RDS 83

 Chapter 83

“You’ll think about it, huh? Well, I suppose it would be difficult to make a decision right here and now. I completely understand.”

“That’s part of it.”

“Part of it? What do you mean?”

At Gongsun Rang’s question, Heocheon realized he had slipped up and said,

“Ah, damn. I misspoke. Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“……”

Gongsun Rang silently stared at Heocheon.

Her expression was hidden behind the veil, but suspicion was evident in her exposed eyes.

Misspoke?

Looking back over their conversation, there was little chance that had been accidental.

Anyone could tell that it had been deliberate.

What exactly is he up to?

Perhaps there’s no need for him to limit himself to our organization?

That was the only conclusion she could draw for now.

He said it was an important object…

And yet he was so willing to abandon the Hao Sect. It was difficult to understand.

As she briefly wondered why, the name of an organization suddenly occurred to her.

The Beggars’ Sect?

Considering Heocheon’s public identity, it would certainly be more natural for him to join hands with the Beggars’ Sect, which belonged to the orthodox faction, rather than the unorthodox Hao Sect.

Viewed from another angle, this could mean that the object Heocheon was searching for was something he had no problem revealing to the orthodox sects.

If that was true, there was no reason for Heocheon to engage in an unnecessary battle of wills with Gongsun Rang.

This… isn’t good.

A sense of unease gradually surfaced at the thought that the carefully prepared situation she had constructed might be thrown into disarray.

As if deliberately fanning the flames, Heocheon stood up and muttered as though talking to himself,

“Let’s see. Where was the Hangzhou branch of the Beggars’ Sect again…?”

“……”

Gongsun Rang stared coldly at Heocheon.

The gaze visible above her veil grew even colder.

Heocheon belatedly noticed her stare and scratched the back of his head with an innocent smile.

“Ah, did you hear that? If you did, I apologize.”

He had deliberately spoken loudly enough for her to hear, only to pretend otherwise.

It was shameless beyond belief.

Gongsun Rang’s gaze became even colder.

But Heocheon continued speaking calmly, as though he didn’t care in the slightest.

“Maybe I’ve gotten old, because I’ve been talking to myself a lot lately. Still, since the subject came up, let me ask. Do you happen to know where the Hangzhou branch of the Beggars’ Sect is…?”

“You’re truly childish.”

Gongsun Rang cut him off coldly. Her voice was as chilly as a razor-sharp blade.

Yet instead of taking offense, Heocheon waved his hands with a sly smile.

“Oh, come on. Childish? That’s a bit harsh. Is the Hao Sect the only information organization in existence? Naturally, I should give the Beggars’ Sect a chance too. Isn’t that only fair?”

Heocheon’s casual tone made it seem as though he was actually enjoying the situation.

Even in Korea, when large corporations were working on major projects or important contracts, it was common practice to solicit bids from multiple subcontractors at the same time, review their various proposals, and then select the company best suited for the job.

Naturally, Heocheon had no reason to cling desperately to the Hao Sect alone.

When the answer she had anticipated actually came out of Heocheon’s mouth, Gongsun Rang couldn’t hide her complicated feelings.

Her eyes, which had never wavered until now, trembled ever so slightly for the first time.

Moreover, despite claiming that he might head straight to the Beggars’ Sect’s Hangzhou branch, Heocheon remained standing without making the slightest move.

Gongsun Rang was too perceptive not to understand the meaning behind such contradictory behavior.

The Master of Eunwol Pavilion… He isn’t simply someone who possesses powerful martial arts.

Heocheon was skilled at manipulating his opponent’s psychology, and even now, he was deliberately putting pressure on her.

He was one of the most difficult people she had ever dealt with.

Gongsun Rang unconsciously let out a deep sigh.

“Phew. I suppose I was forcing our organization’s position too much. You want to negotiate the terms, then? What do you think?”

“Negotiate, huh? Hmm. Shall I hear you out?”

Heocheon grinned and casually sat back down.

Even in a tense conversation, he never lost his composure, and that attitude irritated Gongsun Rang.

But this was not the time to let her emotions control her.

Her priority was to prevent Heocheon from changing his mind by any means necessary.

Gongsun Rang’s gaze sharpened.

“Then, would it be all right if I propose the terms first?”

Heocheon nodded leisurely.

The situation had become the exact opposite of before, but neither of them mentioned it aloud.

“First, let’s forget about the personal favor I mentioned earlier. Instead, we’ll accept the conditions you proposed.”

“Hmm. Are you really sure that’s all right?”

At Heocheon’s question, Gongsun Rang tilted her head slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“If I remember correctly, you said earlier that a deal couldn’t be concluded unless I offered terms that would make you or the Hao Sect throw away your pride and rush to accept without hesitation. And now you’re saying you’ll accept my proposal after all. Doesn’t that contradict what you said?”

Gongsun Rang calmly replied,

“The circumstances are completely different now.”

The moment Heocheon mentioned the Beggars’ Sect, the Hao Sect could no longer ignore his proposal.

Money was important, but pride was an even greater issue.

The Hao Sect and the Beggars’ Sect coexisted by dividing their territories between the shadows and the light, respectively. Yet both sides secretly believed themselves superior to the other.

Under such circumstances, what if the Beggars’ Sect openly resolved a request that the Hao Sect had rejected?

People might mistakenly assume that Heocheon had entrusted the matter to the Beggars’ Sect because they were more capable than the Hao Sect.

For the Hao Sect, which prided itself on being the greatest information organization, such a situation was absolutely unacceptable.

“On the honor of our organization, I dare guarantee this. We will find the whereabouts of the object you seek before the Beggars’ Sect, no matter what.”

At her bold declaration, Heocheon chuckled.

“Well, we won’t know that until we actually try, will we?”

There was a high possibility that the fragment of the Divine Statue Heocheon was searching for was located within the territory of an organization belonging to the Taoist or Buddhist factions.

Considering that, the Beggars’ Sect actually had a considerable advantage over the Hao Sect.

Seeing that Heocheon’s attitude remained unchanged despite her confident declaration, Gongsun Rang grew increasingly anxious.

While desperately thinking about how she could change his mind, Heocheon suddenly spoke.

“Come to think of it, there’s actually something I’ve been curious about since earlier.”

“What is it?”

“The personal favor you mentioned as one of your conditions. Could you explain in more detail what it is? Depending on what you ask, I might consider accepting your condition.”

Earlier, Gongsun Rang had deliberately emphasized that it would be a very easy task for someone as powerful as Heocheon.

It would have been stranger if he weren’t curious.

At Heocheon’s suggestion, Gongsun Rang inwardly scoffed.

His words made it sound as though he would accept her request immediately if she merely told him what it was.

But Heocheon had attached a clear condition.

Unless her request satisfied the conditions he had in mind, there would be no point in discussing it at all.

Unless she were a fool, there was no reason for her to accept his proposal at face value.

But Heocheon’s next words made her involuntarily flinch.

“Isn’t the reason you transferred from the Zhongyang Branch to the Hangzhou Branch actually because of that personal favor?”

“……!”

Heocheon had struck directly at Gongsun Rang’s blind spot.

Seeing her unable to answer, her lips tightly pressed together behind the veil, he became certain.

So my guess was right.

Looking back, something about her earlier objections had seemed strange.

Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for her to reject Heocheon’s proposal.

More importantly, the claim that money was unimportant to the Hao Sect sounded strange no matter how he looked at it.

Now that he realized all of it had merely been groundwork for asking him for a personal favor, her behavior finally began to make some sense.

Does she have some kind of personal story behind this?

Whatever the circumstances were, they had to be serious indeed for her to prioritize them over the interests of the organization she belonged to.

And considering her earlier statement that money meant little to her, it didn’t seem as though she was seeking some kind of financial benefit.

That left only one possibility.

This is one hundred percent related to a matter between a man and a woman.

Just as Heocheon was about to subtly probe her to confirm whether his guess was correct—

“……Phew. I suppose this won’t work. I wanted to proceed with the conversation while maintaining the upper hand if possible, but that’s difficult when dealing with you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you everything. I won’t hide a single thing.”

“Are you sure that’s all right?”

Gongsun Rang nodded.

“I would have had to tell you eventually if I wanted to ask you for a favor. The only difference is whether you’ll be more cooperative with me or not. More importantly, this story may take some time. Is that all right with you?”

It was already past midnight.

At Gongsun Rang’s question, Heocheon nodded.

“No problem. I can listen all day if necessary.”

“What? Ah, yes.”

Gongsun Rang tilted her head slightly at Heocheon’s casual remark.

There was technically nothing wrong with what he had said, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something about it was unnatural.

At her reaction, Heocheon felt a little disappointed.

Ah, if only Secretary Kang were here. Her reaction would’ve been much better.

Everything about returning to the martial world was great, but sometimes it was a little sad that there was no one around who understood his jokes when he made them.

Of course, Gongsun Rang had no idea what was going through his mind.

She calmly turned her gaze toward the door.

“October.”

Swish—

No sooner had she spoken than a shadow squeezed through the crack in the door.

Then, a masked figure clad entirely in black emerged from the floor like a ghost.

A strange light appeared in Heocheon’s eyes when he saw him.

Who is that?

He was clearly the owner of the faint presence Heocheon had sensed hiding in the dark corner before entering the office.

And unbeknownst to Heocheon, this was also the very person who had once followed him on Gongsun Rang’s orders and eventually uncovered his true identity.

October paid Heocheon no attention whatsoever and respectfully knelt before Gongsun Rang.

“Did you call for me?”

“I’m going to have an important conversation with our guest from now on. Until we’re finished, make sure no one comes anywhere near this area.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

At Gongsun Rang’s command, October nodded without complaint and concealed his presence once again.

Not long afterward, the presence of people around them became almost impossible to sense.

She had cleared not only the top floor but even the floors below it.

Heocheon was inwardly puzzled.

What on earth is she planning to tell me that she’s being this cautious about their surroundings?

Just then, Gongsun Rang suddenly spoke.

“Have you ever thought that there was something strange about the Blood Demon Cult’s rise in the past?”

“What?”

At the unexpected question, Heocheon’s eyes widened.

The fact that the Blood Demon Cult’s rise had been one of the conspiracies of the followers of the Outer Gods was a secret known only to Heocheon and a handful of others.

He couldn’t help being shocked when Gongsun Rang suddenly brought it up.

Why is she suddenly asking me about that?

His confusion lasted only a moment before he pretended not to know anything and asked,

“Why would you think that?”

Gongsun Rang replied,

“Because no matter how I thought about the Blood Demon Cult’s rise, it seemed unnatural, so our organization once conducted a secret investigation of its own.”

“The Hao Sect?”

“Yes. But the investigation was suspended not long afterward.”

“Why?”

Gongsun Rang didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she looked out the window.

Her gaze as she stared at the moon hanging in the dark night sky was filled with profound sorrow.

“……Because the Young Sect Master of our organization, who had been leading that investigation, disappeared without a trace.”