Absolute Regression

Chapter 535: You Messed with Us, So You’d Better Be Prepared for the Consequences

“That’s also why I couldn’t tell anyone.”

This matter was deeply connected to the Sky Flower Pavilion and its Mistress. If she said something wrong, she feared a greater danger might befall the Pavilion Mistress.

She had expected a strong reaction, but surprisingly, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress remained composed.

Indeed, for a woman fated to love the Evil Smiling Demon, she was one who would face even storms like this head-on.

“From now on, let’s speak to those two and discuss things together. Will that be alright?”

It was permission that didn't really need to be asked. Yet, she still sought it from Chohee, who had risked her life to bring this information.

Chohee knew well how the Pavilion Mistress treated her subordinates with such a heart. A single line like this, one she could’ve just skipped over, gave immense comfort and strength to those beneath her—though the Pavilion Mistress might not realize it.

Yeo Jeong and Chohee approached Geom Mugeuk and the Evil Smiling Demon. The two were deep in conversation.

“I wish Soma-nim could’ve tasted Father’s fish dish too.”

The Evil Smiling Demon, reminded of the Cult Leader cooking fish dishes after repeatedly losing bets, couldn’t help but smile.

“This was more enjoyable than any trip I’ve ever taken.”

To that, the Evil Smiling Demon responded jokingly to Geom Mugeuk’s comment.

“That’s disappointing. I thought the trip with me was the best.”

“Records exist to be broken. Let’s travel together again.”

At that moment, Yeo Jeong joined in.

“I may not be able to cook fish like that, but I can manage a dish or two myself.”

It was her way of saying she wanted to go on that trip too.

Even though she was about to become the center of a major incident that would shake the Martial World, she could still make such a joke. It was one of those moments when she felt once again how firmly these two had become her pillars in life.

“Of course, you must come with us.”

When the Evil Smiling Demon shook her head, suggesting it should just be the two of them, Geom Mugeuk gave her a look that said, I’ll take care of her, just trust me.

It was moments like this when Yeo Jeong could tell the Evil Smiling Demon had changed. Acting playfully like this in such a situation—unthinkable in the past.

Geom Mugeuk turned to Yeo Jeong and formally greeted her.

“Have you been well, Pavilion Mistress?”

He had arranged for Chohee to meet her first and greeted the Evil Smiling Demon beforehand. Only now was he offering Yeo Jeong a proper greeting.

“More than just well. Thanks to Young Cult Leader’s message, I was able to survive. Not just me—everyone in the Pavilion is safe.”

“That was thanks to Soma-nim arriving and protecting you all.”

“Orabeoni gives the credit to the Young Cult Leader, and the Young Cult Leader gives it back to Orabeoni. Then, perhaps I should accept the help of both of you this time?”

She naturally relayed what Chohee had said just a moment ago.

Upon hearing the story, Geom Mugeuk's expression hardened.

Now that it was clear the enemy's target was the Sky Flower Pavilion and the Pavilion Mistress, they had to handle this matter with more caution and certainty than anything else.

“The fact that they want to pin this incident on the Pavilion Mistress means they intend to frame her for the crime.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s words, the three of them nodded.

“How did you get this information?”

When Geom Mugeuk asked, Chohee answered.

“Even the heaviest secrets, the kind that can endure torture and defy the fear of death—sometimes can’t hold up against a bit of drunkenness.”

She didn’t go into detail. But the fact that those who had been tracking her proved the information was real was more than enough.

“I sincerely ask the two of you to protect the Pavilion Mistress.”

Chohee bowed deeply to Geom Mugeuk and the Evil Smiling Demon. When she first escaped and fled here, her heart had been gripped with anxiety. Even if she managed to deliver the information to the Pavilion Mistress, she feared the worst—that the Pavilion Mistress would end up killed by those bastards.

But now, things were different.

She looked around. The terrifying Faceless Swordsmen stood guarding the area from every angle.

Then her eyes returned to Geom Mugeuk and the Evil Smiling Demon. She had already experienced firsthand the kind of person Geom Mugeuk was on their way here.

And looking at the cold smile on that stark white mask worn by the Evil Smiling Demon, she couldn’t help but think:

‘Shouldn’t it be them who are more afraid now?’

Geom Mugeuk spoke to Chohee.

“Leave the rest to us now. Get some proper rest.”

“Yes! I will.”

She cheerfully bowed to the two of them and then turned to look at Yeo Jeong one last time.

Yeo Jeong said to her,

“If I survive, it’ll be because of you.”

Then Chohee gave back the same words Yeo Jeong had once said to her.

“No, Pavilion Mistress. Saving you was fate. That warm bond from when you rescued a little girl who was being sold—that’s what did it.”

With a polite bow, she stepped away.

As she walked off into the distance, she turned around and asked,

“May I drink now? I’ve been holding it back for far too long.”

“Drink all you want.”

At Yeo Jeong’s reply, her footsteps became lighter as she turned back around. She had done all she needed to do.

Watching her leave, Geom Mugeuk said to Yeo Jeong,

“That’s a good connection.”

“As you can see, I’m pretty lucky when it comes to people.”

Then she looked at the Evil Smiling Demon. He remained silent. Feeling she might’ve shown too much affection alone, Yeo Jeong asked about someone else.

“How’s the pretty heart doing?”

“It’s probably doing well.”

“Seems like you’ve left your heart far away.”

“I wanted it to become a heart that’s both beautiful and strong.”

Now that she thought about it, Yeo Jeong had once told Lee Ahn she would become someone precious.

‘Lee Ahn, you're doing well… right?’

After their long-awaited reunion, Geom Mugeuk asked her,

“Is there any place you can think of that might be connected to this incident?”

Yeo Jeong shook her head.

“No.”

She had quietly built up the Sky Flower Pavilion, never entangling herself in any affairs of the Martial World.

Geom Mugeuk’s gaze naturally shifted toward someone—Jaein, who lay collapsed with his blood points sealed.

“Who is that?”

In response to the Evil Smiling Demon's question, Geom Mugeuk replied,

“He’s one of the subordinates assigned to pursue Miss Chohee. We’ll need someone terrifying to make him talk.”

A cold smile seeped from the hollow eye sockets of the Evil Smiling Demon’s mask.

“We won’t need to look far.”

Jaein regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

'Ah! I was captured by the Young Cult Leader, wasn’t I?'

He remembered Geom Mugeuk sealing his meridians.

'Something about a strange Young Alliance Leader…'

As he looked around, Jaein flinched in surprise. Only then did he realize that someone was standing with their back turned to him, facing the window.

“Where have you brought me?”

Jaein assumed the man was Geom Mugeuk.

“No matter how much pressure you apply, there are lines that must not be crossed. The person I serve values client confidentiality above all. Even if you find him, you still won’t learn the client’s—”

Just then, the door opened, and Geom Mugeuk walked in. Jaein was startled at the sight.

“What are you saying in there? Getting friendly already?”

At that moment, the man standing by the window slowly turned around.

The instant Jaein saw him, his eyes widened. That mask seen beside the Young Cult Leader—he recognized it instantly.

“Evil Smiling Demon!”

The name escaped his lips before he could stop himself. Instantly panicking, he covered his mouth with a trembling hand. His entire body shivered with dread.

No matter how tough one acted, there was a primal fear that the name Evil Smiling Demon struck into the hearts of martial artists. If it was him, death would not come swiftly—it would come brutally.

He recalled what Geom Mugeuk had said before he lost consciousness: that someone truly terrifying had arrived at the Sky Flower Pavilion.

'So that person was the Evil Smiling Demon!'

The Evil Smiling Demon slowly stepped forward, fixing his gaze on Jaein before asking in an icy voice,

“Was it you who sent the Ghost Slayer Squad to the Sky Flower Pavilion?”

Jaein felt that if he said yes, he would be torn limb from limb on the spot.

“N-no.”

“Then who was it?”

Jaein was struck speechless in that instant.

At that moment, Jaein met the eyes of the Evil Smiling Demon. The instant his gaze locked with those eyes inside the hollow sockets, he felt a fear unlike anything he had ever known. It wasn’t simply because his opponent was the Evil Smiling Demon—it was the eyes themselves. What he saw in them terrified him. His will crumbled in an instant, and only the instinct to survive clung to him.

“It was the person I serve who sent them!”

He hadn’t even pointed a finger at him or inflicted any pain, yet in the end, Jaein failed to overcome the sheer terror exuded by the Evil Smiling Demon.

The Evil Smiling Demon continued to stand silently, waiting for what came next.

“I’ll take you to him myself!”

Only then did the Evil Smiling Demon turn and walk back to the window, standing with his back to them.

Geom Mugeuk stepped up to Jaein.

“I get it. Even I, the Young Cult Leader, find him terrifying—how could you not?”

Jaein let out a deep sigh.

“That person will never reveal the client’s identity. He’s pathologically obsessed with protecting that principle.”

Just then, the Evil Smiling Demon, still gazing out the window, spoke abruptly.

“Whoever that man is, he’ll talk in the end.”

A brief pause followed, then he added with absolute conviction,

“Because this time, the one designing the plan… is the Young Cult Leader.”

*         *         *

Seo Danmyeong was never in one place.

He constantly changed locations by carriage, and it was always he who chose the meeting place.

Today, the carriage was stopped in an alley on the opposite side from where the Sky Flower Pavilion was.

As Jaein boarded the carriage, he politely reported,

“It was a failure.”

For a moment, Seo Danmyeong’s face twisted.

“You’re saying Monster Evil couldn’t kill him?”

“No, he didn’t even try to fight. They knew each other.”

Jaein reported the truth.

“The man who was guarding the courtesan was none other than the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.”

The first emotion that rose in Seo Danmyeong wasn’t shock, but a sense of relief.

'Of course!'

All the lingering doubts that had weighed on him throughout this operation seemed to dissolve in an instant. When he first heard that even Monster Evil had failed, it had felt like the world was collapsing around him.

But the moment he heard the words Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, a light pierced that darkness.

'I’m not a failure! It’s just that my luck was abysmal.'

Naturally, suspicion followed.

'There’s no way the Young Cult Leader would let him go so easily.'

As a flash of coldness passed through Seo Danmyeong’s gaze, directed at him, Jaein spoke honestly.

“Yes. I led a messenger to you. This carriage is being watched as we speak.”

“You lunatic!”

A murderous gleam flickered in Seo Danmyeong’s eyes. Jaein had judged that there was no way the ever-suspicious Seo Danmyeong would believe he came alone, so he confessed the rest.

“You want to die by my hand?”

“No. It’s because I trust you.”

“Because you trust me?”

“Because I believe you'll find a way to get out of this, no matter what.”

Smack!

Seo Danmyeong struck Jaein across the face with full force.

“You should’ve died back there!”

He wanted to plunge a dagger into the back of Jaein’s neck right then and there.

But he couldn’t. If he killed this man, the Demonic Cult would immediately descend upon him, either to capture or to kill him.

Just then, the door opened and Geom Mugeuk climbed into the carriage.

“Your emotions seemed to be getting the better of you, so I came early. Ah, and don’t get your hopes up—your men who were hiding around the area are all asleep now.”

Seo Danmyeong instantly recognized him as the Young Cult Leader.

“Young Cult Leader.”

“They say you go by Netweaver?”

“That’s right.”

“A net-weaver… quite the impressive name.”

Geom Mugeuk addressed him with respect. Even if it was superficial courtesy, it was still better than outright rudeness—especially to someone who took great pride in the name Netweaver.

“I can guess why you've come, but I cannot reveal the client’s identity. I’ll die by your hand, but my death will remain an honorable one.”

It was part defiance, part sincerity. He didn’t want to die, but just as much, he didn’t want to expose the client.

Then Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.

“You won’t die by my hand. You’ll die at your client’s.”

That caught Seo Danmyeong off guard.

“It won’t be a very honorable death, either.”

Seo Danmyeong firmly shook his head.

“As long as I keep their secret, my client won’t try to kill me. That much, at least, was promised.”

“That’s not why.”

Geom Mugeuk pointed out something he hadn’t even considered.

“You nearly ruined their plan.”

Not just Seo Danmyeong—Jaein also looked puzzled at that.

“They intend to use the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress in their scheme. That’s why the courtesan risked her life to reach the Pavilion Mistress. But you attacked the Sky Flower Pavilion and tried to kill everyone there.”

“That was—!”

It had been a strategy to cut off the courtesan’s communication. He hadn’t known their true aim was the Pavilion Mistress and the Pavilion itself.

“I didn’t know that!”

“Do you really think they’ll appreciate your silence? Or rather, does it matter now? It’s all ruined anyway. I’ll go out there and announce that the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress is dead. The furious client will definitely come after you.”

And then Geom Mugeuk revealed his most decisive card.

“I’ll wait—then track down whoever comes to kill you and find out who the client was through them. Since they’ll think the operation is over and ruined, they’ll use their own people to erase every trace.”

“!”

“The life you’ve built will end with you being killed by the very client you served. You messed with us—so you should’ve been prepared for at least this much.”

For a moment, Seo Danmyeong was struck speechless, unable to think of anything.

Geom Mugeuk didn’t give him any time to recover. He pressed harder.

As Geom Mugeuk stepped down from the carriage, Jaein shouted,

“Wait! If we tell you who the client is… will you spare us?”

Of course, it was a prearranged bait—a calculated persuasion.

“Elder, you can’t let it end like this. You must live to fight another day.”

But the words wouldn’t easily come out of Seo Danmyeong’s mouth.

Then Geom Mugeuk delivered the blow he had been saving.

“If you tell us, no one else will ever know what you did.”

That cold, definitive line—no, that solution offered by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—was overwhelmingly persuasive.

“We intend to wipe out that client completely.”