Chapter 866 ·Sneaking Up at Night, You Know?

Chu Jung stared at Geom Mugeuk.

It was a gaze filled with malice that made whoever met it feel a chill.

But his opponent was Geom Mugeuk, a man who had faced every kind of villain—from the Twelve Zodiac Kings to the Heavenly Killing Star.

Receiving that malicious glare as if it were laughable, Geom Mugeuk spoke to Jin Hagun.

“I’ll not only find where the bodies are buried, I’ll remake him into a completely new man before sending him back.”

He said it like a joke, but everyone knew it was no joke.

Yes, if it was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they would make the words “I was wrong” spill from that man’s mouth on their own—just like how the Lustful Demon had become polite earlier.

But the affairs of the Martial Alliance could not be handled with personal emotions.

“Leave what comes after to us. We may not be as fierce as you, but we have our own methods, built from dealing with evil for a long time.”

With a look that showed he understood the decision, Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“Very well.”

At that moment, Jin Hagun’s voice transmission reached Geom Mugeuk.

—If we fail… could you help us then?

Geom Mugeuk knew just how difficult a request that was for him. It was tied to the honor of the Martial Alliance.

Even so, the reason he asked was clear—he was determined to recover the bodies of the murdered women.

—Why not? The frightening people in our underground are occasionally dispatched as well.

—Thank you.

Still uneasy, Jin Hagun added one more thing.

—It’s not something that should be handled that way, but……

—It is.

Cutting off his hesitation, Geom Mugeuk was resolute.

—If it’s someone who killed nine innocent lives, then even something a hundred times crueler would be justified. And above all, the bodies must be returned to their families.

Jin Hagun silently nodded.

In the past, he would have felt ashamed that he hadn’t captured them himself.

The Demon-Slaying Brigade should have caught them. And yet, he couldn’t even capture them, and now he was asking for help to find where the bodies were buried?

He would have wasted emotions on such useless thoughts.

But not anymore. Even if he tied tassels to his sword, he had no intention of hanging useless pride upon it.

“Take them away.”

At Jin Hagun’s command, several members of the Demon-Slaying Brigade subdued the Lustful Demon and Chu Jung and dragged them off.

Chu Yeom staggered out of the place, looking utterly shocked.

Jin Hagun tried to say something to him, but stopped. What could he possibly say in this situation? What words would even reach him? To escape this shock… no, he might never escape it.

Jin Hagun turned to Geom Mugeuk and expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we’ve prevented many future sacrifices.”

At that, Geom Mugeuk gestured as if presenting something with both hands and pointed at Lee Ahn.

“Offer your thanks over here.”

“Thank you, martial artist.”

Lee Ahn waved her hands.

“I didn’t really do anything.”

Still maintaining the gesture of reverence with both hands, Geom Mugeuk spoke.

“Even if she does nothing, flowers bow their heads, the moon hides behind the clouds, and lustful fiends come running, begging to be captured.”

“Young Master! Please!”

Their playful banter eased the atmosphere. Only then did they share the joy of reunion.

“Did the two of you leave the cult alone?”

At Jin Hagun’s question, Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“We just wanted to quietly wander the Central Plains together.”

Jin Hagun gave a faint smile. As if that would ever happen.

Would fate, or the martial world itself, ever leave him in peace?

The Lustful Demon had already come looking for him of his own accord, bringing the Indulgence Sect incident to a close.

“Come. It’s been a while since we last met. We should catch up.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I can today. There’s still cleanup from this incident, and other matters as well.”

He was glad to see Geom Mugeuk, but that only made it harder to go with him.

Because if he stayed by his side, he knew he would end up smiling.

Jin Hagun truly wanted to save the victims who had been kidnapped.

But knowing they were all dead, he couldn’t allow himself to laugh. At least not today.

Perceptive as ever, Geom Mugeuk understood his feelings. And precisely because of that, he tried even harder to drag him along. To him, a friend mattered more than the dead.

“So you’re going to send away a friend who walked a hundred thousand li overnight just to see you?”

“Everything you said is wrong. It wasn’t your original purpose to find me, you didn’t walk all night, it certainly wasn’t a hundred thousand li, and I’m not sending you away.”

Geom Mugeuk glanced at Lee Ahn as if asking what she was doing.

Lee Ahn quickly put on a sorrowful expression.

“Young Cult Leader, it wouldn’t be proper to detain someone so busy.”

But then she let out a long sigh.

“Let’s go, Young Cult Leader. Let’s walk back those hundred thousand li in tears.”

With Lee Ahn joining in, Jin Hagun showed a troubled expression. In the end, he nodded.

“Then just for a moment—”

Before he could even finish speaking, Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn grabbed him from both sides and dragged him along.

“We’re borrowing your leader!”

The Demon-Slaying Brigade members watched with smiles. The elders of the Martial Alliance might still worry about this relationship, but the members of the Demon-Slaying Brigade acknowledged it. It was the only time Jin Hagun could truly relax.

As he was dragged away, half in resignation, Jin Hagun issued orders to his subordinates.

“Report to the Alliance first, take formal statements from the two of them……”

A Demon-Slaying Brigade member, Gwanghyo, said cheerfully,

“Leave the cleanup to us.”

With arms linked on either side of Jin Hagun, Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn teased him.

“Demon-Slaying Brigade Leader, you’re under arrest too. You should experience our cult’s underground.”

“If you’re taking me, you should at least tell me the charges.”

“Your crime is work addiction! You workaholic!”

“To call a friend an insect!”

Watching them grow noisily distant, Gwanghyo muttered,

“Now that the Young Cult Leader has left the cult, the martial world is going to get noisy again.”

---

The three of them sat facing each other in a tea house in the marketplace.

Since Jin Hagun firmly refused alcohol, they decided to drink tea instead.

Geom Mugeuk first asked about Jin Paecheon.

“The Alliance Leader is doing well?”

“He is.”

After the battle with the Heavenly Killing Star, his grandfather had devoted himself to martial training. It was the first time Jin Hagun had seen him train with such intensity. That battle had changed him.

“Grandfather believes a great war between the righteous and demonic factions may break out.”

Recently, Jin Hagun had thrown himself even more into the affairs of the Demon-Slaying Brigade because of that unknown tension.

In response to Jin Hagun’s honesty, Geom Mugeuk answered just as frankly.

“My father still hasn’t given up.”

After a brief pause, he added,

“Neither have I.”

Knowing that meant opposing his father, Jin Hagun gave a slight nod.

A brief silence followed.

Lee Ahn, savoring the fragrance of the tea, broke the heavy mood.

“Try it. The aroma is really nice.”

Jin Hagun could tell she had become brighter.

“You seem to be doing even better.”

“Do you mean I’ve become prettier?”

Caught off guard by the direct question, Jin Hagun hesitated slightly.

“In moments like this, you’re supposed to answer ‘yes.’”

“Yes.”

Only after he answered as told did Lee Ahn smile.

“I’ve always been this bold. I just hid it while serving someone all this time. Don’t be surprised! One by one, my hidden sides are coming out now!”

What Jin Hagun meant was that she seemed brighter.

Before, she had never treated him this openly.

It was probably because she had come out together with Geom Mugeuk.

That journey must have been making her brighter and happier.

‘This journey might decide the fate of the two of them.’

Jin Hagun glanced subtly at Geom Mugeuk.

‘What are you hesitating for?’

With such a beautiful woman right beside him.

At that moment, Geom Mugeuk took a sip of tea and spoke to Jin Hagun.

“You look tired. You should take some rest while you work.”

Lately, Jin Hagun had been constantly tense as he immersed himself even more in the affairs of the Demon-Slaying Brigade.

“I’d like to. But the number of cases requiring the Demon-Slaying Brigade keeps increasing.”

They were brutal incidents that ordinary Martial Alliance martial artists couldn’t handle.

“I don’t know why, but it feels like people are gradually going mad.”

Jin Hagun, who had been staring at his teacup in thought, lifted his head. Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn were staring straight at him.

“My apologies. I made the mood heavy for no reason.”

Fortunately, sitting right in front of him was an expert at making heavy atmospheres endlessly light.

“You ruined the mood, so you’re paying for the tea.”

The kind of person who could make someone worried about a mad world burst into laughter.

As Geom Mugeuk quietly stared at Jin Hagun, a certain resolve passed through his eyes.

“Hey, friend.”

“What is it?”

Unexpected words came from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.

“Come with us.”

“Where?”

“A journey wherever our feet take us. We meet people we want to see. If the timing doesn’t match, we just pass by. A journey with nothing decided at all.”

How could he possibly dislike a journey with Geom Mugeuk? He wanted to see Bih Sa-in and Han Seol as well. He didn’t even remember the last time he had seen Haryeong.

“I can’t. There’s too much work.”

“That’s exactly why you should come. From what I see, all you do is work.”

More than anything, the reason he couldn’t was right here.

“You two came out to spend time together, didn’t you?”

“Who said we have to stay together the whole time? We travel together, then part ways when the time comes. Who knows? You might meet a woman you like. And don’t even dream of ditching us then! We’ll chase you all the way to the Alliance Leader’s Hall and watch you two kiss.”

Jin Hagun waved his hands with an incredulous expression, but Geom Mugeuk had already made up his mind.

“Let’s take a vacation!”

“There’s no such thing as a vacation in the Demon-Slaying Brigade.”

“Aren’t they human?”

“What about the incidents that will happen in the meantime? Evil doesn’t rest. Don’t you know that?”

“Then announce it to the martial world. The Demon-Slaying Brigade is on vacation. Anyone who causes trouble during this period will be hunted down to hell and punished twice as harshly. I’ll even send a letter to the cult telling them not to cause trouble. Let’s call it a Martial World Peace Period.”

At the words “Martial World Peace Period,” Jin Hagun burst out laughing. Even when he tried not to, such ridiculous words made him laugh.

“If they were the type to stop causing trouble just because of that, we wouldn’t have anything to worry about in the first place.”

After punishing so many villains, it should have been peaceful by now.

Yet as if it were a rule that vacant spots of evil must always be filled, villains kept appearing endlessly.

“You said evil doesn’t rest? Then you should rest, since you’re not evil.”

“What?”

“Your duty is to uncover the graves of innocent women who were abducted and murdered, and to stand beside a father who has learned that his own son became a lustful fiend and slaughtered women. You endure such hardships with nothing but righteousness and loyalty.”

A bitter smile formed on Jin Hagun’s lips.

Then came the decisive blow.

“You may be willing to endure it, but what about your subordinates?”

“!”

Jin Hagun looked at Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk nodded with a serious face.

“Do you think they’re as strong as you mentally? I doubt it. They’re just barely keeping up under extreme conditions.”

At those words, Jin Hagun recalled a conversation he had recently had with one of his subordinates, Jeong Hyeok.

—How old is your son?

—Six years old.

—When did you last see him?

—I saw him last autumn. I haven’t seen him since.

—……

—……

—He must have grown a lot.

—He probably has.

He and the Demon-Slaying Brigade members were willingly sacrificing their lives and rushing forward. Of course, there was an indescribable sense of fulfillment as well. They were punishing evil and saving innocent lives.

As he gazed at Jin Hagun, Geom Mugeuk turned his eyes outside. After watching the people passing by the tea house, he spoke calmly.

“If the world goes mad and we go mad along with it, in the end, we lose.”

---

All the members of the Demon-Slaying Brigade gathered.

At their leader’s sudden summons, they were all tense.

Standing before them, Jin Hagun looked at each of them. Seeing his serious expression, they assumed something major had happened.

Jin Hagun handed out what he had brought.

It was an envelope for each member of the Demon-Slaying Brigade.

Their expressions hardened. It had to be a life-threatening mission.

Surely, he was giving them envelopes so they could write their last words to their families.

Whenever they went on dangerous missions, they wrote wills beforehand. But what kind of mission required all of them to be mobilized?

The moment they opened the envelopes, they were all shocked.

Inside was a voucher of quite a large amount.

Jeong Hyeok, representing them, asked,

“What is this money?”

The answer was something none of them had expected.

“It’s vacation pay.”

“Pardon?”

“Starting today, one month of leave.”

All the members of the Demon-Slaying Brigade looked stunned. It was more shocking than hearing that a great war between the righteous and demonic factions had broken out.

“Take care of your families, visit your hometowns, go on trips. Do all the things you’ve been putting off.”

The various emotions swirling within them unified into one.

Someone broke into a bright smile, and as that smile spread, cheers erupted.

Jin Hagun had not expected them to be this overjoyed.

Their reaction far exceeded anything he had imagined. He had even prepared words to persuade those who might oppose the decision.

Yet not a single person stepped forward to object.

Geom Mugeuk had been right. Even if they didn’t show it, they had all been struggling to keep up.

“May we ask the reason?”

“I thought it was time for us to rest as well.”

And then he added one more truth. Jin Hagun didn’t bother to dress it up as a concern for them.

“I was persuaded by the Young Cult Leader.”

At that honesty, all the members of the Demon-Slaying Brigade laughed.

“After you return, we’ll have to move busily for quite a while. So rest well.”

The members responded loudly.

“Thank you, Leader!”

“Leader, you should rest well too!”

They all knew how hard Jin Hagun had worked. As the Young Leader of the Martial Alliance, he could have avoided many of these duties, yet he took them on willingly. That was why they had endured as well. To them, this vacation was like rain after a long drought.

Once they had all dispersed, Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn appeared.

Geom Mugeuk walked over, joking with Lee Ahn.

“Success. We’ve finally disbanded the Martial Alliance’s elite force for a month.”

“What’s the next step?”

“We drag the Young Leader into a swamp of pleasure until he says, ‘I don’t want to go back to the Demon-Slaying Brigade!’”

“Once you start playing, even if it feels awkward at first, there’s nothing more fun than that.”

Jin Hagun shook his head in disbelief. If they hadn’t planned this together beforehand, how could they be so in sync?

Of course, Jin Hagun had his counterattack as well.

“Now that there are three of us, your quiet little atmosphere is over.”

He had been worried about becoming a third wheel, but Geom Mugeuk seemed pleased instead.

“With a common enemy, we’ll only grow more united. Sneaking up at night. You know, right, Lee Ahn?”

“What do you mean ‘you know’? I don’t know anything!”

Even if it was a joke, those words were too much for her to accept, and Lee Ahn’s face turned red.

Seeing that, Jin Hagun let out a laugh.

Yes, if he was with them...

Then if he was going to rest, he might as well rest properly.

It would likely be the first and last carefree journey of his life.

“Don’t try to stop me now. From this moment on, I’m letting go of being the Demon-Slaying Brigade Leader and the Young Leader.”

Jin Hagun strode forward first.

“Where are you going?”

“You said it yourself. A journey wherever our feet may lead us. So stop talking and come along.”

Watching him, Lee Ahn felt delighted. The exhausted and weary Jin Hagun already seemed full of vitality again.

‘You did well, Young Master.’

Geom Mugeuk followed behind with Lee Ahn and shouted,

“Make way! The runaway Young Leader is on the move!”