Chapter 690: Is Being Told You Resemble Your Son Something to Get Angry About?
Chapter 690: Is Being Told You Resemble Your Son Something to Get Angry About?
An Hu-pyeong rose from his seat and turned around slowly. He made a conscious effort to look as dashing and composed as possible.
"I am from the Sinhwa Guild—"
The moment his eyes met Lee An’s, the words died in his throat.
Those eyes staring back at him from above the veil... where in the world could such soul-stirring eyes exist? They were right here.
His mind went blank, and his heart began to thrum wildly against his ribs. From that frantic rhythm, a singular resolve was born.
I will make this woman mine, no matter what.
It was a resolve so loud and obvious that both Geom Mu-geuk and Lee An, who were facing him, could practically read it on his face.
"And you are?" Lee An asked.
At her voice, An Hu-pyeong finally snapped out of his trance and finished his introduction. "I am An Hu-pyeong, the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild."
He spoke with practiced confidence, but the reaction he expected didn't come. Lee An simply continued to stare at him blankly.
"I have introduced myself, so..." He trailed off, prompting her to do the same.
Lee An spoke in a low, cool voice. "I believe you came here already knowing who I am."
"Of course."
An Hu-pyeong wasn't afraid in the slightest, even though his opponent was a demonic practitioner. To someone like him, who had never truly experienced a cultist's wrath, the Demonic Cult was a distant concept—a world far beyond his sheltered, privileged life.
"What is your business with me?"
An Hu-pyeong was experiencing something entirely new. No woman had ever acted so coldly toward him after learning of his status.
Is this what a woman of the Demonic Cult is like?
He had fallen for her at first sight. It had been a very long time since his heart had raced like this.
"Please, sit for a moment," he offered.
Lee An waited for a voice transmission from Geom Mu-geuk, but he remained silent. It was his way of telling her to handle it herself.
— This matter must be related to the Sinhwa Guild, right? she asked telepathically.
Despite his outward silence, he answered her immediately.
— It’s not just related; they’re likely deeply involved.
In a game like this, the side with more information always held the advantage.
— I’ll use this man to find out the internal situation of the Sinhwa Guild.
Lee An sat down across from An Hu-pyeong. When Geom Mu-geuk moved to stand behind her, An Hu-pyeong finally acknowledged his presence. Amazingly, he had been looking only at Lee An until that very second.
Given his current state of mind, he wasn't pleased to see this young, handsome guard. An Hu-pyeong shot a cold glare at Geom Mu-geuk, but Mu-geuk remained indifferent, acting as if the man didn't exist.
Watching this unfold, Sa Chu felt a nagging sense of familiarity.
That composure... where have I felt that before?
For a mere guard to be that relaxed... The moment his thoughts reached that point, Sa Chu flinched.
That handsome bastard wearing the veil!
Sa Chu was reminded of the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. That monster had stood behind the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master with that same effortless, terrifying composure.
Meanwhile, An Hu-pyeong couldn't take his eyes off Lee An.
"I have traveled across the Central Plains and met many warriors of the Divine Cult, but I don't believe I've ever met someone as beautiful as you."
"Who from the Cult have you met?"
An Hu-pyeong was inwardly flustered; he hadn't expected her to be so direct. What demonic practitioners did he actually know? In the end, he pulled a name from the scraps of rumors he'd overheard.
"I have met a Demon Lord before."
This boast wasn't technically a lie. He really had met a Demon Lord without realizing it—one who had even warned him that he'd die if he smiled again.
Before the woman sitting in front of him could ask which Demon Lord he'd met, An Hu-pyeong quickly doubled down.
"Ah, and I also met a Demon Monarch briefly last time. We had some matters to coordinate regarding my guild's business."
The only titles he knew from the Demonic Cult were Demon Lord and Demon Monarch. Still, a Demon Monarch felt like a safer lie than a Demon Lord.
Lee An let out a faint laugh. He completely misinterpreted her clear ridicule.
Yes, now that you know I'm acquainted with both Demon Lords and Demon Monarchs, how can you stay so arrogant? You see me in a different light now, don't you?
An Hu-pyeong even went as far as to ask, "Have you ever seen a Demon Monarch?"
When Lee An continued to just smile, he spoke with even more excitement.
"You probably haven't. They are very busy people. To be honest, even I only saw him for a brief moment. I've arranged to host him at a fine establishment the next time he visits Anhui, so let's go see him together then."
Spouting ridiculous bluffs, An Hu-pyeong offered Lee An a drink. "Here, have a drink with me."
"No, thank you."
Lee An declined, but he took it upon himself to fill the cup in front of her anyway.
"Isn't it true that people become more comfortable with each other after a drink when they first meet? Come, let's have one."
"I don't drink alcohol given to me by just anyone."
"Just anyone?"
"I know nothing about you," Lee An said. "I don't even know if you're truly the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild."
Seeing his chance, An Hu-pyeong leaned in. "Would you like to come see the guild for yourself?"
"I just came back from competing in the preliminaries there today."
"Not there. Don't you want to see the stage where the finals will be held? If you're lucky, you might even have the chance to meet and greet the judges."
Listening to this, Sa Chu scowled. He knew the "judge" An Hu-pyeong was referring to was the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master.
He's taking her there just to show off? His leader was exactly the kind of person to commit such an absurdity.
Not there! Sa Chu thought. That guest hall was a place he never wanted to step foot in again.
"Let's go. You won't regret it, Miss."
Lee An stood up and hesitated for a moment. An Hu-pyeong was a man who never allowed a woman to look down on him, but now he waited anxiously for her answer.
"I'll go change and come back down."
With that, Lee An headed up to the second floor. An Hu-pyeong smiled with satisfaction.
Yes! I've got her!
Right—no matter how much she pretended to be haughty, how could she refuse an invitation from the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild?
Just then, his eyes met Geom Mu-geuk’s as the guard followed her up. Ignoring the fierce glare directed at him, Geom Mu-geuk headed upstairs without a word.
"First that guy next to the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master, and now this one. Why are there so many unpleasant bastards hanging around?" An Hu-pyeong muttered.
If you feel that way, you should stay away from them! Sa Chu barely suppressed the urge to shout. Perhaps because he was reminded of the man guarding the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master, Sa Chu had a terrible feeling about this pair.
"You must be careful, Young Guild Master. We don't even know what position that woman holds within the Demonic Cult."
"Why? Do you think she's hiding some incredible skill?"
The problem was that Sa Chu couldn't tell. In cases like this, it was usually one of two things: either her skill was so mediocre he couldn't sense it, or she was far stronger than him.
There was no way such a young woman could be stronger than him. Moreover, the young guard standing behind her didn't seem to have much skill either. And yet, why did he feel so uneasy?
An Hu-pyeong had his own reasons for being certain Lee An wasn't a master.
"How could someone with a face like that be skilled? If you had a face like hers, would you be wasting your time training in martial arts?"
That wasn't the only reason born from his desire for her to be nothing special.
"Would a woman of high status really enter a contest like this? Stop worrying about useless things and tell the maids to clean my room. Have wine and food prepared as well."
While he was swelling with impossible dreams, Lee An was asking for Geom Mu-geuk’s opinion upstairs.
"It's okay for me to go, right?"
"You've already decided, haven't you?"
"I'm just worried it might be the wrong decision. Ah! Making decisions is the hardest thing in the world! From now on, you make the decisions, Young Master. If you tell me to beat someone up, I'll beat them up. If you tell me to kill and bury them, I'll bury them!"
"Miss, I am merely a guard," Mu-geuk replied dryly.
"That's my life you're talking about! Give it back! Give me back my life!"
She was being melodramatic, but in truth, Lee An had already made a firm resolution. She was only joking because it was Geom Mu-geuk. She knew very well how dangerous this mission was.
This whole affair was a plot by an unidentified assassin to kill the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader. It was the very event from the prophecy where Geom Mu-geuk was stabbed in the chest by the Smiling Demon's dagger.
Lee An placed a set of white palace robes, one of the two outfits Geom Mu-geuk had brought, onto the bed. If she could prevent that event, she would walk onto that stage naked, let alone in these robes.
"Are you really going to change into those?"
"If I'm going to do this, I might as well do it right."
Geom Mu-geuk waited outside the door while she changed. A moment later, the door opened and Lee An stepped out.
Dressed in the pure white palace robes, Lee An walked out with a shy expression. The outfit wasn't meant to be worn with a sword, but seeing her with one gave her a unique, striking charm.
Lee An’s heart fluttered, wondering how Geom Mu-geuk would react.
"That woman lied," Mu-geuk said.
"Pardon?"
"She said that if a pure face wears pure clothes, it becomes cliché and boring. Lee An, you look twice as pure now."
Lee An smiled happily. Hearing those words from Geom Mu-geuk meant more to her than a thousand people calling her beautiful.
"I'm going to be rich," Mu-geuk added.
"What?"
"In a tournament like this, there's bound to be a gambling den for who will become the World’s Most Beautiful Woman, right? I'm going to bet my entire fortune on you."
"And what if you lose it all?"
"Then you'll have to work under me for the rest of your life to pay it back. Including the cost of these clothes."
"You're the one who lost it, Young Cult Leader! Why should I be the one to pay it back?"
The two looked at each other and laughed. In truth, it was a bet worth making. She still had three trump cards left: wearing the crimson robes, taking off the veil, and then adding makeup.
"I'm dreaming big thanks to a certain someone," she teased.
"I didn't make you beautiful. I just restored you to how you were meant to be."
As they walked down the stairs, Lee An briefly imagined a scene: a scene of herself traveling through a peaceful Murim with Geom Mu-geuk. A Jianghu without shadow organizations or conspiracies. A place where they could laugh, chat, and say silly things. She wanted to walk with him, hand in hand, talking about the past.
Yes. To do that, I have to make these events part of the past. Something we can talk about while smiling.
Seeing her in the white robes, An Hu-pyeong stared at Lee An with his mouth agape. As they left the inn and walked along, An Hu-pyeong felt truly magnificent. Walking side-by-side with such a beauty made him feel as if he owned the world.
As they walked, Lee An asked, "I have something I'm curious about."
"Please, ask away."
"Why did the Sinhwa Guild organize this tournament?"
"Why, to discover beauties like you, Miss, and to increase our guild's prestige, of course."
Lee An stopped walking and gazed at him. "Not that. I'm curious about the real reason. You know the real reason, don't you?"
When she asked like that, he couldn't bring himself to say he didn't know. But he couldn't tell her either—because he didn't actually know the reason himself.
"I'm very curious about that real reason," she pressed.
Listening in, Geom Mu-geuk thought Lee An was doing an excellent job. He could already see the impatience on An Hu-pyeong's face—the desperate urge to find out the truth just so he could brag about it to her.
Eventually, they arrived at the stage where the finals would be held.
"This is the stage for the finals."
The stage was complete, and behind the seats for the VIPs, there was ample space for a large crowd to watch. As they were looking around together, An Hu-pyeong, who had been staring at Lee An, suddenly shouted.
"I shall make you the World’s Most Beautiful Woman!"
Lee An looked at him. She had to struggle to keep a straight face because Geom Mu-geuk had just sent her a voice transmission.
— That's the thirty thousand taels sorted!
Sa Chu, who was listening, was dumbfounded. They had only just met. Besides, he hadn't even seen her face without the veil yet. If the Young Guild Master was that obsessed with women, one would think he'd be a better judge of character. Then again, he was still too young. Yes, this was exactly like An Hu-pyeong.
Lee An looked at him and asked, "Can you take responsibility for those words?"
An Hu-pyeong replied with absolute confidence. "I am a man who always keeps his promises."
*
There was someone watching them.
Standing on a roof with his arms crossed was none other than the Sinhwa Guild Master, An Cheong-gwang. Just as his face was contorting into a scowl at his son's ridiculous promise...
Sssst.
He heard a sound—the sound of skin parting. A sound that should never, ever be heard coming from his own neck.
Drip.
Something hot began to flow down his throat. When An Cheong-gwang touched his neck, his hand came away stained with blood. Only then did he see the dagger held by a hand wrapped around his throat.
The hand holding the dagger was fair and delicate. Normally, he should have died with blood spurting from his jugular, but the wound was shallow. It wasn't a strike meant to kill.
Then, a woman's voice came from behind him.
"You can't even kill him because he's your own flesh and blood. It's not easy, is it?"
The person who revealed herself was Cha Yi-ran. She was the one who had grazed An Cheong-gwang's neck with the dagger.
"Shall I kill him for you?"
An Cheong-gwang looked at her with indifferent eyes. Despite his fiery temper, he let the "prank" of having his throat slit slide.
"Just make sure you keep your own promise."
Cha Yi-ran replied with a laugh. "Like father, like son—you both certainly love your promises."
An Cheong-gwang's gaze returned to his son. "There was no mention of the Demonic Cult being involved in this matter from the start, was there?"
"Unexpected things always happen. Did you ever think you'd be doing something like this?"
True. Even he hadn't known. He hadn't expected his life to take this turn. But perhaps he had vaguely thought this day would come eventually, considering it had taken him less than fifteen minutes to make the decision that would turn his entire life upside down. It had taken only slightly longer than deciding what to eat for dinner.
"Who is that woman from the Demonic Cult?"
"Blood doesn't lie, I see."
Realizing she was saying he resembled his son, An Cheong-gwang's expression hardened coldly.
"Is being told you resemble your son something to get angry about? I was saying your question was wrong."
An Cheong-gwang soon understood what she meant. He was certainly different from his son.
"Who is that man?"
At the proper question, Cha Yi-ran looked toward Geom Mu-geuk and spoke.
"Someone you cannot handle. Someone whose true identity even the Unorthodox Path Alliance, to which you've pledged your lifelong loyalty, would never reveal to you."
She added with a bright, chilling smile.
"Did you think the Devil wouldn't come for you after you shook hands with an Evil Ghost?"