Chapter 66: Finally Establishing the Name of a Rascal (6)
Everyone including Namgung Yul half-opened their mouths.
Because Oh Ja-woon’s hair had turned as pure white as an old man’s while he took the final few steps.
At that time, a low voice was heard from behind them.
“It is all thanks to you guys.”
Chui was standing behind Namgung Yul before anyone knew it.
“His hair probably turned like that because you kept pursuing him. Because of intense overwork, sadness, and resentment.”
“T-That is…”
Namgung Yul was flustered.
The warriors of the Martial Alliance behind her were also the same.
Chui clicked his tongue once.
Then, he raised his staff and pointed at Bi Mu-geuk’s corpse.
“You must have roughly heard while your acupoints were pressed. What kind of ill fate existed between them.”
“…”
“By now, I think the false accusation against the person named Death Plum Blossom has been cleared.”
At Chui’s words, several of the Martial Alliance’s warriors nodded.
Many Daoists from the Mount Hua Sect were also mixed among them.
Eventually, Chui looked back at the members of the Namgung Clan’s Purple Moon Special Task Force.
“What are you guys going to do? Do you want to clash with me once more?”
“…”
At Chui’s words, they quietly lowered their heads.
It was because they had already been severely beaten once in the forest.
At that time, Namgung Yul stepped forward.
“We have clearly recognized the fact that Death Plum Blossom was driven to be a public enemy of the martial world because he was falsely accused. And we will deliver the head of Bi Mu-geuk, the culprit and real culprit of all these cases, to the Martial Alliance. The investigation of the truth will take place fairly and transparently all over again from the beginning. At the same time, we plan to strictly protest to the Mount Hua Sect about the fact that Bi Mu-geuk tried to silence me by killing (殺人滅口) at the final moment.”
At her words, the heads of the Mount Hua Sect’s warriors lowered even further.
However, Chui’s expression was still not changing in the least.
“That is a measure for your own safety.”
“…Yes?”
“An investigation of the truth is just a process for you bastards, who failed in the mission, to excuse your situation, isn’t it? It is not a measure for the one who was truly harmed.”
“…”
At Chui’s words, Namgung Yul’s brow furrowed.
She spoke toward Chui in a sharp voice.
“I have nothing to do with the Death Plum Blossom case. That is the jurisdiction of Mount Hua and the Martial Alliance.”
“Isn’t the Namgung Clan also one of the Fifteen Pillars of the Righteous Path? There must be at least some from the Namgung Clan among the Martial Alliance’s pursuit team?”
Hearing Chui’s words, a few of the Martial Alliance’s warriors slightly lowered their heads.
They were from the Namgung Clan.
Namgung Yul grit her teeth.
Eventually, she bowed her head toward Oh Ja-woon.
“This junior of the martial world dares to beg forgiveness from Senior Oh Ja-woon. I promise that not only our Namgung Clan but also the Martial Alliance will exert their best efforts to restore Senior’s honor…”
“Forget it.”
Oh Ja-woon, who was standing still, suddenly opened his mouth.
His gaze, as he turned his head, had become much softer than before.
However, Chui was the only one here who could properly meet that clear and calm gaze.
No one could look straight into Oh Ja-woon’s face.
How could they dare do so.
Considering they realized that they had been pointing their swords at an innocent person and pursuing him as if to kill him until now.
Therefore, the words Oh Ja-woon spoke now were something that made tears well up in everyone’s eyes.
“It could be so. Because you did not know.”
At those words, Namgung Yul hastily opened her mouth.
“T-Thank you, Senior. When I return, I will take responsibility and restore Senior’s honor…”
“However.”
Oh Ja-woon cut off her words.
He wrapped up the current situation in a warm yet firm tone.
“Anyone can make a mistake. Because they are human.”
“…”
“And character is determined in the process of taking responsibility and settling it.”
“…?”
“Therefore, I am crossing over to the Demonic Cult.”
“…!”
Everyone including Namgung Yul wore a puzzled expression.
Oh Ja-woon drove a wedge in front of them.
“I will turn my back on the Central Plains. And I will convert to the Demonic Cult as I initially intended.”
“…”
“I have no intention of making you repent, nor do I intend to forgive you or restore my honor. I just do not want to be entangled anymore.”
Groans flowed out from among the crowd who heard Oh Ja-woon’s words.
Now there was nothing to forgive or be forgiven.
In a completely ruined relationship, the emotions had already become irreversible.
Oh Ja-woon spoke while looking at Namgung Yul’s face.
“If you have even a final conscience left… do not pursue my back going to the Demonic Cult anymore. Just that.”
“…”
Namgung Yul sputtered her mouth.
But she had absolutely nothing to say.
An outstanding talent of the Righteous Path, a sprout that would become a giant tree of the next generation, was going over to the Demonic Cult by the roots.
It was the fault of the leaders of the Righteous Sects who had driven a person to be an evil villain without even looking into it properly.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The Mount Hua Sect’s warriors, who knew Oh Ja-woon’s character and martial arts, wore gloomy expressions.
They were now bound to make an enemy of a hero who might have become the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect in the future.
It was a regrettable and desperate matter, but there was no way to do anything about it.
In the end, Namgung Yul had no choice but to request mediation from Chui.
“I do not even wish for Senior Oh to return to the Righteous Path. However, going to the Demonic Cult is a bit… Could you perhaps deliver this point to him?”
“Why should I do that?”
At Chui’s counter-question, Namgung Yul pondered for a moment.
Eventually, after a long silence, she opened her mouth.
“If you help persuade Senior Oh, the Namgung Clan will forget all its grudge against you.”
If he prevented him from converting to the Demonic Cult by persuading Oh Ja-woon, the Namgung Clan would not pursue Chui anymore.
This was Namgung Yul’s condition.
However, Chui only snorted.
“You do not have to forget.”
“…What did you say?”
“If you want to remember, remember. If you want to pursue, pursue. What can the Namgung Clan do?”
At those words, Namgung Yul’s brow furrowed violently.
However, Chui’s words were correct.
If Chui used deadly hands (殺手) here right now, not a single person would be able to descend this mountain alive.
Chui looked straight into Namgung Yul’s eyes and spoke.
“Unless Namgung Cheon steps forward directly, there is no way I will be caught by the Namgung Clan. So such a proposal is not even worth listening to.”
“…”
It was a point close to an insult, but it was an instant remedy for realizing reality.
In the end, Namgung Yul had to admit the fact that she could do nothing.
Even though she ran so hard that her soles bled to come to this remote mountain range, it was as desperate as when she was captured alive by Chui without being able to try anything.
Namgung Yul clenched her fists tightly and trembled.
And she raised her voice toward Chui.
“Who on earth are you? Why did you do such a thing in the Namgung Clan, and why did you help Senior Oh?”
“It is none of your business.”
However, Chui thoroughly ignored Namgung Yul.
Namgung Yul, who had never received such disregard from anyone in her life, was now in a state of being almost blank beyond anger.
To such a Namgung Yul, Chui spoke a word.
“Return to your comfortable home and perform the role you are assigned properly.”
“The… assigned role?”
When Namgung Yul asked back as if dumbfounded, Chui added briefly at the end.
“The role of a chatterbox, I mean.”
In other words, he meant that she should just go around talking about it here and there.
* * *
The pursuit team led by Namgung Yul descended the mountain first.
Now they would head to Anhui Province, where the Namgung Clan was, and Henan, where the Martial Alliance was.
Only Chui and Oh Ja-woon remained on the mountain peak.
They continued to move forward.
They crossed mountains and waters, climbed over steep cliffs and crossed vast lakes, pushed through bustling crowds, and crossed deserts with not a single person.
Before long, the plank path leading to the Tianshan Mountains revealed itself before their eyes.
It was a single-rope bridge extending endlessly beyond the thick fog.
Chui bid farewell to Oh Ja-woon here.
“Go alone from here.”
“…”
Oh Ja-woon stopped his steps.
He looked back at Chui and spoke.
“Won’t you go with me?”
“I will not go with you.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
The invitation and refusal were both short.
Oh Ja-woon wore a dry smile on the corners of his mouth.
“Can I ask you one last thing?”
“Sure.”
Chui nodded.
Oh Ja-woon asked what he was curious about.
“Back then, I mean. How did you know Bi Mu-geuk would confess and lay out the witnesses in advance?”
He seemed extremely curious about that.
Chui answered as if it were no big deal.
“Originally, criminals have an ambivalent psychology of wanting to hide their crimes yet secretly wanting to reveal them. So I just set the stage.”
“Hmm. Still, he might not have opened his mouth until the end. What would you have done then?”
Hearing Oh Ja-woon’s counter-question, Chui shrugged his shoulders.
“Then I would just beat them all to death, you know.”
Hearing that answer, Oh Ja-woon burst into laughter.
Loudly and refreshingly, to the extent that the water mist of Heartbreak Cliff was pushed back behind.
“As expected, you are crazy.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Eventually, Oh Ja-woon wiped the tears in his eyes and spoke.
“I promise. Regardless of my conversion to the Demonic Cult, I will take your side no matter where you are.”
“Thanks for that.”
Chui nodded nonchalantly.
Since Oh Ja-woon was a figure who rose to the Left Divine General Messenger (左神將差使) of the Demonic Cult even in the previous life, he would do well on his own this time as well.
Now it really became the time of farewell.
Thud—thud—thud—
Oh Ja-woon advanced on the plank path, with the sleeve of his left arm fluttering.
Chui watched that figure from a cliff far away.
His back view, who was once closest to the existence of a teacher.
……At that very moment.
“Hey!”
Oh Ja-woon, who walked for a while on the bridge, suddenly turned toward Chui.
Eventually.
Toss—
Oh Ja-woon threw something toward Chui.
It flew spinning in the air and fell in front of Chui’s feet.
Thud!
Chui twitched his eyebrow looking at the thing stuck in the ground.
A blade without a hilt.
It was the blade of a treasure sword embedded with seven red jewels in the shape of the Big Dipper.
Plum Blossom Swordsman.
It was a treasure sword among treasure swords awarded only to the greatest talents of the Mount Hua Sect, the giants who would lead the next generation.
Chui picked up the blade with his left hand.
Strangely, it seemed to go well with the staff, Ink Bamboo, held in his right hand.
The sound of Oh Ja-woon shouting from far away was heard.
“It was once my treasure, but now it is useless! It seemed more necessary to you than to me!”
He slowly disappeared beyond the mist.
“As expected, a spear suits you better than a staff!”
Leaving behind only a relieved smile.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Namgung Yul, who came down the mountain, was heading straight to the Namgung Clan.
One member of the Purple Moon Special Task Force asked her.
“Lady. Will you head to the Martial Alliance after reporting that fact to the main house?”
“…”
Namgung Yul, who pondered something for a moment.
She soon shook her head with a firm expression.
“No. I am not returning to the Martial Alliance.”
“Yes? Then do you plan to remain at the main house?”
“Neither is that. I am not going to the main house either.”
“Yes? T-Then where are you going?”
Everyone was flustered by Namgung Yul’s words.
Regardless of that, she clenched her two fists tightly.
“How can I disobey Grandfather’s strict command.”
“Yes? If you say command…”
“Capturing Three Calls of the Yellow Springs alive.”
“…!”
The warrior’s eyes widened round.
However, Namgung Yul was serious.
She continued speaking in a voice full of resolve.
“Everyone return. The people of the Martial Alliance can go to the Martial Alliance, and the people of the main house can go to the main house.”
She was pushed in strength and also pushed in justification.
However, even so, she could not admit defeat.
Why it was so was something she could not know herself.
So Namgung Yul decided to do blindly what her heart told her for the first time in her life.
“I will surely capture him and take him to the main house. Without borrowing another person’s strength, solely by my own strength.”
It was the first resolution (決意) she had harbored in her entire twenty years of life.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost