As the sunset painted the sky in hues of crimson…
in the office of the Supreme Branch Captain, on the outskirts of the Martial Alliance’s northern gate.
Bu Eunseol, who had been writing a letter at his desk, suddenly stopped moving the moment he received the message delivered by Tae Muryong.
It was because the visitor was none other than Baek Museong, the Captain of the Heavenly Order Corps from the Coiling Dragon Hall.
‘So, the one who was bound to come has finally arrived.’
Yet Bu Eunseol was not particularly surprised.
On a single mountain, two tigers cannot coexist.
From the very moment Baek Museong had entered the Martial Alliance, Bu Eunseol had already prepared his heart for this encounter.
“Come in.”
Click.
The door opened, and a tall, striking man dressed in pure white entered.
It was Baek Museong, the next-generation successor known as the Golden True Dragon.
The instant Baek Museong stepped into the meeting room, Bu Eunseol could not help but widen his eyes in shock.
The man he had met by chance among the ruins of the Saha Inn.
The very man with whom he had shared fine liquor and drunk through the night—was this not him?
‘To think that man was Baek Museong himself.’
An awkward feeling washed over Bu Eunseol.
The person known as Seon Woojin was said to speak politely even to his subordinates, and was renowned for his gentle and cheerful personality. Yet when they had met at the Saha Inn, although Bu Eunseol wore Seon Woojin’s face, he had treated Baek Museong with his true personality and original manner of speech.
Because he had believed they would never meet again. Even if they did cross paths, it would only be a brief encounter in the martial world.
‘Who would have thought we would meet again inside the Martial Alliance.’
If he were to suddenly change his way of speaking now, it would become utterly strange.
Baek Museong had surely heard detailed stories about the person named Seon Woojin from Yuk Cheongah.
‘No, it doesn’t matter. We have already parted ways, haven’t we?’
If Yuk Cheongah were still assigning him missions, it might have become a problem.
But she had already guessed that Gongsun Dankyung and Seon Woojin were in the same boat and had brought Baek Museong here.
From Yuk Cheongah’s standpoint, Seon Woojin’s true personality was of no concern whatsoever.
“Huh?”
Baek Museong, too, confirmed the face of Bu Eunseol—who had disguised himself as Seon Woojin—and let out a startled laugh.
“Well, isn’t this quite the coincidence!”
With a delighted expression, he approached, flashing his white teeth in a broad grin.
“You never told me your sect or your name, so I thought you must have some complicated story. To think you were a grandmaster of the Martial Alliance!”
Before Bu Eunseol could even reply, he continued rapidly.
“I came to apologize for stealing the mission from the Lotus Hall Master, but it seems I’ll have to play the debtor instead.”
“…”
“I still haven’t been treated to that drink, have I?” Baek Museong laughed playfully and clasped his hands together.
“Let me greet you properly. I am Baek Museong, newly appointed as Captain of the Heavenly Order Division.”
“Seon Woojin.”
When the stiff reply came back, the thick brows of Baek Museong twitched.
“Even knowing my status, you still speak to me like that?”
Though only a second-rank captain, Baek Museong was the disciple of the Buddha Venerable.
In terms of seniority, he stood on the level of an elder of the Nine Great Sects, and being in his thirties, he was older than Bu Eunseol as well.
“You seem to be mistaken about something.” Bu Eunseol answered calmly. “This is the Martial Alliance. If you wish to discuss seniority, go back out into the martial world.”
After staring blankly for a moment, Baek Museong burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha!” He nodded vigorously, roaring with laughter. “Yes, that’s right! That’s exactly how it should be!”
Baek Museong laughed with genuine pleasure.
Until now, because of his excessively high status, he had never truly mingled with peers of his own age. Everyone treated him with awe; even the elders of the Nine Sects did not dare act casually around him.
He had always regretted that fact.
To finally meet someone who treated him without reservation—he was so happy he hardly knew what to do with himself.
“If you had bowed and scraped, I would have been bitterly disappointed.”
When Baek Museong spoke his mind honestly, a faint smile appeared on Bu Eunseol’s lips as well.
“In any case, within the Alliance, unless one is a direct superior, we set aside rank and status and speak with moderate respect and courtesy.” Bu Eunseol continued indifferently. “So let’s drop the first-rank, second-rank nonsense and speak comfortably, as we are now. Brother Baek.”
At those words, Tae Muryong—who had been standing rigidly at the door, unable to leave—glanced nervously at them.
No matter how quickly he had risen to first-rank captain, compared to Baek Museong, his fame and seniority were as far apart as heaven and earth.
Yet here he was, suddenly addressing him as brother?
“Good!” Baek Museong grinned broadly. “You haven’t forgotten the promise we made last time, have you?”
Bu Eunseol looked into those clear, childlike eyes, sighed, and nodded.
"So you really mean to collect it.”
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol had promised that if they met again, he would treat him to a proper drink. And Baek Museong intended to make him honor that promise right now.
With a solemn face, Baek Museong said, “What are you waiting for? Hurry and keep your promise.”
The place Bu Eunseol took Baek Museong to was a shabby inn in a small village far from the Martial Alliance.
Having perceived that Baek Museong disliked noisy places, Bu Eunseol deliberately chose a rundown inn with few visitors and little foot traffic.
Only an old man worked there, and there were just five tables in total.
Bu Eunseol and Baek Museong sat in the corner and took turns pouring drinks for each other.
Both men used large cups, yet not a single drop was spilled and they drank cleanly.
“Hoo.” After downing three cups in a row, Baek Museong let out a sound of admiration. “I wondered why you were repaying the debt so stingily, but that wasn’t the case at all.”
The liquor served in this tiny inn was not some legendary vintage, but it was certainly not the sour, cheap white liquor either.
“There’s a famous brewery in this village. This inn receives its liquor from there.” Bu Eunseol filled Baek Museong’s cup again, glanced around, and continued. “When I feel like drinking, I often come here with my subordinates. The atmosphere is good, and the price is quite reasonable.”
“That’s a little different from the rumors.” Baek Museong wore a faint smile. “I heard the Captain of the Supreme Branch spoke and acted as gently as silk.”
He was pointing out how Bu Eunseol’s current personality and speech differed from the rumors.
“I am the captain of this information division. When operating secretly in the martial world, it would be problematic to show my real speech habits and quirks.”
“Hmm, so that’s how it was.”
“That was a lie.”
“…Huh?”
Bu Eunseol calmly emptied his cup and let out a deep sigh. “In a Martial Alliance where connections and backing are everything, if I acted according to my true nature, I would have been kicked out before a single day passed.”
“Hmm.”
“Without backing or connections, one must be diligent and gentle to win favor from both superiors and subordinates, mustn’t one?”
“Good heavens.” Baek Museong sighed. “Is there really a need to go that far? With your ability, you could rise steadily even without such pretense.”
“The Martial Alliance is not that kind of place.” Bu Eunseol stared straight at Baek Museong. “You know that well yourself, don’t you, Brother Baek?”
“Hahaha.” Baek Museong let out a hearty laugh. “They call you the Dragon of the merchant world for good reason. Truly extraordinary.”
“Being praised for that leaves a bitter aftertaste.”
“Of course not. What surprises me is your depth of scheming.” Baek Museong’s eyes sparkled. “You said you changed your speech and personality because you are an information division’s captain—that alone would have been sufficient reason. Yet you gave another reason, speaking of the Alliance’s atmosphere.”
“…”
“My master once said: the people who lie the best are those who give two or more reasons for any question.”
A flash passed through Baek Museong’s eyes.
“Are you a liar?”
“Interesting words.” Bu Eunseol raised his cup casually and drank deeply. “Now that I think of it, it seems the Buddha Venerable has been badly burned by people as well.”
“What did you say?”
In an instant, Baek Museong’s face hardened coldly.
“What did you just say?”
“I said it seems the Buddha Venerable has been badly hurt by people.”
Sparks flew from Baek Museong’s eyes.
No matter how bold a person was, to twist his master’s words and speak irreverently?
“I must have misjudged you.” Baek Museong rose coldly from his seat, voice filled with disappointment. “I don’t mind if you treat me casually. But I will never tolerate even the slightest disrespect toward my master.”
“Enough of that.” Bu Eunseol chuckled and refilled Baek Museong’s cup. “Do you truly think the esteemed Buddha Venerable would say such a thing to his disciple?”
“What?”
“Ah, now that I think about it, it was written like this in the secret manual of the Boundless Master.”
Bu Eunseol stared straight at him.
“‘The easiest way to lie is to borrow the mouth of someone with high authority.’”
“Pfft… hahaha!”
Baek Museong, who had been staring blankly, burst into loud laughter and sat back down.
“How did you know my master never said such a thing?”
“Would a sage like the Buddha Venerable—who knows well the troubles of the secular world—teach his disciple how to spot liars?” Bu Eunseol drank deeply and spoke bitterly. “You simply found me suspicious somewhere, So you tested me with those words, Brother Baek.”
“You really are impossible to beat.” He raised his cup and extended both hands. “I’m sorry for testing you with needless words.”
After draining the cup, he continued with a bitter expression.
“Truthfully, I don’t trust people easily. Because from childhood until now… far too many have tried to use me.”
“Isn’t seeking useful people simply the way of the world?”
“I was only ten years old at the time. Far too young to understand the ways of the world.”
Because of his outstanding talent, Baek Museong became the disciple of the Buddha Venerable at the age of ten. But because of that, countless people approached him and constantly tried to exploit him.
That was why he found it hard to trust others and always verified the truth of their words.
“So you suspected that my approach at the Saha Inn was deliberate.”
“Well, there’s no such thing as pure coincidence in this world, is there?”
“I agree with that statement.” Bu Eunseol shook his head. “I never imagined I would see you again inside the Martial Alliance.”
Baek Museong gave a faint smile.
He had realized Bu Eunseol was telling the truth.
“What was your childhood like?”
A rather out-of-the-blue question.
Bu Eunseol answered without hesitation.
“Ordinary. Like the heirs of other merchant families, I simply studied and studied some more.”
“I envy you.” Baek Museong narrowed his eyes. “If I could return to my childhood, I would never have become Master’s disciple. I mean it sincerely.”
His eyes darkened endlessly.
It seemed there was some painful story he could not speak of.
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol nodded and gently changed the subject.
“Is the Buddha Venerable in good health?”
In truth, Bu Eunseol had been searching for the Buddha Venerable’s whereabouts all along.
There was no way he would be unaware of the Absolute Demonic Blade Project. Yet no matter how widely he cast his information network, he had been unable to locate him.
“Well…” Baek Museong shook his head. “It has been quite a long time since I last saw Master.”
“Is he far away?”
“He stayed at the Martial Alliance for a while not long ago, but now he has returned to the Dalma Cave. He extremely dislikes lingering in the secular world.”
A gleam flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
The Dalma Cave was the wall-facing cave on Mount Song.
‘That can’t be right.’
If the Buddha Venerable were truly there, why had the information network failed to detect him?
‘He doesn’t seem to be lying.’
“But it’s a pity.” Baek Museong spoke bitterly at that moment. “I thought I had finally met someone I truly clicked with, yet of all people, we meet as rivals.”
‘He realized I’m aiming for the position of Commander?’
Bu Eunseol could not hide his surprise.
Even if he knew they were on the same side as Gongsun Dankyung, no one should have been able to see that it was for the sake of becoming the Martial Heaven Corps Commander.
Yet Baek Museong had seen through his ambition.
“Didn’t you expect this as well?” Baek Museong suddenly said something strange. “Ever since you started dating Gongsun Dankyung. Heh heh.”
He smiled faintly and emptied his cup with a bitter expression.
“You and I are romantic rivals, then.”
Rivals in love—those who compete for the same person’s affection.
“Dating the Commander? What are you talking about?”
“There were rumors about you and the Commander multiple times, weren’t there?”
Bu Eunseol almost burst out laughing at the absurdity.
‘So there’s some history with the Commander.’
The rumors between Bu Eunseol and Gongsun Dankyung had started because of the counterfeit incident at the Myriad Goods Store in Henan.
But that incident concerned Gongsun Dankyung’s own position.
For the sake of secrecy, only the two of them could go—and they had to do so covertly.
Because the details were kept secret, Baek Museong had misunderstood.
“The Commander and I are absolutely not in that kind of relationship.” Bu Eunseol swore solemnly, as if to dispel Baek Museong’s worry.
“If I am lying, may I be struck dead by lightning.”
“Seeing you say it like that, it must be true. But I know her personality better than anyone.”
Bu Eunseol closed his mouth.
Judging by the serious look in Baek Museong’s eyes, there had clearly been something complicated between them in the past.
“She is not the type of woman who handles missions alone with a man.”
“Brother Baek.” Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh and snorted.
“Let me give you sincere advice: if you wish to win a woman’s heart, never make such confident declarations again.”
He gave Baek Museong a sharp piece of counsel.
“Do not judge the woman you love on your own and disappoint yourself on your own.”
“…”
“That is what women hate most.”
Baek Museong tilted his head and leaned forward.
“Are you really saying it’s not true?”
“Yes.”
“Then why…”
“There were circumstances that required it.”
With that single sentence, Bu Eunseol brushed aside the matter of Gongsun Dankyung.
There was no need to speak of the Myriad Goods Store incident.
“Hmm.” Baek Museong let out a low groan.
He was pure of character, not stupid.
Just looking at Bu Eunseol’s eyes, he could tell instinctively that he was not lying.
No one would tell such an obvious lie so confidently.
“My apologies.” Baek Museong scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Then he began to reveal the story he had kept inside.
“Actually, she and I were once lovers. But… the ending was not good.”
An ordinary person would have asked for details.
But Bu Eunseol was not the type to be curious about another’s past.
“I see.” He tilted his cup as if uninterested.
Humans are truly strange creatures.
When someone is curious, they desperately do not want to tell. But when no interest is shown, they suddenly want to talk endlessly.
In that sense, when making friends, eloquence is silver, but silence is gold.
“Aren’t you curious how we met?”
“How could I pry into Brother Baek’s private life?”
When Bu Eunseol waved his hand dismissively, Baek Museong shook his own hand. “No, it’s nothing special. When we were young, she and I studied together for a short time.”
“I see.”
It was not unusual for children of great sects or noble families to gather famous scholars and study together from a young age.
“She was one year older than me and insisted I call her ‘Senior Sister.’ Her personality was cold, and she wanted to be treated like a high-ranking superior.”
A fond smile appeared on Baek Museong’s lips as he recalled the past.
“Truthfully, from the moment we first met, I was interested in her.”
“Why is that?”
“She may seem cold on the outside, but inside she is as soft and gentle as silk.”
Bu Eunseol almost laughed out loud.
‘He’s completely blind.’
If Gongsun Dankyung—who would use even a person’s goodwill for her own goals—had a gentle heart…
Then there would be no one in the world with a hard heart.
“And when she was about to take the position of Great Forest Master in the Martial Alliance, by chance our paths crossed again. I did not miss the opportunity; I courted her persistently and we became lovers, but due to unavoidable circumstances…”
As Baek Museong rambled on about his love story, he shook his head as if embarrassed.
“In any case, the reason I entered the Martial Alliance was to try again with her.”
Bu Eunseol made a dumbfounded expression.
“You became a captain of the Martial Alliance because of her?”
“That’s right.” Baek Museong smiled bitterly. “When one is blinded by love, one becomes foolish and blindly devoted. And one does not think about the future.”
Silence flowed for a moment.
After an awkward cough, Baek Museong looked at Bu Eunseol and said,
“Please, never speak of what we discussed today to anyone else.”
“Don’t worry.” Bu Eunseol answered confidently. “I am a captain of an information division. I understand the importance of information better than anyone.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“Hm?”
“I said I understand the importance of information.”
“…?”
Bu Eunseol declared firmly, “I understand its importance. I never said I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“So you want payment for silence.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed as if it were the most natural thing.
“Of course.”
When they stepped out of the inn, Baek Museong led Bu Eunseol to the bustling marketplace.
And when they emerged from the marketplace, Bu Eunseol was holding a single stick of candied hawthorn that children love.
“For a silence fee, this is absurdly cheap.” Bu Eunseol shook his head as he looked at the candied hawthorn.
“Even though I am a secular disciple, I have always lived frugally. And I haven’t been in the Martial Alliance long.” Baek Museong pointed proudly at his empty money pouch. “I hear the Alliance’s finances have improved lately, so I only hope it’s not as bad as before.”
“Were you in the Martial Alliance before?”
“For a short time.”
The movements of a young master like Baek Museong were always of interest to the information networks. Yet even Bu Eunseol—who operated the networks—had never known that Baek Museong had once been part of the Martial Alliance.
“I see.”
“Truthfully, the reason I came looking for you was less about apologizing for taking the mission and more because Hall Master Yuk praised you so highly.” Baek Museong spoke honestly about what he had kept inside. “She said you were someone worthy of being my rival… I wondered what kind of person you were. I came partly wanting to test you and put you in your place.”
In reality, he had not come merely to apologize for Yuk Cheongah’s unilateral action.
That brilliant woman had praised this person named Seon Woojin so much. He had come to meet him face-to-face, to gauge whether he could truly be his rival.
And when he discovered that Seon Woojin was the very man who had promised him a drink in the past, he created an even more natural opportunity.
“But it seems there’s no need for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve taken a liking to you.” Baek Museong scratched his nose awkwardly.
It was an unadorned display of genuine fondness toward Bu Eunseol.
“Because of Brother Baek, Hall Master Yuk will hate me even more.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she sees us continuing to get along so well, how frustrated do you think she’ll be?”
“Continuing…” Baek Museong looked dazed.
In the end, that meant Bu Eunseol liked him too, didn’t it?
“Heh heh heh. Indeed.” A bright smile spread across Baek Museong’s face.
They were people who should never become close.
People who must not become close.
Yet the two of them were unabashedly growing fond of each other.
Nom nom.
Bu Eunseol looked away from Baek Museong and brought the candied hawthorn to his mouth.
He had eaten about half when he felt a piercing gaze.
When he turned his head, Baek Museong was staring at him with his mouth open.
“Is there more you wanted to say?”
“Are you… really going to eat it all by yourself?”
“…”
“Delicious things taste even better when shared.”
With no other choice, Bu Eunseol held out the remaining candied hawthorn.
Baek Museong immediately bit into what was left, as if he had been waiting.
—Delicious things have to be shared!
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s vision blurred, and a memory from his childhood surfaced.
It was a bustling marketplace, and standing before the young Bu Eunseol was a slightly older boy dressed in white.
—Then it tastes even better!
The boy stood with the sunlight to his back, so his face could not be seen, but his wide, beaming smile was visible.
And that smile overlapped perfectly with Baek Museong’s smile right now.
‘Did I… have a moment like this too?’
There had been a childhood that was simply, purely happy.
“Why do you look like that?”
Baek Museong blinked at Bu Eunseol.
“Are you that upset about sharing?”
Seeing him smack his lips, Bu Eunseol unknowingly shook his head and smiled.
“No, it’s nothing.”
At this point, Bu Eunseol still did not remember.
That Baek Museong and he shared a connection that stretched back to their childhood.
And that it would take a little more time before he realized it.
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