Chapter 60
The Secret Is Revealed (1)
After returning to the Alliance, Baek So-cheon went straight to see Zhuge Hyeon at the Strategic Command Center.
A messenger hawk had arrived ahead of him, so the strategists already knew that he had completed the mission safely.
The moment Baek So-cheon entered, they all bowed their heads respectfully.
Rumors had already spread that he had defeated Wang Ho, a master of the Secret Pavilion, during the formation of the Hyeoncheon Unit. This latest incident proved that his victory had not merely been due to luck.
However, what inspired their sincere respect was not Baek So-cheon’s martial prowess.
It was the courage he had shown in walking into a hostage situation for the sake of complete strangers.
Zhuge Hyeon hurried out of his office and clasped both of Baek So-cheon’s hands.
“I am so glad you returned safely. Truly, I am.”
“Fortunately, I was able to take advantage of their carelessness and eliminate them.”
“Why did they summon you?”
“Someone hired them to kill me.”
“As expected! Then who was behind it?”
“They said they received the commission from someone who concealed their identity.”
“Hmm. Do you have any idea who it might be?”
Baek So-cheon shook his head.
But inwardly, one person had already come to mind.
The Murim Alliance Leader.
What had happened at the recent banquet, when the Alliance Leader had tested whether he possessed internal energy, was the decisive reason.
What if it truly was him?
Then the situation was extremely serious.
If the Alliance Leader was acting under the influence of the Soul-Ensnaring Art, that would be one thing.
But what if he had tried to kill Baek So-cheon of his own free will?
What was Baek So-cheon supposed to do then?
Kill the Alliance Leader?
Run away?
The Cheokcheon Alliance Leader would eventually try to kill him as well, which might force him to fight the entire murim.
Baek So-cheon sincerely hoped the Alliance Leader was not responsible.
He handed Zhuge Hyeon the bank drafts he had found on the attackers.
“This money was taken from them. Just in case, please have these drafts traced.”
“Understood.”
Zhuge Hyeon assigned one of his subordinate strategists to investigate the drafts.
“By the way, when you came here the other day, it seemed as though you had something to tell me.”
Baek So-cheon had been about to speak when the emergency report about the hostage situation had arrived.
“Ah. I would like you to create an opportunity for me to meet the Alliance Leader naturally.”
“The Alliance Leader?”
“Yes. But it must not appear deliberate.”
“Hmm.”
Zhuge Hyeon thought for a moment before speaking as though something had occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, I heard that the Secret Pavilion Master’s birthday is in a few days. She is apparently holding a small banquet. Given their close relationship, would the Alliance Leader not attend?”
Considering how close the two were, the Alliance Leader would likely be there.
“The Secret Pavilion Master would need to invite me.”
“She will probably invite me. How about I bring you as my guest?”
“Yes. I suppose that will have to do.”
That night, Baek So-cheon was quietly practicing his cultivation method when Im Chung came to see him.
“Elder Brother.”
“What is it?”
“I brought you something to try. My wife made it.”
“Ah, thank you. Call Beon Saeng as well, and let us have a drink together.”
“Gladly.”
Im Chung brought Beon Saeng with him.
Beon Saeng had been practicing martial arts until late and had only just returned home.
“Ah! I was already thinking that a drink would be nice.”
The three shared cups of wine.
Back in Wensheng, they had seen one another every day.
Now, there were times when they did not meet even once in several days. Sometimes one of them would be away on an outside assignment for nearly a month.
“I am sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I brought the two of you all the way here, yet I feel as though I have not looked after you properly.”
“Please do not say that. We are not children. We should be able to take care of our own lives. The fact that you opened a path for us is already more than enough.”
At Beon Saeng’s mature response, Im Chung began speaking about his wife and son.
“I worried a great deal about my wife and son. I wondered whether they would be able to adapt after moving so far from home. Yet they adjusted even better than I did. Chan has already made several friends, and my wife has grown close to the neighbors. It made me realize that the future we fear in advance somehow has a way of working itself out.”
“That is good to hear.”
“What about you, Elder Brother?”
“I am doing well too. I have not felt this good at any point during the past three years.”
Im Chung and Beon Saeng smiled brightly.
“Then let us drink to that.”
“Good.”
With fine food to accompany the wine, none of them became drunk easily.
When Baek So-cheon thought back on the past, the word that came to mind was swept away.
He fought and fought again.
The eighteen-year-old youth had become a middle-aged man by the time the war ended.
Yet in his heart, he still felt as though he were the young man who had first joined the Alliance.
Fortunately, these days he had begun to notice the people around him.
Beon Saeng and Im Chung.
Zhuge Hyeon.
The subordinates who had joined the Hyeoncheon Unit.
Even Cheon-geuk and Na Sarin.
Before this, he had sometimes thought in his despair that all he had left were the riches he had accumulated on the battlefield.
But that had been nothing more than a petulant thought born of hopelessness.
There had always been people around him.
He simply had not looked at them properly.
Now he felt as though his life had finally gained a signpost.
Instead of vaguely thinking that he had to save the orthodox murim, he could now truly feel who it was he was fighting for.
Of course, there was something he needed to pursue beyond even those feelings.
He remembered what Ban Yun-saeng had told him.
—Live for yourself.
As Baek So-cheon emptied his cup, he answered silently.
Yes, Elder. I will find my happiness. No matter what.
That night, the three drank while laughing and talking.
The two men with him were neither extraordinary masters nor especially remarkable people.
Yet Baek So-cheon enjoyed the gathering more than any other.
***
Baek So-cheon spent the next several days practicing the secret technique Na Sarin had taught him.
It was an art that would remain useful in the future.
Being able to identify those who had learned the Soul-Ensnaring Art would greatly improve his chances of survival.
At last, the day of On Byeok-hwa’s birthday arrived.
There was no need to worry about how he would attend.
He did not even have to pretend that he had simply accompanied Zhuge Hyeon.
On Byeok-hwa had personally invited Baek So-cheon to the birthday banquet.
When he arrived, he had expected to find every pavilion master and corps commander in attendance.
Instead, she had invited only a select few.
Apart from them, only the Secret Pavilion warriors closest to her had been invited.
It was a clear indication that she had little interest in the internal politics of the Alliance.
“Happy birthday.”
Baek So-cheon presented her with a gift and offered his congratulations.
“Thank you.”
“And thank you for inviting me.”
“I only invited a few people for a modest gathering. Please, go inside.”
As practice, Baek So-cheon used the secret technique on her to determine whether she had any connection to the Soul-Ensnaring Art.
Just as Na Sarin had confirmed before, On Byeok-hwa was neither under its influence nor a practitioner of it.
When he entered the banquet hall, Zhuge Hyeon beckoned him over.
“You came.”
“You are here as well.”
“I did not expect the Secret Pavilion Master to invite you.”
“Neither did I.”
Why had she invited him?
Standing beside Zhuge Hyeon, Baek So-cheon observed the guests as they arrived.
As further practice, he used the technique on Zhuge Hyeon as well.
As expected, Zhuge Hyeon had absolutely no connection to the Soul-Ensnaring Art.
Baek So-cheon used the technique on everyone he encountered.
Not one person present was under the influence of the art or had learned it.
Only the Alliance Leader remained to be checked.
After greeting the arriving guests, On Byeok-hwa approached the two of them.
“I heard you rescued the Sa-yeong Sect Leader’s family in impressive fashion.”
“They let their guard down because I lacked internal energy. I was fortunate.”
“Surely it was your skill. Wang Ho of my pavilion seems to have no intention of ever returning.”
Wang Ho, who had challenged Baek So-cheon to a duel on the first day and been beaten, had become even more loyal after hearing that Baek So-cheon had killed the enemies at the Sa-yeong Sect.
He had praised Baek So-cheon endlessly whenever he met his former colleagues in the Secret Pavilion, and word had even reached On Byeok-hwa.
“Warrior Wang has a strong sense of responsibility. Perhaps he wishes to help because I am lacking.”
When Baek So-cheon defended Wang Ho kindly, On Byeok-hwa smiled.
Just then, Ak So-gun arrived with his guards.
The moment the Alliance Leader appeared, everyone greeted him respectfully.
“We greet the Alliance Leader.”
“There is no need to stand on excessive ceremony at a gathering like this.”
Ak So-gun approached On Byeok-hwa.
“Happy birthday.”
“I hardly know how to respond to the congratulations of such an esteemed person.”
“If we are speaking of who is esteemed, you are far more precious than I am.”
“Please do not say that. With the situation as it is, I feel almost guilty for celebrating my birthday.”
“Hahaha. The more difficult the circumstances, the more important it is to observe the occasions that should be observed. Come, let us all have a drink.”
“I will pour you one.”
On Byeok-hwa filled Ak So-gun’s cup.
Up to that moment, Ak So-gun had not looked even once toward where Baek So-cheon and Zhuge Hyeon stood.
Everyone raised their cups and congratulated On Byeok-hwa on her birthday.
Baek So-cheon approached Ak So-gun together with Zhuge Hyeon.
Only then did Ak So-gun turn his gaze toward him.
“The Sa-yeong Sect Leader came personally to express his gratitude. Your contribution was considerable.”
“You praise me too highly.”
Ak So-gun’s face was redder than usual, and he was sweating heavily.
For a Transcendent-Realm master, who should have been able to control his body freely, it was an unexpected sight.
“I heard the men responsible were fairly skilled.”
“I was fortunate. They were careless as well.”
“You will need to be more cautious from now on. News of this matter has spread through the martial world. Your enemies will no longer underestimate you.”
“I will be careful.”
“Continue devoting yourself to the Alliance.”
“Yes.”
After ending the conversation, Ak So-gun walked over to where the Secret Pavilion Master stood.
Zhuge Hyeon moved closer to Baek So-cheon.
Baek So-cheon’s expression had hardened.
“What is it?”
At Zhuge Hyeon’s question, Baek So-cheon checked whether anyone was concealed nearby.
Even without internal energy, his uncanny senses had once detected Cheon-geuk while she was hiding.
Now that his internal energy had returned, it was impossible for any master to conceal themselves nearby and eavesdrop without his knowledge.
Once he confirmed that no one was hiding around them, Baek So-cheon spoke in a low voice that only Zhuge Hyeon could hear.
“The Alliance Leader is not under the influence of the Soul-Ensnaring Art.”
“...!”
That night, Baek So-cheon stood alone at the summit of a mountain.
The night wind whipped his hair around, but he remained completely still, lost in thought.
To be honest, he had hoped the Alliance Leader was under the influence of the Soul-Ensnaring Art.
But Ak So-gun was not.
Did that mean the red speck he had seen reflected in the man’s eyes had merely been an illusion?
Why had he imagined such a thing?
For the sake of the murim, it was truly fortunate.
The problem was Baek So-cheon himself.
It meant that every action the Alliance Leader had taken until now had been of his own free will.
He had barely visited Baek So-cheon while he was injured.
Even while Baek So-cheon was being demoted, he had never once summoned him or come to see him.
Baek So-cheon simply could not understand it.
He had respected, obeyed, and devoted himself to that man for his entire life.
Why?
Had he simply become useless after losing his internal energy?
Even if that were true, Baek So-cheon had believed Ak So-gun was the sort of man who would offer him a better farewell than such an undignified parting.
Someone spoke from behind him.
“What are you thinking about so deeply? You would not even notice if someone pushed you.”
“You came?”
The person who had arrived was Cheon-geuk.
She could already tell the result from Baek So-cheon’s subdued tone.
“The Alliance Leader was not under the influence of the Soul-Ensnaring Art.”
Baek So-cheon nodded.
Cheon-geuk knew what the relationship between the two men had been like over the past three years.
“What are you going to do now?”
“...”
“Just leave the Murim Alliance.”
Baek So-cheon was human.
Of course that thought had crossed his mind.
But war was on the verge of breaking out.
He could not simply leave when he knew countless people would die.
Furthermore, there were Beon Saeng, Im Chung, and the subordinates who had joined the Hyeoncheon Unit.
Had he not recovered his internal energy, he felt that learning this truth might have broken him.
But things were different now.
He possessed both the strength and the will to solve the problem.
“I am going to discover why he did it.”
No matter how he thought about it, Ak So-gun’s behavior made no sense.
Then had Ak So-gun also arranged the hostage incident at the Sa-yeong Sect?
The fact that Baek So-cheon had defeated Wang Ho was already common knowledge within the Alliance.
Ak So-gun should have known that three masters of that level might not be enough to kill him.
Had he truly intended to kill Baek So-cheon, he would have sent far more reliable experts.
Something is strange.
Whenever Baek So-cheon tried to fit the idea of the Alliance Leader together with the idea of the hidden mastermind, the pieces did not align perfectly.
There was always a subtle mismatch.
Cheon-geuk watched him think and said,
“I will help too.”
“It is fine. Nothing good will come from you becoming deeply involved in the affairs of the Murim Alliance.”
“Even so, tell me whenever you need help.”
“I will.”
When he had first summoned Cheon-geuk, he could never have imagined that their relationship would become like this.
Yet as if to remind him that life could never be predicted even one step ahead, they had developed a profound trust in one another.
Bathed in the cool autumn wind, the two stood together at the edge of the cliff for a long time.