The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 271
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 25
“Heh heh, how could such a thing happen! The actions of those calling themselves righteous sects are worse than even the unorthodox sects! There are others to suspect, yet they dare frame Shaolin’s benefactor as a demon! Those wretched fools!”
Gong Hye Dasa, who had heard about the incident in Luoyang, glared at Sanseosam-don and raged.
I guarantee that if Gong Hye Dasa had been a warrior monk instead of a scholar monk, fists would have been flying.
“Still, thanks to that, I was able to visit Shaolin again. So please stop being angry.”
“Benefactor Tak’s nature is so gentle and tender that such street thugs are drawn to her. This won’t do. I must go to the Abbot immediately and discuss this situation!”
No, there’s no need to go that far.
While I’m grateful for Gong Hye Dasa’s special care for me, someone like Sanseosam-don was manageable by my own hands.
I only stopped by Shaolin because I had no other way to prove my identity; unnecessary help is declined.
“Gong Hye Dasa, I brought a Buddhist scripture from our headquarters just in case. Would you like to take a look?”
“A Buddhist scripture?”
There’s nothing better for captivating the head of Janggyeonggak.
“Seo-ryeon.”
“Yes, Miss.”
At my signal, Seo-ryeon handed over a book wrapped in silk.
“I don’t know much about it myself. But no matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like an ordinary Buddhist scripture.”
In reality, it was just a simple Buddhist book for pretending to be from Cheon-sin-mun.
It was merely a light stratagem I pulled out to change the subject because I didn’t want to cause a big incident at Shaolin Monastery this time.
“Oh, even the cover is already extraordinary.”
Gong Hye Dasa took the bait immediately.
The person who had been glaring at Sanseosam-don just moments ago now had his face light up as if he’d discovered a precious treasure.
“Mu-eun.”
“Yes, Master Uncle.”
“These are honored guests, so escort them to Jigaedang with utmost care.”
Even while his attention was completely focused on the book, Gong Hye Dasa thoughtfully took care of me and Bongwang Fortress.
“Benefactor Tak, please come up with me.”
“Yes, Master.”
I was thus unexpectedly caught by Gong Hye Dasa and had to listen to an unwanted sermon for a full hour, even meeting the Abbot Gong-heo Daesa, before I could finally enter Jigaedang.
Since my mental fatigue was considerable, I was about to go rest immediately when I was unexpectedly stopped by Sim Hong-gi, the leader of Beophwa Gate.
“I failed to recognize Shaolin’s benefactor and committed a breach of etiquette. I apologize. Amitabha.”
As befitting a lay disciple of Shaolin, he began by apologizing to me.
“Not at all. How could that be Sect Leader’s fault? I understand the situation was unavoidable. Guanyin Bodhisattva.”
While it’s true that Sim Hong-gi recommended I go to Shaolin Monastery, there was no forceful coercion whatsoever.
He maintained courtesy throughout and treated us without prejudice.
To clear up the misunderstanding caused by the demonic energy emitted by Bongwang Fortress, going to Shaolin Monastery was an unavoidable choice for me as well.
“As Cheon-sin Geom-hwa must have heard, there was a major incident in Luoyang recently. Many people died because of it.”
“You mean the exposure of the Demonic Sect’s secret branch?”
“Yes, it seems everyone is on edge because of that, which led to this unfortunate incident. I should have explained the demonic Buddhist energy more clearly, but it was my first time encountering such energy as well.”
“People who see demonic Buddhist energy for the first time often misunderstand. This is a unique characteristic of Cheon-sin-mun, but since we’re a remote sect, few people know about it. I was actually surprised that Sect Leader Sim knew about it.”
Lies flowed naturally from my mouth.
At this point, shouldn’t I be able to win a Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress?
“Many people in Gangho were moved by the chivalrous spirit Cheon-sin Geom-hwa showed two years ago. I’m one of them.”
Chivalrous spirit, he says.
I didn’t kill the murderer Namgung Cheon purely out of chivalrous spirit.
While it’s true I hoped no more innocent victims would be created, my guilt over Namgung Cheon becoming a murderer due to the Honcheon Artifact and, above all, revenge for Grandmother were my priorities.
It was Sect Leader Uncle from Hao Clan who transformed that into making me a great hero of the world.
Just how much did he build me up for Sect Leader Sim to have such an expression?
He was looking at me with slight exaggeration as if viewing Saint Mother Teresa.
‘How embarrassing.’
“If someone like Cheon-sin Geom-hwa had been in Luoyang, Jinheung Pyo-guk wouldn’t have been so brutally massacred.”
“…Were you well acquainted with Jinheung Pyo-guk?”
Sim Hong-gi’s eyes were particularly heavy when he mentioned Jinheung Pyo-guk.
“It was quite a successful escort agency in Luoyang. A place that had steady dealings with Beophwa Gate. They should have refused Sahae Pyo-guk’s proposal…”
It was unexpected to hear Sahae Pyo-guk mentioned by Sect Leader Sim.
That’s because the Demonic Sect’s secret branch that was recently exposed was precisely Sahae Pyo-guk.
For a long time, the two escort agencies had grown in a competitive relationship in Luoyang.
Then an incident occurred where the people of Jinheung Pyo-guk were massacred, and Sahae Pyo-guk, with whom they had a poor relationship, was identified as the culprit.
In the process of investigating this, traces of demonic arts were exposed, revealing Sahae Pyo-guk’s true identity.
‘What connection does Sim Hong-gi have to this incident?’
I already knew the outline of the incident before leaving headquarters.
But there was no mention of Beophwa Gate at all.
Since most of the demons from the secret branch were captured by the Martial Arts Alliance, detailed facts clearly hadn’t reached headquarters yet.
While the Alliance has Demonic Sect spies, attempting contact with them in the current situation would be risky.
Then it wouldn’t be bad to try getting information from Sim Hong-gi.
“Sahae Pyo-guk is the Demonic Sect’s secret branch that was exposed this time, isn’t it? Did they approach Sect Leader Sim as well?”
“Shamefully, due to our sect’s circumstances, we were in a situation where we had to reduce operating expenses. But somehow they found out about this, and Sahae Pyo-guk came with a cheap proposal.”
“You mean after dealing with Jinheung Pyo-guk for a long time, you switched to Sahae Pyo-guk’s side.”
“Yes, so I ended up instigating a fight between two escort agencies that were already enemies.”
“Were the two escort agencies on such bad terms in Luoyang?”
“Don’t even mention it. While other escort agencies supposedly engage in price fixing, they kept competing by continuously lowering transaction prices. Thanks to that, only clients like our sect were happy.”
So whenever they met, they were busy growling at each other like sworn enemies, Sim Hong-gi recalled.
“If I had refused Sahae Pyo-guk’s proposal, Jinheung Pyo-guk would still be intact. Of course, their relationship wouldn’t have improved, but there would have been no incident of them going to Sahae Pyo-guk to cause a disturbance.”
The anger that had been building up layer by layer became the trigger, and they nearly crippled two warriors from Sahae Pyo-guk.
In revenge for this, Sahae Pyo-guk infiltrated Jinheung Pyo-guk, poisoned their food, and brutally massacred them while they were unconscious – this was the root cause of everything.
What I couldn’t understand was this part.
It was entirely possible for Sahae Pyo-guk and Jinheung Pyo-guk to be rivals in Luoyang.
What do escort agencies do?
They safely transport clients’ goods to their destinations.
Naturally, since it’s dangerous work, they hire people with some strength as warriors. I understand they pay wages differentially based on skill level.
However, Sahae Pyo-guk wasn’t an ordinary escort agency, but a secret branch of the Demonic Sect.
But for revenge, they went to a competing business and massacred people, even leaving traces of demonic arts?
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
If anything, they would have made extreme efforts to hide being demons, not deliberately cause incidents that would draw attention.
The competition with Jinheung Pyo-guk was probably their own strategy to present themselves as an ordinary escort agency.
That’s why I was certain the Blood Heaven Society was behind this incident.
‘But what was Eok Mun’s reason for causing such an incident?’
If only I could know what he wanted in Luoyang, solving the case would be somewhat easier.
“Great Hero Gong Ya-chi needs to wake up quickly to tell the truth…”
“…Did you just say Gong Ya-chi?”
At the familiar name that suddenly popped up, I tilted my head.
It was such an unusual name in the novel that I still remembered it.
But why is that punk’s name coming up here?
“Yes, does Cheon-sin Geom-hwa know him by any chance?”
“Well… we’re not extremely close, but… is it really Gong Ya-chi? The one with burn scars under his chin?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right! Oh, what a connection this is!”
Damn, it really is that bastard?
“Great Hero Gong Ya-chi is the only warrior who survived from Jinheung Pyo-guk. He managed to preserve his life by barely escaping to our gate.”
“Then do you know where he is now?”
“He’s currently staying at Beophwa Gate. However, even if you meet him, conversation would be impossible. He’s been in a delirious state since collapsing after only leaving the clue ‘Sahae Pyo-guk.'”
Ah, so that bastard disguised it as Sahae Trading Company’s doing?
But why would Gong Ya-chi?
As far as I know, he’s not Eok Mun’s subordinate but Tam-rang’s.
What the hell is going on here.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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