At Neung-heo’s desperate cry, the pimps rushed out.

Cheon Mubaeck whistled.

“Fast, fast.”

“You, do you think you’ll be safe after this?”

“Then do you think you’ll be safe if you keep your neck stiff and talk down to me?”

“Do you think you’ll be safe?”

“Damn it. What are you doing? Not guiding me?”

“Guiding?”

“If a guest comes to a gisaeng house, you should treat them. Why is the general manager so clueless? That’s why you put poison in the alcohol. You idiots.”

“What kind of…”

Is there such a crazy bastard?

Neung-heo barely swallowed his last words. He felt the danger that his left wrist might fly off if he spat them out.

‘He said he was cooped up in his room, just playing instruments. Has he lost his mind? What is it?’

It would be better if he were just a crazy bastard.

That crazy bastard had a martial art so strong that he could shoot a finger wind and burst his wrist without even realizing it.

Considering the rumors about Cheon Mubaeck that were known before, it was truly an unbelievable thing.

“You’re really slow. Seeing how slow you are, your ankle is useless, so can I just blow it off?”

“Damn it!”

Neung-heo swallowed his saliva and turned his body.

Cheon Mubaeck followed Neung-heo up the stairs. Heo Seong, who was watching the situation from the side, had his burdensome gaze fixed on Cheon Mubaeck.

As they continued to climb the stairs and entered a long corridor, Heo Seong let out an exclamation.

“To come up to the top floor…”

“The top floor?”

“Yes, Young Master. This is a place you can’t enter even with a reservation. I heard that even the richest merchant in Wonyang County, Merchant Jo, was turned away.”

“It’s obvious. Neung-heo, you’re luring me into a trap right now, aren’t you?”

Flinch!

“You’ll be lured to the underworld if you do that.”

“I will guide you to another place.”

Goosebumps rose all over Neung-heo’s body.

‘No matter how I look at him, he’s just a brat.’

On the outside, he was clearly a teenage brat. He had some muscles, but his body was still so slender that he looked like a girl.

It wasn’t for nothing that Neung-heo had mentioned being a gisaeng at first.

There were also guys who liked men, so he thought he would be quite popular if he was dressed up as a pretty boy.

But he was trembling with rage at the inner thoughts that were different from his appearance.

Putting aside the tone that sounded like a third-rate thug, he was so breathless at his ability to seize the situation in an instant.

He couldn’t just ignore the arrogant tone. It was so disorienting how he would cut off the flow of the conversation and accurately hit the core.

Was that all? His judgment to avoid the trap by inferring the situation with just a few words?

‘They say to be careful of women, children, and the elderly in the martial world. Ah. Neung-heo, today might be your death anniversary if you’re not careful!’

Neung-heo guided Cheon Mubaeck and Heo Seong to the room as carefully as possible.

There was a table with alcohol in the center, and behind it was a folding screen with an antique plum blossom painted on it.

“What a load of crap. What a load of crap. Mount Hua Sect would cry if they saw this. A heretic who puts poison in alcohol and starts a plague is talking about plum blossoms?”

“…”

“Oh. Look at his expression. Escort Warrior Heo, look at this bastard’s expression. Isn’t it an expression that says he’ll hit me if he gets the chance?”

“Shall I teach him a lesson, Young Master?”

“No. What’s the point of dealing with a bastard who puts poison in alcohol? Hey, you. Go and bring a table with alcohol.”

“…”

Cheon Mubaeck surprisingly got along well with Heo Seong.

Heo Seong was famous for being sly and easygoing. Heo Seong, who thought that Cheon Mubaeck’s change was due to his progress as a descendant of the Samjae Sword Saint, no longer questioned Cheon Mubaeck’s actions.

“What are you doing, Neung-heo?”

“Yes. What kind of alcohol would you like…”

Pak!

“Do I have to tell you that too? Ha, this bastard. He’s really clueless. Did you win your position as general manager through mahjong? No. You won it by being good at putting poison in alcohol, right? Prepare it yourself. How do I know what kind of alcohol is here to order?”

Cheon Mubaeck suddenly reached out and hit him on the back of the head. Neung-heo had an expression full of injustice. But while he was doing that, he was inwardly shocked.

‘Shit! How is he so fast?’

He didn’t even know his hand had moved.

It was so fast that his eyes couldn’t follow it.

What if he had a knife in his hand?

He would have been dead with his neck cut before he even realized it.

When his thoughts reached that point, Neung-heo’s whole body trembled.

“Th-Then I will bring it.”

When Neung-heo hurriedly went out, only Cheon Mubaeck and Heo Seong were left in the room.

Cheon Mubaeck sat down and quietly activated his upper dantian.

It was a necessary task to make things easier.

“…!”

Heo Seong’s eyes widened. An overwhelming momentum that filled the room.

He had guessed, but wasn’t it beyond his expectations? It wasn’t just a sharp blade-like momentum.

It was as if all the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains had entered this room, his breath was taken away and his head was dizzy.

A terribly shuddering silence descended.

Cheon Mubaeck’s mouth slowly opened.

“Escort Warrior Heo.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Do not tell anyone what happened today.”

“…!”

“I don’t know what Escort Warrior Heo thinks, but I am Cheon Mubaeck. The youngest son of the Azure Star Escort Agency, Cheon Mubaeck. It may seem that I am different from my original self, but I have not changed, and this is my original self.”

Heo Seong bit his lip.

“But, there are circumstances, so this appearance is only seen by Escort Warrior Heo. Therefore, what you saw today, what you felt, all of it must be known only to Escort Warrior Heo.”

Cheon Mubaeck’s tone was serious. His way of speaking was also the hao-che style of speaking to a subordinate, not honorifics. But it was not awkward.

Heo Seong felt as if it was natural.

It was so natural, as if he had been in a very high position for a long time.

Heo Seong barely opened his mouth.

“May I ask just one question?”

Cheon Mubaeck looked at Heo Seong without a word.

“By any chance, what is your master’s name?”

“Master?”

“I understand that the appearance you have shown so far was all a disguise. You pretended to be engrossed only in arts and music, and secretly learned martial arts in your room without anyone knowing.”

Cheon Mubaeck still looked at Heo Seong indifferently.

But his inner thoughts were absurd.

‘What is he talking about? I thought he was a smart guy since he’s a leader, but he’s strange too?’

It was absurd for Cheon Mubaeck.

To suddenly misunderstand and be mistaken on his own.

Of course, he did not bother to correct the misunderstanding.

‘Well, I can’t tell him the truth either, can I?’

Cheon Mubaeck did not bother to answer.

“Perhaps your master, the reclusive master, is a person of the orthodox sects. But as I mentioned earlier, if it is true that the group called the Blood Demon Sect is intentionally spreading the plague, didn’t you, my lord, finally reveal your true self that you had been hiding in order to stop it, as per your master’s will?”

“Ha!”

Cheon Mubaeck let out a pure exclamation.

Look at his sparkling eyes, as if he’s saying ‘This is right, isn’t it?’ after making his own deductions.

When Cheon Mubaeck did not answer, Heo Seong nodded his head as if his thoughts were correct.

“Although I am living as a mere escort warrior, blocked by a wall, I too once dreamed of being a hero of the orthodox martial world, and as a martial artist who received instruction from a secular branch of Mount Hua Sect, I will follow your chivalrous path, Young Master.”

“…”

Cheon Mubaeck could understand a few reasons from Heo Seong’s words.

‘He was from a secular branch of Mount Hua Sect.’

Although he had a sly and playful personality, he was also a person who burned with a sense of justice.

As he was from a secular branch of a prestigious orthodox sect, he had the mindset of a martial artist of the orthodox sects in his heart.

How would Cheon Mubaeck have appeared in the eyes of such a Heo Seong?

‘He thinks that I secretly learned martial arts from a reclusive master, and after confirming that the sinister group called the Blood Demon Sect was intentionally spreading the plague, I couldn’t stand it and revealed my true self.’

At that great imagination, Cheon Mubaeck wanted to give him a round of applause.

Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong, was it?

In any case, he had revealed such a radical side because of the Blood Demon Sect.

Heo Seong would now believe and follow his words.

So just giving him a faint smile was enough. And Heo Seong, seeing such a smile, solidified his misunderstanding even more.

Just then, the door opened and Neung-heo came in.

Unlike when he went to get the table with alcohol, he was not holding anything. A complicated expression was clearly visible.

Cheon Mubaeck nodded his head as he saw the man who appeared with a fierce impression behind him.

“The head has come out.”

The man’s cheekbones protruded, and his eye sockets were deep. His cheeks were sunken, and a pale light emanated from him, making him look like a corpse.

“What’s this? You couldn’t handle this gisaeng-like bastard and called me, Neung-heo?”

“What’s this? Is this corpse-like bastard who’s rolling around in a graveyard your head? Neung-heo?”

“…”

The Master of the Lotus Pavilion was dumbfounded as he saw Cheon Mubaeck repeating his words exactly.

At first, when he heard that someone who had attacked the gisaeng house and knew about the Blood Demon Sect had appeared, he wondered if Shaolin had found out.

But when he actually came, wasn’t he just a child, not even a brat?

And one who didn’t seem to have learned any martial arts.

He rather looked at Heo Seong, who was burning with a look in his eyes from the side.

‘If it’s that guy, he might be able to do this to Neung-heo with a surprise attack.’

But when he looked at Neung-heo, wasn’t Neung-heo unable to even make eye contact with that young bastard?

The Master was dumbfounded.

To think that Neung-heo, who was quite skilled in the black way and had a lot of experience, and whom he had intended to draw into the Blood Demon Sect to take control of this region, was struggling against a mere child.

“What are you? How do you know about the Blood Demon Sect?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“You have to tell me now. I have a lot of questions.”

“You son of a bitch…”

The Master suddenly drew his sword and rushed forward.

The distance of at least 2 zhang (6m) was reduced in the blink of an eye.

It was a formidable movement technique.

Heo Seong quickly thrust his sword.

Jjaeng!

Heo Seong’s sword was broken without any force. The Master rushed in without any hindrance, as if he had not been disturbed at all.

‘In any case, the bastard who knows about the Blood Demon Sect, I must kill him!’

That name that had disappeared hundreds of years ago.

Just the fact that someone remembered and recalled that name was a danger.

If it reached the ears of the nearby Shaolin or other prestigious orthodox sects, things would get complicated.

The Master intended to kill Cheon Mubaeck in a single breath here, without even listening to his words.

Pik!

The moment the tip of the sword reached one chi (30cm) from Cheon Mubaeck.

Cheon Mubaeck swung the dagger he had placed on the table with alcohol.

He deflected the attack by striking down the tip of the sword that was thrusting towards him.

“…!”

The Master’s pupils widened.

At the same time as he deflected the sword, Cheon Mubaeck’s dagger wriggled like a snake.

It smoothly climbed up the Master’s sword and cut off the Master’s wrist in a single breath.

Seugeok!

“Kkeuak!”

The Master’s body shook greatly as he screamed.

Cheon Mubaeck pushed the bastard’s chest with his foot, knocked him down, and stepped on the Master’s neck.

“Alright. I think we’re ready to talk now.”

A short moment, enough to take a single breath.

The situation was completely reversed.

Neung-heo, who was watching, felt his hair stand on end.

‘To think that I was trying to fight with such a bastard! I was determined to die!’

He knew that his martial arts were strong from the time he had blown off his wrist with a finger wind, but now that he saw it clearly with his own two eyes, he could feel it.

The Master was at least two levels more skilled than Neung-heo.

If not, Neung-heo, who had been rolling around in the black way and had a lot of experience, would not have bowed his head and gone under him.

But such a Master, he had not used any special martial arts, but had just deflected the attack and cut off his wrist.

A shiver ran through his entire body at that swift appearance.

“Alright. Tell me. Everything about the Blood Demon Sect.”

Cheon Mubaeck’s tone sank deeply.

But at that moment, a look of disappointment appeared on Cheon Mubaeck’s face.

“What. This bastard has a restriction on him too?”

A red light that appeared in the Master’s pupils.

It was a precursor to the restriction that had appeared when he was interrogating the medicinal herb merchant owner.

“The old Blood Demon Sect didn’t put on such restrictions. Well, they didn’t come out into the open like this in the old days either.”

Cheon Mubaeck sighed and turned his head.

Neung-heo, who was looking at this scene with a pale face.

Come to think of it, the precursor to the restriction did not appear in Neung-heo’s eyes.

“Hey. Aren’t you from the Blood Demon Sect either?”

“I-I was recruited from the outside. I was scheduled to go to the main headquarters of the Blood Demon Sect soon to go through the initiation process.”

“A lot has changed. The Blood Demon Sect is also accepting outsiders. Ah, so that’s why they put on the restriction?”

The Blood Demon Sect, which had revealed itself after 400 years, had changed a lot.

It could grow bigger by accepting outsiders, but the risk of secrets being leaked also increased. To prevent that, they would suppress them with restrictions.

When his thoughts reached that point, another idea came to Cheon Mubaeck.

He said to Neung-heo indifferently.

“Do you want to live?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“I really want to live.”

Kwang!

It was just once.

Unfortunately, when Neung-heo became the Master of the Lotus Pavilion from being the general manager, the original Master could not refute at all.

Because his head was rolling on the floor before he could.

“From now on, you’re the head here.”

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep