Parting the golden mist, the Demon Buddha revealed himself.
How could he exude such a powerful presence with such a small stature?
From below the pavilion, he looked up and politely pressed his palms together.
“Have you been well, Alliance Leader?”
Jin Pae-cheon also greeted the Demon Buddha with due respect.
“It has been a long time.”
The Demon Buddha’s appearance was unexpected.
However, it was not an entirely unfamiliar sight for the Demon Buddha to be where the First Young Master was.
After all, Jin Pae-cheon was well aware of the relationship between the two.
After exchanging greetings with Jin Pae-cheon, the Demon Buddha looked at Geom Muyang, who was standing beside him.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
“You have come?”
“Yes, I have come.”
Within the simple greeting lay a deep sentiment for each other.
In truth, Geom Muyang had not been able to decide what to do about the Alliance Leader’s order to leave Wuhan.
Anyone else might have ignored the words, but he could not simply refuse the order of the Martial Alliance Leader.
In a situation where he could neither do this nor that, the sight of the Demon Buddha felt like a radiant light illuminating his difficult predicament.
The Demon Buddha slowly walked up to the pavilion.
Before ascending, he also exchanged greetings with Jin Ha-gun.
“I greet the Demon Sovereign.”
“Even from afar, I have heard much of Branch Master Jin’s righteous deeds. You are truly remarkable for your young age.”
Jin Ha-gun, too, was inwardly pleased by his appearance.
It was because the tense, explosive conflict from a moment ago had been resolved with his arrival.
“Here is the wine the Alliance Leader is fond of.”
The Demon Buddha entrusted the wine he brought to Jin Ha-gun and asked Jin Pae-cheon, who was in the pavilion.
“Your tastes haven’t changed in the meantime, have they?”
The Demon Buddha was one who never came empty-handed whenever he met him.
He was also the only Demon Sovereign who had unfailingly sent gifts whenever there was an event at the Martial Alliance.
Of course, the rule was to discard any gifts sent from the Demon Sect, and the Demon Buddha could not have been unaware of this, yet he always sent gifts without fail.
However, after the First Young Master was pushed out of the succession, he had thought he would no longer receive his gifts, yet today he received one again.
Having stepped onto the pavilion, the Demon Buddha looked around and admired the view.
“The scenery from up here is quite different from when seen from below.”
The rain had already stopped, and the mist was beginning to thin.
Beyond it, tall bamboo stalks revealed themselves.
He tried to create a good atmosphere with continuous admiration, but Jin Pae-cheon’s reaction was cold.
"I did not know that even you were in Wuhan."
It was only because it was the Demon Buddha that he reacted this softly.
The First Young Master’s arrival was already a problem, but a Demon Sovereign had come to Wuhan without any prior notice? This was an issue significant enough to warrant an official protest to the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
“I, too, had urgent matters to attend to.”
“What matters did the Demon Sovereign have?”
At that, astonishing words flowed from the Demon Buddha’s mouth.
“I received information that there was someone audacious enough to target our sect’s First Young Master.”
Geom Muyang, who rarely showed his emotions, displayed a look of surprise at these words.
It was something he had not known either.
“Who was it?”
Jin Pae-cheon had naturally expected it to be someone from the Unorthodox Faction or a person with a grudge against the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
“It was the Jade Mountain Sword.”
The moment he heard that name, a thud of shock struck Jin Pae-cheon’s heart.
The Jade Mountain Sword was one of the masters who represented the Righteous Path Martial World.
For such a person to have tried to kill the First Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect was a major incident, incomparable to the First Young Master’s arrival in Wuhan.
The Demon Buddha emitted a golden radiance as he raised his voice.
“How dare that madman!”
The Demon Buddha was genuinely enraged.
He was directly conveying that anger to the Alliance Leader on behalf of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
“This attempt to harm the First Young Master is a challenge and an attack on our sect!”
In that moment, Geom Muyang understood why the Demon Buddha had appeared before him so quickly.
‘The Demon Buddha had already come to Wuhan to save me.’
Because it was the Demon Buddha and no one else, Geom Muyang’s heart swelled with emotion.
Despite how wretchedly he had behaved in the past, the Demon Buddha was protecting him, unchanging.
“Fortunately, I arrived before he could commit the act.”
Unable to show true anger towards the Martial Alliance Leader, the Demon Buddha’s radiance soon subsided.
The Demon Buddha’s dignified attitude seemed to be asking a question.
Will you still question my presence in Wuhan even after this?
The initiative in the conversation, which until a moment ago had been about forcing him to leave Wuhan, now shifted to the Demon Buddha.
“Alliance Leader, please do not worry too much. I have not let this be known to the outside.”
If it were a trivial matter, he would not have asked.
"Was it really him?"
It was hard to believe that someone like the Jade Mountain Sword would commit such an act without considering the consequences.
He might have believed it if it were Han Wol-gaek.
“This was my third encounter with him.”
It meant there was no way he could have mistaken him for someone else.
The Demon Buddha revealed the outcome of the incident before Jin Pae-cheon could ask.
The Demon Buddha was someone who knew how to guide a conversation smoothly.
“We agreed to share a drink at our fourth meeting.”
He had phrased it nicely, but Jin Pae-cheon understood.
It meant he had overwhelmed him with his skill.
The two of them would not have ended things with a mere war of words.
A sense of relief flashed across Jin Pae-cheon’s face upon hearing that the Jade Mountain Sword was alive.
At the same time, he felt a sense of unease.
‘Does this mean the Jade Mountain Sword lost to this man?’
Jin Pae-cheon quietly observed the Demon Buddha.
He felt different from the last time they met.
An air of leisure emanating from somewhere.
His skills must have improved by as much as that leisure.
For a moment, he thought of Geom Woojin, who was likely in seclusion training.
‘The Demon Sect is growing stronger.’
It was a moment where he once again felt the weight of that uncomfortable truth.
In any case, the Demon Buddha would not have lied about something that could be confirmed through the Jade Mountain Sword.
‘Why would the Jade Mountain Sword try to kill the First Young Master of the Divine Sect? Could it be? Was he asked by someone?’
Someone could ask a favor of the Jade Mountain Sword.
But that favor could not be, ‘Please kill the First Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.’
Unless it was his own favor.
“Did you hear why he did it?”
“He did not say, but it seemed he had received a request from someone.”
Jin Pae-cheon asked the Demon Buddha, as if testing the waters.
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
The Demon Buddha shook his head as if he didn't know.
He already knew through the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion that the Heavenly Wandering Hermit was behind it, but he did not mention a single word of the Heavenly Wandering Hermit’s name.
He merely pointed out the nature of the mastermind.
“The ones who have been driving a wedge between our sect and the Martial Alliance are not a recent problem, are they?”
He emphasized that whoever it was, their goal was to drive a wedge between the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and the Martial Alliance.
The Demon Buddha did not mention Han Wol-gaek.
To explain sending him away, he would have had to reveal that the Poison King was in Wuhan.
“That is why I could not contact you in advance. I ask for your generous understanding.”
“I can fully understand.”
“Thank you.”
The Demon Buddha looked up at the sky.
The sun, which had been hiding behind dark clouds, was beginning to show itself.
“Since the rain has stopped, we will be on our way.”
Following the Demon Buddha’s farewell, Geom Muyang also bid his goodbye.
“Then, I will see you again, Alliance Leader.”
“Go safely.”
Leave Wuhan, or let's meet again—they exchanged no such words.
The matter from here on would have to be handled after careful deliberation.
As he descended from the pavilion, Geom Muyang’s eyes met with Jin Ha-gun’s.
Geom Muyang gave him a slight nod, and Jin Ha-gun nodded back in response.
In this way, they conveyed their mutual intention to cooperate and handle the matter well.
*
Leaving the pavilion, Geom Muyang and the Demon Buddha walked side-by-side through the bamboo forest, conversing.
He never thought they would meet like this outside again.
To think a day would come when they would walk together like this in front of the Martial Alliance headquarters.
The one who broke the silence first was Geom Muyang.
“The one behind this is definitely the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.”
The Demon Buddha nodded at Geom Muyang’s words.
“I know.”
That was why he could be said to be the most difficult opponent they had faced so far.
“As long as the Alliance Leader trusts him, we cannot carelessly touch the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.”
His friendship with the Alliance Leader was one thing, but the respect of the Righteous Path members was also a problem.
The moment they carelessly touched the Heavenly Wandering Hermit, their enemies would escalate it into a conflict between the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and the Martial Alliance.
When Geom Muyang stopped walking, the Demon Buddha also stopped.
The words Geom Muyang wanted to say rose to his throat and then went back down.
They were words he was saying to someone for the first time.
Words he had never said to his father, nor to Geom Mugeuk.
He said those words to the Demon Buddha.
“Please help me.”
How could the Demon Buddha not know how difficult it was for him to say those words, and how precious they were?
The Demon Buddha’s eyes trembled, and the radiance flowing from his body deepened.
Sincerity was met with even greater sincerity.
“I will serve you with loyalty, dedicating my entire being.”
Enveloped in that bright radiance, Geom Muyang felt regret.
If he had had this kind of relationship with him during the succession fight? If he had treated the Demon Buddha with such sincerity? Would the outcome of that fight truly have been different?
Jin Pae-cheon and Jin Ha-gun stood side by side in the pavilion, watching the retreating figures of Geom Muyang and the Demon Buddha.
“What are your thoughts?”
Jin Ha-gun had a premonition that how this incident was concluded would greatly affect his own selection as the successor.
This entire process could be a test from his grandfather, so he had to judge and answer each word with care.
“It must be one of three things. Either the Divine Sect is lying, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit is truly the one behind this, or someone is driving a wedge to make us believe so.”
It was not the answer Jin Pae-cheon wanted.
“I asked for your thoughts.”
“I believe at least one thing is certain.”
He knew his grandfather was worried that he might suffer because he trusted Geom Mugeuk too much, but…
“I believe that at the very least, the Divine Sect is not lying.”
Indeed, a look of worry crossed Jin Pae-cheon’s face.
In the past, he might have tactfully given the answer his grandfather wanted to hear.
But things were different now.
He knew that an answer meant to evade the moment was like building a bridge of sand towards the other person.
It might work for now, but it would eventually collapse.
It would collapse when it was more complete, when he had gotten closer to the other person, so their disappointment would be greater, and he would be buried in an even deeper pit of sand.
“Do you trust the First Young Master that much?”
He certainly had a feeling of trust for Geom Muyang.
He could tell instinctively that he had spoken the truth.
But there was a more certain reason.
“No.”
“But why?”
It was an answer that would make his grandfather worry even more, but…
“The one I trust is the Young Cult Master.”
Jin Ha-gun conveyed his honest feelings to his grandfather.
“Since the Young Cult Master is serving as the Acting Cult Master, the current master of the Divine Sect is the Young Cult Master.”
Jin Pae-cheon nodded.
All decision-making authority would lie with him.
“He might have a hidden ambition.”
He had expected his grandson to argue otherwise, but he readily acknowledged it.
“He is a very smart person, so that might be the case.”
“Then why do you say you trust him?”
He did not know the man Geom Mugeuk completely, but there was at least one certain thing.
“Even if he were to devise a scheme, he is not the kind of person to proceed with it by putting his brother in danger.”
Right now, the First Young Master was isolated in Wuhan and in a dangerous situation.
It didn't seem likely that Geom Mugeuk would have driven his own brother into such a situation.
“If he were that kind of person, the First Young Master would have already died in the succession fight.”
Jin Pae-cheon could not refute those words.
The Geom Mugeuk he had observed was no different from his grandson's description.
“It seems we must fight while keeping all possibilities open.”
He braced himself for his grandfather's scolding.
To keep all possibilities open also meant to suspect the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.
But Jin Pae-cheon did not get angry.
Instead, he looked at his grandson with a gentle gaze.
“Ha-gun.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Are you worried about this old grandfather?”
“No.”
He said no, but he was clearly worried.
Worried that his judgment would be clouded by a long friendship.
Worried even about the wound he would receive when that trusted friendship was broken.
Then, unexpected words came from Jin Pae-cheon’s mouth.
“In my heart, I have already killed him.”
“What?”
His eyes widened, not understanding the meaning.
“I have driven a sword into his heart. I have already stood before his grave.”
Jin Ha-gun could tell.
He meant Hwa Yul-cheong.
He could see it in his grandfather's deep and bitter eyes.
‘Ah! Grandfather had already kept all possibilities open!’
He had forgotten.
His grandfather had lived his whole life upholding a righteousness that was difficult to practice even once, and from his position as the Martial Alliance Leader, he had watched over all manner of people for a long time.
“I desperately hope it is not so… but I have already accepted the possibility that a friend I have known for decades could betray me.”
Because I have staked my entire life on this position.
“Because I am the Martial Alliance Leader.”
He was saying words he had never once said to his grandson before.
“The seat you must sit in in the future is a seat like this.”
Jin Ha-gun lowered his head with a shameful expression.
“I am sorry, Grandfather.”
He had thought, I must see clearly, I must see straight, but he still could not see his grandfather straight.
Seeing a person for who they are is this difficult.
Instead, Jin Pae-cheon spoke in an even gentler tone.
“What I have felt while in this position for a long time is that our Righteous Path cannot keep up with the Demon Sect or the Unorthodox Faction at the same pace. Even when we tried to run out first and lead them, we always fell a few steps behind. We were busy cleaning up and chasing after them. And yet, do you know why we have not collapsed under their cruel and relentless desires?”
“Why is that?”
Jin Pae-cheon looked up at the blue sky from which the dark clouds had retreated.
Filling his eyes with that blue sky, he spoke with force.
"Because we are right.”
Jin Ha-gun’s heart pounded.
His grandfather had lived his entire life with this one belief.
And he had expressed the path he himself must walk in a single phrase.
You, too, must walk the righteous path.
Jin Pae-cheon’s gaze, which had been filled with the sky, turned to his grandson.
“Therefore, trust the Young Cult Master after you trust in this belief.”