Chapter 122

Perhaps Gal So-ye had been suspecting a connection between Gu Cheong-won and the Heaven Rebelling Society.
That was probably why she had wanted to confirm something through this auction.
Because with me and the appearance of the Defeated-Spirit Paste, a different situation from before would be formed.
And just as expected, a major incident had erupted today.

‘If so, did she find her answer?’

Gu Cheong-won’s suspicious killing and the face behind Lord Yong’s mask.
Gal So-ye had at least confirmed those two things.
For her, that alone would probably be enough to reach some conclusion.

I thought back to my previous life.
The fierce war between Geuk Mu-hyeok and Gu Cheong-won.
I didn’t remember every step of how it unfolded all that clearly.
At the time, I had been repeatedly escaping the Demon Cult and being dragged back by force.
But I knew the result clearly.
Gu Cheong-won was defeated, and he lost everything.
Even his own life.

‘But the Heaven Rebelling Society?’

I had never heard that Gu Cheong-won and the Heaven Rebelling Society were connected.
If things started flowing differently from my previous life because of me, something rather troublesome might happen.
The Heaven Rebelling Society had already collided with me unpleasantly twice.

‘Maybe I should probe him a little.’

I headed to Gu Cheong-won’s office.
I had to go there anyway if I wanted to receive the Defeated-Spirit Paste.

Inside the office.
Gu Cheong-won had removed his mask and was staring at the painting hanging on the wall.
I didn’t know anything about paintings, but even at a glance it looked far from ordinary expensive.

“What exactly was that earlier?”

I asked abruptly.

“I’m asking why you killed Lord Yong.”

Without turning his head, Gu Cheong-won spoke.

“That’s an awkward question. If you asked why I didn’t kill someone, I’d have plenty to say. That there wasn’t a reason to kill him yet, or that I spared him because I considered the consequences afterward. But if you ask why I killed him, there isn’t much to answer with. Men like us kill when the urge moves us.”
“It seemed like there was a reason. It was right when Lord Yong was about to say something important.”
“I didn’t know that. From where I was standing, I couldn’t hear his voice.”

Gu Cheong-won shrugged.

‘So you’re going to play dumb?’

Gu Cheong-won had already been inside the auction hall.
At his level of martial prowess, he definitely could have heard the conversation between me and Lord Yong.

“It doesn’t seem like you have any intention of giving a proper explanation.”
“Because there’s no need to.”
“Third Sahyung.”

I paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“What kind of mire have you stepped into, exactly?”
“You. Hahaha! That’s a form of address I never expected to hear from Sajae.”

Gu Cheong-won burst into hearty laughter and stepped toward me.

“It seems Sajae thinks I’m hiding something. Isn’t that right?”

One step.

“What is Sajae hiding?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sajae is far too contrary to reason. At an age when you ought to be bickering with Fifth Sajae, how am I supposed to explain everything you’ve achieved so far?”

Another step.

“You subjugated the Longevity Cult, carried the Sacred Fire Bell, went in and out of the forbidden zone, cut off Fourth Sajae’s arm, and wiped out the White Flame Heuk Clan.”

My past deeds came flowing smoothly out of Gu Cheong-won’s mouth.
Before I knew it, he had come right up close.
A suffocating silence, and a gaze that seemed intent on piercing through my insides.
Facing that, I answered calmly.

“There’s nothing I can say except this. If it’s to survive, what wouldn’t a person do?”
“I figured you’d brush it off like that.”

Gu Cheong-won grinned.
He passed by me and stopped by the window.

“The Dark-Shadow Gu Clan is a family with nothing.”

I tilted my head without meaning to.
What was he suddenly talking about?

“There is no beauty there. The romance of deciding victory fairly and openly is absent too. There is only hidden weapon arts that target an enemy’s weakness, and crouching in the shadows while holding your breath and swallowing even your panting. That is the true nature of the Dark-Shadow Gu Clan.”
“Why are you suddenly talking trash about your own family?”
“Who knows. Strangely enough, in front of Seventh Sajae, my true thoughts come spilling out with ease.”

He shrugged.

“This family……”
“The family?”
“I’m going to wipe it out.”

For an instant, I was speechless.
What had he just said?
He was going to wipe out the Dark-Shadow Gu Clan? As the eldest son of the Gu Clan?

“Hahaha! Sajae’s expression is worth seeing. You seem to be taking a joke too seriously.”
“…Are you insane?”

It was absurd.
Was that really the kind of thing someone could say as a joke?
Gu Cheong-won smiled faintly and turned back toward me.

“You passed the test. Sajae is fully qualified to join hands with me.”
“No, to hell with passing. Ha.”

I shook my head.
I really must have known very little about him in my previous life.
Even so, even while he was acting this insane, I saw what I needed to see.
It seemed certain that Gu Cheong-won really was connected to the Heaven Rebelling Society somehow.

“So can I have the Defeated-Spirit Paste now? We’ve spent enough time already.”
“In exchange for spending time, didn’t you obtain a large sum of money?”
“That’s true, but… I don’t know whether I should say I found myself a good Senior Brother or a bad one.”
“Hehehe. I’d like to say the former, but even I can’t say for certain which it is yet. First Chief Steward.”
“Yes, Master.”

The First Chief Steward brought me a small box.
To think I went through all that hardship just to get this one thing.

‘It’s heavy?’

The moment I took the box, it felt weighty.
And that wasn’t all.
A strange sensation came through my fingertips.
Something like stickiness, filth, unpleasantness. I hadn’t even opened it, yet I felt those negative sensations.

‘What in the world is this- hm?’

In an instant, the sensation disappeared.
As if I had felt nothing from the beginning.
Thinking that there was a reason it was coveted by those who dealt with soulless puppets, I tucked the box into my robes.

“That was all I needed, so I’m going.”
“Let’s meet often, Sajae.”
“I think it would be best for both of us not to see each other unless absolutely necessary.”

Gu Cheong-won laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! We differ there. If anything, after seeing you today, I thought I wanted to meet you more often and build familiarity.”
“I don’t, so keep it to yourself.”

I was just turning to leave the office.

“Seventh Sajae.”
“What now?”
“I hope you survive with everything you’ve got.”
“Whether Sahyung wants it or not, I will.”

With that, I left the office and climbed into my carriage.
It had been an exhausting time, mentally and physically.
Still, I could endure it easily since I had gained a lot.
I learned that Gu Cheong-won was suspicious, obtained the Defeated-Spirit Paste, and even pocketed an extra hundred ninety-nine nyang for free.

‘I’ll spend it very carefully.’

Whatever sort of man Gu Cheong-won was, money was still money.
And with an amount like this, I could make very good use of it.

“It’s still bright out.”

The carriage had completely left the Golden Resonance Vault behind.
The sun had been blazing when I entered, and it was the same now that I was leaving, bright enough to hurt my eyes.
It felt like I’d been inside for a very long time.

“Guard Im.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
“How’s your shoulder?”
“Ah, yes.”

Im Yeon had injured her shoulder earlier.
After the fight, we had stopped the bleeding and sprinkled the Golden Wound Powder Ju Ok-hwa made over it.
The pain had probably already subsided quite a bit, but her mind must have been in turmoil.
Because every time the Heaven Rebelling Society showed itself, she seemed to be swallowed by fierce rage.

‘Why are there so many people entangled with the Heaven Rebelling Society?’

A sigh escaped me on its own.

“Um, where shall we go, Young Lord?”

I answered Im Yeon’s question without hesitation.

“Let’s go to Unit Leader Ak.”

There was only one thing left to do now.
Bring the Defeated-Spirit Paste to the person it belonged to.

The carriage traveled for a long while.
By the time we neared the destination, the sky had turned red.
Only after briefly circulating and regulating my qi inside the stopped carriage did I step outside.

“Let’s head up quickly.”

Early evening in the mountains was short.
It would get dark soon.
But I couldn’t come all this way just to turn back, so the best course was to deliver it as quickly as possible and leave.
Ak Mu-jin was probably waiting anxiously every moment as well.

‘Will the Defeated-Spirit Paste really work?’

The Heavenly Demon wouldn’t say something baseless.
Even so, the doubt arose because of that strange sensation I had felt earlier.

Up on the mountain were Ak Mu-jin and three of the Longevity Ten, including Ung Gyo.
The other seven had been sent back to Hidden Cloud Pavilion a few days ago.

“Young Lord!”

Ak Mu-jin got up happily when he saw me. The smell of a rotting corpse was still thick around him.
His eyes soon widened in shock.

“What happened? What in the world is that state you’re in…?”
“It’s nothing.”

Without wasting words, I immediately held out the Defeated-Spirit Paste.

“This is…?”
“Defeated-Spirit Paste. I got it with some difficulty.”
“Huh… Don’t tell me you went through hardship because of this?”
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it hardship.”
“I truly don’t know how I’m supposed to repay this kindness…”

Ak Mu-jin received the Defeated-Spirit Paste with trembling hands.

“Rather than talk about that, try using it right away.”
“All right.”

Ak Mu-jin carefully opened the lid of the box.
At that moment, a stench sharp enough to stab the nose spread everywhere.
Everyone, myself included, instinctively covered our noses.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve smelled something like this.”

I had thought Ak Mu-jin’s corpse stench was awful, but now I saw that it was nothing.

“Judging by the texture, it doesn’t seem to be something you ingest. What do you think?”
“It’s definitely pretty viscous.”
It was exactly the sort of form that fit the name paste.

“It looks like something you apply. It doesn’t seem like enough to spread over your whole body. Maybe if you just put it anywhere, it seeps in on its own.”
“That does seem likely.”

Ak Mu-jin nodded, then without hesitation dipped his finger into the slime.
Then something astonishing happened.
The Defeated-Spirit Paste slipped into Ak Mu-jin’s skin as if it were a living creature.

“How is it?”
“I can’t really tell yet.”

Contrary to his words, a change came soon after.
Ak Mu-jin’s whole body began turning black.
No matter how I looked at it, it was not a normal sight.

The Longevity Ten exchanged glances with each other.
Their expressions said something was wrong.
I examined Ak Mu-jin’s condition with my senses. The energy inside him was raging violently.

“Gasp.”

Then Ak Mu-jin’s torso bent.
His limbs twisted wildly at angles no living person could imitate.

“U-Unit Leader!”

The Longevity Ten moved toward Ak Mu-jin.
And at that moment.

Kwaddeuk!
Ak Mu-jin clenched his fist. The sound of joints bending rang out clearly.
Gigiik, Ak Mu-jin twisted his head strangely and stared at his subordinates.

Eyes without focus.
A blank expression.
Black saliva running from the corner of his mouth.
A fist that kept clenching and unclenching.

“…It would be best if everyone stepped back.”

The moment I finished speaking, Ak Mu-jin moved.
He swung his fist at Ung Gyo, who was closest to him.
An unnatural motion, but not slow at all.

Kwaang!
Ung Gyo threw himself aside by reflex.
Ak Mu-jin’s fist slammed into the tree behind him.
Pakak, the tree shattered to pieces.

“U-Unit Leader. Please come to your senses!”

But there was no reply.
Instead, the attacks came rushing again with movements that had become even more natural.
Kkang!
Ung Gyo drew his weapon and defended himself.
But with the sound of metal striking metal, he was blown back a good six meters or so.

“Kgh, what kind of strength is this?”

It wasn’t just that he was strong.
His body had apparently become harder too, because the blade of the saber Ung Gyo was holding had been badly nicked.

“Split up and draw Unit Leader Ak away!”

At my command, the Longevity Ten quickly scattered.
As expected, Ak Mu-jin chased after them.
While that happened, I narrowed my senses and examined his insides in detail.
The energy was swirling much faster than before.
And that wasn’t all.
The weak point that had been familiar to my hand until just yesterday had completely changed. Its range had narrowed, and its position had shifted too.

‘Has the Corpse-Body Reinforcement Art advanced?’

It seemed his attainment had been forcibly pushed forward as he absorbed the energy of the Defeated-Spirit Paste.
But the problem was.

‘Unit Leader Ak can’t handle it.’

Because the energy was rampaging wildly, Ak Mu-jin had lost his reason too.
I let out a sigh.

‘The Defeated-Spirit Paste really doesn’t make anything easy from beginning to end.’

Still, is this the final trial?

“Young Lord! What should we do!”

Ung Gyo shouted.
He was barely avoiding Ak Mu-jin’s attacks, but it didn’t look like he could hold out for long.

“He has to digest the energy!”
“W-What does that mean? Do we have to beat him again?”
“That won’t be enough. We have to correct the circulation of his qi.”
“How?”
“By beating him.”
“What? But that’s what I just said!”
“You were only half right. Beating him is right, but this time……”

I looked at Ak Mu-jin for a moment, then continued.

“We have to beat him within an inch of death.”