Chapter 282 : Triumphant Return (4)
Chapter 282: Triumphant Return (4)
Il-mok's face twisted in confusion once again.
'Isn't that... obvious, though?'
Everyone knew that understanding something in your head and actually doing it with your body were two completely different things. That was just common sense.
Take running, for example. You could study all the biomechanics and theories about running faster until you were blue in the face, but that didn't automatically mean you'd actually be able to run fast.
'Is Master just too much of a genius to get it?'
That thought crossed Il-mok's mind as he carefully tried to voice his opinion in a roundabout way.
"For that very reason, I have recently been devoting myself to training in order to fully manipulate energy according to my will."
"That's one way to solve it, I suppose, but it's not really getting at the root of the problem."
The Heavenly Demon stroked his beard thoughtfully as he continued.
"The Realm of Truth—as the name suggests—refers to a state where one comes to know and comprehend something. And that 'something' I'm talking about isn't just limited to martial arts."
"Then what is it that one must know and comprehend to enter this Realm of Truth?"
At that question, the Heavenly Demon pointed a finger right at Il-mok.
"You have to know yourself."
"???"
Ignoring Il-mok's totally confused face, the Heavenly Demon kept spouting vague wisdom.
"The Realm of Truth is a state where you can connect with the world itself by fully comprehending who you are. That's why you can interfere with the world through your will, and why you undergo an Ovehaul Body Transformation."
Il-mok did his best to hide his bewilderment as he clasped his hands in respect toward the Heavenly Demon.
"I will never forget Master's teachings."
Honestly, Il-mok had no clue what the hell the Heavenly Demon was trying to tell him.
'What is this, some ancient Greek philosophy?'
Know thyself. It was about as vague a teaching as you could get.
The Heavenly Demon didn't seem to expect Il-mok to get it right away either. He simply nodded and added. "Just remember my words for now. When the time comes, it will be of great help. And don't rush things. Il-mok, you've already reached a level that's nearly impossible for someone your age. Just wait patiently for your moment."
"I will keep that in mind."
Since it sounded like he was basically being told to take it easy and relax, Il-mok cheered internally.
"Then, I shall take my lea—"
"I think we've had enough personal matters for now. Let's move on to official business, shall we?"
"......"
Il-mok, who had been hoping to drag things out for as long as possible, gave up and bowed his head.
"Please give me your orders."
The Heavenly Demon issued his command in a calm tone. He finally explained why he dragged Il-mok all the way back to headquarters when he was doing so well in the Central Plains.
"After hearing about everything you did, this old man had a thought. Yes, our Divine Cult's greatest wish is to reclaim the Central Plains, but do we really need to limit ourselves to just the Central Plains?"
"...Then, where are you thinking of, Master?"
Il-mok asked with a sinking feeling, and the Heavenly Demon smiled gently.
"Pack your bags in a few days. Then cross the Tianshan Mountain Range and head west."
"......"
Il-mok was speechless for a second, but he managed to pull himself together.
"Master. West of the Tianshan Mountain Range is the territory of those heretics who followed the teachings of Huihui Religion (Islam).”
The bastards who had attacked him back when he was at the Hall of the Demonic Way.
That was where the fanatics of Allah lived.
And he wanted him to try to convert the Muslims?
'Master! Are you trying to get me kidnapped or something?!’
Since he couldn't actually say that out loud, Il-mok forced himself to sound calm as he asked.
"Are... are you telling me to spread the faith under the name of the Maitreya Luminous Cult in that place?"
The Heavenly Demon laughed loudly at Il-mok's question.
"Hahaha. It would be great if you could actually convert those Huihui folks, but proselytizing is just a secondary objective."
"???"
"The reason I'm sending you west is because of the phrase you mentioned: 'A day without work is a day without food.'"
A day without work is a day without food.
Something he’d just blurted out while arguing with the Beggars’ Gang. Somehow, it had turned into the Maitreya Luminous Cult’s main tenets after that.
Why is this suddenly coming up now?
'Is he telling me to stop playing around and get to work?’
That thought crossed his mind, but as Il-mok pondered a bit more, he soon reached the answer.
"Are you thinking about the Silk Road?"
The route connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions.
The symbol of wealth that stretched through the deserts of Xinjiang and Tibet.
Merchants would sell silk to the West and bring back exotic goods from the Western Regions that couldn't be found in the Central Plains, and make massive profits out of them.
But ever since the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult took over Xinjiang, that trade route basically existed in name only.
The Heavenly Demon nodded at Il-mok's question.
The Heavenly Demon was planning to bring the Silk Road back to life.
To make money and feed the followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
"In the past, even if we bought something from the Western Regions, it would have been impossible to sell it in the Central Plains. No one in the Central Plains would buy goods from our Divine Cult. And trying to sell stuff from the barren lands of Xinjiang to the West was basically impossible as well."
Il-mok understood what the Heavenly Demon was getting at without needing to hear the rest.
'But now that we have a front in Gansu Province, selling goods from the Western Regions is totally feasible.’
Plus, they could buy the goods from the Central Plains through the Maitreya Luminous Cult and then sell them in the Western Regions.
Of course, if you leave a trail long enough, someone’s bound to follow it.
If they kept making money trading between the Central Plains and the West, there was a risk that the link between the Maitreya Luminous Cult and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would get busted.
"Are you planning to take advantage of this moment when the Central Plains is too busy dealing with the Blood Cult to pay attention to outside matters?"
"As expected, you're quick on the uptake." Heavenly Demon nodded.
Now Il-mok could perfectly understand his Master's objective.
But understanding the 'goal' was one thing.
"Is there a particular reason why you're sending me specifically for this task?"
He couldn't figure out why he was being sent for this particular job.
‘I mean, why pull someone back who was doing a great job expanding the Maitreya Luminous Cult in the Central Plains just for this?’
It wasn't like he was the only person in the Demonic Cult, and there was no reason to throw the youngest disciple into this terrifying mission where he might get kidnapped if things went south.
In response to that question, the Heavenly Demon looked at Il-mok with eyes full of trust and affection.
"Because I trust you the most."
"......"
While Il-mok swallowed the urge to say, 'I don't need your trust,' the Heavenly Demon continued.
"As you now know yourself, if I ordered our Divine Cult's followers to go kill someone and come back, they’d do a fantastic job. But this is different. If we start killing people, it’s just going to make things messy."
"...So you're sending me because this is a mission where I shouldn't kill anyone?"
"Hehehe. There are many other reasons as well. Just looking at how you deceived the Beggars’ Gang in the Central Plains and instigated the conflict between the Murim Alliance and the Blood Cult, there's no one better suited than you for establishing trade routes while mingling with the Huihui followers in the Western Regions."
‘Ah.’
So that’s how it is.
Any other fanatic from the Demonic Cult would have just beaten everyone to death and ended up on the Murim's Most Wanted list. But because he actually used his brain, Il-mok got recognized for his hard work.
'Ha. I should have just gone on a killing spree and come back home.’
Il-mok kicked himself for working so hard and using his brain in the Central Plains.
'What was I thinking? Why did I make some weird cult like the Maitreya Luminous Cult? Damn it.’
Come to think of it, it was exactly because he'd taken over Gansu Province under the name of the Maitreya Luminous Cult that his Master could even conceive of this plan.
Only now did Il-mok remember one of the world's great truths that he'd forgotten.
The terrifying truth that the better you do your job, the more work you get piled on you.
***
Il-mok headed back to Windrock Palace with a stack of papers from the Heavenly Demon who had really prepared for everything.
The stack included maps and some old records for the terrains around Xinjiang and its surrounding areas, along with records related to the ancient Silk Road.
As soon as Il-mok returned to Windrock Palace, he holed up in his room and studied those maps and records.
He really just wanted to laze around in bed, but he couldn't slack off on prep when he had such a long trip ahead.
He didn't want to get kidnapped, after all.
"Hmm. So there were two main routes in the past."
One route crossed the desert south to the Tianshan Mountain Range, while the other crossed the grasslands north of the mountains where nomads lived.
The Northern and Southern Tianshan Mountain Routes. Also known as the Steppe Route and the Desert Road.
'North and South. When Master told me to cross the mountains and open a path, he must have been thinking of the Northern Route.’
Il-mok could roughly guess why.
"Going through Xinjiang to get to Gansu would be way too obvious."
No matter how much you tried to hide it, the trade caravan would be running under the name of the Maitreya Luminous Cult or some other fake name.
But if they crossed right through Xinjiang, everyone would suspect they were connected to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
That's why the Heavenly Demon planned for them to take the Northern Route and bypass Xinjiang.
"...But this route is way too roundabout."
Circling north of the Tianshan Mountain Range to avoid Xinjiang would make the trip at least twice as long. On top of that, unlike crossing through Xinjiang, which was the Divine Cult's territory, going north would mean dealing with the heretics up there.
"I should focus on opening trade with the West first."
Il-mok decided to take the desert road through Xinjiang to visit the West first, instead of crossing the mountains right away. After all, if he couldn't even get a deal, there'd be no point in going around through the mountains.
As he was organizing his plans and poring over the maps and papers for quite some time, Jin Hayeon's voice came from outside his door.
"Young Master. The Eldest Young Master and the Sixth Young Master have come to see you."
"I'll be right out."
Il-mok organized the maps and letters and left his room.
"Eldest Brother, Sixth Brother. Good to see you."
When Il-mok showed respect to the two with a standard martial salute, his Eldest Brother burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha. Sorry for stopping by so late. I wanted to come earlier, but I got buried in work. Hope you understand."
"I'm just grateful you came at all."
After answering politely, Il-mok turned to look at the Sixth Brother. He had a somewhat dazed expression and his face looked haggard and dark.
"Are... are you okay?"
Il-mok wondered if he'd fallen into Qi Deviation.
"Hahaha. Don't worry, your Sixth Brother is settling into his work at the Demon-Teaching Pavilion just fine."
'That's what you called settling in just well?' Il-mok wanted to retort.
Those vacant eyes made it look like he was watching invisible things float around the room. But the moment Wi Jin-hak mentioned Demon-Teaching Pavilion, Jong-ri Chu shivered and his eyes suddenly focused.
"Ahem. I'm fine, so don't worry. My friends are helping me, so I'm doing well. I always felt like I wasn't being helpful to the Divine Cult, but helping Eldest Brother lately has been really rewarding."
"Friends? What kind of—"
Jong-ri Chu just gave a creepy smile and looked around at the empty air.
'Those friends sound like people I shouldn't get close to...' Il-mok swallowed those words and looked at Wi Jin-hak instead.
—Is he really okay?
Wi Jin-hak laughed loudly at Il-mok's telepathic message.
"Hahaha. Don't worry. It's not just Sixth Brother; everyone has a few friends like that, right?"
"???"
When Il-mok stared at Wi Jin-hak, looking completely lost, Wi Jin-hak responded as if it were no big deal.
"Everyone in the Demon-Teaching Pavilion pulls all-nighters every day, so lately, people have started talking to thin air or zoning out. Everyone’s got the same symptoms as Sixth Brother, so it's nothing special."
"......"
Only then did Il-mok belatedly realize something important.
Even though his Eldest Brother was smiling like everything was fine, his eyes were bloodshot red from staying up night after night.
'A guy who successfully achieved Transcendence and underwent an Overhaul Body Transformation has eyes bloodshot from exhaustion...?'
Il-mok, struck speechless, suddenly had a thought.
'Maybe going to the West would actually be better for me.'
The Demon-Teaching Pavilion might actually be hell on earth.