Chapter 567: Not Even a Ghost Can Stop Human Greed

TL: FoodieMonster007

The martial artist on guard bowed respectfully upon seeing the man.

The bright expressions on the faces of the martial artists who greeted him suggested what kind of person this man was to his subordinates.

"I asked if you're a newcomer."

Seo Jin answered politely.

"Yes, I just arrived today."

The man's skin was taut, making him appear young. Yet, the maturity in his expression and gaze suggested he was much older. His long, flowing white hair made guessing his age even more difficult.

"Are you curious?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you're curious about what's inside."

Before she could answer, the man strode inside. He then said, "What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"

"……"

Seo Jin followed the man inside.

She didn't know who he was, but the atmosphere was not one where she could refuse.

The Yellow Dragon Division's area was completely different from the outside. Unlike the other areas, which only had training grounds and buildings, this place was well-maintained. The buildings were larger and more beautiful. Old ginkgo trees were planted alongside well-kept gravel paths, and private training grounds for individual use were set between gardens full of beautiful flowers.

The message was clear. 'You too should train hard and come to this place.'

Passing martial artists from the Yellow Dragon Division saw the man and bowed their heads respectfully.

He's clearly not a Yellow Dragon Division martial artist, but he doesn't seem to be an instructor either. Is he one of the Seven Instructors? Who on earth is this man?

The security grew tighter the deeper they went. A large, castle-like building stood at the end of this guarded area.

"What is that place?"

A strange emotion filled the man's eyes as he looked at the building.

"That is the Yellow Dragon Academy's Principal Hall. It's where the master of this place resides."

A single phrase then naturally escaped her lips.

"The master of a martial arts academy is its disciple."

The man turned to look at her.

"It was written right at the top of the admission form I filled out yesterday."

A peculiar light flickered in the man's eyes. It was an emotion closer to curiosity than anger.

"So? Do you think you're the master?"

"I don't know yet. As I said, today is my first day."

Finding it difficult to meet the man's gaze, her eyes turned back toward the Principal Hall.

The man asked abruptly, "Do you want to go inside?"

"Would I dare to enter?"

"It seems you don't acknowledge the authority of the master of that place."

She politely refused.

"You misunderstand. Seeing this much today is more than enough for me. Thank you for the tour."

She did want to go inside the Principal Hall, but that would be too conspicuous for her first day. No, she was already conspicuous enough.

"Then, I'll be on my way."

Just as she bowed her head politely and turned to leave, the man spoke from behind her.

"Who gave you permission to leave?"

Startled, she turned back to the man.

"I haven't given you permission to go."

Seo Jin stared intently at the man and asked, "May I go?"

Was it because she didn't look frightened? The man did not say she could go.

Just then, a person walked toward them.

"Master Yeom."

The person who appeared was Gi Seok, one of the Seven Instructors. His subordinate, Pyo San, stood a short distance behind him.

At that moment, Seo Jin saw it. The man's expression toward Gi Seok was not pleasant. He made no effort to hide his dislike for him.

"It's been a while."

Gi Seok greeted him politely, but the man merely gave a slight nod.

As if this was not the first time, Gi Seok showed no sign of being offended. His calm gaze turned to Seo Jin.

"What are you doing here?"

"This gentleman here was showing me around."

Gi Seok said to the man, "She's a new disciple on her first day. Should you be teaching her to break the rules from the start?"

After saying that, he spoke to Seo Jin again.

"Leave!"

"Yes, Master."

At this moment, Seo Jin realized something.

She knew Gi Seok hadn't stepped in for her sake. This meant he disliked her being with this man.

At least he's not on the same side as this man.

Of course, she couldn't be certain. In the murim, people could be on the same side while pretending to be enemies. Those who fought like foes one day could become friends the next.

As she turned to leave, the white-haired man said from behind her, "I haven't told you to go yet."

She turned back and looked at the two men alternately.

The winner of this battle of wills was decided from the start. Gi Seok immediately backed down.

"Then, I will take my leave."

Gi Seok walked away, and Pyo San followed him.

The man, who had been watching them for a moment, looked at Seo Jin again.

"Please let me go now. I'm very nervous since it's my first day."

She was calm and confident, acting on instinct. She felt that showing this confident side was a better choice than appearing intimidated and scared in front of this man.

"Even if you go, you should know who I am."

"Who are you?"

"I am Yeom Baekjin."

The man added calmly, "The man who couldn't become the master of this place because he was born too late."

He was none other than Yeom Baekjin, the Principal's younger brother. He was the freest, most feared, and also the most popular person at the Yellow Dragon Academy. He was a man of many faces, depending on who he was with.

Seo Jin bowed to him respectfully and turned away. After walking a few steps, she said, "Don't be too disappointed. It was clearly written that the master of this place is its disciple."

Yeom Baekjin watched her leave in silence.

There were two others watching this scene from afar. Gi Seok and Pyo San were observing from a hallway window inside a building.

"It seems Master Yeom is interested in Seo Jin. There must be quite an age gap."

Gi Seok shook his head at Pyo San's words.

"Everyone thinks Yeom Baekjin is a magnanimous and free-spirited person. A man who likes women and enjoys having fun."

As the Principal's younger brother and a powerful martial artist, many women were fond of him. As a result, there were rumors about him with various women.

However, the Yeom Baekjin that Gi Seok judged him to be was this kind of person.

"Yeom Baekjin is more calculating and ruthless than anyone."

"Then are you saying he approached Seo Jin intentionally?"

"Yes, he's caught wind of the matter with Master Lim."

At those words, Pyo San's expression hardened. If that were true, it was a serious matter. One was the daughter of the Ghost Sect's leader, and the other was the Principal's younger brother.

"The final excavation is not far off, what should we do?"

"We must divert attention elsewhere."

Gi Seok had already come to a conclusion.

"No matter what, we can't kill the Principal's own flesh and blood, can we?"

That evening, Seo Jin was drinking alone at an inn.

She wasn't one to enjoy alcohol, but today she felt like a drink. It was because of that Yeom Baekjin she had met earlier.

Use him to dig into this case.

That was her first thought. If his relationship with Gi Seok was as bad as it seemed, it was certainly an attempt worth making.

However, she felt a sense of reluctance. She couldn't tell if it was a survival instinct or a woman's intuition, but her instincts held her back.

Don't get close to this man. Exchange as few words as possible.

But reality was moving in the complete opposite direction.

"Are you staying at this inn?"

She looked up to see Yeom Baekjin. He sat down in front of her without asking for permission.

Seo Jin hid her inner thoughts and said calmly, "I couldn't properly give my unorthodox greeting to such a noble person earlier."

"Isn't it the same for you?"

Yeom Baekjin knew her identity.

"The daughter of the Ghost Sect's leader, I see."

He said it as if he had only found out after they met.

"Can you show me some of the Ghost Sect's ghost arts? I've never seen them, so I'm curious."

Of course, she wasn't the type to show him so easily.

"I'm still clumsy, you see. I might end up killing my opponent."

Yeom Baekjin said as he poured wine into a new cup, "How arrogant."

"I apologize if it sounded that way."

After emptying his cup, Yeom Baekjin stared at her and asked, "Can the name of the Ghost Sect truly be a shield that can protect you?"

Taken the wrong way, it was an insult to her clan. However, Yeom Baekjin's warning was firm.

"Not even a ghost can stop human greed."

This man, he knows something.

Seo Jin got that feeling. She also felt that he wasn't bothering to hide it. What were his intentions in approaching her?

Gi Seok, Pyo San, and this Yeom Baekjin.

All of them are connected to Lim Hyeon's death. Whether they were directly involved or indirectly connected.

This time, she asked after emptying her cup, "Why do you think the Ghost Sect is my only shield?"

"What else is there?"

She wanted to tell him this.

I am a Division Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Ghost Shadow Squad.

If I said that, would he still be able to look at me with such arrogant eyes?

She truly wanted to come in her capacity as a member of the Ghost Shadow Squad and uncover every detail of what they were plotting. However, she had not yet joined the Ghost Shadow Squad. She had decided to go after finishing this job.

Her last job before becoming a demon cultist.

I will solve this no matter what and return.

It was right at that moment, as she was placing her empty cup on the table.

A young man approached them and said, "Are you from the Yellow Dragon Academy?"

He must have recognized her because she was wearing the White Dragon Division's martial arts uniform.

"We've also come to take the entrance exam! What a pleasant surprise!"

A woman walked up behind the young man.

"Meeting like this must be fate, so please tell us how to take the exam!"

The two of them naturally joined them at their table.

Seeing them, Seo Jin and Yeom Baekjin were startled for different reasons. For those reasons, they didn't stop them from joining.

First, Yeom Baekjin was startled because the man and woman were so handsome and beautiful. The woman, in particular, was unspeakably beautiful. The moment he saw her, the words 'How dare you sit here without permission' died on his lips.

Seo Jin, on the other hand, was startled for a different reason. The young man was Geom Mugeuk, and the woman was none other than Lee Ahn. The Young Cult Leader and the head of the Ghost Shadow Squad had come to find her.

Seo Jin was extremely surprised but tried her best to remain calm. She knew from Lee Ahn that Geom Mugeuk, whom she had seen at her brother's wedding, was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader. But this was not a situation where she could greet him with proper etiquette.

"Today was my first day at the Yellow Dragon Academy."

"That's even better. Your memory of the exam must be even more vivid, right?"

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to Yeom Baekjin.

"Then is this gentleman with the cool white hair also our Senior?"

Then Seo Jin introduced him accurately.

"This is Master Yeom Baekjin, the younger brother of the Yellow Dragon Academy's Principal."

"Oh! You're a person of high standing! It's an honor to meet you."

Was it because his words and his eyes didn't match? Yeom Baekjin asked coldly, as if interrogating him, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What kind of look was I giving you?"

Yeom Baekjin felt displeased when he met Geom Mugeuk's eyes. That gaze felt as if it were peering deep into his heart. It was the first time his heart had been so stirred by someone's gaze.

"Don't misunderstand. When I see a handsome man, I can't help but feel a sense of rivalry."

He would never know what Geom Mugeuk felt when he saw Seo Jin and him sitting together at the inn.

So this is where their fateful connection began.

Seo Jin's death would come much later, but the beginning of their ill-fated relationship was forged here. The reason Geom Mugeuk had rushed here was to sever this ill-fated connection from the very beginning. He was worried that his regression might have brought that fate forward.

Seo Jin, it's okay now that I'm here.

The moment he and Lee Ahn joined her at this table, Seo Jin's destiny had already begun to walk a different path.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to Yeom Baekjin.

And you? Will you walk the path of being killed by me again?

"Your hair is so cool. I want to have white hair like that too."

"Shut up."

While Geom Mugeuk was already managing to draw a "shut up" from Yeom Baekjin's lips, Seo Jin and Lee Ahn were secretly communicating via telepathy.

[Commander, how did you know to come here?]

[I told you I was coming here to handle some business, didn't I?]

Of course, she had said that. The question was why she had come here.

[I came because I wanted to see you even a day sooner. If we handle this matter a day faster, you'll be able to join the Ghost Shadow Squad that much sooner.]

Did she really come for that reason? Probably not. She must have known I was in a difficult situation. How on earth did she find out?

[You came to help me, didn't you?]

[Do you need help?]

The two women's gazes met in mid-air. Seo Jin spoke honestly. The pride she might assert now wouldn't be pride, but foolishness.

[Yes, I do. Please help me.]

Lee Ahn conveyed her true feelings to her.

[Division Leader Seo's business is my business too.]

Therefore, she hadn't come to help, but to handle her own business. That was what Lee Ahn had decided.

[This will be our Ghost Shadow Squad's first mission.]

Seo Jin was delighted. When she had wanted to tell Yeom Baekjin she was a Division Leader of the Ghost Shadow Squad, she had thought of her. And now, as if by magic, she had appeared.

Lee Ahn raised her cup and said, "Come on, let's have a drink, to our future comrades."

How could Seo Jin not know that these comrades were not of the Yellow Dragon Academy, but of the Ghost Shadow Squad?

Following Seo Jin's energetic toast, Geom Mugeuk also clinked his cup.

"Let's take over the Yellow Dragon Academy!"