Chapter 164: You Took the Bait Properly
The founding ceremony of the Demon Expulsion Unit ended in a chaotic atmosphere.
The organization itself had officially been launched...
but somehow, it had ended up without the Commander who was supposed to lead it.
The position couldn't remain vacant for long.
Before unnecessary rumors spread even further through the martial world, the Righteous Alliance needed to reach a conclusion.
And so...
that evening.
The Righteous Alliance arranged a closed-door discussion.
The meeting was held in the Alliance Council Hall, located within the Righteous Alliance headquarters.
Heo Seongbaek, Moyong Seong, and other Righteous Alliance officials were present.
Leaders from several of the Nine Great Sects, including Mount Hua, were also seated there, along with representative figures from the younger generation.
Naturally...
every member of our Kunlun delegation was present as well.
While looking over the faces gathered in the hall, I noticed something strange.
Moyong Cheonhwi isn't here.
Normally, the Alliance Leader should've been present for a meeting like this.
But from the founding ceremony until now...
Moyong Cheonhwi hadn't appeared even once.
Sure enough, Heo Seongbaek explained the reason first.
“The Alliance Leader left the headquarters several days ago to personally attend to another important matter.”
An important matter?
That sounds suspicious.
It left a bad taste in my mouth...
but from my perspective, Moyong Cheonhwi's absence was still welcome.
If he wasn't here...
then a large part of the Righteous Alliance's judgment tonight would likely fall to Moyong Seong.
Good.
I quietly steadied my breathing.
This may go even more smoothly than I expected.
A moment later...
Heo Seongbaek spoke.
“First, there is something I wish to confirm with Kunlun.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Kunlun requested that Taoist Han be named Honorary Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
He continued,
“The Righteous Alliance accepted that request as a gesture of respect toward a fallen martial artist.”
Then his gaze shifted toward me.
“But the supposedly deceased Taoist Han appeared today very much alive.”
The atmosphere in the Alliance Council Hall instantly grew heavier.
Everyone understood what Heo Seongbaek was implying.
His voice turned cold.
“So I ask you directly.”
“Did Kunlun truly not know that Taoist Han was alive?”
Every gaze shifted toward us.
It was a question that needed to be answered carefully.
One wrong sentence...
and the trust Kunlun had built throughout the martial world could be shaken in an instant.
For a moment...
no one spoke.
Fortunately...
Kunlun had one particular lunatic who could handle this kind of situation without batting an eye.
“Hah.”
A mocking laugh echoed through the solemn hall.
The source was Jin Gwangung.
“What kind of ridiculous bullshit is that supposed to be?”
He glared at Heo Seongbaek.
“Are you saying Kunlun deceived the Righteous Alliance?”
Heo Seongbaek's face hardened.
“I am merely asking.”
He kept his tone controlled.
“The Alliance also has a duty to verify how a man believed dead suddenly returned alive.”
Jin Gwangung snorted.
“Verify?”
He looked genuinely disgusted.
“Who was it that claimed Mujin was dead in the first place?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Wasn't that the Righteous Alliance?”
Heo Seongbaek frowned.
“What are you—”
“Wasn't Young Master Moyong over there the one who testified that Mujin fell to his death in Falling Death Valley?”
“T-That is....”
The moment Heo Seongbaek hesitated...
Jin Gwangung pressed harder.
“And didn't Righteous Alliance messengers come all the way to Kunlun not long ago?”
Another official tried to interrupt.
“E-Elder Jin, what are you trying to—”
“What was it they said the moment they arrived?”
Jin Gwangung ignored him.
“That we needed to hold Mujin's funeral as quickly as possible, wasn't it?”
No one could stop him now.
“The Righteous Alliance was the one pressuring us to officially announce Mujin's death to the martial world.”
His voice became louder.
“You were the ones telling us to participate in the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
He bared his teeth.
“And now you're demanding that we explain ourselves?”
Jin Gwangung scoffed.
“Even shamelessness has limits.”
"..."
The Righteous Alliance side looked visibly flustered.
They clearly hadn't expected Kunlun...
or more precisely, Jin Gwangung...
to push back this aggressively.
Jin Gwangung continued.
“Kunlun requested that Mujin's name be honored because, at the time, we had no choice but to accept the possibility that our disciple was dead.”
He looked one Righteous Alliance official after another in the eye.
“And Mujin returned to Kunlun long after we had already sent that request.”
One of the Righteous Alliance officials finally spoke.
“And you expect us to believe that?”
Jin Gwangung's gaze snapped toward him.
“Is there a reason you shouldn't?”
The man frowned.
“Anyone would find the circumstances suspicious. Perhaps Kunlun planned this from the very beginning—”
“Watch your words.”
Jin Gwangung's face turned savage.
His voice carried a clear warning.
“Kunlun has spent its entire existence living with the Demonic Cult at its doorstep and the smell of blood in the air.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“People raised in a place like that tend to draw swords before talking when they're insulted.”
The official paled.
“W-What did you—”
“And let's be honest.”
Jin Gwangung cut him off immediately.
“You were the ones who slapped Mujin's name onto the justification for creating the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
His lips twisted.
“So why are you being this stingy over some lousy Commander position?”
That final jab made the faces of several Righteous Alliance members stiffen.
The other righteous martial artists watched the exchange with a mix of worry and curiosity.
Meanwhile...
the members of Kunlun, including me, watched quite comfortably.
After remaining silent for a while...
Heo Seongbaek finally spoke again.
“Regardless of what Elder Jin may think...”
His tone was firmer now.
“Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit is not a position that can be decided lightly.”
He looked at me.
“Taoist Han Mujin's return, after being named Honorary Commander, is certainly something to celebrate.”
Then—
“But the one originally nominated to lead the Demon Expulsion Unit was still Young Master Moyong.”
Other Righteous Alliance officials immediately joined in.
“Exactly.”
“Young Master Moyong is the Heavenly Origin Star, the greatest prodigy of the martial world.”
“Indeed! Had the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament not been interrupted, he would've already claimed victory.”
“Who could be more qualified to lead the younger generation of the righteous faction than Young Master Moyong?”
Listening to them repeat the same thing like parrots...
I couldn't help laughing inwardly.
Hypocritical bastards.
Justice.
The greater cause.
Eradicating the Demonic Cult.
