Chapter 721: Farther from the Target
When Geom Mugeuk and Seo Daeryong came out of the Southern Heavens Blade Family, it was already getting dark.
Seo Daeryong, who was walking deep in thought, seemed to be troubled by something.
“When it comes down to marriage, all kinds of worries come, don’t they?”
“My youngest sister-in-law once told me something like that.”
Seo Daeryong, now called Dan Yeon, his youngest sister-in-law, more naturally than he had back then, when she had first followed him around calling him brother-in-law.
“She said her sister felt burdened by the idea of holding a wedding ceremony.”
Geom Mugeuk could understand that feeling. Here, she had no acquaintances, and the only family she had was her two younger siblings.
“She herself said she wasn’t embarrassed about not having any guests, but worried it might bring shame to me. Back then, I laughed it off, saying I had no friends or family either.”
But still, Seo Daeryong had Lee Ahn and Jangho, and there were the special investigators and the enforcement martial artists. Just them alone would fill the groom’s side with guests.
“I will take care of Miss Dan’s guest matter.”
“Would you really do that for me?”
When Geom Mugeuk nodded, Seo Daeryong’s face brightened instantly.
“When talk of marriage becomes serious, hearts can be wounded by the smallest things. Be careful with your words, no matter what.”
“Yes!”
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Watching Seo Daeryong run off excitedly, Geom Mugeuk smiled.
Yes, marriage was best done in innocence, just like this.
Geom Mugeuk resumed walking. His destination was not his own dwelling, but Maga Village.
* * *
The lights of the Flowing Wind Tavern went out.
With even the serving boys gone, Jo Chunbae was left alone to clean up.
Then came a voice from outside, one so welcome it brought delight.
“Tavern Owner.”
The moment he heard that voice, Jo Chunbae shouted and rushed out.
“Young Cult Leader!”
But in his haste, he caught his foot on the threshold.
“Oh no!”
Just as he was about to fall forward and crash to the ground, he stopped in midair.
A gentle force had caught him.
He felt as though he were floating on a soft cloud, carried through the air, and landed safely in front of Geom Mugeuk.
“Ah, I was too happy to see you! Thank you, Young Cult Leader!”
“Our tavern owner should now be more careful of tripping than of flying blades.”
The two looked at each other and burst into bright smiles.
Jo Chunbae was so overjoyed that it seemed unbearable to imagine if he hadn’t come. The last time Geom Mugeuk had returned from expulsion, he had been too busy to see Jo Chunbae, so this was indeed a reunion after quite some time.
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, I have. And our Young Cult Leader has become even taller and more splendid.”
“If only the women of the world had eyes like our tavern owner.”
Exchanging such greetings, the two stepped inside. Though business had already closed, Jo Chunbae rolled up his sleeves.
“How many guests are coming? I’ll prepare dishes in advance.”
“There’s no one I came to meet. I only wanted to share a drink with you, tavern owner.”
In that instant, Jo Chunbae’s chest tightened with emotion. Who was he, after all? Merely an aging tavern owner. Yet Geom Mugeuk, who never forgot him and came looking for him like this, filled him with deep gratitude.
“No need for side dishes. Let’s just have a drink.”
Geom Mugeuk went upstairs. The seat he always used was spotless, not a speck of dust upon it. Even without serving customers there, one could tell how much attention Jo Chunbae devoted to maintaining it.
Jo Chunbae brought up wine and a few simple snacks.
“Here, tavern owner. Have the first cup from me.”
As always, Jo Chunbae received it with humble gratitude and poured the wine respectfully.
“Now, let’s drink.”
The two toasted and emptied their cups. Jo Chunbae turned aside and drained his in one go.
“Did matters go well during your trip?”
At his question, Geom Mugeuk turned to look at the writing on the wall.
“I went to rescue one of the people who left their names there.”
“Good heavens!”
Jo Chunbae shook his head with a stunned expression, as though such a thing was beyond his imagination.
“Has anything happened in Maga Village?”
“When people live so crowded together, there’s always something.”
“Tell me a little.”
So Jo Chunbae shared bits of news: a merchant’s family welcomed a newborn child, another had injured his leg, and another family had moved away.
Even as a conspiracy to kill the Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance unfolded, life for these people went on. Tomorrow, another plot might be brewing, and even if the Grand Demon War were to erupt, Jo Chunbae would still open the doors of the Flowing Wind Tavern come morning.
Geom Mugeuk finally felt that he had truly returned home. Once he shed his blinding obsession with the Completion of his martial arts, Jo Chunbae’s figure became all the clearer to him.
“You know the man who sells dolls in front, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“A new doll of the Great Young Master has come out.”
“Ah! It’s finally here.”
Jo Chunbae rushed to the counter and brought back a small box.
“I bought it in case the Young Cult Leader came by.”
Geom Mugeuk opened the box. The stern face was unmistakably that of his elder brother.
He recalled the dolls displayed in his father’s room. Perhaps, by now, this very doll was already standing proudly among them.
“Now that I think about it, tavern owner, you didn’t buy my doll. Only my brother’s.”
As if he had been waiting for that remark, Jo Chunbae replied,
“I’ve already bought three of yours. One for here, and I even sent them home to my homeplace.”
They continued chatting for some time, until Jo Chunbae excused himself and went downstairs, telling Geom Mugeuk to drink in peace. He declined to drink more himself, saying that on days like this he always made mistakes when drunk, so he stopped after just the very first glass.
And so, Geom Mugeuk drank alone and then gazed down toward the first floor.
Jo Chunbae sat at the counter where moonlight streamed in, staring out the window.
Suddenly, over his figure, Geom Mugeuk saw an image overlap—the Blood Heaven Blade Demon reading a book.
Geom Mugeuk understood.
What the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had once spoken of was precisely this sight before him now.
No matter how happy he was, no matter how much he wished to share a drink together—
Jo Chunbae never allowed himself to be swayed by fleeting emotions. He lived steadfastly by his principles.
That very appearance was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s teaching itself.
Tavern owner, you have already achieved your Ten Star Greatness.
“Tavern Owner.”
When Geom Mugeuk called him, Jo Chunbae looked up toward the second floor and asked,
“Do you need anything else?”
“Please bring me some good wine.”
“Seems you’re going to meet someone important.”
With a smile, Geom Mugeuk replied with words of hidden meaning.
“I’m trying to escape farther away from target.”
* * *
In the torchlit training grounds, martial artists were still training late into the night.
Twelve martial artists.
Unleashing their swords in unison to form a sword formation, they were none other than Geom Mugeuk’s escort warriors.
Whether they were from the day shift or the night shift, all of them trained together.
They struck their swords outward in all directions while standing in a perfect circle.
The sword formation they executed was a defensive sword array meant to protect a single person.
The life of the formation lay in harmony and linkage. They moved as one body, each complementing the other’s weaknesses.
The aura carried on their swords was extraordinary. Compared to when they had first come under Geom Mugeuk, the sharpness in their qi was incomparable.
And so, one round of training came to an end.
Haa, haa, haa—
Only the sound of restrained breathing filled the place.
Then suddenly, a voice rang out.
“You’ve all come a long way.”
Startled, the escort warriors spun around.
There, in the very center of the formation they had been guarding, sat Geom Mugeuk.
“Young Cult Leader!”
At the cry of Jeokyeon, their escort leader, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“Stay seated, all of you.”
So the escorts sat down, still facing inward. Their faces were filled with astonishment. There were twelve of them, yet none had noticed when the Young Cult Leader slipped inside and seated himself in their midst.
“You’re all working hard, aren’t you?”
“No, sir!”
At their thunderous reply, Geom Mugeuk first turned to Jeokyeon.
“Jeok Escort, I know you’re the one suffering the most.”
Those words filled Jeokyeon with joy. He didn’t endure this hardship seeking recognition, but hearing it acknowledged made him truly grateful.
“I also know well how hard it is to live as my escort.”
When they had first been ordered to guard the Young Cult Leader, they might have imagined something different—traveling the Central Plains alongside him, experiencing all sorts of adventures.
But apart from one outside mission, and the time he served as Acting Cult Leader when they guarded him inside the cult, most of their days had been spent training in martial arts.
Jeokyeon spoke to Geom Mugeuk.
“With the single thought that we must become stronger in order to guard you, Young Cult Leader, we trained relentlessly. But…”
With an expression torn between laughter and tears, Jeokyeon added,
“You returned even stronger.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled as he looked at Jeokyeon.
“Did you think I was someone who would easily accept anyone’s protection?”
He untied the bundle he had brought with him. From within, objects flew out toward everyone.
Srrrk! Srrrk! Srrrk!
What flew out simultaneously were wine cups.
He had brought twelve cups, intending to drink with them all.
The cups did not fall but hovered in front of each escort.
The escorts stared at the floating cups with astonishment. A single thought rose in every heart:
Could such a thing truly be possible?
Geom Mugeuk was now displaying divine might, simultaneously manipulating twelve objects in the air with Void Telekinesis.
Including his own cup, that made thirteen—and soon it became fourteen.
Slowly, the wine bottle floated up into the air and began to pour wine into the cup hovering before Jeokyeon.
Clink.
Once filled, the wine bottle drifted to another cup. But it did not go to the next escort beside him. Instead, it poured into the cup of Second.
They had once told Geom Mugeuk that when they went on missions outside, they were called by operation numbers from First to Twelfth.
From Second’s cup, the bottle moved on to Third’s, then to Fourth’s.
Geom Mugeuk remembered exactly what he had once been told, from Second down to the youngest, Twelfth.
The escorts had always thought the Young Cult Leader hardly knew them. To realize he had remembered them so precisely filled them with emotion.
“You remembered all of us.”
At Jeokyeon’s touched words, Geom Mugeuk’s expression grew apologetic. How indifferent had he been, that they were moved by something so small?
“Grow stronger. Only then will you protect me!”
Yet Geom Mugeuk did not apologize. If he had only kept them training to make his own life easier, an apology would have wounded their pride all the more.
Though he had vowed to himself that he must never be hasty—
“Be impatient. More impatient than others. Your Young Cult Leader might become the Cult Leader at any moment! Wake in the middle of the night, leap up, and swing your swords! Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
When Geom Mugeuk grasped the cup before him, the twelve escorts also seized their cups.
The one they were sworn to protect was a man who could speak to them like this while keeping thirteen cups floating in the air. To guard such a man, and to be told by him to grow stronger—how could they not feel stirred?
“I permit it. Grow ever stronger.”
Finishing his words, Geom Mugeuk drank his wine, and the escorts all emptied their cups in unison.
“And tomorrow, we’ll need to look the part—so have your clothes neatly pressed!”
Cha Iran was gazing out the window.
It was the first morning since she had come to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. The residence Geom Mugeuk had prepared for her was truly splendid.
And it wasn’t just her own room that was good.
The rooms provided for her subordinates were also clean and neat. The beds and bedding in particular had been replaced with brand new ones, showing great care.
From one thing, you could see ten. There was a reason she was here.
At that moment, First Beauty came and reported.
“Everything is prepared.”
“Let’s go.”
Geom Mugeuk had summoned them all. Instead of ornate clothes, they wore martial attire.
A new life was beginning for them now.
When they arrived at the training grounds located a little away from their quarters, there were already people waiting.
They were the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps, led by Lee Ahn.
One unit was led by Cheong Myeon, and the other by Seo Jin. They stood with extraordinary martial presence, showing precisely what discipline in an organized corps looked like.
At the front stood Lee Ahn.
Cha Iran realized that the sight of Lee Ahn standing before her subordinates was quite different from when she had first seen her in Anhui Province.
‘So back then, she hadn’t revealed her true aura.’
Lee Ahn introduced Cheong Myeon and Seo Jin to Cha Iran.
Cheong Myeon was once someone who might have become the next Evil Smiling Demon, so his martial aura was no ordinary thing. Seo Jin, too, had undergone relentless martial training and ghost arts training since returning from the Golden Dragon Martial Hall, and her aura had changed completely.
While Cha Iran observed them calmly, the assassin women by her side felt a competitive spirit they couldn’t quite explain.
Now they had to live not as assassins, but as martial artists. The confidence that they could kill anyone had to be transformed into the confidence that they could defeat anyone in battle.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk appeared.
Following behind him were twelve escorts, dressed in their formal guard uniforms.
On their chests was emblazoned the emblem of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion guards—
a demon drawn within a shield.
And on the black masks they wore, the single character for Demon was boldly embroidered in vigorous strokes.
Everyone present was formidable, yet the escorts did not pale in comparison.
From their appearance, Cha Iran and the assassin women once again felt the reality that Geom Mugeuk was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
As Geom Mugeuk arrived, everyone present simultaneously greeted him with formality.
“We greet the Young Cult Leader!”
Geom Mugeuk, too, accepted their salute properly today, returning a light fist salute. Since the moment was significant, he even acknowledged the youngest of the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps, Dan Yeon, with a glance.
Then he turned to Cha Iran.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thanks to your consideration, I slept soundly.”
The women standing behind Cha Iran also bowed their heads in unison, expressing gratitude. How could they not know? He had gone out of his way to take special care of them.
“I intend to grant you the position of division leader. But it requires the Cult Leader’s approval, so you will have to wait a little. In the meantime, you should also decide on a name.”
At that, Cha Iran spoke unexpected words.
“If possible, we would like to join the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps.”
It was truly an unforeseen request.
“Do you know what that means?”
“I do.”
It meant they would come under Lee Ahn.
Cha Iran’s gaze shifted toward Cheong Myeon and Seo Jin.
“Those two hardly seem like people who will remain mere unit leaders either.”
So Geom Mugeuk gave them their proper introductions.
“The First Unit Leader is one who gave up becoming the next Evil Smiling Demon, and the Second Unit Leader is a descendant of the Ghost Clan.”
As if saying, *I knew it*, Cha Iran nodded.
“For us who lived as assassins, to live now as martial artists will require much effort and time. We will learn under this young lady—no, this division leader. And since we have resolved to serve the Young Cult Leader, I do not think position is what matters.”
Geom Mugeuk thought her choice was truly wise. But he was not the one to decide.
“Lee Ahn. Will you accept them as the Third Unit?”
Lee Ahn looked at Cha Iran. She had reasons to accept them, and reasons to refuse. But her hesitation did not last long. For Geom Mugeuk’s sake, and for the sake of Cheong Myeon and Seo Jin, she had to accept them. What burdensome unit leaders these were!
“I accept you as the Third Unit Leader of the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps.”
Cha Iran bowed respectfully to Lee Ahn.
“I greet the division leader.”
“Let’s get along well from now on.”
With Cha Iran’s joining, the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps was finally complete.
Geom Mugeuk gazed at the three women with quiet emotion.
Lee Ahn, Seo Jin, and Cha Iran.
In his life before regression, and again in this life, these three women had been deeply connected with his life. And now, they had gathered under the name of the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to Cha Iran.
“For the Third Unit of the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps, I have a first mission to give personally.”
“Please tell me.”
His mission was something truly unexpected.
“You must become guests at an wedding ceremony.”
Startled, Cha Iran narrowed her eyes coldly and asked,
“Is it the groom we are to kill? Or the bride?”