274th Not a political war, but a political war.
Becoming the Murim lord was Jinhagunâs long-time dream.
I grew up watching my grandfather from a young age. This is something I have heard countless times from people around me.
You should follow in your grandfatherâs footsteps.
Of course, I thought that when I became an adult, I would naturally become a Murim lord. However, the grandfather announced that he would hand over the position of successor to someone with the ability and qualifications.
So I tried and tried again. Because becoming the Murim lord was Jin Ha-gunâs life itself. Because I couldnât even imagine a life without becoming a Murim lord.
But what? Are you giving up on being the Murim Lord?
It was the most shocking thing Jinha had ever heard in his life.
Seeing Jinhaâs expression harden, Hyeolcheondoma and Gwonma glanced at each other. I could see that the sword dance had sent some sort of signal.
Because they had experienced it too, they could guess what state Jinha was in now.
Bisain was also sitting across from me, so I saw his expression.
âno!â
Of course, that didnât mean he came between the two people and interrupted the conversation.
But Seo Baek-jung, who was in a hurry, had no such courtesy.
Seo Baek-jung sent a message to Jin Ha-gun.
-What are you talking about?
I shouldnât have intervened like this, but Jinhaâs expression was unusual.
-Please wait a moment.
From the short answer, Seo Baek-jung sensed that something was wrong. Jinha told me to wait, but I couldnât.
âIf the leader of the Demonic Cult is trying some trick, you must not overlook it!
Hearing Seo Baek-jungâs message, Jin Ha looked at him coldly. Leading the Murim Leagueâs elite organization, the Destruction Demon Corps, his prayers overwhelmed Seobaekjung.
Seo Baek-jung could no longer intervene due to the sharp reaction. I had a bad feeling. His eyes turned to the sword dance. From the first time I saw him, he was not an easy opponent. Can Jinha really handle the role of author? Seo Baek-jung sensed that a variable had occurred.
Jinhagun sent a message to Geommugeuk.
âAre you giving up your position as leader? What does that mean?
He tried to remain as calm as possible, but his voice was shaking.
âIt means that if you obtain Cheonhwamun, you will not be able to obtain the position of Murim lord.
Jinhaâs heart, which he had worked hard to calm down, began to beat rapidly again. The word Murim lord is like a weakness to him.
This is a modified work. You must never pass over. Jinha drank the drink in front of him. After controlling my mind like that, I asked calmly.
-Tell me the reason.
Geommugeuk did not answer right away. Everyone around them focused on the two people. Everyone felt it. A very important conversation is taking place between the two people.
Geomseon sent a message to Hyeolcheondoma.
-As long as Iâm around, youâd better not engage in vain tricks.
It seems like Geomseon felt something uneasy. Since they were experts, they could sense emotional changes just by changing the air currents.
-We live in a time when old people cannot interfere even if they want to. All we can do is just watch.
In response to Hyeolcheondomaâs answer, Geomseon spoke in a flirtatious tone.
-When you have to meddle, you have to meddle.
The two menâs personalities clearly had similarities.
âIsnât that why our school canât fight political factions?
Geomseon smiled slightly because it was a high praise for someone who said he couldnât play because of him.
âWhy are you sacrificing so much just because your juniors are so grateful to you?
âItâs not about sacrifice, itâs about living the right life.
-Live your own life.
If someone else had said it, it would have been frowned upon. However, the Hyeolcheon cutting board was an exception.
-Now what⊠Iâve lived like this my whole life. How can that life easily change?
-It could change.
Hyeolcheondomaâs gaze naturally turned towards the sword dance. Geomseonâs gaze also turned towards Geommugeuk and Jinhagun, wondering what Hyeolcheondomaâs last words meant.
At this moment, Jinha was urging the sword dance.
-Tell me the reason!
Then Geommugeuk stared at him and answered.
-You know the reason, right?
The moment Jinha heard those words, his heart sank. Geommugeuk began to uncover what he had been trying so hard to keep buried.
Jin Ha-gunâs gaze passed through the sword dance and turned to the person standing in the distance. He was Seo Cheong.
He is the one who killed an innocent person. Jinha was still thinking about what to do with him. It was because of such concerns that Seo Baek-jung did not say a single friendly word to his son when he first introduced him.
-What do you mean?
After asking, Jinha regretted it. I pretended not to notice in the hope that it would be something else.
âshit.â
Even if it was for another reason, I shouldnât have asked. You dreamed of becoming a Murim lord, but you pretended not to know to avoid the truth?
So, as if he had done something else, the sword dance precisely hit his weak spot.
-I mean Seocheong.
Jinha bit his molars without realizing it. Wake! Donât let that guy stop you. Unfortunately, this was not an opponent for whom such determination would work.
âDidnât you come here knowing what kind of crime he had committed?
âI amâŠ.
Jinha tried to answer calmly.
-I was going to think about what to do with him once I finished the Cheonhwamun affair.
âYou will punish me later?
After a moment, Geomugeuk asked.
âIsnât that something that shouldnât be done?
The words of the sword dance flew like a dagger and struck. It was something he had to say.
Isnât that what you demonic religion, your religious faction shouldnât be like?
Geommugeuk was feeling Jinhagunâs agitation. So I am hopeful. He is still young. There is still much to learn and experience. Itâs okay if you know how to be shy. Itâs okay to kick off the blanket when youâre young.
The sound of the sword dance continued.
âThe moment you obtain the Cheonhwamun, you will fail the test given by the Murim Lord.
-A test?
At the word âtest,â Jinha came to his senses.
-exactly. This is the Lordâs test.
-How do you know that?
-Because I met your leader.
âAre you telling me, your grandson, that you know Lord Maeng because you have met him many times?
âThatâs right, the number of times we met must have been incomparably greater than yours. However, great master.
Geommugeuk looked straight at him and asked.
âHave you been looking straight at your grandfather all this time?
For a moment, Jinha was shocked. Are you looking straight at your grandfather?
Of course I was watching.
The words didnât come out right away. Because my grandfather⊠was a very difficult person for me.
âWhat do you want to say?
Jinhaâs voice rose slightly. His composure was already broken and he was getting excited.
âWhat Iâm saying is that because heâs a close person, I donât see him anymore. At least I did.
Geommugeuk honestly conveyed what he felt. Because I knew that even if I tried all kinds of verbal techniques, it was sincerity that ultimately moved the other personâs heart.
-I never really saw my father before. I couldnât see it because I was scared, and I couldnât see it because I could see it at any time. Only recently have I been trying to see it properly. Thatâs why I said that. Even if you see it a hundred or thousand times, if you donât look at it properly, you may not know it as well as someone who saw it once.
The gazes of the two people intertwined in midair.
Jinha could not deny Geommugeukâs words. However, I couldnât just believe it. My grandfather wasnât thinking about that, but I thought he might be falling for the sword dance showâs trick. It was confusing.
-I doubt you. How can you be sure that these words are not a ploy to take over Cheonhwamun Gate?
Then the sword dance hit the nail on the head again.
-Then why are you looking at me?
-What do you mean?
-When in doubt, you should look at your grandfather. Shouldnât the answer be found there?
-!
Suddenly, Jinha remembered the time when he went to say hello to his grandfather before leaving here.
Come to think of it, my grandfather never said a single word about Cheonhwamun. We must get Cheonhwamun or how we should conduct ourselves.
He just told me to have a nice trip. Those eyes that looked at you.
Are those eyes really the look of joy at having obtained the Cheonhwamun without punishing the unrighteous?
no.
Maybe he knew. I just pretended not to know. Because it was something the master suggested for himself. Could it be that the master instead said what he wanted to say?
Letâs make a big contribution and become the successor!
Jinhaâs face heated up. Even if I pretended not to know or made excuses as a teacher, I knew. That he did it because he wanted to.
âThe person who connected you with that Lord of Heavenly Flowers does not want you to become a leader.
Jinhaâs expression suddenly hardened.
Geommugeuk was able to learn one thing from that reaction.
âHe is close to Jinha.â
It was definitely someone closer to Jinha, not Seo Baekjung.
Jinha trusted his master. I respect and follow him more than anyone else.
The reason Master proposed this job was also to make himself the leader.
âYou must trust your master! âYou must not fall for this bullying!â
Bisain was watching Jinhaâs expression change every moment.
What on earth did he say that made Jinha, whom he met for the first time, fall into such a rage?
Actually, if I thought about it myself, I came up with an answer. If you think about how your feelings have changed after encountering sword dance. In reality, what was going on at this drinking party was not a war between political affairs, but a war between political enemies.
Bisain sent a message to Geommugeuk.
-You are the greatest villain in this martial arts forest!
âTransferring is involved, so transfer later!
-No! Please get tangled up and understand this nonsense.
Bisain was surprised that he was saying this. I really didnât know that a person like me could make jokes like this with someone. I thought I wouldnât be able to have a true conversation with anyone with this ugly scar.
In the meantime, Seo Cheong sent a message to Seo Baekjung.
-Why is it so quiet?
â We are having a conversation using full voice.
-Someday, I will take revenge on that Demonic Cult leader. Please avenge my father!
Seo Baek-jung felt sorry for his son who couldnât even understand the atmosphere. He doesnât even say he will take revenge, but please take revenge. Compared to those three successors, it was even more pathetic.
However, raising him like this is ultimately his own responsibility.
-Donât act rashly and stay quiet.
They say that a position makes a person, so I thought that if I create a big position and pass it on, I will become a person worthy of it. It was a complacent thought. Raising a child, even just a part of the effort that went into raising Cheonhwamun, took greater effort than all of that effort.
The price of avoiding that responsibility was now saying this before my eyes
â Should I run away quietly, just in case?
Seo Baek-jung sighed and answered.
-Itâs already late. So stay calm.
Meanwhile, the sword dance and Jinhagunâs war music continued.
-Okay, letâs say youâre right. Why are you telling me this? To take over Cheonhwamun Gate?
-Of course there is that reason, but there is a bigger reason than that.
-what?
-I want you to be a person who sticks to principles.
A cold prayer spewed out from Jinhaâs body. He didnât even want to hear Mine talk about principles.
As he gained momentum, everyone around him tensed.
The Destruction Demon Corps increased their internal strength, and the Cheonmajeon Guard and the Four Apostles also increased their momentum and prepared for a counterattack.
On the other hand, the sword dance performance was extremely calm.
âLater, when you and I become leaders and leaders of a cult, our decisions will determine the life or death of tens of thousands of people. I hope we didnât make the wrong decision back then. You and me too. Thereâs that rain somaengju too. I want to be a person who sticks to principles.
Jinhaâs prayers, which had stretched out, faded away. He could feel it. That the sword dance is speaking from the heart. His eyes said this. Be a good leader. So letâs not wage war in our time.
âlost.â
It was one word that came to Jinhaâs mind.
Whether Geomgeukâs words were false or sincere, it was his complete defeat. I had to admit it. Whether Geomgeuk is a fraud or a real demon, he is at least a better person than himself. He said he was a difficult person to handle.
âI guess I have to try harder. âTen times, a hundred times more than now!â
One day, when he becomes the leader, he does not want the Murim Alliance to be taken away by the sword dance in front of him.
Jinha spoke calmly.
-I will be a person who sticks to principles. Itâs not because you want it. Because I really want to be that kind of person.
-I believe you will become that kind of person.
-Are you mocking me?
-The ridicule should be directed at a guy like Seo Cheong over there. Shouldnât this be done to Seo Baek-jung, who wants to protect a guy like that as his son? Isnât that why we exist? If not us, who can stop the children of a huge sect like Cheonhwamun?
-You reallyâŠ
you were a complete loser until the end.
Jinhaâs eyes suddenly turned to Bisain sitting across from him.
The two peopleâs eyes met. He was so absorbed in the sword dance that he didnât even notice that he was looking at him like this.
Bisain silently poured a drink into Jinhaâs empty glass.
It felt a little different now than when he first provocatively sat across from him.
Jinha drank the drink that Bisain poured for him. I never thought the drink poured by Sapaâs successor would be so comforting.
It wasnât just Visan that felt different.
Seo Baek-jung was looking at himself with strange eyes. It was as if those eyes asked:
âYouâre sure heâs not going over to the Demon Cult and trying to take his hands off us, right?â
At that moment, the sound of a sword dance was heard.
âAre you worried about your promise to Lord Cheonhwamun?
How quick-witted. Yes, I was worried. Just a little while ago, I was yelling at him to just trust me, but now I couldnât stop saying that Iâve changed my mind. Moreover, it was even more difficult because it wasnât just the two of us, but there were so many people watching.
-I will solve it so you wonât be in trouble. Are you okay?
The words Jin-ha said he didnât like came up to his throat. I didnât want to be swayed by the sword dance anymore. But we have to let go of Cheonhwamun. Only then will I have something to say to my grandfather when I return.
How on earth are you going to solve it without causing trouble? I was very curious about the solution.
At the moment when Jin Ha-gunâs head nodded slightly, Geommugeuk ended the long sound and opened his mouth.
âCome on, letâs have a drink and relax.â
We all drank together. Everyone was curious about how the sword dance and Jinhaâs telephonic conversation came to a conclusion.
Geommugeuk put down his drink and said indifferently.
âOriginally, this wasnât supposed to be this big. As everyone knows, this incident started to protect our son, Moon-ju, who committed multiple murders. I understand because it is the law of heaven. However, the dead people are innocent peopleâŠâ
At that time, someone interrupted the sword dance.
âWhat does that mean?â
It was Geomseon who lived his whole life for good deeds and consultation.