Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: A Visit to the Sound Flower Tower
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Sima Jin, having completed his investigation, returned straight to the Heavenly Demon Palace.
He headed to the Pure Heaven Pavilion and, reviewing the recent incident, prepared a report to present to the Cult Leader.
"The Hyeok Clan is going to be in turmoil for a while."
Who could have guessed that the Chief Steward and the Falling Petal Squad Leader were spies?
Moreover, since the Chief Steward was someone who had served the Hyeok Clan loyally for generations, the shock must have been doubly profound.
But even so, the silver lining was that they had rooted out the spies, even if it was late.
There would be mountains of tasks to handle right away, but in the end, they would move forward.
'If they don't, that would be a problem.'
The Hyeok Clan was the Cult Leader's home clan.
Moreover, with the Cult Leader having passed down the family martial arts and even exposed the spies, they could now be seen as the most reliable allies among the Seven Great Demon Clans in the current situation.
Thus, their stabilization and expansion of influence would greatly solidify the Cult Leader's position.
'Of course, the worrying part remains.'
External wounds show easily, but internal pain does not.
All the clan members of the Hyeok Clan, from the Patriarch to the Young Lord, must have felt betrayal and profound loss.
How much they would accept it, alleviate it, and when they would fully shake it off—no one could know.
Sima Jin could only hope they recovered quickly.
Creeeak.
"You've returned."
As Hyeok Mulin entered the Pure Heaven Pavilion, Sima Jin moved to give his report immediately.
However, sensing the silent atmosphere, he paused and glanced at the Cult Leader.
His furrowed brows, hardened gaze, and stiff lips.
Seeing that face, Sima Jin intuited it instantly.
The Cult Leader had returned from the Hyeok Clan.
And he had confronted the spy in person.
'I'll report later.'
Sima Jin didn't want to add to his already complicated state of mind.
Postponing the report, he picked up his brush again to continue his work.
At that moment, Hyeok Mulin's lips parted slightly.
"Deputy Strategist. Care for a drink?"
Sima Jin froze at the words, then casually pushed aside his documents and replied.
"Yes, I've just finished my tasks."
"Good. Prepare then."
Sima Jin quickly changed clothes and prepared to head out.
"Where shall we go?"
"To the Sound Flower Tower."
The Sound Flower Tower.
Wasn't that the core hub of the Yagul Clan's aggressively expanding Sound and Song District business?
Guessing Hyeok Mulin's intent, Sima Jin nodded.
"I can't see the end."
At the top of the Sound Flower Tower, in the office, Tower Master Yagul Okryeon let out a deep sigh.
As the Yagul Clan's Sound and Song District business progressed, she had taken on heavy responsibilities, and lately, the flood of documents had kept her confined to the office, tormented by work.
Because of that, exhaustion shadowed her eyes after ten days of barely sleeping an hour a day on average.
'Stuck with paperwork all day and still like this—I was right to leave the Sound Flower Tower to the Chief Steward.'
With tasks piling up, Yagul Okryeon felt the need to delegate.
So, she had temporarily entrusted the tower's operations to the Chief Steward and instructed him not to disturb her.
That allowed her at least an hour of sleep; otherwise, she might have died of overwork by now, never to open her eyes again.
"Yawwwn."
A long yawn stretched from Yagul Okryeon's mouth.
Her eyelids were starting to droop involuntarily.
As she blinked, her head suddenly dropped forward for a moment, and she admitted she had reached her limit, deciding to rest her eyes briefly.
'Just an hour, then back to it.'
She had no intention of sleeping long.
No time for that.
No more, no less—just one hour, she resolved, leaning back diagonally in her chair.
As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell into a light doze without realizing it.
But then.
Thud thud thud thud!
Urgent footsteps rapidly approached the office from outside.
And at their end.
Bang!
"T-Tower Master! Big trouble!"
The Sound Flower Tower's Chief Steward, Geum Ans u, burst through the door into the office.
Startled awake by the sudden noise, Yagul Okryeon glared at him sharply and said,
"Chief Steward, do you not know etiquette? I told you to knock lightly before entering my office."
"I'm sorry! It was so urgent I acted without thinking!"
"...I hope this matter is worth interrupting my work."
Her brief nap ruined, Yagul Okryeon fixed him with a cold stare.
But Geum Ans u, his face deathly pale as if seeing something far more terrifying than her chill expression, pleaded,
"An honored guest has arrived at the Sound Flower Tower. It seems you must receive them personally, not I..."
"Honored guest? Do you mean the Patriarch from the main clan?"
Yagul Okryeon assumed the guest was Yagul Hyeon.
She had received word he would soon visit the site to check on the Sound and Song District progress.
However, Geum Ans u shook his head, sweating profusely.
"No. Not the Patriarch..."
"...?"
She tilted her head as he trembled unusually, dragging out his words.
Geum Ans u swallowed hard and carefully spoke.
"The Cult Leader has come to the Sound Flower Tower."
Silence descended on the office.
A moment later, doubting her ears, Yagul Okryeon responded not with an answer but a question.
"The Cult Leader—you mean the one I know?"
"Yes. The Leader of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and our Heavenly Demon has graced the Sound Flower Tower."
"This isn't a dream, is it?"
"It's reality."
Whoosh!
A chill ran down her neck, instantly banishing sleep and fatigue, and Yagul Okryeon shot to her feet.
She hurriedly donned her outer robe and rushed out of the office.
"If that happened, you should have told me immediately! When did they arrive?!"
"Just now! As soon as I saw the Cult Leader's carriage entering the courtyard, I ran to inform you!"
Tap! Thud thud thud!
Yagul Okryeon descended the stairs at an unprecedented speed.
Though ignorant of movement techniques, in that moment, she moved as swiftly as a martial artist at the pinnacle, gliding down to the first floor like on ice.
And fortunately, she wasn't late.
As she reached the first floor and approached the entrance, the doors opened soon after, and several men entered.
'It's real.'
Having dealt with many high-ranking demonic figures while running the Sound Flower Tower, she immediately recognized Hyeok Mulin at the center.
Even with a minimal escort, disregarding that, the aura emanating from the man himself felt distinctly different from those around him.
"Are you the Tower Master?"
"Yes."
As Sima Jin asked, Yagul Okryeon, who had paused in thought, hurriedly bowed her head.
In that posture, her eyes gleamed.
The Cult Leader's visit.
This was both a crisis and an opportunity.
She didn't know the reason for visiting the Sound Flower Tower, but it was undoubtedly a monumental event the tower might see once in a lifetime.
Moreover, if word of the Cult Leader's visit spread amid the Yagul Clan's Sound and Song District expansion, it would bring immense benefits later.
"Is there a private room where sound doesn't leak?"
"Of course. Please follow me to the top floor."
As Yagul Okryeon turned to guide them, she signaled the Chief Steward with her eyes.
Geum Ans u quickly dashed to the kitchen, ordering all available rare dishes to be served.
Hyeok Mulin, guided to the top-floor private room, sat with Sima Jin, while the escorts were led to another room.
Before long, luxurious dishes began arriving one by one on the top floor.
The table overflowed with enough food for twenty men, let alone two.
Sima Jin tested them one by one with a silver needle.
'No real need, but...'
Hyeok Mulin was immune to all poisons, so even the Tang Clan's Heart-Piercing Gut-Cutting Poison would mean nothing, but Sima Jin didn't stop his zeal.
Confirming no poison, Sima Jin nodded.
"Cult Leader, what about drinks?"
"Today, I'm in the mood for baekju."
"Bring all types of liquor. And dismiss the attendants."
Sima Jin sent away the waiting attendants and ordered every liquor the establishment offered.
Dozens of bottles soon lined up into the private room.
"Please let me know if there's anything you need."
Yagul Okryeon bowed politely and closed the sliding door.
Now, only the two men remained in the private room.
Remembering Hyeok Mulin's words, Sima Jin set aside the finer liquors and first took the plain baekju bottle.
Holding the unadorned gourd bottle, he respectfully poured for Hyeok Mulin.
Hyeok Mulin stared fixedly at the received cup.
After a brief silence, Hyeok Mulin slowly parted his lips.
"My people are growing."
"Congratulations."
"And among all those people, the first one I sought out was you. Do you know why?"
"...I have no idea."
Sima Jin shook his head after a moment's thought.
"It was because of the Hyeok Clan's Chief Steward, Hwang Gi-bok. He taught me that swinging a sword isn't the only way to live in this world. He showed me the importance of intellect over force, so I sought a strategist to advise me above all else."
Sima Jin couldn't even imagine the sense of loss the Cult Leader felt.
What he felt capturing a spy he had no prior acquaintance with was worlds apart from the Cult Leader sending off a retainer of over a decade, spy or not.
Thus, he quietly listened to Hyeok Mulin's words.
"Unlike his appearance, he was a hardcore drinker. But he always said he tightened his belt for the clan and only touched cheap liquor."
Hyeok Mulin gazed bitterly at the baekju and emptied the cup in one go.
"If he was going to leave like this, he should have enjoyed some fine liquor first."
Clink.
Setting down the cup, Hyeok Mulin asked Sima Jin,
"Do you drink?"
"Not well. But in the past, I had to."
The former Sima Jin had roamed outside the clan with wastrels.
Back then, he thought it was for the clan and his brothers.
But now, having left the clan to stand by Hyeok Mulin and face a wider world, he realized it was a foolish notion.
"I suppose I feared the unknown world I hadn't stepped into. Maybe I wished only for peaceful days without opposing anyone. Even though I knew deep down it was impossible."
Sima Jin swallowed the liquor with a wry smile.
To change the mood, he chuckled lightly and spoke.
"But in a way, it's fortunate. If I'd shown my talent and become the Sima Clan's Young Lord, I wouldn't be here now, right? Probably some other brother would be advising you instead."
"No. Even if you were the Young Lord, I would have taken you."
Hyeok Mulin's firm reply left Sima Jin slightly flustered.
"Taking the Young Lord of one of the Seven Great Demon Clans would make complete enemies of that clan."
"It's fine. Even if it means becoming enemies with the Sima Clan, I need you more."
Hyeok Mulin's voice held no hesitation as he murmured.
It wasn't flattery but genuine belief, making Sima Jin's chest tighten as he bowed his head briefly.
Could there be greater fortune than a lord who acknowledged him so fully?
He bit his lower lip hard, barely holding back tears.
Drip.
Hyeok Mulin poured baekju into his own cup himself.
He filled it slightly overflowing, set down the bottle, and took the cup.
'I will move forward.'
Hyeok Mulin swallowed the past cleanly with the final drink.
No more looking back.
For myself, and for those by my side, I will advance.
Clink.
Setting down the cup, Hyeok Mulin switched the bottle to baekhwa.
He poured into Sima Jin's cup and asked,
"Have you looked into Tae-eun Merchant Group?"
"Yes. According to the Secret Affairs Hall's investigation, they mainly trade military supplies and have risen to one of Shin-gang's top ten merchant groups by successfully conducting large-scale long-distance caravans consecutively."
"They have some capability."
Long-distance trade required vast resources, manpower, and time; one failure could threaten the group's existence.
But success brought equally massive profits.
Thus, Tae-eun had overcome those risks through ability.
"Yes. Setting other things aside, the merchant group itself runs quite smoothly."
"The problem is their backers."
"Exactly. Their true masters are..."
The ones who planted spies in the Hyeok Clan were none other than.
"The Tyrant Sword Sect."
The Tyrant Sword Sect.
Hyeok Mulin nodded without surprise.
He hadn't mentioned it without confirmation, but he had suspected as much.
In his previous life, when the Hyeok Clan fell, the biggest beneficiary was the Tyrant Sword Sect.
After the clan's decline, they absorbed nearby sects, grew massively, and dominated the region.
"The Tyrant Sword Sect was founded by the Tyrant Power Sword Demon, Deung Hwang. They cultivate domineering swordsmanship, excelling in rapid strength gains, and have recently recruited many demonic talents as disciples."
Tyrant Power Sword Demon Deung Hwang.
He was a swordsman famed for his overbearing style, who killed the Seven Kills Sword Demon, lord of the Seven Kills Sect, destroyed it, and made his name.
Rejecting other sects and clans, he suddenly established the Tyrant Sword Sect in the Hyeok Clan's sphere.
"The Tyrant Sword Sect already commands hundreds of disciples and is progressing smoothly. However..."
Sima Jin paused, then continued with evident puzzlement.
"Even as they are, it's sufficient, so I couldn't fathom why they'd risk planting spies in the Hyeok Clan and eye that region."
Of course he wouldn't know.
His goal defied common sense.
"I know the reason."
"Pardon? Truly?"
"Yes."
Hyeok Mulin nodded and continued.
"It's because of the Demon Realm Four Gates."
"The Demon Realm Four Gates? But why suddenly the Hyeok Clan..."
Sima Jin, questioning with a puzzled look, suddenly realized and raised his voice.
"No way...!"
"Indeed. The Tyrant Power Sword Demon foolishly harbors ambitions to join the Demon Realm Four Gates."
The Demon Realm Four Gates.
The four sects representing Shin-gang.
The Illusion Shadow Gate, masters of formations and illusory arts.
The Life Creation Gate, experts in pill refinement and alchemy.
The Southern Iron Gate, formed around wanderers.
And finally, the Shared Spirit Beast Gate, attuned to spirit beasts.
The Tyrant Sword Sect sought to insert itself among these four.
"The Tyrant Power Sword Demon knows well that attacking the Hyeok Clan head-on with the Tyrant Sword Sect is like an egg striking a rock."
No matter how declining, the Hyeok Clan was one of the Seven Great Demon Clans, while the Tyrant Sword Sect was a rising power yet still an unnamed upstart.
"But the clear reason they drew swords on the Hyeok Clan is this: they scheme to use it to elevate the sect's fame and status."
Currently, the Tyrant Sword Sect had gathered many disciples and expanded its influence.
But to enter the Demon Realm Four Gates and make its name known across Shin-gang, they needed a major incident.
And they chose conflict with the Hyeok Clan as that trigger.
From their perspective, gaining the feat of facing one of the Seven Great Demon Clans alone would raise their prestige.
For the Hyeok Clan, face demanded they not go all-out against a mere sect, so victory wasn't impossible.
Even defeat against a Seven Clan wouldn't bring shame, and an unlikely win would bring huge rewards.
Infiltrating spies fit the same pattern.
If caught, it sparks the dispute; if not, they erode the declining clan's power bit by bit to provoke them.
"To scheme such a thing—they're more cunning than expected. But it's impossible. The Demon Realm Four Gates won't join just because a sect boosts its fame."
"That's why I called him a fool. Like believing climbing a mountain leads to ascension."
"What will you do?"
"We won't intervene further."
Exposing the spy was enough.
Any more involvement would diminish the Hyeok Clan's standing.
And fights should be settled by the aggrieved themselves.
"Compile everything on the Tyrant Sword Sect and send it to the Hyeok Clan."
"Understood."
After receiving the order, Sima Jin voiced lingering concern.
"Can the Hyeok Clan handle the Tyrant Sword Sect?"
For face, the Seven Great Demon Clans couldn't go all-out against one sect.
The Patriarch wouldn't step in, at best sending a Martial Force Unit.
One Hyeok Clan unit versus the Tyrant Sword Sect head-on.
Sima Jin didn't rate their odds highly.
But Hyeok Mulin showed no worry.
"It's fine."
To awaken the sleeping tiger, they would make the perfect opponent.