The trembling in his eyes conveyed the Heavenly Wandering Hermit's surprise.
Yes, he must be surprised.
If he were not the true mastermind, my words would just be the ravings of the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master, but you are different.
The question, 'Is this Young Cult Master really proposing we join hands?' must have suddenly crossed his mind.
I said we should join hands to shake him.
If I keep shaking him, not the Heavenly Wandering Hermit, the friend of the Alliance Leader, but Hwa Yul-cheong, the mastermind of the conspiracy, will surely emerge at least once.
The first time is the hardest.
Once he reveals his true self, it will be even harder to hide it from then on.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit stared at Geom Mugeuk without a word.
From his appearance, Geom Mugeuk could not tell what he was thinking.
He was, after all, a man with the skill of an Alliance Leader when it came to hiding himself.
Then, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit began to move.
He walked past Geom Mugeuk toward the door.
Is he trying to call the people outside?
He opened the door and went out.
But instead of bringing the martial artists in the hallway inside, he led them out of the building.
“Everyone, follow me out.”
Not only the martial artists in the hallway, but dozens of them were also gathered in the courtyard and outside the building.
They ate their meals there and replaced sleep with energy circulation, and they truly respected and followed the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit spoke to them.
“It is time for you all to return.”
Just then, someone shouted.
“Not yet, Elder.”
It was Hyeok In, the Sect Master of the Clear Loft Sect.
Previously, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit had been injured while trying to save him.
Since then, everyone had been guarding his residence like this.
Hyeok In, in particular, had not missed a single day of guarding this place.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit approached Hyeok In.
"My injuries are fine now.”
“Elder!"
“My body is fine, who would dare kill me? Are you perhaps looking down on my skills?”
“Not at all, Elder!”
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit grasped the flustered Hyeok In's hands.
He held his hand instead of Geom Mugeuk's.
“I know your heart. But now it is inconvenient for me, so I'm asking you to leave.”
Hyeok In bowed his head, and the other martial artists bowed with him.
“The Alliance Leader is also looking after me. So do not worry and go."
When the Martial Alliance Leader was mentioned, their expressions relaxed slightly.
Yes, how could the Alliance Leader not be concerned?
“If anything happens, please send word immediately."
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit respectfully cupped his fists and showed his courtesy to the martial artists.
“Thank you so much for protecting me all this time. I will never forget this until the day I die. Now, please return to your own lives."
With eyes full of respect, the martial artists all cupped their fists and greeted him with a booming voice.
“Elder, please take care of yourself!"
After sending all the martial artists away, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit returned to the room.
Geom Mugeuk asked with a strange smile.
“Am I finally going to see your true self now, Elder?"
I didn't actually think he would reveal his identity this easily.
Indeed, Geom Mugeuk's premonition was correct.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit said something unexpected.
“I sent them all away because I thought I might have to fight a life-and-death battle with you today.”
Without another word, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit immediately revealed his aura.
Shaaaaaaa.
Geom Mugeuk looked around.
The surroundings were a pure white snowfield.
It was difficult to open his eyes in the raging blizzard.
Someone with weak inner energy would be unable to breathe in this cold wind and would collapse or be blown away.
Beyond the fierce blizzard, he stood alone and lonely.
He looked like a single flower blooming alone in the snow.
This was the Heavenly Wandering Hermit's aura.
A pleasant fragrance came from that aura.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit I felt when I first came to this room and the one now were different.
I had succeeded in peeling back one layer of him, and beneath that layer was a Great Righteous Hero who had protected the martial world of the Righteous Path.
A hero who stood proud even before the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect, one who was willing to lay down his life.
Geom Mugeuk could tell.
This aura is real.
He could also tell how many long years of effort had gone into creating such an aura.
He was showing me now.
What kind of person a steadfast old master of the Righteous Faction was, one who would not fall for any provocation, threat, or persuasion.
'Beneath this aura, what is your real aura?'
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit rebuked him in a low but stern tone.
“With whom do you dare suggest joining hands?"
Moreover, the reason he sent away the martial artists outside was because he was worried they would get hurt or die if a fight broke out.
“Please tell me. With whom did I suggest joining hands? I do not know who you are.”
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit said coldly.
“Instead of trying to deceive people with nonsense, you should just fulfill your true wish.”
Geom Mugeuk had said his true wish was to kill him.
In other words, it was a challenge to fight.
Geom Mugeuk was inwardly impressed.
He had the guts to send away the martial artists outside instead of using them as a shield, and he also had the accurate judgment to know that I would not fight him.
The Demon Flame Lord, the White Bone Soul Demon, and even So Jeong-rak.
He wouldn't be thinking of fighting a life-and-death battle alone against me, who had taken care of them all.
He's no easy opponent, indeed.
A man like this, how could everyone not have been deceived?
Geom Mugeuk raised his hand and expressed his regret.
“There is no better hand to join with than this one. Don't regret it later.”
Of course, this was not a situation that could be defused with a joke.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit still wore a cold expression, and a taut tension flowed between the two.
“From the very beginning, I did not like the fact that you people set foot in the land of Wuhan. How dare you come here?"
Staring silently into the Heavenly Wandering Hermit's eyes, Geom Mugeuk spoke in a gentle tone.
The tone was gentle, but the meaning it carried was sharp.
“It seems our dear Elder has reached the final level of mastery in deception, where he even deceives himself.”
"You are the one who is deceiving."
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit scoffed in rebuttal.
“A moment ago, you said you would protect the Alliance Leader from me. And now you want to join hands with me? Is that your way of protecting people?”
Then, Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.
“This is all because of you."
“Because of me?”
"As you know, I suspect you. But seeing you in person today, I was surprised. I, too, couldn't find a single suspicious thing about you. To be unable to find anything even when I was looking with certainty? Well, a man like you would have been able to hide his identity next to the Alliance Leader for decades."
Normally, he should have said, 'Don't talk nonsense' at this point.
If he were truly a hero of justice, it would have been absolute nonsense.
But he was waiting for my next words.
As a human, he wants to hear it.
He wants to be acknowledged for how great a deed he has accomplished.
His satisfaction would be even greater if the person saying those words was the Young Cult Master of the Divine Sect, their greatest enemy.
“I suddenly felt that I wanted to make you my man. That's why I extended my hand."
Only after hearing everything did the Heavenly Wandering Hermit react.
He softened his earlier sharp demeanor.
“I would rather die than devote myself to the Demon Sect.”
I must peel back another layer here, somehow.
I have to remove that thick mask of a hero and draw out his true self.
It wasn't just to show evidence to the Alliance Leader.
To find out who is behind them, I have to put him on this stage as well.
On this stage called Wuhan, where they were drawn in to start the war.
Geom Mugeuk suddenly said to him.
“So Jeong-rak of the Enlightened Heart Clinic is dead.”
What meaning does this news hold for you?
Is it sadness over the death of someone you've spent decades with? Or is it anger that the plan you were carrying out has been halted?
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit showed no emotion.
Geom Mugeuk did not miss this reaction.
"Ah! The Alliance Leader should have seen this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No one knows the news of his death, so why are you not surprised? The most famous physician in Wuhan, the one who has done the most good, is dead. Shouldn't you be surprised?"
And crucially,
“Shouldn't you ask why he was killed? He was merely a physician, so wouldn't a normal reaction be to wonder why the Demon Sect killed him?"
For a moment, he saw the Heavenly Wandering Hermit's eyes tremble slightly.
It was a minute change that only Geom Mugeuk, who had experienced such moments countless times, could see.
“The conclusion is that you knew why So Jeong-rak died. Ah! I can't show this to the Alliance Leader! It's a shame I can only tell him with words!"
Perhaps he thought that words from that Young Cult Master might be more vivid than seeing it himself?
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit did not just let it pass.
“What kind of nonsense are you trying to pull?”
“I'm not pulling nonsense, I'm asking why you're not curious.”
After a moment's pause, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit answered.
“Why? I will answer you. It is because it was you people.”
He returned the words Geom Mugeuk had used earlier, 'because of you.'
“Because of us?"
“Aren't you the ones who kill all the good people?"
As if he truly believed it and wasn't just mocking him, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit's gaze was proud.
Of course, Geom Mugeuk was not one to let it go.
“So Jeong-rak wasn't a good person, was he? Just like you.”
Before he could answer, Geom Mugeuk provoked him further.
“When I think about it, that man So Jeong-rak was a pitiful person. Because of you."
The blame, 'because of you,' was once again directed at the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.
"For decades, he reluctantly played the part of a physician by your side, trying to protect you. Did you shed even a single tear for him? I think not. He is probably in hell, feeling resentful and blaming you."
At a time like this, how nice it would be if he said, 'What do you know! How much I cherished him!' but,
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit was utterly calm.
Like a man who truly would not shed a tear, let alone offer a word of mourning.
“You still won't ask why he was killed.”
The strange smile that formed on the Heavenly Wandering Hermit's lips was so faint that only Geom Mugeuk could feel it.
His emotions were being felt like this, little by little.
Yes, if I keep searching, I will surely find a hole to break this dam.
“So Jeong-rak is dead, and the two old men who violated the Demon Prohibition Order are also dead.”
Of course, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit would know that fact.
He would also know about the warning from the master of the Soul-Devouring Art.
“Now, only the one who uses the Soul-Devouring Art remains. Can you handle it with that subordinate of yours? Ah, perhaps you take orders from that person?"
Geom Mugeuk subtly poked at his pride.
He watched to see how he would react, but the Heavenly Wandering Hermit walked over to the tea table and drank his tea.
It seemed like he was trying not to show his reaction, but in Geom Mugeuk's eyes, even this was a reaction.
“Why don't you just frame me for using the Soul-Devouring Art?"
At his reply, Geom Mugeuk also walked to the tea table.
“Because that's definitely not it. There's no way the Alliance Leader wouldn't recognize someone who has mastered the Soul-Devouring Art standing next to him, is there?"
Gurgle.
Geom Mugeuk filled his own teacup.
“You're not originally this kind of person, are you? Not some frustrating old man of the Righteous Faction, but a fiery person, aren't you? That's why you were chosen for this important role.”
At that moment, a faint tremor was felt from the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.
Yes, how could one forget such moments? There are moments that cannot be faked, even if everything else is a lie.
“I want to talk with that fiery person. I want to have a cool chat, villain to villain.”
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit simply stared at Geom Mugeuk impassively, without any wavering.
“Deceiving, plotting from the shadows. Hiding, aren't you tired of it now? Don't you want to drag everything out and have a proper fight? Martial Alliance, come out! Demon Sect, come out! Isn't that you?"
As if he didn't want to hear any more, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit ordered him to leave.
“If you've finished your tea, it's time to leave."
The gazes of the two men tangled in mid-air.
Yes, he was not someone to be shaken by a single meeting.
But today, he had detected several minute emotional changes in him.
Geom Mugeuk bowed politely and bid his farewell.
“I enjoyed the tea. Next time..."
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit cut Geom Mugeuk off.
“There will be no next time.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at him and said.
“Yes, that is what I hope for as well. Not this boring hero, the Heavenly Wandering Hermit, but next time, I would like to meet the Incarnation of Vengeance.”
Leaving the man who was staring at him with a shocked face behind, Geom Mugeuk strode towards the door and said.
“Next time, let us meet with Hwa Yul-cheong, the Incarnation of Vengeance.”