Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 291
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Episode 291: Beauty Without Substance
Muchuhyeon.
At sunset.
A group of eight men and one woman entered the Yangryu Inn. It was the group of Yeon Jeokha and Namgung Yeon, on their way to Five Peaks Mountain.
The young attendant, Wang So, hurried to greet the new guests while cleaning a table.
“Welcome! Would you like to eat first?”
Wang So stared intently at Yeon Jeokha, the youngest of the group.
Surprised, Yeon Jeokha nodded on behalf of the group.
Wang So quickly led them to a table by the window.
The group dispersed around the table.
The Apprentice of the Supreme Tao, Jang Mudeok, sat with the Three Immortals of Kunlun, who were of a similar age.
Yeon Jeokha, Namgung Yeon, and Old Shim sat together.
Nearby, Guiyeong Ja and Hyuk Muchun took their seats.
Wang So took the orders from each table in turn, and when he reached Guiyeong Ja and Hyuk Muchun’s table, Yeon Jeokha called him.
“Hey, waiter.”
“One moment, please. I’ll finish taking these gentlemen’s order first.”
“You don’t need to take their order.”
“Pardon?”
Wang So looked at Yeon Jeokha in confusion, then at the two men. Although they seemed to be part of the same group, it was strange that he didn’t want their order taken.
The two men looked quite exhausted, and Wang So wanted to make sure they got something to eat.
“Those two will eat later. Don’t worry about them.”
Wang So glanced at the two men, wondering if they really agreed with that. Just as he was about to ask, Hyuk Muchun spoke first.
“Leave it. He said not to worry about us.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Wang So hurried back to the kitchen.
Shortly after, the food arrived, and dinner began in earnest.
Guiyeong Ja and Hyuk Muchun only drank tea while the others enjoyed their meal.
‘Hah!’
Guiyeong Ja sighed quietly as he drank more tea. He had hoped for a good meal after days of stale food, but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen.
At that moment, new customers entered the inn.
Six middle-aged men, their faces scarred, sat at two tables. They were the Six Bandits of Hainan, known in Murim for their ruthless ways.
They began speaking loudly and making obscene jokes.
Guiyeong Ja glanced at Namgung Yeon, worried about her reaction. Although he was used to such language in Nokrim, Namgung Yeon was from the esteemed Namgung Family.
However, Namgung Yeon seemed willing to ignore the situation to avoid trouble and keep the exploration group’s movements secret.
Guiyeong Ja, who had accumulated much tension, silently supported the bandits, enjoying the idea of them causing more commotion.
When the food arrived at their table, the obscene jokes paused for a moment. Shortly after, the bandit leader, Nok Byeongbi, suddenly commented.
“This time, Nokrim has chosen the wrong side. They should have allied with the Yoomyung Cult instead of the righteous clans.”
The second-in-command, Mok Unpa, nodded.
“Yes, brother. They say the Black Tortoise Division was annihilated in Shanxi. There can’t be more than five hundred left in Zhengzhou. If Nokrim hadn’t made such a mistake, the Justice Alliance would already be destroyed.”
“It seems the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord is losing his touch with age. The Twelve Demon Warriors should be handling things better, but all they know how to do is flatter.”
“If they want to inherit the position of Great Chaeju before the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord dies, they’ll have to kiss up even more. Ha, ha!”
The third bandit, Pa Yeonrae, didn’t want to be left behind and added.
“They probably already have blisters from all that sucking up.”
The five men laughed uproariously, spitting out their food in the process.
‘Crazy bastards!’
Guiyeong Ja was about to stand up, enraged by their mockery, when the topic suddenly changed.
Nok Byeongbi, who had laughed until he was out of breath, spoke in a serious voice.
“They say everyone with a brain is heading to Luoyang. They want to join the Yoomyung Cult as soon as possible. There’s no doubt anymore; the Yoomyung Cult is the answer.”
“Yes. I’ve heard even Nokrim plans to withdraw, but it’s too late. The Yoomyung Cult will never accept them. They’re doomed either way.”
Mok Unpa’s comment prompted Pa Yeonrae to chime in.
“All of this is that young Grand Inspector’s fault. He stirred up the Yoomyung Cult, leading Nokrim to join the Justice Alliance. The young lack vision. Nokrim is ruined because of him.”
Guiyeong Ja, who was about to jump and attack the men, decided to wait. The bandits were talking about Yeon Jeokha, so he wanted to hear more.
‘What else are they going to say?’
Yeon Jeokha, who had been listening passively, glanced at the bandits.
Namgung Yeon whispered softly to him.
“Don’t pay them any mind. They’re speaking without knowing anything.”
Yeon Jeokha had fought under the orders of the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord. But that was high-level information, known only to a few.
“Yes.”
Yeon Jeokha, with a tense face, looked away.
However, the more he tried to ignore the conversation, the more the bandits’ words wormed their way into his ears.
“Why did the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord make a rookie like him Grand Inspector?”
“It’s because of the Lady of the Black Lotus. Since he’s going to marry her, they’re elevating him.”
“Wow! I heard that guy was with the Lady of the Black Lotus. Has he really been with her in bed? Damn bastard!”
“Don’t be jealous. He’s going against the Yoomyung Cult, so he won’t last long. The Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord isn’t that blind.”
This time it was Namgung Yeon who frowned.
She disliked hearing the bandits speak that way about Yeon Jeokha and the Lady of the Black Lotus.
She turned around and looked at the men with disdain.
At that moment, Mok Unpa’s eyes met Namgung Yeon’s, and his mouth curled into a lecherous smile.
Namgung Yeon quickly looked away, disgusted.
But by then, Mok Unpa was already captivated by her beauty. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even more so than the Lady of the Black Lotus.
With growing desire, Mok Unpa began to assess the situation.
There were three of them: a young man and two older men.
Looking around, he saw two other groups of elderly men, but they didn’t seem related.
‘Hm, they have weapons, so they must be from Murim…’
However, their auras were completely different. The four elderly men seemed to be from righteous clans, while the other two were clearly from evil clans.
They were from different worlds, so they couldn’t be part of the same group.
Seeing Mok Unpa staring somewhere, Nok Byeongbi asked.
“What’s wrong? Do you recognize someone?”
“Boss, if I found a woman ten times more beautiful than the Lady of the Black Lotus, what would you do?”
Nok Byeongbi followed Mok Unpa’s gaze to a woman with long, dark hair.
Although he could only see her back, her figure was impressive.
“How beautiful?”
“Boss, if you see her, you’ll be speechless. I’ve never seen a face like that.”
“Really?”
Nok Byeongbi became interested.
Mok Unpa was the only one among the six who had seen the Lady of the Black Lotus. If he said this woman was more beautiful, she must be truly impressive.
At that moment, the third, Pa Yeonrae, stood up from his seat.
“Brothers, I’m going to see if she wants to join us.”
His five brothers laughed and cheered him on.
As Pa Yeonrae approached the woman and was about to speak, Yeon Jeokha threw the chicken bone he was eating toward Guiyeong Ja.
The bone whistled through the air, and Guiyeong Ja caught it with one hand.
‘Damn it!’
The force of the throw numbed his hand. If he hadn’t caught it, the bone would have pierced his head.
“Do you need something?”
“I wanted to clear your ears. Those guys have been insulting the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord, and you’ve been standing there doing nothing. They say you’re the first among the Twelve Demon Warriors, what do you think the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord will think if he finds out?”
“I… I was waiting to hear more about their plans.”
Guiyeong Ja awkwardly made his excuse.
“There’s nothing suspicious. There are hundreds of guys like them joining the Yoomyung Cult. Take them somewhere secluded and give them a lesson. You should be back within a quarter of an hour.”
“A quarter of an hour?”
“Yes, if you take longer, I’ll assume you got distracted and you’ll have to return everything you ate.”
Guiyeong Ja and Hyuk Muchun quickly stood up.
Fifteen minutes wasn’t enough time to do anything but give them a beating.
Guiyeong Ja and Hyuk Muchun subdued the Six Bandits of Hainan and dragged them out.
They returned just in time, their hands covered in blood, without even bothering to clean them.
Old Shim, concerned, commented:
“It seems the Evil Faction is joining the Yoomyung Cult. I’m not sure if it’s okay to let it go.”
“Let them be. We won’t stop them even if we try. The flow is already in favor of the Yoomyung Cult.”
“That’s true, but I’m worried even Nokrim might join the Yoomyung Cult.”
“If they do, they do.”
“Young Master, it’s not that simple. Do you know how much money they’ve put on your head in the Yoomyung Cult? They’ll never accept Nokrim if they know about you. Come to think of it, maybe the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord put you in charge for…”
Old Shim left the sentence unfinished. It was too disrespectful to say it out loud.
Maybe the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord never intended to get directly involved, knowing something like this could happen.
“Don’t worry so much. There might be a big change in the Yoomyung Cult before that happens.”
“What kind of change?”
But Namgung Yeon gave no details.
The hexagram of Five Peaks Mountain had other meanings.
For instance, the mountain represents the superiors and the wind the inferiors.
‘If there are conflicts between the superiors and the inferiors, chaos will ensue…’
The future of the Yoomyung Cult could change depending on the magnitude of the hexagram’s impact.
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