Chapter 212 : Seolyoung, Acts
Chapter 212: Seolyoung, Acts
The fake Do Cheolgi, having outdistanced his pursuers, began to run at full speed.
The place he headed for was a nearby hill.
Since the man playing the role of Do Cheolgi was a warrior of the Divine Sword Regiment, his level of martial arts was fundamentally substantial.
For that reason, the Killing Shadows could not easily catch up to him.
Furthermore, Do Cheolgi already had a pre-determined escape route.
After running for a long while, the place Do Cheolgi dashed into was a small shack in the mountains.
When he entered, two people were already waiting inside.
They were Mujin and the real Do Cheolgi.
The real Do Cheolgi was asleep, but as soon as the fake arrived, Mujin pressed his blood points to wake him.
At the very moment he was waking from his slumber.
Mujin ruthlessly stabbed him through the heart with the dagger he was holding. He died instantly as soon as he opened his eyes.
Mujin made Do Cheolgi’s two hands grasp the handle of the dagger.
To anyone watching, it was the image of someone who had committed suicide.
Meanwhile, the fake Do Cheolgi opened a secret passage in the floor. Mujin and the fake Do Cheolgi quickly exited the shack through that passage.
A short while after the two disappeared, the Killing Shadows burst in, smashing the doors on all sides.
However, what awaited them was the rapidly cooling corpse of Do Cheolgi.
The Killing Shadows wore frustrated expressions. Losing him after their tailing was discovered had led to this disaster.
Yet they could never have known that all these events were planned from the very beginning.
Soon after, the Shadow Master entered the scene.
As he took in the situation, his expression hardened. The Killing Shadows bowed their heads and could not even breathe loudly.
A Killing Shadow who entered behind him held out some torn pieces of paper.
“These are things the bastard tore up and scattered everywhere while fleeing. It seems he swallowed some of them, but fortunately, the content can be understood with just the remaining pieces.”
The Killing Shadow pieced the fragments together. It was a half-remaining report, and in it were words addressed to Yeo Su-in regarding the Berserk Dragon Army that had been in the mountains.
This served as clear evidence that Yeo Su-in was involved in this matter.
Moreover, the fact that Do Cheolgi committed suicide while being pursued was decisive proof. It was a situation that could only be interpreted as the result of loyalty intended to avoid implicating Yeo Su-in.
Nevertheless, because the Shadow Master knew well how important this matter was, he did not jump to conclusions.
Now the moment had come to meet the final person, Yeo Su-in.
* * *
A single carriage quietly exited the Murim Alliance.
After traveling along a road on the outskirts of the Alliance, it arrived at a manor located in a secluded area.
The person who stepped out of the carriage was Baek Seolyoung.
Four warriors stepped out with her, and among them was Mook Young. He was wearing a human skin mask to hide his original face.
Of course, Lee Jaseung came along as well.
He was secretly hidden around her. He had sought Mook Young’s advice regarding stealth techniques and even practiced separately.
Just as Dan Woobin had said, today would be the watershed of success or failure.
The person who chose this location for the meeting was Baek Seolyoung. Precisely, it was Lee Jaseung’s wish.
It was a place where there was a pavilion in the yard and where the sounds of birds, wind, and water from the mountain behind could be heard. Because of those various sounds, a hidden person could not be easily discovered.
When Baek Seolyoung entered the room, the guards including Mook Young stood watch in front.
Baek Seolyoung, entering the room, had become a different person from usual.
A woman filled with ambition.
A cold woman who could join hands with someone like Yeo Su-in for the sake of that ambition.
She was nervous and fearful, yet also intrigued.
Yeo Su-in had arrived first and was waiting for her.
“It has been a while.”
At Yeo Su-in’s greeting, Baek Seolyoung bowed her head slightly and spoke.
“I am sorry I could not see you immediately. There were matters I had to attend to.”
Yeo Su-in’s mood softened at her polite apology. In truth, he had been inwardly annoyed when she delayed giving an answer and then asked to meet four days later.
However, as soon as he saw her beautiful face, his mood improved as if that had never happened.
She was a woman worth waiting for, not just for four days, but for forty.
“Did you bring the answer to the question I asked before?”
At her question, Yeo Su-in spoke.
“Before that, let me ask one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you kill your husband with your own hands?”
Baek Seolyoung was inwardly startled. It was because she had not expected him to say such a thing.
Baek Seolyoung hesitated to answer.
How should she respond? Lee Jaseung was watching her from his hiding place, but he did not interfere with her reactions or answers at all. He was leaving everything to her judgment.
Should she say she can? Or that she can't?
The important thing was naturalness.
How should she answer so she wouldn't be caught lying?
Since it wasn't a situation to deliberate for long, she answered according to her instinct.
“If I could have done that... I would not have tried to join hands with you.”
The gazes of the two intertwined in the air.
Baek Seolyoung stared straight into his eyes and added.
“I like him.”
Instantly, one of Yeo Su-in’s cheeks twitched slightly.
Since she had pulled him tight, it was time to let him loose a little!
Again, she followed her instinct.
“However, there is something I like more.”
She truly never thought the day would come when she would say with her own mouth that she liked something more than Lee Jaseung.
“Power.”
At her words, the corners of Yeo Su-in’s mouth slanted.
From that reaction, Baek Seolyoung knew. Her choice was correct.
“If I give you strength, what can you give me?”
She could tell it was now time to say something decisive to Yeo Su-in.
“Someday you will become the Cult Leader, and I will become the master of the Murim Alliance. If that happens, we will be able to make Jianghu into one.”
“...!”
Yeo Su-in was surprised.
It was because he had not known Baek Seolyoung dreamed of unifying the world.
“You are a truly dangerous woman.”
“They say men fall easily for dangerous women.”
“Hahahaha.”
Yeo Su-in laughed loudly.
He thought Lee Jaseung, who was acting arrogant without knowing she was this kind of woman, was pitiful.
He felt as if he was truly falling for her.
Because he thought a woman like that was exactly the kind of woman who suited him.
Baek Seolyoung was excited about her own new side. She was amazed that she could carry out such acting without hesitation. It was surprising that this kind of grit was hidden within her.
It was then.
Lee Jaseung’s sound transmission reached her.
— The bastard’s here. Start.
The most important moment of the day had arrived.
Baek Seolyoung spoke with an enchanting gaze.
“This time, I’ll ask you a question.”
“Ask me anything.”
Yeo Su-in should not have said to ask anything.
Because a question that truly should not have been heard flowed from her mouth.
“Can you kill your Cult Leader for me?”
And Yeo Su-in should not have given the answer to this question so quickly and clearly.
“Of course.”
To Yeo Su-in, it was a meaningless answer anyway.
He had no intention of killing the Cult Leader in the first place. He thought he could even share this answer while drinking with Yao Hong.
“Hahaha, that is what I told her then.”
Yao Hong would likely just laugh it off.
The Cult Leader was a man as well after all.
Just then, a heavy voice was heard.
“Is that true?”
A man landed on the spot.
Surprisingly, he was the Shadow Master, the leader of the Killing Shadows.
Yeo Su-in was startled by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Master.
“Shadow Master, what brings you here?”
Because the Shadow Master was someone who held the full trust of Yao Hong, even Yeo Su-in could not treat him recklessly.
Killing Shadows revealed themselves atop the wall. Their number reached as many as seventy. He had come down with a hundred Killing Shadows, but lost thirty while wiping out the Berserk Dragon Army.
However, seventy was enough to show that today’s visit was not a friendly one.
“Can you really assassinate the Cult Leader?”
“It was a joke.”
Saying it was a joke in front of her was something he was very reluctant to do.
However, he could not say he was being sincere to the Shadow Master, who was the Cult Leader’s right hand.
“You’ll have to come with me.”
The Shadow Master’s tone was strictly businesslike. Yeo Su-in understood him. Answering that he could kill the Cult Leader was something that should not be said even as a joke. The only person who would understand that was the Cult Leader himself.
“What on earth is going on?”
“It is the Cult Leader’s order.”
“I have already received that order. I sent a report saying I would return after finishing my business.”
“I am simply carrying out the order I received.”
“How frustrating this is!”
As he spoke, Yeo Su-in felt inwardly puzzled.
He sent the Shadow Master even after receiving such a report?
In other words, it meant he was that angry.
Yeo Su-in, his heart wavering on whether he should return immediately, glanced at Baek Seolyoung.
Baek Seolyoung was wearing a disappointed expression.
It was a wit she displayed instantaneously. It worked wonderfully. It bothered him that he called his previous answer a joke, and it hurt his pride too much to be dragged away by the Shadow Master like this.
Yeo Su-in spoke lowly while looking at the Shadow Master.
“Withdraw.”
The Shadow Master glared at him and spoke.
“Can you take responsibility for the outcome of this matter?”
Yeo Su-in wanted to return those words exactly. Could the Shadow Master take responsibility for committing such an act against him, the successor?
However, he did not.
“Go back.”
At his calm words, the Shadow Master turned and left.
Rather, that calmness gave the Shadow Master a certain conviction.
Exiting the manor, the Shadow Master sought a secret branch located far away. It was the very place where Do Cheolgi had previously received the report from the headquarters.
The Shadow Master sent a report to the Demonic Cult from there. The content was short.
— I presume that Young Master Yeo’s intent for treason is certain.
He had hesitated before reaching this conclusion.
There were parts where the probability didn't quite match. The motive for treason was also lacking.
However, the revealed circumstances and evidence were too clear.
It was simply a conclusion based on evidence; at any rate, it wasn't for him to judge.
Watching the messenger pigeon disappear into the distance, the Shadow Master was startled.
Someone was standing a short distance away, watching the messenger pigeon fly off.