chapter 329

No Hesitation Because They Know Each Other (3)

Gu Mun-hye frowned upon hearing the report from Jin Ryeong, her subordinate on the front lines.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… we’ve lost contact with him.”

“What?”

“For the past month, we’ve been unable to reach him. After investigating, we found that all traces of him have vanished.”

“Have you confirmed it?”

“I’ve checked, two or three times. There’s no mistake.”

“How…?”

Gu Mun-hye rose from her seat.

Deep lines creased her brow. It was extremely rare for her to display emotion like this. In fact, it only happened when something unexpected occurred. And until now, such occasions had been almost nonexistent.

“Who was the last person in contact with him?”

“That would be…”

“Speak.”

“Jin Woo-seon, my lady.”

“Jin Woo-seon?”

Gu Mun-hye’s small hand clenched tighter.

In the Celestial Demon Troupe, Jin Woo-seon occupied a most unusual position.

He was not a martial artist from the Celestial Demon Troupe. He was an outsider, hailing from  , regarded as a central power of the Jianghu.

The Zealous Justice Clan was one of the Ten Sects and the first to be eradicated by the Jade Heaven Alliance led by Ja Hong-cheon.

Jin Woo-seon had been the head disciple of the Zealous Justice Clan.

After losing everything in an instant, he completely defected to the side of Go Geom Wol. With Celestial Demon Troupe’s backing, he formed a separate organization.

Even Gu Mun-hye, the Celestial Demon Troupe, did not fully grasp the inner workings of Jin Woo-seon’s organization. The only people who knew all of its members were Jin Woo-seon and Go Geom Wol themselves.

That said, Gu Mun-hye was aware of a few of them. One of those individuals was Je Mu-hyeok, who was precisely the man reported missing today.

Je Mu-hyeok was a martial artist who had left a strong impression on Gu Mun-hye.

When people speak of a prodigy in the Jianghu, they often bring up the Ten Lesser Skies. Each of the Ten Lesser Skies was a proven martial artist, being successors to the Ten Sects. Je Mu-hyeok was neither one of the Ten Lesser Skies nor from the Ten Sects. Yet he possessed combat ability on par with theirs.

That’s why Gu Mun-hye had taken special notice of him.

She believed that, if nurtured properly, Je Mu-hyeok could become a main pillar of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

Under normal circumstances, the news that Je Mu-hyeok had cut off contact might not be a big deal; he was a free spirit who seldom let Celestial Demon Troupe’s rules constrain him.

But the fact that Jin Woo-seon was the last person who had been in contact with him bothered her. She knew the depths of Jin Woo-seon’s thirst for revenge.

‘I can’t just sit back and wait.’

Deciding to investigate herself, Gu Mun-hye left her quarters and headed straight for Demon Lord’s Hall.

Go Geom Wol resided there.

“Lord!”

“Welcome.”

Rising from the Heavenly Throne, Go Geom Wol greeted Gu Mun-hye.

His eyes brimmed with warmth at the sight of her.

“What brings you all the way here?” he asked.

“There’s something I want to find out.”

“And what might that be?”

“Could you tell me where Jin Woo-seon might be right now?”

“And why is that?”

“Well…”

Gu Mun-hye explained frankly that Je Mu-hyeok had dropped out of contact. After listening to

her story, Go Geom Wol’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Je Mu-hyeok is out of contact?”

“The last person he contacted was Jin Woo-seon. So, I was wondering if you might have heard something from Jin Woo-seon.”

“Hmm! I haven’t heard anything.”

Go Geom Wol shook his head.

Disappointment crossed Gu Mun-hye’s face.

Go Geom Wol gave her a gentle smile.

“I doubt it’s anything serious. Don’t worry too much.”

“I just feel uneasy.”

“Hmm…”

He knew that Gu Mun-hye had the ability to foresee, and her intuition was frighteningly sharp.

If she felt uneasy, something corresponding would surely happen. For her to show this much emotion was proof that something had happened to Je Mu-hyeok.

It was then.

Flap!

Suddenly, the sound of rough wing flaps echoed through the window of Demon Lord’s Hall.

When Go Geom Wol opened the window, a large hawk was fluttering right outside. Reaching out, he let it perch on his forearm.

“Is this from Woo-seon?”

He muttered to himself and opened the small container around the hawk’s ankle. Inside was a curled up note.

His expression cracked the moment he read the note. Gu Mun-hye did not miss his change in expression.

“What… does it say?”

“Sigh…”

“What… why?”

Instead of answering, Go Geom Wol sighed deeply and handed the note to Gu Mun-hye.

As she read through the note, her face stiffened.

“Master Je is dead?”

“That too, by Lee Gwak…”

“How?”

Gu Mun-hye murmured in disbelief.

The note stated that Je Mu-hyeok had been killed by Lee Gwak.

“Sigh!”

Go Geom Wol sighed involuntarily.

His face displayed an indescribably complex mix of emotions.

It was extremely rare for him to show such emotions.

“Again… Lee Gwak?”

“Again.”

‘‘It’s been three years, but the bad blood with him hasn’t ended.’’

First Gwan Il-hyeon and Baek Hwi-yeong, and now Je Mu-hyeok.

Those he considered like brothers had all lost their lives at Lee Gwak’s hands.  The grudge between him and Lee Gwak had only grown deeper, and now there was no turning back.

He looked out the window and muttered.

“At this point, it feels like fate. A destiny that compels us to clash.”

“I’m worried,” Gu Mun-hye confessed.

“About what?”

“A man who’d lived in hiding for three years suddenly reappears in the Jianghu right as you come out of seclusion—and kills someone you cherish. That can’t be a coincidence.”

Gu Mun-hye’s eyes sank deeply.

Originally, she bore no ill will against Lee Gwak. On the contrary, she had a kind of admiration for him—a respect for a martial artist who had achieved such a level on his own, independent of any factions.

Back then, she hadn’t realized that Lee Gwak could pose such a great threat to the Celestial Demon Troupe.

Lee Gwak hadn’t appeared in her prophecies, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But now, things are different.

Lee Gwak was a significant threat.

Whether Lee Gwak wanted it or not, fate was relentlessly binding him and Go Geom Wol

together.

The problem was that it was difficult to gauge Lee Gwak’s current level of martial prowess.

If it had been the old Lee Gwak, she wouldn’t have worried this much. Back then, there was a vast gap between him and Go Geom Wol.

However, Lee Gwak had been rapidly closing that gap, and three years ago, he had reached a level where Go Geom Wol felt threatened. Now, it was impossible to tell how far he had advanced.

That’s why she was anxious.

‘It shouldn’t be, but what if he has reached the level of a grandmaster?’

It was the worst-case scenario.

It would have been laughable in the past, but the current circumstances weren’t so forgiving.

Je Mu-hyeok’s death had amplified her anxiety.

That’s when…

“There’s nothing to fear.”

“Pardon?”

Gu Mun-hye looked up in surprise at Go Geom Wol’s sudden statement.

Go Geom Wol smiled at her.

“While Je Mu-hyeok’s death is regrettable, it is proof that heaven has chosen me.”

“What do you mean?”

“The moment I let my guard down, he will strike at my neck. Because he is behind me, I can never rest, nor be complacent. Because of Lee Gwak, I must do my best every moment. I cannot stop my pursuit even for a second. In a way, he is like a benefactor who whips me into completing myself.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am serious.”

Go Geom Wol answered without a moment’s hesitation.

There had been times when he had been troubled by Lee Gwak, especially three years ago when he had returned to the Celestial Demon Troupe after being wounded by him, but the solitary training had driven those thoughts far away.

Go Geom Wol’s gaze wandered to the window again.

The boundless blue sky filled his vision.

‘We shall meet again at the summit of the Jianghu, Lee Gwak. That is our destiny.’

***

Lee Gwak’s eyes glinted darkly.

In his fury, he had killed Je Mu-hyeok without bothering to question him, find out who was behind him, or learn who might have orchestrated it. But Lee Gwak already had a pretty good idea who had manipulated Je Mu-hyeok from the shadows.

‘Go Geom Wol!’

Only after killing Je Mu-hyeok did he recall where he had seen him before.

Three years ago, at the Jade Heaven Alliance, Je Mu-hyeok had been with Go Geom Wol. Though they hadn’t exchanged a single word, Je Mu-hyeok’s striking appearance had made a strong impression, so Lee Gwak remembered him clearly.

He also recalled someone else:

Jin Woo-seon was once the young master of the Zealous Justice Clan.

Lee Gwak thought that perhaps Jin Woo-seon was the one who had fired an arrow tipped with white phosphorus at O Cheol-geuk, the leader of Green Heaven Society, on the Yangtze.

His face had been covered with a long cloth, making it impossible to recognize him, but now that he thought about it, his eyes were just like Jin Woo-seon’s.

It didn’t seem likely that Go Geom Wol would have directly ordered it. The Go Geom Wol he knew preferred direct confrontations, not conspiracies or ambushes. But somehow, Go Geom Wol must have been involved.

‘A bitter fate, to be entangled again like this.’

Lee Gwak smiled bitterly.

Honestly, he didn’t want to fight Go Geom Wol.

He was too burdensome an opponent. But fate kept pushing him and Go Geom Wol together.

Having killed Je Mu-hyeok, he was inevitably bound to entangle with Go Geom Wol again in some way.

“Sigh!”

Lee Gwak sighed without realizing.

Then, a white hand landed on his shoulder.

The one who quietly placed her hand there was none other than Han So Cheon.

“So Cheon!”

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Just this and that.”

Lee Gwak evaded the question.

Han So Cheon stared at Lee Gwak’s face intently, and he did not avoid her gaze.

Suddenly, Han So Cheon apologized.

“I’m sorry!”

“For what?”

“I’ve been complacent. The Jianghu wouldn’t let me off so easily, yet I got carried away with the temporary peace and neglected my martial arts… Because of my complacency, Soo-ah almost died.”

Han So Cheon’s white hand trembled.

Even now, the thought of that moment made her dizzy.

If something had happened to Lee Soo-ah, she would never have forgiven herself.

Lee Gwak quietly took Han So Cheon’s white hand. The warmth from Lee Gwak gradually calmed her tremors.

Lee Gwak said,

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”

“Oraboni?”

“It’s because I re-entered Jianghu. My existence must have irritated them.”

“…”

“So, it’s not your fault.”

Lee Gwak comforted Han So Cheon, but her expression did not brighten.

Although Lee Gwak blamed himself, Han So Cheon thought it was due to her own karma.

As the ‘Assassin King’, she had killed numerous people, many of whom were unrelated to the Jianghu.

She could console herself that she had no choice but to follow orders, but that did not lessen the weight on her conscience.

Han So Cheon leaned her head on Lee Gwak’s shoulder.

Knowing her heart, Lee Gwak silently comforted her by patting her shoulder.

In the distance, Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah were chatting excitedly.

They hadn’t been apart very long, but they seemed to have endless topics to discuss. The two children exchanged news and eagerly shared their experiences.

When Lee Cheong talked about reaching the finals at the Nine Dragons Sect’s martial arts tournament, Lee Soo-ah nodded enviously.

As Lee Soo-ah recounted her experiences while being pursued by Je Mu-hyeok, Lee Cheong’s palms sweated.

Thus, the two children shared their stories and immersed themselves in them.

Lee Gwak was glad they were together.

While watching Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah, he could forget all worries and concerns for the moment.

Han So Cheon also managed to somewhat calm her mind as she watched the children excitedly chatting.

When their chatter ended, the children ran over.

“Mom, Dad!”

Lee Soo-ah was the first to rush into Lee Gwak’s arms.

For a long time, Lee Soo-ah rubbed her cheek against Lee Gwak’s face. After facing death, Soo-ah had become noticeably more affectionate.

Lee Gwak stood up, holding Lee Soo-ah in his arms.

“Let’s go now.”

Han So Cheon nodded and stood up, and Lee Cheong took her hand.

The family of four was united once more.

Together as one, they embarked on a long journey.