Absolute Regression Chapter 172

Episode 172: No time, so get on it.

“Where on earth have you been?”

Jo Shin greeted Geommugeuk with an angry face. He had to wait a long time in the guest house before meeting Geommugeuk.

“I’m on my way back from getting some fresh air.”

Jo Shin could never have imagined that Geommugeuk would meet his father and the leader of the martial arts world before returning.

And that he was the prey of the sword dance. He came to me on his own two feet and stuck his head into the tiger’s mouth.

“You are always so idle.”

He took out a knife from his bosom. It was a knife with the words “Congratulations on your victory” written on it, which he had tried to give to Jin Ha-ryeong but failed to do so.

“Should I stab your master to death with this? That would be a good ending to this matter.”

“The best ending to this matter would be for Confucius to marry Lady Jin and for me to receive a hundred thousand nyang.”

“Then you have to pay for it.”

“You have to get your money’s worth if you get paid.”

“How much money would it cost to not stab your neck with this knife?”

Jo-shin was anxious that the marriage might not go through. Furthermore, he had yelled at Cheol-gon, who had come to him in person and pressured him to marry her, so he had to do something about it. This was the reason he, who had never waited for anyone in his life, waited for Shi-jin, who was performing a sword dance at the guest house.

Geommugeuk said, looking down at the dagger on the table.

“It’s time for a room.”

“One room? What kind of room?”

“As the granddaughter of the leader of the martial arts world, how many children of prestigious families have you seen? Everyone brags about their family, their money, their martial arts skills, but how pitiful and boring must that be to her?”

A while ago, Cho Shin-do bragged about his money and family background, so I had nothing to say.

“I need to show something different from being the child of a prestigious family.”

“So what is that?”

“There is one room that everyone, pretty women, ugly women, good women, bad women, young women, old women, can fall for. This is it.”

Geommugeuk tried to stab Josin with a dagger. Then Josin quickly grabbed Geommugeuk’s wrist.

“You want to kill me? Do you want to die?”

“This is it.”

“what?”

“You saved her from danger. The man who saved her life. What more could you ask for?”

“!”

Jo-shin’s eyes widened. He had a thought that this was it. Why hadn’t he thought of this? He felt a belated sense of self-reproach.

“It’s an old method that has been passed down for hundreds of years, but it’s also the best method that always works. What in the world is more powerful than a life debt? Instead, you have to plan well. Lady Jin is a quick-witted person.”

I could already feel the sword dance. I could already feel that I was halfway there.

“Oh, and one very important thing! You must entrust it to someone you can trust. If you make a mistake and Lady Jin gets hurt or dies, Prince Jo’s life will be lost along with it.”

Geommu-geuk had expected it. If Jo-shin was related to Cheonmyeong-hoe, he would ask for help. He couldn’t entrust such an important matter to just anyone.

“You must never use someone from the Confucian family. If it is discovered later, it will be a big problem. Isn’t there a master among those who are completely unrelated? He must be a master who can subdue Lady Jin. And he must be someone trustworthy.”

The moment he heard those words, Jo Shin thought of one person.

Iron Gon.

If he was that scary guy, he was definitely suited for this job. Of course, it was something he might accept, but there was hope. His mission was to get Jin Ha-ryeong married as soon as possible. He was so anxious that he came to her in person and pressured her.

Geommugeuk noticed that Josin was thinking of someone right now.

‘As expected! There’s someone around.’

The swordsman said, pretending not to know anything.

“Don’t involve me in that dangerous work! I’ve done my job.”

Of course, it was meant to be a request to include me. It is human nature to want to do something when told not to, but right now, Jo Shin had a reason to include the sword dance.

“You must help me till the end.”

“I absolutely hate dangerous things.”

Jo Shin imagined. When this servant and Jin Ha Ryeong were in danger, he would show up and save them. He would show a contrast to this incompetent guy. Yeah, don’t overthink it. That’s the end of it.

“And you have to bring Miss Jin with you. If I bring her and a villain appears, it will look like I manipulated her, right?”

“Okay, I’ll help you. I need to get paid too. If you’re going to do it, you have to hurry. If this happens after Lady Jin officially joins the alliance, the Martial Arts Alliance will launch an official investigation.”

Even if it weren’t for this reason, Jo Shin’s mind was busy.

“Please wait in the guest room until I contact you.”

“All right.”

Josin left in a hurry. Geommugeuk followed him quietly.

* * *

Jo-shin and Cheol-gon met in a shabby warehouse near the Murim Alliance.

“I told you not to contact me unless it was something important related to life or death.”

“It’s that important. You have to help me just this once.”

“What’s going on?”

“If you help me, I can marry Jin Ha-ryeong.”

At that moment, Cheol-gon made a face as if asking what was going on out of the blue.

“Try to kidnap her. Then I will show up and save you.”

Cheol-gon was so dumbfounded that he almost swore.

“Listen, Prince Zhao. Are you drunk?”

“I’ll be honest with you. I’ve yelled at you, but Lady Jin has absolutely no intention of marrying me.”

Jo Shin was honest and told everything. He decided that begging would be the most effective way to deal with this cold and scary man, rather than trying any other tricks.

“In this situation, if you pressure me to marry this woman, how could I possibly marry her? If it were another woman, I would threaten her to make it happen, but she is the granddaughter of the leader of the martial arts world. How frustrated must I be that I would resort to this method?”

“Will such a shallow trick work?”

“That’s why I need you. Someone with the skills to fool Jin Ha-ryeong. Someone who can subdue her without harming her.”

“Then, after I subdue Jinharyeong, you will appear and save me. If you chase me away with your skills, will you believe me?”

Cheol-gon considered Jo-sin to be one level lower than Jin-ha-ryeong.

“Why do you think I am weaker than Jin Ha-ryeong?”

Jo Shin revealed his prayer. It was a sharp momentum that was not typical of a posthumous index, and he was not at all inferior to Jin Ha Ryeong. Jo Shin also had a hidden trick of his own.

“Isn’t your mission to marry me to Jin Ha-ryeong? If you miss this opportunity, you will never be able to carry out the mission that has been given to you. Honestly, I don’t care. I’m doing it because you guys are forcing me to marry her. What should I be worried about?”

Cheol-gon thought about it. It was an absurd suggestion, but if the two of them got married through this method, he would have completed his mission.

“You said you wanted me to grow into a big tree? Then, shouldn’t you sometimes give fertilizer to the seedlings so that they grow well?”

Cheol-gon, who had been thinking for a moment, nodded.

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

When Cheol-gon accepted, Jo-shin’s face brightened.

“Oh, and in the process of subduing her, make that servant crippled. Cut off an arm and a leg.”

Cheol-gon said with a look of blatant annoyance on his face.

“If you hate it that much, why don’t you just kill me?”

“I want to see how she reacts when he gets into a miserable state.”

Jo Shin coldly laughed as he recalled the situation in which the bastard was crippled. Would Jin Ha Ryeong take care of him for the rest of his life if he felt sorry for him? He was certain that would never happen.

“If you show such a sacrificial attitude, I will approve.”

He just wants to see Jin Ha-ryeong as a vulgar and worthless woman.

To Jo Shin, Jin Ha-ryeong was still a tainted woman who cared about her servant instead of herself. Even if he married her, he would never love her.

Cheol-gon felt sorry for such caution. He didn’t know if it was because he was stupid or because he was still young, but he thought he would never do it.

“Please let me know when the time and place are set.”

Cheol-gon left first and Jo-sin followed.

Two more people appeared in the same place where they had disappeared. They were none other than Geommu-geuk and the leader of the martial arts world, Jin Pae-cheon. Jin Pae-cheon had said he would be in seclusion for a few days, and was secretly moving with Geommu-geuk.

Jinpaecheon was shocked when he saw Josin’s true appearance. He really wanted to run out and destroy him, but he held back.

“Why don’t they catch that Cheonmyeonghoe guy here?”

“Our target is not the author. Even if the author is a master, he is ultimately nothing more than a consumable. No matter how much you interrogate him, it will not lead to the Cheonmyeonghoeju.”

Judging from his appearance so far, Cheonmyeonghoeju was not someone who could be captured just by taking care of one subordinate.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Our target is Jo-sin.”

“How are you going to be careful?”

“I’ll take him to the gates of hell. When we push Jo-shin to the edge of the cliff, let’s see what Joy-baek will do. Joy-baek is the one who will guide us to Cheonmyeonghoeju.”

Jinpaecheon was secretly impressed by Geommu-geuk’s intelligence and unstoppable drive. If he weren’t a demonic cult scholar, he would have done anything to make him his son-in-law.

‘What a shame.’

But even putting aside his son-in-law, Geommu-geuk was a potential enemy of the Jeongpa martial arts world. And that seemed too dangerous.

Jin Pae-cheon spoke bluntly, hiding his true feelings.

“There are now four days left.”

* * *

The next day, Jin Ha-ryeong left his residence wearing his favorite military uniform.

Geommugeuk suggested that they go to Dongho to play.

She felt good all the way riding. At times like these, she could see how hypocritical she was.

As good as it felt, the regret was also great.

‘If only it weren’t for the servant.’

Behind this mindset was the thought that one could not marry a servant, or would not marry one.

And she knows she will never cross that line.

‘You’ll regret it later. You pathetic bitch, you philistine! Just live alone. Live alone.’

The two arrived at Dongho while thinking about this and that.

Geommugeuk, who had been staring at the lake in silence for a long time, spoke first.

“Who said that you should be better at parting than meeting.”

“Why are you suddenly saying that?”

“I’m leaving in a few days.”

“what?”

“Thank you for that time.”

She was startled by the words of the sword dance.

“Where are you going?”

“Back home.”

She felt sorry. She liked to be alone, so she didn’t have many friends, and none of them were this close to her. The words “don’t go” rose to the tip of her tongue.

But it’s not like I’m going to take responsibility for his life. If he joins the Murim Alliance, I’ll be too busy to see him often.

“You will become the leader of the martial arts world later.”

“what?”

It was at that moment that she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Someone had ambushed her from behind. She was so absorbed in the sword dance that she didn’t notice the opponent approaching.

The moment I turned around in surprise belatedly.

Knock knock!

The masked iron goon instantly subdued her demonic powers. Since their skills were different and it was a surprise attack, she was helpless.

Of course, the Sword Dance Theater sensed his approach from afar. They were prepared for any eventuality. Just in case another variable could arise.

The gaze of Cheolgon, who had subdued her, turned towards Geommugeuk.

At that moment, Jin Ha-ryeong shouted.

“That guy is no good! Don’t kill him!”

Jin Ha-ryeong thought that the masked man would kill Geommu-geuk. If he was the target, there was no way he would have spared the attendant who was with him.

“No! Please! Let me go!”

Despite her pitiful cries, Cheolgon strode forward and tried to cut off Geommugeuk’s arm with one swing of his sword.

At that very moment!

The iron sword stopped in midair. He felt a huge presence behind him. Before he knew it, all the hair on his body stood on end, and his survival instinct screamed at him to run away. If it had been another time, he would have run away without looking back.

But his body wouldn’t move. He was struggling in the sea. He was in the middle of a vast ocean with no boat or island around to rescue him.

Cheol-gon desperately pulled up his stamina and turned his body.

A gigantic tidal wave of unknown height rose in front of him. The leader of the martial arts world, Jin Pae-cheon, was standing right behind him.

“……shit!”

He desperately tried to turn around and run away again, but he was instantly subdued by Ma-hyeol before he could even take a single step. No matter how skilled Cheol-gon was, he was nothing more than a mere second in front of Jin-pae-cheon.

Cheol-gon couldn’t understand this situation.

‘Why did the leader of the martial arts world appear here?’

Originally, after cutting off this bastard’s hands and feet, Jo-shin was supposed to show up and save her. But why?

If things are messed up, Jo-shin should show up right now. And he should cover up the situation by smiling and saying, “I was trying to look good to Jin Ha-ryeong, so I pulled this prank.” He should say, “This person is my subordinate.”

But Jo-shin didn’t even show up.

One thought that came to mind at that moment sent shivers down my spine.

‘trap?’

Could it be that he sold himself to the Murim Alliance? Otherwise, how could he not show up?

Meanwhile, Geommugeuk noticed that Josin was hiding in the forest far away.

‘Don’t come out!’

The division between Cheolgon and Josin was what Geommugeuk had hoped for.

Jo-sin was hiding in the forest and watching the situation. He was greatly surprised by the appearance of the leader.

‘ruined.’

What will I tell the leader when I go out? That I tried to rescue him by faking a kidnapping? The moment I do that, the marriage will be over. And who will I explain to him that Iron Gon is?

But I couldn’t just let it be like that. I couldn’t just let Cheol-gon be captured like that.

He tried to leave, but his steps would not move. He thought it was because he was afraid of the leader, but in fact, the energy released by the sword dance was secretly pushing him. He was so flustered and scared that he did not notice it at all.

‘shit!’

In the end, Jo Shin decided to retreat from this place and deal with the situation. When he retreated and turned around, his body moved as it pleased. He left without looking back.

Jinpaecheon released his granddaughter’s demon blood.

“Grandpa! How did you get here?”

“I’ll explain everything later.”

Now it was important to proceed with things as planned.

Jinpaecheon and Geommugeuk looked at each other and nodded.

Jinpaecheon held the iron club that had been suppressed by Ma-hyeol at his side and soared into the air, then disappeared from there in an instant. It was truly an exclamation of admiration at the highest level of lightness.

Jin Ha-ryeong asked Geommu-geuk.

“What is all this about?”

She felt that something she didn’t know was happening.

“Let’s go back too. We don’t have time for this. Are you good at holding back dizziness when you do light exercises?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you holding up well?”

“I have never felt dizzy while doing light exercise.”

“If you feel dizzy, keep your eyes tightly closed. Don’t vomit on your back.”

Geommugeuk turned his back and lowered his body.

“Get up. There’s no time. Hurry up.”

Since the situation was not good, she was carried on Geommu-geuk’s back. Carrying me on your back and running? Why? I wasn’t even hurt? She was wondering what would happen.

“I was worried you’d get dizzy while carrying me!”