Chapter 75
The corners of Baek Garim’s eyes trembled as he smiled with his eyes.
When he was at the heart of the Demon Sect, he never took interest in any woman…
Suddenly, Baek Garim wondered how Sau would “take” a woman. Would it be violent and beastly, like when he unleashed his sword dance?
Unexpectedly, it might actually have been the Golden Priestess who was more proactive.
After all, Sau’s true self—once freed from the reverse-magic techniques—was so mesmerizing that even another man would be captivated.
Above all, it was mysterious.
His neatly aligned features and pitch-black eyes, untouched by emotion, had an almost magnetic allure.
“How… was it?”
Baek Garim swallowed hard.
Since he had served Sau as a Heavenly Demon, he had never anticipated a moment when he would so eagerly await an answer.
Meanwhile, Sau, unaware of Baek Garim’s inner thoughts, answered honestly.
“It was good.”
During the time spent with Baek Sam, he had never felt dislike.
Everything with her had been good.
Of course, the two small-minded followers who never left her side were irritating, but that was a minor annoyance.
“L-Lord Sect Leader… congratulations.”
“For what?”
“Congratulations on opening your eyes to a new world. You always look impressive, but today, you’re exceptionally remarkable.”
“….”
Sau furrowed his brows.
He knew Baek Garim was skilled at flattery, but at this moment, he couldn’t even guess what exactly he was flattering.
Even so, Baek Garim continued speaking, almost as if he were moved to tears for some reason.
“Lord Sect Leader and the Golden Priestess… isn’t that the perfect combination!”
“Yes.”
Indeed.
A powerful warrior who could dominate the world, paired with an excellent physician who could heal anything.
A perfect combination, no doubt.
“Now, let’s have the Golden Priestess cure the madness and subjugate the world. Even if one of the Seven Great Warlords threatens your life, with the Golden Priestess, we’ll be invincible.”
“With her, no one could ever defeat me.”
At that moment, Somagi interjected.
“Then when will you bring the Golden Priestess to our sect?”
“Not yet…”
Sau slowly shook his head.
“But since you’re deeply connected, shouldn’t we abduct her to our sect immediately and urge her to heal?”
Sau frowned again, scolding Somagi with his words.
“I’ve seen her healing abilities firsthand. From what I felt then, coercion or abduction won’t make her use them.”
“Eh?”
“It has to be healing she wants to perform.”
“…Ah.”
“Even Wijagang fifty years ago, obsessed with curing madness, never resorted to coercive methods.”
Baek Garim and Somagi nodded at Sau’s words.
Even Wijagang, who loved the Golden Priestess fifty years ago and was desperate to cure madness, never abducted her. And as Sau said, he almost never treated her with force.
Those who had served Wijagang directly fifty years ago—Somagi and Baek Garim—knew this better than anyone.
“You also gradually became close to the Golden Priestess. Come to think of it, we even suggested abducting her back then.”
“Do you know more about the Golden Priestess fifty years ago?”
Both shook their heads.
“We rarely had conversations with her. The Lord Sect Leader was always so protective of her.”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
Sau quickly gave up.
He had no interest in the Golden Priestess of the past, long dead and reduced to bones.
His interest lay solely with the current Golden Priestess in his hands.
“Baek Garim.”
“Yes, Lord Sect Leader.”
“I need you to devise a way to make the Golden Priestess willing to heal me. I need your help with this.”
“I will devote everything to assisting you, Lord Sect Leader.”
“Soon, the Golden Priestess, her entourage, and I will visit the Jegal family. I’ll attend to my tasks while eliminating any suspicion from Jegal Cheon. You, Baek Garim, pick the target for sacrifice.”
“You mean her entourage…”
“Jegal Haesu and Namgung Jin.”
The moment Namgung Jin’s name was mentioned, Somagi leapt to his feet.
“Lord Sect Leader! I’ll strangle that Namgung Jin myself…!”
“Somagi, calm down. I know you want to kill Namgung Jin, but not at the Jegal family.”
“Lord Sect Leader, please, just one more chance…”
“No, I’m not saying don’t kill him—only that you absolutely mustn’t touch him at the Jegal family.”
“Eh?”
Sau spoke meaningfully.
“The one who must be harmed at the Jegal family is me.”
This left huge question marks on Somagi and Baek Garim’s faces.
“I’ll explain on the way down the mountain.”
“Yes, Lord Sect Leader.”
“And Baek Garim, one last thing.”
“Please, tell me.”
“What about those gangsters running in groups around Yangyang? I can’t understand why you don’t deal with those small fry.”
“Hahaha! Did they really provoke the Lord Sect Leader too?”
Baek Garim seemed familiar with those lowly outlaws.
Judging by his hearty laughter, he had let them be despite knowing they were running rampant in Yangyang.
“Yes. I considered eliminating them entirely, but for now, I only dealt with those who caused trouble.”
“I deliberately left them be.”
“Why?”
“If Yangyang were too peaceful, why would I stay at the Jegal family?”
“But they don’t seem strong enough to threaten the Jegal family.”
“The sect leader is different from those small fry.”
“A master?”
“They’ve been continuously taking the Blood Yang Pill, so they can handle sword energy techniques.”
“Ah, a lunatic.”
Sau nodded knowingly.
So the reason the gangsters mentioned the Demon Sect was because of the Blood Yang Pill.
Baek Garim likely gave the Blood Yang Pill secretly to the gangsters—either intentionally or to potentially turn them into lunatics.
But according to the gang leader, it probably wasn’t different from Namgung Hyuk.
Although he might be pleased now that the pill has noticeably increased his internal energy, later the magic will erupt, and he will become a lunatic.
Greed invites disaster.
Knowing sufficiency prevents shame; knowing when to stop prevents danger; this ensures longevity.
To avoid peril, one must know when to halt.
The proverb that came to mind was something Sau had cultivated in the distant past.
Memories from before meeting Baek Sam, long thought forgotten, seemed to keep surfacing.
Why?
“I won’t give you cause to worry. I can eliminate them all right now if I wished.”
“I’m not worried. Just annoyed. That’s why I asked.”
“Then, Baek Garim, as a member of the Jegal family, you sometimes deal with the gangsters, enhancing the family’s reputation, while secretly distributing the Blood Yang Pill behind the scenes.”
“You truly are perceptive, Lord Sect Leader. Yes, that’s one reason the Jegal family favors me.”
“Impressive. You, too.”
“Hahaha. Since I haven’t found what I’m looking for in the Jegal family, I might as well stir things up further.”
A sharp glint appeared in Baek Garim’s smooth, curved eyes.
Fifty years ago, Baek Garim had lost something to Jegal Daewoon, the previous head of the Jegal family.
The Silver Galaxy Flying Knife.
The best among flying knives, it had to be reclaimed—for the sake of a sect forgotten by most.
It was likely hidden deep within the Jegal family, secured with intricate mechanisms even Baek Garim couldn’t breach.
Thieves…
He briefly gritted his teeth, then smiled as if no anger had ever existed.
“Oh, and I’ll also share what was discussed regarding the Golden Priestess at the Martial Alliance.”
Jegal Haesu only returned late at night. Fortunately, he bore no visible injuries, suggesting he hadn’t fought anyone.
On the way back, he mentioned that Sau had briefly gone elsewhere on business.
Throughout the explanation, Jegal Haesu’s complexion had been very bad.
Soso had a premonition.
He failed.
On the first floor of the inn, the three of them sat around a late dinner.
Jegal Haesu even seemed listless while eating noodles, slurping them less vigorously than usual.
“Jegal So-hyup, are you okay?”
“What should I do now, Sam-ah?”
Soso asked carefully, not wanting to upset him.
“You didn’t find what you were looking for?”
“No. Those bastards took everything.”
“Oh… them again, appearing once more.”
Soso avoided mentioning the Demon Sect directly, just in case.
“Even Sau So-hyup couldn’t shake them off.”
“Ah…”
Soso reached out and patted Jegal Haesu’s drooping shoulder.
Sitting opposite, Namgung Jin, unlike Soso, spoke coldly.
“Jegal Haesu, the place you went seeking that treasure—is it truly another secret garden left by your uncle? I hope you’ll tell the truth now.”
