The Heavenly Wandering Hermit reacted to the words, Incarnation of Vengeance.
He who had only reacted subtly no matter how Geom Mugeuk provoked him, reacted strongly to these words.
"Wait!"
By the time he shouted, Geom Mugeuk had already opened the door and left.
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit ran and hurriedly opened the door, but Geom Mugeuk's figure was already gone.
Instead of Geom Mugeuk, a middle-aged man was walking toward him from the end of the corridor.
"Manor Lord, what is the matter?"
The man who walked over was Chief Steward Ju, the general steward of the Martial Pavilion.
He was a man who had always lived for the Heavenly Wandering Hermit and the Martial Pavilion, quiet and unobtrusive.
Chief Steward Ju’s name was Ju So-myeong.
“Did you not see the Young Cult Master?"
"No, I did not."
He had been walking down the corridor, yet the man had disappeared, avoiding his eyes.
All the windows in the corridor were closed, so he had vanished like a ghost.
Considering it was Geom Mugeuk who had entered by evading the eyes of so many martial artists, it might have been natural to think his disappearance was also expected.
"He even avoided your eyes to disappear."
Surprisingly, this meant he trusted the steward's eyes more than all the martial artists who had been guarding this place earlier.
At that, the look in Ju So-myeong’s eyes began to change.
It was a gaze he had never once shown to those who sought the Martial Pavilion.
As his usual friendly eyes turned sharp and cold, Ju So-myeong became a completely different person.
It was the moment he was no longer Chief Steward Ju So-myeong, but Hwa Yul-cheong's long-time subordinate, Ju So-myeong.
Ju So-myeong surveyed the corridor again.
He checked the closed windows and the ceiling.
Soon, Ju So-myeong shook his head.
There was no trace of the Young Cult Master’s escape anywhere.
In other words, it meant he had passed right by him to get out.
"His skill is hard to believe."
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit’s gaze turned to the window.
"Yes, he is a man hard to believe."
Just as his voice changed to a low tone, his eyes changed as well.
It was a gaze and a voice he had never revealed when he was with Geom Mugeuk.
Now, even his aura had changed.
Originally, his aura was like a single flower blooming proudly on a snowy field.
The color of the falling snow turned a dark gray.
What now scattered around was not snow, but ash from something burning.
Screams filled with pain could be heard from all directions.
On the ground where the piled snow had disappeared, corpses were strewn about, and blood flowed like a river.
The scattering ash was the ash of burning corpses.
He stood in the middle of a battlefield where only sorrowful resentment lingered.
His eyes as he gazed upon the battlefield were boiling.
So much so that one wondered how he had managed to hide this heat all his life.
This was his true aura.
"The Young Cult Master knows about me."
Knowing what that meant, Ju So-myeong’s expression also hardened.
"That cannot be. He must have made a guess. Is he not an exceptionally intelligent man?"
The Heavenly Wandering Hermit nodded and revealed his honest feelings.
"'Intelligent' is not enough to describe him. If I had been just ten years younger, my identity would have been exposed."
He had been shaken by Geom Mugeuk.
The Young Cult Master had something that stirred people's emotions.
When listening to his words while looking into his eyes, something truly surged up from within.
But he did not know.
That even though he wasn't ten years younger, he had ended up revealing his identity after all.
The fact that Geom Mugeuk was standing right before his eyes at this very moment.
It was the Geom Mugeuk within the Space-Time Displacement Art.
A moment ago, as Geom Mugeuk opened the door and came out, he sensed someone approaching from the end of the corridor and entered the Space-Time Displacement Art.
It was a split-second thought that if someone remained here after everyone else had left, they might discuss something important.
And that prediction was correct.
Even knowing he was the mastermind, his acting was so perfect that a sliver of doubt remained, but now it was clearly revealed.
Outside the Space-Time Displacement Art, Hwa Yul-cheong looked at him and spoke.
"Geom Mugeuk, you will be the villain of this stage. The war between the Righteous and Demonic factions will eventually happen, and you will be the cause."
Geom Mugeuk stood before him with cold eyes.
'Fine, I'll play that villain.'
I had no intention of stepping onto this grand stage for free anyway.
'Instead, the performance fee will be your life.'
Jin Cheon stood in the garden in front of his residence, his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the sky.
His back, which supported the Righteous Path, felt particularly lonely today.
He had lived his life without knowing fear of the world.
He had never feared any evil person, any master, not the Demon Sect, not the Unorthodox Alliance, not anyone in the world.
After experiencing this incident, he was feeling a strange sense of powerlessness.
If he had lost through martial arts, he wouldn't have felt this sense of loss.
Because he could just train more.
He could train and win again.
What was tormenting him now was the fact that his judgment was not what it used to be.
'Have I grown old too?'
In the past, he would have already made a decision several times over, but he was still hesitating between Geom Mugeuk and the Heavenly Wandering Hermit.
He tried to excuse it by saying he needed decisive evidence, but in the past, he would have already known instinctively whose words were right.
It was with that blade-like instinct that he had supported the Righteous Path until now.
But he felt that instinct had dulled.
Just then, a person entered, guided by the guards of the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
The man, with his bamboo hat pulled down low, was none other than Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk took off his bamboo hat and bowed politely.
"Greetings, Alliance Leader."
He had expected to meet in the Alliance Leader’s Hall, but the Alliance Leader had him come to this even more private residence.
It would have been understandable before or after the three-party meeting, but in the current situation, he didn't think he would be allowed in this far.
Just then, a woman entered the place.
"It's been a while."
Seeing her, he understood why he had been called all the way here.
It was Jin Ha-ryeong.
Seeing her after a long time, she had become even more mature.
She had always been beautiful, but now she looked stronger, with experience and training added to her.
Her accomplishment could be felt.
"I can feel the rough winds of the martial world on you."
At Geom Mugeuk's joking greeting, Jin Ha-ryeong smiled and asked.
"That's a compliment, right?"
"Of course."
The two of them had now reached a point where they could treat each other comfortably like friends, even after seeing each other after a long time.
There was a clear reason for her change.
Everyone is changing day by day because of someone, I can't be the only one left behind, can I?
It was the result of the effort born from that heart.
"Have you been well?"
"Thanks to someone, I haven't been well. I haven't been able to leave this inner courtyard."
Because of Geom Mugeuk’s prediction that Jin Ha-gun and Jin Ha-ryeong could be targets, she had been unable to leave the inner courtyard of the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
Even within the inner courtyard, Martial Alliance escort guards were protecting her in layers.
"At first, I thought you guys had invaded."
It was really like that.
She was at a Scholars’ Gathering when the guards from the Alliance Leader’s Hall stormed in and took her away.
The martial artists who were with her probably thought some big problem had occurred in the Alliance.
"If we had invaded…"
"Everyone at that gathering would have died?"
As she looked at him with feigned suspicion, Geom Mugeuk laughed and waved his hands.
"No! I'm not the type to break up a party, so you don't have to worry. You know, right? How much I love gatherings? Speaking of which, it's about time we met up too, isn't it? I need to hear what's been going on with Sa-in and Young Palace Master Han."
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Jin Ha-ryeong also laughed.
She knew how serious the recent situation was, having heard it from her grandfather.
But Geom Mugeuk never loses his smile, even in situations like this.
How could one not like him for this?
Jin Cheon watched the two of them talk in silence.
Suddenly, he recalled the moment Jin Ha-ryeong had brought Geom Mugeuk, saying he was the one she would marry.
'Should I have just made them marry back then?'
Back then, he thought it was a ridiculous notion, but now, such a thought crosses his mind.
'If that had really happened, what would things be like now?'
Would this current dilemma be different?
After the two's reunion ended, Jin Paecheon asked Geom Mugeuk.
"Have you met that person?"
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
Seeing him ask in front of Jin Ha-ryeong, it seemed she had also heard about the situation.
"What did you find out?"
It was a question that couldn't be answered so easily.
But the answer came too quickly and certainly.
"I have confirmed that he is the mastermind."
A heavy silence flowed.
Both of them knew well that Geom Mugeuk was not one to lie about such matters.
"Did the Elder really join hands with those masterminds?"
Jin Ha-ryeong asked Geom Mugeuk with a truly surprised expression.
In contrast to her, Jin Paecheon simply stared at Geom Mugeuk, showing no emotion.
"He didn't join hands with them; he was the mastermind himself. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have betrayed his friendship with you, Alliance Leader."
These words were also for Jin Paecheon.
That this was not a matter of friendship.
"This incident is not a betrayal. He entered your life, Alliance Leader, and was merely acting from the very beginning."
The moment he heard those words, Jin Paecheon felt as if a small breathing hole had opened in his endlessly stuffy and complicated heart.
Geom Mugeuk began to dig that hole even wider.
"It is just one of the countless conspiracies that occur in the martial world. The period was only long because you, Alliance Leader, are such a great person. So please don't attach any meaning to this incident. Even without him, aren't there so many other things to give meaning to?"
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to Jin Ha-ryeong.
He was speaking with his actions.
Asking if there wasn't a precious person to whom he should give real meaning and heart.
Of course, Geom Mugeuk knew well that this wasn't something that could be healed with a few words.
That's why he dedicated himself to widening that hole in his own way.
"It's not even worth spending your mental energy on. In fact, a friend you've known for five years, or ten years, or even a friend you made yesterday, you don't need to give it more meaning than that. This isn't a matter of friendship. The long duration makes it even more meaningless. He endured for decades? That's madness, not friendship, isn't it?"
Although he knew these words were being said for his sake, they were clearly helping Jin Paecheon.
Because he could feel the breathing hole growing, little by little.
"This is not a matter of whether you, Alliance Leader, recognized him or not. You are a martial artist, not an actor. This is not our problem, but theirs. The problem is their desire to swallow the martial world. It's a problem of their persistence in hiding their identity for decades. None of that is normal."
Geom Mugeuk added one last thing.
"So, you can just say this. 'You bastard, you worked hard pretending to uphold righteousness all this time. You really did.'"
Jin Ha-ryeong could feel it.
That Geom Mugeuk was trying his best to prevent a scar from being left on her grandfather's heart.
Yes, this is the kind of person he is.
Jin Ha-ryeong asked Geom Mugeuk, as if confronting him.
"If you were the villain!"
Of course, she completely trusted Geom Mugeuk.
These words were spoken on behalf of her grandfather's heart.
"Then all hell would break loose."
At Geom Mugeuk’s answer, Jin Ha-ryeong almost burst out laughing.
Because those words, spoken like a joke, hit home.
Yes, then all hell really would break loose.
Geom Mugeuk calmly said to her.
"But if I were to cause a ruckus, it wouldn't have been in this manner. I wouldn't have plotted a conspiracy while being suspected until the very end like this."
As if protesting, Geom Mugeuk said to Jin Paecheon.
"If I were to plot a conspiracy, I would have plotted a much more convenient and exciting one!"
Sympathizing with those words, Jin Ha-ryeong looked at her grandfather.
You know it too, don't you, Grandfather? That what he's saying is true.
That if this person were to truly plot a conspiracy, he wouldn't create this kind of situation in the first place.
We'd probably fall for it without even realizing it was a conspiracy.
We would have already been had!
Jin Paecheon looked at Geom Mugeuk in silence.
How could he not
know? That he was trying so hard for his sake.
Through this Young Cult Master, he was constantly reminded that trust is not a matter of how long you've known someone.
"Why are you trying so hard for me?"
At that, Geom Mugeuk glanced at Jin Ha-ryeong and then gave an unexpected answer.
"You're my friend's grandfather, aren't you? Then you're no different from my own grandfather.”
Jin Paecheon looked at Jin Ha-ryeong.
If not for Geom Mugeuk, neither his granddaughter nor his grandson would be in this world right now.
Looking directly at Jin Ha-ryeong, he could once again feel how significant it was that he had saved his granddaughter.
Even though that event was unrelated to the truth of this matter, it had a great influence on his current decision.
If Geom Mugeuk hadn't been there, these children wouldn't be either, and then his life would have become meaningless.
Why am I unable to trust this person?
"Tell me about this convenient and exciting conspiracy you plan to concoct in the future. I can't let myself fall for it."
At those words, Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly.
Finally, Jin Cheon had trusted him.
Geom Mugeuk bowed politely.
"Thank you for believing in me."
"I am sorry for the late decision."
"If it were me, I would have deliberated for another ten years."
Jin Paecheon smiled.
This Young Cult Master was making him smile at the very moment he was deciding that his friend was a traitor.
Yes, he would trust him and see this through.
Jin Ha-ryeong smiled as she looked at Geom Mugeuk.
'Thank you, my friend.
I will definitely repay you for what you did for my grandfather today.'
Geom Mugeuk also replied with a bright smile.
Once he made a decision, Jin Paecheon did not look back.
He now intended to trust Geom Mugeuk and handle this matter.
"What is the reason you asked to see me today? Did you perhaps come to ask for permission to kill him?"
Since you informed me you would meet him and did so, he thought you were now asking for permission to kill him.
"No. I will show you clearly, Alliance Leader. That he is the true mastermind."
Jin Paecheon shook his head, saying it wasn't necessary.
"I believe your words."
"That is precisely why I am showing you. Since you are someone who believes in me, I must show you."
The Alliance Leader's breathing hole was wide open.
But now, another small hole would have formed in its place.
A hole of doubt.
If he handled it without letting him confirm it himself, that hole of doubt would never be filled.
He had no intention of continuing his relationship with the Alliance Leader like that.
Now, Geom Mugeuk began the work of filling that hole.
"I intend to stand on the stage with him."
And the request he came to make of the Alliance Leader today was this.
"Please be the audience for that stage."