Episode 161: Sometimes tragedy is nearby.
The two prayers were different.
If my fatherâs prayer was like falling into an endless abyss, my body became cold, my energy slowed down, and I was gripped by the fear of suffocation, then Murim Lord Jin Pae-cheonâs prayer was like a typhoon in a dark sea.
I steadfastly resisted the leaderâs prayers. The storm lifted me into the air and sank me to the bottom of the sea, but I did not lose consciousness.
My martial arts skills began to react reflexively. When I encounter a strong enemy, Pungshinsabo stimulates me like this.
-letâs fight. Letâs tear that prayer apart! Letâs get through the typhoon!
Trying to suppress the temptation of this top-class martial arts skill, I endured the Murim Lordâs prayer until the end. Just as the dance at the bar with my father helped me greatly, just holding on to this prayer will be a great learning experience.
As I endured the prayer, the expression âLook at this guy?â appeared on the Murim Lordâs face.
At the same time, the pressure became more intense. Lightning began to strike the typhoon-ridden sea. Huge whirlwinds formed in various parts of the ocean, raising the sea water. The leaderâs prayer truly brought about great fear.
The Murim Lord was such a thief. I thought that maybe the reason my father dreamed of unifying the Murim was because of this Murim lord. There was no way the presence of such a strong antagonist would not have irritated my father.
My ability to endure has reached its limit. Now is the time to either collapse or run away.
Just then I saw it again.
Two eyes.
Huge eyes looking at me.
Some gigantic being was looking at me. I could see that it was the Heavenly Demon Spirit that I had seen in the picture before.
Why do I keep seeing visions of the Heavenly Demon Spirit when I havenât even learned the Nine Fire Magic Gong yet?
A huge Heavenly Demon Spirit stood tall in the sea, blocking the blowing typhoon and looking down at me. Those eyes seemed to despise me, seemed to miss me, and felt pity for me. It also seemed like there were no emotions whatsoever.
The illusion of the Heavenly Demon Soul gradually disappeared.
The Murim lordâs prayers that threatened to kill him had already disappeared. The Murim lord standing in the distance was surprised at me for holding on until the end.
I was almost on the verge of collapsing. If the Heavenly Demon Spirit had not stopped him at the last moment, he would have lost consciousness and collapsed. The Heavenly Demon Spirit may have been an illusion created by my mental power, but it was so vivid that it felt like the real Heavenly Demon Spirit had visited me.
I repeated to the leader what I said earlier.
-Only I can save my granddaughter.
Now, Qin Feichian was no longer angry. Because these were words spoken by someone who endured his prayers.
-What does that mean?
Meeting the Murim Lord and revealing his identity.
It was a choice I would not have made originally. However, the reason I ultimately chose it was because of the two weapons I had.
The first is because I trust my experience. From the experience before the regression to the experience gained while dealing with the Mazons after the regression. Because you trust me.
However, if it were not for the second weapon, he would not have made the reckless choice to meet the Murim Lord, relying only on experience.
My second weapon is his granddaughter Jin Ha-ryeong.
Since she was deeply involved in this matter, I was convinced that the Murim Lord had no choice but to help me in the end. I feel sorry for her, but I plan to take full advantage of her. Iâm sure youâll understand, since itâs for her sake anyway.
âHave you heard of Cheonmyeonghoe?
Jin Peicheon nodded. Recently, many evil deeds have been committed by impersonating our school, so of course the Murim Alliance is aware of this fact.
-I was tracking them under my fatherâs orders. However, I received information that they are plotting in relation to this Soryong War.
âWhat is the source of information?
âThis is a wicked gokju.
Jin Peicheon was not surprised. Like Cheonmyeonghoe, he would have heard information about the recent death of Gokju, a wicked man. I just didnât know yet that these two incidents were connected.
-I heard that the owner of the evil song has changed.
âThis is something he revealed in order to survive, so it is certain information. Thatâs why Iâve come to have my subordinates participate in the Xiaolong battle and capture them.
-If something like that had happened, you should have told us.
-There are circumstances where that cannot be done.
-What is the situation?
âBecause defeating Lord Cheonmyeong is the test for succession given to me.
Jin Peicheonâs eyes deepened coldly and he prayed again. This prayer was different from the typhoon-riddled sea seen earlier. It was an attempt to confirm whether my words were true with a gentle prayer that wrapped around my body like a spring breeze and read the changes in my emotions.
â Let Haryeong tell the story.
âI am convinced that Cheonmyeonghoe is targeting Jin Soje.
âWhy are you sure?
âWe have discovered information that Cheonmyeonghoe is plotting in relation to Soryongjeon. However, when I came here, I saw that Sojeo, who lost in this Soryong match, participated and is even a strong candidate for the championship. A coincidence? youâre welcome. Iâm sure theyâll be targeting Jean Sozer. No, they planned it from the beginning after knowing that Jin Sozer would participate.
âEven if that were the case, it would be a matter for me to take action and resolve it myself. Why would I entrust my granddaughterâs affairs to you?
âIf anyone other than me intervenes now, Jin Soje will be in danger.
The prayer that had gently enveloped me suddenly became cold. As soon as the granddaughterâs danger was mentioned, Gido became desperate.
âCheonmyeonghoe is a much larger and more powerful organization than we originally thought. Perhaps even among the leaders of our church or the Murim League, there may be people who have already been taken in by them. This is also why we need to have a full-fledged conversation now.
I told them how the evil Gokju and the evil Somaâs Four Baek had already been captured by them. It would not have been easy to see someone like this included.
-If you look into it, you will know that what I say is true. Fortunately, they donât yet know that Iâm here and tracking them. If you trust me, I will bring them to their senses.
Jin Feicheon stared at me without saying a word. Originally, I would have thought it was a conspiracy by our school and would never have believed it. However, when Jin Ha-ryeong was involved, he could not easily shake it off.
I am the only one who can save your granddaughter now.
My persuasion continued with the most powerful weapon.
âI think youâve heard a lot of information about me. I donât know what kind of information it was, but Iâm sure of this. I am trying to build a magic island that is different from before. At least they donât use the opposing campâs young granddaughter to make things up.
The Heavenly Demon Church and the Murim League of Apostles are sending countless messages to each other. So I know all the basic information. I think you probably understand to some extent the details of my activities as a netherfoot note.
âDo you know why I was determined to save my granddaughter?
-Why?
âShe is the granddaughter of the Murim lord, but she is someone who is willing to marry her just to protect the life of a servant. You raised me really well.
It was both sincerity and flattery.
Jin Feicheon walked towards me with long strides.
Flash! The moment I did that, Jin Feicheonâs sword was aimed at my neck.
âGo back and wait. âI will give you an answer soon.â
âyes I will wait.â
I greeted him politely and turned around.
I could feel his gaze from behind my back, so powerful that it felt as if it would pierce through me.
Itâs natural to have doubts about me, but I just hope you make a wise decision.
* * *
When he returned to his guesthouse, Seo Dae-ryong had all his luggage packed so he could leave at any time.
âah! âYouâre back!â
âWhat is all this?â
âWhat would you like? âI packed my bags so that I could escape if the situation arises.â
âI am?â
âDo not worry. âMr. Gakju, I have packed all my luggage.â
âno. âIf something happens, it means Iâm in trouble, right?â
âBut that doesnât mean they canât beat me, right?â
ââŠ.â
ââŠ.â
âah! âYou donât know how much I wanted to hear this lame joke from you.â
âIt wasnât a joke. Anyway, how was it? âHave you met the Murim Lord?â
âI thought I was going to die.â
âItâs strong as expected, right?â
I nodded.
âWelcome back.â
Seo Dae-ryong started unpacking again. The face that had lost all playfulness was filled with relief.
Now I know enough about Seo Dae-ryong. Itâs not a joke, if I do something wrong, he will run away immediately. I am not the type of person to rush emotionally to seek revenge.
Only after he goes back and reports the situation will his revenge begin. Just as I memorized all the gods of the Demon Lord to get revenge on my senior Hwangcheongak, I may memorize all the martial arts warriors. Seo Dae-ryong is a man who dreams of revenge until his death, whether it be for ten or a hundred years.
âWhat is Mr. Gakjuâs identity?â
âNow I know itâs me.â
âThen I understand.â
âyes.â
âCan I still win?â
Can you do it? Seo Dae-ryongâs expression was very serious as he asked this.
âNow I have to do it no matter what.â
âwhy?â
âThe Murim Lord knew about the existence of Cheonmyeonghoe, right? âSo you want your granddaughter to win and become their goal?â
âI hope I win and become their goal instead.â
âyes.â
âAh, where would someone live without a grandfather so sad? grandfather! Are you watching?â
I said, laughing at Seo Dae-ryongâs joke.
âThink positively. âBecause this is the moment in your life when you receive the support of the Murim Lord.â
âah! I see. I have another thing to brag about at the drinking party. But is it okay to reveal everything like this to the Murim Lord?â
âWe must give up the idea that we can achieve something by fooling the Murim Lord. I will continue to treat him honestly. âI will show you all 99 truths.â
âThen what is the other lie?â
âWhy do you think itâs false?â
âyes?â
âIt could be the truth that hasnât been told yet.â
âWhat truth?â
I said while looking at the Murim Alliance building in the distance outside the window.
âYou will find out much later.â
* * *
I woke up early the next morning.
The Heavenly Demon Tiger woke me up.
When I left the guest room and went down to the first floor, I saw someone sitting alone in a guest room on the first floor with the door closed. Although he did not reveal any prayers, his presence was revealed just by his outline in the darkness. The person who made me nervous just by sitting with his back turned was none other than the Murim lord Jin Peecheon.
âAre you here?â
I sat across from him. There was no sign of the Heavenly Dragon Squadron around. However, it will not be far away and will be hiding in various places, guarding the surrounding area tightly.
Jin Peicheon suddenly brought up the story of his father.
âIâve met your father twice in my life.â
I listened to his story in silence.
âHe was a person who made me think I should try harder every time I met him. âIt was your father who didnât let me stop.â
I felt like I knew what the leader was feeling. Because my father was a person who aspired to become stronger than anyone else.
âI forgot about it for a while, but yesterday you rekindled the dying embers in my heart.â
It meant that he had a strong impression on me for receiving his prayer. If Iâm like this when Iâm young, what will it be like later? You must have felt this sense of crisis.
âOkay, Iâll leave this matter to you.â
You must have thought a lot before making this decision. Who did he consult with? Who was the person he trusted most?
âThere is only one condition.â
âPlease speak.â
âI need to know everything that follows. From this moment on, you will have one of my people attached to you. âThat person will be watching your every move.â
Even now, I felt that someone was hiding around us. He was as expert in the art of stealth as his fatherâs bodyguard, Hwi. Of course, I didnât reveal that I was sensing him.
The reason the Murim Lord entrusted this task to me is not just because of a possible traitor.
There was also a desire to test me. Out of a desire to find out what kind of person I was who could become the next cult leader, I ended up taking the test from both the demonic cult leader and the Murim lord.
âInstead, I also have a condition.â
âSomething?â
âWe take care of Cheonmyeonghoeju. Instead, we will handle it as secretly as possible and then return.â
Jin Feicheon nodded and stood up.
âJust do what you have to do and leave.â
I could see what Jin Peicheon was worried about. It meant not to shake Jin Ha-ryeongâs heart.
âThe subordinate who came with me is making fun of me. The end of fateful love is always a tragedy. But young people these days donât like tragedy. âThat applies not only to me but also to my granddaughter.â
I know very well why Jin Feicheon is so worried. Because his son met a tragic end along with his daughter-in-law, he did not want his granddaughter to be caught up in the tragedy caused by the issue of men and women.
âSometimes tragedy can be just around the corner.â
âWhat does it mean?â
âWhen my granddaughter said she was dating me in front of so many people, it probably wasnât just because she liked or favored me.â
âAre you saying itâs because of him trying to kill you?â
âJin Soje resembles Lord Meng. âHe is a person who can never tolerate injustice.â
âThatâs why there are times when I worry more.â
âThen find out who he is and how he is putting pressure on your granddaughter. âThat one investigation will improve your relationship with your granddaughter more than a hundred worries.â
Jin Feicheon, who stared at me for a moment as if glaring at me, left without saying a single word.
âDonât worry unnecessarily and just do your job well.â
After watching the back of the leader disappearing in the distance, I went up to the guest room on the second floor. I spoke into the air before entering the room.
âPlease sleep with me when I sleep. Iâll tell you where I go.â
Even though he pretended to be friendly, he went into hiding and made no reply.