SYM 23

At the mention of the Demon Cult, Eun-hyeon’s gaze unconsciously shifted to Ha Yeo-un. His heart pounded.

Come to think of it, Ha Yeo-un had a faint smell of blood last night.

He had looked like he’d gone out and come back. Could it be that all of this was the work of Ha Yeo-un’s Demon Cult?

“The Demon Cult… Have they found any traces of them?”

However, Ha Yeo-un was acting like a righteous orthodox sect member, indignant at the evil deeds of the Demon Cult, with a calm expression.

“To be honest, I don’t know the details. I only heard a rough account from someone who came from the office early this morning. It seems they found traces of demonic arts.”

“…Demonic arts? Then it must be the work of the Demon Cult.”

Eun-hyeon couldn’t tell if he was being timid or if Ha Yeo-un was being brazen.

“Family Head, shouldn’t we go to the scene then?”

“I was just about to…”

Namgung Juwon let out a light sigh.

“Eun-hyeon.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“I think you should go to Chuihwa Pavilion. You represented the Namgung family in greeting the guests yesterday.”

“Ah…”

Namgung Juwon spoke with an evident bitter expression.

Indeed, entertaining the guests at the Namgung family was Eun-hyeon’s role now.

“They say the officials have cleaned up the scene, but it will still be horrific. If you think it’ll be too difficult, I can send Eun-gwang instead.”

“No, I’ll go.”

Eun-hyeon shook his head.

Namgung Juwon was concerned that Eun-hyeon might be shocked by the scene filled with corpses, but it didn’t matter to the current Eun-hyeon. He was already familiar with corpses.

“Namgung Family Head. I’m not sure if it’s my place, but may I accompany the young master?”

“Great Hero Ha? Of course! The Namgung family won’t forget this favor, Great Hero Ha.”

“Favor? Please withdraw such excessive words. I’m just curious about those who committed this atrocious act. I’ll ensure the young master’s safety.”

Ha Yeo-un smiled and lightly patted Eun-hyeon’s shoulder.

Eun-hyeon thought this situation was somewhat strange but couldn’t say anything.

“Then, I’ll trust Great Hero Ha. Eun-hyeon, make sure to stay with Great Hero Ha. Those despicable members of the Demon Cult might have set up some tricks, so absolutely don’t touch anything carelessly or wander off alone.”

Namgung Juwon smiled broadly, seemingly relieved that Ha Yeo-un would accompany Eun-hyeon, and nagged him.

Eun-hyeon looked at Namgung Juwon and secretly swallowed a bitter smile.

Father, the despicable leader of the Demon Cult is probably Ha Yeo-un standing right in front of you. Probably. No, almost certainly. You’re being deceived right now, Father.

* * *

Eun-hyeon had only heard about Chuihwa Pavilion in Hefei before, but this was the first time seeing it in person.

Eun-hyeon was shocked when he saw Chuihwa Pavilion. It was much more splendid than he had imagined. He knew that Hefei was a developed place for logistics as it was on the main route to Yangju, but he didn’t expect even a tavern to be this magnificent. The tower seemed to be over five stories high.

As Eun-hyeon was admiring the tower, Ha Yeo-un approached.

“Is this your first time at Chuihwa Pavilion?”

“Ah, yes…”

It was strange that the young master of the Namgung family was visiting Chuihwa Pavilion in Hefei for the first time, but Ha Yeo-un just nodded.

“How unfortunate. To think your first visit to Chuihwa Pavilion would be today. It used to be quite a beautiful place.”

Eun-hyeon glanced at Ha Yeo-un.

“It seems you frequented this place?”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un looked at his for a moment, then raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

Until just now, Eun-hyeon had thought it fortunate to come with Ha Yeo-un, but seeing his relaxed demeanor irritated him somehow.

“Are you envious? Since we’ve shared friendship, it would be fine to spend time together. The young master from last night would be a better companion than any beauty.”

“Hah… Never mind. Let’s just go inside. They said someone from the government office would be here…”

As Eun-hyeon shook his head and looked for the official, he saw someone running towards them from afar.

“Are you the people from the Namgung family?”

“Ah, yes, we are. Are you from the government office?”

The person who came running, out of breath, was a young man with a still youthful face. His face was covered in sweat from running around since early morning.

“Yes, I’m Yoon Geum from the government office. I was going to ask you a few questions, but…”

In the middle of speaking, Yoon Geum quickly bowed his head and stepped back. When Eun-hyeon looked questioningly, he saw a young man with an expressionless face standing behind Yoon Geum.

“I am Jang Muryeong, an officer of the Imperial Guards. I’ve been ordered to investigate this matter. If you know anything about this incident, please tell me everything in detail without omission.”

Imperial Guards officer…?

Glancing at Yoon Geum standing behind the officer, he looked visibly tense.

It’s a long distance from Hefei to Beijing, yet the news had already reached there and someone had come down?

Even news of a rebellion wouldn’t travel this fast.

Eun-hyeon furrowed his brow.

It was certainly a big deal that Chuihwa Pavilion, the best pleasure house in Hefei, had turned into a funeral home overnight. But was this something that would attract attention even from Beijing?

Something unbelievable was clearly happening.

“I am Namgung Eun-hyeon from the Namgung family. This is Great Hero Ha Yeo-un, the White Dragon, who came with me.”

Officer Jang Muryeong nodded lightly. His attitude suggested he didn’t care who they were.

“We too have only recently heard about last night’s tragedy. I’m sorry, but we don’t have much to tell you. All we know is that a tragedy occurred here. But where are the bodies of Danmok Yeo-gang and Danmok Yeo-jun? As they were guests of the Namgung family, we intend to take care of them at our family until the Danmok family arrives.”

“That’s not possible.”

“…Pardon?”

Eun-hyeon looked at Officer Jang, wondering if he had misheard.

Officer Jang’s expression hadn’t changed at all.

“The Imperial Guards will handle everything about this matter. All bodies will be moved to the government office for investigation by the Imperial Guards, and will be handed over if nothing unusual is found.”

As he listened to Officer Jang’s words, Eun-hyeon’s brow furrowed.

If they backed down here, there was no telling how the Danmok family, having lost their likely next family head, would react toward the Namgung family.

As Eun-hyeon was about to step forward, Ha Yeo-un gently grasped his shoulder.

“Officer Jang. Then, do you know anything about the perpetrators of this incident?”

Ha Yeo-un stepped forward with a gentle smile.

Officer Jang’s eyebrow twitched as if he knew who Ha Yeo-un was.

“I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation.”

“I heard that the perpetrators of this incident are from the Demon Cult.”

“…There are such traces, but nothing is certain yet.”

“Officer Jang, if the perpetrators are from the Demon Cult, wouldn’t this be a matter for the martial arts world?”

Eun-hyeon suddenly realized what Ha Yeo-un was trying to say and perked up.

The principle of non-interference between government and the martial arts world!

Officer Jang’s face scrunched up.

“That’s…”

Officer Jang’s lips moved, but he couldn’t say anything else. He knew well that one wrong word here could lead to a quite troublesome situation.

“…There’s no concrete evidence yet that it’s the work of the Demon Cult.”

Eun-hyeon narrowed his eyes. The government’s attitude seemed suspicious.

“The official who informed the Namgung family seemed certain that the Demon Cult was behind this. If it’s their doing, I’d like to help as well. I’ve had a few encounters with the Demon Cult myself…”

Every time Ha Yeo-un shamelessly mentioned the Demon Cult, Eun-hyeon felt his liver shrink. At this point, he wondered if Ha Yeo-un truly believed himself to be a righteous martial arts master.

The officer let out a deep sigh at Ha Yeo-un’s words.

“I’ll allow you to look around Chuihwa Pavilion. But you must not touch or damage anything. As for the bodies of the Danmok family… I’ll have them sent to the Namgung family as soon as the examination is complete.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Eun-hyeon bowed politely, but Officer Jang just nodded once with an irritated face.