Chapter 229: The Whereabouts of Two People (2)

“…….”

The moment I heard those words, my mind spun in all directions.

The item Cheon Yura had been looking for?

When did she make a request to the Hao Sect Master?

When she visited Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion before?

No, that couldn’t be it.

The timeline didn’t add up. If they said it was found in just a few days, she couldn’t have sent them as far as Guangdong or Beijing.

That left only one conclusion.

She must have contacted the Hao Sect separately, without my knowledge, while we were in Luoyang.

I didn’t know what exactly she was looking for, but one thing was certain.

If I let that item fall into her hands without interference, nothing good would come my way!

“Hahaha, I see.”

“…….”

“It’s fortunate that the item the Young Cult Leader was so desperately searching for has been found.”

“Hmph…”

“I’ll deliver it to her myself, so hand it over.”

“…….”

“Now!”

Even as I glared and barked out my command, White-Faced Scholar simply kept a disinterested expression and didn’t react.

‘This bastard…?!’

The way he looked at me was like someone pitying a helpless prey right before it was devoured by a predator.

“I apologize, but as per the sect’s rules, third-party retrieval is not permitted. We ask for your understanding.”

His tone sounded like a young student reciting from a Confucian primer.

“Hahaha, are we really going to trouble her to come again? It must be an important item—what if it gets stolen in transit? I am her loyal subordinate; I’ll deliver it safely, so… hand it over immediately.”

White-Faced Scholar stood his ground and responded calmly.

“The Pavilion Master herself will deliver the item, so there’s no need to worry about theft. Even the legendary Supreme Ultimate Divine Thief wouldn’t pose a threat. Now, I ask you to leave.”

“…….”

His eyes were filled with unwavering determination not to hand it over.

Sensing that further pushing would be futile, I clicked my tongue and turned to leave.

“Let’s go, Lady Lu.”

At that moment—

“Well, just one word of advice for your sake.”

“……?”

I turned slightly at the sound of his voice, wondering what nonsense he’d spout this time.

He smiled like a sly cat and spoke.

“Be cautious when you’re alone. When no one is around, and no one can interfere… in moments like that.”

“I’m always on guard, so no need for concern.”

“Then that’s good to hear.”

That was the end of our conversation.

Once all the guests left the top floor of the Pavilion Master’s room—

White-Faced Scholar, now alone, let out a deep yet quiet sigh.

“To possess the insight to instantly discern my identity, and yet be blind to the love being poured onto him… I wonder if he’s really someone I can entrust it to.”

Clicking his tongue, he pulled out a small pill bottle from his inner pocket.

“Is he truly oblivious, or is he deliberately ignoring the truth? Tsk, tsk…”

Namgung Clan, known as the Conqueror of Anhui Province, had quite a distorted power structure.

Though it dominated the entire province and was hailed as the leader among the Five Great Clans—

Their main household was oddly based in Nanchang, right in the middle of enemy territory.

But when viewed historically, the Namgung Clan was merely refusing to relinquish their roots.

Originally, the Namcheon Baek Clan and the Namgung Clan had fought for supremacy over Nanchang and Jiangxi Province. After losing that power struggle, the Namgung Clan had been pushed out to Anhui.

Currently, several top leaders of the Namgung Clan were racking their brains over a troublesome burden they had unwillingly taken on.

Deep within the Namgung household—

In a secluded chamber where several elders had gathered, one elderly man spoke first.

“Let’s just hand them over. Keeping them will only create unnecessary conflict.”

Another elder frowned in response and voiced his objection.

“Why should we hand over the cards that fell into our lap to some Namcheon scum? If used well, they could bring great benefit!”

“That’s right. One of them is a descendant of the Demonic Cult’s Cheon Clan, and the other is a candidate for the Young Head of the Six Clans. Depending on how we use them, the results could be tremendous.”

“But our circumstances aren’t that simple. Don’t you see that the previous Clan Leader, who colluded with outside forces, is slowly tightening a noose around our necks?”

“If we handle these girls well, the gain could be great—but if we mishandle them, the consequences will go far beyond a minor loss. We must tread carefully.”

“Hmph! How can someone with such a narrow view call himself an elder of the Great Namgung Clan?”

“What did you say?!”

Their voices gradually rose in volume.

Not far from that chamber was another secret room.

Inside, two women were imprisoned, and one of them spoke softly.

“Hey, sounds like those old geezers are talking about us right now…”

“…….”

“We might be able to get out of here, if we can just deal with these restraints first.”

“…….”

“How long are you going to stay silent? Is being betrayed by a trusted aide that much of a shock?”

The woman clad in extravagant golden robes, Sa Biyeon, continued speaking to the other beside her.

“I get it. Finding out that your trusted confidant was a spy must’ve been a huge blow. After all, I got captured the same way.”

“…….”

The woman she was talking to—Cheon Yujeong—still had her back turned, not moving an inch.

“But how long are you going to stay sulking like this? You’re someone aiming for the position just below the Cult Leader. At this rate, how could you ever hope to defeat our Young Cult Leader?”

“…You wench.”

Only then did Cheon Yujeong, who had been acting as if she’d lost the will to live, finally respond.

“Yes, that’s the voice I wanted to hear. Someone like you, who resembles the Young Cult Leader, looking so crushed… it’s hard to watch.”

“…….”

Though her energy was clearly drained, Sa Biyeon kept talking.

“You remember what you told me before, don’t you? To come to your side. But seeing the way you look now… I’m really glad I didn’t.”

“How dare you.”

Fury flickered across Cheon Yujeong’s face.

But Sa Biyeon didn’t stop.

“If the Young Cult Leader had been betrayed like this, she would’ve laughed it off, destroyed every trap in her path, and come to cut off my head herself.”

Cheon Yujeong momentarily paused her fury and imagined the scene.

Though it felt a little out of place, it didn’t seem like a completely far-fetched delusion.

“You too… shouldn’t you go deal with that little rat, Baek Ryeong or Han Baek Ryeong or whatever she was called—the one who betrayed you?”

“…….”

A subordinate who resembled her more than anyone.

That was why she had given her trust, convinced without a doubt they would walk through life together…

“Yes.”

Crack!

Cheon Yujeong slowly sat up.

“If she threw away the seat by my side because the position of Third Order of that pathetic organization seemed more valuable, I ought to teach her a lesson.”

From her eyes, demonic energy seeped out.

“Just how foolish that choice truly was.”

“Now that’s more like it—you finally look like someone of Cheon Clan blood.”

Grnnk!

Despite her arms being tied behind her back and having not eaten properly for days, Sa Biyeon mustered her strength and raised her upper body.

“Phew! Seems we’ve been brought quite far. And it feels like a good deal of time has passed…”

“It’s been at least a month. Otherwise, there’s no way the muscles throughout my body would’ve deteriorated this much.”

“A month, huh…”

Sa Biyeon was sharp.

With only a few scattered clues, she got remarkably close to the truth.

“It’s quite possible… that we’re somewhere near Jiangnan.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’d notice it too if you tried sensing the Qi in the area, but there’s a lot of human presence nearby. And this place—far from some crude storage room—feels more like a well-maintained solitary confinement cell. Which means it has to belong to a fairly large and reputable manor.”

Sa Biyeon’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“It’s not cold like the north, nor empty like the west. If I had to pick between east and south… considering how hot it is compared to the Cult’s region, I’d say it leans south.”

“Couldn’t it be Sichuan or Yunnan rather than Jiangnan?”

“That’s possible, but…”

She shook her head at Cheon Yujeong’s counterargument.

“I doubt the ones who kidnapped us would willingly flee into the Cult’s area of influence like Sichuan. It’s more likely they’re hiding somewhere teeming with Orthodox bastards—Jiangnan seems the better bet.”

“Hmm. Makes sense.”

“The problem now is how we break the internal energy seal…”

And it wasn’t just that.

Their drastically weakened stamina and Qi were serious issues as well.

Not to mention, the guards outside the cell were all close to Master Level strength.

“For me, this kind of seal isn’t a big issue since I know the Reverse Blood Technique.”

The Reverse Blood Technique was one of the banned demonic arts, known for its many side effects, but its greatest strength was that it was highly resistant to most conventional seals.

“The problem is these damn shackles. They’re not ordinary iron—they look like blacksteel. And they press down cleverly on my meridians to limit Qi usage.”

Just then, Sa Biyeon, who had still been watching the elder council’s proceedings, narrowed her eyes.

“There might… actually be a way.”

“What? Are you serious?”

The elders of the Namgung Clan were still bickering over how to handle the two captives—

But due to someone’s comment, a single conclusion was quickly drawn.

“They’re planning to offer us up as toys for that so-called Fourth Order. When that happens… we might just get our chance.”

I couldn’t hide my complicated emotions as I returned to the Namcheon Baek Clan.

Finding out Sa Biyeon’s location was a major gain, but that last blow I took still stung badly.

‘At the very least, I can finally deliver some good news to Yura.’

She would be thrilled to know that Sa Biyeon was still alive and nearby.

Although if she insisted on barging into the Namgung Clan immediately, I’d have to go through hell trying to stop her.

‘I need to lay low for a while without causing any big commotion. If we draw unnecessary attention, our movements will be restricted…’

I was starting to form a clearer picture of how to move forward.

Just as I headed toward my lodging with a lighter heart—

Murmur, murmur!

“Huh? What’s going on?”

In the distance, near what looked like the sparring grounds, a crowd of nearly hundreds had gathered.

Currently, the Namcheon Baek Clan was accommodating thousands of guests, but under strict regulations, large gatherings were banned until the Murim Tournament.

So for a crowd like that to form—something had definitely gone down.

“Kill that damn demonic bastard!”

“How dare that lowly scum touch Brother Peng’s head?!”

As I drew closer to the scene, I could hardly believe my eyes.

In the center of the sparring ground, a large man was sprawled out—and Baeksa was standing on his head with one foot!

“…Baeksa?”

“Oh, you’re here, Jin Yeomyung?”

Cheon Yura noticed me and approached.

“Cheon… Young Cult Leader? What the hell is happening here…?”

For some reason, Cheon Yura looked absolutely delighted as she spoke.

“Your subordinate just pulled off something big.”

“Something big?”

“He stomped on a blood relative of the Peng Clan and displayed our Cult’s power for all the world to see.”

“…….”

In other words, he rampaged without a care for the consequences—right in the heart of the Namcheon Baek Clan, which could be considered the capital of the Orthodox factions at present?

We hadn’t even started moving yet, and already we were drawing this much attention…

“Lord! Loooord!”

Baeksa, who had been stomping on a Peng Clan relative, suddenly brightened and ran toward me.

He dropped to his knees and bowed his head at my feet, shouting:

“This Baeksa! A humble subordinate of my lord and a household member of the Great Demonic Jin Clan, has spread the name and might of the foremost of the Six Demonic Dragons—Demonic Heaven Dragon!”

“…….”

The murmuring around us grew louder.

“Demonic Heaven Dragon?”

“What’s that?”

“Ah, I’ve heard about it. A new Six Demonic Dragons unit recently emerged from the Demonic Cult…”

“What? Then that Radiant Cloud Blade Dragon, Peng Unyeong, wasn’t even facing one of the Six Demonic Dragons, and he still got beaten by that guy’s subordinate?!”

“More like… he got taken off-guard by a sudden ambush.”

“Hmph, that still counts as strength! Besides, wasn’t Radiant Cloud Blade Dragon the one who picked the fight first?”

From the chatter, it seemed clear that the blame likely lay with the other side…

The issue, however, was—

“Good heavens! Is the Demonic Cult really that strong?”

“Hahaha, the tournament hasn’t even started, and we’ve already got such an upset!”

While some purely enjoyed the spectacle—

Most people were now casting wary, even hostile, glances in our direction.

“Seems like we’ll need to keep an eye on the Demonic Cult.”

“No doubt about it! For talents like that to suddenly appear out of nowhere is no small matter.”

“Especially that Demonic Heaven Dragon—keep your eyes on him no matter what.”

“…….”

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