Chapter 143 – The Blood Demon Has Arrived? (4)
Young Ho-kyung watched the situation with keen interest.
The man, Kyung Hyun-dong, was the son of the third elder of the martial arts sect and had a strange obsession with Young Ho-kyung.
He was also the only man in a suitable position to be associated with the female leader of the school.
“You, tell me who your master is right now, or I’ll make you regret it!”
“Do I look like a kid with a runny nose? But, even so, I am of an age where I can take full responsibility for my actions.”
Already, the situation was tense, and Kyung Hyun-dong had crossed the line, prompting Kang Yoon to step in and confront him.
“Do you know who I am and still speak like that? You must have a death wish!”
Young Ho-kyung smirked. If they were to judge by their backgrounds, Kyung Hyun-dong was the one who couldn’t handle it.
While the position of the third elder of the martial arts sect was comparable to that of a leader of a major sect, it couldn’t compare to the Blood Demon.
It was unclear how Kyung Hyun-dong interpreted that smirk, but his arrow was aimed at Young Ho-kyung.
“Female leader, please tell me. Why did you refuse the marriage proposal? Don’t you know that we need a successor for the endless development of the sect?”
“The endless development of the sect?”
Young Ho-kyung knew that Kyung Hyun-dong didn’t care about that. He was a man who had a strange obsession with her since she was a virgin.
She couldn’t have children, and after losing her husband, she was alone. She had pushed him away, but he had put her in a corner and proposed marriage for the sake of the sect’s development.
“Ha!”
Just as she was about to intervene, Kang Yoon spoke up again.
“No, if you put in a marriage proposal, you should say, ‘I love you, I want to live with you.’ Is that how you achieve the endless development of the sect? Are you really a man with hot peppers?”
“What, what…!”
“People can do that. If they think the other person won’t accept them, they can use something else as a hostage to put in a marriage proposal. But to say that in front of others, aren’t you embarrassed?”
“You little…”
Seeing Kang Yoon poke at Kyung Hyun-dong’s sore spot, Young Ho-kyung had seen enough and decided to put a stop to it.
“Both of you, that’s enough.”
“But, female leader!”
“Before we discuss who is right or wrong, do you think it’s appropriate for me, the female leader, to be interrupted while receiving guests?”
She had even considered marrying him if her wish was fulfilled.
Young Ho-kyung was the ruler and protector of all the members of the martial arts sect. Until her wish was fulfilled, she had to be the bloodline that continued.
However, now that the most important key to achieving the goal of ruling the martial arts world with minimal losses had appeared before her, the necessity of it had become blurred.
“Now, leave. I’ll listen to your story later.”
Kyung Hyun-dong was bold, but he couldn’t do anything more. He was someone who relied on his father’s authority from the beginning.
She could have pushed him back by pressing him hard, but Young Ho-kyung had a thought when she saw Kang Yoon’s attitude, so she refrained from doing so.
“You, just wait and see. I’ll make you pay a price!”
“Oh, yes. Please do.”
She didn’t know he had this side to him, but his skill in turning people’s insides out was top-notch.
Kyung Hyun-dong glared at Kang Yoon with bloodshot eyes before turning his head and leaving.
As soon as the two were alone, Kang Yoon’s eyes were full of sympathy.
She didn’t know exactly what misunderstanding he had, but it seemed that Young Ho-kyung was under the impression that he was having a hard time for some reason.
‘Then there’s no reason not to use him.’
“I’m sorry, Little Sect Leader. I shouldn’t have interfered…”
“No, it’s fine. It was a difficult situation, but I’m glad Kang So-hyeop stepped in.”
Young Ho-kyung smiled bitterly. Even though the other person didn’t seem to be at the peak, the fact that the mighty Young Ho-kyung couldn’t go all out meant that there was something holding her back.
Whether it was money or other interests, something was tying Young Ho-kyung’s hands and preventing her from moving freely.
“Who on earth is it that dares to interfere with the Little Sect Leader?”
“Kyung Hyun-dong. He’s the son of the third elder and the leader of the Black Demon Gang.”
The Black Demon Gang sounded like a group of great masters, but in reality, it was said to be a group mostly composed of low-level masters.
They were like the police, responsible for maintaining public order and handling other miscellaneous tasks. It was ambiguous whether being the leader of such a group was high or low.
But at least if he was the son of a person with the position of elder, he would be quite arrogant.
“If the Sect Leader steps down, I’ll have to fill that void, but I don’t have a successor yet.”
“So, you need a child to inherit the martial arts sect for endless development?”
“…”
Young Ho-kyung didn’t say anything, but at this point, it was almost like a confirmation.
“But didn’t you reject the proposal? If you were rejected, it’s over, isn’t it? Is it okay to come here and argue about it?”
“Originally, that’s how it should be… Even though I’m the Little Sect Leader, not everything in the sect goes the way I want it to.”
“…”
“It’s frustrating… If everyone in the sect were united, it still wouldn’t be enough…”
So that’s why she wanted to bring in Nana Sabu?
From an outsider’s perspective, it may seem like they are invincible, but when you’re inside, having someone who is completely on your side is crucial.
Compared to the confident Kyung Hyun-dong who asked me if I had any intention of being his, Young Ho-kyung’s shoulders suddenly looked very small.
“If it seems like he’s persecuting you, let me know. I have enough power to protect you even as a guest.”
“…It’s okay. I have to take responsibility for the words that came out of my mouth.”
Maybe because of what I said, Young Ho-kyung felt relieved, but it could also lead to a more difficult situation later.
At least I can’t let myself be responsible for the aftermath of what happens.
In the end, I finished my remaining tea and left the Little Sect Leader’s residence in silence.
That evening, the Grand Master received a quiet visit from the Little Sect Leader.
“…Are you trying to appeal to my sympathy?”
“No matter how much I think about it, it seems like that’s the only way to bring him in.”
Young Ho-kyung firmly nodded her head in response to the Grand Master’s anxious question.
“I thought Kyung Hyun-dong might cause trouble, but I didn’t know he would take the Little Sect Leader so lightly.”
“I believed that my martial arts skills would protect me.”
Among the high-ranking families of the Mingyo, there was no one of Young Ho-kyung’s age except for Kyung Hyun-dong.
If Young Ho-kyung was a man, it wouldn’t be a problem to attach a young woman to him, but because she was a woman, it was a problem.
“You can kill him anytime, but for now, just leave him be.”
“Killing him is a bit… Besides, would you leave him under your command even if the Little Sect Leader suffered such a fate?”
“I want him. He’s bold and talented. Even if I exclude my master, he’s an attractive talent.”
“I can’t just take him in out of sympathy.”
“For now, let’s keep him tied up psychologically. If I can’t make him mine even after that, then it’s my own fault.”
The Grand Master shook her head. She was always like this. She seemed to be retreating or going far away, but in the end, she did what she wanted.
“Keep him by your side, but change the way you handle him little by little. She may not have revealed her femininity because she was too busy learning martial arts at a young age, but white fabric is easier to stain.”
“…I understand.”
I can’t believe I’m doing this kind of thing. But since it’s a matter of business, the Grand Master had no choice but to accept it.
‘Certainly…’
Compared to the flawless Hyeolma that seems to be wearing away in Gangho, she seemed weak in many ways.
When the elder recalled how he had seen him secretly shake hands with a young child when he was being escorted to the school, he thought it was a promising way to win him over.
“Among those who are causing trouble, there may be people under this elder’s influence, but how should we handle that?”
“Just leave it be. Kyung Hyun-dong has already caused a stir, so he’ll pick up on something. Besides, there’s no reason for this elder to be afraid of this situation just because he’s an elder.”
Although the goals of the main factions, including the elder, were diverse, they all ultimately aimed to extract blood from the Mingyo, who had been driven out of the Cheongbak region.
In this situation, there was no reason to fear that the Mingyo would wield the sharp sword of Hyeolma.
“After my disciple comes over, Hyeolma won’t just stand by and watch with his arms crossed.”
There was still plenty of time. If they rushed, they would make mistakes.
Young Ho-kyung planned to catch at least one person with ease.
“A young man…”
The elder frowned at the report brought by his subordinate.
“Yes, Kyung Dae-in clearly saw the Chief Sect Leader and a young man fighting alone.”
A young man with a sturdy build and a handsome face. If they went out to the streets of Gangho with similar conditions, they could find at least hundreds or thousands of people.
Putting aside the useless information that Kyung Hyun-dong had provided, the elder signaled to another subordinate.
“The additional investigation results on Kang Yoon from Sonryong have come out.”
“Was there anything else?”
The elder felt a sense of unease towards the young master who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
He had no records before revealing himself in Sachundangga. It bothered the elder that there was no record of him before that.
So he ordered a thorough investigation again, and the results came out now.
“As expected, there’s nothing to find in the past records, but… there are some suspicious points in his recent activities that I would like to report.”
“Suspicious points…?”
The subordinate’s report continued, and after hearing all of it, the elder had a puzzled expression on his face as to what he had heard.
“So, wherever he passes by, there are rumors that he has a woman with a child?”
First was Un So-young from Namgungse. There was a report that there was a baby in the garden where Kang Yoon stayed for a while, and it seemed that there was a possibility that there was a baby in that garden.
Next was Jegal Mi-ryeong from Gogapyoguk. She recently took a baby and left the courtyard where she had been staying for a while and returned to Gogapyoguk.
In addition, there were reports that Pang Yeon-hwa and Dang Hye-won from the courtyard also hid their appearances during the time he was there, which may be a possibility.
“Does that even make sense? It’s possible for a man to have affairs when he’s married, but aren’t they all married women?”
If it were Guryong, he could have had younger and more beautiful women.
It was still vivid in his mind how he stood up against him as a member of the faction, rather than a crazy man who picked on other people’s wives.
It was an absurd claim.
“Well, there was nothing else unusual that we could find… I’m sorry.”
The subordinate bowed his head as if he had no face.
It seemed that he had searched for anything that could be suspicious, but found nothing except for his impeccable personal hygiene.
“Never mind. Let’s put aside the investigation on him for now and find out who the two people staying in the Chief Sect Leader’s quarters are.”
The number of people who could approach the guests staying in the Chief Sect Leader’s quarters was very limited, and time was of the essence to gather information before the factions that the elder had absorbed could catch up with them.
“Oh, right… Didn’t Kyung Hyun-dong say that he came back after suffering some misfortune from that man…?”
The elder didn’t like his cowardly personality, but he thought he could use him well in this situation.
