Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: What Are You Doing Here? (1)
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After ejaculating into Chae Su-ran several times, I slipped out of the house in Kyung-hyeon Cave once more under the cover of the deep night.
"The guards patrolling around here are all pretty high-level, huh..."
They were all first-rate at minimum, but fortunately, my movement technique had advanced considerably and was now effective even against peak experts. So I moved with utmost caution, hiding quietly and silently.
Unlike the Tang Family, where I'd memorized all the patrol routes, here I had no idea about their patterns, so it took a lot longer.
"It's a hassle, but when it comes to fucking someone else's woman, this much effort is the least I can do."
The moon was shining brightly tonight, making everything around clearly visible, so I had to hide even more carefully.
After creeping along like that, Yeongbin Pavilion came into view.
There was one person guarding the entrance, so I held my breath quietly and waited.
I waited and waited until a gap appeared in the vigilance, then seized the moment when the guard stretched and quickly slipped past the entrance.
"Huh?"
But in that instant as I passed, I realized something strange.
I wasn't the only one passing through that gate.
"Shit."
The other person was also dressed in tight black night clothes and a black mask to avoid detection, just like me. Clearly not someone moving openly.
What to do? Chase and catch them? But why?
In the end, I didn't need to agonize over it.
"Crazy...!"
The figure, who had been moving in the opposite direction from me, suddenly charged back at me while drawing a sword.
The sword drawn with swift, concise motions... a soft sword?
I hurriedly gathered qi into my right hand as I watched the flexible blade whip out languidly, then stiffen rigidly as it absorbed qi.
The moment the qi gathered in my palm glowed white, ready to parry the opponent's sword, their blade moved fluidly, giving the sensation of a miss.
Following the principles of softness, it deflected my power smoothly, then lashed out swiftly again toward my waist.
I channeled yin energy into my left hand to wrap around the sword tip and disperse the force.
We both knew we couldn't make noise in this situation, so even as we clashed fiercely, whenever one of us softly deflected an attack, we fought in utter silence.
Then, at some point, as if by prior agreement, we leaped back and came to a halt in place.
"...Flame King Sword?"
"I told you, it's not the Flame King Sword."
After exchanging blows, she and I—she, not some guy—recognized each other's identities.
There was no way I could forget. She was the first opponent I'd fought to the death with after falling into the martial world.
I altered my voice slightly as I asked,
"What is a righteous faction member doing out here in the dead of night? Lady Huangbo."
Huangbo Hyo-seon, still aiming her soft sword glowing faintly white at me, fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"A Demonic Cultist? I didn't think you practiced demonic arts...?"
Apparently, the Martial Alliance representative who'd come here was Huangbo Hyo-seon.
But what was she doing here?
Huangbo Hyo-seon had sneaked out of Yeongbin Pavilion at night to monitor the Demonic Cult headquarters for any suspicious signs.
The Peng Family incident was clearly a trap meticulously prepared over many years.
They'd kidnapped and replaced key government officials, then gradually swapped out lower ranks over time to seize control—that was the Peng Family's guess.
Otherwise, there was no way they wouldn't have noticed after being introduced through the Yang Family, which had deep ties to the government.
"If it was intentional, they wouldn't apologize so readily..."
She didn't know that Blood Demon had truly spoken only the facts, with some influence from him, so Huangbo Hyo-seon suspected the Demonic Cult was plotting something.
Without any solid plan on what to do or how, she'd come outside anyway.
It was reckless without proper intel, but if there was some shady scheme, there was at least a slim chance of uncovering it.
"Yes, I won't deny it. I never expected to see you again here at the cult, Lady Huangbo."
But I hadn't imagined encountering this woman I'd met on Ami Mountain in Sichuan all the way out here at the edge of Xinjiang.
Huangbo Hyo-seon muttered bitterly,
"Talking about your mother and all that—it was just a ploy to deceive me after all. I suspected as much..."
"...What are you talking about? Yes, I did trick you back then, but it's true that my mother isn't well right now."
"I-is that so?"
It was true, just not unwell for the reasons Huangbo Hyo-seon imagined.
"Besides, I really didn't do anything wrong. Why should I let you drag me off without cause, Lady Huangbo? I had to make up some story."
"Hah, but aren't you a Demonic Cultist? Who knows if you're plotting harm against us common folk..."
"Did you have proof I was a Demonic Cultist back then?"
Huangbo Hyo-seon's mouth snapped shut.
Something had seemed off for sure, but now she couldn't recall exactly what.
Wearing a mask in an empty mountain with no one around, and exceptional martial arts—that path rarely had other people anyway, so few potential victims.
Huangbo Hyo-seon, unaware that her instincts had simply screamed suspicion regardless of reason, opened her mouth to speak but stopped.
Sasasak
The two sensed the approaching footsteps of a guard and melted into the building shadows like flowing water.
[So what are you doing here?]
[Cult business. Don't worry about it.]
The man clearly intended to enter Yeongbin Pavilion too.
Was there another outsider here besides her? The buildings were so vast and spread out, she couldn't be sure.
[Could it be, you're here to kill me...!]
[With my skills? In the cult, swarming with experts like stars in the sky?]
Irritated by the mocking tone, Huangbo Hyo-seon bristled but had no retort.
His skills had clearly skyrocketed far beyond a year ago. If he decided to flee now, she probably couldn't catch him.
But conversely, he wasn't at a level to threaten her life. Unless he ambushed her, that is.
[And what brings you sneaking around the Demonic Cult headquarters in the dead of night, Lady Huangbo? Don't you know a righteous faction member caught like this would be in big trouble?]
As an official envoy, the Demonic Cult couldn't touch her without cause, but this behavior gave them ample justification.
[This is Martial Alliance business. You don't need to know.]
[I see. Well, the guard seems to have passed, so I'll be off.]
As Huangbo Hyo-seon clamped her mouth shut, the man casually brushed off his curiosity.
Expecting him to press further, she grabbed his hem as he started to rise, halting him.
[Y-you're not going to ask more? Aren't you a Demonic Cultist?]
By her common sense, if an enemy envoy was prowling your base, you'd interrogate them or rally men to capture them—this guy's actions made no sense.
[Do you want me to pry further?]
[N-no, but...]
He slipped his hem from her loosened grip, nodded curtly, and vanished with a flick of his form.
She tried to track where he went, but he'd already darted between buildings, making pursuit difficult.
"What was that...?"
Realizing she'd escaped crisis only because a familiar Demonic Cultist spotted her left Huangbo Hyo-seon with a strange feeling.
That startled me.
I slipped between the buildings without Huangbo Hyo-seon noticing and returned to my quarters.
I'd deliberately gone via the outer buildings, so she'd think I was heading out of Yeongbin Pavilion. Still, I should be extra careful when going out for a while.
"But damn, she looks so fuckable..."
I'd already dumped plenty into Chae Su-ran, but due to the limits of Ascending Immortal Art without circulating qi, she couldn't endure as much—only about half the usual.
In that state, seeing Huangbo Hyo-seon in her skin-tight black night clothes and mask, her figure fully outlined, got me hard again.
"Profound Realm... Profound Realm..."
I sat cross-legged, replenishing the internal energy spent on sex while calming my mind to settle my dick.
There are usually only three things worth sneaking around at night for.
"Assassination, investigation, contact."
Huangbo Hyo-seon was trying to uncover something about the Demonic Cult.
Her skills weren't exceptional enough to assassinate a key cult figure, nor was she adept enough for covert contacts with cult insiders colluding externally.
Her position as the Alliance Leader's granddaughter wasn't ideal for such tasks either.
With my erection subsided, I decided to sleep first. Tomorrow, I could casually ask Young Ho-kyeong and maybe learn something.
Namgung Family in An-hui Province.
Eon So-young was conversing with the elderly matriarch of the Huangbo Family, who had entered her later years, now that she was back at the family seat for once.
"Your son is so young, yet he's handling the family head duties so admirably—it's quite surprising. Oh, no bad intent there..."
"I understand. I was shocked watching him too."
Eon So-young smiled gently, reassuring her as the Huangbo matriarch apologized as if regretting her rash words.
The wedding between Huangbo Jun and Namgung Hye was already set.
Yet the two were chatting side by side now because the family heads were discussing a different topic.
A gravely serious one: the Righteous-Demonic Great War.
"The Alliance Leader believes starting a Righteous-Demonic Great War now would be unwise. Not only are our chances low, but we should hear the Demonic Cult's side first."
"But Lord Huangbo, one of our righteous faction was attacked. What if they pretend to apologize, whittle down our forces bit by bit, then launch the war?"
"The Martial Alliance's armed forces will handle that somehow..."
The current Huangbo Family head, Huangbo Hyeong, was the son of Sword Saint Huangbo Un-geom, the Martial Alliance Leader. Naturally, he leaned pro-Alliance.
Meanwhile, his son Namgung Hak worried that even an apology from the Demonic Cult might be a ruse to weaken the righteous faction.
"If the Righteous-Demonic Great War breaks out, the wedding would be postponed, wouldn't it...?"
"Unfortunately, that's the likely outcome."
At the Huangbo matriarch's reply, Eon So-young glanced at Huangbo Jun and Namgung Hye shyly conversing.
Huangbo Jun was a truly kind-looking young man. Not one of the Nine Dragons, but exceptional in martial arts, and his character matched his appearance.
Moreover, he was deeply smitten with Namgung Hye, so she could entrust her with peace of mind.
Seeing her daughter laughing merrily at whatever story, Eon So-young suddenly recalled something.
"Big Brother and Cheon-gi were so worried about what my relationship with Young Master Kang is, so to prove there's nothing, we decided to invite Young Master Kang to the wedding."
She'd informed her with a pouty expression, but it was clear she knew it was good news for her mother and said it deliberately.
Eon So-young hoped.
That no Righteous-Demonic Great War would erupt, and her daughter could enjoy a happy married life.
And that her young husband, soon returning to An-hui, would be pleased to see their son.