Chapter 690: Is Being Told You Resemble Your Son Something to Get Angry About?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Ahn Hupyeong got up from his seat and turned around slowly, aiming to appear as cool and leisurely as possible.

"I am from the Mythical Sect…"

The moment he saw Lee Ahn, Ahn Hupyeong found himself at a loss for words.

The two eyes that stared at him from over the veil seemed capable of sucking in one's very soul. Where could such eyes possibly exist in the world? They were right in front of him.

His mind went completely blank as his heart began to pound fiercely. A natural resolution formed from the frantic beating in his chest.

I will make this woman mine, no matter what.

This resolution was so strong that even Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn, who stood opposite him, could sense it.

"Who are you?"

At Lee Ahn's question, Ahn Hupyeong finally regained his senses and completed his introduction.

"I am Ahn Hupyeong, the 소Chief of the Mythical Sect."

He spoke with confidence but did not receive the reaction he anticipated.

Lee Ahn simply continued to gaze at him with a blank expression.

"I've introduced myself."

It was a clear prompt for her to introduce herself in return. Lee Ahn replied in a low voice.

"I think you already know who I am, since you came looking for me."

"Of course, I do."

Ahn Hupyeong was not afraid at all, even though she was a member of the Demonic Cult. To him, who had never properly encountered a member of the cult, the Demonic Cult was something that existed in a distant world, far outside his sheltered life.

"What business brings you to me?"

Ahn Hupyeong was having an unfamiliar experience. No woman had ever treated him so coldly after learning of his status.

Is this what a woman of the Demonic Cult is like?

Ahn Hupyeong had fallen for this woman at first sight. It had been a long time since his heart had pounded like this.

"Please, sit for a moment."

Lee Ahn waited for a telepathic message from Geom Mugeuk, but he remained silent. This meant she was expected to handle the situation herself.

[This matter must be related to the Mythical Sect, right?]

He did, however, answer Lee Ahn's telepathic question.

[It's not just related. They're probably deeply involved.]

In a conflict like this, the side with more information would ultimately hold the advantage.

[Let's use this man to find out the Mythical Sect's internal situation.]

Lee Ahn took a seat across from Ahn Hupyeong.

As Geom Mugeuk positioned himself behind Lee Ahn, Ahn Hupyeong finally registered his presence. He had been so focused on Lee Ahn that he had failed to notice him until now.

With such feelings, it was natural for him to dislike the young, handsome bodyguard. Ahn Hupyeong shot a cold glare at Geom Mugeuk, but Geom Mugeuk stayed composed, pretending not to notice.

Sa Chu, who was observing the exchange, found the scene strangely familiar.

That composure… where had he encountered it before?

For a mere bodyguard to be so unruffled… The thought struck Sa Chu, and he flinched in surprise.

That handsome bastard who wore a veil!

Sa Chu was reminded of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. That bastard had also stood behind the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman with that exact same composed expression.

Ahn Hupyeong, meanwhile, could not tear his gaze away from Lee Ahn.

"I've traveled all over the Central Plains and met many a Divine Cult martial artist, but I don't believe I've ever met someone as beautiful as you."

"Who from our Cult have you met?"

Caught off guard by such a direct question, Ahn Hupyeong was inwardly flustered. Who from the Demonic Cult did he even know? The name he finally managed to recall was one he had only heard in passing.

"I've met the Demon Supreme."

This bluff, as it turned out, wasn't a lie. He really had met the Demon Supreme without realizing it. He had even been warned that he would die if he smiled again.

Before the woman sitting across from him could ask which Demon Supreme he had met, Ahn Hupyeong quickly added something else.

"Ah, I also briefly met the Demonic Army General last time. I had to cooperate with him on a matter for my sect."

The only names he had heard from the Demonic Cult were Demon Supreme and the Demonic Army General. Still, the Demonic Army General was an easier name to drop than Demon Supreme.

Lee Ahn gave a faint smile. He completely misinterpreted her obvious sneer.

That's right. I know both the Demon Supreme and the Demonic Army General, so how can you act so arrogant? You see me differently now, don't you?

Ahn Hupyeong even pushed further with a question.

"Have you ever seen the Demonic Army General?"

When Lee Ahn only continued to smile, he spoke with even greater excitement.

"You probably haven't. He's a very busy man. In fact, even I only saw him for a moment. I promised to take him somewhere nice the next time he's in Anhui, so let's go see him together then."

Ahn Hupyeong offered Lee Ahn a drink, continuing his ridiculous bluff.

"Here, have a drink on me."

"No, thank you."

Lee Ahn refused, but he poured a drink into the cup in front of her anyway.

"They say a drink helps break the ice when you first meet, don't they? Come on, let's have a drink."

"I don't just drink with anyone."

"Anyone?"

"Because I know nothing about you. I don't even know if you're really the 소Chief of the Mythical Sect."

Seizing the opportunity, Ahn Hupyeong spoke.

"Would you like a tour of our main hall?"

"I was just there today for the preliminaries."

"Not that part. Don't you want to see the stage where the finals will be held? If you're lucky, you might even get a chance to meet the judge."

Sa Chu, who was listening, frowned. He knew the person Ahn Hupyeong was referring to was the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman.

Taking her there just to impress a woman? His leader was more than capable of doing something so ridiculous.

We can't go there!

He truly never wanted to set foot in that reception hall again.

"Let's go. I promise you won't regret it, Young Lady."

Lee Ahn, who had already stood up, hesitated for a moment.

He, who never allowed a woman to look down on him, now simply waited for her answer.

"I'll change my clothes and come down."

With those words, Lee Ahn headed up to the second floor.

Ahn Hupyeong smiled with satisfaction.

It worked! She fell for it!

Right. As if she could keep acting so aloof. How could she refuse an invitation from the 소Chief of the Mythical Sect himself?

Just then, his eyes met Geom Mugeuk's as the bodyguard followed Lee Ahn upstairs.

Pretending not to see the fierce glare, Geom Mugeuk also went up to the second floor.

"It was the same with that bastard next to the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. Why are such unpleasant guys always hanging around?"

If you felt that way, you shouldn't get close to them!

Sa Chu barely managed to suppress the words he wanted to scream.

Perhaps because the pair reminded him of the man who protected the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, Sa Chu had a bad feeling about them.

"You must be careful. We don't even know what position that woman holds in the Demonic Cult."

"Why? You think she's hiding some incredible skill?"

The problem was that he couldn't tell. Cases like this usually meant one of two things. Either her skills were so insignificant he couldn't sense them, or she was far stronger than him.

It was unlikely that such a young woman was much stronger than him. Besides, the young bodyguard standing behind her also seemed to have negligible skills.

And yet, why did he feel so uneasy?

Ahn Hupyeong had his own reasons for being convinced that Lee Ahn was no master.

"How could she be skilled with a face like that? If you had that face, would you be spending your time training in martial arts?"

That wasn't the only reason born from his hope that she wasn't some formidable woman.

"Would a woman of high status even enter a competition like this? Stop your useless worrying and tell the servants to clean my room. And have them prepare drinks and food."

While he was swelling with a dream that could never come true, Lee Ahn was asking for Geom Mugeuk's opinion.

"It's okay to go, right?"

"You've already decided, haven't you?"

"I'm just worried it might be the wrong decision. Ah! Making decisions is the hardest thing in the world! From now on, you make the decisions, Young Master. If you tell me to beat someone up, I'll beat them up. If you say, 'Kill them and bury the body!' I'll bury it!"

"Young Lady, I am merely a bodyguard."

"That's my life! Give me back my life!"

She was only making a fuss. In truth, Lee Ahn had already made a firm decision.

She was only joking around because it was Geom Mugeuk. She knew very well how dangerous this mission was.

This mission was a conspiracy by an assassin she couldn't detect to kill the Evil Alliance Chairman. It was the event from the prophecy where Geom Mugeuk would be stabbed in the chest by the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's throwing knife.

Lee Ahn placed the white palace gown, one of the two outfits Geom Mugeuk had brought, onto the bed.

If she could just prevent that from happening, she would be willing to go on stage naked, never mind in some palace gown.

"Are you really going to change into that and go?"

"If I'm going to do this, I might as well do it right."

While she changed her clothes, Geom Mugeuk waited outside the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and Lee Ahn emerged.

Dressed in a pure white palace gown, Lee Ahn walked out with a shy expression. It was an outfit that wasn't meant to be worn with a sword, but the fact that she was wearing one gave her a unique charm.

Lee Ahn's heart pounded as she wondered how Geom Mugeuk would react.

"That woman lied."

"……"

"She said that with a pure face, pure clothes would be boring and tiresome? Lee Ahn, you look twice as pure."

Lee Ahn smiled happily. Hearing it from Geom Mugeuk alone made her happier than if a thousand people had called her beautiful.

"I'm going to be rich."

"……"

"For a competition like this, there must be a betting pool for who will become the world number one beauty, right? I'm going to bet my entire fortune on you."

"What if you lose it all?"

"You'll have to work for me for the rest of your life to pay it back. And pay for the clothes, too."

"The Young Cult Leader is the one who lost it, so why do I have to pay it back!"

The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

In truth, it was a worthy bet. He still had three shots left, after all.

The red palace gown, removing the veil, and adding makeup on top of it all.

"Thanks to a certain someone, I'm dreaming big."

"I didn't make you pretty. I just returned you to how you were meant to be."

As she walked down the stairs, Lee Ahn briefly imagined such a scene.

It was a vision of herself traveling through a peaceful murim with Geom Mugeuk. A peaceful jianghu with no masterminds or conspiracies, where they could laugh, chat, and talk nonsense.

She wanted to walk hand in hand with him, talking about the past.

Right. To do that, I have to turn these events into things of the past. Past events I can talk about with a smile.

Seeing her in the white palace gown, Ahn Hupyeong stared at Lee Ahn with his mouth agape.

As they left the inn and walked, Ahn Hupyeong felt wonderful. Walking side by side with such a beauty made him feel like he owned the world.

During their walk, Lee Ahn asked a question.

"But I have a question."

"Go on."

"Why did the Mythical Sect host this competition?"

"Why, to discover beauties like you, Young Lady, and to enhance our sect's reputation, of course."

Lee Ahn stopped walking and stared at him.

"I want to know the real reason, not that one. You know the real reason, don't you?"

Asked so directly, he couldn't bring himself to admit he didn't know.

However, he couldn't tell her, because he didn't know the reason himself.

"I'm curious about that real reason."

Geom Mugeuk, who was listening, thought Lee Ahn was handling this very well.

Impatience was already visible on Ahn Hupyeong's face. The desire to find out the answer and boastfully tell her was clear.

And so, they arrived at the stage where the finals would be held.

"This is the stage where the finals will be held."

The stage was complete, featuring an area behind the VIP seats for a large audience to watch.

As they were all looking around the place, Ahn Hupyeong, who had been staring at Lee Ahn, suddenly shouted.

"I will make you the world number one beauty, Young Lady!"

Lee Ahn looked at him. She had to control her expression to keep from laughing, because Geom Mugeuk had just sent her a telepathic message.

[That's thirty thousand taels taken care of!]

Sa Chu, who was listening, was dumbfounded. When had they even met? Besides, he hadn't even seen her face without the veil.

For someone who chased women so much, one would think he'd be a more level-headed judge. Then again, he was still too young for that. Yes, this was just like Ahn Hupyeong.

Lee Ahn looked at him and asked.

"Can you take responsibility for those words?"

Ahn Hupyeong answered with confidence.

"I am a man who always keeps his promises."

There was someone watching them.

The person standing on the roof with his arms crossed was none other than the Mythical Sect Leader, Ahn Cheongwang.

Just as his brow furrowed at his son's ridiculous promise, a sound echoed.

"……"

It was the sound of skin splitting, a sound that should never have come from his own neck.

JUREUREUK.

Something hot trickled down his neck.

When Ahn Cheongwang touched his neck, his hand came away stained with blood.

Only then did he see the throwing knife held in the hand that was wrapped around his neck. The hand holding the knife was delicate and fair.

Normally, he should have died, with blood gushing from his neck.

The wound was shallow.

It was not a cut meant to kill.

Just then, a woman's voice came from behind him.

"Can't even kill your own son. It's not easy, is it?"

The person who appeared from behind was Cha Yiran. She was the one who had sliced Ahn Cheongwang's neck with the throwing knife.

"Shall I kill him for you?"

Ahn Cheongwang looked at her with an indifferent gaze. Despite his fiery temper, he let the prank of having his neck sliced just slide.

"You just focus on keeping your promise."

Cha Yiran laughed as she replied.

"You father and son really do love your promises."

Ahn Cheongwang's gaze returned to his son.

"There was no mention of the Demonic Cult's involvement in this matter from the start, was there?"

"The unexpected always happens. Did you ever think you would orchestrate something like this?"

True, even he hadn't known. That he would end up facing a life like this.

However, perhaps he had vaguely suspected that a day like this would eventually come.

Considering it had taken him a mere half-quarter hour to make this life-altering decision. It took slightly longer than deciding what to have for a meal.

"Who is that woman from the Demonic Cult?"

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Realizing she meant he was just like his son, Ahn Cheongwang's expression hardened.

"Is being told you're like your son something to get so angry about? I was just saying your question was wrong."

Ahn Cheongwang quickly understood what she was getting at. He was certainly different from his son.

"Who is that man?"

At the proper question, Cha Yiran looked toward Geom Mugeuk and replied.

"He is someone you cannot handle. Someone whose true identity even the Evil Alliance, to which you've sworn lifelong loyalty, won't reveal to you."

She smiled brightly and added.

"Did you really think a demon wouldn't show up when you're holding hands with a devil?"