Chapter 865: That's Because They Haven't Been Dragged to Our Cult's Dungeons Yet

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Beauty Appreciation Sect was the name of the organization Jin Hagun had recently been tracking. Despite its name, it was a truly vile group.

He first learned of them while investigating a series of disappearances. When women of the murim began vanishing one after another, the Demon Slaying Brigade launched a full-scale probe. In the process, they uncovered the Beauty Appreciation Sect, a secret organization that hadn't been registered as a murim sect in any of the alliances.

Upon further investigation, they discovered that the Beauty Appreciation Sect was actually a human trafficking ring that kidnapped women from the jianghu and sold them. They primarily targeted beautiful women, committing the heinous crime of abducting not only adult women but also young girls.

After a long chase, they captured the individuals involved. However, those people turned out to be mere pawns following orders from above. It was a meticulous, cell-based organization. Its members only received money and written orders, and never knew who was commanding them.

After the lower-level cells were arrested, the culprits stopped kidnapping women. They were likely waiting for the investigation by the Demon Slaying Brigade to die down.

Jin Hagun was furious and despaired. The Demon Slaying Brigade had other enemies to deal with.

I should have caught them in one swoop, no matter what it took!

If things continued as they were, they would have to shelve the case, unable to catch the culprits until they resumed their evil deeds. Furthermore, the criminals would surely act with even greater secrecy, meaning countless more victims would be needed before another clue emerged.

And now, even the Young Cult Leader was mentioning the Beauty Appreciation Sect.

However, that wasn't his most shocking statement yet.

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "By the way. the Sect Leader of the Beauty Appreciation Sect is in this very room."

"!"

SHK SHK SHK SHK!

All the Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists flared their qi and pointed their swords in every direction, instantly on high alert. They had followed Jin Hagun long enough to have experienced plenty of Geom Mugeuk's antics. They all knew that while he often spouted nonsense, he would never joke about something like this.

Jin Hagun's gaze turned to the man hanging on the wall, naturally assuming it was that person. "Is it him?"

Geom Mugeuk slowly shook his head.

Jin Hagun's eyes widened. It's not him? It can't be the Chu Family Sword Sect Leader or his son. Is it one of the collapsed martial artists from the sect? No… wait.

He suddenly recalled that Lee Ahn had mercilessly beaten Chu Jung, the second son, even saying that there wouldn't be another chance to beat him later. "No way…" he muttered.

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "Yes way!"

Jin Hagun's gaze shifted to Chu Jung, who was standing behind him. The answer to his initial question, "What did you do?" had finally arrived.

Not just Jin Hagun, but all the Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists were horrified. The scion of a prestigious family was the Sect Leader of the Beauty Appreciation Sect?

Naturally, the person most shocked was his father, Chu Yeom.

"You crazy bastard!" Chu Yeom roared, reflexively trying to draw his sword and step forward.

CLICK!

The half-drawn sword slid back into its sheath. Someone had pressed his sword's hilt back down with a finger.

It was Lee Ahn. In a flash, she had rushed to Chu Yeom's side and was now staring at him. "I understand how you feel," she said calmly, "but he is not the person you should be pointing your sword at."

Chu Yeom realized this young woman was a far greater master than himself. No matter how agitated he was, he would never have allowed someone to get this close so easily. Moreover, his sword refused to be drawn while she merely pressed the hilt with her finger.

"Who are you people?" he asked in a trembling voice.

Lee Ahn's demeanor changed in an instant, becoming nothing like the person who had been tearing into a chicken drumstick earlier. She casually stepped back and replied, "Who we are isn't important. What's important right now is who your son is."

Jin Hagun could tell the Lee Ahn he saw now was different from the last time he saw her.

She's gotten much stronger.

On top of that, her skills were still improving, as she frequently discussed martial arts with Geom Mugeuk during their travels.

Jin Hagun gestured with his eyes to the Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists. Two of them rushed forward from either side and sealed Chu Yeom's acupoints.

"What are you doing?" he shouted, but it was too late.

Jin Hagun sighed. This was a necessary measure. If the man rampaged out of agitation over his son, he would be the only one to suffer. He said coolly, "Please calm down. I will uncover the truth of this incident."

Chu Yeom flinched and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Don't tell me. Is this a conspiracy by the Murim Alliance to destroy our sect?"

It was an understandable misunderstanding. Unknown masters had abducted his son, and the head of the Demon Slaying Brigade, who had come to rescue him, seemed to know them.

Because he understood, Jin Hagun did not get angry at the disrespectful remark. "If you've committed an evil act that warrants elimination by the Demon Slaying Brigade, then you'll be proven right. If not, I suggest you watch a little longer, Sect Leader."

Chu Yeom said nothing more. His last remark had clearly been a slip of the tongue. It was an insult to the Alliance, the Demon Slaying Brigade, and the Young Alliance Chairman all at once.

Jin Hagun sighed. Sect Leader Chu, how could you possibly know? That this friend in front of me only takes action after all preparations are complete.

He asked Geom Mugeuk, "Is there any proof that Young Master Chu is the head of the Beauty Appreciation Sect?"

"Of course."

"Then do you also know where the women who were sold are now?"

For Jin Hagun, this was the most important question. Rescuing them was his top priority. He thought Geom Mugeuk would surely have found out.

However, Geom Mugeuk replied, "Not a single person was sold."

"Not a single one?" Jin Hagun was bewildered.

Geom Mugeuk revealed the shocking truth. "The Beauty Appreciation Sect never existed in the first place."

"!" Jin Hagun's eyes widened, but the astonishing revelations continued.

"The Beauty Appreciation Sect was a fictional organization created to confuse you." Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to Chu Jung. "When you started zeroing in on him while investigating the disappearances, he created a fictional organization called the Beauty Appreciation Sect. He paid a few men to pretend to be members of a cell and used, had them kidnap women and then let you catch them."

"Why would he do that?" Jin Hagun exclaimed.

Geom Mugeuk explained, "As long as you think the culprits are a human trafficking ring, you'll never catch him."

Jin Hagun nodded. The Young Cult Leader was right. No one could have imagined that the heir of a prestigious orthodox sect, a young successor known to be kind and intelligent, would be running such an organization.

Still, there was a part he couldn't understand.

He asked, "Even without creating such an organization, no one would have thought Chu Jung would commit such acts, right?"

Chu Yeom nodded as if the question were valid, waiting for an answer.

The reply that followed was just as surprising.

Geom Mugeuk shook his head. "He didn't create it to protect himself. He did it to protect his master."

"Now the nonsense is revealed," Chu Yeom shouted. "I am Jung's father and master!"

Jin Hagun, on the other hand, realized who Geom Mugeuk was referring to as the master. His gaze naturally shifted to the man hanging on the wall. "So that man is his true master."

Geom Mugeuk nodded and extended his hand forward.

SWISH!

As he used telekinesis, the man's hanging head lifted on its own. He was still unconscious, but his face was not that of the handsome middle-aged man they had met at the inn. He had the appearance of a much older man. This was his true form.

"He's the Lascivious Demon!" an elderly Demon Slaying Brigade martial artist, Jeong Gyeong, shouted in recognition.

Everyone was startled by his identity. The Lascivious Demon was a famous lecher, on the list of the murim's public enemies for raping and killing countless women. He was an infamous villain who would kill women and suck out their essence.

The Murim Alliance had tried everything to catch him. Last year, they had even managed to surround and corner him, but they ultimately failed to capture him.

And yet, that same Lascivious Demon was captured here.

The Lascivious Demon had approached Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn at the inn, buying them drinks and food. Earlier, as he had walked toward them, Geom Mugeuk had asked Lee Ahn with his eyes if she recognized the problem with him.

Lee Ahn had nodded that she did. The man had used the Age Freezing Art to make his face look younger.

Geom Mugeuk was delighted. He had reached a level where he could recognize practitioners of the Age Freezing Art at a glance, and he had taught Lee Ahn how to spot its unique energy and characteristics.

The Demon Slaying Brigade martial artist, Jeong Gyeong, added something he had just remembered. "Come to think of it, the place where the Murim Alliance lost him back then was near here."

Jin Hagun's expression darkened. If the Lascivious Demon is involved in this…

"…Then all the kidnapped women must be dead," he growled.

The Lascivious Demon he knew never left his victims alive.

His prediction was correct.

Geom Mugeuk sighed, "They were all drained of their essence and died."

Not just Jin Hagun, but all the Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists let out a collective sigh of despair. They had wanted to save the women who had been sold. Naturally, their gazes turned fierce.

Now, the last thing Jin Hagun was curious about was this. "How did you catch him?"

Geom Mugeuk shrugged. "I didn't catch him. He came to me on his own."

Jin Hagun finally understood. The Lascivious Demon had been drawn to Lee Ahn's beauty and was captured while trying to commit a lewd act.

The criminal had picked the absolute worst target of all. Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn were a natural disaster for all perverts!

Geom Mugeuk added, "I caught him trying to drug us and found out he was the Lascivious Demon. To be honest, I had no intention of handing him over to you, since you're so busy. I was just going to punish him a bit and kill him, but then, he said this: If I would just stop the pain, he'd tell me who the Sect Leader of the Beauty Appreciation Sect was."

"……" Finally, Jin Hagun understood the whole story.

"You can hear the rest from him directly." Geom Mugeuk flicked a finger qi bullet, striking an acupoint to wake the man he had put to sleep.

Waking from his slumber, the man blinked and looked at the people standing before him. He wasn't intimidated by the sight of Jin Hagun and the Demon Slaying Brigade. Instead, a smirk reflexively formed on his lips.

Jin Hagun demanded, "Did you threaten Chu Jung and make him your disciple?"

The Lascivious Demon sneered. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"

"Answer respectfully," Geom Mugeuk commanded.

The Lascivious Demon casually glanced to the side, and his eyes met Geom Mugeuk's. He blinked for a moment, then recoiled in shock.

"Aaaargh!" he screamed, his once-relaxed eyes now filled with terror. He had finally remembered what happened before he fell asleep.

"Shh…" Geom Mugeuk hushed the man.

The Lascivious Demon clamped his mouth shut like a clam.

"This is the Young Alliance Chairman of the Murim Alliance," Geom Mugeuk said sternly. "Answer him with respect."

The Lascivious Demon's eyes widened at the words 'Young Alliance Chairman,' but he still feared Geom Mugeuk the most. "I-I understand. I'll tell you everything, so you must keep your promise, okay!?" he stammered.

Everyone was astonished. It was the first time anyone had seen the Lascivious Demon act so obediently.

Geom Mugeuk readily nodded.

"What did you just ask?" the Lascivious Demon said to Jin Hagun.

Jin Hagun repeated, "I asked if you threatened Chu Jung and made him your disciple."

The Lascivious Demon's gaze turned to Chu Jung. "That child saved me when I was on the verge of death from severe injuries I sustained during the pursuit. He wished to become my disciple, even after learning who I was."

Everyone there was stunned. Chu Jung wasn't forced to become a disciple. It was the opposite. He had requested it!

The Lascivious Demon continued, "The moment I saw that child, I knew he was born with a lust and evil stronger than anyone else's. This child has no compassionate feelings whatsoever. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually surpassed me. What a shame it's come to this."

Of course, Chu Jung strongly denied it. "That's a lie! It's a slanderous attempt to frame me!"

The Lascivious Demon looked at him and lamented, "It's all over, Disciple. We… picked the wrong target."

Chu Yeom roared, "Shut up! How dare a lecherous bastard like you spout such filthy lies? Young Alliance Chairman, you're not going to believe a pervert like him, are you? It's all just his word! You can't condemn our son as a criminal without any evidence."

The Lascivious Demon snorted coldly. "Your son's body is filled with the qi of the bedroom arts I taught him. You'll know immediately if you check his body. He has already consumed nine women."

Chu Yeom's jaw dropped in shock. "Impossible! You could have forcibly injected it into him!"

Setting aside how ridiculous that was, Jin Hagun was curious about something else. "Then why didn't your son say that from the beginning?" he asked. "Your son could have accused the man hanging on the wall of forcing him to become his disciple."

Chu Yeom flinched. Jin Hagun was right. If his son were innocent, he would have started by saying he was forced to become a disciple and that the man had forcibly injected qi into his body.

Geom Mugeuk delivered the final blow. "Well, he must have been flustered. Because he ran the Beauty Appreciation Sect as a cell organization, there must be written evidence. If you search his residence, you'll find a secret safe, and the evidence will be in there. A handwriting comparison will prove it."

"Lies! That criminal probably planted fabricated evidence there too!" Chu Yeom shrieked, desperately trying to protect his son.

Jin Hagun asked, "Sect Leader Chu, will you be able to control your son from now on?"

"!"

A silence fell over the room.

Chu Yeom slowly turned to look at his son. "I'll never let you be falsely accused…"

He couldn't finish his sentence. His son wasn't looking at him. He was glaring at the Lascivious Demon with an angry face, but the look in his eyes was different from the fury of a man wrongly accused.

As if realizing he could no longer hide it, Chu Jung revealed his true colors. "You fucking idiot! I told you to lay low for a while! You couldn't even wait a few days and had to ruin everything!"

Chu Yeom was startled by his son's cold tone and expression. He looked so unfamiliar that for a moment, he felt like he wasn't his son at all.

The Lascivious Demon laughed out loud. "Disciple, even if I was going to die, how could I just leave such a beauty alone?" He turned to Geom Mugeuk as if he had done his part. "You must keep your promise."

Geom Mugeuk waved his hand, and the man's acupoints were sealed again, causing him to fall asleep.

"What promise did you make with him?" Jin Hagun asked. Surely Geom Mugeuk wouldn't have promised to release such a villain.

Geom Mugeuk smirked. "I promised not to drag him to our Cult. Actually, I scared him a bit while I was punishing him. I told him I'd drag him to our Cult, keep healing him so he'd stay alive, and make him suffer the worst pain imaginable for the rest of his life."

"!" Jin Hagun felt a frustration that went beyond simple anger. Whenever he saw a villain who mocked goodness and justice crumble before the fear of a greater evil, a fire blazed in his chest.

Geom Mugeuk added, "I tried to find out where the women's bodies were buried, but he said only his disciple knows the location."

Jin Hagun walked over and stared intently at Chu Jung. "Where did you bury the bodies of the women you killed?"

Chu Jung's eyes were empty, with only a single point of malice embedded within them.

Jin Hagun's eyes flashed. The moment he saw the strange smile forming on Chu Jung's lips, he knew the man would never reveal where the bodies were buried. No matter how much they interrogated him, or even tortured him, they would not get the answer they wanted. Instead, he would enjoy withholding it as his final act of defiance. His mind was simply wired differently.

Geom Mugeuk, standing behind him, seemed to have realized the same thing. "Send him to us."

Jin Hagun turned and looked at Geom Mugeuk. Just as Chu Jung had revealed his true nature, Geom Mugeuk was now revealing his.

Geom Mugeuk smiled wickedly. "They're all like this because they haven't been dragged down to our Cult's dungeons yet."