Chapter 535: You Should Have Been Prepared for This When You Messed with Us

TL: FoodieMonster007

"That's also why I couldn't tell anyone."

This matter was deeply connected to the Thousand Flower Palace and the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. She had been afraid that if she misspoke, an even greater disaster would strike the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman.

She expected the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman to be shocked, but surprisingly, she did not seem greatly shaken.

Yes, a woman destined to love the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would certainly face such a storm without flinching.

"I'm going to tell those two now and discuss this with them. Is that okay with you?"

In reality, it was permission Yeo Jong didn't need. Yet she asked for it from Cho Hwi, the woman who had risked her life to deliver this information.

Cho Hwi understood this was how the Pavilion Master treated her subordinates. The Pavilion Master likely had no idea how much comfort and strength a simple, easily overlooked phrase like that could provide to those who served her.

Yeo Jong and Cho Hwi went to Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The two men were in the middle of a conversation.

"It would've been great if you could have tasted my father's fish dish too, Smiling Demon."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon couldn't help but smile as he remembered the Cult Leader cooking fish after losing a string of bets.

"It was more enjoyable than any other journey I've ever taken."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon took Geom Mugeuk's words as a joke.

"I'm disappointed. I thought the journey we had together was the best."

"Records are meant to be broken. Let's go on a journey together again."

Just then, Yeo Jong interjected.

"It might not be as good as that fish dish, but I'm quite a cook myself."

It was her way of asking them to include her on that journey.

Even after learning she was to become the main figure in an event that would rock the murim, she could still make a joke so naturally. It was another reminder of what a reliable shield these two men were in her life.

"Of course, you must come with us."

When the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon shook his head playfully, as if only the two of them would go, Geom Mugeuk gave her a look that promised, 'I will escort you, just trust me'.

It was in moments like these that Yeo Jong felt the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had changed. Joking like this in such a situation was something he never would have done in the past.

Geom Mugeuk looked at Yeo Jong and offered a formal greeting.

"Have you been well, Pavilion Master?"

He had allowed her to reunite with Cho Hwi first while he spoke with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. Only now was he properly greeting her.

"More than just well. The Young Cult Leader sent word ahead, which saved my life. You saved not only me, but everyone in this pavilion."

"That must be thanks to the Smiling Demon, who came and protected you."

"My Orabeoni gives the credit to the Young Cult Leader, and the Young Cult Leader gives the credit to my Orabeoni. Then how about I accept help from both of you this time?"

With that, she smoothly relayed the information Cho Hwi had just shared.

After hearing the story, Geom Mugeuk's expression grew hard.

Now that the enemies were revealed to be targeting the Thousand Flower Palace and the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, he knew he must handle this matter with more caution and decisiveness than any other.

"To say the person committing the incident is the Pavilion Master must mean they intend to frame you for the crime, Pavilion Master."

The three of them nodded in agreement with Geom Mugeuk's assessment.

"How did you obtain this information?"

Cho Hwi answered Geom Mugeuk's question.

"Even a heavy secret that can withstand the fear of death and torture sometimes can't overcome the effects of alcohol."

She did not elaborate further. The truth of the information she had obtained was already proven by the ones who had chased her.

"I sincerely ask that you both protect the Pavilion Master."

Cho Hwi bowed deeply to Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. When she had first fled, her heart was filled with anxiety. She had been trapped in an ominous feeling that even if she delivered the news, the Pavilion Master might still be killed by those bastards.

However, things were different now.

She glanced around. The formidable Faceless Warriors, terrifying just to look at, stood guard everywhere.

Her gaze returned to Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. She had learned enough about what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was on her journey here.

Then, looking at the cold smile on the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's pure white mask, a thought naturally surfaced.

Shouldn't you be the ones who are more scared now?

Geom Mugeuk spoke to Cho Hwi.

"Leave this matter to us now and get some rest."

"Yes! I will."

After cheerfully saying goodbye to the two men, she looked at Yeo Jong one last time.

Yeo Jong told her.

"If I live, it will be thanks to you."

Cho Hwi then repeated the words Yeo Jong had once said to her.

"No, what saved the Pavilion Master must have been fate. The warm fate of you saving a young girl who was being sold off."

She gave a deep bow and then withdrew.

As she was walking away, she turned back to ask a question.

"Can I have a drink? I've held back for so long."

"You can drink it all."

At Yeo Jong's words, her departing steps felt light. Her job was finally over.

Watching her leave, Geom Mugeuk said to Yeo Jong.

"That's a good connection."

"As you can see, I'm quite blessed with good people."

As she spoke, she glanced toward the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon just stood there silently. Feeling as if she had been the only one showing her affection, Yeo Jong asked about someone else.

"Is the pretty heart doing well?"

"She should be doing well."

"It seems you've left your heart far away."

"It's because I hope for it to become a heart that is both pretty and strong."

Come to think of it, Yeo Jong had told Lee Ahn she would become a precious person.

Lee Ahn, are you doing well?

After they had exchanged greetings from their long-awaited reunion, Geom Mugeuk asked her.

"Regarding this matter, do you have any suspicions about who might be involved?"

Yeo Jong shook her head.

"No."

She was someone who had quietly built the Thousand Flower Palace without getting involved in the murim's affairs.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze naturally shifted to one person. It was Jaein, who lay collapsed with his acupoints sealed.

"Who is that man?"

Geom Mugeuk answered the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's question.

"He is a subordinate of the one in charge of pursuing Young Lady Cho. It's a situation that requires a very scary person to make him open his mouth."

A cold laugh escaped from the empty eyeholes of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"You won't have to look far."

Jaein regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

Ah! I was captured by the Young Cult Leader, wasn't I?

He recalled Geom Mugeuk sealing his acupoints.

He was going on about some strange Young Alliance Chairman.

As he surveyed his surroundings, Jaein flinched. He finally noticed someone standing in the room with him, their back turned as they looked out the window.

"Where have you brought me?"

Jaein assumed the man was Geom Mugeuk.

"No matter how much you pressure me, there are things I can and cannot do. The person I serve places great importance on protecting a client's secret. So even if you go to him, you won't be able to find out who the client is…!"

Just then, the door opened and Geom Mugeuk walked in. Jaein was startled to see him.

"What are you talking about? Did you two get friendly already?"

At that, the man who had his back to the window slowly turned around.

The moment he saw him, Jaein's eyes widened. That mask, with the Young Cult Leader? He knew at a glance who it was.

"The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon!"

After blurting out the name, he was so startled that he quickly covered his mouth. The hand over his mouth trembled as a chill ran down his spine.

No matter how tough one acted, the being known as the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon instilled a fundamental fear in any martial artist. It was the terror of extreme evil, the fear that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon wouldn't just kill you, but would do so horribly.

He remembered what Geom Mugeuk had said just before he passed out. That a truly terrifying person had come to the Thousand Flower Palace. So that person was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon!

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon slowly approached, stared down at Jaein, and asked coldly.

"Were you the one who sent the Ghost Killer Squad to the Thousand Flower Palace?"

Jaein felt a sense of crisis, as if his entire body would be torn apart the moment he said yes.

"I wasn't."

"Then who was it?"

For a moment, Jaein could not speak.

Just then, his eyes met the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's. The instant he met those eyes inside the mask's holes, Jaein felt a terror he had never known. It wasn't just fear because his opponent was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. The eyes he saw now were terrifying in themselves. His will crumbled instantly, and only the instinct to survive remained.

"The one I serve sent them!"

He hadn't pointed a finger at his eyes or inflicted any pain, but in the end, Jaein could not overcome the terror that the existence of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon inspired.

Still, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon waited silently for his next words.

"I will take you to him!"

Only then did the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon walk back to the window and turn his back to them.

Geom Mugeuk approached Jaein.

"I understand. Even I, the Young Cult Leader, am scared of him, so how much more so for you?"

Jaein let out a long sigh.

"He will never reveal the client. He's a man who is pathologically obsessed with upholding that principle."

Just then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, who was looking out the window, spoke suddenly.

"No matter what kind of man he is, he will eventually talk."

After a short pause, he added with absolute certainty.

"Because the Young Cult Leader will be handling the plan this time."

Seo Danmyeong did not remain in one place.

He moved around constantly in a carriage and always chose the meeting location.

Today, the carriage was parked in an alley that overlooked the Thousand Flower Palace, in the opposite direction from the day before.

Jaein boarded the carriage and reported in a low voice.

"I have failed."

For a moment, Seo Danmyeong's face twitched.

"Are you saying the Evil Eccentric couldn't kill him?"

"No, he didn't even try to fight. They knew each other."

Jaein delivered the truth.

"The man acting as the gisaeng's bodyguard was none other than the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult."

The first emotion Seo Danmyeong felt was not surprise, but relief.

Of course!

It was as if all the questions that had burdened him during this task were answered at once. When he heard that even the Evil Eccentric had failed, his world had truly gone dark.

However, hearing the words 'the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult' was like a light shining into that darkness.

I'm not a failure! I just had rotten luck.

A suspicion naturally followed.

There's no way the Young Cult Leader would have just let him go, right?

When a chill flickered in Seo Danmyeong's eyes as he looked at him, Jaein spoke honestly.

"Yes, I've brought the grim reapers with me. This carriage is also under surveillance right now."

"You crazy bastard!"

Killing intent flashed in Seo Danmyeong's eyes. He had been honest about that part too, judging that the suspicious Seo Danmyeong would never believe he had come alone.

"Do you want to die by my hand?"

"No, it's because I believe in you, Elder."

"Because you believe in me?"

"Because I believe you will find a way to escape, no matter what."

SLAP!

Seo Danmyeong mercilessly struck Jaein across the cheek.

"You should have died there!"

He wanted to plunge a throwing knife into the neck of the bowing Jaein right then and there.

However, he could not do it. If he killed the man, the bastards from the Demonic Cult would immediately swarm in to capture or kill him.

Just then, the door opened and Geom Mugeuk boarded the carriage.

"It seemed like emotions were running high, so I came early. Ah, and I've put all the subordinates hiding nearby to sleep, so don't get your hopes up."

Seo Danmyeong knew at once that the person who had appeared was the Young Cult Leader.

"Young Cult Leader."

"I hear you're called the Webspinner?"

"That is correct."

"The one who weaves the web. That's a fine name."

Geom Mugeuk treated him politely. Even transparent kindness was better than rudeness. This was especially true for a man who took pride in the name the Webspinner.

"I can guess why you've come, but I cannot reveal who the client is. I may die by your hand, but my death will remain an honorable one."

It was half a desire not to lose his momentum and half sincerity. He did not want to die. However, he equally did not want to reveal the client.

Then Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.

"You won't die by my hand, but by your client's. And it won't be a very honorable death."

Seo Danmyeong shook his head firmly.

"As long as I try to keep the secret, the client will not try to kill me. We made that promise very clear from the beginning."

"That's not the reason."

Geom Mugeuk pointed out something he had not considered.

"You almost ruined their plan."

Not only Seo Danmyeong, but Jaein too wondered what he meant.

"They are trying to orchestrate a plan using the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. That's why that gisaeng risked her life to come to the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. However, you attacked the Thousand Flower Palace and tried to kill everyone there."

"That was!"

It was a ploy to prevent the gisaeng from making contact. He did not know that their target was the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman and the Thousand Flower Palace itself.

"I didn't know about that!"

"Do you think they'll understand? No, what would it matter if they did? You've already ruined everything. I'm going to go out and announce that the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman is dead. The enraged client will surely try to kill you."

To that, Geom Mugeuk played his decisive card.

"I will wait, and through the ones who come to kill you, I will find out who the client is. They'll think the job is ruined and over, so they'll use their own people to erase all traces."

"!"

"The life you've built will end with you being killed by your client. You should have been prepared for that much when you messed with us."

For a moment, Seo Danmyeong was so flustered that he could not think.

Geom Mugeuk pressed on, giving him no time to think.

As Geom Mugeuk was about to get off the carriage, Jaein shouted.

"Wait! If we tell you who the client is… will you let us live?"

Of course, it was a planned interruption and a planned persuasion.

"Elder, you can't let it end like this. You must live to fight another day."

However, the words agreeing to reveal the client did not readily come from Seo Danmyeong's mouth.

Geom Mugeuk delivered his prepared, powerful final blow.

"No one but us will know that you were the one who revealed it."

The solution offered coldly by Geom Mugeuk, no, by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, tempted him powerfully.

"Because we intend to wipe out that client completely."