Absolute Regression

Chapter 638: Do You Know Where That Is?

Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun departed from the Martial Alliance.

Though Geom Mugeuk was still wearing a bamboo hat to avoid drawing attention.

“They must already know that I met with the Alliance Leader.”

Geom Mugeuk did not underestimate the enemy’s intelligence network. This place, Wuhan, was a stage they had set. And they were the main actors of this stage.

A trace of seriousness passed through Jin Hagun’s eyes. If what Geom Mugeuk said was true, it meant the enemy was watching them up close.

“Does that mean they have eyes within the Alliance?”

“Think about it—how many decades they must have spent preparing for this.”

Geom Mugeuk tapped the bamboo hat on his head as he spoke.

“This isn’t something that can block time.”

Upon hearing those words, Jin Hagun felt the same unease that Jin Paecheon had. That this fight would be more difficult than any he had ever faced.

“Is it them?”

The “them” Jin Hagun referred to were the forces that caused the Three-Way Summit involving Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions.

Geom Mugeuk understood immediately and nodded.

“Yes, I believe it’s them.”

Only they could orchestrate such a conspiracy against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Martial Alliance.

Jin Hagun asked carefully.

“You still think it’s the Hermit of Heaven and Earth, right?”

Jin Hagun wanted to confirm one last time. He believed that Geom Mugeuk had a sharper insight into the situation than he did.

Geom Mugeuk offered his reasoning in case he was wrong.

“Of course, it might not be. But if it’s not, then we don’t need to consider that case.”

“Why not?”

“If he’s innocent, I can just apologize for the misunderstanding and that’ll be that.”

Jin Hagun looked at Geom Mugeuk with a face that said, Is it really that simple? Geom Mugeuk really did think simply.

“That’s when decades of friendship are supposed to mean something. Don’t let something that precious confuse you.”

“!”

Jin Hagun could feel that these words held the key to how he should view this entire matter.

“Compared to the consequences of failing to see through the Hermit of Heaven and Earth’s hidden intentions, a brief misunderstanding between friends is nothing.”

Yes, he was right. In any case, his grandfather wouldn’t kill the Hermit of Heaven and Earth based on mere feelings without solid evidence. Which meant it was fine for him to doubt him freely for now.

Jin Hagun’s previously stifled heart felt completely relieved by Geom Mugeuk’s straightforward conclusion.

“Thank you for coming.”

Jin Hagun expressed his gratitude sincerely. Geom Mugeuk had no idea how thankful he truly was.

“Of course I came.”

That one sentence was enough. Yes, of course he should come. The same would’ve been true in reverse. Of course he would go.

“So, where are we going?”

To Geom Mugeuk’s question, Jin Hagun smiled and replied,

“A friend came from far away—of course I should at least offer him a good room.”

*         *         *

Jin Hagun had prepared a manor that was used by the Demon-Slaying Brigade.

It was located at the foot of a mountain on the outskirts, far from the bustling market streets. Since everyone knew it belonged to the Martial Alliance, they didn’t have to worry about being searched by martial artists of Wuhan for the time being.

“See? The treatment changes the moment I arrive. That’s the kind of person I am.”

Geom Mugeuk boasted loudly from the entrance, though, of course, no one acknowledged his self-praise.

Geom Muyang, seemingly suspicious, inspected the interior of the manor, while Demonic Buddha went outside to check the surroundings. The Poison King quietly followed after him.

Seeing this, Geom Mugeuk shouted,

“Don’t be swayed even if the Poison King tempts you to go herb hunting! He thinks Demonic Buddha is just a herb gatherer!”

He could see a faint flinch in the Poison King's retreating figure.

As the two left, Geom Muyang scolded his younger brother.

“Don’t be rude to Demonic Buddha-nim.”

In response, Geom Mugeuk gave a knowing smile.

“You have to scold me while he's around. That way, Demonic Buddha-nim understands how much you care.”

“I’m not saying it to be understood.”

“I know. But it’d still be nice if he does, right?”

He was the only Demon Supreme his brother liked. The only one he cared for.

Geom Mugeuk sincerely hoped that this relationship would remain unchanged until the end of their lives.

After checking the yard, Geom Muyang entered the house. Even as he walked down the corridor, he kept a close eye on everything, checking to see if any mechanisms had been installed.

“Are you worried that Leader Jin might have done something to this manor? You don’t have to worry.”

Without turning back, Geom Muyang replied.

“What makes you trust that man?”

Just like Jin Paecheon had warned his grandson, Geom Muyang shared the same concern. Never trust people so easily.

“Not everyone is like you.”

Geom Mugeuk followed closely behind.

“That’s a compliment, right?”

Geom Muyang didn’t answer and instead opened the door to check the rooms.

“You take the small room here. This one’s for Demonic Buddha-nim.”

Geom Muyang assigned the largest and nicest room to the Demonic Buddha. Naturally, the smallest room was given to Geom Mugeuk.

“But Demonic Buddha-nim should be in the smallest—”

As Geom Muyang turned around with a scowl, Geom Mugeuk fled into the small room.

“Act like that while Demonic Buddha is around!”

Geom Mugeuk flopped down onto the bedding.

“Ah, so comfortable!”

While lying down, he stared out the window. He gazed at the drifting clouds for a moment, then called out loudly.

“You were the one who called Leader Jin first, right?”

After a short pause, Geom Muyang’s voice came from his room.

“There’s someone we need to save.”

Geom Mugeuk also knew that the younger sibling of the artisan Gwak Yeong had been taken hostage.

“It feels so strange that someone who’s always thinking about who to kill is suddenly trying to save someone.”

Even when accused of being a murderer, Geom Muyang didn’t react at all.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease his brother.

“Is she pretty?”

He could have snapped in anger, but no reply came.

Though Geom Mugeuk joked and appeared relaxed on the outside, inwardly, he was more tense than anyone.

Hwa Yulcheong.

The first member of the Hwa Clan he would be facing since returning. How could he afford to let his guard down?

At that moment, a reprimanding voice came from the direction of the door.

“You shouldn’t have come. You should’ve stayed and protected the main sect.”

Turning his head, he saw his brother standing at the door.

Geom Muyang knew well that the two blood descendants of the Heavenly Demon absolutely should not be in the same dangerous place at the same time.

“The main sect is better off without me, isn’t it?”

Because the Heavenly Demon Library had already started to get robbed under the acting Cult Leader’s watch.

“Don’t joke about this!”

“What’s there to worry about? You’ll protect me.”

“Me? Why would I?”

“Didn’t you come all the way here because of me?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected words, Geom Muyang was flustered.

“Who said that?”

“Who else? Someone who can’t keep their mouth shut.”

Only three people had heard that conversation. When he said it to Jin Paecheon, Jin Hagun had been under the pavilion, and Demonic Buddha had been hidden in the mist.

“It was Leader Jin, wasn’t it?”

He had naturally assumed it was his friend Jin Hagun who had told him. But the culprit was someone unexpected.

“Demonic Buddha told me.”

While on the road today, Demonic Buddha had quietly passed the message along using sound transmission.

It wasn’t for Geom Mugeuk’s sake, but for his brother’s. So he would treat his brother better.

And at moments like this, even on the face of that stiff older brother, one could feel a flash of emotion.

“So start expressing yourself too. How many years has Demonic Buddha-nim lived looking only at you? It’s time you start showing how you feel.”

At that, Geom Muyang abruptly said,

“Thank you.”

“Not me. I told you to say that to Demonic Buddha-nim directly.”

But Geom Muyang wasn’t addressing the Demonic Buddha.

“I meant to thank you.”

“Out of nowhere?”

Because the gratitude came so suddenly, Geom Mugeuk sat up from the bedding.

“I’ve done so many things worthy of thanks that I don’t even know which one you’re referring to, but anyway, don’t worry. That’s what brothers are for.”

Then Geom Muyang slightly opened the front of his robe. Inside, he was wearing the finest silk from Heavenly silkworms.

He had asked Demonic Buddha to wrap it around his brother’s heart, and it seemed he had succeeded. As expected, there was no one better at handling his brother than Demonic Buddha.

“Ah, that’s not just something trivial. You gave me your life.”

The Geom Muyang of old would’ve taken it off and thrown it back, saying, Who do you think you’re underestimating? Or he might never have worn it to begin with. Even if it had been forcibly wrapped around him, he wouldn’t have shown it like this.

So yes, there were changes in him. But at the same time, he still remained very much himself.

“I’ll return this when we go back.”

Saying he would return it once they got back was his way of declaring that he would take the lead in this fight.

He had been furious when his younger brother was nearly killed, and now that his brother had come to this dangerous place as well, he was truly enraged at those behind it all.

“Our brother’s pissed. I don’t know who you people are, but now you’re in real trouble.”

*         *         *

Geom Mugeuk and Geom Muyang launched a full-scale investigation.

Through the Heavenly Communication Pavilion, they obtained records of sects that had been established in the years before and after the Hermit of Heaven and Earth settled in Wuhan.

There were a total of eight sects to examine.

Geom Mugeuk and Geom Muyang split the list in half and went out to investigate them personally.

The documents alone weren’t enough to uncover the truth, so they visited the sects in person. After all, weren’t these two the kind who could spot suspicious activity just by looking at a gatekeeper’s face or the air flowing through a courtyard?

After completing their investigations, the two returned.

“Yeongcheon Sect was excluded because they’ve spread too many branches across the Central Plains. Tyrant Sword Gate was excluded since its Sect Master died in an accident recently and his bloodline successor took over. Scholar Sword Gate was excluded for being too fervent in their devotion to the Hermit of Heaven and Earth. And the Living Path Guild has too many members.”

The two shared what they had found, and Geom Muyang’s investigation results were no different from Geom Mugeuk’s. They couldn’t identify a guardian sect secretly protecting the Hermit of Heaven and Earth.

“It seems our assumption was wrong.”

At Geom Muyang’s conclusion, both Demon Supremes nodded. Since they had gone out themselves and investigated based on the Heavenly Communication Pavilion’s data, the results wouldn’t be mistaken.

This meant there was no sect in Wuhan protecting him. Could it be that he had truly carried out this entire undertaking on his own?

Geom Mugeuk firmly shook his head.

“That can’t be.”

He was sure they had missed something.

“This isn’t something that ends in a year or two. It’s been going on for decades. And they entrusted all of it to one man’s effort and luck? That makes no sense.”

What if everything had gone well for twenty years, only for an accident to occur in the following year, leading to death? Then those twenty years would have been for nothing.

Someone must have been supporting and helping him from the shadows. There must have been critical moments that no one knew about. Surely, there was someone who had weathered the storms of time alongside him.

“Could it be that instead of founding a sect back then, he persuaded an existing one after gaining fame?”

At Demonic Buddha’s suggestion, Geom Mugeuk nodded.

"Of course, that’s possible—but I don’t think that’s the case this time. I get the feeling he kept the one person he could trust most by his side from the very beginning."

This time, it was Geom Muyang who voiced his opinion.

"Then couldn’t it have been an individual who helped him, not a sect?"

"He was friends with the Alliance Leader. Naturally, the Martial Alliance would’ve monitored and investigated him according to the Alliance Regulations. And they would’ve done it thoroughly. Imagine if our father had a close friend—we’d investigate that person down to the bone."

And according to the investigation from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion, the Hermit of Heaven and Earth had no friends besides the Alliance Leader. He was utterly, meticulously alone.

"Didn’t they say those bastards used poison?"

The one who responded to the Demonic Buddha’s question was Geom Muyang. After all, he had experienced it himself while pursuing the forged hidden weapons.

"That’s right. The forged hidden weapons were coated with a powerful poison."

And that wasn’t all.

"Whether they used drugs or some secret technique, they also manipulated people’s minds."

They forced them to commit suicide at critical moments and give specific confessions. That alone proved they weren’t ordinary.

The four gathered here knew better than anyone.

They knew how hypersensitive the Martial Alliance was to poison. They knew how much it loathed the Soul Reaping Art.

Martial artists feared the Poison King and the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme more than anyone.

And yet, the Martial Alliance overlooked the fact that the Alliance Leader’s only friend was mingling with someone who used poison or the Soul Reaping Art?

Geom Mugeuk didn’t buy it. The ones who missed something weren’t the Martial Alliance—it was them.

Geom Mugeuk went over the data again. This time, with a different mindset.

There was definitely something he’d missed. The answer was in here.

With that conviction, Geom Mugeuk combed through the materials—until his gaze stopped at one particular spot.

A slow smile crept across his lips.

"Not an individual. Not a sect. Do you know what kind of place legally uses poison and sticks needles into people’s heads?"

*         *         *

The four of them, including Geom Mugeuk, sat at a tea house and looked across the street.

There, in the middle of the bustling market street, stood a large building occupying a piece of expensive land.

Clearheart Clinic.

"It’s the place the Hermit of Heaven and Earth visited most frequently during his righteous deeds. He would bring the poor and make sure they received treatment every time. That’s why no one ever suspected it."

Even Geom Muyang and the two Demon Supremes hadn’t considered this place.

A clinic? The one supporting the conspiracy from behind the scenes was a clinic? Who could’ve imagined such a thing?

There were other reasons to suspect this place as the hidden organization.

"The physician here, So Jeongrak, is not only skilled in medicine but also has such a good reputation that in Wuhan, he’s second only to the Martial Alliance’s Divine Doctor in popularity."

Both the Poison King and the Demonic Buddha had heard his name before.

"So Jeongrak is especially famous for his antidote skills. Some even say he surpasses the Divine Doctor of the Martial Alliance when it comes to detoxification. That’s why martial artists from across the Central Plains head straight there when they’re poisoned. He’s saved more warriors than anyone can count."

At that, the Poison King, who had remained silent until now, calmly pointed out the core truth with a clear gaze.

"The true flower of poison techniques isn’t poison—it’s the antidote."