Geom Mugeuk entered the Honam Branch with guards flanking him on both sides, his presence imposing and majestic.
Yeo Sogwang likewise received the Young Cult Leader with all his subordinates in tow.
The demonic warriors of the Honam Branch, lined up on his left and right, shouted in thunderous unison.
"We greet the Young Cult Leader!"
Yeo Sogwang walked out to greet Geom Mugeuk. Today was the first time he had laid eyes on him.
*He really is handsome.*
Not merely handsome—he possessed a refreshingly striking appearance. And those eyes overflowing with confidence. This was actually for the best. The easiest types to exploit were those with excessive pride or, conversely, those with deep inferiority complexes.
Yeo Sogwang was especially adept at handling those with strong pride. Because he could match their moods better than anyone, he had managed to rise all the way to Branch Leader.
"It is an honor to meet you, Young Cult Leader."
Yeo Sogwang bowed deeply at the waist. His waist was as supple as the political acumen he had spent a lifetime refining.
Geom Mugeuk stared intently at Yeo Sogwang.
"You have a very pleasant face."
"I hear that from time to time."
"They say in the martial world that one should be careful when meeting a face like yours."
Despite the provocation in Geom Mugeuk's very first greeting, Yeo Sogwang smiled.
"Indeed. Everyone else should be careful. But in this murim, there are exactly two exceptions. One of them is you, Young Cult Leader. Now, please, come inside."
Yeo Sogwang entered the great hall alongside Geom Mugeuk.
A banquet had already been prepared.
As soon as Geom Mugeuk entered, the musicians began to play and the dancers began to dance. The chefs began warming and carrying out the dishes.
"Now, let us proceed to the seat of honor."
Normally, when receiving a distinguished guest, the first day was for rest and the banquet was held the following evening, but this time was different. Since he was the Young Cult Leader, he would have traveled comfortably anyway, and he was still in the prime of his youth.
He would show him from the very start. That life was enjoyable when one was with the Honam Branch Leader. If he said he was tired and wished to rest, another banquet could be held tomorrow. Yeo Sogwang was more confident than anyone in the martial world when it came to hospitality.
Geom Mugeuk sat in the seat of honor, and Yeo Sogwang sat in the adjacent seat.
Then Jeok Yeon drew silver needles and checked each dish one by one for poison. The other guards stood in all directions around Geom Mugeuk at a slight distance, maintaining their vigil.
Watching them, Geom Mugeuk smiled. When they were with him, they seemed like mere children, but seeing them standing among others like this, they were clearly different. Their momentum was no ordinary thing.
"Your guards are young."
"If they were chosen as guards for the Young Cult Leader despite their youth, how skilled must they be? They are individuals who would not be out of place in any elite organization of the main cult."
Geom Mugeuk said this in a loud voice so that all the guards could hear.
At that sight, Yeo Sogwang misunderstood.
*As expected! He has the bluster unique to the young.*
But he did not know. That Geom Mugeuk had offered praise to elevate his subordinates' pride.
"Truly, each and every one of them possesses extraordinary momentum."
Yeo Sogwang played along with Geom Mugeuk's praise.
This time, Geom Mugeuk offered formal pleasantries.
"The Honam Branch is a strategic stronghold of our cult to keep the Murim Alliance in check, is it not? That is precisely why I visited this place before the other branches."
"You have entrusted a grave mission to an inadequate man; my shoulders feel heavy."
"As long as they aren't heavy from shouldering other things."
Despite the meaningful remark, Yeo Sogwang did not waver in the slightest.
"I serve only with loyalty for the cult."
"As expected! The main branch was right to place its trust in Branch Leader Yeo. Let us have a drink."
The two men toasted and drank.
As he set down his cup, Yeo Sogwang spoke casually.
"The Young Cult Leader's illustrious reputation has resounded all the way here to Honam."
"What sort of rumors were they?"
"That you are the greatest talent among all successors in history."
Geom Mugeuk put on a pleased expression.
"Moreover, you are exceedingly handsome. I dare say with confidence that you are the most handsome among the younger generation of the martial world."
"Our Branch Leader Yeo is painting gold on an ugly face."
"I speak from the heart. Ask my subordinates. I am a man who cannot tell lies."
Yeo Sogwang called over his right-hand man, Hwang Pyo.
"What do you think?"
"Not merely among the younger generation, but among all martial artists, you are the most handsome."
At his words, Yeo Sogwang laughed heartily.
"Ah, I have made a mistake. Not the younger generation, but all martial artists."
This was something that had happened countless times before. Yeo Sogwang would offer praise, and Hwang Pyo would appear with even greater praise. They would laugh merrily and repeat the flattery.
It was truly their method for entertaining guests. There was no praise more effective than praise of one's appearance. Moreover, when the other party was this young, it went without saying.
Geom Mugeuk laughed cheerfully.
Yeo Sogwang thought he was laughing because he felt good about being called handsome, but in truth, Geom Mugeuk was laughing for a different reason.
"So this is how it felt. Everyone must have felt quite good."
"What do you mean?"
"It is nothing. Let us have another drink."
"Very well. To the birth of a new hero of the murim!"
Yeo Sogwang readily went along with whatever Geom Mugeuk said. Whatever came out of his mouth, Yeo Sogwang would agree it was right and play the co-adjutant, elevating Geom Mugeuk by saying he himself had failed to think of such things. He truly was a man with considerable expertise in prostrating himself flat.
Yeo Sogwang was skilled at flattery. But he did not know. That his counterpart, chuckling along at his flattery, was the true living embodiment of the Divine Art of Flattery.
"Our Branch Leader Yeo, have a drink!"
Hearing the word "our" attached before his title, Yeo Sogwang smiled inwardly.
Now was the time to add the finishing touch to the banquet.
As intoxication took hold and the atmosphere ripened, Yeo Sogwang beckoned a woman over.
She was one of the dancers who had performed earlier. The one who had been noticeably beautiful among the dancers slowly walked over.
Yeo Sogwang introduced the woman.
"She said she dearly wished to greet the Young Cult Leader upon your arrival, so if you would not find it rude, please receive a drink from her."
The woman came and politely greeted Geom Mugeuk.
"I am called Yak Ran."
She was beautiful. Her beauty was such that there likely was not a man who could resist falling if she set her mind to seducing him.
Yak Ran approached and lifted the wine bottle.
"I shall offer a cup to the esteemed one."
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk sprang up from his seat and swept her up into his arms. Everyone was startled by the sudden action.
"Now, we'll drink later. Branch Leader Yeo, wait right there."
Holding her in his arms, Geom Mugeuk ran out of the great hall. The guards bewilderedly ran after him.
Yeo Sogwang was also taken aback, but he soon called out loudly.
"As expected, heroes are bound to love beautiful women! The bedroom is in the building to the left when you exit!"
The thought that things were resolving themselves so easily brought a natural smile to Yeo Sogwang's face.
*Wine and beauty. They always work.*
Of course, he had not expected them to work this passionately or this easily.
Meanwhile, Yak Ran was greatly astonished.
At first, she was surprised by the Young Cult Leader's sudden action. Next, she was surprised by the fact that while running to the bedroom, she had been floating through the air. The Young Cult Leader had pretended to embrace her, but he had not laid a hand on her body.
Indeed, even after entering the room, an unexpected situation unfolded.
When he had urgently dashed into the room, it seemed as though he would throw her onto the bed, but Geom Mugeuk gently seated her in a chair. No, to be precise, an invisible energy seated her.
Then she saw. The Young Cult Leader's handsome appearance did not enter her eyes. It was his gaze. He was looking at her with eyes so clear. Could the eyes of a demonic person be this clear?
In a tone as soft as his gaze, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
"You know who I am?"
"Yes."
His words were gentle, but overwhelmed by an indescribable atmosphere, her voice trembled.
"How many times has this happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"In the past, Yeo Sogwang forced you to entertain guests like this, didn't he?"
Yak Ran was startled. She was surprised that he had noticed this, and surprised that the Young Cult Leader was trying to dig into Yeo Sogwang's secrets.
Fear surged within her. If she became entangled in a power struggle, she would die.
"It seems even my status cannot open your mouth."
How could she dare refuse to answer before anyone?
"No. It is only... if Branch Leader Yeo learns of what I have said, he will kill even my family in my hometown."
"Did that man threaten to kill your entire family?"
"Yes."
"How did you feel then?"
"I was terrified. And I was furious."
Was it because he was the Young Cult Leader of the formidable Demonic Cult? Or was it because of those deep eyes that seemed to peer directly into her heart? An answer she should have agonized over came out without difficulty.
"Yes, you should be furious. One must be furious at a bastard who threatens to kill one's family."
She had been threatened by Yeo Sogwang since she was young. If he told her to come to a drinking party, she came. If he told her to pour wine, she poured. She was even forced to share his bed.
But she could not refuse.
Yeo Sogwang held not her life, but her family's lives as collateral. Her sick father, her young siblings, her mother who toiled away.
The bastard had threatened and brainwashed a young girl. That the world had always been this way. That if one clung to power, one could earn more money. That if she sent more money for medicine, she could save her father.
She had hated it. Serving drinks to men she was meeting for the first time was something she hated to death. She had thought of taking her own life many times, but she could not even die because of her family.
Eventually, she begged Yeo Sogwang to stop. But he was never an opponent that a pure young girl could handle.
After hearing her entire story, Geom Mugeuk approached her. And after gazing at her for a moment, he spoke in a low voice.
"I am sorry. I came far too late, didn't I?"
The moment she heard those words, something surged up from deep within her chest. Tears came flooding out. She had thought she had no tears left, but once they began to flow, they would not stop.
She tried to cease her weeping, but it did not go as she willed. She wanted to shout at Geom Mugeuk. Why did you come only now? Why now?
If she were still the girl of her childhood, she would have shouted exactly that.
But that young girl was no longer here.
"...I am sorry."
There was only her, apologizing even though she was the victim.
The next moment, her head rose on its own and a gentle energy began to envelop her.
At that gentle energy, which she had never once felt before, her heart found peace.
Perhaps because of that, she summoned the courage to ask one thing she had been curious about.
"Why did you think I was dragged here against my will?"
Surely, Yeo Sogwang had introduced her as a dancer who had wanted to see the Young Cult Leader.
"Because of the look in your eyes when you walked up and looked at me."
"My eyes?"
"I saw the anger contained in your eyes."
She was startled. She thought he had looked at her gently. He had read the heart hidden within?
"My right-hand man looked at me with those same eyes at first. He was drowning in anger and defeatism, believing the organization would never change."
Yak Ran no longer wore the face that had trembled with fear earlier.
"What will happen to me if I do not speak of Branch Leader Yeo?"
"I will simply let you go."
"Really?"
"Yes. I will have to find another way. In any case, since he is a rotten bastard at the core, I will eventually find the evidence to make him pay for his crimes."
Yak Ran still hesitated, and Geom Mugeuk no longer pressed her. He rose from his seat.
"You need only forget this conversation and act as if nothing happened. I will make sure that bastard pays for his crimes."
As Geom Mugeuk was about to leave, she spoke.
"Wait a moment."
When Geom Mugeuk turned around, she asked.
"What became of the person who had the same eyes as mine?"
"He rose to the position of Hwangcheon Pavilion Lord. It is a position that punishes those who have forsaken their humanity."
Yak Ran's pupils trembled. After a moment, a surprising remark flowed from her lips.
"Please wait. If you leave now, they will doubt the Young Cult Leader's virility."
Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened; he had not expected such a jest. It was not in his character to let such a joke pass.
"You are the first woman to have safeguarded the most important reputation of the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Yak Ran laughed at Geom Mugeuk's jest.
"My dream was to die on stage while dancing, yet it seems I shall die doing something mad like this."
She walked to the table and began writing down names with the brush and paper there. She started with the most recent names, and among them was a name that Geom Mugeuk would know.
Hyeol Sugeom.
The mere fact that he had received him as a guest was proof that Yeo Sogwang was involved in this affair. Of course, he would make every excuse under the sun, but with Geom Mugeuk as his opponent, it would not be easy for him to slip away.
Aside from the Blood-Hand Sword, the names of several other influential figures came out one after another.
And she also wrote in detail about what had happened to her. Writing about her own affairs meant she was staking her life on this matter.
Yakran handed the paper to Geom Mugeuk and said,
“This is… my life.”
“No. This is your new life.”
Because from now on, she would be able to live a different one.
Geom Mugeuk had Samho come in.
“Escort the young lady to Tongcheongak. Have the martial artists there take her back to her hometown. And see that a way is found to treat her ailing father as well.”
Yakran’s eyes widened in astonishment. It was so overwhelming that she could hardly believe it.
“He isn’t going to follow me and kill my whole family too, is he?”
At her question, half-jest and half-fear, Geom Mugeuk said coldly to Samho,
“Now then, go massacre this young lady’s household and come back!”
At that, Samho said to Yakran in an expressionless tone,
“Not long ago, I went to see my mother for the first time in three years.”
Yakran looked at Samho in surprise.
“She had aged greatly in that time. Money is important, but… you should go see them before it is too late.”
Geom Mugeuk gave Samho a faint smile. It was a moment in which he had glimpsed what kind of man Samho was.
As Yakran’s eyes reddened at the thought of her parents, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“If you were that worried, you shouldn’t have written this for me in the first place. And do you think our cult wouldn’t be able to find your family home if you didn’t tell us?”
Yakran gave an embarrassed smile.
“Will you punish him today?”
“I will.”
“I want to see it too. The sight of that man dying.”
Even if he died, her wounds would remain for the rest of her life. If they were going to remain anyway.
“Then there’s something I want to see too. When he dies, show me your dance.”
Yakran slowly nodded.
“Yes. I want to show you, Young Cult Leader. Though I don’t know if I’ll be able to dance well in front of a corpse.”
Geom Mugeuk and Yakran walked out of the room.
The guards looked at Geom Mugeuk with reverence in their eyes. They had been startled when he first ran off carrying her, but after hearing the conversation inside the room, they were once again filled with admiration. The more they learned about Geom Mugeuk, the deeper their loyalty became.
Geom Mugeuk bantered with Yakran.
“My reputation for virility depends on the look on your face.”
Yakran smiled and said,
“Don’t worry. I’m someone who stands on stage.”
The two returned to the banquet hall.
Geom Mugeuk walked with his chest proudly out, while Yakran followed behind him with her head slightly lowered and a satisfied smile on her face.
Yeo Sogwang sidled up close beside Geom Mugeuk and asked casually,
“You seem to be in a good mood?”
Geom Mugeuk poked him in the side and grinned.
“Because today, I’m going to see the most wonderful dance of my life.”