Chapter 534: Everything Becomes Routine with the Young Cult Leader

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jaein stared intently at Geom Mugeuk's face.

That face looks talkative?

Jaein was surprised by how young and handsome his opponent was, but the man next to him was seeing something he had not.

"Look at those eyes."

As the man instructed, Jaein looked into Geom Mugeuk's eyes.

They were clear and deep, unlike those of a demonic practitioner.

"Aren't those the eyes of a meddler who would stick his nose into all sorts of murim affairs?"

"…Is that so?"

"For instance, they're the kind of wicked eyes that would lead the perfectly fine successor of the Evil Alliance into a dance."

Why was the successor of the Evil Alliance suddenly being mentioned? A dance? What kind of dance?

Jaein stared at the man with a bewildered expression. He hadn't realized this person was so eccentric. If he could have his way, he would have liked to say, 'Stop with the nonsense and just kill him already,' but this wasn't an opponent he could dare say such things to.

"Now that you mention it, he does look very talkative and wicked."

When Jaein humored him, the man laughed loudly as if he was greatly relieved.

At that, Geom Mugeuk, who had only been listening, asked Cho Hwi beside him.

"What do you think? Have I been talkative on our journey so far?"

"No, you've been taciturn."

Even as she answered, Cho Hwi was tense. For their opponent to block their path so openly, unlike before, meant he was confident in his skills, did it not?

Yet for some reason, the two men were only exchanging a strange conversation.

"Did you hear that? I'm originally a quiet person. But everyone else is so bad at talking. They should just say what they want to say, but they bottle it up inside, postpone it for later… it's so frustrating, how can I not speak up? They say silence is the best way to avoid misunderstandings, but isn't everyone causing misunderstandings because they don't speak properly? The Young Alliance Chairman is a perfect example. When he's quiet, doesn't he give the impression that he's contemplating who to kill? But when you actually hear him talk, he's so cute. And…"

"Enough!"

At the man's shout, Geom Mugeuk closed his mouth.

Jaein was inwardly flustered by the unexpected situation. He had never dreamed that he would come here with this man to kill this guy, only to end up having a conversation like this. And who was this Young Alliance Chairman he kept mentioning?

In any case, at least one thing was certain.

He really was a talkative one!

Jaein spoke carefully to the man.

"Please hurry and kill that talkative man to shut him up."

The man then let out a light sigh and said.

"I can't do that."

Jaein was shocked by the refusal.

"What do you mean by that?"

The person who answered his question was Geom Mugeuk.

"We know each other. We're even close."

"Close, my foot!"

The man was none other than the Evil Eccentric of the Seven Evil Masters.

The last time they had seen each other was at the three-party conference, and now they met again like this.

From the Evil Eccentric's vehement denial, Jaein could feel it.

The two of them are close!

Jaein was overcome with a sense of failure. Who on earth was that young man?

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I came to kill you," Geom Mugeuk said with a smile.

"Then kill me."

The Evil Eccentric stared silently at Geom Mugeuk for a moment.

"It's gotten even harder to kill you now."

He had noticed from Geom Mugeuk's gaze and aura that his skills had risen even further.

"I was asked to kill one demonic practitioner. I was promised enough money to spend lavishly for the rest of my life. A pity. It was a chance to get rich."

That was not the truth.

He had taken on this job because of Geom Mugeuk. He figured that if a demonic practitioner was strong enough to require his intervention, they must have a deep connection to Geom Mugeuk. He wanted to find out who they were trying to kill. He had intended to stop them beforehand.

But he had never dreamed that the demonic practitioner would be Geom Mugeuk himself.

"Bodyguarding a courtesan alone? That's so like you."

The Evil Eccentric asked Jaein.

"Do you know who that talkative-looking man is?"

"Who is he?"

"That man is the Young Cult Leader of the Divine Cult."

"!"

Jaein was startled. The young master escorting a courtesan was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult? That talkative man? Impossible!

However, the expression on the Evil Eccentric's face as he looked at him held no trace of falsehood. There was no reason for him to lie after following them all this way.

"No matter how much I love money, you wouldn't really ask me to kill the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, would you?"

Jaein could finally understand. Why this job had gone so wrong. Why the net of the Webspinner, who could handle much more difficult tasks with artistry, had such gaping holes in it.

Jaein respectfully performed a clasped hands greeting.

"I failed to recognize a person of your stature."

His chest felt tight and his mind became a complicated mess, but he forced himself to remain calm. The only fortunate thing was that the Young Cult Leader was truly young.

I'm a person learning to design conspiracies from the Webspinner. Let's be calm.

Youth was always accompanied by immaturity and mistakes. There had to be an opening.

The Evil Eccentric pitied him, having guessed his thoughts.

He is a man who casts a net ten, a hundred times larger than the one you cast. If you knew who was in that net, you would never have committed such an act in the first place.

Geom Mugeuk asked Jaein in a gentle tone.

"Are you the one who planned this?"

His attitude seemed so unlike a demonic practitioner that Jaein still couldn't believe he was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.

"I'm still in the process of learning."

"From whom?"

It was at that very moment, as Jaein hesitated to answer.

The Evil Eccentric said to Geom Mugeuk.

"There is a person called the Webspinner."

He had not expected the Evil Eccentric to reveal the mastermind so readily.

Jaein tried to find a way to survive by provoking the Evil Eccentric.

"For the Elder's sake, wouldn't this be against propriety?"

He had said it to guide the situation toward being spared, hoping the man would feel sorry.

The Evil Eccentric looked at him, smiled, and said.

"My name contains both 'eccentric' and 'evil'. Are you trying to lecture me on propriety? And my relationship with the Webspinner is about money, not propriety."

From these words, Jaein could be certain. The Evil Eccentric would absolutely never attack the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.

"Who did you send to the Thousand Flower Palace?"

At Geom Mugeuk's question, Jaein flinched for a moment.

"How did you know?"

"I asked who you sent."

His gaze and tone were calm, but Jaein felt fear. They had intended to wipe out the Thousand Flower Palace's Headquarters, where the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was planning to take the courtesan.

"I sent the Ghost Killer Squad."

Hearing the name Ghost Killer Squad, Cho Hwi's heart sank. It was a name she had heard many times from her guests. Every time she heard of the deeds committed under that name, she had frowned and felt a sense of dread. And that Ghost Killer Squad had been sent after her Pavilion Master.

In contrast to her agitated heart, Geom Mugeuk simply nodded once and did not ask any more.

"Why don't you ask about the result?"

The moment Jaein decided he had to use the Thousand Flower Palace as a hostage to survive this situation.

"Isn't it because they failed that you had to mobilize this Senior here?"

Jaein could finally feel it. Although his opponent was asking gently, he was seeing right through him and the situation.

"Do you want to live?"

"I want to live. No, I wish to live."

Jaein acted as politely as he possibly could.

"Who is the mastermind who commissioned this job?"

"They didn't tell me. It's the truth!"

"Where is the Webspinner now?"

He could not answer. If he betrayed the Webspinner, he would surely suffer extreme pain before dying a miserable death. The Webspinner he knew was that kind of person. He was a man who would first weave a tight net to ensnare any traitors.

"Are you scared of the Webspinner but not me?"

"That's not it."

"Well, this is when I need our Young Alliance Chairman's face. If that friend were here, you wouldn't have been able to take me so lightly."

Bi Sayin, who was not present, was being brought up again.

"But fortunately, there's someone at the Thousand Flower Palace who is even scarier than the Young Alliance Chairman."

It was at that moment, as Jaein's eyes widened with a look of confusion.

Geom Mugeuk flicked a finger qi bullet, sealing his inner arts and pressing his blood points.

Geom Mugeuk loaded the sleeping Jaein onto the back of the carriage. It was a small carriage with almost no space for luggage, but there was enough room to lay Jaein down.

"Will you come with us?"

"Who's there?"

Geom Mugeuk slowly swiped a hand from his forehead down to his chin, then drew a smile.

The Evil Eccentric could tell that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was there.

The Evil Eccentric waved his hands and even shook his head, saying he detested Demon Supremes.

"See you next time."

As he was about to leave, Geom Mugeuk said to him.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"I know you deliberately accepted their request because of me."

The Evil Eccentric answered without turning back.

"I told you it was for the money. Stop talking about it, it makes my stomach hurt to think about it."

The Evil Eccentric then leaped away and vanished.

Watching him go, Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly.

Why am I so talkative, you ask? Wasn't it so I could meet you in a situation like this today?

Because they had come to know each other's true feelings, the Evil Eccentric had come out to help him today. If he had been taciturn with him, how would they have ever understood each other's hearts?

In these times when cutting off relationships was becoming easier and easier, this was still the reason why Geom Mugeuk was so talkative.

"Well, shall we go too?"

"……"

Cho Hwi silently watched Geom Mugeuk drive the carriage.

The Evil Eccentric, the Ghost Killer Squad. Those fearsome names were turning into everyday names when they came to this Young Cult Leader.

And another conclusion she had reached.

The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was not a talkative man. This image of him silently driving the carriage while looking straight ahead suited him far more than the talkative image he had shown earlier.

At last, the two of them arrived at the Thousand Flower Palace.

Up ahead, the figures of the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, Yeo Jong, could be seen.

Seeing that her Pavilion Master, whom she had worried about, was safe, tears welled up in Cho Hwi's eyes.

"Pavilion Master!"

Upon seeing Yeo Jong, Cho Hwi was about to perform a deep bow on the spot. But Yeo Jong came over first and pulled her up by the hand.

Yeo Jong led her over and sat her down in her own seat. Then she brought water and had her drink it.

"First, drink some water. Slowly."

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

After calming the agitated woman, Yeo Jong checked her body.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine."

Despite her answer, Yeo Jong calmly examined her body. It was obvious she would say she wasn't hurt even if she was, so she was checking her thoroughly herself.

She could have asked about the information first, but she took care of Cho Hwi's body first.

Naturally, the look in Cho Hwi's eyes as she gazed at her Pavilion Master deepened.

"You did this for me that day, too."

"That day?"

"The day you saved my life."

Yeo Jong had saved her when she was being sold off to the Outer Regions due to her father's gambling debts. It was truly a chance encounter on the road.

At that time, Yeo Jong had made her sit down and drink water just like today, as she was crying and resisting, pushing away the men's arms and refusing to go. After calming her down, she had asked for the whole story.

Yeo Jong paid off Cho Hwi's debt on the spot and then went on her way.

If she had made her work at the Thousand Flower Palace after saving her, Cho Hwi would not have respected Yeo Jong so much.

"As you left, you told me. Since my parents abandoned me, I should no longer be tied to my family. You told me to leave home and live with my own dream."

That day, Cho Hwi had followed Yeo Jong. Even when told she would become a courtesan if she followed, she had entrusted her fate to Yeo Jong.

"Did I say that?"

Although she said that, Yeo Jong remembered that day vividly.

"It wasn't me who saved you, but fate that saved you."

That fate was continuing to this very day, in this very place.

"You've worked hard coming here."

The moment she heard those words, the tears Cho Hwi had been holding back streamed down her face. It was nothing short of a miracle that she had made it here alive.

"Are you alright, Pavilion Master?"

"I am fine. Don't we have people protecting us over there?"

Only then did Cho Hwi look around. All around, the Faceless Warriors were standing and guarding the brothel.

When the two of them arrived, those who had been in the room came out and began to guard the place. Their mission had changed.

"Don't tell me, are those people…?"

Cho Hwi knew as well. She knew who wore those masks.

Naturally, her gaze shifted to Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, who were conversing a short distance away.

Then that person must be the fearsome Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

It was the first time Cho Hwi had seen the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. Was it because she was thinking of him as the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon? The smiling white mask felt particularly terrifying.

The sight of Geom Mugeuk smiling brightly in front of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon felt surreal. She felt it once again, that all danger becomes routine once it passes through the Young Cult Leader.

"If it weren't for the Young Cult Leader over there, I would have died."

Yeo Jong smiled faintly.

The same was true for us here.

Cho Hwi's words continued.

"The Young Cult Leader said that he's so close to you, Pavilion Master, that he would break through the entire murim if it stood in his way to find you."

At that, Yeo Jong's gaze shifted to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"It's not because of me, but because of him."

From the look in Yeo Jong's eyes as she gazed at him, Cho Hwi could feel the depth of their relationship. It was a woman's intuition.

Ah!

Now she understood. What it meant that he came not for Yeo Jong, but for the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. Since Yeo Jong has a deep relationship with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, the Young Cult Leader must have rushed over for the Pavilion Master!

Cho Hwi, who had been watching the two, turned back to the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. It was now time to deliver the reason she had risked her life to come here.

"I have something to tell you, Pavilion Master."

She spoke in a low voice, so only the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman could hear.

"A major incident that will turn the murim upside down is going to happen at the Thousand Flower Palace!"

She lowered her voice even more.

"And the person who will cause that incident… is you, Pavilion Master."