Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: To the Abyss Hall (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"A... a person?"
Chae So-ryeong was greatly startled by the unexpected words from this stranger whose face she had never seen.
When such absolute experts appeared to dismantle the Abyss Hall, nine times out of ten, they aimed to swallow up the immense wealth accumulated in the underworld or the entire foundation of their intelligence network.
In fact, the Hao Clan was desperate to absorb the Abyss Hall, forcing them to change locations several times, including this current hideout.
But this request was so trivial that she couldn't help but be startled.
"Yes."
"Who would you like us to find for you?"
"Yang Hui-gun."
"...!!"
At the mention of Yang Hui-gun, Chae So-ryeong was shocked once again and clamped her mouth shut.
"Do you know who he is?"
Even with his face covered, the Heavenly Demon could read her expression.
This was possible because she was a natural-born gambler.
"Of course. The Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun, the greatest prodigy of Liaoning Province—his fame has spread even to this Hebei Province."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes. Especially the rumors that he was the reincarnation of the Loyal Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang. Anyway... does your faction wish for the Abyss Hall to personally locate and hand over Young Master Yang Hui-gun?"
A sneer crept across the Heavenly Demon's face.
"I'm not underestimating the Abyss Hall's martial prowess, but if you could handle it on your own, the Beggars' Sect and Hao Clan would have shared even the smallest scraps of information by now, wouldn't they?"
The Heavenly Demon's words carried layers of meaning.
If even the Beggars' Sect and Hao Clan couldn't find him, it meant he was likely tied to some major figure. In that case, the Abyss Hall's forces alone probably couldn't manage it.
'This guy's no pushover!'
Chae So-ryeong had assumed that despite his high-level martial arts, his mindset was childish because of his early twenties appearance and playful demeanor. But it was the opposite.
The more she dealt with him, the trickier and less straightforward he became.
"Just find everything related to Yang Hui-gun's whereabouts and whether he's alive or dead—no matter how trivial, bring it all."
"...Understood."
Chae So-ryeong inwardly admired him as she stealthily observed the Heavenly Demon.
'Where on earth did this guy pop up from?'
Chae So-ryeong possessed vast intelligence that allowed her to instantly recognize even Yang Hui-gun, a later-generation talent from Liaoning Province on the relatively remote outskirts of the Central Plains martial world.
Yet she knew nothing of the Heavenly Demon's identity, not even his name or affiliation, which only fueled her growing curiosity.
"Oh, right—where and under whose name should we report back?"
Chae So-ryeong tried a little probe, her curiosity piqued.
The Heavenly Demon saw through the ploy but never backed down.
"Come to the Ghost Sword Manor's Gunryong."
"Ghost Sword Manor. Gunryong."
She repeated the words slowly, as if committing the name Gunryong to memory forever.
"Understood, Young Master Gunryong."
Chae So-ryeong probed once more to confirm if Gunryong was indeed his name, but the Heavenly Demon let it slide, fully aware.
'The only group capable of tracking down Yang Hui-gun in the entire world is this Abyss Hall.'
Knowing she harbored immense curiosity about him, he simply let it pass.
"Just call me Gunryong."
"Yes. We'll come in person soon."
With that, the meeting between the Heavenly Demon and the Abyss Hall—and its lord, Chae So-ryeong—concluded.
The Heavenly Demon departed with Yeo Rip in tow, as nonchalantly as when he had first arrived at the Abyss Hall.
"L-Lord."
"Are you alright?"
Once the encounter with Gunryong— like a midsummer night's dream or a brief nightmare—had passed, the Abyss Hall warriors finally regained their senses and approached their master, Chae So-ryeong.
"Investigate the Gunryong of Ghost Sword Manor in Liaoning Province right now! Find out everything about his identity!"
Abyss Hall Lord Chae So-ryeong.
Having inherited the vast and influential Abyss Hall at a young age, she couldn't tolerate defeat in her innate temperament or endure unsolved curiosities.
And so, she diligently searched for the Heavenly Demon's identity.
Even more fervently than for Yang Hui-gun, whom he had directly commissioned.
But no matter how hard she tried, information on Gunryong was scarce.
Only the sect war incident at Ghost Sword Manor.
Rumors hinted at some connection to the North Sea Ice Palace, but even that event was hushed up by its lord, the Ice White Single Fist Seol Tae-chong, so details never leaked.
"Lord, no matter how much we search, he's a ghost of a man!"
"He's like... someone who appeared out of nowhere?"
At her subordinates' fruitless reports, Chae So-ryeong couldn't help but laugh.
"Ohohohoho!"
She had even checked martial history books and wild tales on a hunch, but only same-name strangers appeared—no clues about Gunryong.
This was inevitable, as from his era to the present, only a handful knew the First Heavenly Demon's true name, Gunryong.
'Gunryong. You're making me more and more curious.'
Chae So-ryeong, the empress of the martial underworld's Abyss Hall.
This was the moment she fell deeply for the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon, Gunryong, had met the notoriously hard-to-approach Abyss Hall and its lord, stirring things up before leaving.
He had asked Abyss Hall Lord Chae So-ryeong to find Ghost Sword Manor's heir, the Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun, then returned to the manor.
"Dae-un, I've spoken to the Abyss Hall, so don't worry too much."
Yang Dae-un felt reassured that Gunryong had approached the Abyss Hall—untouchable for him—but tried not to hold out hope.
'Just like the Beggars' Sect and Hao Clan, the Abyss Hall won't find our Hui-gun either, right?'
Because the greater the hope, the greater the despair.
Yang Dae-un didn't want to be hurt anymore over Yang Hui-gun.
Any more wounds might break him completely, leaving him unable to fulfill his role as manor lord.
So he pretended not to care, avoiding great hopes.
Exactly seven days and nights later.
"G-Gunryong! Someone's here looking for you!"
Yang Yeon-hwa came running, utterly shocked.
"Who? Looking for me?"
"A stunningly beautiful woman whose looks can't be hidden even with her face veiled, accompanied by her entourage—they've come to the manor."
The Heavenly Demon, dining with Sogang, tilted his head at the news before realizing.
"Ah! They've finally found it."
He instantly knew it was the Abyss Hall group.
Meanwhile, Yang Yeon-hwa was shocked that such a beauty was already fawning over the Heavenly Demon, who had only recently returned.
"Guide them here."
"Yes!"
At his request, Yang Yeon-hwa hurriedly led the Abyss Hall Lord and her group inside.
Yang Yeon-hwa and Yang Dae-un still didn't recognize them, but trusting the Heavenly Demon above all, they had no worries.
"Long time no see, Gunryong."
Abyss Hall Lord Chae So-ryeong smiled seductively upon reuniting with Gunryong.
Unlike last time when her entire face was covered, this time only her mouth area below the nose was slightly exposed.
"Yes. Have you learned Hui-gun's whereabouts?"
"...!!"
At the Heavenly Demon's words, Yang Dae-un and Yang Yeon-hwa jumped in shock, staring at him and Chae So-ryeong.
'I see!'
'They're from the Abyss Hall!'
They never dreamed such a young, beautiful woman could lead the terrifying underworld, doubling the shock.
Moreover, news of Yang Hui-gun's whereabouts was the deepest wound and mystery for the Yang family, setting their hearts racing.
"First, it seems proper to explain our journey in tracking Young Master Yang Hui-gun."
Chae So-ryeong began slowly.
"We meticulously traced the path Young Master Yang took when descending from the Dome Green Mountain at Ghost Sword Manor. But from a certain point, no matter our efforts, his trail vanished. As if he evaporated."
She was right.
The Beggars' Sect and Hao Clan had hit the same wall.
"Ugh."
A groan of disappointment escaped Yang Dae-un, who had commissioned those sects.
Their disciples all told the same story, ending in dead ends.
But the Abyss Hall was different.
"Just when it seemed lost in fog, surprisingly, one of our affiliated contacts witnessed someone strikingly resembling Young Master Yang Hui-gun."
"...!!"
Unlike the Beggars' Sect and Hao Clan tales, Yang Dae-un—and even the Heavenly Demon—grew immersed.
"Muk-kyeong, you explain it directly."
"Yes, Lord."
Chae So-ryeong called forward the man, Muk-kyeong, who had supposedly seen Yang Hui-gun.
"Greetings. I'm Muk-kyeong, a combatant of the Abyss Hall. Not long ago, due to a minor scuffle, I ended up imprisoned in an underground dungeon of a massive faction."
Muk-kyeong stepped forward facing the Ghost Sword Manor members and spoke calmly.
"My offense was relatively light, but due to some error on their side, I was thrown into the deepest, darkest part of a dungeon meant only for grave criminals. Panicking, I looked around and discovered a corpse."
The Yang family flinched at the word "corpse."
Fearing it might be Yang Hui-gun.
Fortunately, no such tragedy emerged.
"At first, I thought it was a body, but up close, he was breathing faintly in a wretched state. And surprisingly young. His face felt strangely familiar. I'm from Gongcheon in Liaoning."
Gongcheon was the village with the river at the foot of Dome Green Mountain—natives knew Ghost Sword Manor folk well.
"Staring at him, I realized who it was: the young lord of Ghost Sword Manor, the most famous man around Dome Green Mountain—the Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun."
"...!!"
"Are... are you certain?"
The long-awaited news finally arrived, prompting the Yang family to rise in agitation.
"I wasn't sure at first. The Young Master Yang I knew was tall and robust, but this man was emaciated, head shaved bald like a corpse."
The Heavenly Demon, listening, asked.
"Then how did you confirm it was Yang Hui-gun?"
"I saw the blue birthmark on the back of his neck."
Ooooh!
Exclamations erupted at "blue birthmark."
The rumors of Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun as Loyal Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang's reincarnation stemmed not just from his talent and looks, but also this: both had blue birthmarks in nearly the same spot, by coincidence or genetics.
"Where was that underground dungeon?"
The Heavenly Demon suppressed his surging emotions, as if Yang U-ryang himself were imprisoned.
"That place was... the Moyong Clan."