Chapter 280: Meeting the White Cat (1)

When Yong Hwarin returned to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union with Bukri Sehee, the whole place was thrown into turmoil.

It was due to the curiosity surrounding the sudden appearance of a beautiful woman.

And when they learned that the beauty in question was none other than Bukri Sehee of the Bukri Clan, who had been in conflict with the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, they were all the more shocked.

However, upon hearing that the adorable young boy Bukri Sogun was actually Bukri Sehee, the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect and Seok Unjeong were left with their mouths hanging open.

The first to break the silence was Seok Unjeong.

“Hohoho, so that’s why you kept refusing even when I offered to scrub your back.”

The Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect nodded in understanding.

Whenever they had finished training and headed to the stream with Bukri Sogun, they would think nothing of it when the boy always left early. They assumed it was because he was young and shy.

Thinking back on it now, everything made sense. They could only blame their own dullness for failing to notice.

And upon hearing about the Blood Chaos of the Bukri Clan, the Ten Prodigies were infuriated.

“How could you enjoy such a delight all by yourself, Young Master?”

When Son Yang openly grumbled, Mu Iso glared at him.

“You brat, just because your martial arts have improved recently, you’ve lost all sense of respect! How dare you glare at and complain to the Young Master? I’ll deal with you during training tonight.”

“Ah, no, Squad Leader, that’s not what I meant.”

Yong Hwarin added fuel to the fire in the midst of the situation.

“He’s right. If it got any worse, he might have hit me.”

“You heard what the Young Master said, didn’t you? The fact that you made her think that way is the real issue.”

Son Yang looked as if he was about to cry.

“Oh dear, Young Master, what are you saying? When did I ever do that?”

“You just did.”

When Yong Hwarin replied nonchalantly, the rest of the Ten Prodigies burst into laughter, chuckling among themselves.

Seeing Yong Hwarin smile for the first time in a while, Bukri Sehee felt at ease.

She had felt guilty toward Yong Hwarin, who had fought because of her.

Just like before, meeting them again while traveling from the Namgung Clan to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union became one of the most comforting and delightful memories of Bukri Sehee’s life.

Now that she was reunited with them, tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing it.

Bukri Sehee realized for the first time that she was such a sentimental person.

“Bukri Sogun—no, Bukri Sojeo, why are you crying on such a happy day?”

Bukri Sehee smiled at Seok Unjeong and replied,

“Because I’m so happy. And since I’m a year or two older than you, I’ll call you little sister. Is that okay?”

“Ah, back when you were Bukri Sogun, I was the older one. But things have changed, so I’ll call you unnie.”

When Seok Unjeong responded without hesitation, Bukri Sehee said,

“Thank you.”

Mu Iso cautiously asked Yong Hwarin,

“Um, Young Master. What should we call Bukri Sojeo?”

She asked this after sensing that the relationship between the two seemed to go beyond that of simple siblinghood.

Since the subject was brought up, Yong Hwarin made it clear.

“She’s the woman I will live with in the future. Treat her with respect.”

At those words, Bukri Sehee’s face turned red.

“Oh my, then she’s going to be our orabeoni’s bride.”

Seok Unjeong beamed as she held Bukri Sehee’s hands and shook them joyfully.

The atmosphere in the modestly furnished room was filled with intense killing intent.

Most of that aura emanated from one man.

“What exactly were you doing in that situation, Protector Jo?”

The man who spoke with a slightly scolding tone was Yang Gwak, the First Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Jo Heon, who had remained silent, replied dully,

“There wasn’t much I could do.”

“What do you mean? You should’ve saved the Third Grand Elder.”

At those words, Jo Heon’s expression darkened for the first time.

“Are you saying that seriously? Who could possibly stop the Third Grand Elder after he fell into qi deviation? Are you saying that you could have escorted him out of there? Do you even understand what qi deviation is when you say such things?”

Jo Heon found it unjust to be interrogated by the First Young Master.

He had done all he could in that situation.

“Even so, you are a Protector of the Heavenly Demon Sect. You should have done your utmost.”

“My life does not belong to me—it belongs to the First Grand Elder. I could not die for the Third Grand Elder. Besides, because of that boy named Yong Hwarin, I couldn’t exert much power. It was that boy who killed the Third Grand Elder after he fell into qi deviation.”

“Hmph!”

The heated atmosphere was instantly subdued by the mere mention of the name Yong Hwarin.

“So that bastard ended up killing both the Third Grand Elder and the Second Young Master.”

“In the end, yes.”

Truthfully, Jo Heon wanted to say that the fault lay with the Third Grand Elder himself, but he felt there was no benefit in saying such things at this point.

“Junior Sister, return to the Heavenly Demon Sect and inform the masters.”

“What about Senior Brother?”

When Hong A-yul asked, Yang Gwak replied in a calm tone,

“I’ll stay here and avenge the Third Master and the Second Young Master.”

“Alone?”

“No. I’ll mobilize all of my forces to carry out the revenge.”

Yang Gwak felt deeply responsible for the tragedy that had occurred during his absence.

Though the Third Master or Lee Yung weren’t particularly likable individuals, they were still people Yang Gwak had known within the Heavenly Demon Sect until now.

Moreover, Yang Gwak had calculated that only by avenging them could he win over the hearts of the disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

If he could only succeed in taking revenge, then the position of successor to the Heavenly Demon Sect would practically be his.

“And Protector Jo said he didn’t see the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword beside the Third Grand Elder’s corpse. It must mean that Yong Hwarin has it. We’ll need to figure out some way to retrieve it.”

Though he said that, Yang Gwak felt as though a toothache had been pulled.

‘That Second Young Master was the trickiest rival. But Yong Hwarin took care of him for me, so now I can just sit back and reap the rewards. Thanks to Yong Hwarin, that burden is gone. Among the three of us, it was actually the Second Young Master who was ahead. He even delivered the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword to the Third Master and earned his favor. He was closest to becoming the successor… but in a moment of carelessness, he ended up getting killed by Yong Hwarin.’

Though Yang Gwak talked of revenge, he had no intention of confronting Yong Hwarin directly.

Yong Hwarin had already surpassed a level that Yang Gwak could manage.

He believed that Lee Yung ended up that way because he didn’t understand that it was wiser to avoid the sudden rain first.

‘If you don’t know to dodge a downpour, then that’s what happens to you.’

As Yang Gwak quietly smirked in the midst of a serious atmosphere, the people in the room stared at him in silence.

Hong A-yul, while carrying the cat and walking toward the inn, turned to Dong Oh who was following behind.

“Ah, what kind of excuse should I make so I don’t have to go back?”

Hong A-yul didn’t want to return to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

“Grandpa Dong, I want to travel the Jianghu a little longer.”

Dong Oh shook his head.

“It’s time to go back. We still need to report what happened here.”

“Can’t Grandpa Jo just do that? Why do I have to do it?”

“The First Grand Elder is waiting.”

“Then just say we stayed to have a bit more fun.”

Dong Oh looked helplessly at Hong A-yul, who was whining like a child.

“I’m going to take revenge for Grandpa Guk too. I have to stay if I want to take revenge on that bastard Yong Hwarin.”

When Hong A-yul brought up Guk Ingeol, one of the Three Loyal Guards of Hua, Dong Oh’s expression darkened.

Seeing that, Hong A-yul smacked herself on the mouth.

“I really don’t think before I speak. I’m sorry, Grandpa Dong.”

The three of them had been like brothers.

That was why Guk Ingeol’s death had come as a great shock even to Dong Oh.

“It’s fine. A guy who couldn’t even decide where he would die at that age deserved it.”

Though he said that, his voice lacked strength.

“That’s why I think it was the right decision for Grandpa Jo to come back without fighting.”

She paused and looked back at Dong Oh as she asked,

“But is that Yong Hwarin guy really that strong? From what I saw, he didn’t seem like much.”

At Hong A-yul’s words, Dong Oh responded seriously.

“Do you understand what it means that Jo Heon walked away from a fight in that situation?”

“No, Grandpa Jo isn’t the kind of person who would just walk away in a situation like that. He’d die before doing that.”

“Exactly. Jo Heon, before earning the title Wind Moon Roaming the Heavens late in life, was once called the Slaughtering Ghost. But he didn’t even consider fighting and withdrew. Do you know what that means? It means that Yong Hwarin is stronger than we think.”

Hong A-yul, as if it didn’t quite register, asked the question and then began tickling the cat’s belly.

“Let’s eat something delicious today.”

Brightly changing moods, Hong A-yul smiled.

Dong Oh gave up and responded.

“Let’s do that. We won’t have this kind of luxury once we return to the main sect.”

“Don’t say that. If you keep talking like that, I’ll run away on my own.”

As she opened the front door of the inn, a drop of moisture landed on her forehead. She casually wiped it away with her hand.

But what stained her hand red wasn’t water—it was blood.

“Huh? It’s blood.”

Without hesitation, Hong A-yul leapt onto the roof.

“Oh dear!”

Dong Oh clicked his tongue as he watched Hong A-yul rush forward without hesitation even in the face of potential danger.

“She’s really a handful.”

Once on the roof, Dong Oh saw Hong A-yul holding a white cat in her arms.

The white cat had the body of a tiger cub but a face more akin to a regular feline.

“Grandpa Dong, the cat is hurt. I don’t know who did it, but someone cut this cute thing with a blade.”

The cat’s back had a deep gash torn open.

Dong Oh immediately recognized that the cat was no ordinary animal.

“Yul-ah, put that cat down.”

“Why?”

“That cat is a spiritual beast. A creature like that in a bustling place means it has an owner. If the owner shows up, it could be a hassle, so leave it.”

“No. It’s injured, so I’ll treat it. I have medicine that’s good for wounds.”

Ignoring his words, Hong A-yul walked into the inn, and Dong Oh watched her with worried eyes.

Baekseom received a carrier pigeon and rushed to find Yong Hwarin.

It was a message scroll containing a request Yong Hwarin had made earlier.

Yong Hwarin smiled at the rare sight of Baekseom.

“How’s life at the escort agency?”

“My subordinates like it even more than I do. It’s nice not having to risk our lives.”

“That’s good to hear. Are many escort goods coming in?”

At that question, Baekseom beamed.

“Thanks to the rumors about you, Young Master Yong, the number of escort requests has shot up. Word is spreading that Young Master Yong is running the Sky Ocean Escort Agency, and clients feel safe leaving their goods with us.”

“Don’t accept any escort goods from the River Center Escort Agency’s territory.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve refused everything that came from their side.”

“Well done.”

While talking with Baekseom about the Sky Ocean Escort Agency, Yong Hwarin asked,

“Seeing that you came to find me, is there something going on?”

“Yes, take a look at this. It’s about something you requested earlier, Young Master Yong.”

Yong Hwarin took the scroll and read it.

“Ah.”

Inside the scroll was a short note regarding Ha Deokgong’s grandson.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep