After bidding farewell to the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress, An Hu-pyeong stepped outside and finally said what he had been holding back.
“Come, let us go to my quarters for a drink.”
Had he not exchanged those meaningless words with the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress just for the sake of saying this to Lee Ahn?
I sent word ahead, so fine wine and dishes should be ready.
And if I were to summon musicians to play some pleasant tunes? She wouldn't be able to resist!
An Hu-pyeong naturally assumed Lee Ahn would agree.
He had introduced her to the judge, so he thought she would try to get on his good side, at least a little.
“Some other time.”
Lee Ahn flatly refused.
“If you do not like wine, how about a cup of tea?”
“Some other time.”
No woman had ever rejected him so openly before, so An Hu-pyeong was flustered.
If it had been any other woman, he would have exploded with anger, but not this time.
His opponent was a demonic practitioner, and he was genuinely taken with her, so he still wanted to make a good impression.
As he stood there, wondering how to react, Lee Ahn approached him.
A pleasant scent wafted from her as she drew near.
He loved that she was whispering for his ears only.
“The next time we meet, please tell me the real reason you held this contest. I cannot stand not knowing things I am curious about.”
With those words, Lee Ahn gave a slight bow and walked away.
Geom Mugeuk followed behind her.
‘That bastard! That man I want to beat to a pulp!’
The stray spark of his anger shifted to the innocent Geom Mugeuk, but before the fire could even blaze, they disappeared from his sight.
The only person left with him was Sa Chu.
Sa Chu was standing blankly, staring at the guest hall.
Wondering what he was staring at so intently, An Hu-pyeong looked over as well.
By the window, the Faceless Ones were looking their way.
“What? Did you lend them money or something?”
Sa Chu, who had been dazed, finally snapped back to his senses.
“No, sir.”
“Then why are you looking at them like that?”
In truth, Sa Chu was recalling the situation in the courtyard earlier.
When he had woken from his sleep, one of the Faceless Ones had offered him a hand as he lay there.
It felt like he would die if he did not, so he took the hand and stood up.
‘Now, I've truly joined hands with them.’
If before he had kept his mouth shut out of fear, now he felt like he was on their side.
The feeling that he had to guard their secret even more closely was an added bonus.
“What’s with you lately? Are you excited because you saw a pretty woman after a long time?”
“No, sir.”
He wished it were something so simple.
Right now, Sa Chu had no eyes for women.
As the only person who knew that Master Yong had been killed by them, he was in the midst of a silent life-or-death battle.
“Where are you going now?”
“To my father.”
From his demeanor, it seemed An Hu-pyeong was about to go to the Lord and demand answers.
To ask what on earth the contest was held for.
In order to tell Lee Ahn the reason, he was acting like a man truly mad for a woman.
“You must not. The Lord will be furious!”
As Sa Chu blocked his path, An Hu-pyeong shouted.
“Are you mad?”
Sa Chu quickly stepped aside.
His behavior was certainly different from usual.
“What’s wrong with you? Since when did you ever worry about me?”
That was right.
He had always just followed An Hu-pyeong around and protected him.
Whatever he did, whatever nonsense he spouted, he simply acted as his escort.
But without realizing it, he was getting invested in An Hu-pyeong's affairs.
He had never been a protagonist in this life, yet for some reason, he felt like he had to step forward.
“My apologies.”
And so, An Hu-pyeong went to the great hall where his father was.
Contrary to Sa Chu’s worries, An Cheong-gwang was not so angry.
“Were you that curious about it?”
An Hu-pyeong was inwardly flustered by his father’s calm response.
He had expected him to yell, asking if he hadn't told him it was none of his business, and he had come fully prepared for a scolding.
“Yes, I heard that you changed the judge at the last minute.”
An Cheong-gwang replied calmly.
“There were circumstances that required it.”
And An Cheong-gwang had an inkling as to why his son was interested in this matter.
“It is not what you think, so do not trouble yourself with needless worries.”
The father he knew was not one to say such things.
No, he would have already been shouting, asking why he was asking again when he was told it was none of his business.
He had even come prepared to be struck.
If that had happened, he thought he would have something to say to her.
To show her how much effort he had made.
He was enjoying this pure feeling, something he had not felt in a long time, or perhaps ever.
But his father was treating him calmly.
Bewilderingly so.
“I will tell you the rest of the story later.”
An Hu-pyeong was moved by his father’s gentle gaze.
Never before had his father spoken to him with such kind words.
He had always looked down on him.
At least in this moment, he forgot about Lee Ahn.
Even if he did not get the words to tell her, it was alright.
“Thank you for telling me.”
An Hu-pyeong bowed politely and went outside.
As An Cheong-gwang watched his son’s retreating back, the gentle expression vanished from his face.
To retreat so easily just because his attitude softened? To be moved so easily?
A sigh escaped him as he looked at his son, who wore his heart on his sleeve.
Just then, a woman’s voice came from behind.
“A man in love can never hide what is in his heart.”
The one who had appeared without a sound was Cha Iran.
An Cheong-gwang looked at her with a calm gaze.
“The same goes for you.”
When he found out the Young Cult Master had intervened, he had cursed her for a madwoman.
And now, he had calmed his heart.
“You too are unable to hide that you are hiding something from me. What are you so captivated by?”
Instead of answering, Cha Iran smiled and asked.
“Do you regret joining hands with me?”
Not really.
One night, he had awoken from sleep to find her looking down at him.
If she had wanted to kill him, he would already be dead.
She had looked down at him and said this.
-If you refuse my offer, I will go to the Black Heaven Sect.
The Black Heaven Sect was the largest and strongest sect in Anhui.
An Cheong-gwang had built the Divine Flower Sect into a great power, but he could never defeat the Black Heaven Sect.
It was impossible.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not match the Lord of the Black Heaven Sect.
He felt the difference in their innate abilities and capacity.
The Lord of the Black Heaven Sect was a wall.
An unbreakable wall.
At her words, An Cheong-gwang had said.
-Do not go.
The woman’s proposal was truly astonishing.
If the Divine Flower Sect hosted the Greatest Beauty Under Heaven Contest and invited the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, she would eliminate the Alliance Leader and frame the Lord of the Black Heaven Sect for the crime.
He had accepted the proposal without much thought.
He had lived his life by any means necessary, and it was his dream to bring down the Black Heaven Sect and become the number one unorthodox sect in Anhui, and eventually, the number one in the world.
And more importantly, if he refused, this woman would go to the Black Heaven Sect and make the same offer.
No, she probably would not have gone to them.
She must have known he would accept this proposal.
She must have come, having smelled the scent of the desire he had nurtured for so long.
“Do not touch the Young Cult Master.”
“You agreed to kill the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, so what are you afraid of?”
For a moment, he thought the Young Cult Master’s involvement might actually be a good thing.
They would think the Demon Sect was involved in the Unorthodox Alliance Leader’s death.
In the midst of that chaos, the fact that he had helped would be buried forever.
Except for this one possibility.
What if the Young Cult Master dies?
Would the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect simply let those involved be? Wouldn't an order come down to kill everyone involved, guilty or not? The Heavenly Demon Divine Sect he knew would certainly do so.
They would try to annihilate the Divine Flower Sect for the sole reason that they hosted the contest.
“Killing the Young Cult Master is absolutely out of the question.”
“I won’t kill him.”
“Absolutely not!”
At his repeated protests, Cha Iran left a deliberately mischievous remark as she vanished before his eyes.
“Now that you keep saying that, it makes me really want to kill him.”
*
Cha Iran stood alone in a field under a brightly shining moon.
The grass swaying in the wind seemed to be breathing.
Cutting through that breath, a man walked from the distance.
He was a man dressed to the nines.
Expensive clothes and ornaments, and even a folding fan with a painting of a beautiful woman.
Moreover, he wore heavy makeup on his face, so white it was excessive.
His individuality was so extreme it felt almost self-deprecating.
Because of it, one could not clearly see the man’s face.
The man sauntered toward her, fluttering his fan.
“Long time no see, my friend.”
At the man’s greeting, Cha Iran showed a surprised expression.
“I didn’t expect you to bring it yourself.”
“I said I would. I thought I’d come see your face.”
The man’s name was Hwa Do-myeong.
The two, who seemed like an unlikely pair, were friends.
They surprisingly got along well.
Was that why? Cha Iran’s expression was more relaxed than usual.
“It’s not me you came to see, but the Young Cult Master, right?”
Hwa Do-myeong readily admitted it.
“An event this interesting is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Are you really going to kill the Young Cult Master too?”
An Cheong-gwang’s premonition was indeed accurate.
Her words about not killing the Young Cult Master were a lie.
“The Unorthodox Alliance Leader and the Young Cult Master. It will be a tough job for one person to handle.”
“It’s an order you gave knowing that, isn’t it?”
“That almost sounds like I was the one who gave the order.”
“At the very least, you could have stopped it.”
Hwa Do-myeong fanned himself quickly, as if to change the subject.
“As you know, things are complicated on this side too.”
Cha Iran’s expression showed she had little interest in understanding.
“You’ve met the Young Cult Master, haven’t you?”
When she nodded, Hwa Do-myeong asked quickly.
“How was he? Is he really as incredible as the rumors say?”
“If you’re curious, go meet him yourself.”
“I’m not curious enough to risk my life. I’m here strictly as a messenger and a spectator.”
“So there is someone you fear.”
Then, Hwa Do-myeong mentioned someone unexpected.
“You haven’t heard the story, have you? When Ak Gun-hak returned…”
At the mention of the First King and Sword King, Cha Iran’s eyes glinted slightly.
The only person on her side for whom Cha Iran felt any fondness was Ak Gun-hak.
She always emphasized that it was not a romantic feeling but a fondness for him as a martial artist and as a person.
And the only one who knew this fact was Hwa Do-myeong.
“The higher-ups interrogated him. Why did you return without killing the Young Cult Master? Do you know what he said in response?”
“What did he say?”
“He said this.”
He cleared his throat and imitated Ak Gun-hak’s words.
“I did not spare him. The Young Cult Master spared me.”
At those words, Cha Iran’s eyes widened.
“That cannot be.”
Her expression was one of utter disbelief.
She could not imagine the Ak Gun-hak she knew losing to anyone.
“Right, there’s no way someone with his skills would lose to the Young Cult Master. But he really said that. I was there.”
Cha Iran thought of the Young Cult Master.
She had not yet had a proper conversation with Geom Mugeuk, so she did not know what kind of person he was.
She knew he was strong, but still.
He was the one who spared Ak Gun-hak? It was unbelievable.
“There must have been some circumstances.”
“That’s not the only surprising thing.”
At least to Cha Iran, what came next was even more shocking news.
“Ak Gun-hak declared on the spot that he was leaving the organization. It was truly spectacular. He said he had brought the Secret Vessel, so his debt to you was all paid off.”
Cha Iran’s expression shifted through various emotions.
The first thought that came to mind was…
“That sounds just like him.”
She understood his decision.
“If even he leaves, then only trash like us will remain.”
Then she blamed herself.
“The higher-ups would not have allowed it.”
Then she felt doubt.
Hwa Do-myeong silently watched as her emotions changed rapidly and complexly, unlike her usual self.
It was a moment that reaffirmed Ak Gun-hak was the only one who could shake her.
“Why do you think that? Do you think we are foolish enough to make an enemy of Ak Gun-hak?”
Cha Iran nodded.
“You are all just that foolish, aren't you?”
At her words, Hwa Do-myeong laughed out loud.
But Cha Iran did not laugh.
If Ak Gun-hak left safely, it would be a problem because she would miss him, and if the organization held him back, that would also be a problem.
Perhaps an order would come down for her to kill him.
Hwa Do-myeong took something out from his sleeve.
“Still, we’re not complete fools. We finally managed to create this, after all.”
What he took out was a small box.
“Will this turn the tables?”
He asked as he held the box out to Cha Iran.
“Are you confident?”
“And if I’m not?”
“I’ll do it for you.”
Beneath his thick makeup, Hwa Do-myeong’s gaze turned cold.
He had a completely different feel now from when he was fluttering his fan.
Cha Iran quietly took the box.
“If you came to watch, then just watch. The Young Cult Master will die by my hand.”
“If you say so, then it shall be so.”
Hwa Do-myeong said as he turned away.
“I will enjoy the show!”
Hwa Do-myeong walked away with a smile, fluttering his fan.
Watching his retreating back in the distance, Cha Iran slowly opened the box.
Inside the box was a single red orb.