Chapter 312 : The Forbidden Zone for Men
Seogeok-!
The Mountain Lord Great Saber severed Cheon Bi-yeon’s neck.
Her head soared into the air, while dark crimson blood sprayed in every direction.
Soon after, Jin Seong-un released the wrist he had been holding.
Thud.
Her body collapsed onto the ground.
“…….”
For a moment, he stared at Cheon Bi-yeon’s headless corpse.
Jin Seong-un felt a strange emotion.
Emptiness? No.
It was something else.
Yes, unease was the proper word for it.
Hwiik-!
Suddenly, from the deepest part of the cave, a gust of wind carrying Fox Moon Qi burst forth.
Jin Seong-un and the Hao Sect Leader silently stared toward the direction the wind had escaped.
Meanwhile, the head of the Hebei Peng Clan, Saber King, strode confidently to Jin Seong-un’s side and asked:
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Jin Seong-un answered vaguely.
At that, Saber King’s brow twitched.
“I saved your life, yet you don’t even say thank you?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Jin Seong-un was not particularly friendly toward Saber King.
Back during the Myriad Gold Manor incident, the one who had fought while assisting Ha Joo-myeong had been none other than Saber King.
“Quite spiteful for someone who doesn’t look it. For your information, both I and the Hebei Peng Clan cooperated fully with every Murim Alliance investigation and proved we had absolutely no ties to the Demonic Cult.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Jin Seong-un trusted the Alliance Leader and the Chief Strategist.
Especially if the Chief Strategist had conducted a relentless investigation and acknowledged their innocence, then that was likely the truth.
Saber King continued:
“I just liked money, that’s all. If I’d known that bastard Ha Joo-myeong had colluded with the Demonic Cult too… hm… I probably still would’ve helped him. The amount was too large to refuse.”
“…….”
Jin Seong-un stared at Saber King in disbelief.
Could someone really be this honest?
Soon, Jin Seong-un asked the Hao Sect Leader:
“What exactly is this combination?”
“A gathering of men who did something stupid after getting enchanted by women. There are a few more outside.”
Jin Seong-un’s gaze shifted toward Saber King.
He already knew about the Master of the Thunderclap Sect since he had rescued him personally.
But Saber King too had fallen under the influence of the Nine-Tails Fox’s subordinates?
At once, Saber King flared up.
“I allowed myself to be deceived on purpose. Thanks to becoming bait myself, we made it all the way here, didn’t we?”
“……Is that so.”
For some reason, Jin Seong-un no longer wished to continue talking with Saber King.
The more they spoke, the more it felt as though his intelligence was decreasing.
It had been a long time since he had experienced such a feeling—ever since the early days with Seomun Ak.
As Jin Seong-un ignored him, the Hao Sect Leader immediately slipped into the opening.
“This makes twice now that I’ve helped you, Guest Dragon. And not small favors either. Correct?”
Earlier, when they had pursued Ha Cheong-a’s Martial Palace alongside the special operations unit, he had also received the Hao Sect Leader’s assistance.
Setting aside the irritating attitude, the man’s words were entirely true, so Jin Seong-un nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Yes, you should be grateful. So then, when are you joining the Hao Sect? Your position is still vacant.”
“……Why would I join there?”
“You were an inn waiter.”
“I’m not one now.”
“But you were.”
“…….”
For some reason, Jin Seong-un felt a worse headache now than when he had fought Cheon Bi-yeon.
The Hao Sect Leader burst into loud laughter.
Soon, several familiar faces entered the cave.
Chef Seo, Murong Hyeon, and Young Hero Seomun.
Abbess Jeonghye, Seo-wol, and even Han Myeong-wol.
His friends wore relieved expressions, while the women of the Emei Sect awkwardly fidgeted as though they were sinners.
Jin Seong-un realized they felt deeply apologetic toward him.
After all, everything had occurred within the Moon Command Sect, a secular branch of the Emei Sect.
Jin Seong-un spoke casually.
“Let’s return to the Moon Command Sect first. And this…”
His gaze turned toward Cheon Bi-yeon’s corpse sprawled across the floor.
“We should hold funeral rites.”
“Is that truly necessary?”
Jin Seong-un questioned Abbess Jeonghye’s words.
However, she remained firm.
“We are of the Righteous Sect, are we not?”
It was a statement filled with many meanings.
Jin Seong-un did not truly agree with holding rites for an evil person.
However, if Abbess Jeonghye wished to do so, he had no reason to stop her.
While Abbess Jeonghye, Seo-wol, and Han Myeong-wol performed rites for Cheon Bi-yeon, Jin Seong-un and the others waited outside, observing the collapsed cliffside.
---
While descending back toward the Moon Command Sect—
After hearing the full story about Cheon Bi-yeon from the Emei Sect women and Jin Seong-un’s group, the Hao Sect Leader reached a conclusion.
“So she called them failures and intended to discard them. She planned to make one final fortune before leaving.”
It seemed Cheon Bi-yeon had attempted to create the Women’s Moon Heart Method through the martial artists of the Moon Command Sect.
However, after failing, she intended to use them to extort money from various places before discarding them.
The Hao Sect Leader continued:
“Guest Dragon, had you arrived even slightly later, these women would all have died.”
He pointed toward the martial artists of the Moon Command Sect.
At once, everyone including Han Myeong-wol turned pale.
If Jin Seong-un had not tracked them down in time, Cheon Bi-yeon would have used the Moon Command Sect disciples to make one final fortune before killing them all and disappearing.
Han Myeong-wol cautiously approached.
After staring at Jin Seong-un with a complicated expression, she bowed deeply.
“……On behalf of the Moon Command Sect, I sincerely thank you, Hero Guest Dragon. Even after entering Mount Emei, I will never forget this grace for the rest of my life.”
Jin Seong-un merely believed he had been following traces of Master Noble Enchantress, so he did not think he deserved gratitude.
However, if he said such a thing aloud, Han Myeong-wol would probably feel awkward, so he merely kept silent and nodded slightly.
Soon, Abbess Jeonghye approached.
“I apologize. We were lacking and caused you great trouble, Guest Dragon. In the end, the Moon Command Sect is still a secular branch of the Emei Sect……”
At that moment, Seomun Ak stepped forward.
Receiving gratitude and praise was, after all, his specialty.
“We merely did what had to be done. We are of the Righteous Sect, after all.”
While Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, and Murong Hyeon all wore exhausted expressions, Abbess Jeonghye and the women heroes of the Emei Sect looked at Seomun Ak with deeply moved eyes.
The three of them sincerely wished the entire world would realize Seomun Ak’s hideous true nature.
Ignoring them, Seomun Ak continued:
“This is precisely why I reached the Peak Master Realm.”
The nuns’ eyes sparkled even brighter.
Guest Dragon’s incomprehensible martial prowess was already famous.
However, the Seomun Clan was firmly within the ranks of the Orthodox Faction.
Thus, the emergence of such a young genius stirred the hearts of righteous martial artists.
Seo-wol, the Emei Sect’s eldest disciple, approached while lowering her spear tip and spoke.
“It seems rumors truly can’t be trusted.”
“Haha, you mean those absurd rumors?”
The rumors that Seomun Ak was the greatest scoundrel under heaven.
Subtly, Seomun Ak was even trying to whitewash his past.
“Yes. They really were absurd. I remember how Young Hero Seomun stood his ground to protect me.”
Seomun Ak had risked his life to shield Seo-wol from Cheon Bi-yeon’s enhanced qi.
Seomun Ak exhaled roughly through his nose.
Something was boiling within his heart.
Staring at him silently, Seo Yu-gyeom felt something extremely dangerous was bubbling up.
* You lunatic. She’s a nun.
* I know. So what? This is simply chivalry. Camaraderie. Brotherhood. Something like that.
Seo Yu-gyeom pressed his hand against his forehead.
Murong Hyeon lightly tugged at Seo Yu-gyeom’s sleeve and shook her head.
Then she transmitted a clumsy voice transmission.
* Don’t… try… to… understand… crazy people.
Murong Hyeon was wise once again.
Around the time the situation finally settled—
A subordinate of the Hao Sect Leader approached and reported:
“Sect Leader, we found her.”
“Really? Let’s go then. Abbess Jeonghye, you should come as well. Your disciples too. We found the corpse of the Moon Command Sect Leader.”
At that, complicated expressions appeared on the faces of Abbess Jeonghye, Seo-wol, and the martial artists of the Moon Command Sect.
“……Thank you, Sect Leader.”
“There’s no need. It’s not free anyway. We are the Hao Sect, after all.”
Abbess Jeonghye nodded.
The Hao Sect pursued perfect neutrality between orthodox and unorthodox paths.
There was only one reason they acted:
Whether it benefited the Hao Sect.
Money, debts, favors—it did not matter.
“In the future, the Emei Sect shall aid the Hao Sect once.”
“As it should.”
---
The requiem ceremony for the Moon Command Sect Leader continued.
Led by Abbess Jeonghye, the Emei Sect disciples officiated while the endless sobbing of the Moon Command Sect disciples filled the air.
Killed by Cheon Bi-yeon, her corpse had been discarded carelessly without even a proper grave mound.
The Moon Command Sect disciples could hardly bear to look at it.
For the past several months, they had served the evil woman who murdered their sect leader as though she truly were their leader, and the shame and guilt crushed them.
Watching the scene, the Hao Sect Leader offered comfort.
“Don’t all act like criminals. Even this mighty Saber King here was bewitched by that woman and squandered his family fortune. Right now, the clan elders are cursing him out, and he’s on the verge of being kicked out of the Peng Clan. You people never really stood a chance.”
Saber King, who had been criticized despite doing nothing, nearly exploded.
However, he could not rampage inside a funeral hall, so he cursed through voice transmission instead.
The Hao Sect Leader smiled gently and savored the insults as though listening to beautiful music.
Feeling as though he were cursing at a wall only made Saber King angrier.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted toward Jin Seong-un.
More precisely, toward the sword hanging at his waist.
“Weren’t you originally a bladesman?”
“I use both sword and saber.”
“Which are you better with?”
“They’re similar, but if I had to choose, the sword.”
Saber King stared at Jin Seong-un in shock.
Even merely from the saber arts Guest Dragon had displayed at Myriad Gold Manor, Saber King had been greatly impressed.
Even he himself at that age could not have performed such saber arts.
Yet he was even better with the sword?
“I don’t have a daughter yet, so what should I do? By any chance… are you not interested in men?”
“Peng Clan Head, whenever words leave one’s mouth, they should be better than silence.”
At the Hao Sect Leader’s sharp remark, the Peng Clan Head glared at him.
Watching them, Jin Seong-un asked:
“Were you two always close?”
The Hao Sect, after all, walked the line between orthodox and unorthodox.
The Orthodox Faction treated them as unorthodox, while the unorthodox viewed them as opportunistic bats.
Thus, Jin Seong-un found it strange that the head of one of the Five Great Clans and the Hao Sect Leader behaved so casually together.
The Hao Sect Leader answered indifferently.
“Something like the relationship between you and that Seomun scoundrel.”
“……What does that mean?”
“About thirty or forty years ago, Saber King got beaten all night by the previous Peng Clan Head and was thrown out. I fed and sheltered him for a while. Even afterward, whenever it looked like his father might beat him to death, he’d come hide in my inn. Back then, I ran a small inn like yours.”
“Ah.”
“Think about it. Even if that Seomun scoundrel somehow became stronger than you decades later, could he truly use force to oppress you? If he did, he wouldn’t be human.”
Jin Seong-un quietly glanced at Seomun Ak.
He suddenly felt he needed to train harder.
Around then, the requiem ceremony concluded.
Naturally, the Hao Sect Leader changed his target to Abbess Jeonghye and spoke.
“Jeonghye, surely you don’t intend to let this matter pass with empty words?”
“Did I not already say the Hao Sect would be repaid? And I tried not to say this, but you’re young enough to be my junior, yet you keep calling me by my Dharma name…….”
“I’m not talking about myself. I mean these people here.”
The Hao Sect Leader pointed toward Jin Seong-un and his companions.
Abbess Jeonghye sighed.
“Of course. We intend to publicly reveal everything about this matter and apologize and compensate all victims. Naturally, we must also properly express gratitude to these children.”
“No, that’s not it.”
The Hao Sect Leader approached Abbess Jeonghye while shaking his head.
His attitude practically screamed that elderly members of the Orthodox Faction were impossible to communicate with.
“Properly. Adequately. Words like that are meaningless. What if something feels sufficient to you but inadequate to Seomun Scoundrel? Since it’s compensation from the Emei Sect Leader, they’d have no choice but to silently accept it. That’s why I’m telling you to state it clearly. What exactly are you going to give them?”
“…….”
Seomun Ak, who had been unable to ask directly due to maintaining his righteous hero facade, silently cheered for the Hao Sect Leader in his heart.
Abbess Jeonghye pressed against her temples as though suffering a headache before finally speaking.
“That will not happen. The Emei Sect does not forget debts or gratitude. Very well. Guest Dragon, and your friends as well, freely state what you desire.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Jin Seong-un.
However, his companions knew that in situations like this, Jin Seong-un almost never requested anything.
‘Should I speak first instead?’
Seomun Ak considered it.
Perhaps it would be better to abandon pride and dignity for a moment.
If they left it to that fool, he would probably say something like, “I didn’t really do this wanting anything in return.”
At that moment, Jin Seong-un opened his mouth.
“As far as I know, the Emei Sect is a Forbidden Zone for Men.”
“……That’s correct.”
“I’d like to visit it.”
Inside his mind, Seomun Ak erupted in cheers.
Jin Seong-un had finally come to his senses.
Of course, Jin Seong-un’s intentions were nothing like Seomun Ak’s impure thoughts.
In Abbess Jeonghye’s final sword strike, had he not clearly sensed Women’s Moon Qi?
Jin Seong-un wanted to properly investigate the Emei Sect.
Perhaps they possessed deep ties to Master Noble Enchantress.