An Hupyeong rose from his seat and slowly turned around.
As dashingly and leisurely as possible.
“I am Shinhwa Bang’s…”
The moment he looked at Ian, An Hupyeong was struck dumb.
Two eyes gazing at him from above the veil.
Eyes that sucked in the soul—where in the world could such eyes exist?
They were right here.
He felt his mind go blank, and his heart began to pound violently.
From that pounding came a natural resolution.
‘I will make this woman mine, no matter what.’
It was such a clamorous resolve that even Geom Mugeuk and Ian, facing him, could sense it.
“Who are you?”
Only at Ian’s question did An Hupyeong come back to his senses and finish introducing himself.
“I am An Hupyeong, the young master of Shinhwa Bang.”
He spoke with confidence, but the reaction he had expected did not come.
Ian merely continued to stare at him.
“I have introduced myself.”
Since that meant she should introduce herself as well, Ian spoke in a low voice.
“You seem to have come here knowing who I am.”
“Of course.”
An Hupyeong showed no fear at all, despite the fact that the other party was a demonic practitioner.
To him, who had never truly experienced demonic practitioners before, the Demonic Cult was an existence in some faraway world beyond the greenhouse.
“What business do you have with me?”
An Hupyeong was having an unfamiliar experience. No woman who knew his status had ever treated him so coldly.
‘Is this what women of the Demonic Cult are like?’
An Hupyeong had fallen for this woman at first sight. It had been truly a long time since he had felt his heart race like this.
“Please, sit for a moment.”
Ian waited for Geom Mugeuk’s sound transmission, but he said nothing. It meant she should handle it herself.
—This matter must be connected to Shinhwa Bang too, right?
Still, he answered Ian’s sound transmission.
—It’s not just connected. They’re probably involved very deeply.
In a fight like this, the side with more information was ultimately at an advantage.
—Let’s use him to find out what’s going on inside Shinhwa Bang.
Ian sat down across from An Hupyeong.
When Geom Mugeuk stood behind her, An Hupyeong finally became aware of his presence.
Amazingly, he had been looking only at Ian.
With such feelings in his heart, there was no way this young and handsome guard would be to his liking. An Hupyeong glared coldly at Geom Mugeuk, and Geom Mugeuk remained calm, pretending not to notice.
Watching that reaction, Sachu found the situation familiar.
That composure—where had he felt it before?
For a mere guard to be so relaxed… The moment his thoughts reached that point, Sachu flinched.
That handsome bastard who had been wearing a veil!
Sachu recalled the Extreme Evil Young Demon. That bastard had also stood behind the Cheonhwa Pavilion Lord with that same relaxed air.
Meanwhile, An Hupyeong could not take his eyes off Ian.
“I have roamed the Central Plains and met many martial artists of the Divine Cult, but I believe this is the first time I have met someone as beautiful as you.”
“Whom from our cult have you met?”
Because he had not expected such a direct question, An Hupyeong was inwardly flustered. What demonic practitioner did he know? In the end, the person he dredged up from his basket of hearsay was—
“I have met a Demon Venerable before.”
As a boast, this was not, in the end, a lie. He truly had met a Demon Venerable without realizing it. He had even warned him that if he laughed again, he would die.
Before the woman sitting before him could ask which Demon Venerable he had met, An Hupyeong quickly added,
“Ah, and last time, I also briefly met the Demon Lord. There was something we had to cooperate on regarding our sect’s business.”
The only names he had heard from the Demonic Cult were Demon Venerable and Demon Lord. Still, compared to a Demon Venerable, the Demon Lord felt easier to mention.
Ian smiled faintly. He mistook this obvious sneer in this way.
‘Yes, if I say I know a Demon Venerable and the Demon Lord, how could you keep acting arrogant? Now you see me differently, don’t you?’
An Hupyeong even asked this question.
“Have you ever seen the Demon Lord?”
When Ian only continued smiling, he grew even more excited as he spoke.
“You probably haven’t. He is an extremely busy person. In fact, even I only saw him for a very brief moment. The next time he comes to Anhui, I am supposed to take him somewhere nice, so let us go see him together then.”
While putting on this absurd display of bravado, An Hupyeong offered Ian wine.
“Now, accept a cup from me.”
“No, thank you.”
Ian declined, but he filled the cup in front of her as he pleased.
“Since ancient times, when people first meet, doesn’t a cup of wine make things more comfortable? Come, let us have a drink.”
“I don’t drink wine given by just anyone.”
“Just anyone?”
“I know nothing about you. Not even whether you truly are the young master of Shinhwa Bang.”
At that, An Hupyeong spoke as if he had been waiting for the chance.
“Would you like to go see our sect?”
“I just came back from taking the preliminaries there today.”
“Not there. Would you not like to see the stage where the finals will be held? If you are lucky, you may have a chance to meet and greet one of the judges.”
Listening, Sachu frowned. He knew the person An Hupyeong was referring to was the Cheonhwa Pavilion Lord.
He was going to take her there just to look good in front of a woman? His leader was more than capable of committing such a ridiculous act.
‘Not there!’
That guest hall was truly a place he never wanted to visit again.
“Let us go. My lady, you absolutely will not regret it.”
Ian rose from her seat and pondered for a moment.
An Hupyeong, who had never permitted a woman to look down on him, was now simply waiting to hear what answer would come.
“I’ll change my clothes and come down.”
With those words, Ian went up to the second floor.
An Hupyeong smiled with satisfaction.
‘Done! She’s fallen for it!’
Yes, no matter how lofty she pretended to be, what of it? Would she refuse when the young master of Shinhwa Bang asked her to come?
At that moment, his eyes met Geom Mugeuk’s as he followed Ian upstairs.
Ignoring the fierce glare aimed at him, Geom Mugeuk also went up to the second floor.
“That bastard beside the Cheonhwa Pavilion Lord, and now this one too. Why are such unpleasant bastards always attached to them?”
If you sensed that, then you should not go near them!
Sachu forced himself to hold back the words he wanted to say.
Perhaps because it had made him recall the man guarding the Cheonhwa Pavilion Lord, Sachu did not have a good feeling about the man and woman just now.
“You must be careful. We do not even know what position that woman holds within the Demonic Cult.”
“Why? Do you think she is hiding some tremendous skill?”
The problem was that he could not know. In such cases, it was usually one of two possibilities. Either her skill was nothing special, so he could not perceive it, or she was far stronger than he was.
It was unlikely that such a young woman was far stronger than him. Moreover, the young guard standing behind her also appeared to have insignificant skill.
And yet, why did this feel so unpleasant?
There was a reason An Hupyeong was certain Ian was not an expert.
“With that face, how could her skills be good? If you had a face like that, would you spend your time training in martial arts?”
That was not the only reason born from his desire for her not to be an extraordinary woman.
“Would a woman of great status enter a competition like this? Stop worrying about useless things and tell the maids to clean my room properly. Tell them to prepare wine and food as well.”
While he was swelling with a dream that could never come true, Ian was asking Geom Mugeuk for his opinion.
“It’s all right for us to go, isn’t it?”
“You already decided, didn’t you?”
“I’m asking because I’m afraid it might be the wrong decision. Ah! Making decisions is the hardest thing in the world! From now on, young master, you make all the decisions for me. If you tell me to beat someone up, I’ll beat them up, and if you say, ‘Kill them and bury them!’ I’ll bury them!”
“My lady, I am merely a guard.”
“That’s my life you’re talking about! Give it back! Give me back my life!”
She was acting overly dramatic for no reason, but in truth, Ian had already made up her mind firmly.
She was joking because the other person was Geom Mugeuk. She knew very well how dangerous this mission was.
This matter involved a plot in which an assassin she could not detect was trying to kill the leader of the Evil Dao Alliance. It was an affair for which a prophecy had appeared, showing Geom Mugeuk stabbed in the chest by the Extreme Evil Young Demon’s dagger.
Ian placed the white palace dress among the two outfits Geom Mugeuk had brought onto the bed.
If she could stop that from happening, she could go up on stage not merely in this palace dress, but naked.
“Are you really going to change into that and go?”
“If I’m going to do it, I should do it properly.”
While she changed, Geom Mugeuk waited in front of the door.
A moment later, the door opened, and Ian came out.
Dressed in a snow-white palace dress, Ian walked out with an embarrassed expression. It was an outfit that should not have been worn with a sword, but because she was wearing one, it had a distinctive charm.
Ian’s heart pounded, wondering how Geom Mugeuk would react.
“That woman lied.”
“Yes?”
“That a pure face paired with pure clothes would be dull and tiresome? Ian, you look twice as pure.”
Ian smiled happily. Hearing those words from Geom Mugeuk alone made her far happier than being told she was beautiful by thousands.
“I’m going to become rich.”
“Yes?”
“In a competition like this, there must be a gambling den where people bet on who will become the number-one beauty under heaven, right? I’m going to bet all my fortune on you.”
“What if you lose it all?”
“You’ll have to work under me for the rest of your life to pay it back. And pay back the cost of the clothes too.”
“Young Cult Leader, you’re the one who lost it, so why would I pay it back?”
The two looked at each other and laughed.
In truth, it was worth betting everything. She still had three steps left.
Wearing the red palace dress, removing the veil, and then adding makeup on top of that.
“Thanks to a certain someone, I’m dreaming big.”
“I didn’t make you beautiful. I merely restored you to how you originally were.”
As she descended the stairs, Ian briefly imagined herself in such a scene.
Her own figure, traveling through a peaceful murim together with Geom Mugeuk.
A peaceful jianghu without forces lurking behind them or conspiracies. Laughing, talking, and exchanging silly words.
She wanted to walk hand in hand with him, talking about the past.
‘Yes. For that to happen, I have to turn all these things into the past. Into a past we can speak of with a smile.’
At the sight of Ian in the white palace dress, An Hupyeong stared at her with his mouth hanging open.
As they left the inn and walked, An Hupyeong was truly in a good mood. Walking side by side with such a beauty made him feel as if he had the entire world.
As they walked, Ian asked,
“There is something I’m curious about.”
“Please ask.”
“Why is Shinhwa Bang holding this competition?”
“Why, to discover beauties like you, Lady Yi, and to raise our sect’s reputation.”
Ian stopped walking, stared at him, and said,
“I’m curious about the real reason, not something like that. You know the real reason, don’t you?”
When she asked like that, he could not bring himself to say he did not know.
But he could not tell her. Because he himself did not know the reason.
“I am curious about that real reason.”
Listening, Geom Mugeuk thought Ian was doing very well.
An Hupyeong’s face was already showing impatience. A desire to find out by any means and tell her proudly.
The place they arrived at like that was the stage where the finals would be held.
“This is the stage where the finals will take place.”
The stage had been completed, and behind the seats for distinguished guests, there was space for countless people to watch.
They were all looking around when—
An Hupyeong, who had been staring at Ian, suddenly shouted,
“I will make you the number-one beauty under heaven!”
Ian looked at him. She had to control her expression to keep from laughing. It was because Geom Mugeuk had sent her this sound transmission.
—That takes care of the thirty thousand nyang!
Sachu, listening, was dumbfounded. Just how long had he known her? On top of that, he had not even seen her face without the veil yet.
If he was that fond of women, one would think he would judge them more coolly. Then again, he was still too young for that. Yes, this was exactly An Hupyeong.
Ian looked at him and asked,
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
An Hupyeong answered with full 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 head of Shinhwa Bang, An Cheonggwang.
Just as his expression naturally twisted at his son’s absurd promise—
Saaak.
He heard the sound of flesh splitting, a sound that should never, at least, have come from his own throat.
Drip.
Something hot flowed down his neck.
When An Cheonggwang touched his neck, blood stained his hand.
Only then did he see the dagger held by the hand wrapped around his neck.
The hand gripping that dagger was fair and white.
Ordinarily, he should have died with blood spurting from his neck.
But the wound was shallow.
It had not been a cut meant to kill.
Then a woman’s voice sounded from behind him.
“Because he’s your child, you can’t even kill him. Truly, it isn’t easy, is it?”
The person who appeared from behind him was Cha Iran.
The one who had cut An Cheonggwang’s neck with a dagger was none other than her.
“Shall I kill him for you?”
An Cheonggwang looked at her with indifferent eyes. Despite his fiery temper, he let the prank of having his throat cut pass.
“You should simply keep your promise properly.”
Cha Iran smiled as she answered.
“Father and son both do love promises, don’t they?”
An Cheonggwang’s gaze turned back toward his son.
“There was no mention from the start that the Demonic Cult would become involved in this matter.”
“Unexpected things always happen. Did you ever think you would do something like this?”
Yes, even he had not known. That he would come face to face with a life like this.
But perhaps he had vaguely thought that a day like this would come someday.
Considering it had taken him only half a gak to make this decision that would change his entire life. It had taken only a little longer than deciding what to eat for a meal.
“Who is that woman from the Demonic Cult?”
“Blood really doesn’t lie.”
Knowing she meant he resembled his son, An Cheonggwang’s expression turned cold.
“Is being told you resemble your son something to get so angry about? I meant your question was wrong.”
An Cheonggwang soon understood what she was trying to say. Certainly, he was different from his son.
“Who is that man?”
At the proper question, Cha Iran looked at Geom Mugeuk and said,
“Someone you cannot handle. Someone whose true identity even the Evil Dao Alliance, to which you devoted your loyalty for your entire life, would not tell you.”
She smiled brightly and added,
“Did you think that after joining hands with a demon, a devil would not come?”