Chapter 17: Clue in the Flower Garden (2)

“If…”

Swallowing slightly, she finally voiced the question she had long held back.

“If Young Master Jin were to pass the Young Cult Leader’s test, what would you do?”

“……”

Truthfully, this was a question that crossed the line for someone in her position. But when she saw that faintly bitter smile, she couldn’t hold herself back.

And more than anything, she had a gut feeling—this might be the only moment she’d ever have the chance to ask this question.

“Who knows.”

Cheon Yura let out a soft scoff with an ambiguous expression.

“If that happens, it would mean that a small dream from my childhood, one I’ve long since given up on, has come true.”

“…A dream?”

“Yes, a dream.”

Clap!

After answering that far, Cheon Yura suddenly extended her palm toward Sa Biyeon.

“That’s enough, Biyeon.”

Before she knew it, her expression had returned to its usual cold and composed self.

“My debt to you ends here. Don’t try to understand me any further.”

“I apologize, Young Cult Leader.”

Only then did Sa Biyeon compose her expression and bow her head.

“Let’s focus on what lies ahead. I’m fully aware that this incident concerns me as well.”

“…Yes.”

There was no doubt that this was one of the reasons she had secretly followed Jin Yeomyung.

Cheon Yura, who had now tucked away her inner emotions, continued speaking.

“This matter revolves around that ‘Black-Spotted Blood’. Are you certain it’s connected to someone in the Cheon Clan?”

“We haven’t secured any definitive evidence yet. However, based on a few clues, that seems likely.”

“What kind of clues?”

“The first appearance of Black-Spotted Blood in circulation was two years ago. At that time, it was very cautiously distributed among the lower classes. Coincidentally, there’s evidence that the Black Ant Unit was active around that period.”

Cheon Yura tilted her head.

“Black Ants…? I’ve never heard of them before.”

“It’s one of the Cheon Clan’s subordinate groups that isn’t part of the Thirty-Four Squads. They’re usually tasked with handling the dirty work of the branch family members.”

“Hm, I see.”

The Heavenly Demon Cult’s main combat force was divided into thirty-four squads. But beyond that, there were countless miscellaneous groups not officially listed.

From the sound of it, these were mere errand runners—nothing more, nothing less.

Even as the Young Cult Leader, she didn’t know all these trivial inner workings.

“And you’re saying that the ones who brought in that monstrous drug are tied to none other than the Beggars’ Sect?”

“To be precise, it’s highly likely a third party disguised as members of the Beggars’ Sect.”

“Same difference. Whether righteous or demonic, the point is, there’s a traitor in the Cheon Clan who’s joined hands with an outsider.”

Cheon Yura’s expression twisted in fury.

Even if the drug had been distributed within the cult, as long as it remained internal, it could be forgiven with just a warning.

Such was the privilege of the Cheon Clan’s current position.

But if the source came from an outsider?

That wasn’t just a momentary lapse—it could be seen as an act of rebellion against the entire cult, even against the Cult Leader herself.

“Whoever it is, I hope we can catch at least a trace. For someone who should be protecting the cultists above all else to be the one poisoning them… I won’t let them go. No matter who it is.”

“……”

Sa Biyeon thought to herself.

If such a person existed, this wouldn’t remain a problem confined to the Cheon Clan.

Blood would rain across all Six Great Demonic Clans.

But there was something that continued to bother her.

‘It seems like Young Master Jin is more concerned about forces from the outside than the traitor within the Cheon Clan… Is that just my imagination?’

Logically, the Cheon Clan should be the higher priority, yet watching his behavior, she felt an odd sense of inconsistency.

‘Especially going so far as to pay a huge sum to get them investigated…’

At that moment—

“The noise is dying down.”

“It is. Has the interrogation ended?”

It had been about half an incense stick’s time since Jin Yeomyung dragged Gyeon Myeonggae to a secluded corner for interrogation.

Cheon Yura frowned slightly, seeming a little doubtful.

“I left it to him since he was leading this incident, but can that guy really extract proper information?”

While he may have had potential in martial arts, interrogation was an entirely different skill set.

Though the cries of anguish from Gyeon Myeonggae had been audible to the experts since earlier, that didn’t necessarily mean the interrogation was going well.

“Young Master Jin may act frivolously, but he’s not one to boast pointlessly. Please, try trusting him.”

“Hmph!”

Cheon Yura scoffed.

She didn’t know why, but it bothered her that Sa Biyeon was defending Jin Yeomyung.

***

“So, what’s the result?”

To Cheon Yura’s curt question, I gave a shrug.

“A bust. I expected more since he’s a Four-Knot Beggar, but turns out he’s a complete nobody—bottom of the barrel.”

“That’s disappointing.”

There was a hint of contempt in Cheon Yura’s expression.

But it wasn’t without reason.

“No matter how remote this place may be, it’s still within the cult’s territory. There’s no way someone that low-ranked could’ve brought in multiple experts.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And yet, you still say there’s nothing to gain? Did I overestimate you?”

Why was she suddenly acting all cold again?

I blinked a few times.

“I said it was a bust, not that we got nothing at all.”

“Isn’t that the same thing? Are you mocking me?”

Cheon Yura was just about to explode—

“What I meant by a bust was that I couldn’t identify exactly who was behind him.”

“Behind him?”

“Well, it turns out Gyeon Myeonggae really is a genuine member of the Beggars’ Sect.”

The staff he carried wasn’t just for show.

The oral chants of the Beggars’ Sect secret Staff Technique, which he spilled under torture, matched almost perfectly with the ones I had read for fun from the Heavenly Demon Martial Arts Repository back when I was the Inner Administrator.

“Specifically, someone higher up in the Beggars’ Sect has made a deal with someone in the Cheon Clan. But Gyeon Myeonggae has no idea who that person is.”

In the end, the real mastermind behind this case could only be found by going after that superior in the Beggars’ Sect.

Sa Biyeon let out a soft sigh.

“So it’s virtually impossible to identify the culprit.”

“Well, this might just serve as a useful card to pressure the Beggars’ Sect later on.”

“Then does that mean all leads have been cut off?”

“No, not at all. The mastermind is one thing—this incident is another.”

Separate from the mastermind, I had actually learned quite a bit from Gyeon Myeonggae.

“The ones Gyeon Myeonggae brought weren’t from outside the Cult.”

“What? Is that true?”

Cheon Yura’s eyes widened—along with everyone else’s.

Indeed, if high-level experts had entered en masse from outside, there’s no way the Four Demon Squads, who managed the Cult’s outer region, would have missed it.

“Where are they from?”

“He said they came from a place called Red Root Village in Nine Streams City.”

“Red Root Village?”

Cheon Yura turned her gaze toward Sa Biyeon.

After a brief moment of thought, she answered mechanically.

“Approximately 150 household members. A mid-sized family with a 50-year history. It was established by Eun Goomyeong, a retired assassin from the former Ghost Slayer Unit. According to reports from the Lord of Nine Streams City, there’s nothing particularly notable about them.”

At that moment, Cheon Yura’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Ghost Slayer Unit, you said?”

“Yes, the now-defunct direct assassination squad under the Cheon Clan, the Demon Emperor Ghost Slayer Unit.”

Was it just coincidence or fate that a group with ties to the Cheon Clan had appeared in this situation?

“Then… could the ones who came after me be…”

She hesitated for a moment, but soon her expression turned even more vicious.

“If we break them, we might find out the true mastermind behind all this.”

“There’s a problem, though.”

“A problem? What now?”

“Despite appearances, they’re capable of dispatching twenty First-rate Martial Artists, some of them even Master Level. It’s clear the ones who came here weren’t all of them.”

No matter how powerful Cheon Yura and her guards were, there was no guarantee what might be awaiting them there.

“We can summon the Guardian Lions from the Lesser Demon Hall. If needed, we can even mobilize Grand Protector. That should be enough to crush most enemies.”

Certainly, if Grand Protector, one of the top experts of the main Cult, stepped in, they could flatten almost anything.

But there was one issue.

“That would be too late.”

This time, I interrupted instead of Sa Biyeon.

“They move beneath the surface in tightly compartmentalized cells. Red Root Village is likely just a temporary base. If those dispatched don’t return by nightfall, the rest will vanish without a trace.”

This wasn’t the Cult’s heartland.

It was the outer zone. Just gathering the experts from the Lesser Demon Hall, including Grand Protector, would take at least half a day.

In other words, by the time the full force was ready to attack, it’d be too late.

“Young Cult Leader, unfortunately, what Master Jin says is correct.”

With even Sa Biyeon agreeing, Cheon Yura’s shoulders sagged slightly.

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

What else? It was already too late.

“Young Cult Leader, you should return now.”

“……”

“We’ve passed the point where we can handle this ourselves. Besides, if someone of your standing keeps moving around, it’ll draw attention from other cult members.”

The only reason she had some leeway was because this was the outer region. If she kept going like this, every eye from the main Cult would turn on her.

Cheon Yura didn’t respond.

She simply bit her lip and lowered her gaze.

In her stead, Sa Biyeon asked,

“That’s understandable, but Master Jin, what will you do from here?”

“I never needed brute force to resolve this in the first place.”

Originally, I planned to work my way up through the lower layers of the organization.

It was only because those bastards interrupted by trying to kidnap Cheon Yura that several steps had to be skipped.

“Things have gotten a little messy, but I doubt they’ve managed to erase all traces. I’ll begin again from what remains.”

“Ah…”

“A promise is a promise, so I may have to borrow some power from my clan.”

I had promised to resolve this cleanly and even said I’d use my clan’s strength if it came to that.

Since I made that promise, I needed to show at least some sincerity.

“W-Wait.”

Just then, Cheon Yura raised her head and shouted.

“There’s a way.”

A way? What kind of way?

“The problem is, we don’t have time to mobilize experts like the Guardian Lions or anyone else, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Then I’ll go to them myself.”

What?

Before I could even digest her words, she placed her hand over her chest and declared,

“I, Young Cult Leader Cheon Yura, will make an official visit to Red Root Village, which was once under the Cheon Clan’s banner.”

Was she out of her mind?

She looked serious.

“If I make it a formal, public visit, they won’t be able to pull anything openly.”

It made a certain amount of sense on the surface, but—

“Young Cult Leader! No matter how you look at it, that’s far too dangerous!”

Just as Sa Biyeon said, this was no different than sticking your neck out and asking to be killed.

I sighed and added in agreement.

“She’s right. There’s no way we can risk your life on something like this.”

“Risk? You’re calling this ‘something like this’?”

“Yes. Compared to the weight of your life, Young Cult Leader, it is ‘something like this.’ I’m sure you know that better than anyone.”

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