Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Chapter 329: I’ll Bet My Wrist There’s No Poison Like That
If reviving the Blood Cult wasn’t the purpose, then what was the reason?
So Baekta couldn’t stop wondering about that.
“Why did he instigate me to unite the Wilderness under one banner?”
It wasn’t just So Baekta; even the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the Demonic Buddha wore expressions of bafflement. Naturally, all eyes turned to Geom Mugeuk.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Isn’t our Young Cult Leader the one who sees through all the secrets of the world?”
Jeong Dae had meant it as a jest—as if he’d know even this—but Geom Mugeuk had already seen through it. 1
“I do have a guess.”
He called it a guess, but in truth, he was confident.
“It’s because of the New Hero Iron Workshop.”
While the others looked puzzled, So Baekta turned to Geom Mugeuk and spoke.
“That place is where our cult secretly had weapons manufactured.”
“I know. I’ve already been there with your master. We even discovered the large underground workshop.”
So Baekta's face flushed. The New Hero Iron Workshop was a critical piece of his disgraceful past.
“He was probably trying to turn the New Hero Iron Workshop into the greatest ironworks in the Wilderness through war.”
It was a deduction based on his past life, in which the New Hero Iron Workshop had actually become the greatest forge in the Central Plains.
“The war must have been planned for quite some time. The New Hero Iron Workshop would’ve been secretly selling weapons to the forces opposing the Heavenly Wind Cult too.”
After all, there was nothing more profitable for a forge than a prolonged war.
“Look into it later. If you find that the New Hero Iron Workshop had contact with other forces in the Wilderness, then my guess is right.”
So Baekta felt it was probably true. Throughout the time the Hwan Wang had been whispering in his ear, he constantly emphasized thorough war preparations through New Hero Iron Workshop and warned him to be ready for a long-term conflict. In the end, he had been thoroughly used by that man.
“Speaking of the New Hero Iron Workshop, there’s still one thing left to confirm.”
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader seemed to guess what Geom Mugeuk wanted to check and sent him a sound transmission.
— I’ll handle it myself.
Jeong Dae calmly looked So Baekta in the eyes and asked,
“What happened to Elder Seong?”
At first, the Cult Leader had his doubts, but by now he believed that So Baekta hadn’t killed him. During this hostage incident, he was reminded why he had chosen So Baekta in the first place.
That’s why he was certain. Though the young man had been misled by the Illusion King and chased an empty dream, at the very least, he wasn’t the kind to commit such an act.
“What do you mean? Did something happen to Elder Seong?”
“He’s currently missing.”
Just seeing So Baekta’s reaction was enough to confirm he hadn’t done it.
“Don’t tell me! Was it him?”
Geom Mugeuk was even more relieved than the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. If So Baekta had killed him, the Cult Leader would never have been able to forgive his disciple.
And regardless of what punishment was given to the disciple, Jeong Dae would have suffered an irreparable wound to the heart.
So Baekta blamed himself with a gloomy expression.
“Ah! If something had happened to Elder Seong, it would’ve been my fault. If only I hadn’t gotten involved with that person in the first place, Elder Seong would never have left the cult. And I didn’t even know Elder Seong had gone missing.”
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader comforted his disciple.
“Don’t blame yourself too much. We still don’t know if he’s dead or alive.”
The four of them left the residence of Hwan Wang.
Just as they were heading toward the Cult Leader’s Hall, a martial artist came and delivered a letter. It was from Gowol. The final player in this incident had been Gowol.
“Commander Go found out where Elder Seong is.”
At those words, not only the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader but even So Baekta was shocked.
“He’s alive?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Where is he?”
The same place was mentioned once more, this time from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.
“The New Hero Iron Workshop.”
* * *
Jeong Dae and So Baekta, along with the top experts of the Heavenly Wind Cult, swept through the New Hero Iron Workshop and safely rescued Elder Seong, who had been imprisoned underground.
In that process, all the experts affiliated with Hwan Wang lost their lives.
Those who had worked unknowingly were not killed, but instead scattered. Just like Hwan Wang vanished, the New Hero Iron Workshop also disappeared from the martial world.
While the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and So Baekta were reunited with Elder Seong, I was roaming an unnamed mountain in the Wilderness with the Demonic Buddha, searching for poisonous herbs. Because now, the matters of the Heavenly Wind Cult were theirs to handle.
The herbs that grew in the Wilderness were quite different from those in the Central Plains.
Even if it wasn’t the one he was looking for, whenever the Demonic Buddha saw a new herb, he examined it carefully. Like the Poison King once did, he would draw the herb and jot down its characteristics on paper.
It seemed like he genuinely enjoyed doing this, and at the same time, I wondered if he had thrown himself into this just to stay sane—if immersing himself in something like this was the only way he could endure. I didn’t know what was truly in his heart.
“Isn’t this the herb we were looking for?”
At my shout, Ma Bul came to check.
“It’s the same. We finally found it! Poison King, wait just a little longer! I’m coming back with the herb you asked for! Not the Demonic Buddha, me! I’m the one who found it!”
Since Ma Bul had memorized all the herbs in the drawings, I was the one comparing them with the paper in my hand. He compared the poisonous herb in my hand with the one from the drawing.
“It looks similar, but this isn’t it.”
“Jealousy, sabotage, none of it works. Step away from the poison!”
“It’s supposed to have five leaves, but doesn’t this one have six? Look here. It’s even noted specifically, isn’t it? Ones with six leaves are commonly found.”
“We had such a hard time even finding one of these so-called common ones! Aren’t they just too hard to find? It’s already been two hours and we haven’t found a single one.”
“If it were that easy to find, I wouldn’t have asked you.”
“Oof, my back…”
The Demonic Buddha bent his waist again and continued inspecting the grass.
“Stop exaggerating. That back of yours took a beating from the Iron Blood Heaven-Breaking Art and came out just fine.”
“Working back and fighting back aren’t the same, are they? I can’t do this anymore! I quit!”
Geom Mugeuk flopped bonelessly onto a rock.
“Real mature, while grown-ups are working.”
“The sky looks nice from here. Lie down for a moment, you’ll see.”
The drifting clouds looked peaceful. This brief rest felt incredibly precious. Of course, since the Demonic Buddha was still working, I couldn’t allow myself to just sit and rest.
I sprang up and spread out the papers with the drawings of poisonous herbs around me.
“I’ve never seen anything that looks like these in my whole life. I’m telling you, the Poison King’s just messing with us! I’d bet my wrist these herbs don’t even exist!”
Just then, as if to call me a liar, the Demonic Buddha lifted a poisonous herb high.
“Found it!”
I compared the herb he brought back with the drawing—it was an exact match.
“So it really does exist.”
“Which wrist is it?”
“I’ll bet with you after I master the Invincible Vajra Technique.” 2
The Demonic Buddha placed the herb on a rock and ran off again to dig more.
“You already got one—take a break first!”
He didn’t even pretend to hear me and kept scanning the area with sharp eyes.
Sitting on the rock, I silently watched him collect herbs. Now that I thought about it, Ma Bul was always someone who moved around busily on those short legs. Whether it was when he tried to make his brother the successor or now, while gathering poisonous herbs—he had always been a naturally diligent person.
“Found another one!”
He came back with yet another poisonous herb. That one was also in the drawings.
“You rigged this, didn’t you? You hid these herbs here from the start, didn’t you? You’re out to get my wrist, aren’t you!”
It was almost unbelievable how good he was at finding them.
“That’s exactly why the Poison King asked me.”
As he was about to go dig again, I grabbed him and forced him to take a break.
The Demonic Buddha reluctantly brushed the dirt from his hands and sat on a rock for a moment.
“You’ve been a huge help coming with me this time.”
“I was just background decor.”
“You were the folding screen that protected our lives.”
After a moment of silence, Ma Bul asked,
“Tell me, Young Cult Leader.”
“Yes?”
“Who are the ones behind this incident?”
The Demonic Buddha had heard earlier, when I told So Baekta that our cult had almost lost the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme and that the Martial Alliance Lord's grandson was targeted too.
“There’s a certain organization infiltrating key groups of the martial world, trying to plant deep roots. We don’t know exactly which organization yet.”
“Does the Cult Leader know as well?”
Gowol had been sharing all the information with the Heavenly Communication Pavilion. Of course, the existence of an infiltrating organization was known.
“Since the Chief Strategist knows, Father must know too.”
At that, the Demonic Buddha nodded with a calm expression. This must be the kind of faith the Demon Supremes had in my father.
“They’re the ones who brought in someone who inherited the Blood Cult's Illusion Art in its purest form. Be careful from now on.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“You need to protect the Cult well so that I can live this kind of life, don’t you think?”
As the Demonic Buddha ended his short break and went back to digging for poisonous herbs, I shouted at him.
“Please, just let me count this one root as mine! That way, I can brag a little when I go back! I’m begging you!”
Ma Bul pretended not to hear and bent even deeper into the thicket.
* * *
By the time they returned with the poisonous herbs, So Baekta was waiting for Geom Mugeuk at the Cult Leader’s Hall.
“I asked you here because I had something to tell you, Young Cult Leader.”
Now that Elder Seong had returned safely, he wore a bright expression. Compared to the first time he met him, the current Heavenly Wind Cult Leader looked like a different person entirely. Perhaps this was his true self.
So Baekta slowly looked around the Cult Leader’s Hall.
“I could tell Master was startled when he first saw this place. It was completely rebuilt, so of course it was shocking. Honestly, that was my intent. It was when I resented Master the most. Still, I don’t plan to change the Cult Leader’s Hall back. The old hall… to be frank, it was quite outdated.”
He had truly taken his master’s advice to live for himself to heart.
“I plan to give it my all here.”
“I believe you’ll do well as Cult Leader.”
“Thank you for helping me this time. If the chance comes, I will definitely repay this favor.”
“I only did it for your master’s sake. You owe me no thanks.”
“That’s exactly why I’m thankful.”
After this incident, it wasn’t just Geom Mugeuk who had grown closer to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.
“In that spirit, I’d like to give you a gift, Young Cult Leader.”
So Baekta manipulated the back of the Wind Spirit Throne, and the surrounding walls rose to reveal the cult’s sacred relics.
“Choose one of our sacred relics.” 3
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
What was a sacred relic worth anyway? He had saved a life, restored the bond with his master and put him back on the right track. Still, Geom Mugeuk found So Baekta’s offer of a sacred relic quite unexpected.
“I can really choose one?”
“Of course. But not the Thunder Bell.” 4
“That much I figured. But… does your master know about this?”
“Why? Do you need his permission?”
“Not exactly. Just don’t regret it. I don’t turn down gifts.”
“Before I change my mind, hurry and pick what you want.”
Geom Mugeuk looked around at the sacred relics. First, he approached the Thunder Bell and greeted the evil spirits dwelling within.
‘I’ll be leaving soon, so I won’t see you guys anymore.’
Just like the Demonic Fiends of the Nine Calamities Demon Art, the evil spirits within the Thunder Bell now felt like friends.
‘I’ll return next time with Gowol.’
Geom Mugeuk looked through the relics one by one. In truth, he had seen all of these sacred relics before—back when Jeong Dae had given him the Blood Divine Pill or the Supreme Heavenly Silk.
Among the other sacred relics, the one that first caught the eye was the Blood Dragon Divine Robe—like a cloak of bloody wind, it could be worn and granted blade immunity. If not that, there was also the Fiery Burn Pill, which didn’t compare to the Blood Divine Pill in effectiveness, but still offered a substantial boost to inner energy.
Geom Mugeuk walked slowly, once more looking over the sacred relics.
As he made a full round along the Cult Leader’s Hall wall, a faint vibration stirred in his chest.
Vmm!
Astonishingly, the hidden box tucked in his robe gave off a faint tremor. Since acquiring the Secret Box, this was the first time it had ever reacted this way.
Geom Mugeuk understood. The Secret Box was reacting to one of the sacred relics before him. To confirm it, he stepped away for a moment and then returned—and again, it vibrated faintly in front of the same object. 5
The relic that triggered the Secret Box was a small black iron orb, just a bit smaller than a fist.
“What’s this sacred relic?”
“It’s called Black Eye, since it looks like a dark eyeball.”
“What does it do?”
“No one knows. It’s just been passed down in the cult for generations.”
He had seen it before but always walked past it without giving it much thought.
Only with the Secret Box close by could he realize that the two were connected.
If this Black Eye could unlock the secret of the Secret Box...
Then it made sense why the secret hadn’t been revealed until now. None of the former leaders of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who possessed the box had ever come near the Black Eye. 6
A thrill of anticipation surged through him at the thought that this might finally be the key to unlocking its secrets.
“I’ll choose this one.”
“Are you sure about that? The former cult leaders studied it thoroughly and concluded it was nothing but a lump of iron.”
“Yet it’s still placed here among the sacred relics, isn’t it? That just makes it seem even more extraordinary.”
“I didn’t expect you to interpret it that way.”
“This is the one I want.”
Geom Mugeuk picked up the Black Eye. As if in affirmation, the Secret Box in his robes pulsed again.
“Thank you for the generous gift.”
He accepted this as fate. To have acquired the Secret Box, come to the Wilderness, and been gifted a sacred relic—if he hadn’t saved that man, he would never have gotten the Black Eye.
Just then, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader entered.
“What’s that?”
Geom Mugeuk quickly slipped the Black Eye into his robes with a sleight of hand.
“Don’t tell me… You didn’t just con a sacred relic out of my disciple, did you?”
“I didn’t con anything. The Cult Leader gave it to me as a gift.”
“Says who!”
“Not the former Cult Leader, but the current Cult Leader, of course!”
As Geom Mugeuk darted away, he shouted,
“When you start cursing me later, be sure to include this too!”
Sure enough, Jeong Dae immediately shouted after him.
“Stop right there, you shameless Young Cult Leader who robs even from your own teacher!”
Naturally, Geom Mugeuk didn’t look back as he exited the Cult Leader’s Hall.
Now alone with his disciple, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader’s furious expression softened.
“Thanks for doing me this favor.” 7
1 : “Elementary my dear Wats-Jeong Dae.”
2 : Lol. Reminds me of that old joke, “Prisoner, tell me how you want to die !!!” “I want to die of old age.” XDXDXD
3 : You forgot the ‘again’ XDXDXD
4 : “No need, I already stole it once, don’t need it anymore.” “WHAT ???!!!” XDXDXD
5 : Ohoho, secret collectable !!! Come here you !!! You shall submit to the power of YOINK !!!!
6 : That’s what you get for neglecting diplomatic visits of the Heavenly Wind Cult by Cult Leader or Young Cult Leader, hehehehe
7 : Awww, so cute ^^