The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 491

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 491. Please Do Not Forgive

 

 

Late at night.

Jeon Dok-woo was still immersed in his work.

Thanks to the lanterns lit here and there and the luminous pearls embedded throughout, the office was bright even at night.

So Jeon Dok-woo could focus entirely on his paperwork.

Just then.

He noticed that the shape of his shadow reflected on the documents was changing.

More precisely, another person’s shadow was overlapping with his, changing its form.

Realizing this fact, Jeon Dok-woo raised his head.

“Working hard, I see. Have you resolved the matter?”

“I greet the Sect Messenger.”

Upon confirming the appearance of the one who had suddenly appeared, Jeon Dok-woo rose from his seat and bowed respectfully.

“Answer my question.”

“It has been resolved.”

Jeon Dok-woo answered confidently.

The Messenger showed a surprised expression.

Though he had urged him, he too had thought it impossible.

He had come today to inform him that one day had passed out of the seven days and nights.

His intention was to continuously pressure Jeon Dok-woo to make him devote all his efforts to accomplishing the task.

But to think he had resolved the matter in just one day.

“Well done.”

The Messenger deliberately erased his surprised expression and calmly praised Jeon Dok-woo’s achievement.

“It is thanks to the Sect’s care.”

Having answered thus, Jeon Dok-woo turned his body and bowed deeply with clasped hands toward a small wooden statue.

The Sect Messenger did the same.

The eight-armed Thousand-Hand Guanyin statue that Ha Mu-baek had seen.

“All is thanks to the Heavenly Demon God’s care, thanks to the Heavenly Demon Guanyin always residing here.”

The Messenger spoke calmly.

Heavenly Demon Guanyin.

It meant the Heavenly Demon borrowing the form of Guanyin.

It was an existence that served as a catalyst for drawing deep faith from the common people when spreading the sect.

The doctrine that the Heavenly Demon manifests as Guanyin for the end of this chaotic world.

Since Guanyin was already an existence deeply rooted among the common people, they instantly developed deep faith in that doctrine.

For common people whose daily lives were harsh, this world was something that had to meet its end.

“It is thanks to the Heavenly Demon God’s care.”

Jeon Dok-woo spoke sincerely, with eyes full of faith.

The success of the matter was due to his efforts and schemes when he visited Jangbang.

Nevertheless, he completely agreed with the Messenger’s words that all this was thanks to the Heavenly Demon God’s care, showing devout faith.

It was a completely different appearance from what Jeon Dok-woo had shown at Sohaeng Inn during the day.

His eyes were filled only with faith and conviction.

The intellectual and calculating gaze he usually showed and his pure desire for money had completely disappeared.

“Good. Well done. The estate to be built on that site will play a very important role in achieving the Heavenly Demon God’s dominion over All Under Heaven. So continue to devote all your efforts in proceeding with the work.”

Leaving those words, the Messenger smoothly disappeared.

And Jeon Dok-woo’s eyes also returned to normal.

He resumed his work with a composed demeanor.

“Hmm.”

Above the ceiling beam.

Ha Mu-baek let out a low murmur while blocking sound with an energy barrier.

Today during the day.

After discovering the wooden statue that cleverly concealed Seok Won-cho’s appearance here, he had been carefully observing Jeon Dok-woo’s surroundings with his Ki Sense.

It was natural that Ha Mu-baek’s Ki Sense caught the presence of someone secretly approaching in Jeon Dok-woo’s direction.

Coming from his room at Sohaeng Inn to this place was instantaneous.

And he heard every word of their conversation.

“Heavenly Demon God.”

A faint killing intent rose on Ha Mu-baek’s face as he muttered this.

“They’re definitely Demon Cult bastards, but…”

What made Ha Mu-baek ponder.

He couldn’t sense any traces of Demonic Arts from the one called the Sect Messenger.

It wasn’t that he had hidden it so deeply that Ha Mu-baek couldn’t detect it.

‘He’s someone who has never learned Demonic Arts.’

Yet such speech and behavior, and that level of martial arts.

After being defeated in the Great Murim War and hiding deep underground, those bastards seemed to be changing their methods.

They called themselves a demon cult.

They were merely a military group that brought chaos to All Under Heaven.

But now, they seemed to have truly become a demon cult.

They had become the very religious group that called itself the Heavenly Demon God Sect.

However.

It wasn’t the appearance of a pure religious group.

They had definitely used mystical arts that Ha Mu-baek couldn’t detect.

Otherwise, such a change in Jeon Dok-woo couldn’t be explained.

‘So it is mystical arts after all…’

If Seonyu Valley was the pinnacle of mystical arts among the orthodox sects, then in the heretical and demonic paths, it was the Demon Cult that excelled in mystical arts.

The Demon Cult bastards wouldn’t have left such mystical arts alone.

They must have actively researched and created them for use in this scheme.

No matter how obsessed with religion one might be, such extreme changes were not normal.

But Ha Mu-baek couldn’t identify the mystical arts used on the Demon Cult’s messenger.

Even though he was Ha Mu-baek, he was close to being an outsider when it came to mystical arts.

While he could resist an opponent’s mystical arts, analyzing and breaking them was difficult.

There were now two days left until the Sohaeng Inn family would leave Luoyang.

It was already past midnight, close to the early hours of the morning.

‘Well then.’

Ha Mu-baek glanced at Jeon Dok-woo once before pursuing the messenger who had just disappeared.

He moved quickly, completely unaware that Ha Mu-baek was following him.

A small estate on the outskirts of Luoyang.

He slipped into the largest main building there, and Ha Mu-baek smoothly followed behind.

There was a giant wooden statue there.

A wooden statue that was an enlarged version of the small statue in Jeon Dok-woo’s office.

The wooden statue they called the Heavenly Demon Guanyin statue.

The Messenger repeatedly prostrated himself there, muttering continuously.

As if reciting some incantation.

This main building of this estate was comparable to the Main Buddha Hall of a temple.

‘Gongsun Elder and the Old Scholar are missing this?’

Ha Mu-baek frowned with an expression of complete disbelief.

As he continued to observe a bit more.

Around the end of the Hour of the Tiger and the beginning of the Hour of the Rabbit.

He could sense the presence of countless people flocking to this place.

They were all common people.

There were no traces of learning martial arts or demonic arts.

They simply prostrated themselves earnestly toward the wooden statue like lions.

‘Who are they?’

There were people who caught Ha Mu-baek’s eye.

They were the laborers and craftsmen who had come to Sohaeng Inn for breakfast early in the morning.

‘Huh.’

It was absurd.

According to Head Cook Gong, the merchant guild leader named Jeon Dok-woo had pulled strings with Jangbang, causing those laborers and craftsmen to stop coming to the inn.

But Jeon Dok-woo and those people were worshipping the same wooden statue.

If that messenger had moved, he could have easily ruined Sohaeng Inn, but he didn’t.

‘It’s a thorough cell organization.’

In other words, Jeon Dok-woo also didn’t know that they worshipped the same being as himself.

Had about half an hour passed?

The people who had gathered in the main building scattered in all directions.

Without any greetings or exchanges between them.

Watching quietly, it was even frightening.

Their indifferent, machine-like appearance.

‘They’re just like Death Jiangshi…’

Death Jiangshi was the first thing that came to mind.

The estate became empty again.

There were no permanent residents.

Only the human called the messenger remained.

Around dawn, the messenger locked the door of the main building and moved to the separate building.

Around that time, several people entered the estate.

Judging by their appearance, they were hired workers.

They immediately found their tasks and moved as if familiar with the routine.

Having observed up to that point, Ha Mu-baek’s figure quietly disappeared.

Before long, Ha Mu-baek returned to his room at Sohaeng Inn and came down to the first floor restaurant as if he had just woken up.

The family of Sohaeng Inn was still moving busily.

Even though they knew no customers would come.

Moreover, even though they would leave in two days, they were still sweeping, cleaning, and maintaining the place as if it were their precious home.

Seeing Ha Mu-baek coming down, Eun Cheong-seon headed to the kitchen.

Soon Head Cook Gong and Gong Yeop-myeong appeared.

“Customer. We are truly sorry.”

Gong Yeop-myeong bowed deeply as soon as he stood before Ha Mu-baek.

Ha Mu-baek looked at him with questioning eyes.

“You probably saw and heard everything yesterday, but we sold this inn. We were given three days’ grace yesterday, so we’ll operate until tomorrow, and from the day after, it will belong to the Jeon Family Merchant Guild. They’ll probably tear this place down. That means you’ll have nowhere to stay, so I don’t know how to apologize.”

He held out a small pouch.

It was a rough pouch made of cotton.

“This is all the money you’ve paid while eating and resting at our inn. I know it’s improper, but we want to return all of it. Please don’t forgive us. And please curse me.”

He bowed deeply again.

When had they approached?

Not only Eun Cheong-seon, but also the siblings Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun were bowing deeply following their parents.

But Ha Mu-baek only looked at them without reaching out to take the pouch.

“Customer?”

Gong Yeop-myeong looked at Ha Mu-baek with puzzlement.

Ha Mu-baek was smiling warmly, but when Gong Yeop-myeong showed signs of raising his head, he made a calm expression.

“What a coincidence.”

“Pardon?”

“I was just about to leave tomorrow since my business here would be finished today anyway.”

“Pardon?”

Gong Yeop-myeong had to ask again even though he knew it was rude.

It was too much of a coincidence.

It seemed like he was deliberately saying he would leave tomorrow.

Out of consideration for them.

“Customer. You don’t need to do that just to worry about us…”

Ha Mu-baek shook his head and cut off Gong Yeop-myeong’s words.

“Let me be clear – I will leave tomorrow.”

Ha Mu-baek said firmly.

“Customer…”

Gong Yeop-myeong couldn’t finish his words.

“So you don’t need to return that. You haven’t done anything unforgivable, and rather, I should thank you for letting me rest comfortably and eat delicious food.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gong Yeop-myeong couldn’t say anything.

“I think I need to wash up, so please prepare noodles and stir-fried water spinach. Oh, and about half a roasted chicken if you have it.”

Then he headed straight to the bathing hall.

It seemed he was deliberately giving them space.

However, what the Gong family hadn’t thought of was that there was only ice-cold water in the bathing hall.

Since it was still early morning, they hadn’t had time to boil water yet.

But that wasn’t a problem for Ha Mu-baek at all.

After slowly washing his body properly, he headed back to the first floor of the inn.

About an hour had passed.

The food he had ordered was already generously laid out at the seat where Ha Mu-baek had sat.

He ate deliciously.

“Thank you for the meal.”

And he left the inn again.

Since Ha Mu-baek’s ki sense was already spread throughout Luoyang, there was only one destination.

The estate on the outskirts of Luoyang.

He felt he needed to observe that place more closely.

 

***

 

The messenger was looking at a small-sized Heavenly Demon Guanyin statue in a small room of the separate building, continuously chanting incantations.

While doing so, he circulated his internal energy.

‘It’s orthodox martial arts.’

Martial arts from an orthodox sect that the Demon Cult had destroyed in the last war.

That’s what had been passed down.

The incantations he heard were nothing special.

The Buddhist Thousand Hands Sutra.

It had been appropriately modified.

The fact that they were using a carelessly modified version of another religion’s scripture instead of a proper scripture suggested their impure motives.

The workers moved busily, but they didn’t go near the main building or separate building at all.

“What are you muttering about so earnestly?”

Someone stepped out from where they had been hiding, walking with heavy steps and revealing themselves.

“Who are you!”

The startled messenger drew up all his internal energy and turned around.

“Me? The person who will destroy you all.”

Ha Mu-baek smiled broadly as he looked at the messenger.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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