Chapter 35
“What a completely insane bastard.”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
On the way back to Mupungdae, the Mupungdae Lord shook his head at Cheon Mujin, who was sitting across from him in the carriage.
What had happened at the Heavenly Demon Hall a few days ago had been shocking enough—but the Heavenly Demon’s reaction to it had been even more shocking.
Good. Then tell me what you want.
Permission.
It was practically the same as granting Cheon Mujin’s arrogant request to be discharged from Mupungdae.
To think of letting a firstborn son with that level of talent rot away on the frontlines… No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem right.
However—
Know your place. Live within your means.
Even if Cheon Mujin had bragged about getting him discharged, that was easier said than done.
Mupungdae was the atonement for the family’s sins.
Unlike other martial units, dreaming of discharge was utterly absurd.
Right now, Cheon Mujin might have gotten away with it through sheer stubbornness, but the Lord fully intended to kick him out once he finished the two years of service he had originally agreed to.
“Even if you throw me out, I won’t leave.”
“…What was that?”
“It’s obvious what you’re thinking. You’re clearly convinced there’s no such thing as a discharge from Mupungdae.”
The Mupungdae Lord had no rebuttal for Cheon Mujin’s faint smirk.
“Well, it’s not like I’m going to start something right away. My body’s not in any shape for that anyway.”
The only reason Cheon Mujin had forced himself out today was because of the Heavenly Demon’s summons; otherwise, he should have been in the infirmary with severe injuries.
“Since I killed a dragon-class monster, I suppose the camp is safe enough for now.”
There was a basic instinct all monsters had—
They would never approach the territory of a stronger predator.
With the camp drenched in the magic energy of a dragon-class beast, no monsters would come near for a while.
Which meant there was something else that needed doing right now.
“Mupungdae Lord, do you have any interest in business?”
Preparation for independence always began with money.
“What kind of damn nonsense is this…?”
“Why do we have to clean up some other unit’s mess?”
Grumbling broke out among the ranks.
Considering they’d left a safe camp during a dangerous migration period, it was understandable.
But—
“Shut up and keep walking. If you don’t like it, take it up with Cheon Mujin. He’s the one who proposed this at the meeting.”
At the deadly tone of Squad 17’s leader, Ha Wonhae, the squad members clamped their mouths shut.
Was it because they were scared of Ha Wonhae?
That too, but mostly… telling them to complain to Cheon Mujin left them speechless.
They had personally seen him block a swarm of over a hundred monsters by himself, then toy with a horde of over three hundred.
And now, they heard he’d even killed a dragon-class beast?
If they had the guts to confront a man like that, they wouldn’t be in the Demon Wastes—they’d be in hell, explaining themselves to the King of the Underworld.
Satisfied with their silence, though aware of the resentment still brewing beneath, Ha Wonhae sighed.
“We’re actually lucky. We’re heading to another martial unit.”
“…Sorry? What do you mean?”
If not another unit… surely not—
“There are some being sent to Kunlun. So shut those mouths before I cut your lips off.”
“Kunlun? Why the hell are we going there?”
“If we’re going to strike when they’re weak, wouldn’t it be better to gather forces instead of splitting them up like this?”
“Did Headquarters even approve attacking them?”
As his men’s chatter grew loud, Ha Wonhae growled.
“Quiet. We’re on a mission. If you want to know why, ask Cheon Mujin yourself when we get back.”
Soon after, the sounds of battle reached their ears. Ha Wonhae drew his weapon.
“Everyone, prepare for combat.”
In the distance, they could see another martial unit locked in battle with monsters.
“Don’t you think sending Squad 17, who just completed a special mission, is going too far?”
“What can we do? It was Cheon Mujin’s idea.”
“…Squad Leader Cheon suggested it, huh?”
Strictly speaking, deciding which squad to send was beyond Cheon Mujin’s authority.
But in the Demon Cult, there were a few things that outranked laws.
The fastest of those was the fist.
Cheon Mujin had the fist that had killed a dragon-class beast.
And—
“How could you so casually say you’d hand over the martial unit?”
Since Cheon Mujin had even the justification on his side, calling it a breach of authority was questionable.
“Killing a dragon-class beast isn’t exactly an easy condition to meet.”
At Oh Jiyeon’s rebuke, the Mupungdae Lord only shrugged.
Ten days after returning from Headquarters, the camp repairs were complete, and Cheon Mujin immediately mobilized troops.
He sent them to other martial units struggling with the Great Migration.
The plan: rescue those in crisis and claim a suitable reward.
The problem was—
“I have no idea how he plans to make a business out of this.”
“So it’s not just me. What could he possibly wring out of those guys…?”
The martial units holding the line here prioritized survival above all else.
Naturally, their shamelessness was leagues beyond the soft types in the outside world.
In a life-or-death moment, they might promise you anything—but when it was over, they’d wipe their mouths clean.
They’d delay payment with every excuse in the book.
Not exactly the ideal business partners.
“Well, the Kunlun guys will be a bit better, at least.”
Since Cheon Mujin had gone there himself, that side should be fine.
“His recovery really is monstrous.”
Remembering Cheon Mujin heading to Kunlun, Oh Jiyeon shook her head.
The physician had said his injuries were severe enough to leave him crippled for life—so how had he recovered in less than a month?
He’d claimed he wasn’t fully battle-ready, but seeing him toy with Baekwoo in a spar made that hard to believe.
“Well, no point in us worrying. I’m sure Young Master Cheon has it all planned. Anyway—”
The Mupungdae Lord lowered his gaze and smirked at the people before him.
“And why aren’t they ready for a nice, honest conversation?”
Covered head to toe in blood were the members of Squad 21—the very ones who’d taken part in the assassination attempt on Cheon Mujin.
The Mupungdae Lord took the dagger Oh Jiyeon had brought him.
After hitting bone too often, the old blade had gotten chipped.
If he didn’t want to kill them, he needed a more delicate touch—and a dull blade wasn’t ideal.
“Now, let’s start again.”
In Mupungdae, and in the Demon Cult as a whole, there was one thing that was never tolerated.
Betrayal.
“A mess, huh.”
Kunlun territory.
It had been long enough since the last patrol that grass had begun growing along the roads.
Knowing Jongin’s personality, he wouldn’t have neglected patrols without reason.
And that reason was obvious.
They lacked the manpower.
Jongin wasn’t the type to squeeze his disciples dry when they were already exhausted—not unless he did the patrols himself.
Well, then.
“This isn’t really the right time to be welcoming guests.”
“It’s been a while.”
Stepping just inside Kunlun’s borders, Cheon Mujin was met by a haggard-looking Jongin.
He must have been overexerting himself, because even in his transcendent state, there were dark shadows under his eyes.
“I’d like to say I came just to see a friend’s face—but that’s not really the case, is it?”
“Good thing you know. Things aren’t great here, so if you’ve got business, make it quick…”
“That’s exactly it—things aren’t great.”
For a moment, Jongin wondered if Cheon Mujin was mocking him, and his brow started to furrow—
“I came to help. I couldn’t just watch a neighbor in trouble.”
Jongin’s expression twisted strangely.
Help? Who was helping whom?
A demon helping a Taoist?
The Demon Cult and Kunlun were hardly the kind of neighbors who offered each other aid.
But looking at Cheon Mujin’s calm expression, Jongin gave a dry laugh.
Leaving aside their affiliations, Jongin was a transcendent master, while Cheon Mujin was only a first-rate fighter.
Granted, he knew Cheon Mujin’s strength went beyond his nominal level—but there were still limits.
And he’d only brought a single small squad.
Given Kunlun’s current situation, that was barely a drop in the bucket.
Even so—
“Fine. I can’t just throw out a guest who came all this way. Can you actually help?”
For some reason, Jongin felt that things might be different with Cheon Mujin.
Finding it odd himself, he personally led Cheon Mujin to the camp and showed them to a guest tent before leaving.
“…I can’t believe we just walked into Kunlun’s camp like this.”
“W-what if they suddenly surround us?”
Do Woojin and Yoo Hyunhwa couldn’t hide their tension.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“That’s just your opinion, Squad Leader. You forced your way into Kunlun territory—”
“You’ve got to use force when it’s called for.”
“…Huh?”
“Did you think I came here without an ulterior motive? Back when I caused trouble here, there was something that bothered me.”
Among those possessed by magic energy and rampaging, there had been one with a slightly different aura.
Things had been too urgent back then to deal with it—but…
“Cheon Mujin, you’re here.”
“Oh~ long time no see. Been well?”
“…”
“So stiff.”
Following Jin Baek, who had come to guide them, Cheon Mujin entered the command tent and sat facing Jongin.
“I heard Mupungdae had a big incident, but you seem relaxed.”
“It was a big incident, yeah. A dragon-class beast attacked.”
“…A dragon-class? What happened? Did Mupungdae retreat?”
“Nope.”
Jongin still had that not-so-great habit when fishing for information.
He really was a straightforward man.
“Killed it. It wasn’t a full-grown one, so I went all out.”
“…Who killed it?”
“Who else but me?”
“Don’t lie! You—”
When Jin Baek shouted in disbelief, Cheon Mujin beckoned with a finger.
“I’ll prove it with the deal I’m about to offer.”
“A deal? You know what our situation is, right?”
“A massive monster horde is heading your way, you’re on high alert, and the last battle drained your strength.”
“…You’ve got it right.”
“I only guessed from the lack of Kunlun patrol traces lately. Anyway, let’s skip to the point—we’re both short on time.”
“Fine. Speak. If you join the fight—”
“I’ll wipe out the monster horde for you.”
“…What?”
Jongin’s eyes filled with suspicion at the unexpected words.
Then Cheon Mujin tossed something to him.
“This should work as collateral, right?”
“…A dragon-class beast’s core.”
“Once we clean up the horde, give it back. Oh, and I’ll be expecting payment separately.”
“Payment? What exactly do you want?”
“Something simple. There’s a friend I didn’t get to treat properly last time.”
A friend I didn’t get to treat properly.
At those words, Jongin’s gaze turned cold.
“If you mean Jin Ho, he’s not here. I sent him to Headquarters, of course.”
“Come on now, don’t lie.”
Cheon Mujin smirked and met Jongin’s eyes.
“If he goes back to Headquarters with that crime on his hands, they’ll abolish his cultivation and sever his tendons—arms, legs, maybe all three sets. There’s no way you’d send him back willingly.”
The so-called Nine Great Sects were just as ruthless as the Demon Cult.
For the honor and pride of the sect, they could be merciless.
And the crime Jin Ho had committed was fatal in their eyes.
What’s more, as a martial artist who’d already lost an arm, his value had plummeted. There was no reason to keep him.
CRACK!
The table between them split and warped under Jongin’s palm.
His eyes blazed with anger.
“And you, knowing all that, are asking me to hand that boy over?”
The killing intent of a man who would gladly embrace death for his disciples filled the tent.
