Chapter 233 : Approaching the Truth (2)

Chapter 233: Approaching the Truth (2)

Yong Hwarin held several doubts about that one incident.

‘The one who probably knows best about this situation… is the Branch Leader of the Woohak Bookstore.’

Looking back now, Yong Hwarin could see that the man had tried to save him.

He was powerful enough to kill him easily.

And yet, rather than harming him, he had guided him as if instructing swordsmanship, even advising him later to leave quickly.

‘His eyes looked like he knew me.’

Deep in thought, Yong Hwarin finally opened his mouth.

“Please tell the Division Leader that I apologize for returning without any results.”

Baekseom bowed respectfully.

“Understood.”

With those words, he quietly exited the room.

Yong Hwarin took a moment to gather his thoughts, then headed to Hoi Unkyung’s room.

No matter what, she was the person he was most concerned about right now.

As he entered the room, Hoi Unkyung turned her head and looked at him.

“Ah, you’re awake?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, Young Master Yong, I was able to expel most of the poisonous energy.”

“Do you still feel discomfort when moving?”

Hoi Unkyung lifted her upper body.

“Is it alright if I get up?”

“I’m much better now. The antidote worked quite well. Honestly, I can even walk around. But if I do, those close to Soyu might panic and stir up trouble, so I’m staying like this for now. I’m also planning to use this chance to detoxify my father’s poison. If they find out I’ve regained consciousness, I fear they might harm him.”

Even in this situation, Yong Hwarin found Hoi Unkyung admirable for calmly planning and thinking things through.

A woman like her could very well have overcome that harsh life in her past life and gone on to lead the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

“Fortunately, I heard this morning that my father has regained consciousness, thanks to great help from the Demonic Master.”

‘No wonder the Demonic Master was nowhere to be seen in the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.’

With the Demonic Master’s skill, if the antidote was available, even long-ingested poison could be completely neutralized.

“At present, only the Demonic Master, the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect, and Young Master Yong are aware of my father’s recovery. I believe it’s best to keep it secret for now.”

“You made the right decision. With this, we now have the strength to oppose Hoi Soyu’s faction. If the Chairman returns, who within the merchant union would dare oppose him?”

Hoi Unkyung looked intently at Yong Hwarin and bowed her head.

“All of this was thanks to you, Young Master Yong. I will never forget this favor.”

Yong Hwarin smiled gently and replied.

“You flatter me. I helped because I believe in the promise you made to me, so if you thank me too much, I’ll get embarrassed.”

Thinking it would be best to maintain a certain distance from Hoi Unkyung, Yong Hwarin emphasized the promise.

“Of course. I’ll absolutely keep my promise.”

Though slightly disappointed by Yong Hwarin’s insistence that his help was merely for the sake of a promise, Hoi Unkyung felt deeply grateful just from the hope of being able to rise again.

After leaving Hoi Unkyung’s room, Yong Hwarin headed to the room where Eum Sajeok was staying.

“What are you going to do with me?”

Eum Sajeok glared and barked the moment he saw Yong Hwarin.

“I plan to kill you.”

Yong Hwarin replied coldly, causing Eum Sajeok’s neck to shrink back as he lowered his gaze.

“Hahaha, what good would it do you to kill a petty man like me?”

“Just getting rid of a bothersome rat.”

“Hahaha, it’s not like the world’s going to be a better place without someone like me, and it doesn’t suit you, Hero Yong, to take on such dishonor.”

With a forced chuckle, Eum Sajeok kept glancing at Yong Hwarin’s expression.

Though Yong Hwarin had spoken in jest, Eum Sajeok took it seriously and desperately tried to win his favor.

“If I die, the Cult will never let it go.”

“Is there anyone left in the Heavenly Demon Sect who doesn’t know you’re here? Then why hasn’t anyone come to rescue you?”

Struck by the sharp truth, Eum Sajeok found himself speechless.

He hadn’t truly believed that no one would come for him.

Not even his own subordinates.

“That’s proof you’re not needed in the Heavenly Demon Sect.”

“Hahaha, maybe they trust your character and left me in your care.”

“You think that makes sense?”

When Yong Hwarin asked with a sneer, Eum Sajeok lowered his head.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a worthless hostage. I thought someone would want to negotiate, but no one’s come forward, even with you here. So I figured it’d be better to just kill you.”

Eum Sajeok raised his head with a pitiful grin.

“Hahaha, Hero Yong. Few people know the Cult as well as I do. I’ll feed you information bit by bit whenever I can, so please don’t make any hasty decisions.”

Seeing Eum Sajeok shamelessly begging for his life, Yong Hwarin found him both pathetic and somewhat revolting.

“Fine. In that case, give me one piece of information right now, and I won’t kill you just yet. Where is the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword?”

“I gave it to First Senior Brother.”

It was the same information the Demonic Master had drawn out from Eum Sajeok using the Soul Reaping Art.

“Who did your First Senior Brother give the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword to?”

“That… even I don’t know.”

“But you must have some guess, don’t you?”

“That First Senior Brother is a very devious man. He’s not the type to store something in an obvious place, nor to hand it over to someone ordinary. So it’s really impossible to predict.”

Eum Sajeok continued murmuring as if it meant nothing to him, despite openly badmouthing his own First Senior Brother.

“If you want to find the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword, you’ll have to find that First Senior Brother.”

“Where do I need to go to find him?”

Eum Sajeok stared at Yong Hwarin for a moment, then asked seriously.

“If I give you that answer, will you not kill me?”

Yong Hwarin found it baffling how such a coward could have become the Third Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

However, if this entire act was calculated, then Eum Sajeok was truly terrifying.

To cast away pride and beg for sympathy was not something possible with an ordinary mindset.

“Fine. I won’t kill you. But if the information is worthless, I’ll take your life with my own hands. You know I don’t make empty threats.”

Eum Sajeok flinched in shock.

After what he’d seen Yong Hwarin do to Man Inhwa, he realized this man wasn’t just a righteous hero of the orthodox path — he also possessed the cruelty of the demonic path.

No righteous hero of the orthodox sects would have done such a thing to Man Inhwa.

“Hahaha, how could I not recognize that killer’s heart of yours, Hero Yong?”

“Speak. Who is it?”

Eum Sajeok stopped delaying and finally opened his mouth.

He felt if he wasted even a moment longer, Yong Hwarin’s sword might slice through his throat.

“Recently, I heard that First Senior Brother has become infatuated with Chouhui. If you monitor her, you’ll probably see him.”

In that instant, killing intent surged from Yong Hwarin.

“What kind of nonsense is that? Chouhui isn’t in Jeongju — she’s a courtesan at the Gangseondo Pavilion in Kaifeng. Do you think I’d believe your First Senior Brother is in Kaifeng, not Jeongju?”

Startled by the razor-sharp killing intent, Eum Sajeok still shouted back.

“That Chouhui is in Jeongju, not Kaifeng! I swear, First Senior Brother himself told me she’s in Jeongju! I just wasn’t interested, so I never bothered to remember exactly where!”

Yong Hwarin didn’t press further because he knew the day would come when the Demonic Master’s soul would dominate Eum Sajeok, and he could ask him directly to confirm the truth.

For now, just knowing the whereabouts of Lee Yung was enough.

The reason Eum Sajeok revealed Lee Yung’s location so easily was because he believed his current miserable state was all due to that First Senior Brother.

‘If only that First Senior Brother had kept his promise properly...’

If that had been the case, he believed he would not be suffering this humiliation under Yong Hwarin — the roles could have been reversed.

So he wanted to see Lee Yung brought low, even if it meant helping Yong Hwarin.

As Yong Hwarin turned to leave, Eum Sajeok cautiously spoke up.

“Uh, Hero Yong… I’m sorry, but could you unblock my blood channel? I’ve been paralyzed from the sealed blood points for so long that my body feels like stone.”

“If you want me to open your blood channel, you’ll need to offer some information worth moving my heart. Until then, I won’t release you.”

Yong Hwarin snapped around and exited.

Eum Sajeok ground his teeth.

‘You vicious bastard… one day I’ll repay this disgrace.’

Even if only in his imagination, Eum Sajeok tore Yong Hwarin to shreds.

Outside, Mu Iso was waiting.

Yong Hwarin asked.

“What is it?”

Mu Iso stepped close and whispered.

“Right now, Hoi Soyu’s close aides and the Golden Court Council have gathered. There’s talk that tomorrow they’ll formally declare Hoi Soyu the official Chairman of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. Recently, Go Ram was tailing them and uncovered this scheme. They gathered today and internally agreed to carry it out tomorrow.”

“Things are suddenly moving fast.”

“They’re afraid we’ll detoxify and restore Lady Hoi Unkyung. And since they know we rescued the Division Leader of the East Evil Division, they likely believe we obtained the antidote for Jiangshi Poison. So they must be feeling urgent too.”

“Understandable.”

Yong Hwarin knew that if the Golden Court Council, which formed the core of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, used the vacant Chairman seat as a pretext to install Hoi Soyu, they would have no justification to stop it.

After all, they were just Hoi Unkyung’s escorts, not in a position to interfere in the union’s internal affairs.

‘Still, putting forward Hoi Unkyung when she hasn’t fully recovered would be worse than doing nothing. They’ve already built up enough force to keep her in check. And now, her power base might have collapsed completely. Besides, considering that the Third Escort Chief Jeon Yeong turned out to be Hoi Soyu’s spy, it’s impossible to tell just how far her influence reaches.’

After a moment of thought, Yong Hwarin asked.

“They say the Chairman has regained consciousness — is he well enough to speak?”

“Yes, thanks to the Demonic Master’s treatment, he has recovered considerably.”

Yong Hwarin believed that in order to overcome this crisis, the presence of Hoi Jongbaek was crucial.

Most of the escorts, escort chiefs, and workers of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union had been recruited by Hoi Jongbaek, so they wouldn’t go against his word.

“I think it’s best we meet the Chairman and consult with him.”

Yong Hwarin immediately headed to Hoi Jongbaek’s residence.

“I've heard much about you.”

Hoi Jongbaek’s body was emaciated to the point his bones were nearly visible. However, his complexion had improved enough that he at least looked somewhat human.

Seeing Yong Hwarin enter the room, Hoi Jongbaek spoke.

Having been unconscious for a long time, his voice came out cracked and dry.

“Greetings, Chairman. I am Yong Hwarin of the Heavenly Central Sect.”

Yong Hwarin clasped his hands in a respectful greeting and introduced himself. Hoi Jongbaek gazed at him for a long moment.

“Sit.”

Once Yong Hwarin sat down, Hoi Jongbaek asked,

“I heard that Young Master Yong has been protecting my daughter and my household all this time. I’m truly grateful. I’ve been unconscious for far too long, and yet my household hasn’t collapsed — it’s all thanks to you.”

“Not at all. Lady Hoi Unkyung endured far more. I did nothing worth mentioning.”

“Seeing you come to visit a dying old man like me… it seems something urgent has happened?”