ch 21

 

Chapter 21

Jo Se-hwa reached his hand out the window and caught the dry sunlight in his palm.

Late spring was slowly preparing to become summer. The days grew longer, and the afternoon sun grew a little hotter each day. The noon shadows were changing day by day. Outside, the fields would be bustling with farm work.

It was now around the Hour of the Horse, the busiest time of the day. The farmers would be starting their midday meal, and the merchants would be putting up awnings to shield their goods from the sun. It was the time when martial artists would be drenched in sweat from their training.

In the Azure Blood Corps, they always practiced the horse stance at this hour. While other sects began in the cooler morning, they deliberately delayed their practice to build the stamina required for the chaotic battles that left one gasping for breath.

Until just a short while ago, Jo Se-hwa had lived a life of frantic busyness. His days, no, every hour, had been filled to the brim with rewarding purpose.

How long had it been since he had let go of his sword for this long? The idle question arose, and he quietly searched his memory, but no matter how long he thought, he couldn't recall.

His first memory began when his father placed his first wooden sword in his hand as a child. Was he two then, or three? It was a small bamboo sword, nothing more than a toy, not a training weapon, but the young Jo Se-hwa never let it out of his sight all day.

The toy sword was replaced by a wooden practice sword, and that sword by a real one. Even as swords forged from fine steel broke and shattered, he would simply replace them and continue his training, never resting for a single day.

Jo Se-hwa stared at his empty palm with vacant eyes. Upon the calloused skin, hardened by constant practice, nothing now remained. Not only the sword that had been with him his entire life, but also the sworn brothers he had valued more than his own life, and even his life itself—everything had slipped through his grasp.

All that was left for him now was a brutally deep sense of betrayal and a hollow emptiness. Jo Se-hwa clenched his fist as if to seize the sunlight pouring onto his palm. A trickle of blood slowly seeped from between his tightly clenched knuckles.

`I never once looked back from the righteous path. I never considered what was not just, and I readily offered up my life for the cause of chivalry. And this is my reward? That I’m a spy for the Demonic Cult? That I led my brothers to their deaths and plunged the world into misery?`

Jo Se-hwa simply could not believe his current situation. Ever since he had lost consciousness at Mount Bulyun and woken up, his life had completely changed. From that day on, he could never be the same person he once was.

Due to Gwak Hyo’s cunning lies, he had become a spy who colluded with the Demonic Cult. Not only was his honorably built reputation trampled, but he was also excommunicated from his sect. His brothers from the Azure Blood Corps, bound by ties stronger than blood, misunderstood that the massacre at Dabie Mountains was his fault. Because of this, they had made a curse-like vow not to rest until they had taken his head and offered it at the memorial of their fallen brothers.

All of this came as an immense shock to Jo Se-hwa. He had been framed, but no one believed him. Based on a single testimony with no physical evidence, he wasn't even given a chance to defend himself.

People believed only Gwak Hyo’s words and branded him a traitor. No one, not even the elders of his sect or his brothers in the Azure Blood Corps, defended him. He had been utterly betrayed by the very values to which he had dedicated his entire life. Because his faith had been so deep as to be blind, his despair was all the greater.

`Crunch.`

He heard the sound of someone approaching the rear courtyard where he was staying. Jo Se-hwa instinctively straightened his back and turned around.

“Ah.”

Given his current location, he naturally became guarded at the first sign of an approaching person. However, the one now coming toward him was a difficult opponent to be either wary of or relaxed around.

Jo Se-hwa let out an unconscious, low exclamation and looked at the man. The hem of the black robes the man always wore fluttered in the wind. The black cloth that stuffily enveloped his entire body. And the dark bamboo hat, pulled down low to his chin.

The man, who looked completely different from the person Jo Se-hwa had once known, stood there and watched him silently.

“Can… we… talk?”

An incredibly hoarse rasp came from his throat. As if he were scraping the words from his throat, he spoke each word with great difficulty.

Jo Se-hwa looked at him with a complicated expression. Right now, he wanted to see no one. Not the people of the world, and certainly not anyone else in this house. But the visitor was not someone he could simply order away.

After a moment's hesitation, Jo Se-hwa, unable to turn away a guest who had come all this way, sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.

“...Come, sit here.”

The man did not refuse his invitation. The shade of a willow with its long, trailing branches fell over their heads. A faint smell of moss rose from the cool stone bench.

“I… came… to see you… because…”

“You don’t have to strain yourself to speak. If there’s an easier way for you, please use it.”

Jo Se-hwa had heard about his condition from the Demonic Cult members. They had been surprisingly kind, informing him in detail that the man’s throat was severely injured, making it difficult for him to speak, and that he communicated primarily through writing. This information had only served to further jumble Jo Se-hwa’s already chaotic mind.

At his suggestion, the man reached out a large hand and took Jo Se-hwa’s. Jo Se-hwa flinched at the sudden contact, but as the man’s hand began to write on his palm, he slowly relaxed.

When he heard about communicating through writing, he had assumed it was simply exchanging notes on paper. Now he saw it wasn't that kind of method. Then again, a person couldn't always carry paper and ink, so this way was probably better.

「I’m sorry for coming so suddenly without notice. But I felt you wouldn't see me if I didn't come like this.」

His prediction was correct. If he had requested a meeting in advance, Jo Se-hwa would most likely have refused.

“Do you have business with me?”

Although he couldn't just send away a visitor who had come intentionally, he had no desire for a long conversation. Wanting to end this as quickly as possible, Jo Se-hwa pressed for the man’s purpose with a demeanor so calm it bordered on cold.

「Yes. I do.」

The rough hand moved elegantly across Jo Se-hwa’s palm. Looking down at that hand, Jo Se-hwa recalled the deceptively beautiful hands of the fake Baek Woo-gyeong.

He had always been handsome, but as time went on, he had only become more beautiful; not a single part of him was unattractive. It hadn't been that way at first, but he had changed day by day. If the change had been sudden, he would have noticed, but because it had happened gradually over time, he had failed to realize it.

`Come to think of it, the original Woo-gyeong was handsome, but not so perfectly beautiful. His impression was more earnest than polished.`

Jo Se-hwa looked at the man before him and recalled his childhood self. It was hard to believe, but this man was the real Baek Woo-gyeong. The fake one had admitted it himself, so it had to be true.

But now, there was no trace of the past left in him. His hands, once as fine as a nobleman’s, were now as rough as a farmer’s, and his handsome features were grotesquely disfigured.

He was the very person Jo Se-hwa thought he had known his entire life, and yet, at the same time, a stranger he hadn't seen in decades.

Jo Se-hwa didn't know how to accept this Woo-gyeong. Too much time had passed, with them living in ignorance of each other, to call him a friend as he once did.

「But before that, I wanted to greet you. I heard you had woken up, but I struggled to find the courage to visit. It’s been a long time, Se-hwa. Or should I say, Geomdong. Have you been well?」

As if unaware of his tumultuous heart, Baek Woo-gyeong asked quietly. As the familiar characters flowed from Woo-gyeong's fingertips, Jo Se-hwa's face hardened.

`Geomdong. Sword Child.`

It was a nickname his peers at the Jinmugwan Academy had given him. Because he carried a sword whether sitting or standing, and wouldn't even let it go when he went to bed, they had teasingly called him "Sword Child," like an attendant boy who followed a sword around.

Calling a friend by a nickname was something of a bygone era; even he had forgotten about it. But Baek Woo-gyeong, meeting him after decades, seemed to still hold onto that memory.

“I’m too old to be called Sword Child now. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name.”

Jo Se-hwa muttered with a bitter smile. The unexpected, nostalgic nickname brought back old memories. His childhood at the Jinmugwan. Those days spent with friends of the same age were, in retrospect, the most beautiful days of his life.

「Yes. I suppose so. It’s already been that long. It feels like the blink of an eye, but it’s been twenty years.」

It felt like only yesterday they had met as rosy-cheeked youths, but now they were in their forties. Who could have imagined they would one day meet like this, in such a shabby state? One had had his entire life stolen, and the other had lost everything he had protected to that very thief.

The process was different, but the outcome was the same. The sight of the two of them sitting opposite each other seemed so ridiculous that a bitter, sardonic smile crossed Jo Se-hwa’s lips.

「From afar, I heard news of you from time to time. It wasn't my business, but whenever I heard you were doing well, I was very happy.」

“...I wasn’t the only one doing well. At my side, there was always you—no, the fake Baek Woo-gyeong. When you think about it, my brilliant reputation in the Jianghu was all thanks to him. Unlike you, he knew exactly how to build a reputation.”

Though he hadn't intended it, a sarcastic remark slipped from his lips. Hearing it, Baek Woo-gyeong’s writing hand paused for a moment.

Jo Se-hwa’s lips twitched as he lowered his eyes. His head knew he shouldn't be like this, but his mouth moved on its own.

The person who had suffered the most because of Gwak Hyo was none other than Baek Woo-gyeong. He himself had only suffered for a few months, but Baek Woo-gyeong had lost nearly half his life. In terms of both time and suffering, he couldn't compare. But even knowing this, he couldn't stop the resentment he felt toward Baek Woo-gyeong. He was frustrated and angry. The injustice was unbearable.

Baek Woo-gyeong had been robbed of twenty years, but he, too, had been deceived for just as long. For twenty years, he had stood closer to that villain than anyone, dedicating himself to him and fighting to the point of breaking for his cause.

If he had known he was an impostor, he never would have dedicated his life to such a futile mission. If Baek Woo-gyeong had revealed his identity from the start, if the fake’s identity had been exposed early on, he might not have ended up in this miserable state, hiding in a Demonic Cult safe house.

「I’m sorry.」

Baek Woo-gyeong must have known that Jo Se-hwa was taking his anger out on him. Yet, he apologized meekly.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you reveal yourself?”

Unable to bear the festering wound, Jo Se-hwa spoke again, his tone accusatory. Baek Woo-gyeong’s quiet apology seemed only to fuel his anger.

His mind knew he shouldn't be doing this, but his mouth moved on its own. He realized his anger toward Baek Woo-gyeong was misplaced, but he had no energy left to rationally control his emotions.

Exhausted and furious, Jo Se-hwa needed someone to vent his feelings on. As a reaction to his long-suppressed emotions, his inner turmoil spilled out, raw and unrefined.

“He took your life. He wore your face, used your name, and lived the life that should have been yours. Why did you just let him be for twenty years? If you were alive, you should have revealed yourself from the beginning.”

「…….」

Baek Woo-gyeong simply listened in silence to the escalating accusations.

“If you had acted sooner, none of this might have happened. If his identity had been revealed earlier, things wouldn't have gotten this bad. The brothers of the Azure Blood Corps, who vowed to give their lives for the greater good, wouldn't have suffered the tragedy at Dabie Mountains, and the Jianghu could have remained at peace, not swept up in this bloody chaos.

It’s the same for me. If you had revealed yourself sooner, my life wouldn’t have been ruined like this.

Why did you do it? Why did you remain silent all this time? Why did you just stand by while your own life was stolen?”

Jo Se-hwa glared at Baek Woo-gyeong with bloodshot eyes. Bloody tears welled up in his fierce gaze. Unlike Baek Woo-gyeong, whose wounds had been hardened by long years, Jo Se-hwa’s wound was raw, its red flesh exposed. Baek Woo-gyeong, who could more than guess his feelings, looked at him with a pitying gaze.

「...Twenty years ago, after he did that to me, it took me three years to recover. When I finally managed to heal and return home, there was a stranger in my place. He was clearly me, and yet not me. One would have to be a fool not to know who he was. But even so, I couldn't step forward. I had no proof that I was me. Everyone believed he was me. Even my own mother thought he was her son.」

As if prompted by his accusations, Baek Woo-gyeong slowly began to unravel his story. It wasn't easy to bring out the tale he had kept locked in his heart for so long.

Recalling the shock of that time, a dull ache spread through his chest. Even a long-healed scar sometimes remembered its old pain. For Baek Woo-gyeong, that feeling usually came when he thought of his mother.

`My mother. My poor mother.`

At the time, the most shocking thing for Baek Woo-gyeong was the fact that his mother, just like everyone else, didn't recognize her own child. He had returned home with a ruined face and throat, holding onto the hope that his mother would recognize him, but his naive belief had been nothing but a foolish fantasy.

But thinking back now, he realized his mother couldn't have helped it. For the first ten years of his life, when he still lived with his mother's family, their bond had been incredibly strong. His mother, who had adored her posthumously born son, had loved him in the best way she could, and Baek Woo-gyeong had followed her as both mother and father.

But they had been that close for only about ten years. After he became a disciple of the Wudang Sect at the age of ten and went to the main mountain, they had lived for nearly eight years without seeing each other's faces. They exchanged letters occasionally, but she, fearing her presence would hinder her son's studies, refrained from visiting in person. They were separated when he was ten and saw each other again only when he was eighteen, the year he descended the mountain after learning all he could as a lay disciple.

Upon returning home, he lived with his mother for only two months before leaving again for the Kunlun Mountains to pay his respects to his father's sect. His mother had not watched him grow up and had not even had the time to get used to the young man he had become.

「It’s not that I didn't think of ways to reclaim my place. But at the time, I truly had no means.

I didn't even know the identity of the man who attacked me. He was already a formidable master back then, and a meticulous one at that. And to so perfectly take another's place meant he was plotting something, but I had no idea what it was.

If he had found out that I was alive, the first thing he would have done is kill me to destroy the evidence. And if I were killed, the one person who could reveal his conspiracy would be gone forever.」

Wu Zixu said that for a gentleman, ten years is not too late for revenge. Baek Woo-gyeong had waited twenty years. He joined the Haomun to gather information and roamed the Jianghu with his face hidden, first by bandages and later by a bamboo hat. He couldn't meet his relatives or friends, and could only long for his mother from afar. How could he not have regrets after wandering in the shadows for so long? He couldn't even be there for his mother's death.

A long-accumulated pain showed in Baek Woo-gyeong’s eyes. Hardened by years of endurance, the pain sank deep into the center of his chest like a heavy anchor.

「I am sorry for what you have gone through because of me. You may not believe it, but I never wanted to involve you in this. If I had had a way, I would have stopped it somehow before things got to this point.」

Communicating through writing did not mean emotions weren't conveyed. In fact, some feelings came across more sincerely precisely because they were not spoken.

Jo Se-hwa felt Baek Woo-gyeong’s emotions directly through his fingertips on his palm. Despite his one-sided accusations that disregarded his circumstances, Baek Woo-gyeong meekly bowed his head and apologized. His apology was no mere lip service.

Confirming that Baek Woo-gyeong was genuinely sorry, Jo Se-hwa felt the heat boiling in his head cool down.

Just because he had become emotional for a moment didn't mean he had lost his reason. Baek Woo-gyeong's situation was perfectly understandable, and to blame an innocent victim was not in Jo Se-hwa’s character.

“No, you don’t have to. Woo-gyeong. You don’t need to apologize to me. I wasn’t trying to blame you. I was just...”

He just wanted someone to take responsibility for all this. He was tired of blaming himself for not realizing the truth sooner and had simply tried to turn that blame outward.

Confronted with his own petty nature, Jo Se-hwa’s face crumpled, and he covered it with his hands. He didn't know what he was doing anymore.

`What a pathetic act. Not only am I hiding like a helpless fool, but I'm taking my anger out on an innocent man. Was the great Sword of Yin and Yang really this pathetic?`

An unbearable, deep self-loathing spread through his body. The feeling of intense self-hatred, which he was experiencing for the first time, pushed his mood to the brink.

“I’m sorry. Let's continue. You couldn't have come all this way just to exchange greetings. We've said our hellos, so please tell me your business.”

Jo Se-hwa rubbed his face a few times with a dry palm and spoke weakly without lifting his head.

He hated this situation, where he couldn't fully control his own actions, with a passion. Whether it was Baek Woo-gyeong or anyone else, he didn't want to expose his shame any further.

He needed more time to regain his former self. The betrayal by someone he had trusted his whole life had shaken him to his core. Even for someone as strong-willed as Jo Se-hwa, it was difficult to recover from the shock easily.

Hearing his words, Baek Woo-gyeong quietly extended his hand. Realizing he wanted his hand again, Jo Se-hwa gave it to him so he could continue.

Without any questioning or outward sign of emotion, Baek Woo-gyeong calmly took his hand and continued the written conversation. To Jo Se-hwa, this attitude was a consideration more grateful than any words.

「How much do you know about Gwak Hyo?」

At Baek Woo-gyeong’s direct question, Jo Se-hwa’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

`Gwak Hyo. Gwak Hyo.`

That was the true name of his enemy, a name he had only learned after taking refuge in the Demonic Cult's safe house. The Gentleman-Demon Sword, Gwak Hyo, was a great demon of the Cult, long forgotten. He had heard that Gwak Hyo had rebelled against Cheonma, was exiled, and went into hiding. He never could have imagined that he had been living under the guise of Baek Woo-gyeong.

Until he witnessed the decisive scene at Mount Bulyun, he had never once suspected the man's identity. With a troubled expression, Jo Se-hwa shook his head. He truly knew nothing about Gwak Hyo.

“It’s a damn shame, but I know almost nothing. I wouldn't have even known his real name if I hadn't heard it here.”

What Baek Woo-gyeong was asking wasn't about Gwak Hyo's identity or true nature. It was about how much he, who was publicly known as Baek Woo-gyeong’s closest confidant, knew about Gwak Hyo's current plans.

Having been subjected to similar interrogations since moving to the Demonic Cult's safe house, Jo Se-hwa instantly understood his intention.

“Something is happening, isn't it? What is Gwak Hyo plotting now that he's out in the world?”

Although he had lost consciousness at the most critical moment and didn't see the end, Jo Se-hwa knew that Gwak Hyo had escaped the Demonic Cult's grasp and returned to the Righteous Path Alliance. After all, that was the reason he had been framed by Gwak Hyo's slander.

As things had reached this point, there were many things he began to realize without hearing the details. Gwak Hyo was behind the Wusheng Cult and the Hunan Bloodbath. He was the one who set the trap at Dabie Mountains, and he was the one who stole the Qilin Plaque at Lady Baek's deathbed, fanning the flames of chaos in the world. And these were just the incidents he could roughly guess. Jo Se-hwa couldn't even imagine what else he had been doing behind the scenes.

`Is there any fool greater than me? I was a blind man.`

Failing to realize what was happening right before his eyes, Jo Se-hwa laughed self-deprecatingly and looked up. For a moment, a gleam flashed in his red eyes and then disappeared. Baek Woo-gyeong watched him with a complicated expression.

「Se-hwa.」

“I already knew he would cause trouble again. The fact that he escaped even after his identity was revealed means he still has some tricks up his sleeve. I had a feeling, so tell me. What’s going on?”

Although he was receiving unexpected help, this was a Demonic Cult safe house. Naturally, the only people coming and going were Cult members, and the scrupulous Jo Se-hwa was not sociable enough to casually ask them for details. Although he had taken refuge with them out of necessity, they were still members of the heretical Demonic Cult.

His attitude of being cooped up in this annex like a hermit who had cut ties with the world was a more definite refusal than any words. As a result, the Demonic Cult members rarely sought him out unless they had business with him, which unintentionally led to him being a recluse, ignorant of outside affairs.

From his words, Baek Woo-gyeong realized that Jo Se-hwa knew nothing of the chaos in the Jianghu and slowly told him everything. From the wildfire-like spread of the Nightly Hunt of a Hundred Ghosts, to the conspiracy of the Righteous Path Alliance behind it, and even the reason they had plotted it—he revealed it all.

Although he knew Gwak Hyo was at the center of the conspiracy, Jo Se-hwa had never imagined that the Righteous Path Alliance, of all groups, would be involved. Hearing Baek Woo-gyeong’s story, his face turned deathly pale.

Believing that the other righteous sects, like himself, had been unilaterally deceived by Gwak Hyo, Jo Se-hwa couldn't believe his own ears.

“No, that can’t be. It’s not true. How could the Righteous Path Alliance do such a thing?”

Jo Se-hwa asked again, feeling as if everything he had believed in his entire life was crumbling beneath his feet. The situation was so absurd and ridiculous that he couldn't even feel anger. He felt numb, as if he had been struck on the back of the head, and everything felt dazed.

`He must have gotten it wrong.`

Jo Se-hwa tried to erase the ominous feeling in his heart and looked at Baek Woo-gyeong.

Even while watching his agitated state, Baek Woo-gyeong maintained a calm demeanor and wrote again with his finger.

「No, it's not. I don’t want to believe it either, but it is all true.」

Just because a truth is unwanted doesn't mean it can be ignored. Having learned this lesson to his very bones, Baek Woo-gyeong displayed an unyielding resolve that was difficult to oppose, and pressed his case to Jo Se-hwa. Even so, breaking the faith of one who had blindly believed in the Orthodox Faction and the Righteous Path Alliance like a religion was no easy matter. Jo Se-hwa shook his head more firmly, rejecting Baek Woo-gyeong's argument.

“You’ve got it wrong. Or maybe you were deceived. How can one believe everything the Demonic Cult claims? They may not be behind this incident, but they are still a heretical sect. Wasn't Gwak Hyo himself originally from the Demonic Cult? This could be a conspiracy to tarnish the Righteous Path Alliance using Gwak Hyo as a pretext.”

「After all you’ve been through, do you still not understand? It’s not just Gwak Hyo; the Righteous Path Alliance is rotten to the core. Think about it. You were declared a public enemy of the Jianghu less than two days after Gwak Hyo framed you. In just two days, you were not only declared a public enemy but also excommunicated from your sect. A public enemy declaration is not made lightly without conclusive evidence and witnesses. This was truly unprecedented.

Why do you think they took such immediate action? Because your crime was so heinous? Because they needed to make an example of you to intimidate other potential spies? No. That’s not it. It was because they, not just Gwak Hyo, needed to silence you. It was, in effect, an attempt to kill you and destroy the evidence.」

As he wrote this, Baek Woo-gyeong’s face contorted in a surge of disgust. Fortunately, his face was hidden by the bamboo hat, so the ugly twist of his features was not visible to Jo Se-hwa.

However, his emotions were evident even in the jawline visible beneath the hat. The rough scars on his skin twitched and moved dynamically. The damaged muscles moved involuntarily, creating an expressive look rarely seen in ordinary people.

Jo Se-hwa stared at his jaw with a pale gaze. That jaw spoke more than other people's eyes or mouths.

「Se-hwa, you may not know this, but the Righteous Path Alliance of today is not the one we once knew. It is the most rotten, filthy, stinking sewer in the world. They don't seem to know his true identity yet, but the Righteous Path Alliance has been involved in everything he has done so far.

I followed Gwak Hyo and saw and heard everything they were doing under the surface. I had to witness the hypocrisy and depravity of not only the Righteous Path Alliance but also of those who call themselves the righteous sects. I know you won’t believe me easily, but everything I'm saying is true.」

It was something he himself had found hard to believe until he saw it with his own eyes. So, he didn't expect someone like Jo Se-hwa to believe him from the start.

Despite the ultimate betrayal, Jo Se-hwa was still a man of the righteous sects. His beliefs, like his convictions, could not be so easily negated. This was especially true for someone as steadfast as Jo Se-hwa.

“Then tell me. You have an obligation to convince me.”

Though his face was so pale he looked as if he might collapse at any moment, Jo Se-hwa resolutely challenged him. As expected, he couldn't readily accept Baek Woo-gyeong’s words. He looked at him with distrustful eyes, as if his words were an attempt to sow discord.

「Se-hwa.」

“Give me proof that you’re not lying. What on earth happened that makes you dare to insult the righteous path with such words? Hypocrisy and depravity? The Righteous Path Alliance is a sewer? You will take responsibility for what you've said, Woo-gyeong. Otherwise, you will pay the price for insulting the righteous path.”

What Baek Woo-gyeong had said wasn't just an insult to the Righteous Path Alliance. He had disparaged all the sects allied with it, and that insult naturally included their own sect, Wudang.

The core of the Righteous Path Alliance was the Nine Sects One Union, led by Wudang, and the Five Great Families. They were not just the core of the Righteous Path Alliance but also the spiritual pillar of all the righteous sects in the Central Plains. To say the righteous sects were rotten was to say they all were rotten, a conclusion Jo Se-hwa could never agree with.

Anticipating Jo Se-hwa’s backlash, Baek Woo-gyeong was not easily swayed by his obvious hostility. He had also considered that it would be difficult to persuade him. A stubborn person is like a stubborn ox; you can't move them with force alone.

Baek Woo-gyeong slowly began to convey what he had seen and heard over the past twenty years through writing.

The dark and sordid truths that someone like him, who had lived in the light, could never know, poured out from Baek Woo-gyeong’s hand. The sinister conspiracies taking place in the shadows were another side of the righteous sects that Jo Se-hwa had never seen.

Since he was confessing anyway, Baek Woo-gyeong told him everything honestly. He didn't omit the Righteous Path Alliance's role in Gwak Hyo's conspiracies, nor their betrayal of the Sword Hero during the past Hunan Bloodbath. The story of the Qilin Plaque was a secret among secrets, something Baek Woo-gyeong himself wouldn't have known if Yun Seung-hyo hadn't told him.

As he listened, Jo Se-hwa’s expression changed drastically. His already pale complexion turned dark, and he kept biting his chapped lips, leaving them stained with blood.

He was most shocked when he heard that the attackers at Dabie Mountains were masters from the same righteous sects. He let out a small sound, as if fighting back nausea, and lowered his blood-red gaze to his knees. An indescribable sense of despair crushed him.

He wanted to dismiss it as a lie, but Jo Se-hwa knew better than anyone that it was the truth.

The enemies they had faced at Dabie Mountains had a sharp aura, and their sword techniques had a rare elegance. Though they tried to hide it, they couldn't completely conceal the gravity that comes from mastering orthodox internal arts and the rigor that clearly came from a master's guidance.

Their disposition had left a seed of doubt in Jo Se-hwa's mind. He had been suspicious of the appearance of such masters, who were difficult to produce without considerable effort, and only now did he clearly understand the nature of that doubt.

Unable to suspect his own allies, he had pushed the faint suspicion deep into his heart and pretended not to know, but in this situation, he could no longer deceive himself.

“I can’t understand it. They call themselves an orthodox sect, so how could they commit such acts without hesitation? No matter how plausible the justification, if they forget righteousness and chivalry in their actions, they can’t be called a righteous sect. If what you say is true, the Righteous Path Alliance has already crossed the line. I truly must have been a blind man with open eyes. I didn't even know that not only Gwak Hyo but the entire Righteous Path Alliance was in such a state. What on earth have I been doing with my life?”

Thanks to this, he had to feel severe self-loathing once again. Feeling intense disgust at his own foolishness for being so close yet failing to see the truth, Jo Se-hwa muttered in anguish, feeling like he wanted to gouge out his own eyes.

Looking at Jo Se-hwa, Baek Woo-gyeong shook his head. He didn't want him to blame himself more than necessary. The truly guilty ones felt no remorse, so he believed that someone like Jo Se-hwa, who knew nothing, had no need to take responsibility for their actions.

「Don’t think that way. There are gems among stones, and even if there are rotten grains mixed in, it doesn't mean the whole bushel is spoiled. You know it too, don't you? That there are still people like you in the righteous path. Even if they are outnumbered by the corrupt, the honest ones still remain. No, they who remain pure even when surrounded by corruption are the true knights of chivalry.」

As if to soothe him, Baek Woo-gyeong’s fingertips became deliberate. As his hand pressed down, as if carving each stroke, Jo Se-hwa lifted his desolate face and looked at him.

“Woo-gyeong... what is it you want to say?”

He had known for a while that Baek Woo-gyeong had something to say to him. If he didn't have a purpose, there would have been no reason to come and reveal all the truths. He clearly had an intention, and Jo Se-hwa was now curious about it.

「Se-hwa. I have a favor to ask you.」

“A favor? What is it?”

「Although my roots are in the righteous path, I have been away from it for a long time. They don't know who I am, and they won't easily believe what I say. But you are different. Although you've been branded a public enemy, those who know your character won't easily believe the slander. Even if they can't show it due to the strong reaction from the higher-ups, someone is bound to have doubts.

You must persuade those people and sort out the healthy grains. Even if we have to plow the field over, we must save the seeds, mustn't we? In this state, the righteous path may never recover. If they still had their cause, it wouldn't matter if their power waned, but since they've lost their cause, it will be hard to even establish a foothold for recovery.」

His meaningful words lit a fire in Jo Se-hwa’s weary mind.

`Recovery? The righteous sects need to recover?`

Looking at the current situation, it wouldn't be strange if the Righteous Path Alliance conquered the entire Jianghu. But Baek Woo-gyeong was worried about the very survival of the righteous sects. To say they must save the seeds was to say he was considering the possibility of the entire righteous path collapsing together.

A chill ran down his spine, and Jo Se-hwa hurriedly pressed him.

“What do you mean? Plowing over? Are you saying something is going to happen to the Righteous Path Alliance?”

「The Demonic Cult knows what they're doing. Not only do they know that they've joined hands with the Cult's traitor, Gwak Hyo, but they also have evidence of the inhuman acts they've committed. Smiling Dagger, Po Yeong-ui, is a clever man. He's probably already planned out how to use this situation.」

“But the Demonic Cult’s strength alone is not enough to defeat the current Righteous Path Alliance. Didn't you say so yourself? With the Nightly Hunt of a Hundred Ghosts, they’ve united the scattered forces of the Central Plains. How can a Demonic Cult without its Heavenly Demon defeat such a Righteous Path Alliance?”

「If they gathered them with the Nightly Hunt of a Hundred Ghosts, they can scatter them with it too. Didn't I tell you? The Demonic Cult has evidence. If that evidence is revealed to the world, the small and medium-sized sects of the Central Plains will never return to the Righteous Path Alliance's fold. It’s more likely they'll become enemies.」

“But...”

「And Cheonma is alive. Not even Gwak Hyo would believe he’s dead. If he believed Cheonma was dead, there would have been no need to rush things like this.」

Cheonma is alive. At those words, his mouth, about to argue, froze. He was a legend even before Jo Se-hwa was born, a being who dominated the Jianghu with a presence that couldn't be dismissed as just one master. Both the righteous and the unorthodox feared him, and never made a move, no matter how small, without considering his existence.

He never even entered the Central Plains, yet the entire landscape of the Central Plains flowed towards him. He was an absolute, an undefeated being. The thought that he could fail in something he personally undertook was something that even Jo Se-hwa, a member of the righteous sects, couldn't entertain.

“Cheonma... is alive?”

As if struggling, he asked hesitantly. Baek Woo-gyeong tilted his head.

「Did you really think he was dead?」

Of course not. Jo Se-hwa also believed he was alive. To be honest, he had never even concretely thought about his survival. What on earth could kill an absolute being who had even achieved rejuvenation? Neither swords, nor disease, nor even time itself were suitable tools to kill him.

“No, I suppose not. He must be alive.”

「Yes. He is surely alive. And he will return with a firm grudge against Gwak Hyo and the Righteous Path Alliance. In the past, the cause was on our side, but now, even that belongs to the Demonic Cult. If they set their minds to it, there is no way for the Righteous Path Alliance to escape the mire. That's why I came to you. If we can't avoid what's coming, we must make it the lesser of two evils, not the worst. If we don't act, the righteous sects will truly be wiped out.」

After being betrayed, Jo Se-hwa had been lying around listlessly, without even the will for revenge, but after hearing this, he could no longer waste time.

A strong shiver ran down his spine. The realization that he couldn't just let go like this raised his broken spirit.

He couldn't forgive the atrocities committed by the Righteous Path Alliance, but he couldn't see everyone belonging to it as being in on it. There were more people like himself who didn't know about the conspiracy than those who condoned it.

Most knights of chivalry lived their lives seeing only the surface of the world, unaware of what was happening in the dark. Jo Se-hwa didn't want another victim like himself to be created among them. Furthermore, he could absolutely not stand by and watch them be treated as one with the corrupt and slaughtered together.

“What must I do? What is the specific plan?”

Just because the righteous path had abandoned him didn't mean he could abandon it. Steeling his resolve, Jo Se-hwa straightened his back and asked Baek Woo-gyeong. With clear, distinct strokes, Baek Woo-gyeong conveyed his intentions onto Jo Se-hwa’s palm.

「I will tell you the names of the people I need. They are not involved in this matter. You must do your best to persuade them and tell them the real truth. The righteous sects can only survive if they clean house before being punished by the Demonic Cult. We must strike them down from within before the people of the world turn their backs, before the Demonic Cult can use its cause against us.」

“But how can I judge whether they were involved in the conspiracy based on outward appearances alone? I was a member of the Righteous Path Alliance, but I only learned they were doing such things after hearing it from you. Considering what happened with Gwak Hyo, my judgment of character isn't very reliable either.”

Though mixed with self-deprecating lament, Jo Se-hwa's question was not just an exaggeration. If he chose the wrong person, he would lose his life before he could achieve his goal.

But Baek Woo-gyeong shook his head nonchalantly, as if he didn't care about such worries. Judging by his firm posture, he seemed to have something to rely on.

「Don’t worry about that. The names on the list I give you are all innocent. I have been in the Haomun for a long time, and the Haomun has been investigating them for a long time. If that’s not enough to convince you, I will introduce you to someone who can help. Aside from the leader of the Beggars' Sect, he is the person with the most information in the entire Central Plains. His martial arts are also outstanding, so he will be of no small help to you.」

Baek Woo-gyeong stopped his writing finger and sent a telepathic message outside. As if waiting, a figure slowly walked out from the greenery of the courtyard. Limping slightly as if his leg was injured, he was a slender man wearing a silver fox mask.

He was dressed in a silver-green robe, with a long, luxurious white-gold tassel hanging from his waist. The bewitching fox mask he wore was entirely white, with only the snout painted red.

Though he couldn't see his face, Jo Se-hwa could guess his identity from his distinctive attire. The man was the master of the hidden Haomun, the Thousand-Faced Human Fox.

The Thousand-Faced Human Fox was a figure even Jo Se-hwa, who had roamed the world as if it were small, was meeting for the first time. A mysterious master of whom there were only rumors and no one had ever seen, some even rumored he might be a fictional character. As he revealed himself like this, Jo Se-hwa couldn't hide his bewilderment.

“A pleasure to meet you. The comrades of the Jianghu call me the Thousand-Faced Human Fox.”

The Thousand-Faced Human Fox spoke in a strange voice, making it impossible to tell if he was male or female. No, not just gender; it was impossible to even tell if he was old or young. It was a voice he had clearly heard, yet it was difficult to remember. It was hazy, like a voice heard in a dream, and it was impossible to recall anything distinctive about it.

“My greetings are late. I am undeservingly known as the Sword of Yin and Yang. My name is Jo Se-hwa.”

Dazed, Jo Se-hwa clasped his hands in a formal greeting and introduced himself. The Thousand-Faced Human Fox, known as a transcendent master, was also a generation senior to Jo Se-hwa. For him to offer a polite greeting first, Jo Se-hwa had no choice but to return the gesture.

It was a truly strange situation. Though his face was hidden by a mask, he could clearly sense the man was smiling.

The Thousand-Faced Human Fox might be a figure between the righteous and unorthodox, but he was not particularly evil. A heavyweight like this would certainly be a help. He was a transcendent master and the head of the Haomun.

Liking his position more than his martial arts, Jo Se-hwa could only relax his shoulders after meeting him. At least with information directly gathered by the master of the Haomun, he felt he could avoid a senseless death.

It wasn't that he was afraid of dying, but that he feared he wouldn't be able to achieve his goal due to a momentary mistake. Now, he felt a little relieved.

If the information was solid, starting the work wouldn't be difficult. Though he hadn't dared to ask, it was what he had secretly hoped for. Perhaps this was what he had been waiting for all along.

`Just you wait, Gwak Hyo. This Jo Se-hwa is not as easy a man as you think. You only damaged my reputation, but I will shatter your life’s work to pieces.`

Jo Se-hwa clenched his jaw, steeling his resolve. From a certain perspective, Baek Woo-gyeong’s request was not a favor but a grace. It was as if he had shown a path forward to someone who had been sitting idly, wanting revenge but not knowing how.

Seeing the resolute determination shining in his eyes, Yun Seung-hyo smiled faintly. It was clear that to move a person like this, pulling was more important than pushing. Exchanging a meaningful glance with Baek Woo-gyeong, Yun Seung-hyo suppressed the urge to take out the fan in his sleeve and began to calculate his next move in his head.

Gwak Hyo was the most intense opponent in a battle of wits he had ever met. A rash move could endanger not only himself but the entire Haomun.

But though Yun Seung-hyo moved cautiously, he was not afraid. Behind him was a presence more reliable than anyone, and at his side was a powerful ally.

Unlike Gwak Hyo, he was not alone. Having someone by his side whom he could trust with his back—that was the most certain and decisive difference between Gwak Hyo and himself.

***

The book, with its oil-paper cover worn to tatters, was clearly a very old object.

Gwak Hyo, lost in thought, slowly stroked the cover. The paper, softened by age, fluttered lightly like old, worn cloth. Despite his care in preserving it, it was covered in fingerprints from frequent reading, and the binding string, which had broken from age and had to be re-tied recently, was new, adding a strange mark to the old cover.

His fingertips, mindlessly stroking the book, touched the paper label with the title. Worn down by countless years, the edges of the paper were frayed and stuck flat to the cover, as if it had become part of it. Gwak Hyo lowered his gaze and nonchalantly read the characters on the cover.

「The Sorrowful Record of Wusheng」

As the title on the cover suggested, this book was the desperate record of one who lamented the absence of life.

The person who left this record was Wu Shengli, the leader of a heretical cult called the Wusheng Cult, who had deceived the world 300 years ago. Once a Taoist priest of the Maoshan Sect, and for a time a martial monk of Shaolin, he was a man who, unable to quell the fire burning in his heart even with the deep teachings of Taoism and Buddhism, burst out into the world and took countless lives.

The people he killed with his own hands numbered in the hundreds. He mercilessly slaughtered not only martial artists but also powerless civilians and children, and the people of the Jianghu called him an incarnation of a demonic rakshasa. But the world would never know how deeply he himself felt that fact.

What is the reason a person harbors malice towards the world? It could be for a grand cause, but sometimes, it could start from a very trivial, intensely personal grudge. Dong Zhuo toppled the Han dynasty that had lasted for hundreds of years to covet power, and Daji played by burning living people on an iron plate for her debauchery.

But Wu Shengli’s massacre of countless commoners was not for power or pleasure. The reason he committed such atrocities was all due to a fiercely deep desire for revenge for an event in his youth.

In his youth, when he was still a Taoist priest of the Maoshan Sect, Wu Shengli had a lover. His first love and first lover was, surprisingly, a man, a failed scholar from a humble background who had repeatedly failed the civil service examinations.

Though he was talented in writing, he couldn't enter the court due to his lack of connections. To make ends meet, he became a retainer in a manor, teaching the children there. He had met Wu Shengli, who was training in the mountains, by chance after getting lost on a walk, and thanks to that, he had barely managed to survive.

How a feeling that was initially just friendship turned into love was unknown, as Wu Shengli did not leave a record of it. But they soon shared a bed, and even made a vow before the heavens and earth, with their arms tied together with a string, to live and die together, which shows that their relationship progressed quite smoothly.

Wu Shengli, who had been chosen by the Maoshan Sect as a child for his outstanding talent in sorcery and had only trained with his master, fell deeply and uncontrollably into this new relationship. The poignant longing that was evident even in the records left decades after his lover's death spoke of how tenacious and potent his affection for his lover was.

If their romance had progressed normally without any incident, his feelings might not have rotted so terribly. If their relationship had continued, their feelings might have faded with time, or it might have ended with one of them changing their mind. But his love, which ended tragically at its most beautiful moment, left an irreparable, deep scar on the very foundation of Wu Shengli's being.

The manor where Wu Shengli’s lover had taken refuge was the largest landlord in the area. The owner of the manor was a notorious miser and moneylender, a terrible man who would seize others' land under the pretext of relief grain and make people sell their daughters for a single measure of barley.

Although he had taken in Wu Shengli’s lover, who was a distant relative, he worked him harshly as the sole teacher for his twelve children and didn't even provide him with proper food.

If he was like this to a relative, how would he be to a complete stranger? The manor was so deeply resented that there wasn't a house within a hundred li that didn't have a grievance against it.

The incident occurred at a time when two consecutive years of drought had dried up the rice paddies and the government's relief grain had run out. The villages near the manor, already severely exploited, could not withstand the repeated droughts. People were starving to death everywhere.

Unable to watch this, Wu Shengli set out to get help from his sect. It was due to a youthful sense of responsibility, that though he couldn't save everyone with his own power, he couldn't just leave those dying before his eyes.

Wu Shengli’s lover also agreed with his opinion and even gave him the jewelry he had inherited from his late father as he set off. He said that though he wished he could open the manor's granary, it was beyond his power, and he wanted to ease his conscience in this way.

Leaving his lover behind, Wu Shengli went to his sect but was refused aid. After many twists and turns, he managed to sell the jewelry and obtain a cart of food. However, returning with food through a world ravaged by drought was no easy task. Often threatened by bandits and sometimes even by government soldiers, Wu Shengli struggled to protect the cart and returned to the village where his lover lived. But by then, it was already too late.

When he returned, the villages he knew were mostly in ruins, and even the manor where his lover had taken refuge had been burned down.

Not knowing what had happened, Wu Shengli, in a panic, inquired about the events that had occurred in his absence. The truth he learned was a horrifying one he didn't want to believe.

The villages were in ruins because the villagers had all fled to escape the disaster. The manor was burned because, even with starving people all around, the smoke from its chimney was too much of an atrocity.

When a hungry child knocked on the back door after smelling food and was beaten to death, the accumulated anger of the villagers exploded, and they turned into a mob, storming the manor with pitchforks and plows.

They broke down the firmly shut gates and beat the managers and servants who had exploited the village to death. They also killed all the members of the manor owner's family, who wore silk clothes on their fat bellies. Not only that, they captured and ate everyone in the manor. The mob broke open the granary, plundered the remaining grain, and boiled the dead bodies to make meat soup. Because several villages had joined together, there still wasn't enough food.

Only after they had plundered the manor and eaten and drunk their fill did they come to their senses. Because it was such a remote area, the news hadn't spread yet, but if what they had done became known to the authorities, they, as a mob, were all dead.

The villagers gathered the bones of the dead, burned them, and scattered in all directions. They were going to starve to death anyway. They held onto the hope that they might be able to survive if they became wandering beggars.

Wu Shengli learned that his lover had not only been brutally murdered but also eaten. He learned that his innocent lover, the kind-hearted person who had willingly given up the only memento from his late father for the sake of the villagers, had met a death too terrible for a human to endure, and he fell into a despair he couldn't handle.

Though he had loved him like his own life, it was impossible to find him among the charred bones. His lover had left behind not only his flesh and blood but also his bones. Wu Shengli screamed at this unbelievable fact. He could not forgive those who had committed such a heinous act under the pretext of hunger.

The reason he particularly disliked children among the powerless commoners was because of something one of the people he interrogated had blurted out.

`My children was starving to death before my eyes. What wouldn't a father do, watching his children starve to death one after another?`

Though it was an excuse with a certain human depth and anguish, it was the decisive trigger for Wu Shengli's anger.

For the next ten years, Wu Shengli mulled over those words again and again. He left his sect and became a Buddhist monk, reading the Buddhist scriptures over and over, contemplating those words as if they were an unsolvable sacred riddle. But no matter how much time passed, the anger in his heart that he felt whenever he recalled those words did not subside. In fact, as time went on, his anger only grew larger and more fierce.

His lover was eaten because a child was hungry. Those people had sacrificed an innocent person's life to save their own children.

Humans were vulgar and selfish animals. For their own sake, they would readily sacrifice others. If survival was the reason, they felt no guilt no matter what they did. When survival itself was a source of pride, what was guilt and what was hesitation?

Life was a sea of suffering, and life was hell. Wu Shengli could not stand the disgust he felt for humanity. Having seen the naked bottom of human nature, all humans were just ugly and repulsive to him.

He suppressed his emotions with reason for several years, but his burning desire for revenge did not subside; in fact, it only grew worse with each passing day. It felt like a hellfire was burning in his heart. If that was his fate, then so be it, but Wu Shengli could no longer bear it alone.

Unable to endure any longer, he broke his vows and burst out into the world. Then, mobilizing all the knowledge he had, he unleashed the hell that was in his heart onto the outside world.

The Sorrowful Record of Wusheng that Gwak Hyo obtained was a diary-like record of Wu Shengli's life. What was recorded in that book was not just his occasional reminiscences of the past.

Wu Shengli had long researched the arts of the deviant path using human bodies, especially those of children, and had created several quite useful arts besides the commonly known ones. Though the method of casting the arts was gruesome and often required the lives of others, the effects were so tremendous that they could be called sorcery.

Wu Shengli recorded the process and results in detail, and Gwak Hyo had actually found these arts quite useful.

`It was good. The reason I was able to endure this long was all thanks to the Record of Wusheng.`

Gwak Hyo smiled faintly and looked down at the Record. Come to think of it, this one book had changed his life. If he hadn't found this book, he might not have dared to plot a rebellion against Cheonma.

His wife was the same. If she hadn't been so foolishly greedy, and if she hadn't made him watch that scene that day, she would still be alive.

Just like Wu Shengli, Gwak Hyo had committed all these acts of slaughter for a very personal reason. Perhaps Wu Shengli, with his justification of avenging his lover, was better off; his own trigger was that trivial.

He first found this book because of his wife's wish to retrieve her adoptive father's remains. Her adoptive father had disappeared long ago, and no one knew the reason for his disappearance.

He, who often went out, had disappeared on a routine trip from the Cult. The Cult had dispatched people to investigate his traces after realizing his disappearance belatedly, but because they didn't know his objective, they failed to find him.

But his wife knew where he had disappeared. For more than a decade after her father's disappearance, she had kept her mouth shut. Only after marrying Gwak Hyo, giving birth to a child, and waiting until that child turned five, did she confess this fact to Gwak Hyo.

“The day before he left, my father told me he had something to find for me. He didn't say what it was specifically, but he assured me it would be very useful to me. I was young then, so I didn't know what he was looking for, but now I have a guess. He was definitely looking for the former Heavenly Demon’s Supreme Art back then.”

The moment he thought of the name "wife," the memory of "that day" came back to him vividly.

His wife was sitting under the candlelight with her hair down, looking at him. The memory of her pitiful and mournful gaze was the only thing that could still shake Gwak Hyo's heart.

His wife was a woman as delicate and pure as a young doe. Gwak Hyo, listening to her words while lying in bed, reached out and stroked her silky hair. She tilted her head and pressed her cheek against his hand, gazing at him with sad eyes.

“Why do you think that? The Supreme Art of the Heavenly Demon.”

“My father knew I had a wish that was not easily granted. He was someone who would do anything for me, but even he couldn't grant my wish. I think that's why he wanted the Supreme Art of the Heavenly Demon.”

“He needed the Supreme Art of the Heavenly Demon to grant a little girl’s wish? You must have been very bold even as a child. For a little lady to have such a grand wish.”

To make her laugh, he whispered jokingly. Her tear-filled eyes trembled gently. She smiled as he intended, but the smile was no more than a breeze passing over a deep pond. She lowered her gaze again, looking melancholic, and her delicate eyelashes cast long shadows on her face.

Gwak Hyo, who had accidentally learned the secret of his wife's birth, had an inkling of why she was so sure. Though he was an adoptive father, Son Gyu had been a devoted father to his wife. If there had been a clue, he would have undoubtedly set out to find Cheonma's Supreme Art on his own. Not because he coveted it, but because of the special favor granted to the one who returned it.

The previous leaders of the Cult, who had long suffered after losing the martial art that was as good as a symbol of the Cult leader, had left a preposterous final instruction: they would grant one wish to whoever returned Cheonma's Supreme Art to the Cult. This instruction had become widely known over the 300 years, to the point where even children in the Demonic Cult knew about it. It wouldn't be strange if the upright Son Gyu had decided to make such a legend a reality for his daughter.

“For the past 300 years, the Demonic Cult has devoted all its efforts to finding the lost Heavenly Demon’s Supreme Art, but no one has found it. I know your father was not an incompetent man, but the Supreme Art is something that is difficult to find with his strength alone.”

A joke was a joke. Gwak Hyo, knowing that it was as difficult as finding the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, comforted his melancholic wife and kissed her fingers. Hearing his words, she smiled faintly.

“I know. That’s why he couldn’t come back.”

“...My lady.”

“I’m not asking for much. It doesn't matter if he didn't find Cheonma's Supreme Art. My father was someone who did everything for me. I just want to find his remains.”

The clever woman had already found a clue to where he had gone through the materials Son Gyu had left behind. With a clue and a sufficient motive, she might have gone herself if she could have. But she had not learned martial arts, so she could not go and trace her father's footsteps herself.

She clung to Gwak Hyo desperately, saying that he was the only one she could trust. She wanted to retrieve her father's remains, if nothing else. Gwak Hyo, who was deeply in love with his young and lovely wife, couldn't resist her pitiful plea and promised to grant her wish.

A man's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. And if it's a promise made directly to a beloved woman, few would not fulfill it. Gwak Hyo, who was nothing more than a man in love, faithfully kept his promise to his wife.

With the clue she gave him, he went to the Central Plains, managed to find Son Gyu's traces, and followed him to the foot of Mount Bulyun. Juhyeon, the place where Jeok Baek-mun had last appeared, was also Son Gyu's last location.

Gwak Hyo searched all of Mount Bulyun and eventually found a cleverly hidden secret valley. Inside, he saw the last traces Son Gyu had left. The place where he would later concoct the fake Heavenly Demon's vault was, in fact, just a repurposed version of the place he had discovered then.

The Six Demons, Cheonma's closest confidants, were indeed formidable masters. He had not only smashed through all the dangerous mechanisms he had never seen or heard of before but also broke through the final gate with force. Thanks to following him, Gwak Hyo was able to reach the end of the cave without much difficulty.

At the very back of the cave, filled with dangerous mechanisms, was Son Gyu's body. He was alone among the skeletons of five or six children, and he seemed to have died in a standing position. He didn't know it at the time, but thinking back now, it was definitely the Geonyeja that had attacked Son Gyu then. Those monsters had been alive and moving for a full 300 years.

Unfortunately, despite risking his life, the place Son Gyu found was not the former Heavenly Demon's hiding place. He didn't know where things went wrong, but the place he found was Wu Shengli's secret abode, not the former Heavenly Demon's.

Because there were no other clues left, Gwak Hyo couldn't know what kind of end Wu Shengli had met. But he had left behind a record of his entire life, and Gwak Hyo had to return to the Demonic Cult with the Record of Wusheng instead of Cheonma's Supreme Art.

On the day he returned to the Demonic Cult with the Record of Wusheng and Son Gyu's body, Gwak Hyo saw "that scene." His wife, his beautiful and pitiful love, was shedding endless tears for another person.

The person who brought tears to her kind eyes was none other than Cheonma himself. Her biological father, the man who had denied her his entire life. But nevertheless, the person his wife missed more than anyone.

The two stood opposite each other in the dark garden, their figures looking secretive and clandestine. If Gwak Hyo hadn't known their situation beforehand, he might have mistaken them for lovers having a secret meeting.

“I want to tell my child the whole truth.”

Unaware that her own husband was watching from behind, she pleaded with Cheonma. But while she, who did not know martial arts, might not have noticed, it was impossible for Cheonma not to have noticed Gwak Hyo's presence.

Though he tried to suppress his presence, Cheonma, who noticed him at once, looked in his direction with an indifferent gaze. It was a glance devoid of any emotion, but Gwak Hyo was not one to not know what that gaze meant. He held his breath at the gaze that was as good as a warning and quietly watched them.

“I’m not asking for much. I don't want you to acknowledge me now. I just want to tell the child, my son Jin-mu, the truth. Please, just allow me that. My Lord. Please let my child know what his roots are.”

The innocent wife pleaded with Cheonma. Her sunflower-like feelings for Cheonma over the long years seemed to have finally been transferred to the child she had borne. She said she didn't want public recognition, just to tell her child the origin of his bloodline, and she looked sorrowfully pitiful.

But Cheonma showed no emotion even while looking at his crying child before him. He looked at her with an inscrutable gaze from which no inner thoughts could be read, and quietly shook his head. As if pushing away her emotional approach, his attitude was utterly emotionless.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He said coolly and looked down at the crying Son Yeo-yeong with a cold gaze.

“What does that child's roots have to do with me? The reason I wanted to take him as a disciple is because of his talent, not his bloodline.”

“My Lord.”

“I don't understand why I'm having this conversation with you. If someone heard, they might get the wrong idea. I hear your position within the Gwak family isn't comfortable, and to be so flippant will only bring you harm.”

Indeed, what Son Yeo-yeong had said was enough to arouse suspicion in someone who didn't know. For someone who didn't know she was Cheonma's daughter, it could be interpreted as her having borne Cheonma's child.

But the naive woman seemed not to have even imagined such a thing. Son Yeo-yeong's face instantly turned white, and her large eyes widened. She was naive but not stupid, so she was not unaware of what Cheonma was implying.

Pale with shame, she looked at Cheonma with a dazed expression. Cheonma met her gaze and twisted his lips. A cold, cynical sneer, it was unclear who he was mocking, crossed his lips.

“Out of respect for my old friendship with your father, I will pretend today's incident never happened. But you must never call me out for such a matter again.”

Cheonma, who had pushed her away with a finality as if cutting her off, once again looked over her shoulder. Gwak Hyo, who had been secretly watching the whole scene, couldn't dare to meet his gaze and quickly lowered his eyes. He felt a deep sense of humiliation, just as she did. The cold Heavenly Demon had not allowed her to approach him in the end and had insulted her in the most miserable way.

But the humiliation she suffered was, in fact, no different from what Gwak Hyo himself had suffered. The real target of Cheonma's warning was likely him, not Son Yeo-yeong. Perhaps if he hadn't been eavesdropping, Cheonma might not have been so cruel to Son Yeo-yeong.

From that cold, stern gaze, Gwak Hyo could understand everything. Cheonma had already noticed his intentions. He seemed to guess that he already knew Son Yeo-yeong's identity and had deliberately chosen her for marriage because of it. Otherwise, Cheonma's gaze at him would not have been so filled with contempt.

Cheonma coldly turned his back, leaving the two who had desperately wanted to get close to him in their place. The stunned Son Yeo-yeong could only watch his retreating back, crying endlessly.

She, who had never been able to call him father in her life, could not even bring herself to hold onto his retreating steps, even as she grieved. Her pear-blossom-like face became transparent, wet with dew. Her figure was so endlessly pitiful, as if she would melt away in her own tears.

Unable to bear the sight of her grieving alone any longer, Gwak Hyo emerged from the bushes. At first, he had had other intentions, but now, after so much time, he was not keeping her by his side just for his purpose.

Gwak Hyo had genuinely come to love the beautiful and delicate woman who stimulated his protective instincts. When she cried, he wanted to wipe away her tears, and if it was her wish, he wanted to grant it, even if it meant risking his life.

Yes, he was like that back then. He clearly loved her. He, who had lived his entire life looking only at his goals, had felt a deep, aimless emotion for her for the first time in his life.

“Oh, when did you get here?”

Startled by the presence behind her, she turned around. Though she had already borne a child, she, as slender as a young girl, trembled like an aspen tree. Quietly biting his lip at her sad appearance, Gwak Hyo approached her. But the startled woman did not come to him.

She actually stepped back and faced him with a wary gaze. Gwak Hyo, who had thought he was the only one she could rely on, was shocked and stopped in his tracks. He couldn't understand why she was reacting this way.

“My lady, why are you doing this?”

Under the faint hope that she might not have recognized him in the dark, Gwak Hyo spoke to her. But even after he revealed his voice, she did not approach.

A clear emotion was visible on her white forehead. She was not only downcast but also frightened. She was on guard against him, her nerves on end like a hedgehog with its quills raised.

“You, how long have you been there? What did you hear?”

Frightened, she asked him with trembling lips. Gwak Hyo looked at her with a confused gaze. Her actions were so unexpected that he couldn't readily decide what to say.

“I think I heard everything I was supposed to hear. But my lady, don’t worry. I...”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but don’t misunderstand! This is not what it looks like. Jin-mu is your son. I have never done anything improper. I just, just...”

Gwak Hyo, who was about to say that he already knew she was Cheonma's daughter, was surprised by his wife's scream-like cry and shut his mouth. She was desperately trying to make excuses. She was afraid that, as Cheonma had just pointed out, Gwak Hyo would come to doubt Jin-mu's birth.

But she couldn't bring herself to say the truth. It was something she had kept hidden her entire life, and having been rejected by Cheonma again just a moment ago, she didn't seem to have the courage to bring it up rashly.

His wife, stuttering as if she wanted to make more excuses, couldn't say anything in the end and just lowered her head. Pearly tears fell down her white cheeks.

“Just, what is it?”

Gwak Hyo opened his mouth gently to help the poor woman. He knew it would take time for her to tell the truth.

Cheonma had thoroughly denied her existence all this time, and the timid woman would not be able to easily go against her father's wishes.

`She'll talk if I give her time. Surely, she won't let me continue to misunderstand her.`

Knowing it would be difficult for her, Gwak Hyo thought positively. This was a matter where her chastity and even Jin-mu's bloodline could be doubted. A mother would not let her own son be subjected to such an unjust suspicion.

“...I just need you to trust me. Jin-mu is definitely your son. I have never done anything that would make me ashamed in your sight.”

But she splendidly betrayed Gwak Hyo's prediction. After hesitating for a long time, she still didn't say the truth despite his waiting. She just sadly shook her head and said he had to trust her.

At her actions, he felt a shock as if he had been hit on the back of the head. She was trying to hide the truth even from her own husband. She didn't trust him enough to confide her true secret. Even in this critical moment, she chose to protect the secret, not her husband. She had knowingly chosen to face the situation where she would be misunderstood and had deliberately avoided the best way to persuade him.

She made that choice even though it could have planted an irreversible misunderstanding in him. It was an attitude that suggested she would rather risk losing him than carelessly reveal Cheonma's secret.

“My lady, in this situation, could you trust yourself? I saw everything clearly. You just tried to get the Lord to acknowledge Jin-mu's existence. You said with your own mouth that he and Jin-mu are related, and you even asked for permission to tell Jin-mu that fact. After hearing that, how else can I interpret this situation?”

Gwak Hyo couldn't understand her foolish choice. It was hard to believe such an absurd situation.

Dumbfounded, he spoke with difficulty, trying to elicit her answer. He hoped she would choose him, that it wasn't too late. He wanted her to value him, who would protect her side, more than her father who had ignored her her entire life.

It wasn't that he had some absurd delusion that she might be in love with her own father. He knew that she was obsessed with Cheonma because she longed for the paternal affection she had never received. But even so, there is a limit to what a person can tolerate. Why did she choose her father first in this situation?

The most precious person to Gwak Hyo was not Cheonma, but her. Not his parents, not even his son Jin-mu could compare to her. Gwak Hyo, who had loved only his wife, had never doubted that he was such a person to his wife as well.

But that belief was now shaken to its roots. Even as she was being questioned by him, she did not give the answer he wanted.

“...My husband.”

“Answer me, my lady. Give me a reason to believe. Why should I believe your words over what I saw with my own eyes? Make me understand, my lady. I want to believe you too. You know how desperately I want that. What happened? Why were you pleading with the Lord like that?”

The fact that he knew everything was not important in this situation. What was important to him was that the person she had decisively chosen was not him, but Cheonma.

“All I can say is this one thing. I am innocent. The Lord and I can never have the kind of relationship you suspect. You know I don't lie, don't you? Please trust me. Just this once, please don't ask why and just believe me.”

In the end, his wife rejected his wish. She kept her mouth shut about the real secret and appealed only to his affection and goodwill, choosing to face the difficulty.

Looking at her, Gwak Hyo realized that he had been pushed to second place once again. Not by anyone else, but by his own wife, the very person he loved more than anyone, he had been branded as being less than Cheonma.

Everything he had wanted his entire life already had an owner. The person who was born much earlier than him and had seized everything a human could have was none other than Cheonma.

He was the strongest person Gwak Hyo knew, and at the same time, the most intelligent and cunning. He had an inhumanly outstanding beauty, an overwhelming talent that no one could match, and he was so imposing that he could dominate others with his mere presence.

He was born with all of that. Gwak Hyo could not match him in martial talent, strategy, or even in miscellaneous knowledge.

Gwak Hyo knew that as long as Cheonma was alive, he could never be the best at anything. Though he himself was born with considerable talent, it was no comparison to Cheonma. He was a living limit to Gwak Hyo, a huge wall that could not be overcome.

`Why, oh heaven, did you create Cheonma, and then also create me?`

Zhou Yu despaired at his inability to match Zhuge Liang’s talent and died vomiting blood. To Gwak Hyo, Cheonma was such a person. Because Cheonma already existed, Gwak Hyo could not become Cheonma.

The humiliating fact that he could only have what was given to him at birth and could not have anything Cheonma did not permit, deeply wounded Gwak Hyo's arrogant pride.

Gwak Hyo's long-held inferiority complex towards Cheonma was already at a dangerous level. In that situation, the choice she made served to further worsen Gwak Hyo's already poor state. The wound that had not been exposed on the outside but had been festering inside began to rapidly rot. Because it was a wound that was not visible on the outside, it was all the more fatal.

Son Yeo-yeong probably never knew until the day she died how much the choice she made at that moment had changed Gwak Hyo. For him, that was the decisive turning point. It was from then that his vague murderous intent towards Cheonma began to take a concrete form.

Perhaps it was more of a necessity than a desire. Gwak Hyo, whose identity was being severely threatened by Cheonma's existence, tried to protect himself by eliminating the opponent who was pressuring him.

“Are you there, Master? The Hall of Heavenly Might has requested your presence at a meeting. The others have all arrived.”

While he was lost in his long reminiscence, a presence was felt outside the door. Gwak Hyo lifted his eyes from the book he was stroking and looked outside. One of the Azure Blood Corps members guarding his residence was waiting for him respectfully outside the door.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll be out soon.”

When he deliberately produced a clear voice full of energy, he felt the man outside the door bow in deference. If he were still in the Demonic Cult, this kind of worship would have been entirely Cheonma's, but here, he himself could receive treatment that was not inferior to Cheonma's.

With a silent smile, Gwak Hyo created a samadhi fire and burned the book in his hand. The Record of Wusheng, which had been a companion in his conspiracy for a long time, slowly turned to ash at his fingertips. A book that had survived for 300 years turned to dust in an instant.

All the things he had prepared for over twenty years were reaching their final stage. There was a time when he had almost tripped and fallen, but this time, not even Cheonma would be able to escape his grasp.

`I can't leave evidence behind at this point. As it is, traces related to the Wusheng Cult have been appearing here and there, making the cleanup troublesome.`

Gwak Hyo blew the ashes of the book out the window and got up from his seat. When he opened the door and stepped out, the members guarding his residence all bowed in a greeting full of reverence.

After it was revealed that Jo Se-hwa was a spy for the Demonic Cult, the loyalty of the Azure Blood Corps, centered on Gwak Hyo, had solidified even more. Because of their sense of betrayal towards Jo Se-hwa, they served Gwak Hyo even more faithfully. Though they called each other brothers, they were now nothing more than Gwak Hyo's personal guard. Gwak Hyo, with a gentle smile, smiled back at them.

Before his eyes, the majestic scenery of the Righteous Path Alliance unfolded. They, who had once ruled the world, were now struggling to regain their lost glory. The righteous sect members, whose hypocrisy and greed ran rampant under a plausible justification, were also a perfect sacrifice for Gwak Hyo to use.

`If I can't be the leader of the Demonic Cult, I'll be the leader of the Righteous Path Alliance. Either way, it's a position that's not lacking for the name of the best in the world.`

Looking down at the scenery of the Righteous Path Alliance with ambitious eyes, Gwak Hyo moved his feet towards the Hall of Heavenly Might . The old men, full of greed but lacking in ability, would be gathered together, eagerly waiting for him.

Gwak Hyo, who had secretly controlled them for a long time, slowly wore a confident smile. Everything was proceeding as planned. Even Cheonma would not be able to block his path this time.

***

Munpyeong’s rear, having received two ejaculations already, was slick with wetness. He shifted his body to stretch his limbs, which were sinking from fatigue, and then, shuddering at the warm liquid flowing from below, he struggled to open his eyes.

Cheonma, who had not moved from between his legs even after the act was over, was propping up Munpyeong’s knees and placing a white cotton cloth under his buttocks. Munpyeong, now in a position like a baby having its diaper changed, frowned slightly and looked down.

Cheonma, who was about to scrape out the semen with his fingers, felt Munpyeong’s gaze and looked up at him.

“You were awake? I thought you were asleep.”

To be precise, he thought he had passed out rather than being asleep. He had pushed him harder than usual today, and the position had been intense. Once standing, and once in a riding position, he had had to take him, so it was no blame on Munpyeong if he was knocked out after just two rounds.

Hearing Cheonma’s question, Munpyeong smiled weakly and closed and opened his eyes.

`He knows he was rough.`

Complaining inwardly, he whispered in a faint voice.

“I was asleep until just now. I just woke up.”

His body, accustomed to frequent intercourse, reacted sensitively to even the slightest touch. Though he was so tired he felt he could die, when Cheonma grabbed his thigh, he instinctively came to his senses. As if to prepare him for what was to come.

Realizing what had woken Munpyeong up, Cheonma’s lips curved into a sly grin. He could have let it go just once, but this man never missed such an opportunity.

“You’ve gotten more sensitive, it seems. To wake up so easily from such a small act.”

Sometimes, a subtle hint is more erotic than an explicit tease. Cheonma casually teased Munpyeong and inserted his fingers into his privates.

With an embarrassing, wet sound, a white liquid flowed out from inside Munpyeong’s body. The wet membrane reacted to the fingers and twitched, and Munpyeong’s waist trembled along with it.

Each time his fingers moved, white semen trickled out from the wantonly wet hole. Cheonma’s touch, carefully scraping the inner walls to avoid his nails, was disturbingly stimulating.

His touch moved with a clear intention. If he were just scraping out the semen, his fingers wouldn't need to go that deep. He wouldn't need to tickle and rub the area near the pleasure point that even Munpyeong was now aware of, nor would he need to increase his fingers from one to two, and from two to three.

His cooling body temperature began to heat up again. Munpyeong closed his eyes in embarrassment and bit the inside of his cheek hard. He knew what Cheonma was thinking as he stimulated him, but for that very reason, he didn't want to respond to him.

Cheonma had only done it twice, but Munpyeong had ejaculated five times. His testicles were empty, and his lower abdomen ached severely from being squeezed too much.

To ask him to take him again in this situation was as good as asking him to die. Munpyeong pretended not to know and turned his head to the side. But Cheonma did not leave Munpyeong alone to ignore him.

Cheonma’s lips touched his raised knee. Kissing him leisurely, more like after-play than foreplay, he placed Munpyeong’s leg on his shoulder with one hand and began to meticulously lick his leg.

Munpyeong, whose lower body was unusually well-developed, had a concentration of erogenous zones there for that reason. Not only were the spaces between his toes sensitive, but the inside of his thighs was also severely ticklish. Cheonma, who knew this better than anyone, enjoyed every part he knew without hesitation.

He held Munpyeong’s knee with one hand and traced his lips downwards. As his lips traveled down his thigh and reached the inside of his groin, Munpyeong shuddered and let out a shallow moan.

Munpyeong’s moan, suppressed by his tightly bitten cheek, was the decisive stimulus for the already eager Heavenly Demon.

“You’d better relax your waist. You can feel it too, your insides are still full of me. If you don't want to suffer from a stomachache all day, you shouldn't interfere with my work.”

Even though he knew exactly why he was slickly caressing the inner walls, Cheonma feigned innocence and soothed him. Munpyeong, who had stiffened his waist and was breathing heavily, looked at Cheonma with a flushed face.

“If you’re so worried about my body, then please don’t do it anymore. Are you trying to kill me? If you do it again, my body won't be able to take it.”

If he was so worried about Munpyeong, he shouldn't be putting more semen into his stomach when the traces of the last session hadn't even been cleared out. If he kept putting it in before taking it out so often, when on earth would his insides ever be completely empty?

Looking down at him, his resentment for his partner clearly visible, Cheonma laughed again. Unlike Munpyeong, who was taking the situation seriously, Cheonma was just composed. Though he was trying to look threatening, Cheonma’s gaze at him was as fond as if he were looking at a kitten with its claws out.

`Why does he look at a big guy like me with those eyes?`

Munpyeong felt an inward shock at his gaze, which was filled with affection. He knew Cheonma liked him, but he couldn't understand the psychology of looking at a middle-aged man with such a gaze.

“You set your limits too low. Then again, that’s always been your problem. You never want to test how far you can endure.”

Cheonma muttered as if concerned, and then lightly poked the spot where Munpyeong felt it with his fingertip. Munpyeong’s waist instinctively shot up, and he looked at Cheonma resentfully and clenched his buttocks.

“I’ll ask you again. Please don’t do it anymore. I’m being serious, I have no desire to test my own limits. My only goal is to live a long and humble life, as quietly as possible.”

He couldn't help it even if he was criticized for being timid. Munpyeong genuinely felt a threat to his lower parts and had no desire to be tormented by Cheonma all night under the pretext of testing his limits.

`If I knew this would happen, I should have pretended to be asleep even after I woke up. I brought this upon myself by showing I was awake.`

Munpyeong, longing for the peaceful tranquility that had been guaranteed just a moment ago, inwardly held back tears and regretted his foolish mistake. If he could, he would turn back time to a moment ago. If he had another chance, he would never show that he was awake. He was confident that he would not react no matter what Cheonma did, and would lie with his eyes closed like the dead until the rooster crowed and the dawn broke.

But it was all too late. The skillful Heavenly Demon had made Munpyeong’s body heat up with just a few caresses and kisses, and contrary to his desperate opposition, his body was fully prepared to accept his partner.

“I don’t know if this is brave or foolish. You’re the first and last person to boldly claim you want a quiet life in front of me.”

Cheonma laughed as if he was dumbfounded by Munpyeong’s answer and said.

`Then again, this guy was always like this. No matter what happens, he’s the type to boldly protect his own well-being.`

Among his numerous subordinates, this one would be the only one who would just pretend to die even if ordered to. But to Cheonma, who was blinded by love, even Munpyeong’s absurd side seemed cute.

`Maybe that’s his charm. The reason I was interested in him in the first place was because of his tenacious vitality, like a weed.`

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate for Munpyeong, Cheonma’s tastes were very peculiar. He himself had lived without knowing he had such a bad taste, so perhaps his taste had developed since meeting Munpyeong.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll be as gentle as possible this time. Do you think I’d push you beyond your limits? Don’t worry and close your eyes. You just have to enjoy it.”

Cheonma kissed the nape of the overreacting Munpyeong’s neck and slowly turned his body over. Munpyeong, who knew well what would happen if he was turned over, flailed for a moment like a water beetle. But he couldn't resist Cheonma's frontal assault for long. Munpyeong was eventually conquered, and Cheonma had his way.

Cheonma slowly slid his lips down his neck as if putting a round collar on it and got on behind Munpyeong. A rear-entry position would be easier to endure than other positions.

Cheonma pulled his fingers out of the fully wet and languid privates and pushed his own sex into it. Munpyeong’s hole, pleasantly loosened by several rounds of intercourse, accepted him pliantly.

Munpyeong let out a long moan at the sensation rising from deep within his stomach and buried his face in the bed. His insides were filling up from below. The huge pillar pushing deep inside was enough to overwhelm Munpyeong with its presence alone.

With his legs spread wide and panting, Munpyeong tore at the bedsheets with both hands. Long, radial wrinkles formed along his clenched fists. The traces of the explicit act were clearly imprinted on the sheets, which were damp from the last session.

“Hah, ugh!”

As he buried his forehead in the bed and let out a low moan, Cheonma soothingly pressed his lips to the back of his neck. Then he reached out both hands and caressed Munpyeong’s clenched fists as if to envelop them.

As Cheonma began to put his full weight on him, he felt the heavy weight of a man on his back. Munpyeong, accustomed to that body, clearly remembered not only his weight but also the contours of his body.

As he pushed himself deeper, the coarse pubic hair touched the space between Munpyeong’s buttocks. Pressing tightly against Munpyeong’s delicate hole, which was spread to its limit, it incited his already sensitive senses to become even more acute.

The object with a clear volume and weight showed a rough writhing inside Munpyeong’s body. Feeling that movement, Munpyeong reacted by breathing heavily. Unlike before, when he had been pushed relentlessly without a moment to breathe, Cheonma was now leisurely enjoying the sensation of being joined.

But just because he was enjoying the situation didn't mean Munpyeong could too. As Munpyeong struggled with the excessively slow pace, Cheonma’s hand gently stroked his flat stomach. Cheonma’s touch, caressing a position where, if he pressed hard, he could touch the sex inside, was as meaningful as if it were hinting at something.

Feeling as if not only his body but also his mind was being toyed with, Munpyeong’s head became hot. The heat pulsating in his stomach made his heart beat wildly. Beads of sweat from excitement rolled down his philtrum and fell onto his lips. The salty taste spread in his dry mouth. A slick, obscene noise filled his ears.

Cheonma slowly and shallowly poked inside Munpyeong’s body. He wasn't greedily devouring his body, but enjoying it with a leisurely, playful feeling. His actions, disarming him one by one over time, gave Munpyeong a new sensation.

What they were doing now was not as persistent as usual. He didn't push unilaterally, nor did he force Munpyeong to follow his rhythm.

Cheonma, as if he was waiting for him after going ahead, rarely waited for Munpyeong’s reaction. Munpyeong’s body, which was well-tamed, reacted honestly to Cheonma’s actions. It was not his intention, but it was the sight he had longed for.

Without realizing it, Munpyeong’s waist began to sway. Unlike before, when he had instinctively matched the rhythm, it was a movement that clearly had its own breath. As Munpyeong moved, the angle at which Cheonma’s sex thrust changed. It felt good, but something was missing. What was it? Was it teasing? His body wanted a deeper union.

As a heavy heat spread through his body, the inside of his buttocks slowly began to heat up. The inner wall, knowing the joy of intense pleasure, contracted repeatedly as if to urge Cheonma’s actions on.

But this time, Cheonma refused Munpyeong’s urgings. He annoyingly accurately maintained his own rhythm and deliberately circled nearby. Instead of strongly thrusting into the spot where Munpyeong felt it, he gently rubbed it, and sometimes, he would come close and then pull out, as if to tease him.

He could have endured it if it was just once or twice, but Cheonma was teasing him to an excessive degree. His whole body was already heated up, but Cheonma rarely gave him what he wanted.

As this situation continued, Munpyeong became agitated. Even if he tried to induce pleasure by shaking his own waist, Cheonma skillfully interfered, preventing him from enjoying the decisive fun.

His sex, which had been half-erect from the stimulation from behind, went limp from the lack of stimulation. His whole body was drenched in sweat, but the climax rarely came.

As time passed, Munpyeong felt like he was going crazy. His body, accustomed to passion, could not stand this kind of leisurely sex at all.

“A little, a little more...”

Unable to bear it any longer, Munpyeong began to beg in a small voice. Having unwillingly become the one who receives a man, he was not used to begging for something in bed. He had a strong sense of self and even an inferiority complex, so he tended to refrain from asking for something with his own mouth.

But even his patience seemed to be helpless in this situation. Though his head thought it was wrong, he couldn't stop the pleading words from flowing out of his mouth. It felt like his brain was on fire. As Cheonma’s actions continued, it was Munpyeong, not Cheonma, who became impatient. Munpyeong wanted the intense pleasure that would make him lose his mind completely, as usual.

“Harder, my Lord, please.”

Having lost his reason, he clenched his buttocks tightly and demanded his partner even more desperately. Cheonma looked at Munpyeong, who was looking back at him with bloodshot eyes, and wore an erotic smile.

“I promised to be gentle. I am a man who keeps his promises.”

Even if it was a promise, it was just a one-sided statement he had made himself. It would be very grateful if he showed some flexibility and cut him some slack, but seeing him act like this until the end, it seemed Cheonma was determined to give him a hard time.

Munpyeong whimpered and moved his waist. But Cheonma’s technique was a level more skillful than his clumsy one. As his several attempts were blocked, Munpyeong’s head became even more dizzy. He couldn't stand Cheonma, who wouldn't give in even after he had swallowed his pride and begged.

To wake a sleeping person and push them this far, and then to ignore them now, what kind of person was this vile and despicable?

“You said you would grant me whatever I wished. Was that not a promise?”

Munpyeong was not unaware of what Cheonma was thinking as he did this. But unfortunately, Cheonma’s schemes always had a way of making him fall for them even if he knew. As Munpyeong clinged to him, even bringing up a past story, a faint smile appeared in Cheonma’s eyes. He bent down and wiped Munpyeong’s wet eyes with his lips and whispered seductively.

“Do you want me that badly?”

Faced with his explicit overture, Munpyeong gritted his teeth and turned his head.

`He really wants to go all the way, this man.`

He wanted to pretend he didn't know, but Cheonma’s actions, skillfully circling near the pleasure point, made him unable to hold back any longer.

Dropping tears of frustration and anger, Munpyeong could not hold out any longer and surrendered to Cheonma.

“Yes, my Lord. I want you.”

“What would you have me do? Should I thrust harder?”

“Yes. Please do it so hard that I lose my mind.”

Munpyeong, who had no confidence in keeping his sanity after this humiliation, sincerely wished he would lose his mind. His wish was clearly conveyed to Cheonma.

No sooner had his words fallen than his insides were thrust up in a violent manner. It was something he had brought upon himself, but it was so sudden that Munpyeong’s mouth opened in a circle. But before he could even collect himself, Cheonma’s movements resumed.

As if to grant Munpyeong’s wish, Cheonma pushed him with movements that were nothing short of rough. His full weight pressed down, causing Munpyeong’s waist to bend as if it would break.

Each time he moved, the large bed shook with him, creating a loud noise. Creak, creak. Invaded from below by Cheonma and attacked in his ears by the sound, Munpyeong pressed his forehead against the bed and gritted his teeth to suppress a scream.

The pleasure point, which had been moderately aroused, was now burning fiercely. Munpyeong’s fully erect sex, hard and stiff, rubbed against the wet sheets. A shiver ran from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. The tickling, tantalizing sensations all caught fire, and pleasure burst out like sparks here and there.

Feeling like he was going to die in a different sense than before, Munpyeong shook his head violently. His forehead, rubbed against the wet cloth, turned red. Physiological tears wet his cheeks and flowed down. Everything that thrust up from below captivated him.

What Cheonma was giving him was a pleasure as hot as lava and as sticky as melting. Munpyeong clenched his inner walls fiercely, feeling as if all his desperate wishes had come true. Cheonma’s member, roughly entering and exiting his body, was unbearably satisfying.

“Ah! Ah! Harder, harder!”

A person who has lost their reason would not have any sense of shame left. Munpyeong, struggling against the pleasure that swept through his mind, even uttered explicit requests he rarely made and moved in sync with Cheonma.

His shy and embarrassed side was not without its charm, but nothing aroused his lust as much as his honest attitude.

Thanks to Munpyeong’s clumsy request, Cheonma’s mood was further heightened. Cheonma thrust deeper into Munpyeong’s privates and pulled his waist with both hands. Munpyeong went into a small convulsion at his insertion, which was so deep it felt like he was pushing in his testicles. It was only the beginning, but it seemed he had already ejaculated.

“You can’t go already. You can’t just fall apart after getting me this worked up.”

Cheonma grabbed the trembling Munpyeong and continued his movements. Since he had asked for it, he was planning to go as far as he could. Even if he had said he would be gentle, the guy had refused, so he couldn't blame him for being treated like this.

Munpyeong’s inner walls, which clenched tightly even after he had ejaculated, were an unbearable temptation for Cheonma. Munpyeong, in his arms, was as sweet as a ripe fruit. Cheonma delved deep into that body, which he never tired of holding.

The night was still long, and Cheonma’s stamina knew no bounds. Munpyeong, who had brought this upon himself by running his mouth, regretted it again and again. But it was all too late. No matter how much he regretted it, he could not turn back time.

Having been tormented as if he were going to die for the first time in a long time, Munpyeong slept as if he were dead and only came to his senses late in the afternoon.

Though he had starved himself all day and gone to sleep, he was not hungry. His internal organs ached with a dull pain, as if they had been exercised too vigorously. He had never thought he would experience the pain of his insides aching in his life.

Munpyeong clutched his lower abdomen, which was pulling at him as if he had a cramp, and looked up at the ceiling. Though the first time he had been in this room was last night, the ceiling somehow looked familiar. He pondered why the ceiling was so familiar and soon remembered the reason.

Last night, the intercourse, which had ended once and then started again in the middle, had been in a rear-entry position at first, but from the second time onwards, it had continued in a missionary position. Thanks to that, Munpyeong had been able to look up at the ceiling enough to memorize it.

That wood grain somehow feels familiar. I feel like I can even recall how many knots there are in the ceiling. Remembering the things he had managed to see in his dizzying, shaking vision, Munpyeong swallowed a groaning sound.

`Oh, damn it.`

As his mind cleared, that was not the only thing he remembered. Remembering all of last night's events with a clear mind, Munpyeong wanted to grab his head and roll around on the bed.

He was so embarrassed and ashamed he could die. Last night's self was definitely possessed by something. Otherwise, how could he have done such shameless things? Now that he had regained his senses, last night's events were so embarrassing. He didn't even know how he would face Cheonma again.

`How am I going to face that person for a while? He’s not someone who will just let it go.`

Munpyeong was more worried about that than anything else. Wasn't Cheonma someone who would tease him whenever he found a reason to?

To have willingly been caught in such a grand pretext, to hope that Cheonma wouldn't tease him was as futile as hoping a sparrow would just pass by a mill. If he could, he wanted to run away for a while. If he had the ability, he might have actually done so.

“You’re finally awake. You were out for a long time.”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Cheonma, who had for some reason left his side, appeared at the doorway just as Munpyeong was thinking about him. It was just a coincidence, but Munpyeong, who had a lot on his mind, looked at Cheonma with a startled gaze.

Unlike Munpyeong’s haggard complexion, Cheonma maintained his best appearance as always. In some ways, he even looked clearer than usual.

`A monster is a monster. To be not even tired after all that.`

Though he was incomparably younger in age, he couldn't dare to compare to Cheonma in terms of energy or stamina, so he was inwardly appalled. They were both men, not different sexes, so he didn't know how the difference between them could be so great.

“What time is it now?”

He could guess that it was late afternoon from the reddish afternoon sunlight coming through the west window. But he couldn't calculate how many hours he had slept from that, so Munpyeong asked Cheonma for the exact time.

“It’s already the Hour of the Rooster. How’s your stomach? Aren't you hungry? You’ve starved for a whole day.”

“Maybe it's because I slept too long, but I don't really feel like eating. My head feels a bit heavy.”

“The reason you slept so long is all because you lack stamina. You should eat at the right time even if you don't feel like it.”

Cheonma, who had been leaning against the doorway, approached Munpyeong and sat on the edge of the bed. Munpyeong, feeling threatened by his approach, flinched and moved his buttocks back, only to realize belatedly that he was not naked but dressed, and looked down.

Not only had he been cleaned up as usual, but for some reason, he had been dressed. Though it was just a simple nightgown, it had been a long time since he had slept with clothes on.

“Oh? I’m wearing clothes?”

Munpyeong said absently, feeling dazed. Cheonma smiled and kissed Munpyeong’s ear. He looked at Munpyeong with eyes still full of lust and whispered secretly with a seductive smile.

“Of course. You're wearing clothes. If I left you naked, I felt I wouldn't be able to control myself.”

As if that wasn't enough, Cheonma licked his lips after he finished speaking. Though he knew it was half a joke, goosebumps rose on Munpyeong’s back. Half a joke meant the other half could be serious.

`Was that not enough even after all that? What is this person’s body made of?`

Feeling like his buttocks would start to retreat if he didn't consciously stop it, Munpyeong deliberately put strength into his waist. He had once heard that if you make eye contact with a tiger, you shouldn't look away. Munpyeong thought that the way to deal with Cheonma was the same. You should never give the impression that you are avoiding or running away from your opponent. If you rashly showed such a side, you would surely be subjected to a fierce pursuit that you didn't want.

“Even if you don't want to eat, you should eat something. If you skip meals because you’re tired, your body will only get weaker. I’ll have them bring the meal to the room instead of going downstairs. Is there anything you’re thinking of? Anything you crave?”

“I don't really have anything in mind. Something simple would be good.”

“Alright. I’ll have it prepared.”

Cheonma smiled and got up to go downstairs.

Soon after, a waiter began to bring food into the room. Several simple dishes like chicken porridge with bamboo shoots and chicken, fish cooked without oil, and clear duck soup were brought into the room. It seemed he had deliberately avoided stimulating dishes, thinking of the appetite-less Munpyeong.

One thing that was disappointing was the absence of the usual accompanying wine. As if to make up for it, a pot of high-quality tea was brought in.

Thanks to having the wine-loving Heavenly Demon by his side, his only pleasure was being able to taste the famous wines of the world, but it seemed he wouldn't be able to enjoy that pleasure this evening, and Munpyeong was secretly disappointed.

“What are you doing? I told you to eat.”

When the not-so-large table was filled with food, Cheonma called Munpyeong. Munpyeong, who had been sitting on the bed until the waiter left the room, only got off the bed after he had closed the door. Though his steps were not waddling, his walking was definitely clumsy. A sharp-eyed person would have been able to tell what had happened.

Munpyeong took a seat opposite Cheonma. As if to tell him to soothe his stomach first, Cheonma pushed the chicken porridge to him.

Munpyeong silently lifted his spoon. Though it was a bit early, it was just around dinner time, so Cheonma also began to eat.

He had thought he wasn't hungry, but once he swallowed the food, his appetite slowly returned. Though the cooking was not excellent, the dishes were all delicious, and his empty stomach belatedly felt hungry.

Fearing he would get indigestion if he ate too quickly, Munpyeong slowly moved his spoon and felt Cheonma’s gaze from across the table and looked up. Cheonma, who was deboning a fish with an elegant posture, tilted his head and looked at him.

“...What is it?”

Though he couldn't eat as elegantly as Cheonma, he thought he wasn't being unsightly. He felt a bit embarrassed that he was being watched as if his eating was a spectacle.

When Munpyeong asked, holding his spoon, Cheonma smiled and placed a piece of fish on his spoon. The startled Munpyeong looked at Cheonma with a blank gaze. Cheonma still smiled and whispered to Munpyeong.

“Eat this too. You need to eat a lot. You’ll really need your strength for the days to come.”

At that meaningful remark, Munpyeong’s shoulders stiffened.

`What are you going to do after feeding me this? I haven't even recovered from last night's aftermath yet!`

Genuinely surprised and frozen stiff, Munpyeong looked like an ice sculpture that would shatter if tapped.

`He’s so easy to tease.`

Cheonma inwardly savored a playful smile and enjoyed Munpyeong’s reaction. He was a guy who never got boring, no matter how much he played with him. How could a person be so unsubtle? For Cheonma, who was always surrounded by guys with a few snakes in their stomachs, Munpyeong’s reaction was always refreshingly new.

“Uh, um. So, what you’re saying is?”

“We’ll rest today, and from tomorrow, we’ll have to force-march. Hubei is close, but we’ll have to hurry from now on to arrive in time.”

Embarrassingly, contrary to his unhealthy prediction, Cheonma’s intention was surprisingly straightforward.

`He can't have a conversation without teasing people.`

Munpyeong felt his shoulders slump in relief and sighed. That bad habit of lifting people up and putting them down with just a word, when was he going to fix it?

“Is something wrong?”

“There’s an interesting rumor going around. They say the Righteous Path Alliance has finally discovered the headquarters of the Wusheng Cult. Surprisingly, they seem to have set up their nest in Hubei, the headquarters of the Righteous Path Alliance. They say the darkest place is under the candlestick, and the entire Jianghu is abuzz that the Righteous Path Alliance got stabbed in the back in their own backyard.”

Cheonma relayed the rumors circulating in the Jianghu with a tone full of ridicule. That was the rumor, and he himself didn't believe a word of it.

Of course, Munpyeong didn't believe it either. How could he naively believe such words after all he had seen and heard? This rumor was also clearly a trap set by the Righteous Path Alliance.

“That’s strange. Why would they spread such a rumor? Hubei is their self-proclaimed territory. If they say they didn't know what was happening there, it would be a blow to their own pride. Why Hubei of all places?”

Even so, Munpyeong couldn't accurately grasp his opponent's intention. He was not born with the cleverness of Yun Seung-hyo or Po Yeong-ui, so he could not understand the dark schemes of the Jianghu on his own without Cheonma’s help.

“They needed an excuse.”

“An excuse?”

“You must have heard the rumor too. The one about the public enemies of the Jianghu, who should be in the Black Demon Prison, roaming outside. That rumor has raised a lot of suspicion about the mastermind behind the Wusheng Cult. Anyone with a good head on their shoulders would have no choice but to suspect the Righteous Path Alliance as the mastermind.

The righteous sect members are people who care more about what others think than anyone else, so how could they just let such a suspicion slide? They’re trying to pin everything on the Wusheng Cult. Just as they always have.”

The Nightly Hunt of a Hundred Ghosts, which they had started to frame the Demonic Cult as the mastermind behind the Wusheng Cult, had been half a success and half a failure. They had succeeded in gathering the scattered forces under the Righteous Path Alliance, but that was all they had succeeded in.

The Righteous Path Alliance's strength had actually been reduced due to internal strife, while the Demonic Cult's forces advanced deeper into the Central Plains. If the Demonic Cult penetrated deeper, the conspiracy plotted by the Righteous Path Alliance could be revealed to the world. The Righteous Path Alliance would want to resolve the situation before that happened. Though they were gathering troops under the pretext of attacking the Wusheng Cult, their ultimate target was clearly the Demonic Cult.

The Demonic Cult, which had proclaimed it had entered the Central Plains to attack the Wusheng Cult, would not miss such an opportunity. Even if they noticed it was a trap, they couldn't avoid it. They had to step into the place revealed as the Wusheng Cult's headquarters to keep their word, and if the forces of the Righteous Path Alliance and the Demonic Cult gathered in one place, a military clash was inevitable.

`This is undoubtedly Gwak Hyo's method. The simplest method is the most effective, is that it?`

Cheonma stroked his beardless chin and wore a faint smile. The time was finally ripe. After making him wait for a boringly long time, he finally seemed to have decided to move.

The fact that Gwak Hyo had decided on a decisive battle meant he had also thought of a way to deal with him. He didn't know what Gwak Hyo had come up with, but he was looking forward to it, as it probably wouldn't be as sloppy a conspiracy as last time.

Last time, Gwak Hyo had survived thanks to Munpyeong, but this time, he wouldn't be able to hope for such a stroke of luck.

“I don't quite understand what you mean. How does the suspicion against the Righteous Path Alliance get lifted if the Wusheng Cult’s headquarters is in Hubei? In my humble opinion, it seems the suspicion would only deepen.”

The fact that the Righteous Path Alliance had not properly grasped the situation within Hubei was as good as them admitting their own incompetence. The Righteous Path Alliance, which claimed to encompass the entire Central Plains, couldn't even properly grasp its own headquarters. What a disgrace!

But Cheonma believed that this too was what Gwak Hyo had intended. Highlighting the incompetence of the current Righteous Path Alliance system was also an intentional act. Judging by his past behavior, it was clear that Gwak Hyo was aiming for the position of the next leader of the Righteous Path Alliance.

“According to the rumor they spread, the Wusheng Cult's headquarters was the Black Demon Prison itself. They say the Wusheng Cult illegally occupied the Black Demon Prison and had been using the public enemies of the Jianghu for their own conspiracies.”

“What... how could such a thing be possible? Are the leaders of the Righteous Path Alliance all fools? They were occupied for years in such an important place and no one knew? The Black Demon Prison is a prison, so there must have been guards, right? If they couldn't contact them, the Righteous Path Alliance would have noticed something was wrong.”

“The fact that they made the impossible possible makes the Wusheng Cult's actions even more terrifying. They have an insect called the Goudu Worm, and anyone who is bitten by it is said to be forced to obey the caster's orders as if they were under a mind control spell. According to what the Righteous Path Alliance found out, the guards of the Black Demon Prison were all poisoned by that Goudu Worm. How about that? Have you heard that story somewhere before?”

Hearing the words "Goudu Worm," Munpyeong’s face turned pale. How could he forget that name? It was the thing that had given him the most terrible memory of his life.

Cheonma leisurely moved his chopsticks and wore a picturesque smile. With his dazzlingly beautiful face and bright smile, he looked as beautiful as a painting, but Munpyeong, who knew he wasn't smiling because he was happy, furtively watched him.

“That’s not the only interesting thing. They say they found out about it because one of the people they sent to investigate the unusual rumors about the Black Demon Prison was a former member of the Maoshan Sect. They sent a whole battalion to be cautious, but only that one person came back alive. In my opinion, that guy is the most suspicious.”

Though he said he was suspicious, it was as plain as day. Even a branch member of the Maoshan Sect, unless he was a considerable sorcerer, would find it impossible to find out about the Goudu Worm. Since he was a member of the Righteous Path Alliance despite being from the Maoshan Sect, he must have been a martial artist, not a sorcerer, so how on earth could he have seen through their conspiracy?

According to the rumor, he had a magical artifact that blocked the invasion of evil energy, but such an item is not easily obtainable even in the Maoshan Sect, which is called the head of the deviant paths.

Furthermore, from what he had experienced, the Goudu Worm was not just made of sorcery. It was a precious object that used a variety of things, including poison techniques based on poisonous insects and medical arts, so it was difficult to find out about it unless one had expertise in more than one field.

“...Then the location of the Black Demon Prison will be revealed this time. There have been many rumors, but no one knew where it was.”

For people like him, who were in the Demonic Cult or the unorthodox path, the Black Demon Prison was a name of terror. They didn't know where it was or what kind of place it was, but once you went in, you could never come out, so it was a place like hell. Countless public enemies of the Jianghu and great demons who were captured by the Righteous Path Alliance had been buried in the Black Demon Prison without being able to escape.

The place, whose name was widely known but whose location no one knew, was finally revealed to the world, and even Munpyeong, who had no connection to it, felt his heart beat a little. The determination of the Righteous Path Alliance in this matter was clearly felt even by Munpyeong. To use the Black Demon Prison as bait, this was truly a do-or-die situation.

“So where do we have to go? Where was the location of the Black Demon Prison revealed to be?”

“Xingshan in Hubei. A little further in from there is a village called Zhangcun, and they say it was disguised as a mine in the mountains near there, so we'll have to find Zhangcun first. Now that its location has been revealed, it'll be difficult to use it as the Black Demon Prison anymore.”

One fortunate thing was that as soon as it was known that the Black Demon Prison was there, the villagers all packed their bags and came down from the mountains. If the Black Demon Prison was a place of terror even for martial artists, how much more so for good villagers like them? Besides, the tragedy caused by the Qilin Plaque was not long ago.

Swords have no eyes, so if they were caught in that chaos, they would only waste their precious lives. If they wanted to save their lives, it was wise not to even go near the place where the martial artists' battles were taking place.

“I’ll say it again. Eat a lot while you can. For a while, you won’t even have time to eat a proper meal.”

The Righteous Path Alliance was not the only one waiting for the decisive battle. Cheonma had also suppressed all his soaring emotions and waited and waited. Now, his long wait was about to end. It was time to squeeze out the rotten boil and remove the last remaining obstacle in his life.

The winner-take-all battle had already begun. He was so looking forward to seeing how Gwak Hyo would struggle. He was the one who had harmed Son Yeo-yeong and stolen Baek Woo-gyeong’s life. Not only that, he had even tried to take Munpyeong’s life.

How could Cheonma leave such a person alone? Feeling his long-cooled blood boil, Cheonma smiled to himself. A cold sneer, as if he had a blade in his mouth, hovered on his lips and then disappeared.