Absolute Regression

Chapter 525: This Connection, Still Unknown

Geom Woojin turned to glance at the women seated nearby.

He neither smiled nor offered thanks—it was merely a look—but Hui was inwardly startled.

That alone was enough to be surprising. The Cult Leader was accepting the cheerful atmosphere.

They would never know. Whose gaze they were receiving at this moment.

When Geom Woojin’s eyes met theirs, the women greeted him with cupped fists. Looking at them like this, they seemed so alike it was as if they were sisters.

They all appeared bright and cheerful, and it was clear they were not bound by formalities.

And from the way they looked at her father, Geom Mugeuk admitted defeat. Among them, the youngest-looking woman wore an expression ready to cheer aloud if even a single word was directed at her.

“So the innkeeper wasn’t mistaken after all.”

Following Geom Mugeuk, Seo Daeryong lamented through sound transmission.

—Only the good-looking survive in this ruthless world.

—I’m good-looking too, and I still lost! That makes it even worse!

—If you tried reciting poetry and still lost, you wouldn’t say that.

The two who had become comrades in defeat made tearful faces and raised a toast.

Watching their misery, Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed. It was easy to imagine the kind of conversation they were sharing through sound transmission.

Geom Woojin called over the innkeeper and, as a gesture of thanks, ordered a fine bottle of liquor for the Righteous Heroines.

Then he stood up from his seat.

“That’s enough for today.”

Looking at his father, Geom Mugeuk made his final playful remark.

“The victor takes his leave.”

His father pushed the dish in front of him toward Geom Mugeuk. Having delivered the finishing blow, he headed up to the second floor.

“You’re too much!”

After offering Geom Mugeuk a smile, Hui followed him upstairs, and Blood Heaven Blade Demon also rose. He gave Seo Daeryong a word of advice.

“Still, read diligently.”

“Yes, Master. Please rest well.”

Geom Mugeuk silently watched his retreating figure ascend to the second floor.

He believed in the beauty of poetry, believed in the power of reading. Just how admirable that was—elder, you probably don’t even realize.

With Blood Heaven Blade Demon gone, only Geom Mugeuk and Seo Daeryong remained.

“Well then, let us losers share a drink.”

Though he said that, Seo Daeryong honestly didn’t feel bad at all. Even if he memorized not just one poem but an entire anthology, could he ever match up to those two ‘Cult Leaders’? ṟ₳ɴộ𝖇Ęs

On the contrary, he was actually pleased to now have something to talk about at future drinking gatherings—but the real talking point began just then.

As the Righteous Heroines finished their meal and prepared to leave, one of them came over to Seo Daeryong and spoke politely.

“Earlier, your poem—I enjoyed it. It was wonderful.”

The unexpected compliment caught Seo Daeryong off guard. So much so, he remained seated, not knowing what to say.

“Ah, yes.”

The woman offered a polite cupped-fist salute, then said her farewell.

“I hope, if fortune allows, that I’ll have the chance to hear another of your poems someday. Well then, goodbye.”

With that, she turned and strode confidently out of the inn.

Seo Daeryong was half out of his mind. Normally, this was the moment to tease that the real loser was the Young Cult Leader—but he didn’t have the presence of mind for it.

“What could that woman be trying to get out of me? Has a rumor gone around that my poetry collection is up for auction at Jangbo Tavern or something?”

He was referring to a woman from a past martial arts tournament who had approached him with deliberate intent.

Not only that—throughout his life, no woman had ever expressed sincere interest in him first. At best, the closest relationships he’d ever had were with kind seniors.

After becoming the Underworld Pavilion Lord, he had cut off even those senior-junior ties. He didn’t want to burden anyone, so he had completely withdrawn from showing any attention to the women at the academy. His duties had kept him busy as well.

“Enough nonsense. Go ask for her name already! Set a time to meet again. Hurry!”

Pushed by Geom Mugeuk, Seo Daeryong scrambled outside with a flustered look.

He stood in the street and exchanged a few words with the woman, then returned to his seat. Seo Daeryong’s face was flushed.

“She was Miss Dan.”

Her name was Dan Ah.

“Was she the one you liked from the beginning?”

“She hasn’t been, not until now. Even if someone had shown up, it would’ve been someone else. But today—it’s her.”

It was the one he truly liked, who had come and spoken to him.

“Congratulations, my right hand!”

Unlike the delighted Geom Mugeuk, Seo Daeryong remained calm.

“You made a promise to meet again, right?”

“No.”

“Did you at least ask where she’s from?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Seo Daeryong paused for a moment before answering.

“I told her the truth. That I belong to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. She was surprised.”

“Why’d you do that? Normally you pretend to be from the Seodo Sect in situations like this.”

Seo Daeryong answered honestly.

“I don’t know myself. I just felt like I wanted to be honest with this woman. And it’s the first time I’ve seen her—what do I know about her that I could say I truly like her? It’s just a passing connection.”

I’m a demonic cultivator… we wouldn’t work out, would we?

Though he spoke as if giving up, Geom Mugeuk could feel it. That it was actually the opposite.

It really did seem like love at first sight. And she even said she liked the poem he recited. It hit him so deeply that he ended up pushing her away. Out of fear.

“If you’re fated to meet again, you will.”

“There’s no reason to meet again. Even if we do, it won’t work out anyway.”

“If that really becomes a problem between you two, just quit being the Underworld Pavilion Lord.”

Now, Seo Daeryong understood. That such words weren’t just a joke.

If someone he truly loved ever appeared, it would be fine to leave the cult. That was the kind of person Geom Mugeuk was. The kind of man who would gladly let him go. He’d even press money into his hand, telling him to use it to start a household.

“So this is how it ends? ‘I’m sorry. To protect the cult’s secrets, there was no other choice. I’ll plant the flower from your potted plant beside your grave. *Shk!*’”

Geom Mugeuk mimicked a shiver as if acting out the scene.

“That’s why… I won’t give it up.”

He would live alone if he must. But he would never abandon the Young Cult Leader, or the cult itself.

Even though he had resolved himself, Seo Daeryong was plagued by nightmares all night.

In his dream, he was reciting poetry in front of a massive crowd.

At times, the audience would erupt into applause and cheers. But other times, they would boo.

She was among them. And she only booed.

Plagued by such dreams, he woke to find it was morning.

Seo Daeryong let out a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Dreaming about that again?”

He got out of bed and walked over to the window.

The sun was shining brightly as if the rain had never fallen.

At the entrance of the inn, a carriage was ready, and Hui was making preparations to depart.

“I’ll be down right away.”

To Seo Daeryong’s words, Hui calmly replied.

“It’s alright. Everything’s ready. Take your time coming down.”

Seo Daeryong quickly dressed and headed downstairs.

Fortunately, the Cult Leader and Master had not yet come down.

What was he thinking? Hui made an unexpected suggestion.

“Would you like to take the reins today?”

The reins—never once handed over before.

“Yes, I’ll give it a try.”

So Seo Daeryong sat in the coachman’s seat and took hold of the reins. His heart trembled, afraid he might make a mistake. Just then, a voice came from beside him.

“Your poem—I enjoyed it too.”

At first, he thought he’d misheard. Hui had never once spoken to him personally during their entire journey here.

“Th-thank you.”

Startled, Seo Daeryong stammered as he turned to look at Hui, but Hui said nothing more.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk leaned out of the carriage and called out.

“Take it easy, Pavilion Lord.”

“Understood.”

Moments later, Geom Woojin and Blood Heaven Blade Demon came down and boarded the carriage.

“We’re departing now.”

Before setting off, Seo Daeryong took one last look back at the inn.

Feeling that deep sense of regret, Geom Mugeuk sent a sound transmission.

—A poem that even moved Uncle Hui. This connection—still unknown.

As if to say he would no longer harbor false hope, Seo Daeryong confidently urged the carriage forward.

—It’s a connection already ended.

And yet, that ended connection was walking down the road.

They were the very three women who had encountered Geom Mugeuk’s group at the inn just a day before. The martial world had a name for them.

The Three Dan Sisters.

The three sisters were wanderers. Specifically, they were *escort wanderers* (保鏢浪人), usually hired for protection missions. They were known for both their skill and reliability, earning them an excellent reputation in the world of wanderers.

Work was never scarce for them either. When a woman traveled alone, there were often clients uneasy about hiring male escorts. In such cases, brokers consistently recommended the Three Dan Sisters.

The lively and cheerful aura they had shown earlier at the inn came from this background. They were not women affiliated with a sect or burdened with family honor—they were free-spirited wanderers roaming the martial world. Moreover, the bond between the three was exceptionally close, and it was routine for them to huddle together, whispering among themselves.

“Your taste in men really is strange, sister. He’s short, and his frame is small. Do you even think he can lift anything properly?”

The youngest, Dan Yeon (段煙), couldn’t understand her sister’s preference. But knowing that Dan Ah was the type who never explained herself and always smiled in return, she just let it go with a grin.

“There was that handsome young man beside him too.”

“Then why did you insist on giving the food to that man? You’re the youngest of us.”

The dish had gone to Geom Woojin purely because of the youngest, Dan Yeon’s, stubborn insistence.

“He was cool, wasn’t he?”

Dan Yeon had always preferred men with that kind of strong, intense presence.

“I thought he was cool too.”

“Compare things worth comparing, will you?”

Dan Ah had felt Seo Daeryong’s gaze as they entered the inn.

What tugged at her heart wasn’t anything superficial. It was the shyness in his eyes.

Most martial artists she met tried desperately to appear strong. She had grown sick of those forceful stares—time and again. But it had been a long while since she saw someone looking embarrassed. It was refreshing.

And most decisive of all—

“Have you ever seen someone who wields a sword recite poetry?”

She could tell he had recited that poem because of her. That pure sincerity had left an impression.

“You’ve always liked kind people, haven’t you, sister?”

At the second sister Dan Bi’s (段秘) comment, the youngest, Dan Yeon, shook her head.

“Kind? He’s a demonic cultivator, isn’t he?”

At that, the three sisters fell silent. The saying that no good ever came from getting involved with a *demonic cultivator* was something passed down through generations of hired martial artists.

“Why are you two making such a fuss? I only told him I liked his poem.”

“You deliberately walked over just to say that?”

“We’re here. Time to work.”

The place they had arrived at was a small hermitage in the mountains.

Since it was a location arranged by the brokers, there shouldn’t be any problems, but the three still scattered to inspect the surroundings.

And once they began their work, they became different people entirely. The sharpness that radiated from them made it hard to believe they were the same ones who had just been chatting and teasing.

The youngest had been doing this work since she was fourteen. This made it the tenth year.

They had come close to death more times than they could count.

They knew all too well: no matter how careful one was, death could come in a single moment. And because they understood the value of each passing moment, they tried to live as joyfully as they could.

When you live a life where you could die tomorrow, why would you spend today fighting? You couldn’t allow your last moment with someone to be a fight.

The client waiting at the meeting place was a woman.

A young and beautiful woman.

Though she was trying to appear calm, Dan Ah could sense her nervousness and fear.

‘She’s being threatened by someone.’

It was something she could tell at a glance, honed by years of experience.

“We are the Three Dan Sisters.”

The three women offered light cupped-fist salutes. The woman bowed her head in return.

“I heard the destination is Guizhou.”

The woman nodded. She was sparing with words as much as possible.

“May we ask what business takes you there?”

“Must I reveal that as well?”

“What exactly is the destination in Guizhou?”

“I’ll tell you once we’ve entered Guizhou.”

From her caution, Dan Ah could make a guess. It wasn’t that the woman didn’t trust them—it was that she feared those pursuing her.

Dan Ah felt a vague, uneasy sensation. In this line of work, you could usually tell—this job’s safe, that one’s dangerous. This one leaned toward dangerous.

“I’m sorry, but unless you clearly tell us who you are and where exactly you’re going, we’ll have to refuse this request. Please find someone else.”

Normally, they often proceeded without asking. But when a job felt off, caution was essential.

Sure enough, the woman showed visible distress. That alone confirmed it—she was in danger.

All the more reason to learn more before taking the job. Dan Ah couldn’t put her younger sisters at risk.

The two younger sisters said nothing, silently drawing their swords and watching their surroundings while leaving the decision entirely to their eldest sister.

“I’ll contact the broker and ask them to send someone else. Until then, we’ll keep you safe.”

At that, the woman took a step back. She had no more time to waste.

“Alright, I’ll tell you who I am. I’m a courtesan from the Sky Flower Pavilion in Bonghwang, Hunan Province.”

There were seven Sky Flower Pavilions in Hunan alone. She was a courtesan from one of them—Bonghwang’s Sky Flower Pavilion.

Judging by her beauty, Dan Ah could tell. This woman was of the highest rank among courtesans.

Was she perhaps running away with a lover?

But the place the woman sought to go was unexpected.

“Please take me to the main division of the Sky Flower Pavilion in Guizhou.”

From her lips came words seeking to reconnect a bond severed in the rain.

“I must meet the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress as soon as possible.”

Because the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress was none other than Yeo Jeong—the woman who adored Evil Smiling Demon.