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Chapter 8: The Clash of Intentions

“Star King—!!!”

A rough roar swept through the branch.

The shout echoed with such intensity that it felt like a tangible force.

After all, the one who unleashed that roar was none other than the great master of the Blue Dragon, Il Cheonggeom, and even the trees trembled in its wake.

“…Cough….”

“Ugh…!!”

The masters guarding the branch stumbled as if caught in a dizzying whirlwind.

This was the roar of a Transformation Realm Martial Artist, one already confirmed as a top contender in the next generation of masters.

“Where the hell are you-!”

The voice belonged to Il Cheonggeom.

For some reason, he was unable to control his emotions, and rage poured out of him like a storm.

And with that—

“Gu Yangcheong-!”

He called out my name with incredible fervor.

As a result, everyone in the branch was in disarray, especially Mokriseon, the branch leader, whose eyes trembled in panic.

Kugugugugugu—!!

A growing pressure of energy began to weigh down on the area surrounding the branch.

It seemed Il Cheonggeom’s energy was far beyond what anyone had anticipated.

“Gah…!!”

“Ugh.”

People were not just staggering now; some were even retching uncontrollably.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before someone would cough up blood. After witnessing that, I finally made my appearance.

“What the heck is going on here?”

As I stepped in with a puzzled expression, Il Cheonggeom charged at me without hesitation.

He suddenly grabbed me by the collar.

The shock made my body sway. I glanced at him with a face full of bewilderment.

“…Ah, Senior. Why are you acting like this?”

“You bastard-!”

Il Cheonggeom shouted at me, his face flushed with what seemed like indescribable fury.

“How dare you play me for a fool? How could you-!”

He shouted ferociously and hurled something at me. I looked and saw it was a letter.

A letter bearing the seal of the Martial Alliance, specifically one that Il Cheonggeom received about two days after setting out on the Journey to Sichuan.

From what I could recall, the content likely stated:

‘The Blue Dragon Master is to immediately return to the Main Sect with the members.’

That seemed to be the gist.

After receiving that message, Il Cheonggeom must have returned to the alliance with a strange expression on his face.

There must have been something odd about it, but it had the seal of the alliance, no less; directly from the hands of Muk Yeon.

Given that, he probably felt there was nothing he could do at that point.

So Il Cheonggeom returned to the alliance.

In the meanwhile, I continued my journey to Sichuan.

This was the cause of the time discrepancy between Il Cheonggeom and me arriving in Sichuan.

So, why was Il Cheonggeom suddenly so furious upon returning? The answer lay in the fact that—

After reporting back to the alliance, he must have received news that settled it.

The message stated that the Main Sect, and specifically Muk Yeon, had never sent such a letter.

So, the letter was fake!

Ah, wait.

“It’s a bit misleading to call it fake.”

It was indeed genuine in terms of the seal, but… well, whatever. Thanks to that, Il Cheonggeom had endured a rough training session, and that was likely why he was so angry.

“Senior, why are you acting like this? Calm down.”

I had to keep putting on an innocent face.

“Calm down? Calm down?! Ha—!”

“Why are you suddenly charging at someone who just returned?”

“Are you planning to act like you don’t know anything? Do you really think I wouldn’t know what you did-!”

“No, I’m asking you what exactly you mean.”

“Did you forge the Main Sect’s seal and fabricate a false order while pretending you didn’t know?!”

Il Cheonggeom gritted his teeth, his fury palpable as I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Forged the seal?!”

“How far are you going to deny it? Do you honestly think I wouldn’t catch on?”

“I’m seriously losing it.”

I wore an expression of irritation, shoving his hand off my collar.

Tug—! His hand had gripped tightly, tearing at my martial robe.

“What the heck are you talking about? Forgery? Faking? Just showing up out of nowhere and calling me-.”

I held back my frustration, barely swallowing my words.

Even though I could have shouted right back, maintaining my composure was more important right now.

Il Cheonggeom seemed completely convinced that I was the culprit behind this incident.

But what was more crucial here was—

‘The bastard is quite perceptive.’

In truth, I was indeed the culprit.

I wasn’t the one who sent the letter or orchestrated it, but I was behind the whole setup.

So, it was somewhat surprising.

‘I didn’t think he’d be so sure of it.’

What made him so convinced? What had given him that certainty?

I was actually curious about that.

“…Is this really happening?”

I tried to phrase my words carefully, but Il Cheonggeom’s anger showed no signs of abating.

If anything, it seemed to be intensifying as his expression twisted further.

“No matter how much Muk the Strategist and the world seem on your side, this is a serious matter issued by the Main Sect. It’s not something a mere brat like you can mess with!”

I nodded slightly, holding back a response.

“Even if you don’t like what’s happening, mixing personal feelings into this mission isn’t acceptable-.”

And then I seized the moment of his second statement.

“Personal feelings? Who’s discussing that?”

He paused, momentarily losing his train of thought as his throat bobbed.

“Who’s the one saying that here?”

“…You.”

“Well then.”

I thought I could let this slide, but there was no way I would.

I was more than ready to keep the back-and-forth going.

“Do you have any evidence that I did it?”

“…”

He couldn’t respond. Naturally, there was no way he would have any evidence.

I hadn’t left anything behind that could possibly incriminate me.

That’s exactly why I was able to come out so boldly.

“Personal feelings? Yes, you’re right, so let me just say this: I honestly don’t like you, Senior.”

I might have even disliked him enough to want him dead.

“But that’s not much different from how you feel about me, is it?”

“…”

“Since you’re not replying, I’ll take that as a yes…. Honestly, it doesn’t matter much. We don’t need to get along, do we? But.”

I tapped his clothing lightly with my hand.

“I can tell you’re feeling upset because something strange has happened to you, and I truly regret that…”

While locking eyes with him, I carried on.

“But we can’t have you making baseless accusations without any evidence in a place where so many eyes are watching us. As you said, we’re here to carry out important work, right?”

As I said that, I lowered my gaze slightly.

I could see Il Cheonggeom’s hands trembling.

It looked like he was itching to draw his sword at any moment. There was a hint of murderous intent lurking near the surface.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but smile.

“So let’s calm down first, alright? Unless you plan on drawing your sword right this instant.”

Go ahead, draw it. Let’s see how things unfold in front of everyone.

By emphasizing my stance, I poked at his pride, and the veins on Il Cheonggeom’s forehead bulged.

Given that I had pushed him this far, would he really be able to hold himself back?

I already knew the answer deep down. Il Cheonggeom would absolutely hold himself back.

“Click.”

Confirming my assumption, he ground his teeth, suppressing his emotions.

He was a guy who was unnecessarily cautious.

Though it was slightly surprising to see him act out this way, I knew that he wouldn’t fall for such a blatant trap.

So I had to steer it carefully.

He needed to think he was the predator.

I had to make him feel like he was the one trying to catch me, the prey.

From the very start until now, that had been my purpose in handling this.

Il Cheonggeom’s expression was tense. He had struggled through, inching closer to me.

I didn’t take a step back.

“…Don’t get it twisted. This isn’t me letting you off the hook.”

“Oh, of course. I understand perfectly.”

“No matter how much you try to dodge the truth, it won’t change the outcome. The moment we return to the Main Sect….”

Crack.

The sound of his teeth grinding hit my ears clearly.

“With the tasks of the Gold Dragon Master, I will expose every secret you’ve hidden!”

His attitude was one of absolute certainty, unwilling to let this go lightly.

Hearing this, I nodded slightly in response.

“Great. I look forward to it. Now, please proceed with your duties, oh great Blue Dragon Master.”

With that, Il Cheonggeom, who had been holding back his rage, turned abruptly.

He faced the direction of the branch leader.

“Gather the members.”

Il Cheonggeom commanded the Blue Dragon members.

“Now that we’ve arrived at our destination, commence the search immediately. Ensure that our prior plans proceed without a hitch.”

Clang!

Without taking a moment to rest, they dived straight into their assignment as soon as they arrived. The members responded loudly without a hint of hesitation.

It was clear they were well-disciplined. Watching them, I asked Il Cheonggeom.

“Should I pass along any gathered information? If you need it-.”

“No need. I’ll speak directly with the branch leader.”

“Ah, yes.”

Before I knew it, his tone had returned to its original state. After previously speaking informally, switching back now seemed pointless. I found it perplexing.

Il Cheonggeom interrupted the conversation and went to speak with the branch leader.

Considering we were working on this mission together, it would’ve made sense for him to at least gather some information—tsk, tsk.

‘But I already knew he wouldn’t listen.’

I chuckled to myself as I turned away.

As I did so, I noticed a slight flinch from the Blue Dragon members, but they immediately began to move. Apparently, they had already prepared a plan, just like Il Cheonggeom said.

Reflecting on those few days of preparation, I recalled the words that had lingered in Il Cheonggeom’s mind.

– The moment we return to the Main Sect…. I will expose every secret you’ve hidden!

There was no evidence, but it seemed he had caught on to something.

Il Cheonggeom’s reaction definitely hinted that something was amiss.

If we returned to the alliance like this, there might be some complications.

I felt that, but my worries were minimal.

‘After all, that’s only possible if he returns to the Main Sect obediently.’

In that sense, Il Cheonggeom wouldn’t fulfill his ambition.

And it made sense, considering this was likely his last mission.

This arrival in Sichuan would indeed be the final chapter of his life.

 

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