The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 96

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 096
Unfinished Conversation
To be precise, it began right after I sensed something suspicious stirring outside.
They tried desperately to hide it, but their shoulders had gone rigid, their pupils trembled with anxiety, and they looked utterly lost.
The moment I rose to leave, their faces drained of all color and cold sweat began to bead on their foreheads.
Not just Yun Tae Baek, but Ma Won Jeong as well.
“Come to think of it, it would be discourteous to leave our guests unattended. I shall remain here.”
Sensing something amiss, I spoke these words and settled back into my seat.
Or rather, I pretended to settle back.
“If the Minor Sect Leader insists.”
Though they struggled to mask their expressions, I could clearly see their profound relief at hearing I would not depart.
‘These bastards…’
When I saw Yun Tae Baek and Ma Won Jeong exchange glances with the Ho Rim Pyo Lord and Chong Pyo Du, nodding in unison, my suspicion crystallized into certainty.
“…but the situation outside appears far from ordinary. Please excuse me.”
With nothing left to observe, I pushed myself up from my seat once more.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I strode briskly toward the door.
Leaving behind the contorted, ashen faces of the Ho Rim Pyo Bureau representatives.
I moved quietly but swiftly toward the center of the garden where the suspicious presence emanated from.
The martial artists who normally stood watch throughout the Manor Estate were nowhere to be seen.
Most of them had been deployed to manage the incident at the Main Gate.
‘While the Cheong Yun Merchant Group is preoccupied with receiving distinguished guests, they draw attention to the front, then slip in an additional uninvited visitor…’
If the Ho Rim Pyo Bureau had orchestrated this, they had employed considerable cunning.
Their only miscalculation was failing to account for my presence here.
Yet there remained aspects I could not comprehend.
Why would the Ho Rim Pyo Bureau, known for their emphasis on righteousness, resort to such schemes?
I shook my head to clear my tangled thoughts, then made my way past several pavilions and courtyards toward the Central Garden.
Taking care not to draw the attention of this uninvited guest.
I concealed myself in the corner of a pavilion that overlooked the tent where the Black Blade Gang members were bound.
In the distance, I spotted the Mysterious Man moving stealthily forward.
He wore surprisingly ordinary martial robes and made no attempt to conceal his face.
‘Had he worn night clothes with his face covered in broad daylight, he would have drawn suspicion. A clever approach.’
Apart from his sturdy, confident build and complete absence of excess flesh—which gave him a lean, agile appearance—the Mysterious Man was an unremarkable man in his thirties.
Without careful scrutiny, one might mistake him for a legitimate visitor conducting business with the merchant group rather than an intruder who had infiltrated from outside.
The Mysterious Man remained concealed while meticulously observing the area surrounding the tent where the Black Blade Gang members were restrained.
He remained completely unaware that I watched him from behind.
This alone revealed that his cultivation fell short of my own.
‘Should I subdue him now? No… let me observe the situation a moment longer.’
After observing the tent’s perimeter briefly, the Mysterious Man’s expression hardened with resolve and he began to move.
At that moment, only a single martial artist stood guard near the tent.
As I watched to see what he would do, the Mysterious Man made no effort to conceal his presence whatsoever, approaching the martial artist openly with his face fully exposed.
I gathered my energy and prepared myself to rush toward the Mysterious Man at any moment.
If I detected any sign of him attempting to ambush the Martial Artist under protection, I planned to preemptively strike him instead.
But then something astonishing unfolded.
“You’ve worked hard, Wang Martial Artist.”
Remarkably, the Mysterious Man did not attempt to ambush the Martial Artist at all. Instead, he began speaking to him in a perfectly calm voice.
His demeanor was as natural as that of someone greeting an old friend.
And the reason became clear almost immediately.
“Wait, aren’t you Yoon Dangjoo? What brings you here?”
It turned out this man actually had prior acquaintance with this Martial Artist from the Cheong Yun Merchant Group.
In that instant, I wondered if I had been making a grave misunderstanding.
Could this be a visitor who had come to the merchant group on legitimate business rather than an assault?
However.
“I came to inspect the cargo. What else would I be here for?”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“And what are you doing here, Wang Martial Artist?”
“Pardon?”
“There was a major fight at the Main Gate. Shouldn’t you be there?”
“I’m aware we’re in a standoff with the Black Blade Gang, but a fight broke out?”
“Yes. Shouldn’t you hurry over there?”
After that, the conversation between the man called Yoon Dangjoo and Wang Martial Artist continued briefly, and Wang Martial Artist began glancing nervously toward the Manor Estate and the Main Gate.
Yoon Dangjoo shook his head and spoke.
Even to my eye, it was quite convincing acting.
“This is no time to be watching those Black Blade dogs. If the Main Gate is breached, you’ll be in serious trouble too. You should go at once.”
“You’re right, that would be best.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep watch here.”
“Then, I’ll have to ask for your help, Dangjoo.”
Wang Martial Artist left those words behind and began sprinting toward the direction of the Main Gate.
The situation was becoming increasingly interesting.
The man called Yoon Dangjoo began his real work immediately after confirming that Wang Martial Artist had disappeared.
He entered the tent and examined the faces of the imprisoned Black Blade Members, then approached one of the men.
Using a pointed metal object he produced from his robes, he attempted to unlock the lock on the iron chains binding that man.
That is, until I reached him.
“Don’t move.”
The man called Yoon Dangjoo froze completely at the sound of my voice suddenly coming from behind him, not moving an inch.
As I watched, he rose to his feet and faced me directly.
“I’m not sure what brings you to this place, but….”
Before I could finish speaking, he moved with the speed of lightning.
I’ll admit I had been somewhat careless, having confirmed that his martial arts level was lower than mine.
However, Yoon Dangjoo’s martial arts—or more precisely, his lightness technique—far exceeded my expectations.
The moment I saw his body flicker, he was already past me, running like the wind toward the Compound Wall of the Manor Estate.
I began moving to catch him, but it was already far too late.
The more I drew upon my inner strength to pursue him, the greater the distance between us became.
‘If only I had known, I should have trained the Lightness Skill more diligently in my spare time.’
Yoon Dangjoo moved his legs with the speed of an arrow, never once glancing back.
It seemed he had taken only a few steps, yet the compound wall was already right before his eyes.
His left foot pushed off the ground, and with a light leap, his right foot pressed against the compound wall as he soared upward.
That was the moment.
“Where are you in such a hurry to go?”
A Villager Man who had appeared from the right suddenly grasped Yoon Dangjoo’s right foot in mid-air with his hand.
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the man, Yoon Dangjoo lost his balance and fell to the ground, his shoulder striking the earth.
Even as he fell, Yoon Dangjoo struggled to shake off the man and escape by any means, but it was all in vain.
His Lightness Skill was extraordinary beyond measure, but the man who had seized him was one of the rare masters in his twenties among the Il-Wol Divine Sect, and he was far too skilled to release his grip so easily.
“Well done, Young Ho Bin.”
“No, my lord. It is only because he fled in this direction as you predicted. Had he gone elsewhere, I would surely have lost him.”
It had been wise to instruct Young Ho Bin, who had been waiting outside the Reception Hall as a precaution, to guard this place.
I approached Yoon Dangjoo slowly, who was now held firmly by both arms by Young Ho Bin and could not move an inch.
He gazed at me with an expression of resignation, no longer harboring any thought of resistance.
“I hope you will forgive me for the rather rough manner in which I have received my guest.”
….
“Then, would you be willing to have a brief conversation with me?”

* * *
The Black Blade Gang members who had stormed the main gate of the Cheong Yun Merchant Group had fortunately departed without any significant violent confrontation.
They had merely sought to divert attention at someone’s behest, and they had no intention of engaging in direct conflict with the Cheong Yun Merchant Group, which had the Il-Wol Divine Sect backing it—so it was only natural.
In any case, after enough time had passed for a cup of tea, the Merchant Guild Master, the Three Commanders, and the other officials of the Cheong Yun Merchant Group returned to the Reception Hall where I and the Ho Rim Escort Agency personnel had been waiting.
Upon seeing a new figure present whom they had not seen when they left this place, they wore expressions of bewilderment.
“Are you not Yoon Dangjoo? What brings you here?”
“I came to inspect the goods one last time and thought I would pay my respects. I was just about to depart with the others.”
This was the response given by Ho Rim Pyo Lord Yun Tae Baek to Gong Moon Tak’s question.
Gong Moon Tak regarded me with eyes that still suggested something seemed amiss.
“It appears that Ho Rim Pyo Lord is also reluctant to cease dealings with the Cheong Yun Merchant Group. We have had quite an in-depth conversation.”
However, when I, who was present at this gathering, answered without any apparent concern, he could only nod in acknowledgment without raising further objections.
“Brother, or rather, Minor Sect Leader, then perhaps….”
Baek Hyeon waited for my response, clinging to one last hope.
Since I and the Ho Rim Pyo Lord’s entourage had unintentionally continued our conversation for quite some time, he was curious whether anything had changed in our positions during that interval.
However, I shook my head.
“Since the Lord is departing, I must see him off properly.”
Ho Rim Pyo Lord Yun Tae Baek, Chong Pyo Du, and Yun Jang Myeong, the lord of the Tongcheon Party, one of the eight parties of the Ho Rim Escort Agency, rose from their seats.
As Ho Rim Pyo Lord Yun Tae Baek passed through the main gate while being seen off by the Cheong Yun Merchant Group party, he spoke to me in a voice only I could hear.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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