Chapter 96: Each Other’s Hearts (1)
Drip, drip, drip!
One of the most secret places in the Ten Thousand Mountain Range—Mysterious Elegance Peak.
The clear sound of water flowing through the valley echoed gently, and the area, filled with peach trees blooming in pink flowers, appeared at first glance to be nothing more than a paradise that had forgotten the seasons.
But if anyone knew even a little of this place’s true nature, they would all refer to it in the same way:
The worst demonic zone of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“So, that young junior of ours caused all that trouble?”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
At the center of that demonic zone, a man sat cross-legged while another knelt before him, bowing his head deeply.
They were Cheon Taejong, Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and Cheon Jumyeong, the Demonic Nobleman.
Cheon Jumyeong reported the events of the recent Exchange Ceremony in detail.
“Thanks to that, everything went smoothly. The Black Gold Sa Clan sent a statement, desperately denying any involvement and pushing all the blame onto Sa Cheongmun for acting independently.”
“Hahaha, the Inner Administrator must be having a hard time.”
“Considering the seriousness of the matter, I believe the replacement of the Inner Administrator is inevitable.”
Even if such things had been tacitly permitted, once they were brought to light, someone had to take responsibility.
Would the person responsible for this, who had essentially ousted the Inner Administrator of such a massive organization with mere words, even realize what he’d done?
“Hmm, that young junior is certainly useful in many ways.”
Cheon Taejong faintly smiled as he stroked his chin.
“If only he weren’t so presumptuous, I would have kept him close and used him well.”
“Do you believe, Cult Leader, that the Jin Clan’s brat orchestrated all this with the outcome in mind?”
At Cheon Jumyeong’s question, the Cult Leader simply shrugged.
“Perhaps?”
“…That’s remarkable.”
Though his tone was calm, the Cult Leader could tell that Cheon Jumyeong was genuinely surprised.
“If his insight truly runs that deep, wouldn’t it be better to recruit him into the Heavenly Thunder Corps? As far as I know, the Jin Clan’s successor has already been decided.”
“Why? Planning to keep an eye on him?”
“Of course not. I just thought that with a mind like his, he could be of use in the Heavenly Thunder Corps, where we’re short on talent…”
His hasty excuse was cut off with a single wave of the Cult Leader’s hand.
“I don’t particularly mind. If he’s capable, it’s fine to recruit him. But…”
But?
“Don’t underestimate that young junior.”
“……”
“Even if you are the master of the Heavenly Thunder Corps, you’re not immune to the blade lurking right under the lamp.”
Cheon Jumyeong’s expression hardened. No—beyond just hardening, a subtle trace of anger flickered in his eyes.
He had lived for decades in this den of demons, rising all the way to become the leader of the Heavenly Thunder Corps, one of the Five Great Divisions.
And now he was being told to watch out for a mere youth who had just passed twenty?
“You don’t believe it, do you?”
“No, how could I dare…”
“You’ll find out soon enough. If you can bring him in, that is. Anyway, let’s put that topic to rest…”
The Cult Leader’s tone shifted slightly lower.
“How’s the investigation on those bastards going?”
Cheon Jumyeong immediately answered.
“The purge of the former Seventh Elder, the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, and his faction has been completed. The problem is… no matter how much we interrogate their closest followers, we haven’t gotten any useful information.”
“…I see.”
“The only relief is that there no longer appear to be any of their puppets left in the Elder Council.”
“Are you sure?”
“I stake my life on it.”
If Cheon Jumyeong was willing to stake his life, then it must be certain.
At least, for now.
“If I may be so bold, it seems that those people are now focusing their efforts not on our cult, but on the Orthodox Faction… more precisely, the affairs in Anhui Province.”
“Is the situation in Namcheon really that bad?”
“Evil Overlords of Heaven has withdrawn his support. At this rate, the fall of the Sword King is only a matter of months.”
“Hmm.”
The Cult Leader’s face twisted slightly, clearly displeased.
“It’s good that the Orthodox Faction is in chaos, but it’s unpleasant that those bastards are the cause of it.”
“Shall we intervene?”
The Cult Leader shook his head.
“No matter how you look at it, our cult can’t go that far.”
Intervening in the distant affairs of Anhui Province would require significant resources.
The Heavenly Demon Cult wasn’t a righteous organization trying to maintain peace in the martial world, and those bastards hadn’t even revealed themselves publicly.
“Just protecting the Sword King’s granddaughter is enough for me to say I’ve kept my loyalty. Don’t you agree?”
“……”
Cheon Jumyeong said nothing. He was well aware of the current state of the Sword King’s granddaughter.
“In any case, handle the current matter flawlessly. Stay within the ‘appropriate bounds.’ Understood?”
“Of course. The result you desire will be achieved without fail.”
“You may go.”
“As you command.”
Cheon Jumyeong bowed deeply and retreated, walking backward slowly.
It was the epitome of deference. Even though he stood before the Cult Leader, it was hard to believe he was the de facto third-in-command of the Cheon Clan.
Once Cheon Jumyeong had disappeared—
A faint smile curled on the Cult Leader’s lips.
“I will get the result I want. With the mind you possess.”
Gulp!
The Cult Leader raised the bottle on the table and took a deep swig, then murmured meaningfully.
“But whether the process will go as I desire… that, I’m not so sure about.”
So far, so good. For now.
And more importantly, he had gained an unexpectedly promising hand to play with.
“I’m quite looking forward to seeing whether that young junior will once again read my intentions.”
The Cult Leader happily emptied the rest of the bottle.
***
And so, the second Exchange Ceremony essentially ended in failure.
Cheon Yura and I were now walking together through the garden of the Lesser Demon Hall.
Though the interior of the Lesser Demon Hall was still buzzing with activity from the aftermath, I—the central figure—remained oddly calm, like the eye of the storm.
“You did well, Jin Yeomyung.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad I could live up to your trust.”
“But are you sure you’ll be alright? It may have ended like this for now, but the pressure you’ll face going forward will be on another level.”
Truthfully, she was largely responsible for pushing me into this situation—but what mattered now was that she was worried about me.
Feeling quietly pleased inside, I replied.
“It doesn’t matter. Whether sooner or later, this was my fate anyway.”
“Fate, huh…”
Cheon Yura repeated the word, as if savoring its weight.
“I’ve never liked that word much… but somehow, it feels a little different this time.”
Of course it did.
For her, fate had always been like an imposed ‘task’—bestowed by others because of her innate talent, something she was forced to bear.
“Young Cult Leader. No, Lady Yura.”
I met Cheon Yura’s gaze.
Normally, she would have retorted proudly. But for some reason, she blinked and stammered.
“W-what is it?”
“You said earlier that you hate having what’s yours taken from you.”
“…I did.”
“Well, I’m the same.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“I also hate it more than anything… when someone tries to take what’s mine.”
“I-I see…”
“There are still mountains ahead of us… No, not just mountains—maybe even the sky itself we’ll have to overcome.”
I looked straight into Cheon Yura’s eyes, unwavering.
“But even so, I won’t give up.”
“……”
She lowered her head, her eyes trembling.
A clear shift from her usual self—a surge of raw emotion.
“Why… Why would you go so far for me…?”
Slowly, I raised my hand and cupped her cheek.
Normally, that would’ve earned me a slap for overstepping my bounds.
But strangely, I had a strong feeling she wouldn’t push me away this time.
“Well, it’s because I…”
“……!”
Just as I gathered the courage to finish that sentence—
“Young Cult Leader.”
The moment that familiar voice rang out from a distance, the space between Cheon Yura and me instantly widened by two full steps.
The hand that had touched her cheek swiftly hid behind my back.
“All the guests have left.”
“……”
“……”
“All cleanup has been completed, and the Guardian Enforcers have returned to their usual duties. All that remains is to monitor the response from the main clan…”
As Sa Biyeon, who had been leading the cleanup effort, appeared to report, I shot her a slightly resentful glare.
“Master Jin? Y-Young Cult Leader?”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one glaring.
“D-Did I… do something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Cheon Yura quickly returned to her cold tone and let out a faint sigh.
Sa Biyeon, quick on the uptake, immediately realized what she had interrupted. Her face went pale, and she began fidgeting nervously.
“I-I apologize…!”
“There’s no need. Truly, nothing happened.”
Well, more accurately, nothing had happened yet before she barged in.
“Sa Biyeon, as you said, the Black Gold Sa Clan will face quite a harsh ordeal after today.”
“Yes, that’s certainly true.”
Sa Biyeon nodded once, regaining her composure.
“In my opinion… if you miss this opportunity, you might never get another.”
Flinch!
At Cheon Yura’s cold but honest assessment, Sa Biyeon bit her lip slightly.
“Yes… I’m well aware of that.”
In my past life, the one who became head of the Black Gold Sa Clan was the eldest son, Sa Bihwan.
And after I became Inner Administrator, I never once saw Sa Biyeon again.
Hoping that she was simply living quietly somewhere in the clan would be nothing more than wishful thinking.
And Sa Biyeon, too, was clearly aware of that grim future.
“They say the worst crime a person can commit is treason. My eldest brother would never leave someone like me alive.”
“Then what do you plan to do?”
With so little personal power, she didn’t have many options.
Sa Biyeon thought carefully, then opened her mouth.
“Thanks to Master Jin’s actions, Sa Cheongmun has publicly disgraced the cult’s prestige. And Sa Cheongmun is one of my elder brother’s closest allies. I have to use this to bring him down.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“On its own, probably not. The key is to use this chance to expose more of my brother’s weaknesses.”
There’s no such thing as someone who’s clean when shaken hard enough.
“Normally, that kind of internal investigation would be impossible. But if external threats keep coming, there’ll definitely be an opening.”
“I see.”
Cheon Yura didn’t seem particularly reassured, even though Sa Biyeon appeared to have a plan.
Even if an opening existed, slipping through it was a deadly gamble.
The real problem was that Cheon Yura had no way of helping her.
“Jin Yeomyung, is there any way?”
Both of their eyes turned toward me, holding the faintest hope.
Of course, neither of them had high expectations. No matter what I’d accomplished so far, this was an entirely different scale of problem.
But—
“There is.”
“There is?!”
Both women widened their eyes in shock.
I grinned and said to Cheon Yura,
“However, I’ll need your permission first, Lady Yura.”
“My permission?”
“I am, after all, your strategist. If I get involved in this, I’ll be serving Lady Sa for a while, and it’s only proper I get your approval first.”
Sa Biyeon asked in a trembling voice.
“Y-You really have a way?”
“I do.”
“Ah…”
To her, it must’ve felt like grabbing onto a straw.
At this point, she probably only had a broad direction, with no real detailed plan.
No—if she did have one, it likely wasn’t very realistic.
Cheon Yura didn’t hesitate at all.
“Please do it. Help Sa Biyeon.”
“As I always say—if you wish it.”
Chok!
I joined my hands and cupped my fists in salute toward her.