Chapter 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Facing the Cult Leader (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It’s human nature for the mind to go blank when faced with the unexpected.
Hong Yeorin was no different. She had somehow endured the endless string of insults, but she never imagined he would resort to such an extreme measure.
Her eyes widened as she stared at Cheon Hajin.
His expression was calm. His eyes were on her, but they seemed to hold a resolve that looked beyond her, at something else.
‘N-No, surely not?’
Just then, the captain of the guard bowed his head.
“I will send word to the Palace of the Demonic God. However, I cannot say how long it will take for permission to enter to be granted…”
“It doesn't matter.”
“Understood. I will prepare a carriage as soon as permission is granted.”
After a crisp salute, the captain hurried away.
Hong Yeorin held her breath without realizing it.
‘He's serious!’
In truth, there was no need to ask.
Because no one was audacious enough to falsely request an audience at the Palace of the Demonic God.
The Palace of the Demonic God was a sanctuary that was never touched, even amidst all the dirty political strife among the cult's leadership.
The Palace of the Demonic God.
The residence of the Cult Leader—the incarnation of Papiyas, the Heavenly Demon who rules the Realm of Desire—and a grand temple revered as sacred in its own right.
This madman truly intended to take that promissory note to the Palace of the Demonic God, to the Cult Leader himself.
“Third Young Master!”
Without a word, Cheon Hajin sat on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms. He’d never had much interest in her to begin with, but now, he truly couldn't care less.
Hong Yeorin, her face pale, fidgeted nervously.
She had turned a one-on-one fight into a localized skirmish, but it was the Third Young Master who had escalated it into an all-out war.
And she had no confidence she could handle this all-out war.
“…Are you trying to take me down with you?”
Cheon Hajin scoffed.
“I don't make deals unless they're profitable.”
“What did you say?”
“If I go down with you, I'm the only one at a loss. Why would I do that? Do you think your life is that valuable?”
Hong Yeorin's face twisted in a scowl.
“What kind of trouble do you think you'll be in with the Cult Leader?”
“Is there a problem?”
“If the Cult Leader finds out you made a deal with me, you won't get away unscathed either!”
“So what?”
“What?!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Cheon Hajin wagged his index finger.
“I'm tired of wasting my breath, so I'll spell it out for you. You're right. If he finds out about this mess, I'll get an earful too. He might even kick me out, since I've lost my martial arts anyway.”
“…”
“That's me, but what about you?”
Hong Yeorin's eyes trembled violently.
“Everyone knows your family is powerful, but there's a limit to that influence. At worst, I get exiled, but you? You could end up in prison. And naturally, the Red Snake House will be torn apart for the crime of having such a foolish daughter.”
Don't be ridiculous!
Hong Yeorin wanted to say that. But deep down, she had already admitted he was right.
Blood is thicker than water.
If her behavior today came to light, the Third Young Master would certainly be seen as a disgrace, but she would be utterly ruined in the world of demonic martial arts.
And in the worst-case scenario, the Red Snake House would also fall out of the Cult Leader's favor.
‘How can this be?!’
She couldn't understand. The Third Young Master she knew was not someone who would make such a reckless, self-destructive move.
That was why she had been able to act so boldly.
The reason she was certain the Third Young Master wouldn't make a bad move.
“You… don't you want to seize power?”
It was his ambition, comparable to her own.
He was a man who would go through fire and water to become the next successor.
That was why she was sure he would never do something that would crush an opponent at the cost of his own reputation.
But Cheon Hajin's answer was unbelievable.
“Correct.”
“W-What did you say?!”
Even all the previous shocks combined couldn't compare to her bewilderment now.
“I don't know what you thought of me, but that was the old me. I'm not interested in power now.”
“Why?!”
“You really are a stupid bitch. Do you think I can become the successor? With this body?”
Cheon Hajin laughed as if amused.
“Isn't that why you came here, because you knew that?”
“...!”
“You knew I had no chance, so why were you so sure my ambitions would be the same as before?”
In that moment, Hong Yeorin felt as if she'd been struck on the back of the head.
That's right. She no longer saw the Third Young Master as a steed worthy of her backing.
He was a sick horse, but once he had been a famed steed that could travel a thousand li in a day.
She should have considered what kind of desperate struggle that famed steed would put up when cornered.
The arrogance of already holding the reins, the certainty of being superior to her opponent.
Crucially, it was the vague confidence that she would never be harmed that had driven her into this corner.
“I'm sick of looking at you, so get out.”
Cheon Hajin even closed his eyes. Having regained his composure, he found his calm.
Hong Yeorin, on the other hand, couldn't afford to be calm at all.
As time passed, her heart pounded fiercely with anxiety. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her complexion grew noticeably pale.
‘No! This can't be happening!’
He was serious; he had to be. The captain of the guard had already left to send word to the Palace of the Demonic God.
She frantically racked her brain. She thought and thought, trying to find the best way out of this situation.
But no answer came to mind.
‘What do I do? What…?’
Just then, Cheon Hajin opened his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
“Should I call the guards and have you thrown out? Get out, now.”
Hong Yeorin bit her lip.
No answer? No. There was one. But the answer written on that sheet was too shameful, too humiliating.
An answer she would rather die than choose.
“What… what should I do?”
Cheon Hajin furrowed his brow.
“What are you talking about?”
Hong Yeorin bit her lip. Blood trickled from the bite, but she didn't even notice.
“I'm asking what I have to do for you to not tell the Cult Leader.”
“I told you to get out, and now you're spouting this nonsense. Take those hulks with you and scram, you bitch.”
The blatant insult made her clench her fists instinctively. But she couldn't offer to raise the amount like before.
The tables had turned.
She, who had used the deal to pressure the Third Young Master, was now in a position where she had to nullify the deal herself.
What must she do to make all their secret dealings disappear?
*Rustle.*
Hong Yeorin took out the contract.
Two copies of the contract. The originals, stamped with their respective seals.
Her eyes, bloodshot, stared down at the contract.
Just a moment ago, it had seemed like the ultimate trump card to pressure him, but now it looked like a sword poised to strike her own neck.
*Riiip!*
Cheon Hajin's eyes gleamed.
Hong Yeorin tore the contract in half, and then in half again. Then she held it to the nearby candle flame.
*Fwoosh.*
The two copies of the contract burned away.
The moment a huge sum of twelve thousand taels turned to ash.
Hong Yeorin said.
“You have the promissory note, but now that the contract itself is gone, you have no physical evidence.”
Her faintly trembling voice carried a deep sense of defeat and a hint of relief.
Cheon Hajin tilted his head.
“That may be true, but will it matter?”
“...?”
“Aren't you underestimating the most powerful man in the demonic martial world? Is the leader of the great Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon someone who needs to consider physical evidence to deal with a person?”
“...!”
“If he points his finger and calls you a sinner, you become a sinner, with or without evidence.”
*Tremble.*
Hong Yeorin's hand shook.
Cheon Hajin let out a dry laugh.
“What's important isn't some scrap of paper like a contract or a note, but what I tell the Cult Leader. Just like how you tried to manipulate public opinion with false rumors.”
“…”
“Why did you think you could do it, but I couldn't? You really live in a simple world, don't you?”
Cheon Hajin waved his hand dismissively.
“I can't be bothered to say more. Go on, get out.”
“I…”
“This one never listens the first time. I said get lost! I have nothing more to say.”
Hong Yeorin's expression was now a pitiful mess.
Things having come to this, she had no choice but to play her last card.
Something even more humiliating than throwing down and shattering the cards in her own hand.
The true solution to this crisis, one that had been hiding in a corner of her mind, unconsciously ignored and dismissed.
It was surrender.
‘Surrender? Bow my head?’
Am I supposed to bow my head just because I'm scared of this bastard's mouth? Me?
‘Never!’
Absolutely not. It was a matter of Hong Yeorin's pride as a person.
But… if she didn't bow her head, the rest of her life would be ruined. Furthermore, she would undoubtedly tarnish her family's name.
This was the first limit Hong Yeorin, who had always tasted the fruits of success with the power of her family behind her, had ever faced.
The wall named 'limit' was far taller, wider, and sturdier than she had vaguely imagined.
‘Damn it!’
Must she really surrender? Must she truly kneel because of this ridiculous situation?
Cheon Hajin looked at Aeng-hwa and shouted.
“Agh, what a pain. Aeng-hwa! Call the guards! These pests need to be dragged out to…”
“…I will.”
“Huh?”
*Thump.*
Hong Yeorin fell to her knees and bowed her head.
Her body trembled, but the shaking wasn't from fear.
“This lowly one…”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
A single, clear tear, filled with a myriad of emotions, fell.
“This lowly one has dared to be rude to a noble of the Divine Cult. I implore you, please, show me mercy.”
Cheon Hajin looked down at her with cold eyes.
The trembling in Hong Yeorin's body grew more intense. He could see how much she loathed this situation.
“…”
A heavy silence fell.
In the long silence, only the sound of Hong Yeorin's ragged breathing could be heard.
How much time had passed?
*Fwoosh!*
The sound of something burning was heard.
“Our debtor-creditor relationship ends with this.”
“…”
“Get out.”
Hong Yeorin rose without a word. Her head was bowed low, so her expression was hidden.
And so, Hong Yeorin and her two escorts disappeared.
“Hoo! This place is really stifling.”
He had felt that it didn't matter whether he told the Cult Leader about the deal with Hong Yeorin or not. But upon reflection, not telling him was indeed the safer option.
Cheon Hajin's expression turned serious.
“Now, all I have to do is wait.”
In the end, Hong Yeorin was nothing more than a gnat, unworthy of his attention. What was important to him now was the audience with the Cult Leader.
What if he refused to see him?
Then there was nothing to be done. After fully recovering his body, he would have no choice but to reconsider a way to escape to the outskirts.
But if the Cult Leader agreed to see him?
If his ruthless master, who hadn't summoned him for three months after he awoke from his qi deviation, granted his student permission to enter the palace?
‘I'll have to take the direct approach.’
Half a day later.
The voice of the captain of the guard came from outside the door.
“Young Master, word has come from the Palace of the Demonic God.”
“What is it?”
“Permission has been granted. A carriage has been prepared, so please get ready to enter the palace.”
Cheon Hajin slowly stood up.
A faint tension could be seen on his smiling face.
“Shall we go?”
The incident with Hong Yeorin had already vanished from his mind.