Chapter 697: Three Penalty Cups if You Can't Answer
Chapter 697: Three Penalty Cups if You Can't Answer
Cha Yi-ran had arrived, and the Secret Casket reacted.
Is it possible she has a bead?
Geom Mu-geuk was inwardly stunned. The casket had never reacted during their previous encounters, yet now it was vibrating for the first time in her presence.
He questioned the Secret Casket tucked within his robes.
Are you absorbing things other than the beads now? Have you become a scavenger that snaps up anything when you’re hungry?
Of course, Geom Mu-geuk knew that wasn't the case. He had clearly seen the symbols of the Secret Casket and the beads depicted in the ancient murals. They were intrinsically linked.
Ultimately, this meant she had brought a bead with her.
Of the six original beads, only two remained: the red bead, Jeok-jeong, and the purple bead, Ja-jeong.
One of those two is with Cha Yi-ran?
Geom Mu-geuk’s heart hammered against his ribs.
He had never considered that someone might already possess the beads the Secret Casket sought to absorb. Until now, they had always been hidden away in the most clandestine of locations.
Was it because the Secret Casket had reacted?
"Who knows? Maybe something good will happen when it's just the two of us?"
Even the words she had whispered as they walked earlier now felt heavy with hidden meaning.
Did she know he had absorbed the energy of the other beads? Or did she happen to possess one for a different purpose, entirely unaware of his situation?
And if she had brought it knowing full well who he was?
Is she daring me to kill her and take it?
What does she think I’ll do if I actually try?
Cha Yi-ran naturally took the seat beside Geom Mu-geuk. Normally, the casket's reaction would have intensified as she drew closer, but the response changed. As soon as she sat down, the vibration ceased entirely.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me? I made it to the finals."
"Congratulations."
"It feels good to be congratulated, even if I had to nudge you for it," she purred.
An Hu-pyeong approached the table and quickly introduced Bi Sa-in.
"Miss Cha, this gentleman here is the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Path Alliance."
Cha Yi-ran looked at Bi Sa-in, feigning a look of surprise.
An Hu-pyeong was inwardly delighted by her reaction, subtly placing himself on the same level as the Young Alliance Leader.
Surprised, aren't you? Meeting the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild and the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Path Alliance all at once?
Bi Sa-in felt much the same, though for different reasons.
Well? Have you ever seen such a beautiful woman before?
Cha Yi-ran gave Bi Sa-in a captivating smile and greeted him.
"I am Cha Yi-ran."
She had a fundamental way of dealing with men. Even without intentional seduction, the look in her eyes and the curve of her smile were enough to make most men restless and infatuated.
Bi Sa-in stared at her without a word.
He knew from the missive Geom Mu-geuk had sent earlier that this woman intended to kill his master. However, he showed no sign of hostility.
The fact that Geom Mu-geuk had naturally orchestrated this meeting meant he trusted Bi Sa-in. As the future leader of the Unorthodox Path Alliance, he had to be capable of this level of emotional control.
After all, the woman currently plotting his master's death was facing him without a single flicker of her expression.
"I am Bi Sa-in."
An Hu-pyeong was inwardly pleased by Bi Sa-in's delayed response. He assumed the Young Alliance Leader had been so smitten by her beauty that he'd forgotten to speak. Naturally, he continued to take credit for the occasion.
"I rented out this entire establishment just for this special occasion!"
He was determined to be the protagonist who had made this gathering possible.
"I truly wanted to introduce Miss Cha to the Young Alliance Leader."
"To me?"
At Bi Sa-in's questioning gaze, An Hu-pyeong laughed and offered a clumsy bit of matchmaking.
"I thought the two of you would make a wonderful match."
He laughed boisterously, but Bi Sa-in’s reaction was not what he expected.
"I believe this gathering is inappropriate," Bi Sa-in said coldly.
An Hu-pyeong asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that?"
"Is it right for these young ladies to be present where you are?"
He was implying that as a member of the organizing committee, An Hu-pyeong should not be meeting privately with women who had advanced to the finals of the competition.
What kind of stifling nonsense is this from a man who's supposed to become the supreme ruler of the Unorthodox Faction!
An Hu-pyeong wanted to scream those words, but he held back.
"Since the Young Alliance Leader is here for this special occasion, everyone will understand."
"Are you using me as an excuse?"
"No, not at all. That's not what I meant."
Bi Sa-in didn't bother hiding his disdain. He acted as he usually would, as if he didn't know her true identity. He presented his natural self to Cha Yi-ran.
She was no ordinary woman. She sat here alone with him and Geom Mu-geuk. She likely believed they were ignorant of her identity, but even so, she possessed nerves of steel.
Cha Yi-ran looked at Geom Mu-geuk and spoke.
"Thank you for introducing me to such a distinguished person, but my heart belongs to only one."
She wore an expression that only appeared when she looked at Geom Mu-geuk.
An Hu-pyeong couldn't understand it. What was so great about that lowly guard?
"It seems that guard has some charm I'm unaware of," An Hu-pyeong muttered.
He intended to belittle him no matter what, but...
"You can't see it? I see so much of it."
Cha Yi-ran leaned her face close to Geom Mu-geuk's. They were so close that they would touch if she moved just a fraction more.
Geom Mu-geuk did not pull away, meeting her gaze directly.
"This man's eyes are filled with death, yet how can they be so clear?"
She spoke as if she could see the aura of death in his eyes, but Geom Mu-geuk said nothing.
The one who spoke in his stead was Lee An.
"I have never once felt death in those eyes."
As Cha Yi-ran slowly turned her head toward her, Lee An added, "One's own reflection is always mirrored in another's pupils."
She was saying that the death Cha Yi-ran saw was merely her own.
A peculiar smile played on Cha Yi-ran's lips.
"This young lady truly likes this man."
"I'm not so foolish as to dislike my own guard," Lee An replied.
She meant it would be absurd to hate the person who protected her life.
An Hu-pyeong’s expression hardened. To him, it sounded like a jab at his recent conflict with Sa Chu.
Furthermore, he was irritated that both women's attention had been focused on Geom Mu-geuk from the start. He had always lived as the center of attention, yet in this setting, he felt increasingly alienated.
An Hu-pyeong picked up a bottle to fill Bi Sa-in’s cup.
"Now, Young Alliance Leader. Please, have a drink with me."
Bi Sa-in didn't even pretend to hear him, his eyes fixed only on the two women. The bottle in An Hu-pyeong's hand felt awkward, and his face flushed with embarrassment. These people, seriously!
He was the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild, and they were treating him like this?
He's disgustingly obsessed with women.
If that wasn't the reason, then they were simply ignoring him too much.
In truth, Bi Sa-in was struggling to figure out what kind of person Cha Yi-ran was. In a sense, she was more deeply connected to him than to Geom Mu-geuk. If she killed his master, he would ultimately ascend to the position of Alliance Leader.
In other words, she was the woman who would put him on the throne.
But for what reason?
Did she hope to gain something by placing him, who was not yet ready, in the leader's seat? Or did she have other intentions?
An Hu-pyeong suppressed his anger and spoke again.
"I haven't decided who to support in this final yet."
He tried to flaunt his influence however he could. He used the word "support" rather than "cheer for," speaking as if he had the power to influence the selection of the World’s Most Beautiful Woman.
"Who does our Young Alliance Leader support? Actually, your support is the most important of all."
This time, Bi Sa-in answered him.
"What does my opinion matter? The will of the judges and the heroes of the martial world is what matters."
"But aren't you in a position where you could overturn all those decisions?"
He meant it as flattery, but Bi Sa-in’s response was cold.
"Are you asking me to do something unjust?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
"I'm just saying that you are that great of a person."
Faced with that continued icy gaze, An Hu-pyeong downed his drink. Things were not going according to plan.
"Why is the food taking so long?"
An Hu-pyeong stood up and walked toward the kitchen. No one even looked at him as he left. His rage was reaching a boiling point.
"What are you doing? Get the food out now!" he roared the moment he entered the kitchen.
Just as he was about to take his anger out on the innocent cooks...
"You should head back now."
He turned at the voice behind him to see Sa Chu. The man who had yelled at him earlier was standing in the corner of the kitchen.
"What?"
"I said, let's go back."
An Hu-pyeong walked toward him with a furious face. Usually, Sa Chu would have bowed his head and apologized profusely, but today he was staring straight at him.
"Do you even know what kind of gathering that is?"
"What kind of gathering is it?"
"What?"
It was a gathering with a clear purpose. A place to get on the Young Alliance Leader's good side! A place to impress Lee An. If Sa Chu knew this and was still acting this way...
"Are you looking down on me too?"
"If I were looking down on you, I would have stayed quiet and pretended to know nothing, just like I've always done."
An Hu-pyeong could feel it instinctively. He didn't know why Sa Chu was doing this, but he knew the man was saying this for his sake.
Sa Chu was being rude, but he was the only person here who wasn't actually looking down on him.
"That is not a place for you to be, Young Master."
None of the four people at that table were individuals An Hu-pyeong could handle. He was the only one who didn't realize it.
"Hide in your burrow and come out only after the typhoon has passed. You are only safe right now because you are standing in the eye of the storm."
"!"
The "typhoons" had told Sa Chu to keep quiet, but he had broken that warning. It was fine. This was his final piece of advice to the man.
Of course, An Hu-pyeong did not take it gracefully.
"You arrogant bastard."
He knew the words were for his benefit, but they stung. He had lived a life where the truth only made him angry.
"You'll pay for this later."
The moment An Hu-pyeong turned around...
Thwack.
Sa Chu struck An Hu-pyeong’s acupoint from behind in a surprise move. Never expecting such a thing, An Hu-pyeong slumped into a deep sleep.
After calming the startled cooks, Sa Chu opened the back door of the kitchen and called over the subordinates waiting outside.
"The Young Guild Master has had too much to drink. Take him back to his quarters and lay him in his bed."
The subordinates carried him away on their backs.
It was the last kindness Sa Chu could offer before leaving.
If An Hu-pyeong stayed here in such a foul mood, he would eventually cause a major scene, even with the Young Alliance Leader present. That was simply the kind of man An Hu-pyeong was.
Since the man wouldn't let him leave peacefully anyway, Sa Chu decided to depart like this.
Just as Sa Chu was about to leave through the back door himself, someone spoke from behind.
"Was it because of your younger siblings?"
He turned to see 1st Wolf standing there.
The question was whether he had given up on his dreams and stayed under An Hu-pyeong because of his siblings.
Sa Chu confessed honestly.
"No. I simply used my siblings as an excuse to make the easy choice."
If it had truly been for them, he would have tried again once their hunger was satisfied.
The money was good, and following An Hu-pyeong was easy. At the very least, no one in Anhui dared to pick a fight with the Young Guild Master of the Sinhwa Guild.
"I realized it today. There are two kinds of 'impossible.' The impossible that comes from vaguely thinking it won't work, and the impossible that remains even after you've tried until you're dead. I've experienced the easy one, so now I'm going to challenge the difficult impossible."
Sa Chu intended to officially join the Unorthodox Path Alliance.
His monthly pay would be incomparably smaller than it was now. Starting over at his age would be several times harder. And he knew that becoming one of the 13 Wolves of the Unorthodox Path starting now was likely impossible.
But he was going to try. He considered this chance meeting with the 13 Wolves a final opportunity granted to him by the heavens.
"If we meet again, I will greet you formally then."
He gave a sheepish smile and added, "Though I'll probably never see you again in this lifetime."
Sa Chu gave a respectful fist salute and turned to walk away.
When he was young, he had stood before the 13 Wolves and peppered them with questions. He had thought that was passion and sincerity.
But there would be no more questions.
He was old enough now to know that true passion doesn't ask questions. It starts before the questions can even be formed.
1st Wolf watched Sa Chu’s receding back in silence before heading back inside.
"Young Master An has returned home early."
No one pressed him on why he had left.
Geom Mu-geuk only expressed his regret.
"Ah! The one who was supposed to pay for the drinks left first."
At his joke, Cha Yi-ran made an unexpected suggestion.
"How about a bet for the bill?"
The bet she proposed was something no one had anticipated.
"Instead of just drinking, let's take turns asking each other one question. If you can't answer, you have to drink three penalty cups! The person who drinks the most penalty cups today pays for everything. Oh, and no using Liquor Qi to flush the alcohol out!"
Geom Mu-geuk was not one to turn down such an interesting proposal. Especially when they all had things they wanted to ask each other.
He believed she was the type to drink the penalty rather than tell a lie. He had no intention of lying himself, either.
"Fine, let's do it."
Since Geom Mu-geuk accepted, Lee An and Bi Sa-in naturally nodded with intrigued looks in their eyes.
"Since I suggested it, I'll ask the first question."
Everyone nodded readily at Cha Yi-ran's words. They all toasted and emptied their cups.
"I'll ask the Sword Guard."
Her gaze turned toward Geom Mu-geuk.
"Do you like this young lady as a woman?"
The first question was a heavy hitter. Lee An was more startled than Geom Mu-geuk. She never expected such a question.
"If you don't want to answer, you can just drink three penalty cups."
"There's no need for that. I'll answer."
Geom Mu-geuk glanced at Lee An and replied.
"I do."
Cha Yi-ran looked surprised.
"I was sure you'd drink the three cups."
Lee An felt like she was walking on air at his answer. Even if he had only said it for the sake of the bet, she was happy.
However, she was displeased by the woman's question.
So your first question is about me and the Young Cult Leader?
She wanted to question the woman immediately, but Geom Mu-geuk stepped forward first.
"I've answered, so I'll ask the next question."
"Go ahead."
"I'll ask Miss Cha."
Once again, after everyone toasted and emptied their cups, Geom Mu-geuk asked Cha Yi-ran.
"Who is the person you trust the most?"
It was a question with many layers. She could name a family member or her leader. She could even name someone who had come here with her for this mission.
Cha Yi-ran looked at Geom Mu-geuk with a mysterious glint in her eyes.
"I asked about someone you like, but you ask about someone I trust. Were you afraid I'd say it was you if you asked who I liked?"
After a bright laugh, she answered the question.
"The person I trust the most is..."
A shocking statement flowed from her lips.
"Someone you know as well."
"!"
Geom Mu-geuk stared at her, his expression filled with shock. He couldn't fathom what she meant by that.
"I won't tell you who it is, just to keep you dying of curiosity. Consider it retaliation for your first answer."
She downed three penalty cups in a row, set her cup down, and asked, "Now, who's next?"