The two men were furious enough to storm out on the spot, but they suppressed it.
No—they had no choice but to suppress it.
Because the Heavenly Wayfarer was watching.
And unfortunately for them, Unhwi was not finished.
“And Vice Leader.”
Yu Cheong, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
“I am somewhat disappointed.”
“......You are speaking to me?”
“Yes. Those two dare to interfere in the affairs of the Blood Heaven Sect, yet how can the Vice Leader of the Blood Heaven Sect remain silent?”
Yu Cheong’s brow tightened.
“......Arbiter, you do not know much about the ‘great cause,’ do you?”
“Even if I did, nothing would change. Heaven Beyond Heaven is not the Blood Heaven Sect. Even if both organizations share the same leader, one cannot control the other at will. Even the titles are different, are they not?”
“......Hmm.”
“Heavenly Lord and Origin. They are clearly different titles. As I have said repeatedly, should you not have dealt with those arrogant men before I had to step in?”
The faces of the Mystic Yellow Sage and the Heavenly Law Sage flushed red.
This was an insult.
No—it was a humiliation unlike anything they had suffered in their entire lives.
“There is nothing more revolting than men who do not know their place speaking of a great cause. Whatever that cause may be, arrogance must carry a price. And those two, though perhaps I should not say this, appear likely to pay it soon.”
There was an edge beneath Unhwi’s words.
Naturally, Yu Cheong was the one who caught it.
“This is a weighty position. Do you not realize that the same words you just spoke apply to you as well?”
“I know that very well.”
“......”
“Perhaps no one in this room understands it better than I do. And I—”
Unhwi shifted his gaze, looking once each at the Heavenly Law Sage and the Mystic Yellow Sage.
“—am prepared to pay that price. Always. That is why I took up the sword.”
They knew the path Unhwi had walked, so they remained silent.
He truly had proven himself through every trial.
Arrogant?
He had heard that countless times.
And he had slaughtered every man who called him arrogant. He had risen above the martial world as a genius.
When he became the Blood Heaven Arbiter of the Blood Heaven Sect, everyone had been shocked and astonished, yet almost no one believed the appointment was unjust.
Because that was the path he had walked.
And therefore—
“I am sincerely disappointed in you, Vice Leader.”
He had more than enough right to say it.
The Undying Maitreya, who had been quietly listening, chuckled and joined the conversation as he lifted his teacup.
“My friend is truly bold.”
“It is not boldness,” Unhwi replied.
“I am stating the truth.”
“Heh-heh. That is what makes it bold.”
The Undying Maitreya took a sip of tea.
Then—
Yu Cheong, who had remained silent, rose from his seat and gave the Heavenly Wayfarer a fist salute.
“Origin.”
“Hmm?”
“The Blood Heaven Arbiter is correct.”
“......Hmm?”
“The Mystic Yellow Sage and the Heavenly Law Sage crossed the line. The affairs of the Blood Heaven Sect and those of Heaven Beyond Heaven are distinct, just as the organizations themselves are distinct. Yet they interfered excessively in the Blood Heaven Sect’s affairs.”
“That is true.”
“I should have stopped their discourtesy. I apologize for troubling you.”
“Heh-heh. It is fine. Do you think I do not understand your intentions? As for those two...... well, they will not do it again.”
“......”
“Can I trust that?”
The Mystic Yellow Sage and the Heavenly Law Sage hurriedly gave fist salutes.
“Then it is settled. More importantly—”
The Heavenly Wayfarer looked at Unhwi.
“Does our Blood Heaven Arbiter have anything else to say?”
“Yes.”
“Then let us hear it.”
“Yes.”
Unhwi looked toward the Mystic Yellow Sage and the Heavenly Law Sage.
“I have heard enough to know the answer, but I would like to confirm it. I am told that you two Seniors and the Undying Maitreya brought Gun Mugeol into this.”
The atmosphere in the grand hall changed.
The Mystic Yellow Sage’s eyes trembled slightly.
The Heavenly Law Sage’s expression hardened.
The Undying Maitreya’s teacup stopped just before his lips.
Only Master Primal Truth continued to smile.
Unhwi continued.
“The Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance whom you brought in is now taking aim at the Blood Heaven Sect.”
“......”
“Gun Mugeol is an exceptional man. In martial arts, in intellect, and in his talent for constructing legitimacy.”
“......”
“And his ambitions reach toward everything under heaven. Showing secrets to a man like that is no different from placing a blade in his hand.”
The Mystic Yellow Sage’s expression stiffened.
It had been the Mystic Yellow Pavilion and the Heavenly Law Platform who first reached out to Gun Mugeol.
Of course, they had obtained the Heavenly Wayfarer’s permission.
The Undying Maitreya had judged him after speaking with him, then personally taken him to the Peach Blossom Garden.
But the Mystic Yellow Pavilion and the Heavenly Law Platform had initiated it.
Unhwi had struck directly at that fact.
The Heavenly Law Sage opened his mouth.
“The matter of Gun Mugeol proceeded with the Heavenly Lord’s permission.”
“I know.”
“Then......”
“I know, but—”
Unhwi cut him off.
“You questioned me for acting unilaterally, so I am asking you the same.”
“......”
“Was bringing in Gun Mugeol not unilateral action?”
The grand hall froze.
Fire flared in the Heavenly Law Sage’s eyes.
“......What was?”
“You said you received the Origin’s permission. But you also said that seeking permission and acting according to the Origin’s will are not the same.”
“......”
“I merely borrowed your own words.”
Unhwi spoke calmly.
The Heavenly Law Sage’s face reddened.
His own logic had been turned back upon him.
The Mystic Yellow Sage looked at Unhwi.
His gaze had changed.
Until now, he had been weighing him.
Now, he was wary.
This young man......
The Mystic Yellow Sage thought.
He is far more seasoned than he appears.
Unity of Heaven and Man at that age.
Yet the depth of his words did not match his years.
It was the experience of a man who had lived for decades.
The skill to take an opponent’s argument and return it against him.
The restraint to refuse to yield without crossing the line.
The tension in the grand hall reached its peak.
The Heavenly Law Sage’s energy trembled faintly.
His anger was seeping into it.
Then—
“Heh-heh-heh-heh.”
Laughter filled the grand hall.
It came from the Heavenly Wayfarer.
Everyone turned toward him.
The Heavenly Wayfarer was laughing.
Genuinely laughing.
“This is amusing.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer spoke.
“Truly amusing.”
The Mystic Yellow Sage tried to speak.
The Heavenly Wayfarer raised a hand.
Lightly.
Yet with that single movement, every current of energy in the hall subsided.
The Heavenly Law Sage’s pressure vanished.
The Mystic Yellow Sage’s wariness was suppressed.
The Heavenly Wayfarer.
A being no one in this room could surpass.
“Mystic Yellow.”
“Yes, Heavenly Lord.”
“Was anything Unhwi said incorrect?”
“......”
“Bringing Jeong Docheon under control. Settling the matter of the Red Spirit Court. Visiting the Gongsun family. Did any of it harm the Blood Heaven Sect?”
The Mystic Yellow Sage could not answer.
None of it had caused harm.
On the contrary, all of it had been beneficial.
“Heavenly Law.”
“Yes.”
“You questioned Unhwi for acting unilaterally.”
“......I did.”
“And when Unhwi returned the question, you could not answer.”
“......”
“That is your answer.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer smiled.
“Unilateral action is not the problem.”
He looked around the round table.
“The result is.”
“......”
“Unhwi’s unilateral actions benefited the Blood Heaven Sect. That is enough.”
It was concise.
But absolute.
The Heavenly Wayfarer looked at Unhwi.
“And Unhwi.”
“Yes, Origin.”
“You were also right to question them about bringing in Gun Mugeol.”
“......”
“But I permitted it.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer smiled.
“You said permission and my will are not the same, did you not?”
“Yes.”
“You are right. They are different.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer nodded.
“But do you not think I had a reason for granting that permission?”
His voice was gentle.
Yet it carried a weight that could not be resisted.
“You will understand when the time comes.”
Unhwi lowered his head.
“Understood.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer looked around the round table once more.
“We will end here for today.”
He rose from his seat.
“Unhwi.”
“Yes.”
“Come with me for a moment.”
Unhwi nodded and stood.
He gave the five people around the round table a fist salute.
“I was discourteous.”
The Undying Maitreya chuckled and waved a hand.
“Heh-heh. You are always welcome, my friend. Show us your face again.”
The Mystic Yellow Sage merely nodded.
The Heavenly Law Sage did not even do that.
He stared at Unhwi with cold eyes.
Master Primal Truth smiled.
“Let us meet again, Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
His voice was gentle.
Unhwi turned.
He followed the Heavenly Wayfarer out of the grand hall.
They left the cavern.
Night had fallen outside.
The moon was high.
The two walked side by side.
The Heavenly Wayfarer led, while Unhwi followed half a step behind.
They walked in silence for a long while.
The Heavenly Wayfarer spoke first.
“How was it?”
“It was heavy.”
“Was it?”
“Yes.”
“What was heavy?”
Unhwi thought for a moment.
“Not their energy.”
“......”
“Their gazes were heavy.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer gave a faint laugh.
“Yes. Those people are like that.”
“......”
“That is what happens when one lives too long. Too many things accumulate in the eyes.”
“Are you the same, Origin—no, Elder Cheon?”
The Heavenly Wayfarer looked up at the sky.
“Well, I cannot say I am entirely different, but whenever possible, I try to empty rather than accumulate.”
“......”
“When things accumulate, they become heavy. And when you are heavy, you cannot see far.”
Unhwi looked at the Heavenly Wayfarer.
This man.
He was the same in my previous life.
A man who spoke lightly, yet carried profound meaning in every word.
A man who smiled while bearing the heaviest burden in the world.
“Elder Cheon.”
“Hmm.”
“May I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you take me there?”
The Heavenly Wayfarer stopped walking.
He looked at Unhwi.
Moonlight illuminated his face.
He was smiling.
“Unhwi.”
“Yes.”
“There are things you must know and things you must not yet know.”
“......”
“Today, I showed you only what you needed to know.”
“What I needed to know?”
“Yes. You are clever. You should understand what it was.”
The answer came immediately.
“The people.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer smiled.
It was the correct answer.
“Remember their faces.”
“......”
“You will need them someday.”
Unhwi could not keep himself from asking.
He stopped in place.
Naturally, the Heavenly Wayfarer stopped as well.
The Heavenly Wayfarer laughed softly.
“Do you have another question?”
“Yes.”
“Ask.”
“I want to know where you are leading me.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer answered without hesitation.
“To the ‘end.’”
“......The end?”
The Heavenly Wayfarer said nothing more.
What the great cause was.
The Heavenly Wayfarer did not seem ready to tell him yet, and Unhwi did not press him.
That was all.
But there was one thing he wanted to say.
“It seems I was not the poisonous weed after all.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer, walking ahead, chuckled.
He did not stop.
Unhwi quietly followed him.
Beneath the moonlight, their shadows stretched long across the ground.
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