Chapter 20: So You're the Culprit
Huh?
What was that supposed to mean?
How did the Sect Leader know about me?
Until today...
Cheon Gwangcheon and I had never met once.
Yet the way he spoke made it sound as though he had already heard plenty about me.
How does he know...?
My confusion was immediately answered.
"Last night, I heard quite an amusing story."
"An amusing story?"
"A story about a spirited Kunlun member who thoroughly beat several disciples who had failed to cultivate proper humility as Taoists."
Cheon Gwangcheon's lips curved upward.
"And apparently..."
"the person responsible came from the Event Hall."
"..."
So he had heard about what happened with Myeonghun's group yesterday.
It seemed Hall Master Hyeonyul had separately reported the matter.
"An Event Hall servant defeating Kunlun disciples who had properly learned martial arts..."
"How could I not become curious?"
Cheon Gwangcheon looked amused.
"So this old man investigated a little further."
His expression almost resembled a child who had discovered an interesting puzzle.
"The first disciple First Elder Gwangung accepted in ten years."
"And his representative."
He looked directly at me.
"Han Mujin."
"You're the person from that story."
Then he tilted his head.
"How did you do it?"
"I heard you spent years performing chores in the Event Hall."
"When did you learn martial arts?"
I paused.
I needed to choose my answer carefully.
If I said something strange and Cheon Gwangcheon began asking detailed questions...
things could become unnecessarily complicated.
Fortunately...
there's one perfect person to use in situations like this.
I cupped my fists and spoke loudly.
"Everything is thanks to Master Gwangung's teachings."
"He guided this insignificant disciple toward the endless path of martial arts."
"Through Master's profound teachings, I was finally able to understand even a small part of the martial path."
Murmurs immediately spread through the room.
"...No way."
"Elder Gwangung gave him 'profound teachings'...?"
"That sounds impossible...."
Even Cheon Gwangcheon looked visibly surprised.
But he quickly regained his calm expression.
As expected of the Sect Leader...
his control over his face was impressive.
"What exactly did Elder Gwangung teach you?"
"He taught me the path of becoming a true member of Kunlun who cultivates both martial arts and the Dao."
More murmuring.
I pretended not to hear.
"It hasn't been long since I entered Master's lineage..."
I continued solemnly.
"but through his ocean-like devotion and loving instruction toward his disciple..."
"I was able to leave behind my ignorant life as an ordinary man."
"Now, I have been reborn as a true Kunlun disciple walking the paths of both martial arts and the Dao."
I placed even more emotion into my voice.
"It is no exaggeration to say that I was born anew."
"All of it is thanks to Master Gwangung."
"..."
My passionate hymn of praise toward Jin Gwangung was incredibly effective.
Even Cheon Gwangcheon...
who had maintained his composure through everything...
looked completely speechless.
Naturally...
I maintained a serious expression as if everything I said was absolutely true.
After a moment...
Cheon Gwangcheon awkwardly smiled.
"...I-I see."
He slowly nodded.
"So Elder Gwangung gave you teachings as vast as the ocean...."
"Yes."
I nodded firmly.
"He is a true master whom every Kunlun disciple should use as an example."
Cheon Gwangcheon fell silent again.
Then suddenly...
he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Excellent!"
"Truly excellent!"
He turned toward Jin Gwangung.
"So you did have a plan after all."
"Of course."
"You would never accept just anyone as your disciple."
Jin Gwangung scratched the side of his head.
He was probably thinking...
What the hell is this brat talking about?
But someone was praising him.
And Jin Gwangung was not the kind of person to reject praise.
He immediately joined the mood.
"Hahaha!"
"Who do you think I am?"
"I am Jin Gwangung!"
He proudly slapped his chest.
"Would a true Taoist of Kunlun like me accept some random brat as my disciple?"
"Hahahaha!"
Cheon Gwangcheon laughed along.
"Of course not."
"You're Jin Gwangung, after all!"
The two laughed together as though they had suddenly formed an alliance.
Everyone else in the room simply shook their heads.
Then...
Jin Gwangung secretly sent me a voice transmission.
[You beat up Kunlun disciples? What happened? Did you cause trouble without telling me?]
I answered through voice transmission.
[Nothing serious. I simply taught a lesson to some rude bastards who called Master a remnant of the Demonic Cult.]
[What?!]
Jin Gwangung's mental voice immediately became furious.
[They dared call this old man a Demonic Cult remnant?!]
[If you met bastards like that, you should've beaten them until their own mothers couldn't recognize them!]
[Don't worry. By now, they're probably tasting hell inside the Martial Discipline Office dungeon.]
[Really? Good.]
Jin Gwangung sounded delighted.
[Well done. As expected of my disciple.]
While the two of us secretly exchanged voice transmissions...
Cheon Gwangcheon finally stopped laughing.
His expression became more serious.
"Anyway..."
"I should answer what I promised earlier."
"The reason the Elders' Lecture Gathering was moved forward."
Everyone immediately focused on him.
Cheon Gwangcheon looked around once.
Then spoke calmly.
"Several days ago..."
"an envoy group secretly dispatched by the Righteous Alliance arrived at Kunlun."
The moment he mentioned the Righteous Alliance...
Na Gwangdo, responsible for much of Kunlun's administration and finances, cautiously asked.
"An envoy group?"
"Did the Righteous Alliance suddenly come to request something from us?"
"Don't worry."
Cheon Gwangcheon shook his head.
"It's nothing like what you're imagining."
"Then why did they come...?"
Cheon Gwangcheon sighed lightly.
"Because of the Demonic Cult."
Every First Elder's expression immediately darkened.
Yu Gwangcheol's face became especially serious.
As leader of the Geoncheon Guard responsible for Kunlun's defenses...
that name carried particular weight for him.
In Kunlun...
"Demonic Cult" was almost a forbidden phrase.
Perhaps trying to reassure everyone...
Cheon Gwangcheon continued in a calm voice.
"There's no need to become too worried."
"The Righteous Alliance only sent the envoys to check for signs of movement."
"Signs?"
"As all of you know..."
Cheon Gwangcheon said.
"the last confirmed movement of the Demonic Cult occurred ten years ago."
"Yes."
Na Gwangdo nodded.
"That was the last time."
Ten years ago?
Is he talking about when Demonic Cult scouts infiltrated one of Kunlun's mountain routes?
I focused carefully.
"Ten years..."
Cheon Gwangcheon continued.
"Long in one sense and short in another."
"The Righteous Alliance became concerned that the Demonic Cult might be preparing to move again."
"They wanted to hear our opinion on whether we've noticed any suspicious signs lately."
Na Gwangdo asked.
"Then how is their visit connected to changing the Elders' Lecture Gathering schedule?"
"During our conversation..."
Cheon Gwangcheon answered.
"the Elders' Lecture Gathering happened to come up."
"They showed far more interest than I expected."
"Interest?"
"Before returning to the Righteous Alliance..."
"they repeatedly asked if they could observe the gathering at least once."
He paused.
"After some thought, I agreed."
Jin Gwangung immediately snorted.
"Interest, my ass."
"They just want to see if they can steal some information from the gathering."
His expression twisted.
"What sneaky bastards."
Then he looked toward the Sect Leader.
"You certainly have it rough."
"Dealing with the Demonic Cult is already enough of a headache..."
"and now you even have to worry about keeping the Righteous Alliance happy."
The other First Elders didn't say it aloud...
but they probably agreed.
The Elders' Lecture Gathering was normally a secret internal event for Kunlun.
An outsider asking to observe it...
even if that outsider represented the Righteous Alliance...
was still extremely rude.
Cheon Gwangcheon spoke gently, clearly understanding their discomfort.
"There's no need to see everything negatively."
"Kunlun is the first barrier protecting the Central Plains from the Demonic Cult."
"And the Righteous Alliance is our ally in pursuing peace throughout the Central Plains."
"Increasing exchange between Kunlun and the Righteous Alliance is also beneficial to the Central Plains as a whole."
"...That's true."
The First Elders reluctantly nodded.
Cheon Gwangcheon had wrapped it in the best possible words.
But everyone here, including me...
understood the real reason he accepted the Righteous Alliance's request.
Kunlun can't ignore the support it receives from them.
Officially...
Kunlun was one of the Nine Great Sects and One Union.
In reality, however...
its overall strength and influence weren't particularly impressive compared to the others.
It was located far from the heart of the Central Plains martial world.
Deep inside dangerous mountains.
And directly in front of it...
was the headquarters of the Demonic Cult, forever waiting for an opportunity to invade.
If the Demonic Cult marched into the Central Plains...
Kunlun would be attacked first.
Naturally...
it was harder for Kunlun to recruit talented disciples than the other great sects.
Its financial situation was also weak.
Ironically...
the reason Kunlun had survived until now was connected to that same dangerous position.
Kunlun was the first defensive wall protecting the Central Plains from the Demonic Cult.
If Kunlun collapsed...
the cult's invasion would become much easier.
For that reason...
the Righteous Alliance had always provided Kunlun with considerable financial support.
And from Kunlun's perspective...
the amount wasn't small.
So of course they can't completely ignore the Righteous Alliance.
I quietly looked at Cheon Gwangcheon.
As Sect Leader...
he had to calm internal dissatisfaction while also handling outside politics.
For the first time, I truly felt how difficult his position was.
And someone like that is going to die soon.
It was unfortunate.
But that was all.
I had no intention of wasting my precious regression time trying to forcibly prevent his death.
Even the Martial Discipline Office couldn't find the murderer after investigating with everything they had.
If I carelessly warned them about the poisoning...
and the Sect Leader still died as scheduled...
the first person they would suspect would be me.
And it wasn't like I possessed some miraculous method of finding the culprit.
Just because I interfered...
the murderer wasn't going to suddenly appear in front of me.
Either way...
there was nothing I could do.
Besides...
people lived and died according to their own fate, didn't they?
Of course...
I had regressed.
So I was an exception.
Ahem.
Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon.
I'll remember that kind smile of yours.
Please enjoy the remaining week peacefully.
I was already composing a sincere memorial for him inside my head when...
I sensed someone approaching the entrance.
At the same time...
Cheon Gwangcheon smiled brightly.
"Ah, it seems he's already here."
"The representative of the Righteous Alliance envoy group I mentioned earlier said he would stop by briefly."
The door opened.
A young man dressed completely in white entered.
He politely cupped his fists toward Cheon Gwangcheon.
"Thank you for inviting me to such an important gathering."
"Hahaha."
Cheon Gwangcheon smiled warmly.
"I'm the one who should be pleased."
"In difficult times like these, I've been given a chance to introduce a young talent devoted to the path of medicine."
Then he turned toward the First Elders.
"Everyone, allow me to introduce him."
"He is the representative of the Righteous Alliance envoy group."
The man in white stepped forward with a modest smile.
His face was clean and pale like his clothes.
He had the kind of appearance anyone would find pleasant.
He bowed politely.
"It is an honor to meet the First Elders of great Kunlun."
"My name is Baek Cheongu."
Na Gwangdo's eyes widened slightly.
"Baek Cheongu?"
Then realization appeared.
"Don't tell me..."
"the White-Robed Benevolent Gentleman, Baek Cheongu?"
Baek Cheongu smiled modestly.
"That title is far beyond what I deserve."
"I am only an ordinary physician."
Na Gwangdo looked impressed.
"I've heard countless times about how you personally entered Sichuan Province during the plague and used your medical skills to stop it."
"I merely did what any physician should."
Baek Cheongu lowered his head.
"The plague ending when it did was mostly good fortune."
"Good fortune?"
Na Gwangdo laughed.
"How can someone ranked among the Ten Great Physicians of the Central Plains at only twenty-five years old call it luck?"
Even under repeated praise...
Baek Cheongu remained humble.
"Ten Great Physicians is an excessive title."
"I merely used the medicine I learned to help people and received a name far beyond my worth."
His humble attitude seemed completely natural.
His eyes were gentle.
Everyone in the room looked at him favorably.
"Impressive for someone so young."
"To practice medicine inside a plague-stricken region despite the danger..."
"He's certainly worthy of being called one of the Ten Great Physicians."
Warm praise and humble responses filled the room.
Everyone smiled.
Except one person.
Me.
I couldn't smile.
Actually...
the muscles in my face had gone stiff enough that I couldn't make any expression at all.
I stared at the white-robed Baek Cheongu with trembling eyes.
White-Robed Benevolent Gentleman Baek Cheongu.
A famous physician who would later be recorded in martial history for healing the poor and weak.
But in my memory...
Baek Cheongu had another name.
The Blood Physician Butcher.
Baek Cheongu.
A memory I had desperately wanted to forget suddenly rose from the deepest darkness of my mind.
The Shadow Corps' underground stone chamber.
A living hell.
Screams echoed between cold stone walls.
The floor was covered in old blood.
Every day...
new people were dragged underground.
And once they arrived...
they were no longer treated as human beings.
Only disposable experiments.
Deadly poisons were injected into their bodies.
Their meridians were cut.
Their organs were removed while they were still alive.
And there had been one man who smiled while personally directing those horrific experiments.
A murderer whose clean white robes were constantly stained dark red with blood.
A lunatic who called human deaths "experimental data."
That man...
was the Blood Physician Butcher, Baek Cheongu.
And now...
that insane murderer stood directly in front of me.
Why is the Blood Physician Butcher here?
At that moment...
one forgotten memory surfaced.
A truth unknown to the world.
A secret known only inside the Shadow Corps.
Baek Cheongu's most hidden...
and filthiest hobby.
...Creating poisons.
My eyes slowly narrowed.
It seemed...
I had just found the murderer who would kill the Sect Leader.
