Sword God Reborn

Chapter 316 : A little late, but not too late

Cheon Mubaeck quietly looked around.

It was his room. The room where he had opened his eyes the moment he had awakened.

The small room of the Azure Star Escort Agency was the same as then.

All sorts of paintings and writings gave off a refined ink scent, and on one side, various musical instruments were placed.

Somehow, Cheon Mubaeck didn't want to change this layout. He didn't want to fill it with more special decorations. Just like this, he always felt at ease.

While feeling a sense of leisurely contentment, someone entered the room.

Cheon Mubaeck, who already knew who was outside, greeted him indifferently.

"You look well, Hao Munju."

"The war is over, isn't it? Of course, I'm well. People like us in the lower class have a hard time finding work when a war breaks out."

Gok Ji-heum sat down opposite him with a friendly smile. Cheon Mubaeck smiled faintly.

"This is also the last time."

Gok Ji-heum made a bittersweet expression.

"Yes, it's really the last time. Since I've inherited all of Hao Munju's special skills, this is the last report I'll be giving to the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero. From now on, if you want to find out about the situation, you'll have to buy the information."

"Will you give me a discount?"

"Of course. How can I charge a high price to the one who ended the Righteous-Demonic War that ended a year ago! You're the hero who saved the martial world by cutting down the Heavenly Demon."

"That's a nice thing to say."

"Then I'll tell you about the situation so far."

Cheon Mubaeck nodded his head.

"First, the sect leader of Huashan has stepped down from his position because he can no longer use his martial arts due to internal injuries. The next sect leader will be the Guardian Sword, Cheonghyeonjin."

"That's as expected."

"The Jongnam Sect Leader died in the last great war, and the Wind and Cloud Sword Lord, Jongrihong, has taken his place, and he seems to be organizing Jongnam well. But he was a person who was relatively hostile to Huashan, but he went to congratulate the new sect leader of Huashan in person."

"That guy, the Wind and Cloud Sword Lord? That's unexpected."

"I don't know if this is just for show, but anyway, Huashan and Jongnam are not as hostile as they were in the past. The sect leaders of the two sects fought together against the King of Hell, who was killed by the One-Eyed Serpent, Neung-heo, and the Jongnam Sect Leader sacrificed himself to save Huashan."

"That's a good thing. If Huashan and Jongnam reconcile, Shanxi Province will quickly regain its stability."

In addition to that, various other circumstances were conveyed. After the Righteous-Demonic War ended, Cheon Mubaeck had been living in seclusion. Although the news that he had killed the Heavenly Demon had spread and had caused a stir, Cheon Mubaeck had not stepped forward. Because he had a lot of things to sort out, and he needed time.

He had just been staying quietly at home, and had been watching the world through Gok Ji-heum.

"Ah, the journey that Elder Gwak Yong, Elder Zhuge Seon, Elder Yakseon, and the Sword Venerable have taken together is said to be heading for Tianzhu."

"They're traveling far."

"Those guys have been to every place in the Central Plains, so isn't that why?"

Cheon Mubaeck chuckled.

The Fighting God, Gwak Yong, the Strange Heavenly Brain, Zhuge Seon, Yakseon, and the Sword Venerable, Yoo Baek-gi.

These four were friends and comrades who had fought together in the Righteous-Demonic War forty years ago and the Righteous-Demonic War a year ago, and were now old masters who had retired from the martial world at the same time.

As soon as the fight was over, these four had set out on a journey together with the intention of spending the twilight of their lives together. Although Yoo Baek-gi had said that he would stay by his master's side, Cheon Mubaeck had sent him away.

Yoo Baek-gi could no longer use his martial arts. He had been forcibly maintaining his body's lifespan through a reverse heaven. After the Heavenly Demon had died, he had intended to end his life without hesitation, but he had decided to go on a final journey with his friends and had left.

'It will be hard to see him again.'

He would return from his journey someday, but it would be his last greeting to his master before he turned his back on the world. Although it was bitter, this was also the way of heaven and the natural order, so he had to send him away without any lingering feelings.

Cheon Mubaeck smiled bitterly.

"The martial world is being reorganized in many ways. Ah, a while ago, the Ghost Demon's body was found in the North Sea."

"In the end, he died."

A year, he had managed to live for a long time.

"And Jang No has declared himself the Sword Demon and has announced the proclamation of a new demonic path. Although there was a lot of talk about the revival of the Demonic Cult, the people of Shaolin and Wudang have officially recognized the establishment of the New Demonic Path Sect."

"They've made a big decision."

Cheon Mubaeck said indifferently. Gok Ji-heum let out a hollow laugh.

Everyone knew that it was Cheon Mubaeck who had instigated that decision from behind, but that shamelessness...

"Well, anyway, since it has been specified that it is a sect that deals only with martial arts, not the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, it is something to watch. Since it is the common theory that it was Jang No who killed the Ghost Demon, who had dreamed of the revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, it will be clearly different from the demonic path of the past."

"Then that would be a relief."

Cheon Mubaeck said calmly. Gok Ji-heum suddenly thought, what was the meaning of this report? Since Cheon Mubaeck was behind Jang No, wasn't that sect also Cheon Mubaeck's property?

"Ah, and this is a letter that came from the Blood Wolf who went to Kunlun, but it's hard for me to interpret. I don't know if it's a Central Plains character, or what character it is."

Cheon Mubaeck took the letter and read it at once.

"It says he tracked and killed the old monsters of Kunlun. But it seems he missed their leader..."

"Good grief, to think that two of the Five Disasters of the Central Plains, the wolves of the Great Desert and the old monsters of Kunlun, would clash."

"It's the way to catch a disaster with a disaster."

Cheon Mubaeck had not forgotten Gun Cheon-ak's story. He had actively used the wolves of the Great Desert without stepping forward himself. They were also one of the Five Disasters of the Central Plains. When they had started to run wild with a will, the old monsters of Kunlun had also had no choice but to suffer great damage.

But it was a pity that he had missed the leader...

"Since he has fled to Xizang, leaving the Central Plains, and is being tracked, it would be good if he died there or never returned."

Then there would be no troublesome things.

"This is all I have to say. Do you have any more questions? I won't charge you for this information."

"What is Neung-heo doing? He said he was going on a late honeymoon, but there's no news."

"He said he had a second child during his trip and would return after giving birth."

"A second child? Good grief..."

Isn't that Neung-heo guy in his fifties now?

"Hahahaha. Isn't he the One-Eyed Serpent, Neung-heo? The one who became a hero of the Righteous-Demonic War by killing the King of Hell. That much stamina is certain."

"Good grief, oh my."

Cheon Mubaeck clicked his tongue. Gok Ji-heum got up from his seat.

"Then I'll be going now."

"You're leaving already?"

"There's a guest who has come to see the great hero, so I have to make way."

Cheon Mubaeck smiled bitterly.

"I see."

"Do your best. Even the One-Eyed Serpent, Neung-heo, is showing off his old age and has two children, aren't you still young?"

Cheon Mubaeck sent him out with a reluctant expression.

After Gok Ji-heum had left with a smile, the person who entered the room was a slender figure.

"Have you been well? Young Master."

Cheon Mubaeck had been sorting out and thinking about many things for a long time.

He had spent a year like that.

He had sorted out and had finished most of his thoughts. But just one. He had been thinking about it until this very moment.

"It's been a long time, Young Lady."

"You too, Young Master. I was so busy sorting out my family's affairs."

Zhuge Seol-ah said with a forced smile. Although it looked as if she were making an excuse, it was true.

Cheon Mubaeck also knew well how much effort the Zhuge Clan, which had played a key role in the war, had put into cleaning up after the war.

Maintaining the Righteous Alliance, strengthening the alliance of the orthodox martial world... Zhuge Seol-ah had also had no choice but to work hard to help her father.

So a year after the war had ended.

The two had met for the first time.

"I was surprised that you suddenly looked for me."

"Because there's something I have to say."

"Something you have to say?"

"It's something I've been thinking about for a year, whether to say it or not, whether to keep it a secret."

"A secret...? So you've been thinking about it and have now decided to say it?"

Cheon Mubaeck smiled bitterly.

To be honest, he hadn't been able to decide until now. So he had arranged this meeting, thinking that he might be able to decide if he saw Zhuge Seol-ah's face.

Cheon Mubaeck nodded his head with a firm face.

"That's right, I've decided."

"What on earth is the secret..."

"It's a story without a single lie, please don't think it's strange and just listen for now."

And Cheon Mubaeck slowly opened his mouth.

His secret.

The history of all the lives he had lived through, repeating tens, hundreds of past lives.

* * *

How much time had passed? The sun that had been in the middle of the sky had set, and darkness had come.

Only after spending that much time could Cheon Mubaeck briefly convey his secret.

The silent Zhuge Seol-ah touched her forehead with a complicated expression and barely opened her mouth.

"Wait a minute. Then how many years apart are we?"

Cheon Mubaeck was silent.

And after thinking for a while, he said.

"I think it's better for you not to know."

Then Zhuge Seol-ah nodded her head with a face that seemed to have lost all its energy.

"That's right. It's a story that's better not to know. Yes, it's better not to know..."

Although it seemed unbelievable, there was no reason for him to tell her such a lie.

Moreover, Zhuge Seol-ah had seen Cheon Mubaeck's eyes.

The deep, deep, pitch-black pupils that she had once fallen for.

An unshakable truth was glittering like a jewel.

Zhuge Seol-ah looked at Cheon Mubaeck's eyes with a dizzy expression. At that moment. Cheon Mubaeck's sudden voice shook Zhuge Seol-ah's heart.

"I knew well that you had feelings for me."

"Th, that's"

Zhuge Seol-ah stammered with a red face, flustered. Cheon Mubaeck smiled calmly.

"But I knew it and pretended not to know. You must have also felt that I was deliberately avoiding you."

"..."

Zhuge Seol-ah felt as if her body had hardened for a moment.

That's right. Whether he was deliberately avoiding her, or whether he really didn't know anything. Although she had thought it was probably the former, she had tried to comfort herself by saying it wasn't.

Because if he were really deliberately avoiding her, there would be no unrequited love as painful as that.

Because it was more hopeful if he was just clueless and didn't know at all.

"But I couldn't accept it. It's painful. It's really painful. I die and am reborn, but my memories don't disappear. In my memories, there is still the woman I shared my love with, and the child I had with her."

Zhuge Seol-ah quietly lowered her head. She felt that she could no longer look at those pupils.

"They became my inner demons. Because I can't forget. No matter how much I train, no matter how high a realm I reach, no matter how immune to all poisons I become, no matter how much I reach a level where no piece of iron can even scratch my body, they become a terrible dagger and pierce my head and my heart."

Although Cheon Mubaeck's voice was calm, its end was strangely trembling slightly.

Zhuge Seol-ah also felt it.

Cheon Mubaeck's voice, which had never trembled in any situation, was trembling.

Zhuge Seol-ah's head was slowly raised again.

"So I knew you had feelings for me and pretended not to know. You must have been frustrated."

Cheon Mubaeck smiled bitterly.

"But this is all my fault. If I was going to pretend not to know, I should have been cold, but I wasn't. I kept you by my side with the excuse that I needed your help."

That's right. Cheon Mubaeck had always needed Zhuge Seol-ah's help. But thinking about it carefully, the help she had given was something that Cheon Mubaeck could have managed to do on his own if he had just invested the time.

But still, Cheon Mubaeck had needed Zhuge Seol-ah. Because of the efficiency of the work?

"No, I had just unconsciously thought that it would be nice to be with you."

Zhuge Seol-ah finally raised her head. She looked straight into Cheon Mubaeck's eyes. Dew formed in her eyes. Her face was a very complicated mixture of disappointment, joy, pity, and sadness.

Why on earth.

Why was he saying such a thing only now?

Even without saying it out loud, Cheon Mubaeck guessed the meaning and answered.

"This life will be my last."

"......!"

"I think my repeated past lives will end."

"Then..."

"I've always wanted to break this cycle of reincarnation. I wanted to leave this world. But now that I think this life is the last, I must be a cunning human. It's a pity. It's a pity, and it's so much a pity that I have to do as my heart goes, as I want."

Zhuge Seol-ah's heart slowly pounded.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I guess this life is the last, but I don't know when I see that egg again. Because the more I think about him, the more I can't gauge him. Maybe I'll lose to him like a lie and awaken as a normal Ompangi again. But, if that's not the case?"

"..."

"I don't want to have that regret, so I'm going to do as I please. As I want. Do you know why I'm saying this in front of you?"

Zhuge Seol-ah couldn't say anything. Even without looking at her small face beyond his Seon-an, he could feel her emotions. Cheon Mubaeck smiled faintly and said.

"The pain I will feel if I can't end this life and repeat my past lives is greater than the pain I will feel if I turn away from you in this life. I don't think I can bear it. Young Lady, are your feelings for me still the same?"

In an instant, it was as if the world had stopped. Zhuge Seol-ah looked straight at Cheon Mubaeck. Cheon Mubaeck did not open his Seon-an. Because he didn't want to dare to glimpse her emotions. He just quietly waited for her tightly closed, pale red lips to open.

How much time had passed?

Somehow, at the moment when Cheon Mubaeck was more nervous than when he was facing a lifelong rival, her mouth opened.

"No. It's not the same."

"..."

Is that so, it must be. Cheon Mubaeck smiled self-deprecatingly. He felt bitter for some reason.

Cheon Mubaeck was not a fool. He was not a clueless person.

He had also lived a long life, and had had a partner with whom he had shared his love several times.

He knew well what kind of attitude he had shown to Zhuge Seol-ah.

If he had pushed her away completely, it would have been different. But he had known all along and had pretended not to know.

It was only natural that the feelings she had had for him would disappear, not just because he was cruel.

Cheon Mubaeck had no choice but to accept it, reflecting on his late attitude.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry, in the end, I only thought from my own perspective."

"No, that's not what I meant."

"...Young Lady?"

"The feelings I have for you are not the same as you knew... they've grown bigger."

"..."

For a moment, Cheon Mubaeck was at a loss for words and closed his mouth.

Zhuge Seol-ah, with a red face, said with a faintly happy look.

"They've grown bigger, and they've been growing bigger, so why only now..."

Cheon Mubaeck quietly embraced Zhuge Seol-ah without saying anything.

It was a hug that was a little late, but not too late.

(End of Chapter)