Absolute Regression

Chapter 689: No Returns Allowed

“What are you thinking so deeply about! Why are you acting like this today?”

Even after leaving the guest hall, Sa Chu was still half out of his wits.

At An Hu-pyeong’s disapproving gaze, Sa Chu lowered his head.

“It is nothing.”

“Go find Master Yong right now. Figure out where he is and what he’s doing, and bring him here immediately!”

If only he could be found. Had he been melted away into the slopes of Bone-Melting Acid, or buried somewhere in this rear garden?

Sa Chu hesitated. Normally, he should have spoken honestly. That Master Yong seemed to have been killed by those people. That he had even been warned to keep his mouth shut.

What would happen if he spoke the truth?

An Hu-pyeong would run straight to the Gang Leader to report it, wouldn’t he? Then how would the Gang Leader react?

Even if Master Yong acted so arrogantly and without restraint, he had been spared because of his martial prowess. If word spread that he had been sent on a useless errand and ended up dead, there would surely be thunderous rage.

And then? Would all the martial artists be mobilized to kill those people?

Or would the conclusion be to simply leave it until the tournament was over?

That was more than possible. The tournament was too important, already widely known throughout the martial world.

Besides, no one yet knew why the Gang Leader had invited the Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion as an examiner.

So, if responsibility for Master Yong’s death was delayed?

Sa Chu thought of the handsome one and the other smiling swordsmen. If they were capable of erasing Master Yong without a trace, then killing him would be effortless. In the end, he would pay the price for ignoring their warning to stay silent.

Even if the order came down to arrest them right away—could they truly capture them all?

A few martial experts would not suffice. But they would not risk a war with the tournament at hand either.

Whatever the outcome of speaking up—

‘I will die.’

If An Hu-pyeong had been a leader who truly cherished him, he might not have arrived at the conclusion of “I must at least save myself.”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to find Master Yong.”

“What do you mean by that?”

It was not because Master Yong was dead, but because he wanted to survive.

“I believe the Gang Leader may have intervened and sent him back.”

“Father?”

“You know Master Yong’s personality well, don’t you? He would never fail to come here after saying he would. But since he’s absent… who else could have stopped him midway?”

It sounded convincing enough that An Hu-pyeong nodded.

From the start, it had been strange that Father had called Master Yong ahead of time. It must have been to keep him from being used in matters like this.

“Fine, forget Master Yong. Find out who those masked men are. They’re definitely not ordinary.”

An Hu-pyeong started walking ahead, then suddenly added as if something had just occurred to him.

“Oh, and there’s a woman from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult attending this tournament. Find out where she’s staying.”

A beauty from the Demonic Cult? He had never enjoyed the company of a woman from the cult before. This was an opportunity.

Even in this situation, his lust and desire toward women remained unchanged.

“Yes, I understand.”

Sa Chu let out a sigh and turned back to glance at the guest hall further behind.

In that moment, Sa Chu nearly jumped out of his skin. A gasp escaped his lips.

The Faceless Swordsmen were clinging to the guest hall windows, staring straight at him. There were so many faces pressed against that single window, it hardly seemed possible.

The sight was as grotesque and terrifying as the earlier gesture for silence.

Sa Chu spun around and hastened his steps to get away from there.

Find out who they were?

Ah! He really had no wish to know.

*         *         *

Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn rented a room at an inn in the marketplace.

“A large room with two beds, please.”

Lee Ahn was startled. She had expected him to rent two rooms, but Geom Mugeuk only asked for one.

“Until this tournament ends, we’ll stay in the same room.”

Since he had confirmed the woman was an assassin, he had no intention of letting her sleep alone.

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Lee Ahn spoke.

“You still don’t trust my skills, do you?”

“That’s not it. I’m asking you to keep an eye on me.”

The innkeeper smiled warmly with a knowing look, as though he understood Geom Mugeuk’s heart.

“Let’s eat first. You haven’t tried Anhui Province’s cuisine, have you?”

“No. Have you, Young Master?”

“Of course, I have.”

Geom Mugeuk called over the servant boy and ordered food with practiced ease. He was familiar with the famous dishes of this region and selected them carefully, choosing what he thought would suit Lee Ahn’s tastes.

“When did you ever have the chance to eat here?”

Thanks to you. Because you saved me.

The inn was packed with people who had come to attend the tournament. Lee Ahn’s eyes grew thoughtful as she looked around at them.

Earlier, Geom Mugeuk had said that this street was full of beautiful assassins.

If that was true, then perhaps among the people dining at the tables beside them were assassins she led.

“Young Master, you asked me to guard you, but I didn’t even realize that woman was an assassin.”

A bodyguard was supposed to sense assassins well. It was their duty to be sensitive to such things.

But she hadn’t sensed it at all. Worse, she had even felt jealousy toward her. Thinking about it now was unbearably shameful. It would remain a lasting embarrassment.

“They were special assassins, that’s why.”

“But still, Young Cult Leader, you recognized them, didn’t you?”

That was only because he had already known beforehand.

“I’m a special person.”

It had been a while since Geom Mugeuk bragged like that, and Lee Ahn laughed.

“They must not have received the unusual assassin training. That’s why you couldn’t sense the habits or the distinctive aura typical of assassins.”

She and the Court of Beauties she led were no ordinary assassins.

Lee Ahn nodded and said,

“They wouldn’t have needed assassin training. They possessed the most powerful weapon of all.”

That seductive smile, which could cost a life.

*         *         *

Three days later.

Lee Ahn walked out of the building where the preliminaries had been held, her expression grim.

Head lowered, she trudged along.

“I knew this would happen. Me, the greatest beauty under the heavens? I knew something was wrong from the moment they made such a fuss before it even started! That’s why I said I didn’t want to do it!”

She waited for words of comfort, but Geom Mugeuk said nothing.

When she raised her head, she saw him already striding across the training grounds ahead of her.

“Huh?”

Lee Ahn hurried after him.

“Where are you going?”

“Where else? Time to prepare for the finals.”

“But I told you I was eliminated.”

“A monkey might fall from a tree, and even the Sword King might drop his sword, but you, eliminated from a beauty contest? That too, in the preliminaries? Impossible.”

A faint joy flickered across Lee Ahn’s face. More than passing the preliminaries, those words from Geom Mugeuk made her happier.

“Don’t praise me too much! I’ll really start expecting things.”

“That way I can tease you even more later.”

The preliminaries had ended the moment she removed her veil.

She had hoped to at least see the Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion, but she had not been present as a judge. Perhaps she will only appear at the finals.

“So where are we going now?”

“I told you, to prepare for the finals.”

“Where exactly?”

Geom Mugeuk led her to a building a little apart from the bustling marketplace.

From the outside, one could not even tell what it sold, but upon entering, they found a clothing shop.

Unlike the usual shops in the marketplace, this one carried only the rarest garments. Clothes crafted by renowned artisans from all over, with prices to match.

“How did you know about this place?”

“The Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion told me. She asked me to bring you here later and buy you clothes.”

“Ah, I see.”

Since she could not look after Lee Ahn herself, the Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion had left word with Geom Mugeuk beforehand.

And it seemed that he was not the only one she had talked with in advance.

“Welcome.”

A middle-aged woman, likely the shopkeeper, came out to greet them. Judging by her courteous attitude, she, too, must have been notified by the Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion.

“Please choose whichever outfit you like.”

Lee Ahn glanced around the interior. There were so many beautiful and extravagant clothes that she felt overwhelmed instead.

“This… this is my first time in a place like this.”

Was it only Lee Ahn’s first time? Geom Mugeuk too had never set foot in such a store.

“Take your time.”

The middle-aged woman did not intervene right away, simply observing to see which clothes she would select.

Lee Ahn looked over the outfits. Since they were crafted by artisans, their quality was undoubtedly excellent.

But having always worn martial robes, she could not quite judge which would suit her or look good on her.

Then her eyes were drawn to a pure white palace gown. It lacked ornate embroidery, but compared to her current clothes, it accentuated her figure.

“Could I really wear something like that?”

Even imagining it made her blush with embarrassment.

“If it’s just once in a lifetime, wouldn’t it be worth trying at least once?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lee Ahn made her decision. Geom Mugeuk’s words had swayed her.

“I’ll take that one.”

The middle-aged woman smiled.

“You’ve made a fine choice. This gown was stitched by the artisan’s own hand, every thread carefully sewn.”

It was the first time Lee Ahn had ever encountered clothes so expensive. Wearing that, she thought, she wouldn’t even dare to draw her sword for fear of tearing it.

Just then, someone spoke from behind.

“I’ll buy that dress.”

They turned to see a woman entering the shop.

Surprisingly, it was Cha Iran.

Now that she knew her opponent was an assassin, Lee Ahn greeted her naturally.

“They say if coincidences happen too often, they’re not coincidences at all. We meet again.”

Cha Iran was honest about this encounter.

“This time isn’t a coincidence.”

Nor had the last time been.

“I saw you entering here, so I followed.”

“Why?”

“To see what kind of dress my rival would choose.”

Cha Iran cast a captivating glance at Geom Mugeuk, her eyes smiling with allure.

“And to finally share that meal I missed out on.”

She was direct.

At her open display of interest, Lee Ahn gave an unexpected response.

“May I ask you for a favor?”

“Go ahead.”

Please, stay away from my protector! Instead—

“Would you choose a dress for me?”

At the surprising request, Cha Iran’s expression brightened with interest.

“That’s not something one usually asks a rival.”

“Neither is inviting a rival’s escort to a meal.”

Cha Iran smiled slyly in agreement.

“You’re right about that.”

Her smile fit her so well—no matter how she smiled, it was captivating.

“Very well, I’ll pick one for you.”

She strolled along the rows of gowns hanging inside.

And the first thing she did was dismiss the dress Lee Ahn had originally chosen.

“No matter how finely an artisan stitched it, that gown doesn’t suit this young lady.”

She even explained her reasoning.

“This young lady has a pure face. If her clothes are also pure, it becomes dull and predictable. That dress over there suits her better.”

She selected a splendid red palace gown from the opposite side. Compared to the white gown, it was far more revealing and extravagant.

After wavering between the two, Lee Ahn finally said to the middle-aged woman,

“I’ll take both.”

And she explained her reasoning.

“Whether I believe Miss Cha’s words or not, I still need to buy both. If what she said is true, the white gown will suit her instead, so I should buy it. But if she lied, then the red gown will suit me, so I should buy that too.”

Cha Iran burst into a bright smile. Looking at a woman smiling like that, how could anyone imagine her to be an assassin? It was the kind of smile that erased such thoughts.

Lee Ahn sent a sound transmission to Geom Mugeuk.

―There was no way out of this.

―One of them comes out of your monthly pay.

―No way! I can’t wear an entire year’s wages on my body!

The middle-aged woman wrapped the gowns to Lee Ahn’s size, and Geom Mugeuk paid for them.

With the purchase complete, the three of them left the shop.

Cha Iran turned to Geom Mugeuk.

“Let’s have a meal together. You promised, remember?”

Geom Mugeuk gave a faint smile but declined.

“I never made such a promise.”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

When she glanced at Lee Ahn, he answered firmly,

“No. Even if the young lady allows it, I won’t.”

At his resolute refusal, Cha Iran laughed softly.

“Which makes me want to be with you even more.”

Lee Ahn smiled and bid her farewell.

“Perhaps I should have yielded the white gown to you.”

Leaving behind words that she must become more beautiful if she wished to tempt their escort, she walked on.

Geom Mugeuk followed behind, carrying the clothes in both hands.

Watching their retreating backs, Cha Iran smiled.

“Adorable.”

She then lifted her head to gaze at the sky. As her expression hardened, she seemed like another woman altogether. Her clear, cold eyes replaced the bright allure with a dark demonic charm.

“No matter what clothes you wear, those destined to die will still die.”

*         *         *

The walk back to the inn was a road of regret.

“This is a disaster! I’m someone who even eats frugally to save money. Ah! Style lasts a moment, but debt lasts forever.”

“And it wasn’t even stylish.”

“No, I can’t do this. I’ll go return them right now.”

“That elegant, kind-faced shopkeeper already told me when I paid: ‘I’m sorry, but returns are not accepted!’”

“She didn’t even covet the white gown!”

Lee Ahn, who had been despairing, suddenly brightened her eyes.

“In that case, there’s only one solution.”

“Right, thirty thousand nyang!”

Shouting about life’s one big gamble, the two returned to the inn.

But unexpected people were waiting for them there.

They were none other than Young Leader An Hu-pyeong and Sa Chu.

“They’re here.”

At Sa Chu’s words, An Hu-pyeong, who was sitting with his back turned, did not look around but spoke in a calm, measured tone.

“You are the first woman to keep me waiting like this.”