The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 70

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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 70

Creak.

It was still the dim dawn hours.

Shin Geum opened the tightly closed restaurant door and stepped outside.

‘I’m late today. I need to hurry.’

Uncharacteristically, she had overslept.

Shin Geum rolled up her shopping basket and stuffed it into her waistband as she hurried toward the market.

The dawn humidity touching her skin felt refreshing.

However, that only applied to herself who had just woken up, not to those who hadn’t slept a wink and were sticking close to her.

‘They’re suffering because of me.’

Shin Geum silently conveyed her apologies to the two following her at an appropriate distance.

“…!”

It was when she was taking a shortcut through a secluded area.

Swish―

A faint wind grazed past Shin Geum’s ear.

Thud!

A muffled sound followed.

Swish― Thud!

The same sound occurred once more.

The first time might be coincidence, but the second was inevitable.

Shin Geum’s sharp intuition sent a warning.

Just because her body was restricted didn’t mean her intuition had disappeared.

With her physical strength limited, her senses had actually developed more keenly.

Shin Geum quietly brought her hand to her solar plexus. Without hesitation, she pulled out the long needle embedded in her Geogwol acupoint.

As the blocked dam burst open, a gentle breeze began to swirl around Shin Geum.

Unlike the soft breeze blowing from outside, a storm-like energy raged within her.

Shin Geum continued forward with the same pace as before, her eyes closed.

‘One, two, three… four.’

Though her eyes were closed, her surroundings appeared even clearer to Shin Geum.

‘Ah.’

She simply felt sorry for the two lives that were fading away.

Swoosh―

An unfamiliar wind blew from behind.

The masked figure emerging from the darkness covered Shin Geum’s mouth with his left hand while pressing the sleep acupoint with his right.

‘Got her!’

The masked figure’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction as he embraced Shin Geum from behind.

But that lasted only a moment.

‘Huh?’

The old woman who should have collapsed was still walking. The distance kept growing.

‘What? I definitely pressed the sleep acupoint?’

The masked figure looked down at his own embrace.

‘This can’t be!’

What he was holding was empty air and Shin Geum’s afterimage.

Just as he was about to quickly pursue his target again.

“…!”

Suddenly his body wouldn’t move.

Only then did the masked figure realize a needle had been inserted into his Qihai acupoint.

And the moment he became aware of it, scorching heat spread throughout his body as if he had fallen into a furnace.

This was because the energy on the needle was tearing through his danjeon like a blade.

‘Aaaahhh!’

He screamed from unbearable pain, but somehow no sound escaped.

The masked figure’s body melted away like a handful of poison, dissolving like ice in midsummer.

Squelch, squelch!

Stepping on the soggy ground, Shin Geum opened her previously closed eyes.

Flash!

Sharp blue-green light burst forth, instantly enveloping the entire area.

That evening.

“My lord, urgent news!”

An urgent telepathic message from a subordinate reached Yeo Gong, who was in the middle of drinking with the Wi family head.

“What is it?”

At Yeo Gong’s voice, Marib rushed over and knelt on one knee to report.

“This dawn, all four Blood Wolves who were following First Miss’s grandmother have gone missing.”

“What? Missing?”

“Yes, so we searched the area and found traces of Hwa-gol Mountain powder.”

Missing was absurd enough, but Hwa-gol Mountain powder?

Not only Yeo Gong but even Wi-rin, who was with him, furrowed his brow.

“Are you certain it was Hwa-gol Mountain powder?”

Hwa-gol Mountain powder was an extremely toxic substance that could instantly dissolve even human bones.

Naturally, it was very difficult to handle and not easily obtainable.

“There are four places where the surrounding grass and stones melted away for no reason. The same number as the missing Blood Wolves. They definitely used Hwa-gol Mountain powder to dispose of the bodies!”

“That means it was to conceal the killings?”

“Without bodies, we can’t tell what method was used or guess the identity of the culprit, but we believe it was a master of poison arts.”

“Four Blood Wolves following First Miss’s grandmother were killed by a master of poison arts…”

Yeo Gong, who had been quietly reciting the situation, asked Wi-rin.

“Wi family head, am I the only one who finds this strange? They were following an old woman under the Tak family’s protection, and suddenly Hwa-gol Mountain powder appears? Doesn’t this make no sense?”

“Could Hyeon-wol-dang have deliberately used Hwa-gol Mountain powder to create confusion?”

“That can’t be it. Others maybe, but the Tak family wouldn’t use poison. We’re talking about the Hyeon-ma Tak family.”

“Then you’re saying a real master of poison arts appeared?”

To Wi-rin, that seemed even more unlikely.

“Marib, did you check with the Mando Pyo family?”

If the Jeongpa had Sa-cheon Dang-mun, then Maegyo had the Mando Pyo family.

Their Nine Nether Demon Poison Force was so vicious and terrifying that even Yeo Gong would be reluctant to face it.

“If it were the Pyo family’s methods, we would have recognized it immediately. In my subordinate’s judgment, I’m certain a third party intervened.”

Marib expressed his opinion more strongly than ever.

“Then it seems the Tak family recruited a master without our knowledge.”

The martial world was a place with as many extraordinary individuals as grains of sand.

Not knowing what Tak Joong-hak’s intentions were, the possibility that he had brought in new people couldn’t be ruled out.

Ever since he broke his seclusion, everything about them seemed suspicious.

“Could that really be the case?”

“Yeo family head, do you have any other suspicions?”

Even at Wi-rin’s question, Yeo Gong remained silent for a while, lost in thought.

“Marib.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“This time, triple the number of Blood Wolves and keep watch.”

“…May I ask the reason?”

Marib found it difficult to understand his lord’s intentions.

“Confirmation is needed.”

“What do you intend to confirm?”

“We’ll have an answer by tomorrow, so let’s wait and see.”

Yeo Gong kept his words brief.

For now, it was just speculation.

But if his intuition was correct, this was definitely not a simple matter.

Perhaps this one thing could drag the Tak Family straight into the mud in one fell swoop.

“Miss Seolha, are you alright?”

Even after returning to headquarters, my mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of the portrait.

Worried about me just sitting still in my outdoor clothes, Sook couldn’t leave my side and kept fidgeting restlessly.

“Sook.”

“Yes, Miss Seo-ryeon.”

“Could you bring me a glass of warm, no, cold ice water?”

“Yes! I’ll hurry to Jami-gwan and come right back!”

As soon as Sook left, Seo-ryeon approached me and asked.

“Miss Seolha, why didn’t you ask Tak Ga-ju about it earlier?”

“That’s what I’m wondering too.”

Why did I do that?

I was curious about that point myself.

Why did I flee from that pavilion like I was running away?

Worried that Cheon Hwa-yeong might see the portrait, I grabbed her hand and left the pavilion as soon as I heard her footsteps.

I couldn’t even remember how I spent the time after that.

I declined Tak Ga-ju’s invitation to prepare dinner with the excuse that I had things to do, hastily returned, and have been in this state doing nothing.

It was behavior that didn’t match my personality of not being able to stand feeling frustrated.

That’s why it was even more puzzling.

No matter how surprised and bewildered I was, what was I so afraid of that I avoided it like this?

“Seo-ryeon.”

“Yes.”

“Who could that woman have been?”

“Well…”

It was an unusually vague tone for Seo-ryeon.

“One thing that’s certain is that it wasn’t Miss Seolha.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because it wasn’t a recently made portrait.”

Right. That was true.

It was a portrait drawn with brush on paper.

The faded colors contained the passage of time intact.

“It looked like a painting done at least ten years ago, or even much earlier than that.”

Now, let me try to deduce this.

A person with the exact same face as mine.

As far as I knew, there was only one such person in the world.

“How is it that the more you grow, the more you look exactly like your mother?”

“Grandmother, was mother that pretty?”

“Of course! She was as beautiful as a flower.”

Shin Geum’s words echoed in my ears.

My mother, who died right after giving birth to me, unable to overcome the pain of childbirth.

Usually she would boast loudly that I was pretty because I resembled her, but on nights when she had a drink or two, she would always bring up talk of my mother.

Then I would pour alcohol into grandmother’s empty cup with an even more spirited attitude than usual.

Because somehow grandmother always looked lonely at those times.

“Seo-ryeon, could I ask you for one favor?”

“Please tell me.”

“I’d like you to keep what we saw today a secret for now.”

“You mean not to tell anyone?”

“Yes, can you do that?”

“Of course. And from now on, you can give me orders instead of asking favors.”

Seo-ryeon looked at me with trustworthy eyes, as if ready to listen to whatever it might be.

“Thank you.”

I needed time to organize my thoughts. I would have to face Tak Ga-ju again soon, but before that, I wanted to ask grandmother first.

Whether my birth mother might have been someone from the Tak family.

What kind of relationship that would make me to Tak Ga-ju.

With fragments of thought brought by a single portrait, I had to endure the night without being able to sleep.

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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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