Absolute Regression Chapter 455

455
The words of the sword dance flew into my heart like a knife and pierced it.

If you’re a merchant, shouldn’t you make transactions?

Hwang In often expressed his pride in being a merchant.

But he knows. This pride is nothing more than a sand castle that will be destroyed in an instant when the waves of truth hit. Because at the crucial moment, he did not deal with the business as a merchant, but rather mobilized his servants.

“Originally, you should have come alone and made the offer to me. I want the agreement back. What do you want? Isn’t that what a true merchant is? Someone who figures out what I want and offers something that fits that. Someone who can do what a sword can’t do. Isn’t that a merchant?”

Hwang In unconsciously bit his lips. Earlier, at the inn, he had been furious at Geommu-geuk’s words that a merchant should do his math properly, and this sense of entitlement must have been the reason.

After a moment of silence, Hwang In’s gaze turned to the building where the ghosts had entered.

“What happened to the people who went in?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

“Did you put any poison in it?”

The sword dance smiled.

“Our father is a man who hates poison. There is one person who is upset because of that.”

What on earth are you talking about? Hwang In couldn’t figure it out.

The sword dance got up from its place.

“Okay, if you’re curious, let’s go in.”

Geommugeuk walked in first.

Hwang In wanted to run towards the front door, but he couldn’t.

I can’t run away, but even if I were to be let go, what would I say to Jeon Nak if I went back like this?

He ran away without even checking the life and death of the three ghosts he cherished? It could be possible, since he doesn’t know martial arts. But Jeon Nak wouldn’t believe it. He would think that he wouldn’t have just let him go.

Hwang In followed the sword dance with a fearful heart.

As I walked along the neatly decorated hallway, there were no signs of fighting, not to mention the corpses of the ghosts. There wasn’t a single drop of blood on the vase of flowers on the display case.

They clearly said that they were powerful enough to kill the leader of the Seodo faction.

‘Where on earth did it disappear to?’

I thought that maybe there were three people sitting in the room at the end of the hall, drinking tea. I hope so! Or maybe they killed the head of the Seodo clan and are looking down at his body, exchanging lame jokes.

But what if it’s the opposite?

While all sorts of thoughts were running through their heads, the two arrived at a room at the end of the hallway.

When I entered the room, Geum Woo-jin was sitting at the table drinking tea.

There were no ghosts in the room.

“Father, the merchant I saw at the inn that day has come back to me.”

Geum Woo-jin, who was looking out the window, looked at Hwang In.

“Hello, Lord Moon.”

Hwang In greeted with a trembling voice.

Geum Woo-jin looked at him with a blunt expression. It was the same look in his eyes as when he had seen it at the guest house, but the person receiving it felt different.

I should have continued with another greeting, but I was so curious that I couldn’t stand it.

“The people who came together entered this building first. Did you see… …?”

To be honest, I wanted to ask you outright, did you kill them?

Geum Woo-jin shook his head.

The Sword Masters already knew that the one who dealt with them was not their father, but Hwi.

Unless there was an order to let them in, there was no way that Hui would have just let someone enter the house with the goal of finding his father. To Hui, it would have been like, ‘How dare you!’

He probably stayed in hiding and silently killed the demons who came in one by one. Without a single drop of blood or a single scream, this was the skill of the person in charge of the escort of Cheonma at that time.

“Then where did those people go?”

As he spoke cautiously, Hwang In looked at Geommu Geuk. Shouldn’t he have been curious as well? But why did he act so calm?

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed Hwang In’s mind.

‘Really? These people?’

Like the main characters in the secret tales quietly passed down through the martial arts world.

‘Was he a secret who lived while hiding his power?’

And one more thought follows.

‘Then, one of the young successors, unable to bear the frustration, enters the martial arts world, enters the Little Dragon Tournament, and wins? In the end, because of that, even the head of the family comes out into the world.’

Rather, I didn’t think that this story, which was created naturally, was absurd. If there was no such background, how could a local sect’s unmanned people win the Little Dragon War and make three ghosts disappear in an instant without a sound?

It’s a possible story. In the world of martial arts, there are people with all sorts of secrets and mysteries.

When I thought about it that way, I could understand the incomprehensible leisureliness of those I had seen at the guest house.

At the same time, fear welled up in my heart.

‘You might even kill me to keep your secret.’

Because the secrets of the mysterious force must be hidden.

‘If not that.’

Hwang In looked at Geommu Geuk. Looking at those clear and deep eyes that were far from murderous, he felt hopeful.

‘There will be an opportunity.’

A heaven-given opportunity to make the zodiac the best in the world.

Geom Woo-jin, who had finally broken the silence, asked.

“What brings you here to me?”

Should I answer honestly? Did you come to find the agreement? No, did you come to steal it?

Hwang In, who was worried, suddenly remembered what Geommugeuk had said.

If you are a true trader, shouldn’t you make trades?

Hwang In took a deep breath and spoke to Geom Woo Jin.

“I have come to make a deal with you, Lord Moon.”

Geum Woo-jin just listened without saying anything.

“Please make this top the best top in the world.”

If anyone were to hear this, they would think it was crazy. They might ask how he could betray Jeon Nak so quickly just because the three of his ghosts disappeared.

But this is not a betrayal.

It’s a balance for survival. At least for this moment, you have to be a real merchant. You have to do your math correctly.

“I will dedicate half of the money I earn in the process, as well as half of the money I earn afterwards, for the rest of my life.”

It was Hwang In’s instinctive move to throw himself at an opponent who might kill him or save him.

The Jeon Nak he knows is a slaughterer without blood or tears.

He lost all three of his precious treasures, so should he just leave them alone? No. If a fight breaks out, he should side with the winner.

‘Let’s put our fate on these people.’

Because now they were right in front of his eyes.

After a while, Geum Woo-jin answered briefly.

“Talk to your son.”

Hwang In was convinced that his guess was true from Geom Woo Jin’s reaction.

Would a normal sect react like this?

-You want me to create the best in the world? What kind of nonsense is that?

But he tells him to consult with his son, as if he thinks that if he consults with him, he might be able to accomplish it.

Geum Woo-jin turned his gaze out the window and drank his tea as if he had nothing more to say.

“Okay, let’s go now.”

At the end of Geommugeuk, Hwang In bowed his head respectfully to Geom Woo Jin.

Hwang In followed the sword dance and left the room. The moment he left, he sighed without realizing it.

When they came out of the building, Hwang In asked Geommugeuk.

“Maybe I did something wrong to you, Your Majesty?”

“You didn’t make a mistake. But the deal wasn’t all that great.”

“What do you mean?”

“What you offered in exchange for the deal was money.”

Geommugeuk added with a faint smile.

“My father also has a lot of money.”

The yellow man spoke in protest.

“The amount I have guaranteed is not just a large amount, it is a huge amount of money.”

“My father is also very strong.”

What on earth are you talking about? The best company in the world is donating half of the money, so where is the personal wealth coming from?

Every once in a while, this person says something he cannot understand.

“Anyway, now you’re starting to act more like a businessman.”

Hwang In felt a sense of relief at the sight of Geommu-geuk’s gentle expression. At least, it didn’t seem like he would kill him.

Then, naturally, the worries turned to Jeon Nak.

“If he finds out that the three people he came with are dead, he won’t stay still. He’ll come with all his men to kill you.”

“You have about three hundred men?”

It was a joke that Geommu-geuk had told earlier. The words that three hundred people had to come before the father could draw his sword no longer sounded like a joke.

“There are only about thirty of them, but I know that among them there are some masters who are even better than those I brought earlier.”

Geommugeuk stared at Hwang In for a moment. As the smile disappeared from Geommugeuk’s face, Hwang In expected that important words that would determine his life would now be spoken.

“Go back and bring that person here.”

Hwang In was startled. What could this mean? Could it be that he was trying to lure Jeon Nak here and kill him?

“You could kill me by doubting me.”

“You might betray us.”

Hwang-in could tell. This was a test for himself. He meant that if he passed this test, he would join hands. The scale in his mind went up and down. If he made the wrong choice now, he would die.

“If you bring him? Can you handle it? He’s much better than the guys who came earlier.”

“You decide whether you can handle it or not. But you need to know this. Your dreams are too big, and you have attracted people who are too dangerous.”

He would think that the dangerous person was the one who joined hands with him, but the person Geommugeuk spoke of was his father.

“So, judge carefully. There will be no backing down from this deal.”

* * *

To cut to the chase, Hwang In chose Shinbi Se-ga.

The reason was simple. The fact that the other person left the decision up to him showed that he was confident that he could handle it even if he betrayed them and took everyone with him.

Of course, it was a temporary choice.

After I put my feet on both sides, I plan to watch the situation. Isn’t the scale supposed to go up and down?

First, I’ll take Jeon Nak to them. If I take him and the Seodo faction kills Jeon Nak, I’ll join them as I originally planned. If Jeon Nak defeats them, I’ll join him as if nothing happened.

What was bothering me was that Jeon Nak had a backer, but that was something to worry about later. What I had to worry about now was how to get him there without arousing his suspicions.

I had many thoughts on the way here. Should I say that the ghosts are calling him? Then why did they send you instead of one of the ghosts? There should be three of them. No. This kind of reasoning won’t work.

After much thought, I came up with a solution.

“We want to absorb the Seodo faction into our fold.”

Jeon Nak looked puzzled at Hwang In’s words. He sent three of his followers with him, but he came back alone and said those words.

Jeon Nak asked calmly without revealing his true feelings.

“Why are you suddenly trying to involve them?”

“As we talked, I came to like your successor.”

“For what reason?”

“He reminded me of the way of business that I had recently forgotten.”

Jeon Nak’s expression slightly frowned. His very existence was the complete opposite of Sang Do. Now that he’s talking about Sang Do, he’s getting angry.

“This sect will definitely be useful in many ways. Please trust my judgment.”

Jeon Nak now asked about Jeon Gwi.

“Where are the ghosts that went with me?”

“I told them to keep them. Just give me permission. I will go and get their signatures on the agreement. I think they were in charge of the agreement of the Ju family for this kind of connection.”

I never asked him to go with me. If I did, the suspicious Jeon-nak would immediately sense the danger.

“I haven’t listened to you well so far. So please leave this matter to me.”

Hwang In was really acting with all his heart. He had to do that. He could have died right there.

Jeon Nak, who had been staring at Hwang In silently, accepted his request.

“Okay, bring them in too.”

“Thank you. I will go and get the agreement signed right away.”

The yellow man turned around and shouted inwardly.

‘Ask me to go with you! You should doubt me!’

Just then, as I was about to open the door and come out.

“Let’s go together.”

Hwang In turned around and deliberately hardened his expression.

“I can handle it by myself. You don’t have to come with me.”

“Let’s go together. I want to see for myself what kind of person it was that changed your mind.”

It was a success born of doubt, but the doubt was not without its flaws. He set out after secretly ordering the remaining ghosts to follow him.

* * *

Late one night, Geommu-geuk and Geomwoo-jin were lying side by side on the hammock, looking up at the night sky.

“Is this your first time lying on a hammock?”

“okay.”

“I have another first experience with my father!”

The sword dance was truly happy. In the past, he had hoped that his father would understand these feelings, but now he did not have such feelings. He believed that his father would understand.

It doesn’t matter if you pass by without knowing. I plan to continue to convey my feelings in the future.

“I will take this hammock and hang it between the fingers of the large stone statue in front of Cheonmajeon. If you are bored, you can lie down there and rest.”

If you place it between your slanted fingers, you will be able to see Cheonmasingyo clearly. Of course, it is unlikely that your father will be lying there.

“Are you going to lie down?”

“When are you going to teach me the martial art of reading people’s minds?”

While I was staring at the night sky like that for a long time, Jeon Nak and Hwang In arrived there.

Jeon Nak felt inwardly dumbfounded when he saw the two people lying on the hammock in the yard.

‘Did you get my permission just to drag those kinds of people in?’

Those drones lying side by side on a hammock and playing? I’ve never seen drones like that before.

Geommugeuk rose from his hammock.

“Welcome back!”

Looking at the brightly smiling Geommugeuk, Jeon Nak felt a strange feeling. It was because he felt so innocent for someone who was unmanned.

Jeon Nak’s gaze was still directed at Geum Woo Jin, who was lying on the hammock.

Geum Woo-jin was looking up at the stars in the night sky. Seeing him, Jeon Nak unconsciously followed his gaze and looked up at the night sky.

I didn’t know why I looked up. I just felt like I had to look since that person was looking at me.

Even though he was looking at the most beautiful stars, Jeon Nak felt a strange sense of unease. That’s how he knew.

‘Something went wrong.’

Absolute Return Episode 456