Chapter 279 : Triumphant Return (1)
Chapter 279: Triumphant Return (1)
A few days later, Il-mok finished writing a letter and went to find Dam Bin.
"Include this with the correspondence you're sending to the main headquarters."
Dam Bin didn't ask any questions. She simply took the letter and placed it on top of the pile of other documents waiting to be sent.
"Aren't you curious what I wrote in that letter?"
"If you wrote it, Young Master, then I'm sure you had good reason."
Her answer was filled with absolute trust.
Il-mok smiled faintly at that.
"You might want to actually read this one."
Dam Bin looked puzzled but opened the letter Il-mok had given her. As she read through it, her eyes widened in shock.
"Y-Young Master?"
It was rare to see her this flustered, so Il-mok answered gently.
"I know it's sudden, but a marriage is a big deal. You two should have a proper wedding ceremony, don't you think?"
The letter Il-mok had written contained details about Dam Bin and Ouyang Mun. It briefly explained how Ouyang Mun had fallen into Qi Deviation, how Dam Bin had saved him, and how the two had decided to become husband and wife as a result.
"Knowing your personality, I figured you'd feel uncomfortable reporting this to Master yourself, so I took the liberty of writing it for you. Of course, you don’t have to send it if you think I’m overstepping.”
"No, not at all! I'm just... grateful for your consideration, Young Master."
She bowed deeply and asked carefully.
"So then... will the wedding be held on the date written in this letter?"
Il-mok nodded at her question.
"It takes quite a while for letters from Lanzhou to reach headquarters, and even longer for someone to travel back here. So I set the date about forty days out to be safe. Since our mission here is being conducted in secret, I'm honestly not sure if anyone from the headquarters can attend the wedding.”
"Just the fact that you've informed the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons about our wedding is more than enough. Thank you."
Il-mok shook his head at her words.
"I'm sorry we have to keep the ceremony small since we need to maintain our cover."
He smiled warmly and added, "But a wedding's still a wedding. Take these forty days to get ready. We have some money left over, so why don't you and your husband go pick out your wedding outfit together? It'll be fun."
Dam Bin smiled brightly at his suggestion.
"Thank you so much, Young Master."
***
Time flew by quickly after that.
The waterworks project in Lanzhou was progressing smoothly, and their missionary work was slowly eating up more territory outside Gansu.
This was partly thanks to Seo Wan-pyeong and the warriors from the Dark Shadow Pavilion, who had stayed behind even after dealing with the Hao Clan Lord. The people they educated at the Maitreya Luminous Cult’s estate were also a huge help.
The people who learned to read and the cult's teachings were traveling to other areas to spread the word. And the personnel from the Shadow Pavilion and the local branch were there to protect them from the shadow.
While all this work was going on, the wedding plans for Ouyang Mun and Dam Bin were moving along nicely.
Then, about five days before the scheduled wedding date, a guest arrived at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Lanzhou branch.
While Il-mok was observing the strangely familiar-looking middle-aged man, Ouyang Mun rushed forward to greet him.
"Father!"
That single word told him everything he needed to know about the man's identity.
If this were Ouyang Mun's father, then he had to be the Head of the Ouyang Family.
"It's an honor to meet the Head of the Ouyang Family."
Following Ouyang Mun's lead, Il-mok approached and greeted the Ouyang Family Head with a martial salute.
The Family Head laughed heartily and welcomed him.
"Hahaha! So I finally get to meet the Eighth Young Master I've heard so much about. I'm Ouyang Pae, Head of the Ouyang Family."
"The honor is mine to meet you in person like this."
After finishing the brief greeting with the Ouyang Family Head, Il-mok turned his body slightly to make way for Dam Bin who was standing beside him.
Unlike her usual composed self, she looked somewhat nervous as she greeted the Ouyang Family Head.
"Dam Bin, First Squad Leader of the Hidden Guard Pavilion. It's an honor to meet you, Head of the Ouyang Family."
"Hahahaha. Don't be so formal! We're going to be family soon. Just call me Father from now on."
Dam Bin flinched at his loud voice, then smiled happily.
"I will do so... Father."
Seeing her relax a bit, Il-mok let out a silent sigh of relief.
'I don't blame her for being nervous.'
It was hard to believe because Ouyang Mun usually acted like an idiot, but he was essentially royalty in the Cult.
Yes, he is the youngest son with virtually no chance to inherit the position of the Family Head, but from Dam Bin’s perspective, she is essentially going to marry into one of the five families that control the entire Divine Cult.
Plus, since she was much older than him, so there was a real chance the Ouyang Family would oppose the marriage.
"Hahahaha. I have heard much about my future daughter-in-law from the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. He couldn't stop talking about how loyal and smart you are. I was worried this kid would be single forever, but he somehow landed such an amazing wife! Hahahaha."
Ouyang Mun looked embarrassed by his dad’s backhanded compliment, while Dam Bin was simply shy from the excessive praise.
"Normally, the whole family would come for a wedding. But since your mission here is top secret, I had to come alone. I hope you won't be too disappointed, my dear daughter-in-law."
"Of course not, Father. I'm just happy you're here."
As Dam Bin bowed respectfully again, the Ouyang Family Head burst into another laugh.
"Hahaha. I think I'm making you nervous again. Anyway, I need to talk to the Eighth Young Master alone, so you two go on and get some rest."
Dam Bin and Ouyang Mun bowed and withdrew. Meanwhile, Il-mok wore a puzzled expression.
'He has something to discuss with me?'
Other than Ouyang Mun, he didn't have any connection to the Ouyang Family. He couldn't imagine what this was about.
'Well, I guess I'll find out when we talk.'
After composing his expression, Il-mok spoke to the Ouyang Family Head.
"Please, come inside."
Il-mok led Ouyang Pae to the pavilion where he usually stayed.
Jin Hayeon quickly brought tea and then left the room.
As soon as the tea was poured, the Ouyang Family Head spoke.
"Hahaha. No need to be nervous. The reason I called for the Eighth Young Master is to deliver a message from the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
"A message from Master?"
Il-mok barely managed to hide his shocked expression.
'Seriously, Master? You used a Family Head as a delivery boy?'
Of course, just because they came from one of the Five Great Families of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult didn't mean they wielded enormous power. You need real power to do that.
After all, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was based in the harsh location of the Tianshan Mountain Range and ruled over the barren lands of Xinjiang.
Since they didn't have that many members to begin with, the power of the Five Great Families couldn't compare to the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Seven Great Families of the Central Plains.
However, in terms of individual capability alone, they were by no means inferior.
The Ouyang Family Head sitting before Il-mok right now could go toe-to-toe with any of the Sect Leaders or the Family Heads of major factions in the Central Plains.
Using such a man as a mere messenger... the Heavenly Demon's way of thinking was sometimes too bizarre.
"Ahem. I'm sorry you had to run errands because of me."
Il-mok worried that the man might be annoyed with him since he couldn't exactly get angry at the Heavenly Demon herself.
"Hahaha. I was coming to attend my youngest son's wedding anyway, so it worked out perfectly. Besides, only a handful of people even know that you and my youngest are here, Eighth Young Master. It couldn't be helped."
The Ouyang Family Head laughed heartily, then adopted a serious expression.
"Now then, let me deliver the Supreme One’s message. He said, 'You've achieved your revenge, so return to headquarters now.'"
"Right away?"
Il-mok asked calmly.
He'd been expecting this ever since he reported killing the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord to headquarters. That revenge mission was his whole excuse for coming here in the first place.
The Ouyang Family Head shook his head at Il-mok's question.
"He said to hand things over to the others first. My son, his wife, and the Third Young Master can handle things here."
Since that was exactly what Il-mok had been planning to do if he returned, he just nodded in agreement.
"Understood. I'll finish the handover and head back."
"Good. Oh, and he said the Hyeokryeon girl needs to enter the Hall of the Demonic Way soon, so make sure you're back before her entrance exam."
Hearing about Seon-ah reminded Il-mok that quite a bit of time had passed since he'd first come to the Central Plains.
***
Five days after Ouyang Pae's arrival, Dam Bin and Ouyang Mun's wedding took place.
It was small since they were undercover, but they managed to do everything properly.
And they had to thank Chamber Master An Jeok-un for that.
As a direct descendant of the An Family, which oversees rites and rituals within the Divine Cult, they were able to perform all the religious ceremonies properly.
Ouyang Mun, dressed in fine formal attire, looked awkward throughout the entire ceremony. Meanwhile, Dam Bin wore a flowing celestial maiden’s dress that helped hide her baby bump. Her face flushed pink as she kept smiling adoringly at Ouyang Mun's goofy acts.
After the simple ceremony concluded and the two officially spent their first night as husband and wife, the Ouyang Family Head departed the next day.
Life quickly returned to normal for everyone else, as if that special day had never happened.
Though there was something slightly different in the air now.
And it wasn't just because of the wedding.
"When it comes to missionary work, it's best to proceed slowly and safely. I know the war between the Murim Alliance and the Blood Cult is getting too hot day by day, but standing out too much would be dangerous."
Il-mok began handing over his duties to Seo Wan-pyeong and Dam Bin in preparation for his return to headquarters.
Honestly, it was easy since he had already dumped most of his work on them a long time ago. He was mostly just giving them warnings and hints about various things.
'See? Dumping work on people early pays off.'
He rationalized all the work he'd been offloading as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Also, we should change the purpose of the Faith Education Center. Instead of using it for newbies, let's use it for the hardcore believers."
"Why would devoted believers need faith education?" Seo Wan-pyeong asked.
"We need to eventually teach them the doctrines of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not the Maitreya Divine Cult, don't we? We can't just tell them we're the Demonic Cult right away, so we have to ease them into it. But this should only be done with the most faithful believers, and very carefully at that." Il-mok answered.
After explaining the final stage of his missionary plan, Il-mok spent the rest of his time relaxing.
Aside from the time he spent training to achieve Transcendence, his days were basically like being on vacation.
He couldn't help it as he had a bad feeling about what was coming.
'Master wouldn't just call me back to rest.'
He had this sinking feeling that once he returned to headquarters, he'd be worked like a dog.
He'd used the handover as an excuse with the Ouyang Family Head, but in reality, he just wanted to rest as long as possible before going back.
While Il-mok relaxed, Dam Bin also began her own handover process.
"You're too slow. How do you expect to protect the Young Master moving like that?"
Unlike Dam Bin and Ouyang Mun who were staying in Lanzhou, Jin Hayeon, Ju Seo-yeon, and Jeong Hyeon were scheduled to return to headquarters with Il-mok.
For some reason, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah was getting dragged into the training as well.
Among them, the one being worked the hardest was Jin Ha-yeon.
And no, it wasn't because she used to be Ouyang Mun's crush.
"You're past the Extremity stage now, so you'll most likely be appointed as a Squad Leader when you return to the headquarters. If you want to stay by the Young Master's side, you have to take my place leading the squad."
It was because Jin Hayeon would now have to take over everything Dam Bin had been doing.
"I can handle anything if it helps the Young Master and the Divine Cult, Squad Leader."
Jin Hayeon answered confidently, and Dam Bin smiled.
While the women were being put through their paces and Il-mok enjoyed his final days of leisure, time continued to pass.
About ten months after Il-mok had first arrived in the Central Plains, the day finally came.
"Time to head back."
Il-mok and his crew packed up and left Lanzhou.