Beak Seolhwa and Namgung Hui, who had enjoyed the feast all night, greeted the next day at the guest hall.
Since they were both early risers, they woke up early and t in the corridor.
"Seolhwa. Did you sleep well?"
"I slept well. Hui. You also look well-rested, as if you slept well."
"Now that I have a rough idea of what to do, I can sleep well."
"Yes. You're going to the radical faction from today. And I've decided to observe the moderate faction."
Beak Seolhwa said she couldn't trust the moderate faction either.
She volunteered to monitor them.
Since she had said that her course of action would be decided only after looking at both factions, he readily agreed.
In fact, there was nothing for Namgung Hui to agree to or not.
Because they had decided to move separately from the Blood Cult.
Namgung Hui was originally on a mission.
And he intended to seriously look into the radical faction, which was also his original purpose.
That was why Bukgung Jinwu had given him an identification plaque and even made a deal.
If the Demonic Heaven and the radical faction had joined forces, it ant that Namgung Hui and the moderate faction had joined forces.
Of course, Namgung Hui was still an individual, and the Demonic Heaven was a huge force.
But the forces of the Demonic Heaven were far away.
And Namgung Hui was right in front of them.
On top of that, the Mad Dragon, the envoy of the Demonic Heaven, had been captured by Namgung Hui and sent to the Demonic Physician.
For now, Namgung Hui was in an advantageous position.
'I have to take this montum and overthrow the forces of the radical faction in an instant. At least I have to do sothing about the Dugu family.'
Namgung Hui nodded and said to Beak Seolhwa.
"But don't dig too deep. You might be misunderstood and beco hostile."
"Have you forgotten who I am? I'm the Demonic Empress. The Demonic Empress. There's no way I'll be defeated by those who are no different from my descendants. So don't worry."
"Alright. Then I'll be going too."
"Yeah. Go on."
Although Beak Seolhwa's face was disguised, her beautiful face seed to shine through the disguise.
After admiring Beak Seolhwa's bright smile for a mont, he turned and left the guest hall.
Now, Namgung Hui's original purpose, the Dugu family.
It was ti to head to where the radical faction was.
* * *
The strongholds of the radical faction and the moderate faction were quite far apart.
In a way, the reason why the factions were divided like this might be due to this physical distance.
Since the Blood Cult was located on a steep mountain, it was difficult to build all the institutions in one place in the first place.
The place where the radical faction was now located was on a secluded cliff in the rugged Hundred Thousand Mountains.
It felt as if the pavilion was hanging precariously on the cliff, and he wondered how they had built it.
Namgung Hui looked at such a pavilion and then stepped towards the main gate.
The martial artists who were guarding from a distance raised their swords as they looked at Namgung Hui, who was walking alone.
"Stop! Who are you?"
"I am I Jayeon, sent by the military strategist Bukgung. I ca here on an errand to the Heavenly Altar Pavilion."
"The military strategist Bukgung? Tell in detail what the errand is."
"That's difficult to say because it's sealed in this secret ssage."
As Namgung Hui shook the scroll sealed with wax, the two guard martial artists exchanged glances.
"Should we report it inside?"
"That wax seal seems to be the military strategist's. I think it's okay to let him in."
"But didn't the First Elder give us strict orders yesterday?"
"Hey. Who would invade this far? It's impossible even for those orthodox faction bastards."
"T-that's true, right?"
The guard martial artist who had nodded said to Namgung Hui.
"Pass! There are many high-ranking people inside, so don't cause any unnecessary trouble."
Namgung Hui politely cupped his fists and entered the main gate.
Unlike the military affairs departnt where he had t Bukgung Jinwu, this place had a bit of a Blood Cult feel to it.
Although it couldn't be compared to the Martial Alliance, should I say it had a quiet charm?
Especially because it was built on a cliff, the pavilion was particularly elegant.
It blended well with the waterfall visible on the other side, like a painting.
'The view when it rains would be quite wonderful.'
Namgung Hui, who had finished admiring the Heavenly Altar Pavilion, walked lightly.
Perhaps because this was a deep place, the surroundings were quite quiet.
In the midst of the silence, only Namgung Hui's footsteps echoed.
Namgung Hui thought about killing his footsteps, but then he thought he would be suspected as a suspicious person if no footsteps were heard, so he endured it.
Was there soone who had heard Namgung Hui's footsteps?
A presence was felt from the end of the corridor.
And then, a middle-aged man who appeared from there looked at Namgung Hui and opened his mouth.
"Isn't that the woman who was with the Guardian Captain before? Why did you co here instead of the military affairs departnt?"
He was none other than the person called the Second Elder, whom Muchi had t as soon as he arrived.
The Second Elder's suspicious gaze was directed at Namgung Hui.
Namgung Hui received his gaze calmly, took out the military strategist's secret ssage, and said.
"I ca on an errand."
"Hmm... The military strategist sent a secret ssage through an outsider? Very suspicious... What's inside?"
"As you can see, it's sealed, so I don't know."
"But why did you co instead of the Guardian Captain?"
His suspicion was reasonable.
Since the two factions were at odds, it would be very suspicious to send an outsider.
Namgung Hui took out a hidden card to dispel his suspicion.
"Actually, I'm from the Pungun rchant Guild. Do you know why I ca to the Blood Cult?"
"The Pungun rchant Guild? Ah. That's the place where we proposed a close agreent."
It would be a threat, not a close agreent, but as long as he could relieve the Second Elder's suspicion, he could laugh it off.
Namgung Hui smiled faintly and put the secret ssage back in his robes.
"Then the secret ssage must contain what kind of agreent will be exchanged with the Pungun rchant Guild. Good. I'll guide you. Follow . It would have taken a long ti to go through the procedures, so you should know you're lucky."
Did he an he could et the key figures of the radical faction right away?
If so, it wouldn't be strange to et the Young Cult Leader right away.
'It's necessary to figure out what kind of person the Young Cult Leader is. From his personality to his martial arts level.'
The Young Cult Leader was usually of the age of a late-stage master, but the case of this Blood Cult was a little different.
There was no talent to inherit the position of Cult Leader, and there was no sacred artifact or martial art to claim legitimacy, so wasn't the position of Cult Leader still vacant?
Perhaps, just as his sworn brother's true teachings had not been passed down, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had not been properly passed down either.
As Namgung Hui nodded, the Second Elder took the lead and walked.
"Co to think of it, I haven't heard your na. My na is Ma Jincheol, and I'm the Second Elder of the Heavenly Blood Divine Cult."
"My na is I Jayeon. I'm the manager of the Pungun rchant Guild."
"The manager of a rchant guild, isn't that similar to a branch manager? To be a manager at that age, you've made quite a career for yourself."
At Namgung Hui's fake identity, Ma Jincheol unknowingly began to speak half-formally.
That was how great the position of a manager of one of the three great rchant guilds of the Central Plains was.
Because, as the na suggested, it was a position where one could directly touch the coffers, so it was a position where one could use the rchant guild's money at will.
Just in ti, since Namgung Hui had a plausible seal he had received from the Pungun rchant Guild, he had no hesitation in claiming to be a manager.
And so, he walked down the corridor and arrived at a spacious room in a corner.
But as soon as Namgung Hui arrived here, he had no choice but to frown because of the terrible stench that was rising.
It was a sll like a rotting corpse.
As Namgung Hui covered his nose, the Second Elder smiled bitterly and said.
"The field the Great Elder is researching is what it is, so the sll is a bit strong. But you'll get used to it if you keep slling it, so get used to it. Then I'll open the door. Be especially polite to the Great Elder."
It was the Great Elder, not the Young Cult Leader he had expected.
Well, since the Great Elder of the Blood Cult was a great position, there was no need to be too disappointed.
And then, Ma Jincheol knocked on the door and continued.
"Great Elder. It's , Ma Jincheol. I've brought a guest, may I co in?"
A desolate voice was heard from inside.
"A guest? Well, co in."
As soon as Namgung Hui heard the voice, he felt his hair stand on end.
That voice gave him a creepy feeling?
It was more androgynous than the General, a eunuch, and he felt sothing sinister.
Deureureuk.
As the door opened, an even more terrible sll of corpses wafted out.
And the owner of the sinister voice looked at Namgung Hui.
Seomtteuk.
A gaze as cold as a corpse flowed down his spine.
To feel such an ominous feeling just by eting his gaze.
"Ahem!"
At Ma Jincheol's clearing of his throat, Namgung Hui forced a smile and cupped his fists.
"Greetings to the Great Elder. I am I Jayeon, the manager of the Pungun rchant Guild."
"The Pungun rchant Guild. The place we asked to provide supplies. But why did you co empty-handed? It seems the requested supplies are nowhere to be seen."
"It's difficult to transport such a large amount of supplies at once. And it would be difficult for us to just take a loss."
At Namgung Hui's bold remark, the middle-aged man's gaze shone even more desolately.
"You want to make a deal with us?"
"Are you asking for a one-sided tribute? Then it will be a loss in the long run. It will be the result of cutting open the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs."
"Not the Golden rchant Guild, but the Pungun rchant Guild can lay golden eggs?"
"At least we won't just spill blood like the Blood Cult."
"Oh my! Your words are a bit harsh. I told you to be polite..."
"That's enough. Stop. It's not like he's wrong."
The Great Elder cut off Ma Jincheol's words and looked at Namgung Hui with an interested gaze.
Did he like his bold attitude?
Or did he like his direct way of speaking?
He couldn't tell, but it was true that his gaze had softened compared to before.
"Then let's hear the details of the deal."
As if he had prepared it, Namgung Hui took out the secret ssage and handed it to the middle-aged man.
"This isn't from the Pungun rchant Guild, it's the military strategist's wax seal. What's going on?"
At the Great Elder's question, Ma Jincheol answered.
"Ah, that's. He's a mber of the Pungun rchant Guild, but it seems the Guardian Captain who went on a mission t him by chance and brought him here."
The Great Elder took the thick secret ssage that Namgung Hui handed him and nodded.
"Is that so? Indeed, you've managed to find your way here even though we didn't tell you the location. Anyway, since you've co from a far place, let give you a place to stay first. The military strategist Bukgung would have given you a shabby guest hall, but our Heavenly Altar Pavilion is full of much more luxurious guest rooms. I'll read this in detail and give you an answer."
"Then, Great Elder. I'll be taking my leave now. Manager. Please follow ."
"Great Elder. Then I'll be waiting for your answer."
"Alright. I'll send soone soon."
And so, Namgung Hui and the Second Elder left the Great Elder's office and ca outside again.
"From now on, even if the place I guide you to is sowhat unfamiliar, please don't be surprised."
Unlike his words 'don't be surprised,' the Second Elder's face was full of expectation, as if he wanted him to be surprised.
Namgung Hui also looked at him with an expectant gaze, wondering what kind of amazing place he was going to show him.
'Is he planning to give a luxurious pavilion, even though it's the Blood Cult? Even so. It would be nothing compared to the Golden rchant Guild or the Myriad Gold rchant Guild.'
And so, the place Ma Jincheol led him to was not a pavilion, but a cliff with nothing on it.
Ma Jincheol, who had slowly turned around, opened his mouth with a deep smile.
"This is where you will be staying.”
(End of Chapter)
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