Chapter 264 - My Reputation Depends on You

Geom Mugeuk strode majestically into the Hunan branch, flanked by his guards.

Yeo Sogwang, too, had assembled all his subordinates to welcome the young lord. The demonic martial artists lined up on either side called out thunderously.

"We greet the young lord!"

Yeo Sogwang walked forward to welcome Geom Mugeuk. This was his first time seeing him.

'He really is handsome.'

Not merely handsome, either—his looks were striking and open. And those eyes brimming with confidence. All the better. The easiest people to manipulate were those with great pride or, conversely, a strong sense of inferiority.

Yeo Sogwang was particularly good with the proud. His unrivaled ability to cater to their moods was what had carried him all the way to branch head.

"It is an honor to meet you, young lord."

Yeo Sogwang bowed deeply. His waist was as flexible as the political finesse he had honed his entire life.

Geom Mugeuk stared at him.

"You have a very agreeable face."

"I do hear that from time to time."

"But I've been told to be wary when I encounter a face like that in the martial world."

Despite the provocation in Geom Mugeuk's very first greeting, Yeo Sogwang smiled.

"Quite right. Everyone else must be wary. But there are exactly two people in Murim who are exceptions, and you are one of them, young lord. Please, come inside."

He accompanied Geom Mugeuk into the main hall, where a banquet awaited them.

As Geom Mugeuk entered, the musicians began to play and the dancers began to dance. The cooks started heating and carrying out the dishes.

"Please, take the seat of honor."

Normally, an honored guest would be allowed to rest on the first day, with a banquet held the following evening. Not this time. As the young lord, he must have traveled in comfort anyway, and he was still in the prime of youth.

Yeo Sogwang would show him from the outset how enjoyable life could be with the Hunan branch head. If he said he was tired and wanted to rest, they could simply hold another banquet tomorrow. When it came to entertaining people, Yeo Sogwang was more confident than anyone in the martial world.

Geom Mugeuk took the seat of honor, and Yeo Sogwang sat beside him.

Jeok Yeon then produced a silver needle and checked each dish for poison. The other guards positioned themselves a short distance ahead, behind, and to either side of Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk smiled as he watched them. When they were alone with him, they seemed like mere youngsters, but seeing them among other people made the difference unmistakable. Their presence was formidable.

"Your guards are young."

"And yet they were chosen to guard the young lord. Doesn't that tell you how skilled they are? They would hold their own in any elite unit of the Cult."

Geom Mugeuk spoke loudly enough for all the guards to hear.

Yeo Sogwang misread the gesture.

'Just as I thought! He has that youthful penchant for showing off.'

What he did not realize was that Geom Mugeuk was genuinely praising his subordinates to bolster their pride.

"Indeed, every last one of them has an extraordinary presence."

Yeo Sogwang joined in the praise.

This time, Geom Mugeuk offered a polite courtesy.

"The Hunan branch is a strategic stronghold of the Cult that keeps the Orthodox Martial Alliance in check, isn't it? That is why I visited here before the other branches."

"To be entrusted with such a weighty duty despite my shortcomings is a heavy burden on my shoulders."

"So long as they aren't heavy from carrying something else."

Yeo Sogwang remained entirely unruffled by the pointed remark.

"My loyalty is solely to the Cult."

"Excellent! No wonder headquarters trusts you, Branch Head Yeo. Let us drink."

They raised a toast and drank.

Setting down his cup, Yeo Sogwang remarked casually,

"Your illustrious reputation has resounded all the way here to Hunan, young lord."

"What have you heard?"

"That you are the most gifted successor in our history."

Geom Mugeuk looked pleased.

"And you are extraordinarily handsome. I dare say you are the best-looking of all the promising young martial artists in Murim."

"My dear Branch Head Yeo, you gild this ugly face of mine."

"I mean every word. Ask my subordinates. I am a man incapable of lying."

Yeo Sogwang summoned his right-hand man, Hwang Pyo, and asked,

"What do you think?"

"Not merely among the young martial artists. He is the most handsome in all of Murim."

Yeo Sogwang laughed loudly.

"My mistake! Not the young martial artists, but all of Murim."

They had done this many times before. Yeo Sogwang would offer praise, Hwang Pyo would step forward with an even greater compliment, and Yeo Sogwang would chuckle and repeat the praise.

It was their standard method of entertaining guests. Nothing worked quite as well as a compliment on someone's looks. Especially when the recipient was this young.

Geom Mugeuk laughed happily.

Yeo Sogwang thought the praise of his looks had delighted him, but Geom Mugeuk was actually laughing for another reason.

"So this is how it feels. They must all have enjoyed it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Let us have another drink."

"Gladly. To the birth of a new hero of Murim!"

Yeo Sogwang responded agreeably to everything Geom Mugeuk said. Whenever he spoke, Yeo Sogwang chimed in that he was right, elevating him with claims that he himself had never thought of such a thing. The man truly excelled at groveling.

Yeo Sogwang was a skilled flatterer. But he did not know that the man smiling at his flattery was the very embodiment of the Divine Art of Flattery.

"My dear Branch Head Yeo, let me pour you a drink!"

Hearing the affectionate "my dear" attached to his title, Yeo Sogwang smiled inwardly.

Now it was time to put the finishing touch on their drinking party.

Once the wine had taken effect and the atmosphere had warmed, Yeo Sogwang beckoned a woman over.

She was one of the dancers who had performed earlier. Strikingly beautiful even among the other dancers, she walked slowly toward them.

Yeo Sogwang introduced her.

"She said she simply had to greet you when you arrived, young lord. If you would not mind, please grant her a cup of wine."

The woman approached and bowed respectfully to Geom Mugeuk.

"My name is Yakran."

She was beautiful—so beautiful that it seemed no man could resist her if she truly set out to seduce him.

Yakran stepped closer and picked up the wine bottle.

"Allow me to pour a cup for our honored guest."

Just then, Geom Mugeuk sprang to his feet and scooped her up. Everyone was startled by the sudden move.

"Well, we can drink later. Branch Head Yeo, wait right there."

Holding her in his arms, Geom Mugeuk dashed out of the main hall. His flustered guards ran after him.

Yeo Sogwang was taken aback as well, but soon called out loudly,

"A hero always loves a beauty! Your bedchamber is in the building to the left!"

Thinking how easily things were going, he could not help smiling.

'Wine and beautiful women. They always work.'

Though he had certainly not expected them to work quite this swiftly or enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, Yakran was astonished.

First, the young lord's impulsive behavior had startled her. Then, during the rush to the bedchamber, she realized that she was floating through the air. He had pretended to hold her without actually touching her body.

Once inside, events continued to defy her expectations.

As he rushed into the room, she had thought he would throw her onto the bed. Instead, Geom Mugeuk gently seated her in a chair. More precisely, an invisible force seated her.

Then she saw them. It was not the young lord's handsome features that caught her attention, but his eyes. He was gazing at her with eyes so clear. Could a demonic martial artist's eyes really be this clear?

In a voice as gentle as his gaze, Geom Mugeuk said,

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"Yes."

His words were gentle, yet some indefinable air about him overwhelmed her, leaving her voice trembling.

"How many times has this happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yeo Sogwang has forced you to entertain guests like this before, hasn't he?"

Yakran was shocked, both that he had recognized the truth and that he intended to investigate Yeo Sogwang.

Fear surged through her. If she became entangled in a power struggle, she would die.

"Even my position cannot make you speak."

How could she dare refuse an answer to someone like him?

"No, that isn't it. But if Branch Head Yeo learns what I've told you... he'll kill even my family back home."

"Did he threaten to kill your entire family?"

"Yes."

"How did you feel when he said that?"

"I was frightened. And angry."

Was it because he was the exalted young lord of the Demonic Cult? Or because those deep eyes seemed to look straight into her heart? An answer she should have agonized over came easily.

"Yes, you should be angry. You should be angry at a bastard who threatens to kill your family."

Yeo Sogwang had threatened her since she was young. When told to attend a drinking party, she attended. When told to pour wine, she poured. She had even been forced to sleep with guests.

But she could not refuse.

It was not her own life Yeo Sogwang held hostage, but those of her family. Her sick father. Her little siblings. Her mother, who worked so hard.

He had threatened and brainwashed a young girl. This was simply how the world worked, he said. Stay close to power, and you could earn more money. Send more money for medicine, and you could save your father.

She hated it. Serving wine to strangers was something she hated to death. She had contemplated suicide countless times, but her family made even death impossible.

She begged Yeo Sogwang to let her stop. But he had never been someone an innocent young girl could contend with.

After hearing her entire story, Geom Mugeuk approached her. He gazed at her for a moment, then spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry. I came far too late, didn't I?"

At those words, something welled up from deep within her chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She had thought she had no tears left, but once they began, they would not stop.

She tried to stop crying, but her tears would not obey her. She wanted to shout at Geom Mugeuk. Why had he only come now? Why had he only come now?

The girl she had once been would have shouted those words.

But that little girl was gone now.

"... I'm sorry."

All that remained was a victim who apologized.

A moment later, her head lifted of its own accord, and a gentle energy began to envelop her.

Its gentleness was unlike anything she had ever felt, and her heart grew calm.

Perhaps that was why she found the courage to ask the one thing she had wondered about.

"Why did you think I had been forced to come?"

Yeo Sogwang had clearly introduced her as a dancer eager to see the young lord.

"Because of the look in your eyes when you walked up and looked at me."

"The look in my eyes?"

"I saw the anger in them."

She was startled. She had thought she was looking at him gently. Had he read the feelings hidden beneath that gaze?

"My right-hand man looked at me like that at first, too. He was mired in anger and defeatism, convinced that the organization would never change."

Yakran's face was no longer the one that had trembled with fear.

"What will happen to me if I don't tell you about Branch Head Yeo?"

"I'll simply let you go."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'll find another way. His hands are dirty, after all. Eventually, I'll find the evidence to make him pay for his crimes."

Yakran still hesitated. Rather than press her any further, Geom Mugeuk rose.

"Forget this conversation and act as though nothing happened. I promise I'll make him pay."

As Geom Mugeuk was about to leave, she spoke.

"Wait."

He turned, and she asked,

"The person you said had the same look in his eyes as me—what happened to him?"

"He rose to become Pavilion Master of Yellow Springs Pavilion. A position that punishes those who have abandoned their humanity."

Yakran's eyes trembled. A moment later, something surprising came from her lips.

"Wait a little. If you leave now, they'll doubt your stamina, young lord."

Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened. He had not expected her to make such a joke. And with his personality, he could hardly let it pass unanswered.

"You are the first woman to safeguard the most important reputation of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon's young lord."

Yakran laughed at his joke.

"My dream was to die onstage while dancing. Instead, it seems I'll die doing something this crazy."

She walked to the table and began writing names with the paper and brush she found there. Starting with the most recent guests, she wrote a name Geom Mugeuk recognized.

Blood-Hand Sword.

The mere fact that she had entertained him was evidence of Yeo Sogwang's involvement in this affair. He would undoubtedly offer every excuse imaginable, but with Geom Mugeuk as his opponent, escaping would not be easy.

After the Blood-Hand Sword came a succession of other influential names.

She also wrote a detailed account of what had been done to her. To put her own experiences in writing meant staking her life on this.

Handing Geom Mugeuk the paper, Yakran said,

"This... is my life."

"No. This is your new life."

Because from now on, she would be able to live a different life.

Geom Mugeuk called Third Tiger inside.

"Escort this young lady to the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion. Have their martial artists take her to her hometown, and find a way to treat her sick father as well."

Yakran's eyes widened in surprise. She was so moved that she could scarcely believe it.

"He isn't going to follow me home and kill my entire family, is he?"

At her question, half joking and half afraid, Geom Mugeuk spoke coldly to Third Tiger.

"Now, go slaughter this young lady's entire household and return!"

Third Tiger addressed Yakran in a blunt voice.

"Not long ago, I visited my mother for the first time in three years."

Yakran looked at him in surprise.

"She had aged a great deal in that time. Money matters, but... visit them before it's too late."

Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly at Third Tiger. For a moment, he had glimpsed the sort of man he was.

Yakran's eyes reddened at the thought of her parents. Geom Mugeuk smiled at her.

"If you were worried about that, you shouldn't have written this in the first place. Besides, do you think the Cult couldn't find your home unless you told us where it was?"

Yakran smiled sheepishly.

"Will you punish him today?"

"Yes."

"I want to see it, too. I want to see him die."

Even if he died, her wounds would remain for the rest of her life. If they would remain regardless...

"Then there's something I'd like to see as well. Once he's dead, show me your dance."

Yakran nodded slowly.

"Yes. I'd like to show you, young lord. Though I don't know how well I'll dance in front of a corpse."

Geom Mugeuk and Yakran walked out of the room.

The guards looked at him with awe. They had been startled when he first ran off carrying her, but after hearing the conversation inside the room, they were filled with admiration once again. The more they learned about Geom Mugeuk, the deeper their loyalty grew.

Geom Mugeuk teased Yakran.

"My reputation for stamina depends on your expression."

She answered with a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm a performer."

The two returned to the banquet hall.

Geom Mugeuk walked proudly with his chest out, while Yakran followed with her head slightly bowed and a satisfied smile.

Yeo Sogwang sidled close to Geom Mugeuk and asked discreetly,

"You seem to be in a good mood?"

Geom Mugeuk poked him in the side and grinned.

"Because today, I'm going to see the most magnificent dance of my life."