Chapter 264: My Reputation Depends on You

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Mugeuk entered the Hunan Branch with a commanding presence, flanked by bodyguards on his left and right.

Yeo Sogwang and all his subordinates came out to greet the Young Cult Leader.

Cultists from the Hunan Branch lined both sides of the path and shouted thunderously.

"We greet the Young Cult Leader!"

Yeo Sogwang walked out to meet Geom Mugeuk, seeing him for the first time.

He's truly handsome.

He was not just handsome, but refreshingly so, with confident eyes. This was for the better. The easiest people to manipulate had either high self-esteem or a strong inferiority complex.

Yeo Sogwang was particularly skilled with the prideful. He was better than anyone at catering to their moods, which was how he had risen to the position of Branch Manager.

"It's an honor to meet you, Young Cult Leader."

Yeo Sogwang bowed deeply. His back was as flexible as the political skills he had honed his entire life.

Geom Mugeuk stared intently at Yeo Sogwang.

"You make a very good impression."

"I hear that from time to time."

"They say in the jianghu to be wary of faces like yours, don't they?"

Yeo Sogwang smiled, even though Geom Mugeuk provoked him with their first greeting.

"That's right. One must be wary of all the other bastards. However, in this murim, there are exactly two exceptions. One of them is you, Young Cult Leader. Now, please, let's go inside."

Yeo Sogwang led Geom Mugeuk into the main hall.

A banquet had been prepared there.

As Geom Mugeuk entered, musicians began to play and dancers began to dance. The cooks started heating and serving the dishes.

"Now, please take the seat of honor."

Usually, an honored guest would rest on the first day and attend a banquet the next evening, but not this time. The Young Cult Leader would have traveled comfortably, and he was still in his prime.

Yeo Sogwang had to show him from the very beginning that life with the head of the Hunan Branch was enjoyable. If Geom Mugeuk said he was tired, they could just hold another banquet tomorrow. When it came to entertaining people, Yeo Sogwang was more confident than anyone in the jianghu.

Geom Mugeuk sat in the seat of honor, and Yeo Sogwang sat beside him.

Cheokyeon took out a silver needle and checked each dish for poison. The other bodyguards stood at a slight distance around Geom Mugeuk, guarding all directions.

Geom Mugeuk watched them and smiled. They were like kids when they were with him, but among other people, they were clearly different. Their presence was extraordinary.

"Your bodyguards are young."

"They're young, yet they were chosen to be the Young Cult Leader's bodyguards, so how skilled must they be? They are people who would not be out of place in any elite unit of our Cult."

Geom Mugeuk said this loudly so all the bodyguards could hear.

Seeing this, Yeo Sogwang made a mistake.

Just as I thought! He has that characteristic bravado of a young man.

However, he did not know that Geom Mugeuk had genuinely praised them to boost his subordinates' pride.

"Truly, the presence of each and every one of them is extraordinary."

Yeo Sogwang played along with Geom Mugeuk's praise.

This time, Geom Mugeuk offered a pleasantry.

"Isn't the Hunan Branch a strategic point for our Cult to keep the Murim Alliance in check? That is why I visited this place before any other Branch."

"Entrusting such a grave duty to a person as lacking as myself makes my shoulders heavy."

"As long as they aren't heavy from carrying other things."

Yeo Sogwang did not waver, even at the meaningful words.

"I am only loyal to the Cult."

"As expected! It's no wonder Headquarters trusts Commander Yeo. Let's have a drink."

The two men toasted and drank.

Putting down his cup, Yeo Sogwang remarked casually.

"The Young Cult Leader's great fame has resounded all the way here to Hunan."

"What kind of rumors?"

"The rumor that you are the greatest talent among all successors in history."

Geom Mugeuk put on a pleased expression.

"Moreover, you are incredibly handsome. I can dare to say with confidence that you are the most handsome among the prodigies of the murim."

"Our Commander Yeo is gilding my ugly face."

"I speak from the heart. Please, ask my subordinates. I am a man who cannot lie."

Yeo Sogwang called over his right-hand man, Hwang Pyo.

"What do you think?"

"Not just among prodigies, he is the most handsome among all martial artists."

At his words, Yeo Sogwang laughed loudly.

"Oh, I have made a mistake. Not just prodigies, but all martial artists."

This sort of thing had happened many times before. Yeo Sogwang would give a compliment, then Hwang Pyo would step up and give an even bigger one. Then Yeo Sogwang would laugh, hoho, and repeat the compliment.

It was their method for entertaining people. A compliment about appearance was always effective, especially if the target was young.

Geom Mugeuk smiled pleasantly.

Yeo Sogwang thought he smiled because the compliment pleased him, but Geom Mugeuk was actually smiling for a different reason.

So this is what it felt like. Everyone must have been quite pleased, huh?

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Let's have another drink."

"Excellent. To the birth of a new murim hero!"

Yeo Sogwang was good at receiving Geom Mugeuk's words. Whatever Geom Mugeuk said, Yeo Sogwang would agree and elevate him by saying he himself had not thought of such a thing. He was truly a man with a knack for groveling.

Yeo Sogwang was good at flattery. However, he did not know that the one smiling foolishly at his flattery was the true incarnation of the Divine Art of Sycophancy.

"Our Commander Yeo, have a drink!"

Hearing the word 'our' attached to his title, Yeo Sogwang smiled inwardly.

Now it was time to add the finishing touch.

As the alcohol took effect and the atmosphere ripened, Yeo Sogwang beckoned a woman over.

She was one of the dancers from earlier. The woman, noticeably beautiful even among the others, slowly walked over.

Yeo Sogwang introduced her.

"She said she desperately wanted to greet the Young Cult Leader when you arrived. If it's not too much trouble, please grant her a cup of wine."

The woman came and bowed politely to Geom Mugeuk.

"My name is Yakran."

She was beautiful. Her beauty was so outstanding that no man could resist if she truly tried to seduce him.

Yakran approached and picked up the wine bottle.

"I will pour a cup for the esteemed guest."

Just then, Geom Mugeuk shot up from his seat and swept her into his arms. Everyone was startled by the sudden action.

"Now, we'll drink later. Commander Yeo, wait right there."

Holding her, Geom Mugeuk dashed out of the main hall. The flustered bodyguards ran after him.

Yeo Sogwang was also flustered, but he soon shouted in a loud voice.

"As expected, a hero loves a beauty! The bedchambers are in the building to the left as you exit!"

Yeo Sogwang could not help but smile at how easily things were going.

Wine and women, they always work.

Of course, he had not expected it to work so passionately and easily.

Meanwhile, Yakran was extremely surprised.

First, she was surprised by the Young Cult Leader's impulsive action. Next, she was surprised that she had floated through the air as he ran. The Young Cult Leader had pretended to hold her but had not actually touched her body.

An unexpected situation unfolded after they entered the room.

He had rushed in as if he would toss her onto the bed, but Geom Mugeuk gently set her down in a chair. An invisible energy seated her.

That was when she saw his eyes. His handsome face did not even register. He looked at her with such clear eyes. Is it okay for a cultist's eyes to be this clear?

Geom Mugeuk spoke in a tone as gentle as his gaze.

"You know who I am, right?"

"……"

His words were gentle, but an unknown atmosphere made her voice tremble.

"How many times has this happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yeo Sogwang must have forced you to entertain like this before, right?"

Yakran was startled. She was surprised that he had noticed and that he was trying to dig into Yeo Sogwang's background.

Fear washed over her. If she got caught in a power struggle, she would die.

"It seems even my status can't make you open your mouth."

How could she dare refuse to answer him?

"No, it's not that. It's just that if Commander Yeo finds out what I've said… he'll kill my family back home."

"Did that man threaten to kill your entire family?"

"……"

"How did you feel then?"

"I was scared, and I was angry."

Was it because he was the revered Young Cult Leader? Or was it because his deep eyes seemed to peer into her heart? The answer she should have agonized over came out easily.

"Yes, you should be angry. You're supposed to be angry at a bastard who threatens to kill your family."

Yeo Sogwang had threatened her since she was young. If he told her to come to a drinking party, she came. If he told her to pour drinks, she poured. She was even forced into his bed.

But she could not refuse.

Yeo Sogwang held her family's lives hostage, not her own. Her sick father, her young siblings, her hardworking mother.

The bastard threatened and brainwashed the young girl. He told her this was how the world worked. That she could earn more money by staying close to power. That she could save her father if she sent more money for medicine.

She hated it. She hated serving drinks to strangers so much she could die. She had thought of killing herself several times but could not because of her family.

She begged Yeo Sogwang to stop, but he was not an opponent a pure, young girl could handle.

After hearing her whole story, Geom Mugeuk approached her. He gazed at her for a moment and then said softly.

"I'm sorry. I came too late, didn't I?"

The moment she heard those words, something surged up from deep within her chest. Tears suddenly streamed down her face. She thought she had no more tears left, but once they started, they would not stop.

She tried to stop crying, but she could not. She wanted to scream at Geom Mugeuk. Why did you come only now? Why only now.

The girl she was in her childhood would have screamed like that.

But that young girl was no longer there.

"…I'm sorry."

There was only her, the victim, apologizing.

The next moment, a gentle energy enveloped her, lifting her head on its own.

Her heart grew calm in the gentle energy, the likes of which she had never felt before.

Perhaps that was why she mustered her courage and asked the one thing she had been curious about.

"Why did you think I was forced to come here?"

Yeo Sogwang had clearly introduced her as a dancer who wanted to see the Young Cult Leader.

"It was because of your eyes when you walked up and looked at me."

"Because of my eyes?"

"I saw the anger in your eyes."

She was startled. She thought she had looked at him gently. Had he read the feelings hidden within?

"My right-hand man looked at me with the same eyes at first. He was mired in anger and defeatism, believing the organization would never change."

Yakran's face was no longer the one that had trembled in fear.

"What will happen to me if I don't tell you about Commander Yeo?"

"I'll just let you go."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'll have to find another way. He's a corrupt man anyway, so I'll eventually find evidence to make him pay for his crimes."

Yakran still hesitated. Geom Mugeuk did not push her and rose from his seat.

"You can forget this conversation and act as if nothing happened. I will make sure that bastard pays for his crimes."

As Geom Mugeuk was about to leave, she spoke.

"Wait."

When Geom Mugeuk turned back, she asked.

"The person you said had the same eyes as me, what happened to him?"

"He rose to the position of the Sanzu Hall Director. It's a position for punishing those who have given up on being human."

Yakran's eyes trembled. A moment later, surprising words came from her lips.

"Wait, if you leave now, they'll doubt the Young Cult Leader's virility."

Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened, not expecting such a joke. It was not in his character to let a joke like that slide.

"You are the first woman to ever look out for the most important reputation of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader."

Yakran also laughed at Geom Mugeuk's joke.

"My dream was to die on stage while dancing, but it looks like I'll die doing something crazy like this."

She walked to the table and began to write names with the paper and brush there. She started with the most recent person. Among them was a name Geom Mugeuk would know.

The Bloodhand Sword.

The mere fact that she had entertained him was proof of Yeo Sogwang's involvement. He would make all sorts of excuses, but it would not be easy for him to get away from Geom Mugeuk.

Besides the Bloodhand Sword, the names of several other influential figures came out one after another.

She also wrote down in detail what had happened to her. To write about her own experiences meant she was staking her life on this.

Yakran handed the paper to Geom Mugeuk.

"This… is my life."

"No. This is your new life."

From now on, she would be able to live a different life.

Geom Mugeuk had Sam-ho come in.

"Escort this Young Lady to the All-Knowing Hall. Have the martial artists there escort the Young Lady to her hometown, and find a way to treat her sick father."

Yakran's eyes went wide with surprise. It was so moving it was hard to believe.

"He's not going to follow me and kill my whole family, is he?"

To her half-joking, half-fearful question, Geom Mugeuk spoke coldly to Sam-ho.

"Now, go and annihilate this Young Lady's family and return!"

At that, Sam-ho said to Yakran in a blunt tone.

"I recently visited my mother for the first time in three years."

Yakran looked at Sam-ho in surprise.

"She had aged a lot in that time. Money is important… but you should visit before it's too late."

Geom Mugeuk watched Sam-ho and smiled faintly. He got a glimpse of what kind of man Sam-ho was.

Geom Mugeuk smiled at Yakran, whose eyes had reddened at the thought of her parents.

"If you were that worried, you shouldn't have written this in the first place, and do you think our Cult couldn't find your family's home if you didn't tell us?"

Yakran gave an awkward smile.

"Are you going to punish him today?"

"……"

"I want to see it too. The sight of him dying."

Even if he died, her scars would remain for a lifetime. If they were going to remain anyway.

"Then there's something I want to see too. When he dies, show me your dance."

Yakran slowly nodded her head.

"Yes. I want to show you, Young Cult Leader. I don't know if I can dance well in front of a corpse, though."

Geom Mugeuk and Yakran walked out of the room.

The bodyguards looked at Geom Mugeuk with awe. They had been startled when he first swept her up and ran, but after hearing the conversation, they were once again filled with admiration. The more they learned about Geom Mugeuk, the deeper their loyalty became.

Geom Mugeuk bantered with Yakran.

"The reputation of my virility depends on your expression."

Yakran smiled and said.

"Don't worry, I'm a performer."

The two returned to the banquet hall.

Geom Mugeuk walked with his chest puffed out confidently. Yakran followed behind with a satisfied smile, her head slightly bowed.

Yeo Sogwang sidled up next to Geom Mugeuk and asked casually.

"You seem to be in a good mood?"

Geom Mugeuk nudged him in the side and grinned.

"Because today, I'm going to see the most wonderful dance of my life."