Chapter 244: Chapter 244
The great figures of the Black Path, who had grown anxious that they might be murdered at any moment because of the hidden agents, ran around in every direction trying to obtain money.
If one measured it by the value of the assets each of them had in their main sects, a thousand gold taels was not a large amount.
The only problem was that this place was the Black Thought Alliance, a thousand li away from their main sects.
Moreover, as members of the Black Path with no credit to speak of, there was no money house that would lend them money.
In the end, unless they sold the treasures or Treasured Swords they had on hand, it was impossible for them to obtain money.
Ultimately, there was only one place they could go.
“You said you wanted to borrow money……?”
“……We will repay it as soon as we return to our main sects.”
Black Thought Alliance Leader Cha Seok-du looked down at the Sect Leaders who had belonged to the pro-war faction with an expression that showed he did not find this pleasing.
“Lending it to you is not the issue…… but are we truly on terms where we can exchange money like this?”
“Alliance Leader…… since we have formed an alliance anyway, should we not move forward together?”
“How strange. Until just a few days ago, did you not want to drive me out, claiming I was communicating with the Murim Alliance?”
The Sect Leaders groaned and lowered themselves.
“……Now that hidden agents have even appeared, how about forgetting the past and making a fresh start?”
Unlike the Black Serpent Gang, Nine Dragons Gang, and Blood Tiger Sect, whose intentions had originally aligned with his, the Sect Leaders of the four sects who had secretly tried to remove Cha Seok-du were in an extremely awkward position.
Even so, Cha Seok-du showed magnanimity and gave them the money.
“Alliance Leader, why did you give them money? You could have used this chance to flatten their noses.”
Hwang Bu-sik did not understand why Cha Seok-du had willingly handed over the money.
Cha Seok-du explained it step by step to him.
“Those bastards are people who must join the alliance with us anyway.”
“But Peak Lord…… no, Alliance Leader, they will not be grateful that you showed magnanimity. ……Because that is the kind of people they are.”
Cha Seok-du also nodded readily.
“I know. But have we not been able to place them in our debt? That is politics.”
“……”
After forming the alliance and coming to the Black Thought Alliance with Cha Seok-du, this was what Hwang Bu-sik had heard the most.
That he had to learn politics.
“You did not understand, did you?”
“I apologize.”
Cha Seok-du patted Hwang Bu-sik on the shoulder.
“It is fine. You can learn gradually. In any case, we should have plenty of time now.”
Not only the other sects, but Four Emperors Peak as well had been squeezed for five hundred gold taels by Jin So-un.
Even so, Cha Seok-du looked happy, as if he had received a great gift.
Hwang Bu-sik, who had been blankly looking at him, recalled Jin So-un’s face.
“Is the reason you are in a good mood also politics, Alliance Leader?”
“Politics…… yes. It is precisely because of politics.”
Looking at Cha Seok-du laughing boldly, Hwang Bu-sik still thought he did not understand what politics was.
After receiving all the remaining balance, Jin So-un placed the people who had come to deliver the money in front of him and checked again to see if any amount was missing.
“Mm…… it is all correct.”
“……Then did you think we would have cheated you?”
“Of course. How could I trust Black Path bastards?”
“……”
Looking at Jin So-un running his mouth carelessly in the very heart of the Black Thought Alliance, the warriors of the Demonic Path Sect felt like knocking every tooth out of his mouth right then and there.
……But they could not bring themselves to move carelessly.
“Ahem. Then are you starting the work immediately?”
“Right now? The sun looks as though it will set any moment.”
“We kept the deadline. Now it is your turn to keep the deadline.”
The warriors who had come as representatives of each sect urged Jin So-un on as solemnly as they could.
“You really are short-tempered Black Path martial artists. Tsk.”
Jin So-un picked at his ear once, then clicked his tongue.
“……”
The man who had cut off someone’s head and brought it back to show them even when they said it was enough was calling someone else short-tempered?
The Black Path martial artists each cursed inwardly, but not one of them brought those words out of his mouth.
……Because they did not know when he might bring out that damned Mind-Reading Art(?) again.
Jin So-un swept his gaze over the silent Black Path warriors, then clapped his hands.
“Now then, shall we go?”
Then he headed straight toward the back of the pavilion.
“The exit is this way.”
One warrior spoke, but Jin So-un did not stop walking.
“Ah, I knew you would hurry me like this, so I caught him in advance.”
“……You caught him in advance?”
The place he headed to was a grain warehouse on one side of the annex.
When he went inside and opened the door in the corner, a gagged man crawled out with his eyes wide open.
Jin So-un crouched in front of the man.
“This bastard was insolent enough to try slipping into the Black Thought Alliance’s organization. They say he entered by going through the official procedure. If he had been left alone, he would probably have been promoted all the way to the highest ranks of the Black Thought Alliance.”
“……Mmph! Mmph!”
Jin So-un grabbed the gagged man’s cheek and pulled it hard.
The man tried to move his face along with Jin So-un’s hand to lessen the pain, but with his hands and feet bound, there was a limit to how much he could move.
Riiip-
The skin tore away, and not a single drop of blood flowed.
There was only another layer of skin visible beneath the skin that had been torn off.
“Even if you are Black Path martial artists, you should at least conduct basic identity verification. Otherwise, bastards like this will come in again and aim for your necks.”
Slice.
Slash-
Jin So-un drew his sword and cut off the hidden agent’s head in one stroke.
Looking at the head that dropped and rolled, even the Black Path martial artists clicked their tongues.
At that moment, one warrior stepped forward and asked,
“Then when are you going to catch the other hidden agents?”
Jin So-un tilted his head.
“Other hidden agents? This was the last one.”
“What?”
“I said this bastard was the last one. Did you not hear me?”
“……”
Jin So-un stood and began massaging his own shoulders to loosen his muscles.
“In any case, this chivalrous hero has dealt with all the hidden agents, so please return to your respective lodgings and tell them they can rest easy.”
The faces of the Black Path martial artists all transformed into yakshas at once.
‘Fuck…… then why did he take the money?’
‘That means this bastard had nothing to do with our sect in the first place!’
‘……Black Flame Dragon, you vicious bastard!’
As the expressions of the Black Path martial artists turned bizarre, Il-myeong, who had been watching the entire situation beside Jin So-un, whispered worriedly.
“Benefactor Jin……. Was there really any need to provoke their anger this much? You could have simply told them you had dealt with the hidden agent.”
Unlike Il-myeong, who lowered his voice as much as possible, Jin So-un shrugged.
“What are they going to do if they get angry?”
“Hm?”
“I asked what they are going to do.”
Il-myeong’s worries grew even deeper at this boastful declaration that showed not a trace of concern, but in reality, even after a full day passed, no one raised an objection to Jin So-un or vented their dissatisfaction.
As though they merely wished for this storm-like incident to pass quickly, everyone held their breath and lowered their heads.
Jin So-un thumped his bulging front and laughed boldly.
“Those Black Path bastards must have learned a lesson from this chance too. What happens when you do bad things, I mean. Kyakyakyakya.”
Il-myeong could not understand at all who was calling whom a bad person.
“……So that happened.”
Gun Yu-hyeon, who had been listening to the story, let out a small exclamation of admiration.
No matter what, he had thought there would be a limit to how far an Orthodox Path martial artist would go.
Dam Ak, who had been conveying the story, also let out a long sigh.
“I truly cannot tell what is inside that man’s head. ……Nor whether he truly is an Orthodox Path martial artist.”
“Haha, whether they are Orthodox Path or Black Path, are they not ultimately all people of the Jianghu?”
“Yes?”
Dam Ak tilted his head at Gun Yu-hyeon’s meaningful remark.
However, Gun Yu-hyeon did not bother adding an explanation.
Because the guard standing watch over the pavilion had just blocked his way.
“We will inspect your belongings briefly.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
At Dam Ak’s words, the guard lowered his head.
“The Alliance Leader has ordered that those entering and leaving the pavilion be disarmed from now on.”
“What?”
Was he still paying attention to what Jin So-un had said?
Dam Ak ordered in a calm tone.
“You know very well who this person is. Step aside.”
“I cannot do that.”
“You truly……!”
When Dam Ak was about to vent his anger at the guard, Gun Yu-hyeon quickly stepped forward.
“It is fine, Strategist Dam. It is not particularly difficult.”
“……But……”
Gun Yu-hyeon slowly shook his head.
“It is truly fine.”
Then he looked at the guard.
“Do I simply need to take out all my belongings?”
With relaxed movements, he took a small money pouch, a horse pass, a brush, and an inkpot from his sleeve and showed them.
Meanwhile, another guard slowly patted down Gun Yu-hyeon’s clothes to check whether he had any other weapons.
“It is finished. You may enter.”
“I apologize, Young Master Yu-hyeon.”
“Not at all. Since Strategist Dam is such an important person, is this not only natural?”
As though Dam Ak still had not calmed his anger, he glared at the guards and ordered,
“That is enough, so all of you step away.”
“……We cannot do that.”
“Did I not say it? I have something to discuss with Young Master Yu-hyeon alone, so have not only yourselves, but everyone else who enters afterward, withdraw as well.”
“……Understood.”
The guards left the pavilion, and Dam Ak and Gun Yu-hyeon entered.
A maidservant brought tea for the two of them, and even by the time Gun Yu-hyeon filled his teacup, Dam Ak’s expression showed no intention of easing.
Gun Yu-hyeon soothed Dam Ak with his characteristic gentle smile.
“I am fine, so please calm yourself. I have fully received your consideration, Strategist Dam.”
“It is not only because of you right now, Young Master Yu-hyeon.”
Dam Ak paused briefly to steady his breath, then continued.
“……That man Jin So-un is stirring up the Black Thought Alliance far too much.”
He was truly irritating.
If he had finished what he came to do, he should quietly return to the Murim Alliance.
Instead, he kept interfering in the Black Thought Alliance’s affairs to the very end.
Gun Yu-hyeon lifted his teacup and said indirectly,
“Is all of that not for the Black Thought Alliance’s sake?”
“What would an Orthodox Path martial artist do for the sake of the Black Thought Alliance? Who knows what kind of plot may be hidden within it?”
Gun Yu-hyeon, who had been savoring the tea’s fragrance, slowly nodded.
“Hmm…… It is true that people of the Jianghu tend strongly not to trust one another.”
“……”
For some reason, Dam Ak felt that his conversation with Gun Yu-hyeon was not flowing as smoothly as usual today.
Clink-
“But…… why did you ask to see me alone?”
When Gun Yu-hyeon asked as he set down his teacup, only then did Dam Ak come back to his senses.
“As the Black Thought Alliance gradually stabilizes, we have become able to accelerate the search for the culprit who raided the academy.”
“Oh…… is that true?”
“Yes. In addition, the day has finally come when I can repay the Heavenly Crown Sect for its grace.”
For a very brief moment, Gun Yu-hyeon’s painted smile disappeared.
“……?”
“With the Black Thought Alliance’s support, the Heavenly Crown Sect will take charge of one of the Black Thought Alliance’s South Sea Branches.”
Dam Ak was as excited as a child at the thought that he could finally repay at least a little of the debt that had piled up layer upon layer until now.
“The amount of annual support will likely be no small sum. In addition, to tell you one more thing, I submitted a recommendation letter for you to the Alliance Leader.”
“……A recommendation letter for me?”
“Yes. I wondered if perhaps we might be able to work together in the Strategy Department…….”
“Hmm, did you?”
Dam Ak, who had been talking excitedly, watched Gun Yu-hyeon’s expression when he continued showing no change.
“I worry that I may have stepped forward too thoughtlessly.”
“Ah! Not at all. I expected that this might very well happen.”
“Yes?”
Gun Yu-hyeon smiled as if it were nothing.
“Ah, it is nothing. Please continue.”
“……”
For some reason, Dam Ak strongly felt that Gun Yu-hyeon’s demeanor was different from usual.
At that moment, Gun Yu-hyeon slowly opened his mouth.
“Perhaps next, you were planning to say that you hope greater effort will be put into finding the families of your dead colleagues…… something like that, yes?”
“……”
Dam Ak felt cold sweat run down his spine.
However, Gun Yu-hyeon paid no attention to the frozen Dam Ak and leisurely drank a sip of tea.
“But what should we do?”
Then he looked at Dam Ak and smiled brightly.
“They have all already died, you see.”
“……!”
Before Dam Ak could organize his tangled thoughts, Gun Yu-hyeon’s words were thrown like a bomb.
“Wh-What do you mean by that?!”
Dam Ak barely held up his body, which seemed ready to collapse at any moment, as Gun Yu-hyeon’s voice pierced coldly above his head.
“I mean exactly what I said. You will not find them. They all died long ago and were buried somewhere deep.”
“What?”
And then.
Stab.
Pain like being seared with a branding iron assaulted his stomach.
Dam Ak reflexively lowered his head.
At some point, Gun Yu-hyeon’s hand had pierced through his stomach and entered inside.
“Kuhak!”
Blood burst from his mouth along with an unbearable cough.
“Wh-What is this……?”
Leaving Dam Ak, who wore an expression of disbelief, alone, Gun Yu-hyeon was entirely occupied with looking over his bloodstained hand.
“Why did this not pierce properly? Are you perhaps wearing an artifact?”
“Keuk……”
Dam Ak’s lips trembled.
Why…… why……?
More than anything else, he wanted to ask the reason, but no words came out.
Gun Yu-hyeon showed him a gentle yet somehow cold smile.
“You look as though you want to ask the reason. There was no particular reason. Hmm…… if I must say something, perhaps it would be that from the very beginning, I was never the person Strategist Dam thought I was.”
Dam Ak had once suspected, “Could he be a hidden agent wearing a Human-Skin Mask?” but for some reason, he felt that was not the case.
“Originally, I intended to use you as someone who would set two Jianghu factions against each other and drain their strength……. A shame. Things have turned out like this before I could even see you display your skill.”
Because Gun Yu-hyeon was swinging his hand with the same expression as always, the same smile as always.
Stab-
“Please resent that man, Jin So-un.”
As if that had been his true form all along.
[You fool. Did you think I would want revenge from you?]
For some reason, it felt as though he could hear his teacher scolding him.
Yes, if it had been Teacher Cheonhak, he surely would have told him to throw away something like vengeance and simply do what he had to do.
Even so, the one who had stubbornly thrown himself into the Jianghu had been Dam Ak himself.
He had thrown himself into the Jianghu after vowing that he would make those bastards who thought force was everything taste the bitterness of this world.
But what had the result been?
In the end, he had merely danced in the palm of their hands.
‘Since when?’
There was no need to think hard about it.
The entire picture had already fit together.
The attack on the academy, the killing of his teacher and friends, and the act of saving him.
All of it had been that man’s plan.
The one who comforted him when he was sunk in despair, and the one who gave him the courage to go out into the world again, had all been that man.
All of it…… had merely been groundwork for this absurd puppet play.
‘Still, there is one consolation.’
Whoever that man was, and wherever he belonged.
The one fact that what he had done had been stopped by Jin So-un.
And the fact that even though he should have disappeared without a trace, Dam Ak had been enough of a threat to him that he had no choice but to kill him before leaving.
‘I do not know whether I should take this as consolation.’
Because he had been wearing the Iron-Scale Robe Cha Seok-du had given him, he had not lost his life in one blow, but because of that, he had to experience more of the bitterness and pain of betrayal.
“Kheuheu……”
Perhaps because his body had calmed a little, laughter leaked out.
Was this what the martial artists of the Jianghu called the final flare before death?
At that moment.
“To laugh. You truly are a man of great spirit, Strategist Dam.”
A faint voice reached him.
“Who…… are you?”
“Who I am is a meaningless question.”
That voice was exceedingly cold and dry.
“……Then?”
“Where I came from is what matters.”
Dam Ak barely squeezed out his strength and asked,
“……Where did you come from?”
“I came from hell at the end of the world.”
“Hell, is it……?”
It was a place that suited the person before his eyes perfectly.
Unless one lived in such a place, there was no way one could make a person harbor such malice.
“……Did you truly kill all the academy people, and even their families?”
A familiar yet unfamiliar smile formed on the man’s face.
“Thanks to that, did Strategist Dam not bear a grudge against the Murim Alliance and work even harder?”
“I see……”
Dam Ak let out a hollow laugh, then suddenly grew curious.
“……Are you not afraid? Of the Black Thought Alliance’s revenge?”
“It is something I must face one day anyway.”
He looked toward the doorway, wondering if he should try shouting, but at some point, the surroundings had changed into a crimson space.
It resembled the Mystic Gate Formation he had experienced at Four Emperors Peak once before.
Like this, no matter how loudly he shouted, there would be no one who could understand.
“Even so, the time we spent together was enjoyable. I probably will not forget it.”
“……You say disgusting things.”
Had he truly considered such a man his one and only confidant without knowing what he was?
More than the fact that this man had stabbed him in the stomach, more than the fact that this man had attacked Cheongwa Academy, the fact that he had deceived him all this time made him furious to the bone.
‘To someone like this…… I entrusted my friends’ families……’
If he had power.
If he had any power with which he could pay any price.
He wanted to burn this single body of his to ashes if it meant he could take revenge on that man.
‘What can a man who has never learned even a single thread of martial arts do……?’
In the end, perhaps the Jianghu was not a place where he could live.
His eyelids slowly grew heavy.
Was it because he had lost too much blood?
He felt as though he could see the phantoms of his teacher and friends.
‘I would rather not meet them yet……’
Just as Dam Ak’s eyes were about to slowly close.
CRACK—
A golden fissure appeared between the crimson walls.
Then, centered around that fine crack, the wall began to break apart little by little……
SHAAK—
A single streak of golden light flew in through it.
Even Dam Ak, whose eyes had been about to close, opened them wide without realizing it.
‘A dragon?’
The golden streak of light began winding around Gun Yu-hyeon’s hand and seizing it.
“What on earth is this……!”
Gun Yu-hyeon, who had been about to deliver the final blow, furrowed his brow and turned his head toward where Dam Ak was looking.
There stood a man sauntering in with a sword wrapped in golden radiance resting on his shoulder.
‘Jin So-un?’
“Black Flame Dragon……!”
Jin So-un swung the Black Dragon Sword without delay.
BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The golden Sword Qi that burst from the sword poured out as if it would split Gun Yu-hyeon’s body in two.
“Open wide. Justice is going in!!!”