Chapter 686: Don't Kill Without Permission
Chapter 686: Don't Kill Without Permission
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master arrived at the Sinhwa Guild.
Chief Manager Jo, who had come out to receive her after hearing the news, offered a polite greeting.
"Welcome. You must be exhausted after such a long journey."
"Thank you for the invitation," she replied.
Chief Manager Jo’s gaze shifted to the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests standing behind her. The veils, each embroidered with a single flower, caught his eye.
Since this is a tournament hosted by the Unorthodox Faction, she brought quite a few guards, he noted.
But that was the extent of his concern. No matter how strong the martial artists guarding a courtesan house might be, how much could they truly amount to? If anything, such a large entourage would only serve to irritate An Hu-pyeong.
Chief Manager Jo guided her to the Main Hall.
As the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master took her seat, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon stood directly behind her, with the Faceless Guests lining up to his left and right.
Normally, they would have been scattered throughout the room—squatting in corners, perching on window frames, or peering in from the trees outside—but today, they behaved like well-trained soldiers.
The Pavilion Master stole a glance behind her. She saw the veil of the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon standing right at her back.
She was grateful to him, and not just because he protected her. He was not the kind of man who should be standing in such a place, yet he did so for her sake. That was what she appreciated most.
Her gaze returned to the front. Indeed, with him behind her, whom would she ever need to fear?
Chief Manager Jo served her tea and spoke cautiously.
"I should show you to your quarters immediately, but there is someone who wishes to meet you first, Pavilion Master."
"May I ask who that person is?"
"He will be here shortly. Please, have some tea and wait a moment."
Chief Manager Jo bowed politely and exited.
"I have a bad feeling about this," she murmured.
To make a guest who had traveled from afar wait like this before they could even unpack was a blatant discourtesy. It meant either the matter was incredibly urgent, or the person was exceptionally rude.
In this case, it was both.
A moment later, An Hu-pyeong—a man who never lagged behind when it came to rudeness—entered the room.
He was in a hurry. The fact that his father had appointed the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master as a judge had rubbed him the wrong way. He was worried that his father, in his old age, might have fallen for some cunning vixen from a courtesan house.
Having frequented such places himself, An Hu-pyeong knew better than anyone how well those women handled men.
One might think a man who had established a family in the Unorthodox Faction and possessed high-level martial arts wouldn't fall for such tricks, but the truth was that the stronger a person was, the easier they were to manipulate. Those women knew how to slip like ghosts into the gap between a powerful man's vanity and his loneliness.
The moment he saw the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master, An Hu-pyeong was certain.
My hunch was right.
She was beautiful, yet possessed an air of elegance. There was a dignity about her that didn't seem to belong to the owner of a courtesan house. He could see how his father might have become infatuated with her.
The martial artists guarding An Hu-pyeong followed him inside, lining up behind him with threatening glares.
Without even greeting the Pavilion Master, An Hu-pyeong flicked his fingers at the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests, issuing a curt command.
"Out."
This first action revealed exactly what kind of man he was. An Hu-pyeong was someone who wielded his power without restraint. He hadn't grown up caring about others' opinions; he had lived a life where everyone left the room the moment he told them to. Until now.
However, the opposing martial artists didn't budge.
An Hu-pyeong’s gaze naturally shifted to the Pavilion Master. Before he could speak, she asked first.
"Who might you be?"
He looked down at her silently for a moment.
"I am An Hu-pyeong, the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild."
At that, the Pavilion Master rose from her seat and gave a polite fist salute.
"A distinguished guest, indeed. I am Yeo-jeong, the leader of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion. Thank you for the invitation."
"I wasn't the one who invited you, so there's no need to thank me."
He looked back at the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests.
Now that you know my identity, get out! His eyes screamed the command, but they still didn't move.
Before the atmosphere could turn ugly, the Pavilion Master quickly intervened.
"I am a very fearful person, so I have given them orders never to leave my side, no matter the situation. I hope the Young Guild Master can understand."
"If a situation arises where you truly have reason to be afraid, do you think you'll be safe just because they're here?"
"At least I'll have some peace of mind."
"So, you refuse to send them out?"
"Please understand the heart of a timid woman experiencing the Unorthodox Path for the first time."
An Hu-pyeong snorted and looked back at the subordinates behind him.
"Kick them all out."
There was a reason An Hu-pyeong was being so aggressive. A woman running a large establishment like the Heavenly Flower Pavilion wouldn't lack backbone; he intended to crush her spirit right from the start. He wanted to see that composed face tremble with anxiety once her protective blades were gone.
The man who stepped forward was Sa Chu, the leader of the martial artists An Hu-pyeong kept by his side. As the man responsible for the safety of the Sinhwa Guild's heir, he was naturally a person of exceptional martial skill.
However, as he walked toward the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, he stopped. He couldn't bring himself to get close, halting about ten paces away.
Sa Chu looked back and forth between the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests.
What is with these bastards?
He had felt something strange about them from the moment he entered. He had met all sorts of rough and savage types in the Unorthodox Faction, but he had never encountered anyone who gave off this kind of vibe.
They weren't exactly "rough," but they weren't easy targets either. They didn't seem insane enough to be called madmen, yet they were too bizarre to be considered normal.
How could he have known? He was facing the most peculiar of the demonic cultists led by the Eight Demon Lords.
Especially that one who drew his eye!
Standing in the center, he was clearly the leader. He was simply staring back in silence.
It was unsettling.
Yes, that was the exact word for it. He felt like he shouldn't mess with them, yet he didn't get the distinct impression of a "true master." He felt like they wouldn't be much if they actually fought, yet he had no desire to test them.
As if reading his mind, a slight smile played on the opponent's lips behind the veil.
He's laughing?
Laughing in this situation? Normally, Sa Chu would have already pierced the man's heart and taken his head. But he didn't feel like it.
It was An Hu-pyeong who broke the taut tension.
"What is it? Is he someone you need to be nervous about?"
An Hu-pyeong looked at the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon with a renewed gaze. Of course, even if he was a master who made Sa Chu nervous, An Hu-pyeong saw no reason to be afraid. No one would dare harm him. He had been wearing the powerful protective armor known as the "Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild" since the day he was born.
"Am I, the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild, really being escorted by someone weaker than a swordsman employed by a courtesan house?"
Sa Chu’s eyes twitched, but he didn't draw his sword.
At that moment, the Pavilion Master gently soothed An Hu-pyeong.
"I have been so preoccupied with selling liquor that I am ignorant of the laws of the Jianghu. I ask the Young Guild Master for his generous forgiveness."
An Hu-pyeong asked with a cold gaze.
"What is your relationship with my father?"
The Pavilion Master already knew why he was acting this way. On her way here, she had used the Heavenly Flower Pavilion's information network to look into the Sinhwa Guild. It was information that even the Tongcheon Pavilion or Eun-wol would find difficult to obtain. After all, only she could know exactly what this An Hu-pyeong had said while drunk at the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
"I have never met the Guild Master."
An Hu-pyeong snorted.
And yet he invited her to such an important position? Without even having met her?
Naturally, he assumed she was lying. This was why he had tried to suppress her spirit. These lowly creatures only spat out lies when spoken to.
Just then, Chief Manager Jo’s voice was heard from outside.
"The Guild Master is looking for the Young Guild Master."
Father is stopping me? He felt his suspicions were confirmed.
An Hu-pyeong turned and walked toward the door.
"Why are you staring like an idiot when you can't even kill them? Let's go."
Sa Chu turned away from the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. Countless thoughts had flashed through his mind in that short time, but his final conclusion was this:
I'm glad we didn't fight.
Those who knew him would never believe it, but he truly felt that way.
Whether he knew of that sentiment or not, An Hu-pyeong spoke to the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon at the door.
"You're on my list. If you're still smiling the next time I see you, you'll die by my hand."
After that cold warning, An Hu-pyeong left the room.
To break the stiff atmosphere, the Pavilion Master said with a smile, "What will you do if you can't smile anymore? It seems you'll have to change your title."
At her joke, not only the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon but also the Faceless Guests standing beside him laughed silently.
The laughter An Hu-pyeong truly should have worried about was the laughter of these Faceless Guests. The moment he insulted the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, his protective armor as the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild became nothing more than a scrap of cloth. These Faceless Guests were the type to start hacking someone to pieces without a second thought for such things.
Knowing them better than anyone, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon said only one thing to them.
"Don't smile."
To these men, a smile meant one thing.
Therefore, those words also meant:
Don't kill without permission.
*
Leaving the Main Hall, An Hu-pyeong glared coldly at Sa Chu.
"What was that all about?"
"He was no ordinary fellow."
"Right, I'm sure he wasn't. So that makes you an ordinary fellow? Have you been deceiving me all this time, pretending to be extraordinary?"
Sa Chu didn't make excuses and lowered his head deeply.
An Hu-pyeong didn't insult him further. He knew well how strong Sa Chu was. The Pavilion Master must have brought a truly formidable master.
Well, I suppose she'd have to make that kind of investment if she wants to take a seat inside the Sinhwa Guild.
"Call Teacher Yong."
At the mention of the man who acted as an all-purpose fixer, Sa Chu flinched.
"The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master is a guest for this tournament."
"Who said I was going to kill her?"
"If Teacher Yong gets involved, things will escalate. And..."
"And what? What are you trying to say? That even Teacher Yong can't win?"
"No, that's not it."
Sa Chu fell silent. He thought that might be the case, but then another thought occurred to him. What if Teacher Yong came and fought the man, and it turned out the atmosphere was just strange but his skills were nothing special? Either outcome was a problem.
That was why he shouldn't be called.
An Hu-pyeong said as he strode away, "If it's something even Teacher Yong can't resolve, then something is happening behind my back that I don't know about, isn't it? Call him immediately."
*
Geom Mu-geuk and Lee An also arrived at the Sinhwa Guild.
Applications for the tournament were being accepted at the Great Training Ground, and a truly massive crowd had gathered. There were many women, and many others who had come along with them.
As Lee An entered, people naturally turned to look at her. Her beauty, which a veil could not hide, drew every eye.
"The line is over there."
Because so many people had gathered, applications were being taken in about a dozen different lines.
"Look at this."
As Lee An was about to head toward the lines, she spotted a poster related to the tournament on the wall.
"Ah, the prize for becoming the World’s Most Beautiful Woman isn't fifty thousand taels, it's thirty thousand. And as a secondary prize, they're offering a chance to attend a banquet with the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader."
Geom Mu-geuk thought of the Alliance Leader. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he'd seen the man. He hadn't expected to actually miss those tiny eyes.
"You're disappointed that it's not fifty thousand taels, aren't you?"
Lee An flinched and feigned innocence.
"No way!"
"You feel like you just lost twenty thousand taels, don't you? Be honest."
"...It is a little disappointing. This is a tournament for the entire Central Plains, after all."
Geom Mu-geuk laughed out loud, and Lee An laughed along with him.
Lee An was happy spending this time with Geom Mu-geuk. Even now, she could feel the gazes of those around her, but she focused only on him. She didn't know when they would be able to laugh and talk like this again.
"Now, take a look around, and if you see anyone prettier than me, please kill them."
At Lee An’s whisper, Geom Mu-geuk scanned the surroundings.
"Then a Public Enemy of the Murim would be born, wouldn't he?"
"Your friend is the Demon Extermination Squad Leader, so what are you worried about?"
Geom Mu-geuk also enjoyed this time with her. There was a comfort that only Lee An could provide. And he knew well that her consideration stemmed from her intelligence.
"Let's go stand in line over there."
The two of them stood in the shortest of the dozen or so lines.
It was right then.
From a distance, successive gasps of "Oh!" erupted. Naturally, everyone present turned their gaze in that direction.
The crowd parted, and a woman walked through the opening.
Wearing a palace dress that accentuated her figure, the woman commanded everyone's attention. She was beautiful. Her ornate clothing was so overshadowed by her features that one hardly noticed what she was wearing.
There were many beauties present, but her beauty overwhelmed them all. The only person who could rival her was Lee An.
If Lee An was a pure, white beauty, this woman’s beauty was flamboyant. If Lee An was an intellectual and innocent beauty, she was sensual.
Amidst the bated breath of the crowd, the woman walked toward the line where Geom Mu-geuk and Lee An were standing.
Standing in front of the two, the woman smiled enchantingly and spoke.
"At least this line is the shortest."