Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Chapter 16: Unexpected Home Visit (4)
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Azure Tower.
The most secretive chamber even within this place, the Shadow Sect's Infinite Branch.
Yoran rose from her seat, looking weary as she scanned the reports flying in from all directions.
"Whew. We've cleared the hurdle."
Tension released, fatigue crashed over her.
Not widely known to the world, but the recent incident in Infinite Citadel was no small matter.
The traitors hidden in the Murim Alliance.
Once exposed, a fierce battle of wits unfolded among those handling information across the jianghu.
Even now, countless informants were surely falling in the shadows.
"We got lucky."
The fortunate part was that the Shadow Sect had stayed out of this bloody power struggle.
Thanks to the Dark Lord's gift.
"Now we've joined hands with the Murim Alliance, and the Iron Chain Union won't be hostile either."
The result of prolonged negotiations.
With the matter she'd been fully devoted to finally resolved, exhaustion flooded in.
"Whew. I'm beat."
"We'll escort you inside."
Five shadow escorts dropped soundlessly beside her.
Yoran let out a long yawn and rose to her feet.
Time for a deep, unbroken sleep after so long.
As Yoran headed to her room, she felt utterly drained.
Her recent exploits had earned her a significant position in the Shadow Sect—that much was good.
The problem was that for security, her quarters changed every day.
By the time she wound through the corridors to the bedroom for tonight, Yoran was completely spent.
"High masters from righteous sects across the land will be flooding in for a while. Curb external activities and lay low for the time being."
"Understood."
Watching her loyal shadow escorts withdraw, Yoran opened the bedroom door.
She thought she'd forget the day's work and just sleep.
But a refreshing breeze rustled the hair by her ear.
'Wind blowing in?'
This was absolutely not supposed to happen.
'I definitely closed the door when I left.'
Someone had intruded.
The moment she reached desperately for the doorknob in ominous dread—
A voice sounded.
"Hey there."
It was an incredibly clear voice, laced with a pleasant charm.
Yoran froze mid-motion in the air and turned around. And she saw him.
"You came?"
The uninvited guest perched on the windowsill, smiling.
Zap.
Spotting the man smiling in the moonlight, a face she'd arbitrarily erased from memory resurfaced vividly.
Frightening, yet the being she'd longed for so desperately.
"Dark Lord!"
"The moonlight's nice, so I dropped by. Am I intruding?"
She shook her head instinctively, as if enchanted.
"You could've at least sent word if you were coming."
"Nah."
Yoran asked the one tilting a bottle of liquor while sitting on the windowsill.
"Buying more information?"
"Something like that."
In the moonlight cascading like silk and shattering, he turned his head.
His beautiful eyes—red, blue, or golden—were so vivid, they stole her breath.
"How much was the debt I left?"
Straight to money talk?
Yoran's voice, which had eagerly awaited reunion, sharpened a bit.
"One thousand gold taels."
"That's quite a sum."
"Thanks to the gift you sent, I made a killing. How I sold the Greenblood Executioner's head to the Murim Alliance for top dollar? I made first contact with the Beggars' Sect and..."
"No need for details. I knew you'd handle it."
A playful note crept into his subtly teasing voice.
"Oh dear. Turns out you owed more than I thought? I brought extra, but it seems unnecessary now."
Swish.
Yoran's face stiffened briefly at the bill of exchange he pulled out and shook.
- Continental Bank Note. One thousand gold taels.
Was it coincidence that it matched the debt she'd cleared exactly?
'No way.'
Incredibly, he'd precisely predicted her earnings.
'Undeniable. He knew I'd be here too.'
Not just profound martial arts.
Strong, clever, meticulous.
Almost inscrutable.
A being not of this world—that feeling brought fear mingled with ecstasy.
'My judgment was spot on.'
Yoran's voice grew cautious.
"What terrifying information would require such a fortune?"
"Why assume it's terrifying?"
"Two thousand gold taels buys any dangerous intel in the world."
"Is that so? Let's hear what it can buy first."
In this twenty questions game, Yoran thought.
'This might be a test.'
She lobbed a joking opener.
"Hohoho. Anything you desire. Want the color of the Murim Alliance Leader's undergarments?"
"Who cares what color an old man's wearing."
"Hmm. How about a tomb hiding a former master's remains? Or info on the flowers of the jianghu men covet?"
"Pass. Kids aren't my taste."
A subtle relief washed over her.
'What childish thoughts.'
Suppressing her rising smile, she revealed her ace.
"Info on the shadow war between the Murim Alliance and Iron Chain Union?"
The war between the righteous Murim Alliance and demonic Iron Chain Union.
A tale anyone breathing in the jianghu yearned to hear.
"Pass. They grow by fighting."
No interest whatsoever.
'Impossible. Even in the original story, this was the most valuable info obtained by chance...'
Suspecting he was hiding his intent, Yoran eased her ploy.
"Worth at least three thousand gold taels. If two thousand's too much, I'll let it go for one thousand special."
"Don't just slash prices willy-nilly, or you'd do it every time."
Buying or not? No, before that—
'Who's the buyer and seller here?'
His voice continued.
"What I want is even more precious."
Yoran's face hardened.
'Is there anything more valuable or crucial in our sect right now?'
No.
Not at all.
But she couldn't back down. The pride of the Shadow Sect Infinite Branch Chief was at stake.
Snatching that one thousand taels from his pocket felt like a lifelong goal.
Yoran racked her brains nonstop.
'What does he want?'
'Demonic Cult? Impossible. No one knows beyond the desert.'
'Imperial court news? Come to think, signs point to intensifying power struggles there...'
Then it happened.
Flutter. Flutter.
When she snapped to, the one thousand tael bill had effortlessly landed in her hand.
"Got any liquor worth one thousand gold taels?"
Liquor? Liquor of all things.
"W-We have rare Jiannan Chun supplied to the imperial court."
"Sounds good."
"...It costs thirty gold taels."
No liquor, no matter how fine, cost one thousand gold taels a bottle.
Thirty was the priciest in Azure Tower.
Without the imperial seal, it wouldn't fetch half that.
'Is he toying with me?'
The questions continued.
"What's the most expensive dish right now?"
"Our珍味十式, made from rare ingredients nationwide. Ten gold taels."
"Twenty taels. Sorry for the rush order."
Fifty gold taels total.
An unimaginable sum for one night's earnings.
But fiddling with the bill, Yoran felt puzzled.
'What does he really want?'
He said he wanted to buy something.
So she offered the world's, the jianghu's most precious intel.
Then suddenly liquor and appetizers?
"Oops. Can't think of anything else to spend on? Change'll be hefty."
Seeing him banter, Yoran decided.
Match jokes with jokes.
"How about this then?"
She tugged her robe, baring one shoulder, and flashed her finest smile.
"Let my smile cover the shortfall—"
"No."
Firm rejection.
His stern expression made the joker feel guilty.
'Overdid it.'
Just a light jest, yet refused so coldly without a gap.
Her heart stung.
But she understood soon enough.
She was a courtesan.
A courtesan's smile worth one thousand gold taels? Unacceptable even in jest.
"I'll prepare the balance right away."
She rose glumly.
No desire to linger with the shame and sorrow.
She wanted to escape and compose herself.
Then, a voice laced with amusement sounded.
"Your smile can't be mere change."
"...Pardon?"
"The one thousand buys your smile outright. Bring the remaining fifty later."
Thud.
His utterly gentle voice made her heart sink.
"In return, will you greet me with a smile anytime, anywhere?"
His eerie eyes—red and blue in the moonlight—turned her way.
Thump.
Staring into eyes shining brighter in the cold moonlight, Yoran nodded, entranced.
'Voice won't come.'
Legs went weak; she froze mid-rise, unable to move.
Who was this man?
What had this inscrutable demon done to her?
Had she fallen to a yokai that bewitches people?
Her thoughts melted in the heat blazing from her heart, unable to continue.
"I-If my smile suffices..."
"More than enough. Bought a rare treasure today."
He wanted to buy something.
'It was my smile?'
My smile, living in this lowly, filthy place?
Honestly, the math didn't add up.
The one thousand tael debt remained; she'd earned one thousand, but it was a loss.
Because of his words.
- Anytime. Anywhere, greet me with a smile?
'Anytime' or 'any circumstance'.
This being looked perilously dangerous at a glance.
Wouldn't bat an eye if he stirred absurd chaos and got hunted by the world.
Yet she'd promised to always, no matter how dangerous, greet him smiling whenever he came.
This wasn't a deal.
'Just a one-sided shackle.'
An unacceptable contract for the Shadow Sect Infinite Branch Chief, one of the sect's key figures.
Reason screamed to end it now.
But Yoran—
Shiver.
Fingertips trembling, she finally reached out.
"I offer my smile to the Dark Lord."
"Dark Lord? Just—"
The demon spoke with that enchanting smile.
"Hwi. 'Hwi' is enough."
The demon's smile was stunningly beautiful.
A certain day with vacation just around the corner.
Bronze Hall buzzed with excitement.
Especially the young students who'd just entered as new trainees and trained diligently—they seemed thrilled at the prospect of going outside.
"Heading home?"
"Yeah, thinking about it. Our family's not far. You going too? Isn't it pretty distant?"
"The elders are attending a Murim Alliance meeting this time. Planning to stay at the manor set up in Infinite Citadel."
They bustled packing, chattering about trips or visits.
"Yaaawn. So noisy."
"Lots of trainees heading out this vacation."
"Really?"
"Usually, distant homes mean they skip trips and stay at the academy."
Yeo Mae-hong figured it was because Murim Alliance events had drawn sect elders en masse to Infinite Citadel lately.
"Back in my day, rest during training was a pipe dream. World's changed."
"Says the one dozing daily?"
"That was then, not now."
"No different from me..."
Her poke in the side stung sharply, like she was annoyed.
"Ow ow ow."
As he writhed, Yeo Mae-hong tilted her head.
"By the way. Doesn't the new instructor vanish at night a lot lately?"
"M-Me?"
Had she caught on?
'No way.'
He always left a 'fabricated presence' when slipping out.
'No matter how sensitive, distinguishing a fake presence is near impossible...'
Yeo Mae-hong pushed up her lower lip with her index finger and replied.
"New Instructor grinds his teeth twice an hour asleep, kicks the wall five times every two hours."
"......"
"Felt subtly different lately, so I wondered."
Scary sharp intuition.
But more than that—
'How does she remember my sleep habits?'
Women's instincts are terrifyingggg.