Chapter 291: Encounter

Two hours after, Deuksang and Yong Hwarin quietly slipped out of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

However, before even a single sikgyeong had passed, Baekseom received a message letter.

After reading its contents, Baekseom’s face twisted.

“Ah! The message arrived too late. Young Master Yong has already departed.”

A trace of distress spread over Baekseom’s face.

“People from Jeong Family Manor and the Geum Clan were kidnapped by those Heavenly Demon Sect bastards.”

Without a moment to think further, Baekseom clutched the message and immediately used movement arts, dashing in the direction Yong Hwarin had departed.

Yong Hwarin had followed the signal left behind by the Blood Green Unit and eventually encountered them.

Deuksang asked his subordinate,

“Where is she?”

“She entered that inn while tracking the Chaihua Sound Degenerate. It seems the degenerate thought that going somewhere crowded would be the best way to shake off pursuit.”

Yong Hwarin asked,

“Is there anyone guarding her?”

“Yes. At a level far beyond what we can handle. We tried to approach discreetly to observe the situation, but the sheer pressure forced us to retreat.”

All members of the Blood Green Unit’s pursuit team were first-rate martial artists.

If even they spoke this way, then the one guarding the fourth disciple must have been on another level.

Deuksang asked,

“But how did you find her?”

“Yes. Originally, we stationed our people at the street leading to the Uhak Bookstore, where Young Master Yong had mentioned. We planned to catch sight of her there. But unexpectedly, we received a report from somewhere else. About a hundred li from here, the degenerate had assaulted and murdered two young sisters. Apparently, she witnessed it and began pursuing him.”

Upon hearing this, Deuksang revealed a surge of killing intent.

“What kind of bastard does that? Assaulting and murdering little children? That kind of bastard should have all his limbs severed and thrown to the dogs. But judging by her actions, she doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

Deuksang thought favorably of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s fourth disciple, who was tracking the degenerate to kill him.

Yong Hwarin, upon hearing the situation, spoke,

“Let’s enter the inn too. If we go through the front, they might recognize us, so let’s use the back entrance.”

He reasoned that the Heavenly Demon Sect likely had some understanding of his appearance, considering how often he disrupted their operations, so entering through the front would be unwise.

“Let’s do that. You all stay hidden here and keep watch until further orders.”

At Deuksang’s command, the pursuit team concealed themselves.

Yong Hwarin and Deuksang quietly slipped into the inn.

Hong A-yul’s insides churned seeing the degenerate—who had slain two young girls—casually eating his food.

She had been on her way back to the Uhak Bookstore with Dong Oh after witnessing the abduction of the people from Jeong Family Manor and the Geum Clan.

She had felt that staying with Senior Brother Yang any longer would not bode well.

On their way back, she had stumbled upon the degenerate assaulting young girls.

By the time she rushed over upon hearing their screams, the children were already dead.

She had charged in to kill him, but his movement arts were so exceptional that he slipped away.

At the time, Dong Oh had gone down to the village to buy food.

Yet, she did not give up and, with Dong Oh, resumed tracking the bastard’s trail.

At last, she found him now, eating at this inn.

Hong A-yul trembled in fury at how most female disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect ended up as mere playthings.

That was why she had endlessly worked to protect herself.

Living with heightened vigilance from childhood had instilled in her an uncontrollable bloodlust whenever she encountered those who sexually harassed or degraded women.

It wasn’t widely known, but the number of Chaihua Sound Degenerates who had been maimed by her hand was more than just one or two.

Even the things she did were sometimes attributed to the Three Chivalrous Sisters.

That was because whenever she encountered a Chaihua Sound Degenerate, she would unhesitatingly slice off the man’s lower parts.

“Grandpa Dong, I want to kill that bastard right now.”

Indeed, in moments like this, Hong A-yul was truly a woman of the demonic path.

“Wait. Too many eyes are watching. That bastard will leave the inn eventually. We strike then.”

Killing the degenerate wasn’t all that difficult.

However, murdering someone in broad daylight inside an inn could draw in the law enforcement, so they had to be careful.

When the degenerate finished his meal and paid the bill, Hong A-yul’s hands began to itch.

‘I’ll kill you just like those children you murdered.’

She planned to strike when the degenerate left the inn and headed somewhere secluded.

But even after paying, the degenerate remained seated and showed no intention of leaving.

‘Did he notice our tail?’

But there wasn’t the slightest sign that he was aware of being followed.

As the degenerate stayed seated without any intention of leaving, Hong A-yul’s brows slowly furrowed.

Unable to wait any longer, Hong A-yul decided to pretend to pass by and use a hidden technique to kill him.

Dong Oh, also tired of waiting, didn’t stop her.

If they killed him without anyone noticing, even the law enforcement couldn’t do anything about it.

Just as Hong A-yul stood up and was about to walk toward the degenerate’s table, the door to the inn burst open and a squad of constables stormed in.

“Huh?”

Hong A-yul thought the constables had discovered the degenerate’s whereabouts and had come to arrest him.

But instead, the constables approached the degenerate and saluted him.

“We are here to escort Lord Tongpan.”

“Yes, I was wondering why you were so late.”

The degenerate swaggered as he left the inn, surrounded by the constables’ protection.

Hong A-yul’s face twisted.

“So he’s with the law? But you think I’ll give up? Bastards like him are even more dangerous. How many children will die at his hands, hiding behind that authority?”

Hong A-yul turned to Dong Oh.

Dong Oh knew that once Hong A-yul had made up her mind, trying to stop her would be useless.

“If you’re going to do this, wear a mask. It’ll be a headache if your face becomes known.”

“Hehe, I can whip one up right now.”

Hong A-yul pulled out a piece of silk and tore it cleanly.

She wrapped it around her face, covering everything below her eyes.

“Grandpa, wear this.”

Dong Oh also took the cloth Hong A-yul handed him and wrapped his face.

In truth, after seeing what the degenerate had done, Dong Oh had no intention of letting him live either.

Even though he knew the man was a high-ranking official, he had decided to help Hong A-yul.

Hong A-yul, who had stepped out of the inn immediately, soon caught up to the government soldiers.

When the constables turned into a narrow alley, Hong A-yul kicked off a nearby wall and leapt to block their path.

“Who’s there!”

A constable pointed his spear at the masked Hong A-yul.

“That bastard called Tongpan is a vile man who assaulted and murdered young girls! I’m here to kill him!”

Upon hearing that, Tongpan shouted.

“W-What nonsense is that! Where is this slander coming from? Seize her! I will interrogate her on why she dares insult this official!”

At Tongpan’s command, the constables thrust their spears and swords at Hong A-yul.

In response, Hong A-yul stepped on the spear shafts and soared above Tongpan’s head.

“Ah! A murim person!”

The government soldiers shouted in shock and turned their spears toward the air.

Hong A-yul stood upside down in midair, grabbing Tongpan by the head.

“W-What are you doing!”

Tongpan tried to shake off Hong A-yul, who had him in a handstand grip, but for some reason, he couldn’t move at all.

It was because Hong A-yul had already restrained Tongpan’s body with her jin energy.

“Let’s finish this and go.”

As Dong Oh spoke from behind, Hong A-yul’s upside-down body spun.

Crack!

When she twisted Tongpan’s head while rotating, his neck turned twice around.

The government soldiers, stunned by the sudden rotation of Tongpan’s head, couldn’t even scream and froze on the spot.

With his face now twisted to the back, all of the soldiers recoiled in horror.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hong A-yul leapt onto the roof and soared.

“Hohohoho! Be grateful I gave you a clean death.”

Hong A-yul laughed gleefully and flew like a bird across the rooftop.

Then Dong Oh, who was following behind, suddenly shouted.

“Yul-ah, stop!”

Hong A-yul halted when she saw two people standing on a rooftop ten jang ahead.

And at that moment, she instinctively tried to speak upon realizing that one of the people on the roof was none other than Yong Hwarin.

–Don’t forget you’re wearing a mask.

–Ah!

–Judging by the mood, it seems they were waiting for us. Alter your voice and ask why.

Hong A-yul spoke to Yong Hwarin.

“Were you waiting for me?”

Yong Hwarin responded as he looked at the masked figure.

“Bold, killing Tongpan like that.”

“He deserved to die. He assaulted and murdered little girls. I can’t even imagine how many more children might have died at his hands.”

Yong Hwarin murmured inwardly.

‘That’s why I didn’t stop you.’

Yong Hwarin believed that a devil merely cast the seed of evil, but it was humans who nurtured it.

And once someone chose to grow that seed of evil themselves, they were no longer human but a devil.

It would be nice if they turned over a new leaf, but waiting for them to change while others suffered was no different from saying we should wait for a mouse to become a cat.

He believed that eradicating the seed of evil was the only way to eliminate evil.

That was why even now, he merely stood by as Hong A-yul killed Tongpan.

“Are you the junior sister of Eum Sajeok?”

Hong A-yul flinched. She now understood why Yong Hwarin had come for her.

“Yes. I’m Senior Brother Eum’s junior sister.”

“Then I’ve found the right person.”

“Did you come here to kill me?”

Hong A-yul asked boldly.

“Why would I kill you?”

“Well, I’m from the Heavenly Demon Sect, and I’m the junior sister of Senior Brother Eum and Senior Brother Yang.”

Yong Hwarin gave a slight laugh.

“I’m not someone who kills just anyone. I only face those who try to harm me. If you don’t attack me, I have no reason to kill you.”

Hong A-yul felt certain that Yong Hwarin, despite being from the orthodox sects, was a man of open mind.

She had known this since he responded with indifference when she revealed she was from the demonic path back at the inn.

“What is the reason you sought me out?”

Yong Hwarin didn’t mince words.

“I’ve come to retrieve the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.”

She had anticipated the reason he came, but hearing it directly made her sigh unconsciously.

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