Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Prove It Here (1)
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"S-Spare me... Second Elder... Please..."
"By now, your father might not even be the Second Elder anymore. I've left the cult, so the hierarchy must have shifted by now, wouldn't you say?"
It was utterly irrelevant. Displeasing the old man right in front of him meant certain death—no escaping that.
The Second Elder's gaze, cold as a serpent's, was unlike anything the man had ever seen from him before.
Kyeong Hyeon-dong felt a chill crawl up his spine as he forced his trembling lips open.
"Wh-what can I do for you? Anything... please... Second—no, Hero Huang...!"
"No need to be so terrified. What intrigues me is that you came bearing information that might help me..."
That was right. Kyeong Hyeon-dong had sought out the Second Elder in the first place, hoping that sharing the tale of his wife's infidelity might prove useful somehow.
Her lover was the disciple of that Blood Demon who had humiliated him.
Once he learned the man's identity, he had no confidence in acting himself—and if he bungled it, he'd only end up disgraced. So he'd come begging for Huang Du-myeong's wisdom.
"If I tell you, I..."
"Hah, did I ever once say I'd take your life? My men must have roughed you up a bit and scared you senseless."
He patted his shoulder gently with a faint smile, but those eyes remained chillingly cold.
"No need to worry. You're not even worth the effort to kill. Keeping you alive holds more value. Satisfied now?"
The horrific insult came in the softest voice imaginable, yet Kyeong Hyeon-dong couldn't so much as twitch—like a frog paralyzed before a snake.
Besides, such bluntness somehow rang more true.
Kyeong Hyeon-dong confessed the truth of his wife's affair and that her lover was the Blood Demon's disciple, Kang Yun.
'Doesn't seem particularly useful right now, but...'
Huang Du-myeong listened with keen interest before patting Kyeong Hyeon-dong's shoulder again.
"Quite the intriguing tidbit. Might prove useful in its own way."
"I-Is that so...?"
"You'll be traveling with this fellow for a while. He's handy with his fists, so no need to fret. Two Ghosts, take good care of him."
"No worries, my lord!"
"H-Hero Huang, wait a moment..."
Ignoring Kyeong Hyeon-dong's grasp, Huang Du-myeong left only Two Ghosts—one of the Four Ghosts under his command—and exited the room.
Huang Du-myeong had suborned certain members of the Ming Cult's outer altars and was hiding with their aid.
"What shall we do?"
The Taoist attendant at his side, One Ghost, posed the question, only for Huang Du-myeong to turn it back on him.
"Keep him alive. Who knows when he might come in handy."
"Understood. We'll handle the Kyeong family fool that way. My lord, what I wished to ask was..."
"Ah, about Kang Yun?"
One Ghost nodded.
"His master may be the Blood Demon, but I never imagined he'd be the mad dog mounting old hags all over the Ming Cult headquarters. Probably the same with any women tied to him in the righteous factions."
"Yes, so if we spread that around the Jianghu right now, wouldn't it at least make for fine revenge against him?"
"One Ghost."
"Yes, my lord."
Huang Du-myeong halted and faced him squarely.
"How high do you think that one can climb?"
"What...?"
"I guarantee it—he'll reach at least the Transcendent realm without fail. Perhaps even among the fastest in Jianghu history."
History brimmed with countless masters, yet none matched the current Three Venerables.
Even the Ming Cult Lord Divine Demon—presumed the lowest among them due to his youth—would undisputedly claim the title of world's greatest in any other era, or so the rumors went.
And among such figures, this was the one whose talent the top-seated Blood Demon had recognized as his disciple.
A man who had shattered the wall to Peak realm in just over half a year.
"Falling from the heights hurts far more, doesn't it?"
"Ah..."
Huang Du-myeong gave the convinced One Ghost a single glance before resuming his stride forward.
'The moment he ascends to Transcendent, I'll make him the enemy of the entire martial world.'
The Ming Cult—no, the Demonic Cult's sole promise to him had ultimately gone up in smoke because of Kang Yun.
He intended to make him feel exactly what it was like to soar to the heavens only to plummet.
And if wielded shrewdly, that spark could set the entire martial world ablaze.
The old man harbored this sinister hope in secret delight.
"I see... So the Young Cult Leader..."
"I was planning to come find you soon anyway. Please understand—I truly wasn't trying to hide it."
Last night, I'd dropped by Chae Su-ran's place on a whim, only to get caught by her nose. In the end, I had no choice but to come clean.
I'd bowed my head in apology over and over, but faced with her dazed expression, I promised to return with Young Ho-kyeong the next day to apologize properly.
And here we were.
Young Ho-kyeong seemed to feel guilty too, keeping a humble posture, so I opened my mouth once more.
"I'm really sorry..."
There was nothing else to say but that I was truly sorry. Of course, Chae Su-ran knew full well I was the type to get hard for any hot milf I saw.
But apparently, she'd been worrying about me while I was in danger, only for me to show up with yet another woman. No wonder she felt slighted.
"You two don't need to apologize so much... I was just a little startled, that's all."
Chae Su-ran gave a faint smile and shook her head. She'd looked so utterly drained of life last night that I'd worried, but our repeated apologies seemed to have helped her accept it.
"What am I thinking? You have guests, and I haven't even prepared any tea. Wait just a moment, please?"
With those words, Chae Su-ran stepped out, and only then did I—having held my breath in tension—let out a long exhale.
"Haa..."
Her expression yesterday had been deathly, really worrying me, but today she seemed at least a bit recovered.
"It's all your fault. Reflect on it."
He was absolutely right. Young Ho-kyeong had barged in oblivious to Chae Su-ran's existence—how jarring and awkward must that have been for her?
My shoulders slumped even further.
"That aside, this place is awfully... barren."
Meanwhile, Young Ho-kyeong glanced around the room and tilted his head. Truth be told, I'd thought the same on my first visit.
It was quite tidy, with all the necessities present, but utterly devoid of any personal flair or taste.
Of course, some people preferred rooms without such touches, but in Chae Su-ran's case...
"Hm?"
Young Ho-kyeong turned at my puzzled murmur, but I just waved it off and sank into thought.
Come to think of it, Young Ho-kyeong was the very woman Kyeong Hyeon-dong had set his sights on as a wife. I'd heard he'd leveraged his status as a Three Elders' son and scion of a renowned family to pursue her.
But in the end, he hadn't won her, instead taking Chae Su-ran as his bride—and treating her quite poorly, from what I gathered.
'During their marriage, do you think Kyeong Hyeon-dong ever refrained from comparing her to Young Ho-kyeong?'
Maybe it hadn't ended all that well for her after all.
Chae Su-ran returned from outside the room with a hollow, vacant expression, as if her soul had fled.
'No helping it...'
Young Ho-kyeong, seen up close after so long, was as stunning as ever.
Though significantly older than herself, the gap in martial prowess meant Chae Su-ran would age while Young Ho-kyeong retained her current beauty for years to come.
She could already envision the man's heart gradually tilting toward Young Ho-kyeong, just like her husband's had.
His personality wouldn't lead to outright cruelty like her husband's, but eventually, his attitude toward her would grow neglectful. That much was certain.
'No helping it... The Young Cult Leader has everything... so that's just how it is...'
She forcibly swallowed back the tears welling up. Reddened eyes would give her away to him in an instant.
She smothered her emotions, striving to keep her thoughts from showing on her face.
Just endure a little longer.
She took the tray from her maid, who glanced at her with concern, announced herself, and reentered the room.
'Smile. Just keep smiling a bit longer.'
The shock she'd just felt would fade in time. Once she got past this moment, hiding the pain would come more naturally.
Upon returning, she found the man standing, waiting for her.
"Why are you standing? You could have sat and waited..."
Was she speaking naturally? She felt disoriented, but the man paid no heed, snatching the tray from her and setting it on the table.
"Wh-why?"
With a grave expression, he seized her arm and spoke.
"I have a lot of women. Mostly the kind I can't openly brag about to others."
"...I heard."
"I love all of them. And you too, Su-ran."
"That too. Why all of a sudden... Kyaa!"
The man abruptly yanked open her clothes, drawing a shriek from Chae Su-ran.
"Wh-what are you doing? The Young Cult Leader is right there..."
"This might be a bad idea. You might even get furious at me later for it, but I feel like I have to do this."
He'd been rambling on about whatever he wanted to say. Yet even as he spoke, his hands never stopped undressing her.
"We've only had a short time so far, but I promise—now and in the future—to make you feel good for as long as possible."
"Wh-what are you even..."
Chae Su-ran feigned confusion, but she was gradually realizing these were the very words she'd longed to hear most.
"Don't ever compare yourself to the others. You're you. Beautiful enough that I had to threaten you just to fuck you. You even agreed to bear my child."
The crudest confession imaginable—brimming with nothing but raw desire to fuck—struck straight to her heart.
"So strip. Right now. Prove it here: that you're such a lewd bitch making my cock feel so good, even the wife your husband couldn't live without would have to admit it."
"My husband..."
The worst possible words. Yet they were the one and only thing that could utterly erase the anxiety that had plagued her heart.
Chae Su-ran finally burst into tears.
"Eh, wh-what? Was that wrong? Su-ran? You okay?"
"I told you—no woman would actually like hearing that insane crap... Huh?"
The Young Cult Leader mercilessly judged the man, who revealed his fluster without hiding it in his dumbfounded tone. But then he fell silent, noticing the tear-streaked face of Chae Su-ran—her lips curved in a radiant smile.
She existed. A woman who found true peace in such deranged words.