are you going to hide when you fight with Lady Cha?"

After a brief pause, Ak Gunhak shared his own inner thoughts. "I'm a much more selfish person than you. It's because I'm selfish that I can walk around barefoot. I can even resolve myself to pack up and leave this place."

Geom Mugeuk snorted. He knew how strong Ak Gunhak's sense of responsibility was. This man was not one who would really just up and go. Still, he said, "If the urge to leave ever strikes, make sure you come to me."

"And if I do?"

"I'll tell you this. Where are you trying to run off to? There's nothing there! If you can't find it here, you won't find it there either!"

Ak Gunhak smiled. He knew those were words Geom Mugeuk was also telling himself.

"What are you looking for so intently?" Cha Yiran asked from behind them.

They turned around. Cha Yiran and Lee Ahn walking toward them.

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "Who else could it be? I'm looking for Young Lady Lee."

Cha Yiran turned to Ak Gunhak. "You should observe the Young Cult Leader more and learn how to make jokes like that."

"What do you mean, a joke? I was speaking sincerely!"

And so, they shared their farewells.

Geom Mugeuk sighed, "Ak-hyung, let's see each other again."

Ak Gunhak nodded. "Take care."

"I'll come visit again next time," Lee Ahn said.

Cha Yiran smiled enigmatically. "I'll be waiting for your good news."

"I'll return those exact words to you."

With that, the two of them left the Hero Inn.

As they walked, a martial artist and a woman passed them.

"It's over there, Young Lady. We just have to make it there and we'll be safe."

"?" Geom Mugeuk perked up his ears, though the whispers were as loud as regular speech to him. He could tell the man had internal injuries, though he tried not to show it.

"Do you think such an inn really exists?"

"We have to hope the rumors are true. If we can just hold out for a few days, the people who will save us will arrive. Let's go, Young Lady."

"You need to get treated first."

"No, your safety comes first, Young Lady. I can't let anyone know I'm injured."

After the pair passed, Geom Mugeuk looked back. Beyond the two struggling figures, the Hero Inn stood in the distance.

Don't worry, a person who will call a physician for you without you even having to ask will be waiting there.

They resumed walking.

Geom Mugeuk asked, "Young Lady Lee, how was this journey for you?"

Lee Ahn stiffened. It seemed that finally, it was time to return to the cult. "…It was wonderful. It was the most enjoyable trip of my entire life. What about you? How was this journey for you?" she asked awkwardly. Geom Mugeuk had forbidden her from calling him Young Cult Leader or Young Master, so she simply called him 'you'.

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "It's a journey I'll never forget."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Shall we head back now?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

Lee Ahn smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes, let's go back now."

Upon returning to the Headquarters, Geom Mugeuk did not go straight to the Heavenly Demon Hall. He took Lee Ahn to an unexpected place, the old, unused training hall that he had used long ago.

When they opened the door for the first time in a long while, time inside seemed to have stood still.

Was it always this small?

That was his first thought. He remembered it being much larger.

Although it had been empty for a long time, it was kept clean because it was the training hall the Young Cult Leader had used.

Wooden swords were lined up along one wall. They were the small swords Geom Mugeuk had used as a child.

He picked one up. The worn blade brought back memories of his childhood training.

Nearby stood wooden training dummies, their torsos pocked with gouges. Those marks were traces of his desperate desire to grow stronger, and the fear that he would die if he did not.

Lee Ahn had also come here often. She had guarded him from outside while he trained.

"It's really been a long time since I've been here," Lee Ahn said wistfully.

Geom Mugeuk was taken aback. "You remember?"

"Of course. You trained here a lot, didn't you? Ah, back then you were so…"

Cute.

Lee Ahn couldn't bring herself to say the word, but little Geom Mugeuk wielding a wooden sword had been truly adorable.

"I saw you for the first time here," Geom Mugeuk remarked.

Lee Ahn was surprised, but how could she forget? The memory of that day was just as vivid for her.

The image of the young Geom Mugeuk overlapped with the man standing before her now. She saw her younger self entering this place with her master.

"Second Young Lord, this is the child who will protect you from now on."

Thinking back, she realized she had been raised as the Young Cult Leader's shield from that very moment. Her destiny was to learn the Self-Petrification Art, always stay by his side, and throw her body in his way at the final moment.

"I remember being so scared. Back then, the Young Cult Leader said this to me: Hi, I'm Mugeuk! Please take good care of me."

Geom Mugeuk was stunned. He only remembered seeing her that day, not what he had said to her.

Lee Ahn recalled that time. For a moment, an illusion of the young Geom Mugeuk stood before her eyes. The moment he smiled brightly at her was the moment she decided to live for him and him alone.

Geom Mugeuk repeated the words she had just said. "Hi, I'm Mugeuk! Please take good care of me."

Just as their younger selves had, the two of them stood facing each other.

Geom Mugeuk finally offered the apology he had been unable to give until now. "Please forgive me for not being able to soothe your wounds when you were suffering from the side effects of the Self-Petrification Art."

Back then, he had not been able to comfort her wounded heart. Even when he saw her eyes swollen from crying all night, he dared not ask if she was okay.

Lee Ahn shook her head. This was not a matter of forgiveness. "You were young back then too, weren't you?"

Geom Mugeuk knew that she was right. Yes, I was young then, too.

"So please accept my apology now that I'm an adult," he said.

Still, Lee Ahn refused. "No, because there's no need for you to apologize. You were never indifferent or cold to me."

Lee Ahn, who had watched from the side, was the only one who understood the Geom Mugeuk of that time. Between dealing with his father and brother, he had no time to worry about anything else.

She stepped forward and hugged Geom Mugeuk tightly. "Even though you were a child back then, you fought a harder battle than anyone. If you have to apologize for that, then I should apologize too. I was too young back then, so I couldn't be a proper source of strength for you. I'm sorry."

The two of them conveyed the apologies they had kept buried deep in their hearts for so long.

Held in his arms, Lee Ahn could feel Geom Mugeuk's heart begin to pound faster.

Geom Mugeuk pulled away slowly. Finally, he spoke the words that would change both their destinies.

"Young Lady Lee, will you marry me?"

BADUMP!

Lee Ahn's heart missed a beat. Her fingertips trembled, and a shiver ran through her entire body.

Yes, she had hoped something like this might happen. The imagination born from a vague hope was so different from reality, though. For the first time, she knew what it felt like for tears and laughter to collide. Dazed, she let out a long breath, as if she had forgotten how to breathe.

She looked at Geom Mugeuk with shaking eyes. If it had not been for this journey, she would not have been able to accept his words so easily. The thought that she did not deserve this incredible man would have come first.

She might have blurted out these words instead, 'How could I possibly marry the Young Cult Leader?'

However, the Lee Ahn of this moment was not Martial Artist Lee Ahn, but Young Lady Lee.

She pushed all the negative thoughts far away. Countless words floated through her mind, but only one came out.

"Yes."

It was a single word, but in that moment, Geom Mugeuk threw his arms up in the air with joy. He jumped around the training hall, so genuinely happy that she wondered how a person could be this delighted.

She had never seen this side of Geom Mugeuk before. Not once had he ever expressed such pure joy.

Lee Ahn could tell. He was expressing his happiness with his entire body for her sake, as if to say, 'I'm this happy, so don't you dare have any negative thoughts.'

She was ecstatic. Not because she would become the Demon Queen, but because she would become the woman of the man named Geom Mugeuk.

She watched Geom Mugeuk stop running around like a child and come to a stop in front of her again. Gathering her courage, she said loudly, "Yes, I want to marry you too."

However, the moment they arrived at the Heavenly Demon Hall, every last shred of Lee Ahn's bravery vanished. Her legs gave out, and she leaned against a pillar.

"Wait a minute, I'm not ready yet. Are you really going to tell him today?" she asked.

Geom Mugeuk shrugged. "You know how it is, don't you? It's impossible to keep a secret inside this cult."

Lee Ahn glared at him. If it were not for this situation, she would have definitely made a joke, 'Isn't that mostly your fault? You're the one who created a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult where it's impossible to keep any secrets!'

After taking a few deep breaths, she nodded stiffly. This was something she had to face, so she should not put it off.

"Let's go."

They stepped inside the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Geom Mugeuk shouted louder than ever before toward his father, who was visible in the distance. "Father, I have returned!"

The two of them walked the path of blood side by side.

Perhaps because Lee Ahn was there, Geom Woojin's welcoming voice was softer than usual.

"Did you have a good trip?"

"Yes, Father!"

"Thanks to your concern, we had a good trip, Cult Leader."

Normally, Geom Mugeuk would report every detail of his trip upon returning, but he skipped all of that now. Staring at his father, he uttered the most important words of his life. "I have something to tell you, Father. I wish to marry Lee Ahn."

"……"

Silence fell over the hall.

Lee Ahn felt as if she could hear her own heartbeat. Her ears grew hot and her face turned red.

What will the Cult Leader think of me?

Even if her lineage from the Ice Palace was revealed, even if she became the Fist Demon's adopted daughter, to the Cult Leader, she was nothing more than the Young Cult Leader's bodyguard.

Finally, Geom Woojin, who had been gazing at Lee Ahn, rose from his throne and walked down. Every step he took hammered against her heart.

He stopped right in front of her.

"Lee Ahn."

"Yes, Cult Leader?" Quivering, Lee Ahn raised her head to look at Geom Woojin. To her surprise, he was gazing at her gently.

Geom Woojin asked, "Will that good-for-nothing really be good enough for you?"

"!" Lee Ahn was stunned speechless. They were words she had never imagined, and a storm of emotion raged in her chest.

The Cult Leader said nothing else. With just those words, he had given his permission.

Lee Ahn fought hard to hold back her tears. This was not the time to cry, but to express her feelings. "Yes. To my eyes, this good-for-nothing man is the greatest of all time."

A smile formed on Geom Woojin's lips… which turned stern as he faced his son. "Go and get permission from the man who will be your father-in-law."

"Yes, Father!" Geom Mugeuk chirped cheerfully, even as he regarded Geom Woojin.

He could not imagine how difficult his father's love must have been, meeting and marrying his mother who belonged to the orthodox sects. This was the moment his father readily approved of his son's love.

He bowed his head deeply. "Thank you, Father."

Lee Ahn bowed beside him. "Thank you, Cult Leader."

Because of Geom Woojin's deep love, she would never forget this moment for the rest of her life.

As his son walked away with Lee Ahn, Geom Woojin teased, "You know, he might not give you his permission."

"That would be troublesome. If the man with the strongest fists in the murim objects…" Geom Mugeuk smirked. "I mean, even if I get beaten by those fists, I will be sure to get his permission."

After the two left the Heavenly Demon Hall, Hwi's voice echoed from the empty air. "Congratulations, Cult Leader."

"Thank you," Geom Woojin said. He had experienced many unexpected things in his life, but he never knew a day like this would come. "Seriously though, I never thought I would become in-laws with that person."

He briefly recalled his first meeting with the Fist Demon. Those youthful days feel like they were just yesterday.

"The Fist Demon will be visiting later, so please prepare the wine he likes."