The Dispute Over the Demonic Cult Farm
“Su Gyeongtak?! If that’s Donghyeol Uiju, Lord of the Uiseon Suga family!”
Gihundong, a member of the surveillance team, knew the name all too well, and even the official Yeomyeo-wol had heard of him.
The woman and man behind him had no trace of surprise on their faces. They had already guessed something like this the moment they heard Su Hwa-seon’s name.
“Hmm. Well, if it’s the right person, I’m sure you could meet Lord Ho-bu Sangseo. The credentials are perfect. The guarantor is beyond reproach… I have nothing more to say.”
They had completely dropped their suspicions. Gihundong simply handed the documents to Su Hwa-seon and stepped back without a word.
The woman and man behind him retreated even farther, folding their arms and closing their eyes as if to say they would no longer involve themselves in this matter.
“But there was something like that? You knew about it?”
If I had known, would I have stayed silent? Heh… Why did Mother hide it from me?
Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon chipped in as well. Su Hwa-seon took the documents, smiled gently, and offered them to Eunhyeon.
“This was given by your grandfather on the occasion of your birth twenty years ago.”
My maternal grandfather…? How… Did he know something like this would happen?
Not exactly that, but to prepare for a similar problem. Things like this can happen at any time.
I never imagined it…
It’s just experience. Your father has been through all sorts of things.
That made sense. Eunhyeon nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.
If the document hadn’t been prepared, it would have been a huge loss.
But he didn’t think that was the end of it. The two people still behind them were still looking at Eunhyeon’s side with disbelief.
“This can’t be…”
Gihundong, who had been half-lost in thought, muttered and quickly turned his head to look behind him.
“If there’s no other way, then we’ll have to step in.”
The woman who had been writing stepped forward as she lifted the veil.
She was a calm woman who looked older than Su Hwa-seon.
An unfamiliar man approached and whispered into her ear.
“Is there another way?”
Am I not the one to propose the method? The person in charge of this matter is obviously Gihundong branch chief and Vice Leader Seong Jung-hyeok.
Does that mean you came only to watch?
Of course. I’ve come this far, so I won’t just watch. There might be requests depending on the situation…
I see. If Officer Gong has stepped back like this, then there’s only one way left.
The man nodded slightly and looked at Su Hwa-seon before stepping forward slowly. He raised his hand casually, as if warning.
“Vice Leader of the Chukhobang. Seong Jung-hyeok.”
Seong Jung-hyeok shrugged lightly and spoke casually. Eunhyeon tried to step forward, but Su Hwa-seon blocked him and came out herself.
“I am Su Hwa-seon of the Uiseon Suga.”
Lord Gyeongtak-nim has met me a few times. He is truly a fine man. The Uiseon Suga has also been a frequent guest for our Chukhobang. After all, there is no other clan that specializes in internal medicine like you do.
Is that so? Thank you for the compliment.
The Uiseon Suga, being in the center, wasn’t on bad terms with the demonic sect Chukhobang either.
But that didn’t mean the relationship was good.
“However, the medicine prices are shockingly inconsistent. Especially, they only rise when there are many patients in the main house, as if they already know.
Seong Jung-hyeok’s words carried a heavy weight. Su Hwa-seon shook her head in exaggerated disbelief.
It’s unfortunate. Although I represent the Yeo family, I left them in my childhood…
I know. I heard that the eldest daughter of the lord, who was expected to receive outstanding talent, suddenly disappeared… I never imagined she would be here.
She’s actually farming here, so she might as well be hiding. But I never thought I’d meet the vice leader of the Chukhobang here.
Haha, the affairs of the Murim world are like that, aren’t they? You can’t see even one step ahead. I never imagined I’d end up arguing with the daughter of the Uiseon Suga right here.
Seong Jung-hyeok’s eyes sharpened as he spoke. Su Hwa-seon’s expression grew increasingly stiff.
From his words, it was clear he wouldn’t leave peacefully.
So Su Hwa-seon shrugged and said lightly, “Fighting? Didn’t the fight already end?”
The situation on that side is over, but there’s still the matter on this side.
The two chatted as if nothing was wrong, but an unknown tension slowly rose. Hidden weapons in their sleeves, they were sizing up the opponent’s gaps. In the quiet, a sinister aura lingered.
In the end, Su Hwa-seon had no choice but to get to the point.
“I suppose the vice leader has no intention of giving up this place?”
Of course. There’s quite a big stake in this matter, so I can’t just give up easily. If it could have been resolved with simple documents, that would have been the best. But I came specifically to prepare for a situation like this.
It sounds like you want to take it by force.
If you were just some common folk instead of the Uiseon Suga, I would have done it long ago. It would have been much easier.
Seong Jung-hyeok clearly had no intention of leaving like this. Su Hwa-seon narrowed her eyes at the meaningful words.
“We have no intention of fighting a duel, do we?”
It seems so. But since we can’t fight openly with the Uiseon Suga… we’ll have to think of another way.
From the way it looked, once Su Hwa-seon revealed she was from the Uiseon Suga, a direct fight would be impossible.
“What do you plan to do?”
The way Murim people get what they want in such situations isn’t too complicated, isn’t it? Even if I’ve been away from the Murim world for a long time, I know that much.
…Is it a duel?
And Su Hwa-seon also knew what he wanted. She answered quietly. Eunhyeon let out a small cry.
A duel?
It wasn’t a fight where lives were on the line, but a contest decided by what each side wanted. That was the duel Eunhyeon knew.
Regardless of good or bad, there was no reason for Eunhyeon to get involved. Since the land deed had been shown, there was no reason to accept such a duel.
Su Hwa-seon also looked displeased, as if she agreed with his thinking.
“That’s right. You don’t think we’re qualified, do you?”
It does seem that way… But isn’t a duel usually where both sides stake what they want?
Exactly. If we win, we get this place, and if we lose, we leave peacefully.
At first glance, it sounded plausible, but no one would fall for such trickery. Su Hwa-seon frowned and raised her voice, saying it was ridiculous.
“What nonsense. We don’t have the reason to do so. Didn’t you see the document earlier? The owner of this place is us from the very beginning. We have the right to tell you to leave. That can’t be a subject of negotiation.
Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon nodded at Su Hwa-seon’s logical words. It was proven that the rights to this place already belonged to their side.
So the rights of those who came here also belonged to their side. Whether they leave or not, it can’t be a subject of negotiation.
In the end, winning a duel would only bring even odds, or losing would mean leaving this place—unfair in every way. There was no reason for Eunhyeon’s group to accept a duel.
“That’s the truth. If we were truly righteous, it would have worked… But the Uiseon Suga is also in the middle, so you know what we might do to achieve our goals?”
…
Su Hwa-seon’s expression darkened instantly.
Soon, she regained her composure, but the killing intent hadn’t been fully suppressed. In that moment, everyone present saw Seong Jung-hyeok’s true nature in his face.
Tsk. As expected, the demonic faction is truly demonic. What a forced argument? You said something about medicine prices, but—
Ju Yu-ryeon clicked her tongue and muttered. Su Hwa-seon maintained her composure despite the provocation.
“So you want to fight after all?”
That won’t happen. As I said earlier, we can’t fight openly with the Uiseon Suga… But if we refuse the proposal, we’ll only be the ones who are bothered.
It sounds like you want to make things difficult.
Seong Jung-hyeok still spoke ambiguously.
Even when asked what he would do, he only shrugged lightly, as if to say he knew very well.
“Let’s talk between us a little.”
Very well. We’ll do that.
When Su Hwa-seon asked for a short break, Seong Jung-hyeok nodded. Su Hwa-seon returned to where Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon were and stepped a little farther back.
“It’s not that simple, after all.”
No. How are you going to make things difficult?
Eunhyeon asked in confusion, and Ju Yu-ryeon answered instead.
It’s literally about making things difficult. Making the other side come back and forth unnecessarily, hiring people to act like guests… This is mainly what creditors do when collecting debts.
So, isn’t it enough to just drive them away?
If it were the people who came yesterday, we could drive them away. But we could also hire ordinary people who know nothing at a low price. Can you really drive everyone away one by one?
It would definitely be troublesome.
Eunhyeon furrowed his brows and clicked his tongue at Ju Yu-ryeon’s words. Indeed, there were countless ways to make things difficult.
Anyway, why do you want this place so much? It seems like it’s not a big issue anymore…
Whether there’s really a gold mine here or another purpose doesn’t matter now. In a way, it’s simplified to either leaving or stubbornly staying—only two choices.
Yeo U-hui and Su Hwa-seon couldn’t know that much, so they stayed silent. Yoo Eunhyeon, lost in thought, gathered his thoughts and muttered softly.
“Maybe… it would be better to settle this with a duel?”
[Movement/form description]
A duel.